Can I Be Paid in Candy?

In the southern part of Wetland Park. Survivors from Bet Street were walking toward the outpost, carrying a wild boar. It was difficult to hunt game in winter, but if one explored the high-rise ruins along the Fifth Ring, they might catch a beast or two if luck was on their side. Small animals like ordinary squirrels and wild hares were handled on their own, but taking a big beast like a wild boar to the town butcher for meat would cost thirty percent! It was far too bad a deal. Those bluecoats only asked for twenty percent as payment, and they never played tricks with weights and measurements, which made it well worth walking a few extra kilometers. The wild boar was tied to a wooden pole. Yu Hu and Li Niu each rested an end on their shoulders, accompanied by a little tyke whose cheeks and ears were flushed red from the cold. In this weather, not many mutants roamed outside, and marauders rarely left their strongholds. Xiaoyu had clamored to come, and unable to dissuade his sister, Yu Hu brought her along. Although it was freezing, thinking about seeing Big Brother Chu again soon made Xiaoyu feel cheerful, and she unconsciously began humming an improvised tune. Just then, her second brother and cousin suddenly stopped. Xiaoyu paused as well, blinking. "Bro, what is it?" Yu Hu made a shushing gesture to Xiaoyu, then looked at Li Niu and pointed ahead. "Nomads." Li Niu also saw the figure in the distance, but he was still unsure. "You sure?" "Yeah." Li Niu asked in a low voice, "Why are nomads here?" Yu Hu pondered for a while without understanding either, shaking his head. "Don't know. Maybe Big Brother Chu took them in out of kindness." Big Brother Chu was a great guy and very honest, but he was almost too kind-hearted, sometimes making people worry whether he might get scammed by others. To be honest, every time he brought game to trade for goods, Yu Hu felt a twinge of guilt. The salt bought here was completely unadulterated, and they gave quite a bit more than Old Charlie did. He really worried that Chu Guang might take a loss. Xiaoyu looked up at her second brother and cousin, blinking her big eyes curiously, not understanding what they were talking about. She didn't know what nomads were. Nor did she think it was strange for them to appear here. Big Brother Chu was such a good person; surely many people would want to be his neighbors? However, what seemed normal to her still felt somewhat strange to Yu Hu and Li Niu. Whether in their way of life or cultural customs, these nomads from afar differed from survivors with permanent residences. Because they had no fixed dwelling, they didn't care at all about what their neighbors thought of them, and rarely watched whether their actions might offend others. Perhaps it was prejudice, but thieves, swindlers, and rogues were indeed prevalent among them, and sometimes they even brought terrible plagues... Yu Hu held his sister's hand and waited until that person had walked far off before motioning for Li Niu to keep going. The group carefully avoided making contact with those refugees. After showing their passes to the guards, they headed straight through the south gate into the outpost. Unlike their previous visit, the changes here were quite significant. Yu Hu remembered clearly that the last time they came, the path from the south gate to the warehouse was just a dirt track with nothing beside it. Now, not only was the ground coated with a layer of grayish material that felt solid underfoot, but several red brick buildings had also risen on either side of the road. Especially the largest building: its heavy doors were shut tight, and a brick chimney built atop it puffed black smoke into the air. Yu Hu had never seen such a strange structure before, nor had his sister or Li Niu beside him, their eyes widening in curiosity. "Bro, what's that?" "Probably a chimney. I remember Mayor's building has one installed." "Chimney? What's it for?" "Seems to be for cooking? I think it vents the smoke from cooking." "But it's not mealtime yet." "Don't know. Maybe... it's a place to cook for lots of people." In any case, Bet Street had nothing so strange. In stark contrast to the curious expressions of the three, the bluecoats here were far less curious about them than before. Aside from the latest batch of new players who had just arrived, the players here were already familiar with them, having satisfied their curiosity long ago. They happened to run into Chu Guang strolling around the industrial zone. Yu Hu's eyes instantly lit up, and he called out a greeting from afar: "Big Brother Chu!" "Oh, long time no see. You bagged more game?" Looking at the wild boar carried on Yu Hu and Li Niu's shoulders, Chu Guang smiled. Not bad. He was in for a treat! The wild boar meat from last time had all been eaten by the players. This time he definitely needed to save some for himself instead of letting them buy it all up. "Yeah! It's super huge!" Xiaoyu happily gestured with her hands to show how large it was, and Chu Guang couldn't help but smile at her antics. Glancing at his sister, Yu Hu said in a muffled, earnest voice, "Xiaoyu missed you a lot." "Yeah! Xiaoyu missed you so much!" "I missed you too." Chu