Chapter 20: Selling Out the House

“I used to sell ornamental plants; of all the things I sold, they had the highest value.” The two had been conversing while waiting for the dough soup.

“Plants? What varieties?” Yan Yu pressed.

“I really don't know. I never used to grow flowers or greenery before,” the woman said, shaking her head to indicate her ignorance.

“I also have a pile of bamboo slips and hand-copied books on my shelf, but I don't know what they are for,” Yan Yu said. “They are quite expensive, too. The bamboo slips are 500, and the hand-copied books are 2,000.”

“That really isn't cheap. However, with things on the platform, it's better to buy them and take a look if you can afford it. You probably haven't discovered yet that things related to writing cannot be traded between our different worlds. Last time, someone tried to exchange a water-damaged book from my collection, but the transaction wouldn't go through no matter what,” the woman said.

Yan Yu: “Is that so? Then let's try to see if mine can be traded.”

She pulled out the simple map she had originally drawn for her father.

It was just a piece of cloth with some lines and a few words on it.

The result was the same.

Unable to trade.

At that moment, Yan Er-lao returned carrying a steaming bowl of dough soup.

The aroma filled the room.

Tempting poached eggs were mixed in with the dough pieces, seemingly waving at them: *Come and eat.*

Li Xuemei found a small jar used for pickles, two bamboo tubes filled with water, and a clean cloth bag.

The transaction was confirmed.

A magical scene unfolded.

Yan Chengcheng's clear, bright corn oil appeared in the small jar. Once full, it automatically flowed into the bamboo tubes, filling both of them about eighty to ninety percent full quite evenly.

The sweet, milky scent of powdered milk drifted faintly, as the powder lay quietly in the cloth bag.

The charcoal stove was less than a foot tall, and the small pot that came with it wasn't large either.

Li Xuemei looked it over and quite liked it.

It would be so convenient for boiling water or cooking things.

Yan Er-lao carefully weighed the bag of milk powder and gave a silly grin.

*Our leader and daughter both need to nourish themselves; this milk powder is truly excellent, truly excellent.*

*It was worth the trade!*

Yan Yu was forced to switch screens.

The sister on the other side was hugging a quilt that smelled of sunshine, humming happily.

Immediately after, she began devouring her food, unable to wait even for a moment.

That poached egg, with a yolk that flowed when bitten, was still soft-set...

*No, I'm too hungry!*

Yan Yu resigned herself to continuing her research on the official platform.

Combining the words of her predecessor, she believed the bamboo slips and hand-copied books must be useful items.

Once she became wealthy in the future, she would definitely buy some to take a look.

Then, she began scanning the entire house to see if there was anything she could sell.

“Mom, you've been tidying up the house these past two days. Is there anything useless? Let's try selling it.”

Li Xuemei got excited at the suggestion.

“I'll bring some to you. You try the coarse rice and coarse salt first.”

Yan Er-lao also urged, “Hurry and try. It doesn't matter if you sell a little; your eldest uncle won't notice.”

As the coarse rice and coarse salt were placed into the grid, her balance immediately changed.

Next came two large bags of old clothes, scraps of cloth, scissors, sewing kits, pillows, door curtains, mats, and mosquito nets that her mother handed over... In the end, she didn't even spare the cabinet, which her father and mother carried over with light footsteps.

Yan Yu: "..."

"Mom, what are you doing? Are you getting rid of everything?"

Li Xuemei set down the cabinet, exhaled twice, and then picked up the oil lamp from the table and handed it over.

"And this, too. Sell whatever can be sold."

While Yan Yu was busy communicating with others, the couple was also deliberating.

Seeing that Old Yan had no intention of splitting things up with them, they would have to set out together.

Even with the "Artificial Intelligence Cow" (the platform), they couldn't move the entire household; there had to be some trade-offs.

Yan Er-lao knew more or less what Old Yan had, as he had been visiting frequently lately.

