“Old woman, just tell me your price. I think you’re a kind person, and you won’t trick an old woman like me. I’m anxious to get money for my grandson’s medicine!” Xu Ying said, her eyes red at the corners, but she dared not cry, or her disguise would be ruined.
Seeing how pitiful she looked, Wu Qingsong couldn’t bring himself to offer her too little. “You just want money, right? No tickets needed. I’ll give you 80 cents a pound for flour and 1 yuan for rice. Chicken is two yuan a pound, and pork is one yuan sixty cents. This is already the highest price. Any more, and I won’t make any profit.”
Xu Ying’s eyes flashed. The grain prices were about what Huo Chen offered, but the meat prices were much lower—a difference of several cents, almost a whole piece of meat. “My dear nephew, what you’re offering is too low,” Xu Ying said, feigning reluctance.
Wu Qingsong suddenly looked annoyed. “My price is already high enough! If you don’t want to sell, forget it. I just want to make a little money after spending so much time here. If the price goes up any more, I won’t make anything at all.” With that, he turned to leave. He thought to himself, he shouldn’t pity this old woman; she was so greedy she wouldn’t leave him a single cent of profit.
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be faking his anger, Xu Ying quickly called out to Wu Qingsong. “Okay, I’ll agree to your price!”
Wu Qingsong was still a little miffed, but he figured he could still make some money with small profits and quick sales. He nodded. “Then I’ll go back and get the money.”
“You can only come by yourself. If one more person comes, I won’t show up. Who knows if you’re a good person,” Xu Ying said, pretending to be distrustful.
Wu Qingsong nodded. “Then I’ll come back here later?”
“Yes, right over there.” When Xu Ying first arrived, she’d found a hidden spot. It was deserted, overgrown with weeds, and shielded by several large trees. When he came back, she could move the goods out immediately.
Wu Qingsong went back and told Huo Chen about this large order. “Brother Chen, should we take this order? Even if the price per unit is less, we can still make money from the sheer amount. If you agree, I’ll go now. The old woman is super cautious; she won’t let anyone else come.” Wu Qingsong said, still a little exasperated.
Huo Chen’s heart stirred. He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay, but be careful. If anything feels wrong, run.” In the end, Huo Chen was still worried and went with him, but he stayed hidden, letting Wu Qingsong inspect the goods and handle the money.
Wu Qingsong was quick. After getting the money, he hurried back to Xu Ying. “Alright, count the money.” Wu Qingsong had already calculated the amount based on what Xu Ying had said.
Xu Ying quickly did the math too. Two hundred kilograms of flour was one hundred sixty yuan. Two hundred kilograms of rice was two hundred yuan. Twenty-five kilograms of chicken, at two yuan fifty cents per kilogram, came to sixty-two yuan fifty cents. A hundred kilograms of pork was one hundred sixty yuan. Duck was more expensive than chicken, but not as heavy. Twenty ducks were only eighty pounds, at two yuan thirty cents a pound, totaling one hundred eighty-four yuan.
“That’s a total of seven hundred fifty-four yuan, here you go, madam,” Wu Qingsong said, handing over the money.
Xu Ying took the thick wad of cash, put it into her basket, and it vanished into her space. Including her previous three hundred ten yuan, she was now officially a thousand yuan household!
Before Xu Ying could even celebrate, the system’s voice chimed in at an inconvenient time. “[The host can already upgrade the system. Upgrading the system can open the mall mode. Does the host want to upgrade?]”
Xu Ying’s face twisted in pain. “Shut up! I don’t care if I upgrade or not; my life’s pretty good right now anyway. What’s the point of upgrading? If it just opens a mall, I can buy so many things but won’t be able to use them. If I bring out such advanced items, people will think I’m a monster. I’m not upgrading!” If she spent 999 yuan on an upgrade, she’d only have 11 yuan left of her 1,000. And that was only if her salary was paid. If it wasn’t, she wouldn’t even have a thousand. The system is in a hurry, Xu Ying realized. It’s impossible not to upgrade. It’s already several levels in, but it’s still level one. It would be embarrassing to tell anyone.
“[Host, upgrading is very important. When the host faces difficult and complex illnesses, as long as they buy the medicine from the mall, there is no disease that cannot be cured. Moreover, after the upgrade, items in the host’s mall that don’t fit the current time and space can also be sold. Otherwise, it would be a waste to just let them pile up.]”
Xu Ying sighed dramatically. “System, I made a mistake. I’m still thirty-eight yuan short of a thousand, so I don’t have enough money to upgrade. And I haven’t bought new clothes in years. As for those other things, if they don’t wear out, I can still use them later.”
The system was getting impatient. “[I can give the host a discount. You can upgrade for 962 yuan.]”
“But it’s still too expensive! I have no money!” Xu Ying insisted, looking pained.
The system sounded truly exasperated. “[This is already the lowest price! Otherwise, if you wait a few days, I remember your salary will be paid soon.]”
Xu Ying suddenly stopped pretending and, with a resigned sigh, decided to go for it. “Upgrade.”
“[Okay! Didi, didi, the system is being upgraded. Didi, didi, the system has been upgraded successfully. The host can reopen the system to view the mall mode.]”
As a bright light flashed, Xu Ying reopened the system and saw a new page, similar to an online shopping site. “[The system has been upgraded successfully, and the mall mode has been officially opened. The system will randomly give out a gift package for newbies, which will be sent to the host in lottery mode. Please ask the host to draw the lottery in time.]”
Xu Ying was excited. She looked at the lottery wheel on the side. It showed the first prize was 1,000 yuan, the second prize was 500 yuan, the third prize was 300 yuan, the fourth prize was 100 yuan. The fifth prize for newcomers was a single item purchase, and the sixth prize was “Thank you for your patronage.” Xu Ying curled her lips. This whole thing must be a trick, like those online raffles.
However, Xu Ying still felt a thrill. She clicked the lottery button, thinking to herself, “First prize, first prize, it has to be the first prize.” A burst of light flashed, Xu Ying opened her eyes, and it showed the third prize.
“Oh my god, I won the lottery! Three hundred yuan!” She was overjoyed that the three hundred yuan was given to her for free. Xu Ying almost jumped for joy. She didn’t even bother to check the details of the prize and quickly ran back home. Without her noticing, Huo Chen, watching from a distance, frowned as he saw an old lady suddenly running away with such nimble steps.
When Xu Ying arrived home, she quickly locked the door, ran into the house, and turned on the system again. “System, where’s the lottery prize?” Xu Ying grew anxious when she couldn’t find her winnings.
“[The prizes won by the host are in the personal center. The host can view them by opening the personal center.]”
Xu Ying searched around and found the personal center. There was a shopping cart, a shopping record column, and purchased items. There was also a section for virtual raffle prizes. Xu Ying clicked on the prizes and saw that the third prize awarded 300 yuan.
But how did she get this money out? Xu Ying clicked on the third prize, then a burst of light flashed, and she clicked to claim it. Then she saw a line of words, and her face fell, deflated. “System, come out! What’s going on?”