Chapter 4: Experience Points?
Chapter 4: Experience Points?
In a moment of daze, a girl's urgent voice could be heard from the neighboring house.
"Mom, Mom, Jiang Cheng is awake and he's outside the door!"
"Is that so?" a familiar voice responded.
Shortly after, footsteps approached, and Chen Sao, whom he met last night, appeared before Jiang Cheng.
"Xiao Cheng, are you awake? How are you feeling?"
She had come to check on him earlier in the morning, but Jiang Cheng was still fast asleep and didn't realize it.
A young girl with long hair, about 1.6 meters tall, and slightly frail, was hiding behind Chen Sao, stealing glances at Jiang Cheng from time to time.
"I feel much better, thank you, Chen Sao," Jiang Cheng said sincerely.
Three hundred yuan was not a small amount for those living in this area. Converted to pork, it could buy ten pounds.
Chen Sao made a living by mending clothes for others, and she also had a daughter, so life was not easy for her.
As for the girl hiding behind Chen Sao, it was naturally her daughter, Lin Yue, who was two or three years younger than him.
When they were younger, she would always cling to him, but as they grew older, the relationship became more distant due to the differences between boys and girls.
"It's nothing," Chen Sao said with a knowing smile, understanding what Jiang Cheng was grateful for.
"Your grandma has gone out, and she asked me to tell you that there's porridge and an egg in the pot. You just need to heat it up, but she'll be back soon, judging by the looks of it."
"Oh, I see," Jiang Cheng replied.
He rubbed his stomach, feeling incredibly hungry.
"Chen Sao, I'd like to ask a favor of you," Jiang Cheng said.
"What is it? Go ahead and ask," Chen Sao smiled.
"It's like this. After I finish breakfast, I'll go out to the street and take over for grandma. During that time, I'd like to ask you to keep an eye on my place."
During the day in the slums, there were few daring enough to rob, but there were still petty thieves. If no one was home, it would be easy for them to sneak in and steal some things.
That being said, there wasn't much of value in the house anyway.
"Oh, I see," Chen Sao paused, her face showing concern. "But you just recovered from a fever. Isn't it too hasty to go out and do business? It's better to rest some more."
"Mhm, mhm," Lin Yue nodded vigorously from behind.
Jiang Cheng smiled at Lin Yue and then turned to Chen Sao, saying, "Chen Sao, I feel much better. The most important thing is, something happened last night..."
He then told her about the incident of his grandma being robbed the night before.
Chen Sao's expression changed instantly.
Lin Yue's face turned pale in fear.
"So, it's better if I go," Jiang Cheng said.
"Alright," Chen Sao agreed, not daring to persuade him further. She reminded him to be careful on the way and return early in the evening, and she would keep an eye on this side of the door.
Jiang Cheng returned to the room and opened the pot lid.
Inside was a large bowl filled with porridge and a peeled egg.
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.
After quickly finishing the meal, he locked the door and bid farewell to Chen Sao. Then, he made his way down the alley towards the street.
Along the way, he encountered quite a few people.
Some of them didn't look like good people, and when they saw Jiang Cheng's empty hands, they averted their gaze as if nothing was amiss.
"It doesn't seem very safe during the day either," Jiang Cheng frowned slightly.
After walking for several hundred meters, he finally reached a small alley that led to a street.
The street was bustling with people coming and going.
The street ahead was called Pingxi Street, about three to four meters wide, with numerous stalls on both sides, barely allowing two cars to pass through in the middle.
Further down on both sides were shops and even two or three-story buildings, including clothing stores, grain shops, furniture stores, restaurants, and casinos.
Except for a few shops with influence, the others had to pay protection fees to the Wild Wolf Gang every month.
"Hmm?" Jiang Cheng's pupils dilated slightly.
Not far away, there were two boxing gyms, and across from them was a swordsmanship academy.
He was a bit puzzled but soon learned the reason from his original body's memory.
Whether it was boxing or swordsmanship, these gyms taught self-defense techniques, not the secret martial arts that could open the body's acupoints and absorb the universe's primal force.
