Meanwhile. The news that Xu Xiu had bought many things yesterday spread like wildfire.
The villagers were all very curious about where her silver had come from.
In less than half a day, the entire Zhang Village met, including Old Zhang and Old Lady Liu, from the main house.
"Who would have thought someone who usually seems so honest and simple-minded could harbor such intentions? No wonder she was so determined to separate the family. Turns out she had long hidden private savings!"
Old Lady Liu said through gritted teeth.
"Mom, Aunt Li from the village also said that the wretch even bought an iron pot," Chen Sixi said hatefully.
"What? An iron pot? That's something used by wealthy families! How dare Xu Xiu use one?" Fang exclaimed in surprise.
"Exactly! We haven't even had the chance to touch an iron pot for so long, yet the people from the fourth branch are already using one."
"It's only been a few days since the separation! Who would believe she didn't hide private savings?"
"Mom, we can't let this be. We must go and get those things back. Those things rightfully belong to us."
The eldest, Zhang Zirong, said darkly.
At that moment, none of them had considered that the "fourth branch" they spoke of had already severed ties with them.
The separation was just a polite term; the severance document was already held by both families.
"Go where? If we go now, who will do the work in the fields?"
Old Zhang, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly spoke up.
In the entire Zhang Village, they had a relatively large amount of high-grade farmland.
But even after paying taxes on the grain they grew, they could barely fill their own stomachs.
Moreover, Da-Tou going to the academy required silver.
He was hoping that after the spring plowing, he could send his three sons to the county town to see if there was any work.
If luck was good, even if they only earned twelve coins a day, that would add up to thirty-six coins.
And that was a conservative estimate; for some dirty or hard labor, they might even get fifteen coins a day.
He thought this way, but if they were to go to the county town, they absolutely had to finish the work in the fields first.
"Fine, then after we finish work tonight, we'll go settle accounts with them. I want to see what excuses they can make." The second son, Zhang Zihua, said angrily.
But the third branch's Zhang Zifu and Wang Xiuying remained silent.
Thinking of the rice ball Zhang Zixuan had given them that day, although they were also puzzled, they ultimately didn't spoke up.
At the thatched cottage at the village end.
After finishing his first passenger trip, Zhang Zhiyong hurriedly rushed to the village end.
"Zixuan, do you know what the villagers are saying?"
"Saying what?" Zhang Zixuan asked curiously.
Although he could move around now, the family had been busy these past few days, and he simply hadn't had time to go into the village.
"Yesterday, didn't my sister-in-law ride my ox-cart back? Aunt Li was there too. Now the whole village is spreading the news about my sister-in-law buying so many things."
"We didn't steal or rob anything. What does it matter to them how much we buy?" Zhang Zixuan said with a light laugh.
"The problem lies right there. Someone started saying it was private savings you embezzled back when you were doing escort work. Guess what will happen if that talk reaches the main house?"
Hearing this, Zhang Zixuan immediately put down the plantain he was holding.
He sat motionless in his wheelchair.
If Zhang Zhiyong hadn't brought it up, he really wouldn't have thought of this.
Glancing back at the pile of plantain and bamboo shoots, Zhang Zixuan was already considering countermeasures.
With Xu Xiu not at home now, if they suddenly barged in, he really might not be able to stop them.
After all, they had strength in numbers.
Those were all things Xu Xiu had just bought yesterday; if they were snatched away, how could that be allowed?
Also, he didn't know if the remaining forty-some taels Xu Xiu had yesterday were well hidden.
If they were snatched away too, getting them back would be difficult.
"Where's Xu Xiu? Isn't she home today?" Zhang Zhiyong asked, looking towards the house.
"She went out today; she probably won't be back until evening!"
"Hiss... With so much plantain in the yard, your parents definitely cannot be allowed to come in. Otherwise, this matter will become known throughout the whole village."
Zhang Zhiyong said worriedly.
Actually, when Zhang Zhiyong saw Xu Xiu buying so many things, he was also very curious.
But he knew well that Zhang Zixuan had handed over all his escort earnings back then.
As for where Xu Xiu got this silver, that was their own business.
