Chapter 27: Heavy Punishment in Turbulent Times
Boss Tang’s self-promotion didn’t bother Huai Yu at all. She currently had 400 points in hand and didn’t need to worry about survival anymore. Even shopping had become a lot more fun.
Things she had previously hesitated to buy, she could now boldly consider.
For example, toilet paper — 80 points? Fine, she would definitely get a pack this time. And other hygiene products too — the more, the better.
In the blink of an eye, 122 points were gone.
She also needed scissors and a small shovel, since some wild vegetables required tools to harvest easily — there went another 25 points.
And maybe a raincoat too? There were always things to do on rainy days… This thicker one cost 65 points!
Hiss…
Huai Yu paused in the middle of the street, her excitement fading.
Because in just this short time, plus what she had left from before, she now only had just over 200 points left.
Buying two basins, a kitchen knife, and ten plastic bags took away another 100 points.
With her final points…
Huai Yu hesitantly asked the oil vendor, “How much is fresh lard?”
“100 points for a pound of pork back fat,” the vendor replied without even lifting his head.
Huai Yu: …
So expensive! She could feel the pain in her heart!
Seeing her big bags and bundles, the vendor explained patiently, “Don’t underestimate fresh stuff. The livestock farm slaughters one carefully raised, barely mutated pig each day. If I didn’t have some connections, I wouldn’t even be able to get this five pounds of pork fat.”
“Look, half an hour after delivery and there’s only one pound left.”
“Miss, how about checking out some aged oil instead? I’ve got canola oil from six years ago — very fresh, very safe! Only 15 points a pound!”
Six years ago… Huai Yu glanced at the pharmacy next door. “The diarrhea medicine next door… is that six years old too?”
The vendor looked a little embarrassed. “Not that bad. We’ve had a steady demand for medicine these past years. Most of it’s from last year.”
He waved his hand, “Forget it if you’re not buying. After all these years of natural disasters, what haven’t we eaten? The six-year-old canola oil’s still sealed, and it sells well. No worries if you don’t want it.”
Huai Yu figured she’d better not. She didn’t even know what she had eaten while trapped in the tree cocoon, but it certainly wasn’t six-year-old canola oil. She wasn’t about to take that risk.
But fresh pork fat…
Just thinking about it — cutting that white pork fat into small pieces, rendering it into fragrant lard and crispy pork bits…
Hot oil in the pan, smash some garlic, ginger, and chili to stir-fry, then toss in some blanched wild vegetables…
Her mouth instantly watered!
Still, no matter how much she craved it, reason prevailed. She gritted her teeth, turned around, and went to the luxury goods shop at the corner to buy two towels and a camping kettle.
With the little money left, she grabbed a pair of easy slip-on sandals, good enough to last until winter. After all, it was too much trouble to keep putting on sneakers after washing up.
Huai Yu returned fully loaded, stuffing everything into her multipurpose basket. Meanwhile, Boss Tang was standing at his shop entrance, having just received a bicycle and keys from a young man. Seeing Huai Yu, he grinned and said, “Perfect timing. Want to try your new bike?”
“Sure!”
Huai Yu accepted the bike happily, noticing a yellow license plate on the back —
[Z28H196]
She was curious, but since her home already had “two cars,” she didn’t ask.
Still, when Boss Tang handed her the key, she couldn’t help but ask, “Is this for locking the bike?”
“Yes,” Boss Tang explained, “In the past, we bought our own locks. Now it’s less convenient, so a locking mechanism’s installed directly on the bike. Once you lock it, the chain locks up. But honestly, if someone really wants to steal it, they could just pick it up and run.”
“If that happens, just bring your ID to the vehicle office and report the license plate. There’s a scanning layer stamped into the steel — not easy to find, but not impossible either.”
“These days, minor violations aren’t a big deal, but theft and robbery…”
His chubby, kind face suddenly turned serious: “In turbulent times, you need heavy punishments.”
Huai Yu nodded, showing she understood — looking at how smoothly everyone had transitioned back to normal life, it was obvious: Flower City — no, the whole country — still had strong methods of control.
“I know. Anyway, I’m just going to ride it around my own yard. No one would dare steal it.”
She said this very confidently.
The 600-acre Rose Estate — even the Exotic Plant Defense Army only dared to patrol its outskirts without getting too close…
Though Huai Yu herself didn’t sense any danger, everyone’s wariness clearly indicated something terrifying lurked nearby.
Of course, the people who initially allocated the houses probably never expected anyone to build their home so close to the Rose Corridor.
Boss Tang’s smile deepened. He nodded, “True enough. No one would dare.”
…
But despite her bold talk in front of Boss Tang, once she pushed her bike out of the market, Huai Yu started worrying.
The 28-inch big-frame bike was really big, and besides the bus, she had no other way home.
Everyone carried huge bags on the bus these days, so bringing a bike shouldn’t be too big of a problem, right?
She nervously waited at the station, feeling reassured when she saw an older woman struggling onto the bus with a giant train-station-sized luggage bag.
A man sidled over awkwardly, grunting out, “How much for your bike?”
Huai Yu was about to say 650 but then remembered that was Boss Tang’s price, so she blurted, “899.”
Hiss!
Everyone gasped a little, with some envy. The middle-aged man looked particularly envious:
“Does that price include registration?”
Huai Yu hesitated a moment: “Yes, it does.”
The man nodded repeatedly, “Nice! Good deal! Someone in our neighborhood was selling a second-hand one for 800 without registration…”
Huai Yu suddenly realized — besides the main marketplace, each neighborhood probably had its own little trading hubs too.
She remembered the residents she often saw from Jinyuan Community and considered asking, but decided against it for now.
Coming to the market and getting off right by the Mutated Plant Defense Army base in Zone 66 was safer than going to random neighborhoods.
Maybe later — when life got even more stable, she would check things out nearby.
The bus arrived. Huai Yu waited patiently, then hefted her bike to the bus door, pitifully asking:
“Uncle, can I bring my bike on?”
Uh-oh.
The bus driver clearly had no idea how to handle this! But the other passengers were already chiming in:
“Hey! A bike! And it’s brand new!”
“A 28 big frame! I’ve only seen these in old-timey TV shows…”
“Wonder how many points it cost… Whoa, this girl’s family must be rich!”
“Driver, just let her on! Poor girl’s alone, not easy for her.”
“It’s about to rain anyway. Everyone’s got tons of stuff. Just squeeze in a little. Times have changed… helping others helps ourselves…”
The aunties on the bus were eyeing Huai Yu like she was prime real estate, itching to drag her over to ask her age, marital status, and family background…
