Chapter 19: Spending Money Like Water
How to spend 793 points is a big problem.
Huai Yu went over her needs from the four aspects of clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. She found that the most urgent need right now was still tools.
The dried fruit sold much faster than expected, and there was still plenty of time before the last bus at 7:30 PM.
As she strolled slowly down the pedestrian street, entering one shop after another, she found that it felt more like a small market for early life necessities—there were all sorts of things, but they were in small quantities.
For example, in a store called Elegant Accessories, they sold all kinds of things—pots, bowls, and even utensils. However, when Huai Yu asked for the price, she discovered the cheapest iron pot cost 30 points!
She hesitated for a moment but decided to move on and check out other stores.
Next door was a small repair shop about three or four square meters in size, with a sign reading Genuine Leather Bags.
Curious, she asked, “Uncle, is this store yours?”
“No,” the man, who was repairing a clock, replied without looking up, “It was chosen based on contribution points. They gave us high scorers a free one-month rental.”
Huai Yu nodded in understanding.
High contribution points meant that during the disaster, people who had contributed greatly in terms of labor, assets, or even their lives would be rewarded accordingly when the government restored order.
She looked down and noticed that the man was repairing all kinds of things, and there was a second-hand counter nearby.
“How much is this watch?” she asked.
It was a quartz watch that looked delicate but had a crack across the dial. It seemed to have been glued back together in a hasty attempt, now appearing blurry and worn.
“Which one?” the man looked up, stretching his neck to see which one she was referring to. “This one? It’s a good one, very durable, 50 points.”
Expensive!
Huai Yu felt a shiver down her spine and immediately turned to leave.
However, she left so abruptly that the shopkeeper was stunned. He quickly shouted after her, “Wait! If you like something, you can bargain! You’re not even trying to buy seriously…”
Huai Yu turned back, “I think you’re not sincere about selling—I’ll buy it for 10 points.”
“You’re joking! Go to the Huaxia Golden store up ahead, any piece there costs at least 100 points!”
What? Tang Boss sells this too?
Huai Yu turned around to check out the store. After all, even if their goods were expensive, at least they were fair. She might as well check out the prices first…
“Hey! Hey! Hey!” the shopkeeper shouted, “35 points! How about 35 points? Come on, it used to be a good brand. I’ve already cut the price for you…”
Huai Yu glanced back, “What brand? I don’t recognize it.”
The shopkeeper immediately fell silent.
Truthfully, the watch was probably from a wholesale market, and the brand wasn’t even clear. It would have sold for 20 or 30 points at most before.
“Alright, alright! 28 points, 28 points, and it’s yours. I’m already giving you a discount. I even added some glue!”
So straightforward? Could there still be some profit margin?
Huai Yu hesitated, her gaze making the shopkeeper uncomfortable. He quickly turned around, “No, no, no, it’s not for sale anymore…”
In the end, after some back-and-forth, the watch was sold for 22 points.
Huai Yu left satisfied, and the shopkeeper seemed satisfied too.
When she put the watch on, she realized that it hadn’t been long, but it was already 4:10 PM.
If she didn’t hurry, it would soon be dark. Huai Yu quickened her pace, quickly going through the whole pedestrian street, inquiring about prices, before finally heading to a store she had decided on:
“How much is this plastic bag? What about this woven plastic backpack? And how much is this big hemp sack?”
“How much is a bundle of rope? How much is the thick one and the thin one? I’ll take two bundles.”
“How much is this hoe? 35? The lowest price? Never mind, I don’t want it.”
“How much are the scissors? Also 35? No, thanks.”
She inquired about the prices of farming tools, only to find that they were expensive individually. Plus, if she needed multiple tools at once, she couldn’t carry them all up the mountain—they were too scattered.
Thinking about it, the multi-functional shovel still seemed more practical.
Surprisingly, the supermarket plastic bags now cost 2 points each. Huai Yu felt they were sturdy, so, despite her reluctance, she bought three.
The woven plastic backpack was a must-have for going up the mountain or into the city, costing 22 points each. She gritted her teeth and bought three.
The large storage bags also cost 22 points. Watching her hard-earned wealth diminish, Huai Yu’s heart ached.
At this point, she had managed to gather the essential tools for going up the mountain, but her contribution points had dropped from 793 to 677.
After subtracting the 350 points for the multi-functional shovel and the items previously paid for by a kind sister, Huai Yu only had 277 points left to spend.
Unfortunately, she still needed to buy the remaining things.
Salt and sugar were essential. While nutritional liquid could only fill her stomach, she often felt weak due to her heavy physical activity. She’d probably need to make some saltwater or sugar water to replenish her energy.
Just one pack of salt and one pack of sugar cost 20 points. This was supposedly due to government subsidies.
She needed a cup, right? Whether for rinsing or drinking.
She needed a basin, too. It was always necessary.
Laundry detergent or soap? She needed that as well. Otherwise, her clothes wouldn’t get clean.
She touched her long hair—although rubbing it with plant ash last night was a hassle, at least it managed to clean her hair. This was why she hadn’t been caught lying today.
Otherwise, looking sloppy, who would believe she was living a good life?
Shampoo was too expensive, so she settled for a cheap soap bar.
Of course, ideally, someone who lived a good life should have smooth hair. But the conditioners on sale in the market were all seven years old. Even if they were cheap, Huai Yu didn’t dare to buy them.
So, soap it was. She couldn’t worry about expiration. Even if it cost 10 points for a bar, she had to buy it.
Toilet paper? That’s too expensive! 80 points for a pack!
Huai Yu immediately gave up on that.
Tree leaves were good, though. They didn’t waste resources and were eco-friendly.
And then, there was the pot.
A covered stainless steel soup pot that could withstand direct flames—good for cooking and boiling water. It came with a cheap wooden spatula and a set of steel hooks for hanging it over a fire. This whole set cost 55 points.
At a hardware store, Huai Yu saw cement—80 points for a 10kg bag. It seemed very popular; people were continuously asking about the price.
She silently listened and realized many people bought it to build temporary toilets or partition walls…
She thought about it.
But it was so expensive…
However, if she could buy two or three bags to build a toilet pit…
Huai Yu looked down at her remaining points—152 points left.
She lingered a bit longer, looking at the camping toilet tent next door—it cost 215 points!
Ugh! She would never buy that! After all, she had built her house herself, so there was no way she would spend so much on a toilet!