As an outsider, even though he was a close friend, he naturally wouldn't ask about money matters.
"Zixuan, have you thought of a plan?" Zhang Zhiyong asked again.
Zhang Zhiyong shook his head, "No good plan for now. If it comes down to it, could you run an errand to the county town for me?"
"Go to the county town? What for?" Zhang Zhiyong asked curiously.
"Nothing complicated. I just need you to help me invite Manager Wu from Yuexiang Restaurant to come here."
"Alright, I'll go later..."
"Probably no need to rush. When I came over earlier, I saw Zhang Zirong and Zhang Zifu heading to the fields with their hoes. I guess they'll probably come over in the evening. You can prepare then."
Hearing this, Zhang Zixuan felt a bit more at ease.
"But the plantain in the yard really can't be discovered by them, otherwise, it will be hard for us to earn more silver."
"Don't worry about that. Tonight, both Haifei and I will be here. If they come, I just won't let them in."
Zhang Zhiyong patted his chest and said.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiu, along the way, had already collected several plant species.
Only the points for that snake hadn't come through yet, which made Xu Xiu extremely anxious.
"Master, I think you shouldn't be anxious. Since other things gave points, it means it's not a system problem. It's just that the snake's points haven't been calculated yet. Clearly, that snake is worth a lot of points."
"Hopefully that's the case! How many points do I have now?"
"It's almost two thousand now."
"Only two thousand? That's still a bit slow. I need eight hundred and eighty thousand!"
"You haven't been at it for long. Two thousand is pretty good already. Oh, right, do you still want that house design draft?"
"Are you sure it's a design for our current era?"
"Absolutely sure, it's for your time. You can look at it first and decide not to buy it."
"Really? What if I memorize it just by looking?"
"Aren't you underestimating the design draft? It's very complex, not easy to remember at all. And if you look and don't like it, the system will modify it until you're satisfied."
"Oh? Is there such a good deal? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You didn't ask!"
"I want to combine some design elements from the apocalypse with the blue-brick and tile houses here. Would that be a bit weird?"
"Weird? Most of the designs inside are this kind of design," Coco said helplessly.
"Really?" Xu Xiu asked excitedly.
If there was one thing she had found most uncomfortable since transmigrating, it was the outhouse here.
That was what disgusted her the most.
The most painful thing every day was getting up in the morning to use the outhouse.
Next was bathing. The lack of a showerhead was one thing, but because of poverty, there wasn't even a bathtub, let alone towels.
They used torn rags, and the whole family shared one piece, scrubbing themselves like that.
Not washing was okay; once she washed, she felt even dirtier.
Thinking about it, it seemed there really were many things that needed preparing.
Hearing Xu Xiu's words, Coco immediately said:
"Of course it's true! I am the system configuration matched to you. Since I'm matched to you, naturally it's tailored for you. If I can't find what you need in the supermarket, then I'm unqualified, and you can pass me on then."
"No, no, how could I pass you on? You're so cute and so responsible. I love you too much to do that!" Xu Xiu said in a very fawning manner.
Joking aside, although Coco said that, Xu Xiu understood in her heart that theirs was a mutually beneficial relationship.
"You told me yesterday there's a discount. Should I buy one now?" Xu Xiu asked curiously.
"Yes, but do you have time to choose now?"
"Exactly, I don't. If I wait until I go back tonight, will the event be over?"
"No, the event lasts until midnight tonight!" Coco stated with great certainty.
"That's good then!" Xu Xiu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
With the mindset of "since I'm already here," she naturally wouldn't give up and continued deeper into the mountains.
She couldn't possibly catch anything; after all, besides needing points, she also needed silver!
Thinking this way, Xu Xiu had no longer mind to pay attention to Coco.
She lowered her head and searched for traces of prey.
In the apocalypse, as a special agent, she was naturally no stranger to hunting.
In the past, she often went deep into the mountains for missions.
When there was no food, prey became her first choice.
Perhaps her luck was good today; after only a few steps, she discovered many footprints.
Looking at the footprints, most seemed like wild boar. Only one was an exception; this one clearly didn't look like a wild boar.