Guang smiled and ruffled Xiaoyu's little head, then turned to Yu Hu. "Are you living in that shack now?" "Yeah," Yu Hu nodded, smiling sheepishly. "I patched the shack up a bit, and it looks a lot roomier than before. Thanks a lot." "Don't thank me. Xiaoyu gave it to you. Just treat your sister well." Chu Guang continued, "Speaking of which, how have things been lately? Any more marauders harassing you?" "Marauders? Haven't seen any of them lately, so we're doing fine. But you'd better be careful," Yu Hu's expression turned serious as he said earnestly, "I heard some elders say there's a gang up north using bloody handprints for their banner. A few hunters went north looking for deer herds and got captured... The ones who injured my brother and dad last time were them!" Bloody handprints? Was he talking about the Bloodhand Clan? However, they probably wouldn't have the chance to commit evil anymore. Chu Guang smiled faintly and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, they won't be harassing you anymore." Hearing this, surprised expressions surfaced on Yu Hu's and Li Niu's faces. Only Xiaoyu had a face full of question marks, not understanding what the adults were talking about from start to finish. However, speaking of what happened last time, she did remember something. "...Speaking of which, last time Xiaoyu saw two really, really scary-looking men take away a super pretty big sister from Bet Street." Hearing Xiaoyu chime in, Chu Guang's heart stirred, and he asked, "Was that big sister very fair-skinned? About... this tall?" Chu Guang gestured, roughly level with his nose. Xiaoyu furrowed her brows in thought, then nodded earnestly with wide eyes. "Mhm, mhm! Has Big Brother Chu seen that big sister?" More than just seen her... His expression was somewhat intriguing. Chu Guang pondered for a moment, ultimately choosing a tactful phrasing to brush past a topic that was still far too heavy for a child like her. "That big sister... well, I sent her away." That woman really had been sent by the old mayor. With that, Chu Guang turned to Yu Hu and Li Niu. "Let's not dwell on that. It's so cold outside; if you trust me, leave the wild boar to Old Luka to handle, and come sit inside for a bit?" Yu Hu and Li Niu nodded immediately. "Okay!" "Sure thing!" ... Li Niu wasn't very familiar with Chu Guang yet, but Yu Hu knew him quite well. It was no exaggeration to say that aside from his immediate family, Big Brother Chu was the outsider he trusted most. If Chu Guang hadn't lent a helping hand in their time of crisis, his eldest brother would have died in a sickbed long ago. It was a life-saving debt of gratitude. Moreover, Yu Hu didn't believe a good man like Big Brother Chu would covet a few cuts of meat from him. Even if Chu Guang genuinely wanted it, he would simply give it to him. In Yu Hu's eyes, that was only right. Chu Guang led the three into the sanatorium's main building. On the first floor was a fairly spacious, draft-free room that he had converted into a reception parlor. A few simple pieces of furniture were placed here, all crafted by several newly arrived production occupation players at the woodworking shed. Chu Guang lit the charcoal fire. After settling the three in, he returned to the shelter and took a bottle of liquor and a bottle of milk from the refrigerator. The milk was given to Xiaoyu. As for the liquor, Chu Guang had Yu Hu and Li Niu sit before the brazier, gave each of them a small cup, and poured a drink for both. It wasn't much, only around twenty milliliters each. "Have a taste." Yu Hu brought the cup close to sniff, his eyes instantly lighting up. "This is... liquor?!" Chu Guang smiled and said, "Brewed from ram horn potatoes, with smartweed yeast starter." Li Niu also praised with amazement, "Smells amazing!" No, it would be more accurate to call it extravagant! In this godforsaken freezing winter, there was actually surplus grain to brew liquor. Yu Hu and Li Niu couldn't have been more envious. In past years, only during exceptionally prosperous years would the family elders use leftover grain from the previous year to brew a little cloudy grain alcohol, saving it for special holidays or joyful occasions before bringing it out. In particular, green wheat contained acid and couldn't be brewed into alcohol; to brew liquor, one had to use ram horn potatoes or a kind of wild fruit gathered outdoors. However, that fruit was only seen in summer and autumn, offering no opportunity normally. To take a swig of liquor to warm the body in this weather was truly rare. "Hiss, it burns!" Yu Hu was fine, evidently having a decent tolerance for alcohol. Li Niu looked sturdy, but after just one sip, his entire face flushed red as a monkey's butt. Looking at the young man sticking his tongue out from the burn, Chu Guang smiled and said, "The proof is pretty high. Drink slowly." After all, it was distilled spirits. A mutant-potato version of vodka was bound to burn the throat. Actually, Chu Guang didn't brew alcohol for drinking. The main reason the warehouse issued orders for it was to build up a stockpile of medical alcohol. It was just that the players were far too low-maintenance for him. Ever since the death penalties had been reduced