Combined with the fact that he had helped pack his eldest nephew's luggage at the academy, and Li Xuemei's recent attempt to scour the entire house, the two of them had a clear plan.

Naturally, they couldn't live on the road the same way they did at home.

Yan Yu couldn't have guessed that, after all those years of eating rice, they still had some foresight.

As for sleeping, they would surely group by gender. The weather was so hot that quilts wouldn't be necessary.

Yan Er-lao would squeeze in with his eldest brother, and Li Xuemei would take Er-ya to squeeze in with Da-ya.

Items like mats, quilts, and mosquito nets were already at home and wouldn't be needed.

Then there was the sewing kit. Today, Li Xuemei felt embarrassed sewing alongside Da-ya; as an adult, her needlework was a disaster compared to a young girl's.

To avoid exposure, they had to sell it.

And those pillows—were they even pillows?

They were more like bricks.

Yan Yu was convinced.

She slapped her forehead.

*That's right! They are all leaving, and they can't take everything with them.*

*It would be a waste to just throw it away.*

*Selling it for something is better than nothing.*

When the balance surpassed three digits, the family of three was very excited.

Truth be told, buying is addictive, but selling is just as much so.

*Keep going, keep going!*

If the platform truly accepted everything as the woman had said, then the most expensive items would be the cabinets and tables.

Yes, they even sold the table.

"Sell the bed too, we'll sleep on the floor," Yan Er-lao said, getting carried away.

"In this weather, it's fine," Li Xuemei said, sweating from the work. They wouldn't move the bed; she gestured for her daughter to come over and handle it.

Yan Yu moved briskly, reached out, and there it was—the last large item in the house was sold.

Once the bed was sold, it instantly surpassed everything else, sitting at the top of the price list.

"How much is there now?" Yan Er-lao's eyes shone as he waited for his daughter to report the number.

"Oh no!" Yan Yu said in frustration. "I forgot about the Free Market!"

There was still one unlucky person—no, one more person—she hadn't connected with!

The Free Market icon flickered rapidly, flashing for an unknown amount of time.

The screen flashed, and a youth with resentment written all over his face appeared on the other side.

"WH—Y—DO—YO—U—ON—LY—CO—NNE—CT—WI—TH—ME—NO—W—"

Every word was a soulful accusation from the youth.

"I forgot, I forgot! I was too busy selling things," Yan Yu said sheepishly. She checked the time—good heavens, there were less than five minutes left.

"Uh, sorry about that, making you wait so long," Yan Yu decisively changed the subject. "I'm in an ancient transmigration setting—drought, poor family. The platform mall has food and clothes, but I want to exchange for toilet paper. Do you have any?"

The youth indignantly pulled a large, unopened pack of toilet paper from behind him.

It was exactly the kind sold in supermarkets—the kind where each roll is quite stiff and can stand upright on its own.

Yan Yu's eyes were instantly drawn to it.

Her face lit up like a flower, and she said sweetly, "Little brother, what do you want to exchange for?"

"Soil!"

Yan Yu: "???"

"Little brother, what did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."

"I said soil! The 'soil' with two horizontals and one vertical, the soil for earth, the soil for farming," the boy replied unhappily.

"Oh, I get it."

Although the boy didn't say it, she could guess it was likely a world suffering from pollution or something similar—even the soil was contaminated?

"Then I'll call my dad to dig some up. But there isn't much time left, so we can only dig up a little bit, hehe," Yan Yu laughed awkwardly. For some reason, she felt a bit bad for him.

They were all fellow survivors struggling to make ends meet; it wasn't easy.

This time, they truly had nothing left!

They had sold everything!

***

*If you want to know how much each item sold for, leave a comment. If you don't, I'll just give a general number to save time, hehe!~! I am both professional and democratic when it comes to being lazy o(*￣︶￣*)o*

*New book period, please show some love! Collections, votes, follows, and comments are all welcome!*

*You can also invest in me! Regardless of anything else, I will definitely make it to the official release~~ You won't lose money! (#^.^#)*

*(End of Chapter)*