Ren Xiaosu felt his heart ache when he saw the broken packs of cigarettes. Based on the 20 yuan price of a cigarette at Wang Fugui's shop, how much were the cigarettes in this shop worth?
Moreover, Ren Xiaosu roughly estimated that there were at least five or six tobacco and liquor stores on this street.
Ren Xiaosu calculated the prices of goods and thought to himself that humans before The Cataclysm were really rich.
In his haste, Ren Xiaosu did not realize that tobacco was actually not in high demand before The Cataclysm. Ren Xiaosu turned his head to look at the bottles of alcohol placed on the wall at the back of the shop. As the packaging of the alcohol was not protected by plastic, it had long since disappeared. All that was left were empty bottles.
Some of the bottles seemed to have been smashed to pieces on the ground due to the earthquake, while others were still placed on the cabinets. But when Ren Xiaosu casually opened one of the bottles, he discovered that the alcohol inside had long since disappeared.
He did not know how long it had been since The Cataclysm, but the alcohol in the bottles had evaporated.
Ren Xiaosu muttered, "Didn't the wineries in the past know how to seal their bottles better?!"
He did not believe it and shook the intact bottles one by one. But without exception, the alcohol inside was long gone.
In fact, this type of alcohol required special preservation techniques to be reprocessed, such as sealing wax. Otherwise, it was common for a 50-year-old wine to be taken out with only half a bottle left.
Nowadays, the most expensive things in town were actually cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs, especially alcohol which was considered a contraband. However, the people in town were more stubborn. The more contraband something was, the more valuable it was.
When Ren Xiaosu first saw these shops, he thought he had found a huge treasure trove. But now, he suddenly realized that his fantasies were all nonsense.
Time and The Cataclysm were like a huge knife that had split the old and new civilizations in two. Ren Xiaosu thought to himself that if alcohol and tobacco were already in such a state, there was no need to mention drugs.
When he saw a pharmacy just now, he was planning to explore it. But from the looks of it now, there was no need to explore it anymore.
Ren Xiaosu walked down the street and started thinking seriously. What kind of things did not have a shelf life? Or could the shelf life be as long as a few hundred years?
Suddenly, he saw a shop next to him called Family Planning and Healthcare. However, Ren Xiaosu didn't go in. After all, he thought that it should be a shop that sold health products. However, health products couldn't be stored for that long.
After confirming that the Kyung Clan Consortium's attention had not shifted to him, he felt reassured. Ren Xiaosu could still hear gunshots coming from the periphery. This made him very puzzled. Was that Experimental really that powerful?
But at this time, he suddenly thought of something … Wasn't it metal that hadn't decayed for hundreds of years?
Ren Xiaosu suddenly turned around. He had heard from Wang Fugui that there were gold shops in the stronghold. In that case, given the scale of this city, there would definitely be gold shops too!
Ren Xiaosu, who had been a little depressed before, had regained his fighting spirit!
Gold was still a hard currency in this day and age. Ren Xiaosu had once asked Zhang Jinglin out of curiosity why gold was still needed as a hard currency after the Kyung Clan Bank issued their own currency.
Zhang Jinglin answered with a smile, "Because it's not just the Kyung Clan Bank that issues currency. Perhaps your currency can still be used in the territory of the Kyung Clan Consortium, but it can't be used in the other strongholds. At times like this, we need something that's easy to measure and value to replace the use of paper currency. "
In fact, currency was also a way for the consortiums to control the various strongholds. They had gotten people used to the convenience and speed of using paper currency, but they had the final say on how much currency was issued.
This was the true economic lifeline and one of the foundations of a consortium.
However, Zhang Jinglin explained, "Due to the circulation of currency, several consortiums have formed a currency management committee. Everyone has strict regulations on the issuance of currency, so it's not as chaotic as it used to be. But since everyone is living harmoniously now, who can guarantee it will still be like this in the future? "
When Ren Xiaosu recalled Zhang Jinglin's words, he felt that Zhang Jinglin was not a simple person. No one knew where this schoolteacher came from, but he had stayed in the town outside of Stronghold 113 for many years.
Ren Xiaosu made up his mind to observe Zhang Jinglin carefully when he got back.
He started exploring further away from the Kyung Clan Consortium in an attempt to find a gold shop. If there were any gold shops left behind, wouldn't he be rich?
…
In the backyard of the town's school, Zhang Jinglin had just finished teaching for the day and was returning to the yard. When he saw Yan Liuyuan, who had come out of the house to bask in the sun, he said with a smile, "Are you almost recovered?"
"Mhm." Yan Liuyuan nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. and Sister Xiaoyu, for taking care of me during this period."
At this moment, Yan Liuyuan was in an exceptionally good mood. However, it was not because of his condition, but because he knew that since his condition had not worsened, it meant that Ren Xiaosu did not have much use for "luck." In other words, Ren Xiaosu did not encounter any real danger.
At this moment, Sister Xiaoyu walked in with a basket in her hand. When she saw Yan Liuyuan, she said in surprise, "Liuyuan, have you recovered? Quick, come inside. Don't get caught in the cold wind."
Yan Liuyuan smiled adorably. "Sister Xiaoyu, I'm fine. Don't worry. What are we eating tonight?"
"I'll make some scrambled eggs and vegetables for y 'all." Sister Xiaoyu said with a smile, "I just went to town to cut some fat meat. I can boil it in oil for y' all to stir-fry and let y 'all have a taste of meat."
"OK," Yan Liuyuan agreed. But as he walked out, he said, "I'm going out for a while. I'll definitely be back before dark!"
Sister Xiaoyu wanted to stop him, but by the time she turned around, Yan Liuyuan had already disappeared.
She stood at the school's entrance and waited worriedly. Zhang Jinglin thought to himself, 'Weren't you preparing dinner just now? How long have you been waiting for?' But he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
In Zhang Jinglin's opinion, the two brothers, Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan, were not people who would easily be taken advantage of. After they went out, the ones who should be worried should be others.
Just now, Zhang Jinglin clearly saw Yan Liuyuan hide the kitchen knife in his pocket. What kind of child would bring a kitchen knife with them when they went out? How could this be a child from a decent family?
However, as expected, Yan Liuyuan came back before dark. Zhang Jinglin and Sister Xiaoyu did not know where Yan Liuyuan had gone. When they asked him, he would not say anything and would just change the topic with a smile.
There were three rooms in the backyard of the school, but one of them was the kitchen, one was for Zhang Jinglin, and the other was for Yan Liuyuan and Sister Xiaoyu.
At night, Sister Xiaoyu would make up Yan Liuyuan's bed while she slept on the floor. It was almost winter and the ground was very cold, but Sister Xiaoyu did not say anything.
After putting out the kerosene lamp, Sister Xiaoyu suddenly asked Yan Liuyuan, "Do you think your brother is safe now?"
Yan Liuyuan said with a smile, "He's definitely safe. Don't worry."
Sister Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment. She did not know why Yan Liuyuan was so sure.
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