This fire starter was something Xu Xiu had thought about bringing along because she considered that it might be very late when they returned.
She hadn't expected it to have such a use.
She was the type with an act-first-think-later personality; once she thought of doing something, she wouldn't delay for a second.
She found some dry firewood and blocked the cave entrance with it, then used the fire starter to ignite the wood...
Then Xu Xiu guarded the cave entrance.
"Coco, do you think this deer will choose to suffocate inside?" Xu Xiu asked boredly while waiting.
"If it were you, would you?"
"No!" Xu Xiu answered without a second thought.
"Exactly! Even someone as foolish as you wouldn't choose to suffocate inside, let alone such a cunning deer?"
"Hey, Coco, that's not right! How am I foolish? Explain yourself clearly, or I won't let you off!"
"You're not foolish? If you weren't foolish, would you have forgotten about the fire starter on your own person?"
Xu Xiu: "..."
"Alright, stop talking. The deer is about to come out," Coco spoke again.
Anything within a two-meter radius of her, no matter what the disturbance, Coco could scan it.
Hearing Coco's words, Xu Xiu naturally prepared herself seriously.
She pulled out the dagger she had prepared beforehand from beside her leg and stood right at the cave entrance.
Sure enough, after a short while, a dust-covered deer charged out rapidly.
Seeing this, Xu Xiu was even quicker with her eyes and hands; seizing the moment, she thrust the dagger straight into the deer's vital spot...
The deer let out a pained cry and instantly fell to the ground, lifeless.
"Coco, it's huge!" Xu Xiu said excitedly.
"Indeed, it's twice as big as the one you cataloged earlier."
"Can you scan how heavy this deer is?"
"Yes!"
"Then scan it for me!"
"It will cost two points."
"Then forget it!" Xu Xiu said without thinking.
One catty of rice was only 2.5 points; scanning it once cost 2 points—what was she scanning it for?
Just thinking about those wild boars gave Xu Xiu a headache again.
If she hadn't known there were wild boars here, it might have been easier.
But now that she knew, asking her to give up felt truly more painful than cutting her own flesh.
"You still want those wild boars?" Coco said, looking at the troubled Xu Xiu.
"Yes! I saw those footprints; there must be at least four or five, not just one, but a whole group."
"Serves you right for being lazy and not upgrading the system. However, I do have a method here. I just don't know if you're willing."
"Willing, willing! As long as I can catch all those wild boars, I'm willing to do anything."
"Then spend one hundred and ten points to buy a home from the supermarket, and spend another few dozen points to buy some food wild boars love from the supermarket. Then dig a pit here, put the food they love inside, and come back with people tomorrow."
"That would cost over two hundred points in total!"
"Look at your stingy self! Can't you bear to spend that? If you don't use those points, how will the system upgrade? Besides, it's not over two hundred, it's less than two hundred."
"Fine, fine, fine! I'll listen to you, listen to you, is that okay? Where should the pit be dug?"
"Simple, just follow those footprints downhill. Those footprints clearly show it's a path the wild boars frequent. Besides, you need to head down the mountain anyway, right?"
"The pit needs to be quite big, right? Won't it take until dark?"
"No need. You're using the supermarket's home, not something from here."
"What's the difference?"
"You'll know once you use it," Coco said mysteriously.
Sure enough, when Xu Xiu saw the hoe in her hand a moment later, she was completely stunned.
"Isn't this too big?"
"Not big, it's just right for you to use!"
"It is good, but what will I say when I take it back?"
"It's something from the supermarket; you can return it to the supermarket after you're done using it."
"Oh? Such a good thing?"
"Of course! That's why I told you to use more points to buy things from the supermarket. This way, you get the things, and I can upgrade—everyone wins, right?"
Xu Xiu: "..." Round and round, it's just about tricking her into using points.
Thinking this, Xu Xiu kept swinging the hoe in her hand.
It had to be said, things from the supermarket were easy to use. Such a large pit was dug in just a quarter of an hour.
She threw the food bought from the supermarket into the pit, and that was perfection.
