Grandpa Sword, You Call This Inexpensive?

"Xiao An, when will you be back tomorrow?"

Dinner was sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin again. After they finished, Chen An had just told Uncle Zhou he would be going out tomorrow when Zhao Hai came over.

After their afternoon practice, Chen Xin had settled on a time. After breakfast tomorrow, he would take him and Rongrong around Heaven Dou City.

As for Zhao Hai, he had learned something from Sword Douluo today and gotten dinner too, so he had been quite happy. But now that he heard Chen An was going out, half the smile immediately vanished from his face.

"I don't know yet. We'll see after we finish shopping."

"Then lunch..."

"We definitely won't be back for lunch."

At that, Lu Yuan paused in the middle of clearing the bowls. Fang Ming looked over too, and even Xu Cheng could not help sighing.

How many meals have I even had here?

I finally followed them to the right place, and now he's going out?

"Dinner isn't certain either. You don't need to wait. Uncle Zhou will cook as usual."

Chen An added that, and now Zhao Hai did not even feel like speaking.

Not even dinner was certain?

While cleaning the stove, Chen Chuan could not help glancing toward the table too. Chen Xin was talking with Ning Rongrong, and the little girl looked delighted. Clearly, she had been looking forward to this for some time.

Their reactions amused Chen An. He was only going out to buy a few things. Why were they acting as though he would never come back?

"It's not as though there won't be food. The kitchen up front still serves meals, doesn't it?"

That was true enough, but could the food up front compare with his cooking?

Of course, they only dared think that. Uncle Zhou was right beside them. Saying it aloud would be asking for a scolding.

Fang Ming was the first to remember something practical.

"Xiao An, which shop are you planning to visit? Uncle Zhou buys supplies all the time. He should know where they have a good selection, right?"

Uncle Zhou nodded at that.

"There's one that carries dried goods and seasonings. I often have the vegetable delivery fellow bring things back from there. I'll write down the address tomorrow morning, along with what we already have, so you don't buy anything needlessly."

"That's perfect."

Chen An agreed with a smile, and Fang Ming smiled too.

Without having to search shop by shop or take unnecessary detours, wouldn't he be able to come back earlier?

Zhao Hai caught on and hurriedly nodded.

"Right, right. Knowing where to go saves trouble."

Seeing them suddenly perk up again, Chen An knew exactly what they were thinking. Still, not having to search aimlessly all over the city was indeed a good thing.

After cultivating for another two hours and quickly washing up, Chen An went blissfully to sleep.

The next day, Ning Rongrong arrived even earlier than usual.

The little girl had changed into a pretty dress and urged him to hurry several times from the doorway. As soon as Chen An came out, she grabbed his hand.

"Hurry up! Grandpa Sword is waiting."

"We haven't had breakfast yet."

"That's why we need to hurry."

Chen An found himself utterly unable to argue with that.

When they reached the kitchen, Gu Rong was there too, sitting and talking with Chen Xin. Seeing the two little ones enter, he smiled and beckoned them over.

"Rongrong went on about it all evening yesterday. Make sure you have your fill of fun before coming back today."

"Of course!"

Ning Rongrong agreed without hesitation, but Zhao Hai, who was setting out bowls beside them, paused ever so slightly.

Have their fill of fun before coming back?

How long would that take?

He did not dare ask, though. He could only finish setting out the bowls in silence. While breakfast was still here today, eating more was what mattered.

When the fried rice reached the table, everyone from yesterday was present, with Gu Rong joining them today. Not a single spoon sat idle.

After breakfast, Uncle Zhou handed Chen An the paper he had written, prepared a cloth bag for him, and gave him a few reminders about the shop's location before seeing them off.

Chen An also brought along the pocket money he had saved.

He rarely went out. If something caught his eye, he could hardly have Grandpa Sword pay for every last thing.

People bustled through Heaven Dou City.

When the carriage stopped, Ning Rongrong was the first to clamber out. She had barely found her footing before her gaze landed on a roadside stall selling trinkets.

Chen An, however, took out Uncle Zhou's paper first.

Business had to come first. Otherwise, if he accompanied this girl from stall to stall, when would he ever find somewhere selling seasonings?

Fortunately, Uncle Zhou's directions were detailed, and they found the shop without much effort.

