Aunt Wang and Mother had been neighbors since childhood, and their hometown was also on Shuimao Road, but the man she married lived in the Chenchun Community in the center of town.
Qiao Sang took a bicycle that her aunt usually used for grocery shopping from her hometown and set off toward the town center.
Fire-Fang Dog sat in the front basket, while Little Treasure Ghost perched on Qiao Sang's head as usual.
Qiao Sang indulged Little Treasure Ghost's habit of always wanting to perch on her head.
Who could refuse a pet that helped block the sun in the middle of summer?
Chenchun Community.
After parking the bicycle, Qiao Sang went to Unit A, Room 501.
The person who opened the door was Aunt Wang.
Although they had only met a few times and hadn't spoken much, Mother had only mentioned a few friends, so Qiao Sang remembered what she looked like.
Aunt Wang stood frozen for a long moment after opening the door.
She looked Qiao Sang up and down, her gaze lingering on Fire-Fang Dog and Little Treasure Ghost for a significant amount of time, before saying in disbelief, "Qiao Sang?"
"Auntie, it's me. My mom asked me to deliver some things," Qiao Sang said.
"Come in, come in quickly! You've grown into such a young lady, Auntie almost didn't recognize you," Aunt Wang hurriedly greeted.
Qiao Sang recalled her baby fat and flat chest when she looked in the full-length mirror this morning.
A young lady?
No.
She was still a little girl...
"Auntie, this is what my mom asked me to bring you." After entering the house and sitting on the sofa, Qiao Sang gave Little Treasure Ghost a look.
Little Treasure Ghost sensibly retrieved the local specialties from its ring.
"Your mother is really something, letting you come over and still bringing gifts. Why be so formal?" Aunt Wang laughed.
She stood up and poured two cups of tea on the coffee table, looking as if she were preparing for a heart-to-heart conversation.
"I heard from your mother that you got into Shengshui Middle School?" Aunt Wang asked.
"Yes," Qiao Sang replied.
"I also heard from your mother that you entered a competition right after graduation and even took first place," Aunt Wang probed.
"Yes." Qiao Sang wasn't surprised at all that her mother had said these things.
She hadn't expected that everything that girl Xiangting said was actually true...
She had just questioned her over the phone yesterday, and today she let her daughter come and slap her in the face...
Aunt Wang suddenly felt that the son she was so proud of wasn't so great anymore.
"What do you usually eat?" Aunt Wang suddenly asked.
"Huh? Just whatever my mom cooks," Qiao Sang answered, momentarily stunned.
It seemed she would have to ask Xiangting for the diet plan...
And she'd have to listen to her brag for half a day when she did...
"Then what is your daily routine like?" Aunt Wang continued to ask.
Qiao Sang was slightly bewildered; why did this sound so much like a doctor questioning a patient...
Before Qiao Sang could answer, Aunt Wang asked several more questions in quick succession.
"Did you go to any tutoring centers during your third year of middle school?"
"What does Fire-Fang Dog usually eat?"
"How do you and Fire-Fang Dog usually get along?"
"My son originally wanted to contract a fire-type pet as his first, but I refused. Do you think it would be okay for him to contract a fire-type as his second?"
Qiao Sang: "..."
She understood now; this was an interview.
After politely declining Aunt Wang's invitation to stay for dinner, Qiao Sang stepped outside and called her mother to report that the mission was complete.
Her dear mother was very satisfied.
...
Qiao Sang rode her bicycle back to the old house, where Fire-Fang Dog was still leisurely sipping milk.
Qiyuan Milk could restore a pet's stamina, but the effect was not instantaneous.
Even after drinking several bottles, Fire-Fang Dog had not returned to its peak state.
Now that she had too much free time, it would be a waste of the summer break if she continued training according to the schedule she had in Hanggang.
Qiao Sang soon came up with an idea.
As someone possessing a huge sum of several hundred thousand, she went straight to her room and ordered 30 bottles of F-grade Energy Recovery Fluid online.
F-grade Energy Recovery Fluid corresponded to the recovery of energy for primary-level pets.
People living in the city usually didn't need to buy energy recovery fluid; they just let their pets recover slowly on their own.
For competitions, the organizers provided specialized supplies and treatment, so beast tamers didn't need to purchase them themselves.
The group that mostly purchased energy recovery fluid were beast tamers heading into secret realms.
Those who could enter secret realms would not randomly summon primary-level pets, because primary-level pets were essentially useless in secret realms.
Consequently, there was a significant gap in the sales and price of F-grade Energy Recovery Fluid compared to other grades.
Even so, F-grade Energy Recovery Fluid cost 2,000 Alliance coins per bottle.
After all, for beast tamers whose pets lacked healing skills, this could play a vital role in a secret realm.
Girls often find it impossible to stop once they start online shopping, and Qiao Sang was no exception. After buying the F-grade Energy Recovery Fluid, she began looking at other products.
Previously she had no money, but now that she did, she naturally wanted to look around more.
Qiao Sang lay on the bed scrolling through her phone, and Little Treasure Ghost floated over, staring curiously at the screen.
The phone displayed items needed for fire-type pets.
Qiao Sang wanted to buy an item for Fire-Fang Dog that could accelerate the absorption and condensation of fire energy.
These types of items were always in high demand on the market.
They could speed up energy absorption and shorten a pet's growth cycle, thereby allowing it to evolve faster.
Although Fire-Fang Dog had a "cheat," it wasn't possible to have a fight every 24 hours of the day, nor was it guaranteed to win every time.
Having an additional way to absorb energy was naturally beneficial.
Secondly, these items could shorten the time it took for a pet to release corresponding attribute skills.
Although they weren't allowed to be worn during competitions, they were certainly useful at other times.
After looking for a long time, Qiao Sang settled on an E-grade Fire Condensing Bead.
Prices for pet items varied greatly.
It depended not only on the grade of the item but also on who crafted it.
If the crafter was a master whose name could be found online, then even an F-grade item they made would be more expensive than a D-grade item made by a nameless pet forger, even if the latter was Alliance-certified.
Qiao Sang specifically chose a small shop with good credit ratings.
After chatting with the customer service representative for a long time and promising to post beautiful photos and a long, positive review, she finally bought it for 120,000 Alliance coins.
Although the customer service gave Qiao Sang a massive discount, she still felt it was too expensive.
If an E-grade item made by a nameless forger cost this much, who could afford higher-grade B-grade or A-grade items?
No wonder in this world, the wealthier the beast tamer, the more powerful they were.
Others bought items like it was a game, while you bought an item like you were risking your life; how could you possibly compete?
Just as Qiao Sang exited the online store to look for other things, a grey short toe suddenly appeared on the phone screen.
Looking to the side, she saw Little Treasure Ghost staring at her with watery eyes.
"Xun~"
Little Treasure Ghost let out a coquettish cry.
Qiao Sang: "..."
"You're still too small. I'll buy one for you in a month."
Little Treasure Ghost froze, then skillfully removed its ring and handed a bottle of milk to Qiao Sang.
"Xun~"
"Xun xun."
Qiao Sang: "..."
(End of Chapter)