Even so, these gyms did good business because the slums were chaotic, and being able to protect oneself was the best skill to have.
(End of Chapter)Unfortunately, the fees were too high.
One class, one hour, the fee starts at 100 yuan.
Twelve classes a month would cost 1200 yuan, which was too expensive for most people.
"I'll check it out when I have the money."
Jiang Cheng thought to himself.
Secret martial arts were too far-fetched.
Firearms were also out of reach for the average person.
Learning some close-combat weapons seemed like a good idea.
With some proficiency, one wouldn't need to fear facing two or three people.
"Let's go find Grandma first."
Jiang Cheng walked forward while looking around.
He noticed that there were quite a few sweet potato vendors.
"No wonder they can only sell forty to fifty a day."
Jiang Cheng felt a mix of emotions.
He also felt helpless.
Life at the bottom was tough for everyone.
Unless one had connections, like the grain shop on the street, the only one on the entire street, owned by someone from the city with a powerful background, even the Wild Wolf Gang wouldn't dare offend them.
Or, if one had strength, like those martial arts halls, the Wild Wolf Gang wouldn't dare provoke them either, and they were said to recruit skilled fighters from them, competing with other gangs for territory.
"Roasted sweet potatoes, delicious roasted sweet potatoes."
A familiar voice drifted into Jiang Cheng's ears.
He quickly turned towards the source of the voice.
An elderly woman with silver hair was energetically selling sweet potatoes to passersby.
However, most people ignored her.
"Roasted sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, delicious roasted sweet potatoes..."
The elderly woman continued her sales pitch.
"Grandma..."
Jiang Cheng hurried over.
"Xiao Cheng?"
The woman was startled and spoke anxiously, "Why are you here? You..."
"Didn't we agree that I would sell them today?"
Jiang Cheng interrupted her.
The woman smiled awkwardly.
She asked with concern, "Have you had breakfast? I'll heat it up for you, it's in the pot."
"I've eaten, Chen Sao told me she would help look after the house, Grandma, you should go back, I can handle this."
Although it had been many years since he last roasted sweet potatoes.
But it wasn't difficult to roast them, and he had the original body's memory to guide him.
The elderly woman smiled kindly, "Alright, I'll go back and bring you lunch later."
"Wait a bit longer, I'm not hungry yet."
Jiang Cheng felt conflicted.
"Okay, then wait a bit longer. By the way, these few are almost done, they'll be ready in ten minutes, and the others I just put in will take longer."
After giving instructions, the woman glanced around and slipped some change into Jiang Cheng's hand before leaving.
Jiang Cheng watched as the elderly woman disappeared from sight, then turned his attention to the oil drum in front of him.
On top of the drum was a circle of roasted sweet potatoes, and underneath was a layer of soil to ensure even heating, requiring frequent adjustments.
"Roasted sweet potatoes, delicious roasted sweet potatoes."
He shouted, his face turning red.
Although his original body was used to it, this was his first time doing it.
But he had to shout to attract customers.
There were many competitors, some even using advanced stoves with a dozen holes, far better than his oil drum.
Thankfully, he got used to shouting quickly.
During this time, a customer came and bought two sweet potatoes.
Jiang Cheng quickly packed the two roasted sweet potatoes that Grandma had cooked into a bag and handed them over.
"Twelve yuan."
He looked at the paper bill and two coins in his hand, feeling a mix of emotions.
This was probably his first bucket of gold earned after crossing over.
He quickly put away the money, and there were two or three sweet potatoes ready on the oil drum.
A minute or two later, he took out a roasted sweet potato, and a few pieces of information appeared before his eyes.
Roasted Sweet Potato Experience +3.
Roasted Sweet Potato Skill Unlocked.
Memory Integration: Roasted Sweet Potato Experience +100.
Roasted Sweet Potato Proficiency Increased, reaching Beginner Level.
[Roasted Sweet Potato: Beginner (103/300)]
End of Chapter.
Chapter end
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