a few times, severely wounded players conscientiously walked back on their own, found an out-of-the-way spot, and finished themselves off. Thus, severe wounds didn't need the alcohol, minor injuries had no occasion to use it, and only wounds requiring stitches had a chance to put it to work. Having learned from their first sip, the two young men grew much more cautious and drank at a measured pace. With a sip of liquor down their throats, their freezing bodies instantly warmed up. "Life here is just too good," Yu Hu said enviously, looking at the glowing brazier. "It'll get even better," Chu Guang poured them each another small cup and said with a smile. "You can come often in the future. We need manpower here—not just for hunting, there are plenty of things to do." Yu Hu patted his chest and declared, "No problem! Big Brother Chu, if you ever need me for anything, just say the word!" Beside him, Li Niu nodded as well. "Me too." Chu Guang smiled. "Don't worry, I won't have you helping for nothing." Meanwhile, Xiaoyu, who had been sitting beside them sipping milk in tiny gulps, finally finished the bottle. She licked her lips, looking thoroughly satisfied and yearning for more. Amused, Yu Hu smiled and asked, "Does it taste good?" "Mhm!" Xiaoyu nodded vigorously, stars twinkling in her eyes as she gave an emphatic thumbs-up. "It tastes like Mama!" Yu Hu: "?" Li Niu: "?" Chu Guang: "...?" ... The butcher worked quickly. After they sat inside for a little while, Luka knocked and entered the parlor, respectfully reporting to Chu Guang, "My Lord, your guests' game has been butchered." Chu Guang nodded, looking at the slightly tipsy pair. "Let's go collect your meat." The group came to the front of the warehouse. Luka had already packed the meat into plastic bags and handed them to Yu Hu and Li Niu. As for the pelt, it was traded for three hundred grams of salt according to custom. As for the excised innards and bones, they sat in plastic buckets to the side. Neither man planned on taking them, so they left them behind. Seeing her brothers preparing to leave, Xiaoyu hesitated. After pondering for a while, she gently tugged Yu Hu's sleeve, gesturing for him to bend down close, and whispered something into his ear. Hearing this, Yu Hu was startled at first, then shook his head like a rattle-drum and said gruffly, "How could we do that? Our family has already caused Big Brother Chu enough trouble!" "But..." "No buts! This won't do!" Hearing that their discussion seemed to involve him, Chu Guang looked at the brother and sister with curiosity. "What are you two talking about?" Seeing Chu Guang looking his way, Yu Hu felt a bit embarrassed and was trying to figure out how to explain. Just then, however, the little sister beside him mustered up her courage and piped up in a soft, childish voice, "Xiaoyu wants to help Big Brother Chu too, just like Bro. After all... you don't even need Xiaoyu to watch the shack anymore, and you still gave Xiaoyu so much candy to eat." "Candy?" Yu Hu blinked, then glared at his sister. "When did you eat his food? Didn't Dad teach you not to eat things given by others without permission?" He only knew his sister had brought home some plastic sticks, but he hadn't heard anything about them being candy. That stuff was far more precious than salt! Knowing she was in the wrong and being glared at by her brother, Xiaoyu's ears flushed red. Not knowing what to say, she simply clamped her mouth shut and twisted her neck away, pretending she hadn't heard a thing. Watching the pair, Chu Guang chuckled. "What your brother is doing can't really be called helping me out. We're more like... trading? Or you could understand it as compensation." Xiaoyu looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Then if Xiaoyu helps, will there be compensation too?" "Of course..." Xiaoyu's eyes grew even brighter. "Then can I be paid in candy?" Chu Guang actually had plenty of lollipops. After all, they were the guaranteed floor reward from beginner blind boxes, and even if they ran out, he could always draw more. It was just that Chu Guang truly hadn't expected the things to come in handy on an occasion like this. "If you want to help me, I actually happen to have a job for you—and a fairly important one at that. But... this place is so far from your home, and it's quite a long walk to come here. Will that really be okay?" Chu Guang looked toward Yu Hu. He thought that as her older brother, Yu Hu would help dissuade her, but he didn't expect the kid, who had just been shaking his head like a rattle-drum, to switch sides on the spot. "No problem at all, as long as she can help you! Big Brother Chu, if you don't mind, my sister can just stay here with you. That'll save her the trouble of going back and forth!" Before Chu Guang could even react, Xiaoyu nodded excitedly alongside him and raised her little arms. "Yay! Xiaoyu is already a grown-up, I can take care of myself!" Li Niu didn't know what to say, but felt he ought to help out, so after racking his brain for a good while, he forced out a line: "I can help build a shack... I'll go gather some materials." Chu Guang cleared his throat, stopping the fellow's hare-brained impulse. "...That won't be necessary."