"What kind of footprint is this?" Xu Xiu murmured softly.
"Muntjac. This is a muntjac footprint," Coco's voice sounded in her mind again.
"Muntjac? This isn't a deep mountain yet. How could there be a muntjac? Are you sure you didn't scan wrong?"
"The place you're standing now is already a deep mountain, just at the entrance. Also, judging by the footprints in front of you, there's definitely more than one wild boar. Even if you hunt them, you can't carry them back."
"Then what should I do?"
"What can be done? If you upgraded, I could help you store them. But you haven't upgraded, so I can't help. Either you go down the mountain to find people, or you figure out a way to carry them back yourself."
Coco said in a cool, indifferent tone.
Talking about system upgrades made them angry. If upgraded, its functions would be much greater.
It just felt helpless facing this underachieving master.
Hearing Coco's words, Xu Xiu realized she had indeed unknowingly walked into the deep mountains.
Checking the time, it was already evening.
If she didn't hurry, she might not get back until midnight.
Thinking this, Xu Xiu immediately followed the footprints forward.
She thought: since Coco couldn't store the wild boars, she would just carry one down first.
The most important thing was that muntjac.
After all, that thing was valuable, and more importantly, muntjac meat could be used as medicine.
She didn't need to think hard to know that if she took this muntjac to a medicinal shop, she could definitely get over ten taels of silver.
However, muntjacs were notoriously difficult to hunt, not only because they were aggressive, but also because they were agile and extremely hard to hit.
But who was Xu Xiu? How could she be stumped by this?
Noticing the spot where the footprints disappeared ahead, Xu Xiu immediately hid in a nearby patch of grass, motionless.
She was waiting, waiting for the muntjac to reappear.
Wild boars were easier to catch; it was the muntjac that was hard. If it sensed anything unusual, it definitely wouldn't show itself.
"Coco, do you think that muntjac will show up today? If not, isn't this a waste of waiting?"
"Master, master! The points for that poisonous snake are out!" Coco suddenly exclaimed.
"Really? How many?"
"Guess!" Coco said coyly.
"Five hundred?"
"Could you think bigger?"
"Could it be five thousand?"
"Bigger! Think you risked your life to collect this."
"You say that... it couldn't possibly be over fifty thousand, could it?"
"Actually, yes, it is! A total of fifty-eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight points!" Coco said excitedly.
When Coco got the news, it was also very excited.
When the points came out, I were shocked.
"That many? Are you sure you didn't misread?" Xu Xiu asked incredulously.
"One hundred percent sure. I looked several times!"
"Then how many points do I have now?" Xu Xiu asked again.
"Over sixty thousand! Keep it up!" Coco said with a smile.
Only one day out, and the points exploded like this. What did they have to worry about?
"It's out, it's out! Coco, stop talking!" Xu Xiu suddenly said excitedly.
Coco: "..." Even if I talk, I don't make a sound. What are you getting excited about?
But Xu Xiu had no time to pay attention to Coco now. She drew the arrow she had already nocked and shot towards the muntjac not far away...
"Swish..." With a sound, Xu Xiu immediately stood up and walked in the direction of the muntjac.
Xu Xiu had never doubted her archery skills.
Moreover, the distance was something she had calculated beforehand; barring accidents, it shouldn't be missed.
However, when Xu Xiu reached the muntjac, Coco spoke to her again: "This muntjac can also be collected! Quick, quick, collect it!"
"No, no! I want to keep this muntjac to exchange for silver in the county town!"
"Ah! This is just a young muntjac. There's a big one inside!"
"How do you know?" Xu Xiu blurted out.
But as soon as she said it, she understood. Without another thought, she collected the injured young muntjac in front of her.
Then she looked towards the hole she had seen earlier.
Needless to say, the adult muntjac inside had been frightened and was unwilling to come out.
But judging by the entrance, if you weren't paying attention, you really wouldn't notice it.
"Coco, is there a way to lure the muntjac inside out?"
"Didn't you bring a fire starter?" Coco said, rather exasperated.
"Ah! Right! How could I forget?"