"Yes, yes, something good..."
Zhong Xiaoshan hurriedly ran into the bedroom, went straight to the dressing table, took out a gift box from her bag, and said, "This is a limited edition Lancôme gift box brought back by Director Hu from Europe, worth more than ten thousand..."
With that, she hastily stuffed it into Zheng Xinyu's arms, smiling cheekily, "Your skin is great, but no woman minds her skin becoming even better, right?"
"Wow, thank you."
Though she didn't like Zhong Xiaoshan, Zheng Xinyu couldn't resist the golden Lancôme gift box in her arms, with the price tag of one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine euros still on it. With her past income, she couldn't afford such skincare products.
But before she could warm the gift box in her hands, it swiftly flew into Zhang Su's hand.
"This kind of thing is useless now unless we can get rescued and restore order quickly, otherwise..."
Zhang Su directly tossed the gift box onto the bed, "Otherwise, it's not worth more than two bottles of mineral water!"
"But, but I think it's quite nice."
Zheng Xinyu awkwardly chuckled while holding the gift box under Zhang Su's intense gaze, feeling uneasy, and hugged it tightly in her arms.
Zhang Su couldn't help but shake his head, but he didn't refuse Zheng Xinyu again. After all, they were living under the same roof, and he needed to try and take care of her feelings a little.
"Alright then, let's say this gift box is... worth half a box of rice."
"What...?"
Zhong Xiaoshan was delighted when Zhang Su agreed to take the Lancôme gift box, as if she could already smell the fragrant rice, but didn't expect it to only be worth half a box.
"Even with tax refund, it's at least fourteen to fifteen thousand, handsome, isn't half a box of self-heating rice just over ten bucks? This ratio...are you serious?"
Zhang Su glanced back at the dressing table and shook his head at Zhong Xiaoshan, "Nowadays are different; you can't assess current goods by their past value. By your logic, the gift box is over ten thousand, and self-heating rice is only twenty or thirty, then can the gift box feed you for months? Can you eat it?"
"No, you're right…"
Zhong Xiaoshan sighed helplessly, and the thought of self-heating rice made her stomach growl, feeling as if a thousand ants were clawing within her, making it agonizingly unbearable.
"Then... handsome, take a look yourself, take whatever you like."
Zhong Xiaoshan completely compromised, as there was nothing else she could do; after all, hunger is very persuasive.
"Self-reliance leads to abundance." Zhang Su mumbled as he opened the dressing table drawer, and was instantly stunned!
"I can't believe it!"
After rummaging around, Zhang Su stared at the drawer full of Bi Yuntao, "That Director Hu you mentioned, is he incompetent or super competent? Even a breeding pig wouldn't use this much!"
Zheng Xinyu sneaked a peek into the drawer, her face displaying a peculiar expression, and stood aside quietly chuckling.
"Well... actually, Bi Yuntao has various other uses; it could solve urgent issues at critical moments!"
Zhong Xiaoshan spoke in a low voice from the side.
"Oh?" Zhang Su was amused and gave Zhong Xiaoshan a nod, "I'm definitely out of the loop, go ahead, enlighten me."
"I'm not kidding, handsome, besides its normal use, Bi Yuntao can be used to start a fire in the wild. Just fill it with water, tie it up, and use it as a magnifying glass; with sunlight, you can ignite a fire!"
Zhong Xiaoshan earnestly explained, "Moreover, with the current chaos outside, a beauty's long hair can be a nuisance, and if you can't find a hairband, you can use this as a temporary solution."
"You could also use it to store water; it's more durable than most people think. Normally, it can hold two to three liters of water, more than a large cola bottle, and can be used as shoe covers, sealing bags, and even as a tourniquet—it's life-saving!"
Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu exchanged looks, giving each other the "is this really possible" glance.
"Where did you learn all this stuff?" Zhang Su asked Zhong Xiaoshan.
Zhong Xiaoshan rubbed her hands, saying, "I learned it at the mountaineering club, some basic outdoor survival techniques, nothing much."
Being a senior nurse, she needed some sophisticated hobbies to elevate her image, since wealthy people don't like cheap women.
"Fine, fine, fine, assuming your uses are all valid, it's for wilderness survival. If you can get out, there are plenty of these in the unmanned vending store downstairs; what value do they hold now?"
Zhang Su raised his eyebrows, having learned something, Bi Yuntao wasn't that pressing.
"Well, it could bring some joy instantly, if you feel like having fun!"
Zhong Xiaoshan had completely let it go.
Zheng Xinyu rolled her eyes dramatically, thinking she was crude enough, but couldn't hold a candle to this sister.
At this point, it was impossible for her to put herself in Zhong Xiaoshan's shoes because she wasn't starving to that extent.
"You can even say that, admirable. Fine, I accept, then it's worth half, adding up to a box of self-heating rice!"
After speaking, Zhang Su told Zheng Xinyu, "There are plastic bags over there, pack all this up and take it back."
Zheng Xinyu gave Zhang Su an odd look, not sure what she was thinking.
She might have glared, but her actions were swift.
"One..." Zhong Xiaoshan felt a pang of bitterness, having expended all her efforts, only to trade for one box?
She steeled herself, walked to the dressing table, took out a set of keys from her bag, and said, "Handsome, I have a Haranda that I just picked up three months ago, regardless of rescue or not, it's yours, in exchange for twenty boxes of self-heating rice and ten liters of water, deal?"
"Haranda?" Zhang Su rubbed his chin, shaking his head, "What use is an SUV that can't handle a cross-axle? I don't want it."
"You!"
Zhong Xiaoshan nearly lost her breath, dizziness overcoming her as she braced against the dressing table, gritting her teeth, "Fifteen boxes, eight liters of water!"
Zhang Su saw that Zheng Xinyu had packed everything, and told Zhong Xiaoshan, "Wait a bit, I'll bring you the self-heating rice."
Seeing her offer ignored, Zhong Xiaoshan became anxiously flustered, raising her arm to block the doorway, saying, "Ten boxes, five liters of water, consider it... it's worth over three hundred grand!"
Looking at the famished Zhong Xiaoshan, their eyes met, and Zhang Su sighed, "In the end, I'm still soft-hearted, let's be kind for once; I don't have that much self-heating rice. I'll give you three packs of instant noodles, a pack of snail noodles, and two liters of water, give me the car keys, deal?"
"I can't...I don't know how to cook!"
Zhong Xiaoshan didn't bother negotiating quantities, only concerned about cooking.
"I have gas at home, and you can freely use the pots and pans as well."
"Deal!"
Zhong Xiaoshan agreed straightforwardly, slamming the car keys on Zhang Su's firm chest, her eyes suddenly lighting up, fervently saying, "Promise me, if you ever leave here, take me with you!"
Zhang Su slightly frowned, feeling the pressure of the cold hand on his chest, his parched throat struggled to produce sound, "We'll see!"
Zhong Xiaoshan displayed a peculiar smile, then slumped down, leaning against the doorframe, not uttering another word, resembling a dead-weight Old Pu after class.