"I might also have some sort of power," Ren Xiaosu said.
Yan Liuyuan, who was sitting at the entrance of the shack and looking at the starry sky after the rain, was taken aback. "You mean …"
"I'm not too sure yet. I'll have to give it a try." Ren Xiaosu sat down next to Yan Liuyuan. "There's a rumor in town that some people can make a train travel from the void to reality. I didn't believe it in the past either, but I started to believe it a little after I met you. But now, I might also have a strange power. It's a very strange feeling."
Yan Liuyuan's power was luck.
This was a very baffling power. When Yan Liuyuan wished that Ren Xiaosu would be able to hunt prey, sparrows would mysteriously fall in front of Ren Xiaosu even if he was walking in the wilderness doing nothing.
However, this power had a backlash. It usually resulted in Yan Liuyuan having a high fever that did not subside after he made his wish, or some other minor illness.
This was the reason why Ren Xiaosu wanted to protect Yan Liuyuan in the beginning. He did not believe it at first, but later on, he had no choice but to believe it.
Suddenly, a meteor streaked across the sky. Yan Liuyuan instinctively put his palms together and wanted to make a wish. However, he was stopped by Ren Xiaosu. "Don't make any random wishes. Something bad will happen."
Ren Xiaosu rarely used Yan Liuyuan's luck anymore. He said it was because he could already hunt prey and did not need Yan Liuyuan's power anymore. Yan Liuyuan never refuted him either.
The thin Yan Liuyuan looked at the disappearing meteor and said in a daze, "Why did the meteor fly so fast? What if no one could make a wish in time?"
Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and said, "It probably flew so fast because it doesn't want to hear your wishes at all."
Yan Liuyuan turned around and looked at Ren Xiaosu in a daze.
…
Yan Liuyuan was Ren Xiaosu's night watchman, but it didn't mean that he had to keep watch all night. Ren Xiaosu would replace him in between. After all, Yan Liuyuan had to go to school during the day.
The situation was very torturous. Not getting enough sleep was a big problem. But to survive in such an environment, both Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan had no other choice.
In the early morning, Ren Xiaosu led Yan Liuyuan out. They brought all their valuables with them, including his big iron pot.
Unsurprisingly, when they returned to their shack at night, it must have been searched.
"I heard that the stronghold doesn't close its doors at night, so no one steals anything." Yan Liuyuan carried his bedding on his back. Then he saw Ren Xiaosu carrying the big iron pot wherever he went. This was almost all of their belongings.
Usually, Yan Liuyuan had to carry his bedding on his back when he went to school. It was the same for the other students, so everyone was used to it.
"Bullsh * t." Although Ren Xiaosu yearned for life in the stronghold, he did not believe that there was any place in the world where the doors were not closed at night. "Some people think that even the farts of the people in the stronghold are fragrant and that the air is sweet."
"But you can't always carry the pot everywhere," Yan Liuyuan said.
"What do you know?" Ren Xiaosu explained, "It wasn't easy for me to find this pot. It can be used for cooking and catching sparrows. If we don't have it, how are we going to survive?"
Ren Xiaosu carried the iron pot on his shoulder with one hand and carried the large sparrow upside down with the other. As he walked, many people cast envious glances at Ren Xiaosu.
As a matter of fact, humans were no longer at the top of the food chain in today's world.
Word of mouth had it that sparrows used to be less than the size of a palm. But what about now? That thing could kill people with a single peck.
Not everyone had the ability to catch sparrows, nor did they have the patience to lie in the wilderness for an entire day and night. Everyone here had not seen meat in years, so it would be a lie to say that they were not envious of Ren Xiaosu.
Ren Xiaosu brought Yan Liuyuan to the stronghold's city gate. The towering walls gave off an extremely oppressive feeling.
When they got here, the architecture had changed. They could even see brick houses.
The closer they got to the stronghold, the cleaner, neater, and wealthier the place looked. The people who lived here were more or less related to the people in the stronghold. Perhaps they were good at bootlicking, or perhaps they had relatives living in the stronghold.
But no matter what, these refugees were collectively referred to as "contaminated" people, so they could not enter the stronghold.
Ren Xiaosu walked into a house with the words "grocery store" written on the door. They sold cigarettes, matches, ironware, food, and clothing, but they were all very expensive.
When the old man in the house saw Ren Xiaosu, he was especially happy. "This sparrow looks pretty big!"
Ren Xiaosu threw the sparrow on the glass counter. "How much is it?"
"Aiyo, be gentle. This glass is very expensive," Old Wang said with a pained expression. Then he casually threw the sparrow on the iron scale next to him. "1.5 catties. Not bad, Xiaosu."
At this moment, the abacus in Old Wang's hand started making clanking noises. His withered hands were like clockwork as he counted on the abacus. "Today's market price is 200 yuan per catty. I'll take that as 700 yuan!"
"900 yuan." Ren Xiaosu said firmly, "It's almost winter, and there have been very few sparrows lately. I can't go any lower than 900 yuan."
Old Wang was unhappy. He pushed the abacus in front of Ren Xiaosu and said, "We're sending these into the stronghold for the nobles to eat. It's true that there's a shortage of meat in the stronghold, but everything has a price, so we have to follow the rules."
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Wang saw Ren Xiaosu turn around and get ready to go out with the sparrow. He quickly tugged at the sleeve of Ren Xiaosu's tattered jacket. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to ask Old Li about the price at the grocery store," Ren Xiaosu said.
Old Wang immediately tightened his grip. A steward in the stronghold had specifically instructed him to collect wild game today, and he wasn't the only one who knew about it.
Old Wang smiled, revealing his wrinkles, and said, "How much do you want to sell it for?"
Ren Xiaosu still wanted to leave. "I'll ask about the price first."
Old Wang smiled amiably. "Wouldn't that delay Liuyuan's schooling? Fine, 900 yuan it is!"
"What did you say before?" Ren Xiaosu asked calmly.
"That's not delaying —"
"Let me repeat it."
"How much do you want to sell it for?"
“1200。”
Old Wang was speechless.
After a while, Old Wang's heart ached as he counted the money. He dipped his saliva in his hand and counted it over and over again, afraid that he would make a mistake.
The final price was 1,198 yuan. Ren Xiaosu had also made a concession of his own.
Selling a sparrow for 1,198 yuan was not because the prices were too inflated, nor was it because the sparrow was huge. The main reason was that wild game was not commonly available in Stronghold 113.
The rarer something was, the greater its value. Old Wang would not do a money-losing business either. If he sold the sparrow to someone with power and influence, he would be able to make a small profit and even earn some favors from them.
Old Wang stuffed a large pile of change into Ren Xiaosu's hands with a distressed look on his face. At this moment, he seemed to have thought of something as he lowered his voice and said, "Xiaosu, don't just kill the sparrow you catch next time. If someone wants it alive, they'll pay a higher price for it!"
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. "Why would they want it alive? Kill it on the spot?"
"No." Old Wang shook his head. "You don't understand. Someone wants to raise a sparrow for fun!"
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