Chapter 14: Is Jiang Ning a Freak?!
Jiang Ning scratched her head and looked at Li Xiang with a puzzled expression.
His reaction was very strange.
She had just said, ‘The cicadas here are all dead,’ and Li Xiang’s face had flushed red in an instant.
Jiang Ning raised her hand.
Li Xiang subconsciously took a nervous step back. “What do you want to do?”
She’s not going to hit him, is she?
Jiang Ning’s hand touched Li Xiang’s forehead to check his temperature. She said, “It’s a bit hot. Are you sick?”
Li Xiang’s face turned even redder. “…”
Jiang Ning really didn’t have to humiliate him like this!
Last time, it was enough that she implied he was uncultured. This time, she was directly saying he was sick!
“Getting sick is no small matter. Where are you uncomfortable?” Jiang Ning asked with a serious expression.
Uncle Li and Auntie Li had been kind to her. Li Xiang was their child. Although his personality wasn’t exactly likable, being a bit arrogant and awkward, if he was really sick, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Li Xiang said, fleeing from Jiang Ning’s side as if escaping.
Jiang Ning stared at his retreating back for a moment in thought, then walked over to Auntie Li and told her about Li Xiang’s strange behavior.
As a mother, she was naturally more concerned about her own child’s condition than an outsider like her.
A short while later, Li Xiang was thoroughly annoyed by Auntie Li’s repeated expressions of concern.
And the ‘culprit’, Jiang Ning, was nonchalantly continuing to rummage for froghoppers among the dead trees.
The group that had come together today was more like traveling companions than a team.
The mutated beasts they caught were their own and didn’t need to be shared with everyone.
So, how many mutated beasts each person could catch depended on their own abilities and luck.
Jiang Ning was quite addicted to collecting them.
The corpses of the black-spotted froghoppers were all hidden under the bark of the dead trees. As long as one kept their eyes peeled, they could easily catch three to five or more.
Jiang Ning thought to herself: What’s the difference between this and just picking up money!
The cluster of dead trees stretched as far as the eye could see.
The more she caught, the more excited she became. Her figure unknowingly moved deeper into the cluster of dead trees.
It wasn’t until Uncle Li shouted loudly, “Jiang Ning, don’t go too far, we’re going back!”
Jiang Ning came to her senses and realized that she had unknowingly strayed further and further from the group.
Looking at the harvest in her nano-ring, Jiang Ning smiled with satisfaction and prepared to pack up and go home.
By the time the seven of them walked back to the uninhabited zone station, it was already five in the afternoon.
While waiting for the bus, Ji Fan started acting up again.
Ji Fan put on a conflicted expression, sidled up to Li Xiang and Jiang Ning, and sighed.
He had thought the two would ask him what was wrong, and then he could take the opportunity to mention that his family was going to buy a car.
But these two completely ignored him!
Ji Fan didn’t give up. He took the initiative to say, “I only helped catch 18 froghoppers today. Otherwise, we could have saved up the money for a car sooner. My parents wouldn’t have to wait for a while longer to get a car. Sigh!”
Jiang Ning glanced at him, her focus on the number Ji Fan had caught.
Jiang Ning said, “18, that is a bit few.”
It didn’t even reach a fraction of her own count.
The corner of Ji Fan’s mouth twitched twice. “…”
He roared internally: 18 is a lot, okay! This is a D-rank mutated beast. The fact that he could catch so many means he’s super amazing, okay!
This was the second time he had been choked up by this orphan’s words.
And after being completely defeated by Jiang Ning once again, Li Xiang was in a bit of a bad mood. Faced with Ji Fan’s showing off, he directly retorted with sarcasm, “Why don’t you just show off to death? You should just go and buy a flying vehicle. A car is so low-class!”
Hearing this, Ji Fan’s twitching face recovered quite a bit.
Sarcasm is good. Sometimes, sarcasm is also a form of jealousy.
He couldn’t help it; he was just born to be envied.
By the time the group arrived at the mutated beast trading market, it was already seven in the evening.
The owner had just returned from dinner and saw Auntie Li’s family in the crowd.
He walked over with a smile, his attitude extremely enthusiastic.
“You’re here again? What are you selling this time?” the owner asked, rubbing his hands together.
The owner had a very deep impression of the group. The B-rank mutated beast they had sold last time had made him a huge profit.
At this moment, he looked at the group as if they were gods of wealth.
“We got some froghoppers. We’ll have to trouble you to calculate the price for us,” Uncle Li said.
“Froghoppers? D-rank mutated beasts.” The owner was stunned for a moment.
But he quickly came back to his senses.
Right, B-rank mutated beasts were rare. He couldn’t be so lucky every time.
The owner sighed. He decided to just treat it as making a friend and opening up another channel for making money. He said, “Who’s first?”
“Me.”
Ji Fan stood up straight and took the initiative to step forward, pouring out the froghoppers from his nano-ring.
Exactly 18, no more, no less, were lined up next to the shelf on the right side of the warehouse.
Ji Fan was prepared to hear the owner exclaim “wow” in amazement.
The next second, he heard the owner, who had just finished counting and returned, say, “Naturally dead froghoppers, eh? The price will have to be discounted!”
“What naturally dead froghoppers? I worked hard to catch all of these. You’re not a black-hearted boss trying to swindle me out of my mutated beasts, are you?” Ji Fan frowned. Hearing that there would be a discount, he instantly became agitated.
“These froghoppers were already dead when you caught them. Naturally dead froghoppers are discounted everywhere,” the owner explained. He took out a froghopper specimen from a shelf behind him. “This is what a killed one looks like.”
