Huo Xiao had made plans in advance to meet up with the Yan brothers.

After packing up everything they needed to bring today, he left the house with Zhuang Xiao.

Their plan was to visit Yan Ming’s home first and then head to the safe zone together.

After winding through the shantytown’s narrow and twisting alleys, Huo Xiao finally stopped in front of a bamboo gate. On either side of the entrance were piles of straw, and the courtyard walls were made of stacked stones, standing about two meters high—much sturdier than the walls at Huo Xiao’s place.

However, there was no house number on the gate, and the streets here weren’t laid out in neat grids. With all the forks and turns, Zhuang Xiao definitely wouldn’t have found the place on her own.

Huo Xiao raised his hand and knocked on the gate. From inside, they heard Yan Ming’s voice.

At the same time, the battered wooden door to the left of Yan Ming’s house creaked open a sliver, and a messy little head poked out.

Wasn’t that one of those two kids from yesterday?

So their families were neighbors? No wonder Yan Ming had brought the two little ones along.

Before she could greet the child, Yan Ming’s front door opened.

Zhuang Xiao glanced at the kid, then followed Huo Xiao inside.

To her surprise, Yan Ming’s home was much tidier than she’d expected.

The courtyard had a stove and two rooms—one slightly larger than the other from the outside.

As they entered, Yan Hu came out of the larger room and invited them to sit.

Inside, it was dimmer than the courtyard. A curtain divided the space—the inner area likely the bedroom, while the outer part had a table and benches and served as a sitting room.

Zhuang Xiao sat closely beside Huo Xiao.

Yan Ming brought over some water and sat down next to his brother.

Then, Huo Xiao pulled six pearls from his bag—this was his main reason for coming today: to have the Yan brothers help sell some of the pearls on consignment. He would sell another six himself.

Twelve pearls would be released into the market this time.

After all, putting all forty out at once would be far too conspicuous. He planned to sell the rest slowly over time…

Since he was asking them for help, of course he would compensate them for their trouble.

Selling valuable goods in the wasteland always carried risks.

Even within the so-called safe zone, things weren’t entirely “safe.”

This batch of pearls would ideally help fund some home repairs before the rainy season began, as well as allow them to purchase all the supplies Zhuang Xiao needed.

And all of that required points.

Once they agreed on a fair commission for the consignment, the four of them set off together.

Before leaving, Yan Ming also picked up a parcel from the kids next door.

It was yesterday’s catch, which the Yan brothers would help trade for points at the exchange center.

After entering the safe zone, the group split up—Yan Ming and his brother went to the exchange center.

Meanwhile, Huo Xiao and Zhuang Xiao headed to the old man Yu’s general store.

When they arrived, the shop was empty. Old Man Yu was sitting lazily in a chair, fanning himself, nodding off.

Zhuang Xiao couldn’t help but envy this lifestyle.

She wondered when she might finally enjoy such a peaceful, carefree life.

Huo Xiao knocked on the doorframe. The old man jolted awake like a spring-loaded puppet. “Welcome to the shop! Looking to buy something? Have a look around…”

The well-worn sales pitch rolled off his tongue automatically.

When he saw who it was, he playfully punched Huo Xiao on the shoulder. “You brat, trying to scare an old man like me?”

Then he leaned in close to examine Huo Xiao’s face, left and right, and tsked a few times. “Not bad, not bad. You’re looking much healthier.”

Turning to Zhuang Xiao, he grinned. “Little lady, you came too! What would you like to buy today? This shop has everything you need.”

Thinking back to how she had spent 400 or 500 points last time, Old Man Yu’s smile grew even warmer. She was clearly a big spender—definitely worth pampering.

Not like Huo Xiao, who always pinched his pennies.

Stingy Huo Xiao: …

It wasn’t like he wanted to be stingy.

He just didn’t have much to spend.

Ignoring Old Man Yu’s chatter, Huo Xiao walked straight into the shop, set down the fan he had brought, then took off his backpack.

From his pocket, he pulled out six carefully prepared pearls and held them out in his palm, giving them a little shake in front of the old man’s eyes.

Old Man Yu, who had just been fawning over Zhuang Xiao, immediately shifted his attention to the pearls.

These were excellent goods—not only valuable as jewelry, but also useful when ground into pearl powder. Rich young ladies and madams in the safe zone loved this stuff.

This world never lacked rich people, and good products always found buyers.

Old Man Yu’s eyes lit up. “How do you want to sell these?”

Huo Xiao pulled the pearls back and said, “We’ll talk about that in a moment. First, check the fan. Settle the repair fees from last time and this time. Also, I’ve brought some river shrimp and crabs. Please start drying them for me.”

“Sure, sure, no problem,” the old man replied eagerly.

There were three fans in total—repairs cost 10 points each, so 30 points altogether.

The river shrimp could be dried as-is, but the crabs needed to be shelled and the meat removed before drying.

As for the crab roe, which required refrigeration—something their home definitely lacked—Huo Xiao decided not to keep it and simply sold it to the old man.

The crab shells, however, were still quite hard. Huo Xiao planned to take them home and fashion them into a chest guard for Zhuang Xiao.

Zhuang Xiao hadn’t expected so much of her precious “meat” to be preserved. They were basically a “meat-rich” household now.

Just thinking about having meat porridge every day made her heart bubble with joy.

And those crabs—not only were they edible, but they also had so many other uses. It felt like she’d discovered a whole new world. That little stream really was a treasure trove.

After settling the math, Old Man Yu quickly deducted the value of the crab roe and drying fees, then handed over the remaining 30 points in repair fees to Huo Xiao.

He tossed the river shrimp and crab meat into the drying oven, and when he returned, his eyes were glued to the pearls. “Now can we talk about those?”

Huo Xiao didn’t drag things out. He swiftly pulled out the six pearls again. “Give me a fair price and they’re yours.”

Six pearls?

That was a lot of points.

If he bought them all at once, it would wipe out a significant chunk of his store’s working capital.

If he wasn’t careful, it could affect his whole operation—and he made his living off this place.

So, the initially excited old man hesitated. “All six? Come on, kid—you’re putting me in a tight spot here. You know this is just a small business…”

But Huo Xiao stayed calm. “I also need to buy an electric fan, heat insulation panels, radiation-proof panels, radiation-proof clothing, and materials for making crossbows…”

He hadn’t even finished listing everything when Old Man Yu quickly interrupted, “Alright, alright—I’ll take all six!”

With Huo Xiao planning to spend that much, the old man figured he could easily recoup the cost of two pearls right there, which took the pressure off.

“All six pearls are similar in quality and size. How about 600 points apiece?” he offered.

Huo Xiao pretended to consider it, then nodded and agreed to the deal.

The price was a little lower than what they might’ve gotten at the exchange center—but still quite reasonable.