Chapter 10: Antique Shop

As for public security in the underground city, it was actually okay.

But even under sunlight, shadows still existed.

So many people lived in the underground city, the good and the bad were mixed together, and supplies were scarce.

Expecting everyone to be morally upright was only a luxury.

And sure enough, that was the case.

As they passed a corner of the commercial district, the two of them ran into an incident.

No one melodramatically rushed up to rob them.

Instead, the targets were a couple, and the guy had been swaggering along, showing off their affection and feeding each other as they walked.

After snatching the dumplings, the man ran while eating, polished them off in a few bites, and then vanished from sight just like that.

The man did not dare to give chase.

He was afraid he would get taken out in one go.

It was just a serving of dumplings.

They were free from the Neighborhood Committee, so it was not worth risking anything.

Even if he were caught, the punishment would not be heavy.

Fortunately, ordinary life was not this chaotic.

Surveillance in the residential district was full coverage.

Only here in the commercial district did both legal and illegal trades gather.

In some non-core commercial areas, the surveillance was either installed broken or broke as soon as it was installed.

Whether the surveillance in these places still operated came down to luck.

Chu Xuan did not come here out of idle boredom.

He came to buy some utensils, and a general store had quite a few “antiques.”

Blue-and-white porcelain bowls.

Decorative ornaments.

Wooden chairs and wooden tables.

…

Some flashy but impractical items, such as porcelain bowls, were gradually eliminated, as people preferred stainless steel products.

After the Cataclysm, wooden chairs were actually not allowed to be brought into the underground city, as they counted as flammables.

Later, the rules gradually relaxed a bit.

Because ordinary people would not buy this stuff except for collecting.

With so little living space allocated per person, even fitting people already felt crowded.

How much space was there left for tables and chairs?

“Boss, how much is this?”

Chu Xuan pointed at the dust-covered hotpot-and-grill combo yin-yang pot in the corner.

Seeing that Chu Xuan was interested in that thing, the shopkeeper hesitated slightly.

He asked uncertainly, “You want to buy it?”

This thing had been collecting dust here for a long time.

Customers at most took a glance at it.

Although it could be collected as an antique, some antiques made your heart itch the moment you looked at them.

Every time someone saw it, they thought of hotpot.

If you put it at home and saw it every day, it was simply maddening!

“How much is it?” Chu Xuan did not answer and asked again.

The shopkeeper said, “2000 credit points.”

Chu Xuan said, “200!”

That was more than just halving the price; it was slashing it all the way down to the toes.

“Little brother, you are bargaining too hard, this is…,” the shopkeeper rattled off a stream of sales talk.

Chu Xuan said, “210!”

“Little brother, you do not haggle like that,” the shopkeeper was speechless, thinking, I said so much and you only added 10 credit points.

Chu Xuan smiled faintly and said, “200!”

“How did it even go down?” The shopkeeper widened his eyes.

“How long are you planning to let it keep collecting dust here? This thing was made before the Cataclysm, you have not preserved it well, and the components have a lifespan.”

“Once I take it back, it may break after one use, and frankly, 200 is already a bit much.”

Chu Xuan muttered to himself.

“Wait! 210, deal.”

The shopkeeper was afraid that Chu Xuan would lower it to 100 again, and this thing had been brought back by search teams.

He had taken it at a wholesale price, and the cost was actually under 200.

But capital had been tied up for so long, and it had needed storage.

At 210, he did not earn a single cent.

He just wanted to get this thing out the door quickly, damn it, it was not even as easy to sell as a wooden chair.

“Deal!”

A smile tugged at the corner of Chu Xuan’s mouth, because at this price you could not even buy a single portion of dumplings.

Afterward, he continued.

He turned his gaze to the other goods.

“This one.”

“This one.”

“…”

He picked out some more “antiques,” and since the kinds of cookware at home were limited, he simply bought more items for cooking.

A bread warmer, an egg beater, and an electric griddle.

A big ladle.

A strainer.

A soup bowl.

…

It was not that underground city households did not have these, but very few had a full set, as instant foods were the norm.

“Best price after rounding off, a total of 1600 credit points,” the shopkeeper said with a grin.

This customer haggled hard, but he bought quite a lot.

All in all, he still made a profit.

“Mm!”

Chu Xuan swiped his card to pay, and with so many things they would deliver to the door.

After he filled in the address, he left.

“Brother Xuan, what are we buying these for?” Han Duoduo finally asked at this point.

She had not joined in when she saw Chu Xuan talking with the shopkeeper just now.

She had been wandering around the shop and had seen many novel items.

“You will know tonight,” Chu Xuan said mysteriously.

…

They had finished a day’s work.

Liu Qi and Han Zi’ang returned, tidied up, and then carried some things to Chu Xuan’s place.

When visiting for the New Year, they certainly could not go empty-handed.

They had dumplings issued by the Neighborhood Committee, a box of dried earthworms, 4 servings of Synthetic rice, 2 packs of dehydrated vegetables, and even 8 “large cups” of juice.

They planned for 2 “cups” per person.

There were also some other snacks.

For example, there was a small packet of sunflower seeds, 60 grams, which Han Zi’ang bought from the “antique shop” on the way back today after spending quite a few credit points.

“Knock knock!”

“Coming!”

After taking a look through the peephole, Han Duoduo opened the door.

She quickly pulled the two of them into the room, closed the door, and locked it.

Just as the two of them were puzzled, they were shocked by the scene before their eyes.