"Coco, put the hoe away! I need to go back too; the sun is about to set."
As soon as the words fell, the hoe in her hand disappeared.
Placing the deer she had stabbed to death into her back basket, Xu Xiu swaggered down the mountain.
She hadn't expected this trip to be so smooth.
Not only that, but the harvest was so substantial.
Tomorrow, she would get Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Haifei to come up the mountain together and haul those wild boars back...
Planning like this, Xu Xiu's steps became even more hurried.
At the thatched cottage at the village end.
After Zhang Zhiyong poured out the plantain grass from his back basket, he planned to make another trip to the county town.
Judging by the sky, by the time he returned, Old Man Zhang should have made his move.
Although he didn't know why Zhang Zixuan wanted him to invite Shopkeeper Wu, he believed there must be a reason for him to do so.
"Zixuan, will you be alright here by yourself?"
"What problem could I have? You know my skills!" Zhang Zixuan said with a smile.
The wheelchair he was sitting in now was movable; for the time being, people from the main house couldn't do much to him.
Hearing Zhang Zixuan's words, Zhang Zhiyong remembered that the current Zhang Zixuan wasn't completely immobile.
At least now that the wheelchair could move, and he knew his capabilities—ordinary people were truly no match for him.
Back when he was escorting caravans, his martial arts skills were the best.
If he hadn't accidentally fallen off a cliff back then, his life now would surely be more than just this.
"Then I'll go now..."
"Excuse me, is this Xu Xiu's home?"
Before Zhang Zhiyong could finish speaking, a voice came from the doorway.
Zhang Zixuan, puzzled, quickly wheeled his chair towards the door.
But upon seeing the person at the door, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you Shopkeeper Wu?" Zhang Zixuan asked uncertainly.
Wu Mingtang was also surprised to see Zhang Zixuan, though not surprised to see him here.
He was surprised to see him sitting in a wheelchair.
He hadn't seen this kind of wheelchair before, but it was clearly made for people with mobility difficulties.
And now Zhang Zixuan was sitting in it—it was obvious his legs...
Seeing Shopkeeper Wu's gaze fixed on his legs, Zhang Zixuan proactively explained:
"It's been two years since my legs were like this. I encountered bandits while escorting a caravan back then, accidentally fell off a cliff, and have been like this ever since."
"Zixuan, I didn't mean it like that, I was..." Wu Mingtang started.
"It's fine, I'm used to it," Zhang Zixuan directly interrupted Shopkeeper Wu.
Shopkeeper Wu felt a bit awkward himself. He hadn't expected to be so oblivious, staring straight at his legs, causing him such embarrassment.
"Might I ask what brings Shopkeeper Wu here today?" Zhang Zixuan asked deliberately.
As he asked this, he glanced into the courtyard.
Sure enough, Zhang Zhiyong was already starting to tidy up the plantain grass and bamboo shoots.
But it seemed he needed a little more time to finish.
Their small movements didn't escape Shopkeeper Wu's notice, but his mind was currently full of Xu Xiu's novel food item.
He hadn't expected that besides giving him that recipe yesterday, Xu Xiu could give him such a big surprise.
Following her method, he stir-fried the things she had left soaking in the wooden basin at noon.
After tasting it, several people found themselves unable to stop eating, completely addicted.
Thinking of this, Shopkeeper Wu smiled and explained:
"Oh, it's like that. Earlier, Xu Xiu gave us a handful of novel food items. She said if we tried it and found it delicious, we should come here to find her. She could sell those things to our Yuexiang Restaurant at a reasonable price."
"Oh, it's about that. She just went out today. But she did mention this matter to me before leaving. I hadn't expected Shopkeeper Wu to arrive so promptly."
Zhang Zixuan replied with an equally bright smile.
After saying this, he also noticed that things in the courtyard were almost tidied up.
So he said to Shopkeeper Wu, "If Shopkeeper Wu doesn't mind, please come in and we can talk!"
"Alright, then I won't stand at the ceremony."
However, when Shopkeeper Wu entered and saw the situation in the courtyard, his brow immediately furrowed.