“What’s the difference between the two!” Ji Fan’s brows furrowed even tighter. He deeply suspected that the owner was trying to cheat him.
Seeing his attitude, the owner immediately waved his hand. “Forget it, forget it. I’m not doing your business. You can sell it wherever you want.”
The owner’s mood had already soured upon seeing they were all D-rank mutated beasts. Now he was being dragged into a mess. The owner immediately quit.
“Boss, if he’s not selling, we are,” Li Xiang stepped forward.
He released all the froghoppers he had caught from his nano-ring.
The owner glanced at him. “Aren’t you together?”
“No,” Li Xiang shook his head, immediately distancing himself from Ji Fan.
“Alright,” the owner said. “But let me make it clear first, the buyback price for naturally dead froghoppers is 9 star coins each.”
“Okay,” Li Xiang nodded, indicating he had no objections.
He quickly told his parents to pour out their mutated beasts as well.
The owner took out a calculator, and after counting, he said to the three of them, “A total of 66, for a total of 594 star coins.”
Ji Fan stood there stunned, watching the owner transfer 594 star coins to Uncle Li’s account. A strange feeling arose in his heart.
When it was Jiang Ning’s turn, she found a spot, and froghoppers poured out continuously from her nano-ring, piling up into a small mountain, almost more than double the amount of Li Xiang’s family.
The moment the froghoppers were poured out, even the owner was a little shocked.
Ji Fan pursed his lips, feeling thoroughly humiliated.
He finally understood what Jiang Ning meant when she said 18 was a bit few.
And he had actually gone and shown off in front of her!
Just thinking about it now was embarrassing.
“A total of 121, for 1089 star coins,” the owner said.
121 D-rank mutated beasts. Is Jiang Ning a freak?!
A wave of heat washed over Ji Fan’s face. Without waiting to see the owner settle the bill with Jiang Ning, he pulled his parents and left.
Jiang Ning received the money. Looking at the balance in her account, Jiang Ning felt it was alright.
It was just a pity that this kind of opportunity to pick up free money was a one-time thing.
Today, she had also seen many other people in the froghopper area who had come to pick up the leftovers.
The price of froghoppers would probably drop by half tomorrow.
To reward herself, Jiang Ning went to the fruit and vegetable market and bought a Qingmen Green Jade Melon.
She had heard that this was a new variety of melon that had come out in recent years, unique to the interstellar era. Not only was it sweet, but eating it could also enhance one’s psychic energy.
It was just a bit expensive; half a catty sold for 200 star coins.
Jiang Ning went to a fruit and vegetable shop. In the most conspicuous spot at the entrance, the Qingmen Green Jade Melons were displayed.
The melon was oval-shaped, with alternating green and light green stripes, looking somewhat like a watermelon.
Using the method for picking watermelons, Jiang Ning patted it left and right, chose one that sounded ripe, and asked the owner to cut it in half.
Qingmen Green Jade Melons were expensive, and few people bought a whole one.
Jiang Ning asked the owner to cut the half into two portions and put them in two separate bags before she contentedly paid and went home.
She first put one bag back in her own home, then carried the other bag and knocked on Auntie Li’s door.
If it weren’t for Uncle Li and Auntie Li always inviting her along, she wouldn’t have been able to earn this money.
To thank their family, Jiang Ning decided to give them half a melon.
Inside the house.
Li Xiang heard the noise and came to open the door.
He was stunned for a moment when he saw Jiang Ning, then his gaze moved down, and he exclaimed, “A Qingmen Green Jade Melon!”
It was advertised on the StarNet every day. He had wanted to eat it for a long time, but every time he asked his parents, they wouldn’t buy it for him.
“This is for you,” Jiang Ning said with a smile, handing over the bag. “Are Uncle Li and Auntie Li home?”
“My parents are out.” Li Xiang hesitated, not daring to accept it. “This must have cost a lot of money.”
Every household in the slums was instilled with the concept of saving from a young age. They didn’t dare to spend money recklessly even if they had it.
“It’s a token of my appreciation for your family’s care,” Jiang Ning said with a smile.
Li Xiang thought about the money Jiang Ning had earned today, and the burden in his heart lessened a bit.
Li Xiang: “Th-thank you.”
It was the first time he had said thank you to Jiang Ning, and he was a little embarrassed.
“You’re welcome,” Jiang Ning said. “I’ll be heading back now.”
“Goodbye.” Li Xiang leaned against the door, staring blankly at Jiang Ning’s retreating back.
It wasn’t until he heard the ‘bang’ of a closing door that he came back to his senses and carried the melon Jiang Ning had given him back into the house.
Over here.
Back in her own house, Jiang Ning eagerly began to enjoy her Qingmen Green Jade Melon.
The flesh of the Qingmen Green Jade Melon was light pink. She scooped a large spoonful into her mouth.
Instantly, she felt a sweet and soft sensation, and the fresh, sweet juice exploded in her mouth.
The flavor was more than ten times richer than the fruit-flavored nutrient solution.
She discovered that this melon not only looked like a watermelon but also tasted very similar.
Jiang Ning felt that her taste buds, which had been accustomed to nutrient solutions for a long time, had come back to life.
In less than five minutes, Jiang Ning had eaten all the flesh of the Qingmen Green Jade Melon, even scraping the layer of flesh on the rind clean.
“Hiccup~”
Jiang Ning put down the spoon and carefully felt the changes in her body.
She didn’t know if it was because she had bought too little, but although the Qingmen Green Jade Melon tasted fresh and sweet, she didn’t feel any signs of her psychic energy being nourished.