Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 20: Mall Unlocked
"Dad, what is that over there?" Cheng Xiaoxiao suddenly asked, pointing towards a section of the river.
Mr. Cheng looked in the direction his daughter was pointing. The light blue river waters flowed gently towards the distance, and the wild grasses by the shore swayed in the wind. But there seemed to be nothing there.
"Over there on the riverbank. Let’s go take a look." She said as she began to walk forward.
Actually, Cheng Xiaoxiao hadn’t seen anything; it was just that the system had provided the coordinates.
Others who heard also followed along to the riverbank. In the distance, a person was lying in the wildgrass on the riverbank—alive or dead, no one could tell.
The bold Cheng Jingo was the first to step forward and check. Upon turning the person over, they revealed a man beaten black and blue, not looking very old, wearing grey cloth garments. He tested his breath; it was faint. "He’s still breathing. Lend a hand, let’s carry him out and let Doctor Huang take a look."
Everyone hurried forward to help.
Thanks to Doctor Huang’s treatment, his breathing became much stronger, but there was no sign of waking. With no choice but to take him along the road, it seemed he had been beaten and thrown into the river. Judging by his attire, he likely wasn’t anyone important. Whether it was due to his strong willpower or sheer luck, he hadn’t died.
When the group returned to Qingshan Village, everyone already knew their purpose and crowded around to inquire about the outcome.
The men involved in this incident felt immensely proud, their expressions haughty as if to say, "When I step in, no matter how big the trouble, it can be solved."
Looking at Cheng Chudong, who had been carried back, and the girls guarding each side, alongside the proud expressions of their men (sons), there was nothing left to misunderstand, and so the heart rejoiced along with theirs.
At this time, a sharp-eyed woman noticed that Cheng Jingo still had a man on his back. What was going on?
For a time, the gossiping gazes of everyone were self-evident.
The men talked as they walked, and the crowd grew larger and moved slower.
Cheng Xiaoxiao, looking at this group of clan members who couldn’t even properly feed themselves, found them more endearing the longer she looked. For the first time, she became aware of the importance of family ties.
Regardless of previous television shows or novels that portrayed family legacies or harmonious clans, at the time, she felt nothing. Now, placed directly in such a situation, experiencing it firsthand, she understood its preciousness.
She’d been here for almost half a month, and during her leisure time, she and Erya had also turned around the village. The disputes never stopped—someone’s chicken disappeared, accused of theft, leading to big altercations; the Li family’s child beat up the Zhang family’s child, demanding an explanation from the village chief; two girls fancied the same man and contended secretly; brothers argued heatedly about who should pay for their parents’ medical expenses.
Neighbors could fight and squabble over petty matters, look disapprovingly at each other, or even ostracize; but when something happened, they could all put aside their grievances and unite against an external foe with remarkable cohesion.
Although it was Cheng Xiaoxiao who discovered the rescued man, it wasn’t appropriate to place such a grown man in their home, so he was sent to stay with Huang Zhongyi for convenient treatment. However, they requested Doctor Huang inform them immediately when he regained consciousness.
Everyone went home, asking Brother Cheng Jingo to report to their village chief father, and Cheng Xiaoxiao’s family also returned home.
Back home, Brother Jia and Brother Ran had returned from school. The two were thrilled to see the three who were brought back. Since their uncle’s house was overcrowded with people, Cheng Chudong was arranged to stay with Cheng the Second.
The two sisters from the Qiao Family felt uneasy. Although they wouldn’t be beaten anymore at their uncle’s house, they remained anxious. Their mother still required a lot of silver for medicine, and even if she recovered, she couldn’t handle heavy tasks.
Afraid of causing inconvenience to their uncles—after all, a married girl returning to her maiden home, no matter the reason, was frowned upon—the uncles took them in without reservation. Exchanging a glance, the two sisters secretly vowed to work hard at their uncle’s home and repay the kindness for a lifetime.
Noticing the sisters’ unease and nervousness, Cheng Xiaoxiao comforted them, "Don’t worry. Although our family’s situation is not great, it’s no problem to support you three. Besides, I will need your help soon; when the time comes, don’t complain about the workload!"
The sisters shook their heads in unison, indicating there was no problem with working hard without complaint.
As the family was preparing to have dinner, Cheng Xiaoxiao hastily had half a bowl of millet porridge before finding an excuse to return to her room. The system was making an exciting announcement at this moment.
"X has finally arrived!"
[Detected that host’s Gratitude Points have reached 130. System Mall is now open.]
[Deduct 100 Gratitude Points to upgrade to Level 1 Mall. 30 Gratitude Points are automatically converted to 3 System Coins. System Coins can purchase any items in the System Mall.]
Looking at the new interface in her mind, which resembled a tablet, she saw the lit-up screen interface. In the upper left corner was a large avatar, reflecting her current appearance, with small text below:
Level 1 Host: Cheng Xiaoxiao
Star Age: Bone Age 13
System Coins: 3.0 coins
Energy Level: Low 5.8 (Detected that host’s Ability Level is too low, please upgrade as soon as possible to avoid obliteration.)
In the middle were several large icons: [Item Trading], [Star Lord Exchange], [Energy Weapons], [Information Inquiry], [Construction Module], [Ruins Exploration].
Only the first one, Item Trading, was lit. The other five were greyed out.
Cheng Xiaoxiao understood that the levels behind were not enough yet, so they hadn’t been unlocked!
She clicked open the only available icon [Item Trading], where there were many categories, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. However, only the first dozen or so icons were lit, with the rest of the basket being greyed out.
Looking further, a cabbage cost 10 System Coins; a sweet potato, 20 System Coins; a pound of rice, 30 System Coins; a pound of flour, 35 System Coins.
Continuing to flip through, a pack of tissues was 50 System Coins, a lighter was 30 System Coins, and even the cheapest pen was 15 System Coins.
Not to mention the greyed-out icons—an iron pot was 200 System Coins, a box of tea leaves was 500 System Coins, she just glanced at them casually, and they were all three-digit numbers.
Now she only had 3 System Coins. After being excited for half a day, she couldn’t buy anything?
It was so difficult for her!
And these were just ordinary foods. Later, there were things like refined energy rice for 1000 System Coins for five pounds; what was that? So expensive, what kind of energy would make someone immortal upon eating it!
"Host, refined food is beneficial to the body. It can enhance the Ability Level."
Speaking of Ability Level, Cheng Xiaoxiao’s eyes slightly narrowed, "77, don’t you have some explaining to do? What does it mean for the Ability Level to be too low? What does it mean to quickly upgrade to avoid obliteration?"
Cheng Xiaoxiao got angry, gritting her teeth, "Isn’t energy being accumulated now? Aren’t we still doing tasks? Why is there still a risk of being obliterated?"
"Explain clearly!"
"H-H-Host, it’s... it’s just..." the system stammered, a bit afraid to speak.
It knew this day would come; it knew it couldn’t hide for long. What to do—the host was really angry, and her face was growing increasingly displeased.
The system trembled, "I-I didn’t mean to hide it from you, it’s just..."
"Speak properly. If you don’t explain clearly today, don’t expect me to continue doing tasks. At worst, I’ll die, and I’ve already died once anyway."