The courtyard was very simple. In fact, apart from a few back baskets, there was basically nothing else in the entire yard.
Thinking of Zhang Zixuan's legs, Shopkeeper Wu roughly understood their current predicament.
Fortunately, he hadn't bargained down the price of Xu Xiu's recipe too much yesterday.
Otherwise, his conscience would have felt somewhat uneasy.
Actually, when inviting Shopkeeper Wu in, Zhang Zixuan also felt a bit awkward.
Because whether inside the house or in the courtyard, there wasn't a single decent stool.
There was one that Xu Xiu had hastily nailed together a few days ago while making the wheelchair.
But looking at Shopkeeper Wu's attire, Zhang Zixuan really couldn't bring himself to ask him to sit on that bench.
Shopkeeper Wu also sensed Zhang Zixuan's embarrassment and quickly sat down on the only available bench.
"Zixuan, this chair of yours..."
After sitting down and confirming Zhang Zixuan truly didn't mind, he finally asked.
He didn't ask about his leg again, knowing they might be touching a sore spot.
Wu Mingtang, being socially adept and a shopkeeper, would hardly be so tactless.
"This is called a wheelchair. How is it? Not bad, right?"
"Indeed, not bad. May I ask where you bought it? This kind of thing is truly excellent for the seriously ill, especially elderly people who cannot move. With a wheelchair, these problems could be completely solved."
"This wasn't bought!" Zhang Zixuan answered truthfully.
"Not bought? Did you make it yourselves?"
"Yes, Xu Xiu made it," Zhang Zixuan said proudly.
"This... she really made it?" Shopkeeper Wu asked incredulously.
But after asking, remembering the surprise she gave him at Yuexiang Restaurant yesterday, it seemed quite normal again.
"Your esteemed wife is truly a remarkable woman!" Shopkeeper Wu exclaimed with feeling.
"Hmm, she is very capable," Zhang Zixuan said softly, lowering his head.
As he said this, his eyes held an unmistakable tenderness.
"Might I ask if your esteemed wife could make such a wheelchair for me as well?" Shopkeeper Wu asked again.
But after asking, as if remembering something, he continued:
"Don't misunderstand, money is no object. I just want one for my elderly mother. Her legs are inconvenient, and she spends most of her time indoors. It's truly inconvenient for her to come out."
"Well... that would have to wait until Xu Xiu returns. I really can't make decisions for her," Zhang Zixuan replied honestly.
Although he probably knew that for money, Xu Xiu would likely agree.
But without her explicit consent, he wouldn't presume to make this decision for her.
"Naturally, that's only right, certainly," Shopkeeper Wu agreed. "But speaking of that, how much of that novel food item Xu Xiu gave our Yuexiang Restaurant yesterday do you have here? How long can it be stored?"
"That item... probably around one or two hundred catties. That's just an estimate. Of course, we can't supply that much all at once."
"So, you don't have that much stock on hand right now?"
"Correct. These are meticulously handcrafted items; they take time to make," Zhang Zixuan said vaguely.
"That's not a big problem. Our restaurant can't consume it all at once either; it's meant to be eaten gradually. But do you only have one or two hundred catties? Is there no more?"
Shopkeeper Wu asked persistently.
Zhang Zixuan estimated and finally said, "At most, three hundred catties!"
"Still a little bit, but three hundred catties will do. Name your price. Please don't sell this novel food to anyone else, alright?"
"Is Shopkeeper Wu hoping to make this an exclusive item for your Yuexiang Restaurant?" Zhang Zixuan asked with a smile.
"To be honest, that is precisely my intention."
"If that's truly the case, then we must wait for Xu Xiu to return. This food item was also made by her."
"Oh? Where did she go?"
Hearing this, Zhang Zixuan also frowned.
Logically speaking, she should have been back by now.
Lijia Village was just the next village over; even if she walked, she should have been home by that hour.
"She..."
"You thunderstruck villains, aren't you afraid of heaven's punishment! Zhang Zixuan, you heartless beast... come out here!" Before Zhang Zixuan could finish, Old Lady Liu's voice rang out from the doorway.