Once they entered, the shopkeeper approached Chen Xin first.

"What would you like to buy, sir?"

"Ask him."

Chen Xin pointed to Chen An beside him. The shopkeeper blinked, then lowered his head to look at the little boy who did not even reach the counter.

"What would you like to buy, young master?"

"I'll look around first. Do you have pepper?"

"Yes, yes."

The shopkeeper quickly fetched a small dish. He had originally thought this was simply a child accompanying his elder on an outing, but as he watched Chen An pick up a few grains and sniff them, then ask about several other items, he gradually set aside his casual attitude.

This young master really seemed to know his stuff.

Chen An paid no attention to his reaction. His eyes had already swept over the area behind the counter.

They really had quite a lot.

The kitchen already had some of these things, while others were things Uncle Zhou seldom used and had never specifically bought. Since he was here, he naturally had to take a good look. When he had new dishes to make later, he would know where to find the ingredients.

He selected some pepper and dried chilies, then bought a small jar of vinegar, checking each price and asking the shopkeeper to wrap everything separately.

Ning Rongrong initially watched from beside him, but before long, she lost interest. Holding Chen Xin's hand, she kept glancing outside.

As soon as Chen An finished paying, the little girl came over.

"Finished shopping?"

"Yes."

"Then it's my turn."

With that, she pulled Chen An outside, clearly having already picked out where she wanted to go.

Chen An did not go back on his word. He let her pull him over to a nearby stall, where he discovered that she had her eye on two hair ties adorned with little flowers.

One was pale green, the other pink. She picked them up, looking at one and then the other, but still could not choose after quite some time.

"Big Brother Chen An, which one looks nicer?"

"This one."

Chen An pointed to the pale green one.

Ning Rongrong nodded, only to look at the other one again.

"But this one is pretty too."

"Then buy that one."

"But you just said the other one looked nicer."

Chen An opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Fine. I might as well have said nothing.

Beside them, Chen Xin watched in amusement. In the end, he reached out and picked up both hair ties.

"We'll buy both. You can take turns wearing them."

"Thank you, Grandpa Sword!"

The little girl immediately brightened. Watching from beside her, Chen An somehow felt that those were precisely the words she had been waiting for.

After buying the hair ties, they browsed several more stalls. By the time the three of them had eaten lunch in the city, Ning Rongrong had acquired several more little trinkets.

The cloth bag that had been empty when they set out was now packed full.

Chen An straightened the vinegar jar at the bottom and readjusted the mouth of the bag so the contents would not knock against one another as they walked.

Seeing how carefully he arranged everything, Chen Xin asked casually,

"Buying anything else?"

"That's enough seasonings. I'd like to look at tea next and bring some back for you and Grandpa Bone."

A little more warmth entered Chen Xin's smiling eyes.

"There's no hurry about the tea. Come somewhere with Grandpa first."

Chen An was a little puzzled, but he asked no further questions. Taking Rongrong's hand, he followed.

Yet when they arrived, he could not help raising his head to look at the building before them.

The Heaven Dou Auction House.

"Grandpa Sword, are you buying something?"

"I'm going to see whether there's a suitable Storage Soul Tool for you. When you go out in the future, you won't have to cram everything into one bag."

Chen An immediately perked up.

Naturally, he knew about these things and had seen both grandpas use them. It was just that he had mostly stayed within the sect before and had not given them much thought.

I have my pot and knife, but I still need to bring everything else. If I really cook a meal outside, I can hardly carry seasonings in one hand and bowls in the other, with a water flask hanging off my back, can I?

"Come on. Let's have a look inside."

As Chen Xin spoke, he was already leading the two of them in.

With the old man present, getting in was naturally no trouble. Once the formalities were complete, the female attendant fetched masks and led the three of them through a side passage into the auction hall.

A circular platform stood in the center, surrounded by outward-spreading rings of seats in different colors.

Chen An followed Chen Xin to their seats and discovered that all the chairs in their section were red.

Ning Rongrong reached up and touched her mask, finding it a novelty. Only when bidding sounded from the platform did she quiet down.

Chen Xin had already asked. There was indeed a Storage Soul Tool up for auction today, so their trip would not be wasted.

After several items, the auctioneer finally had a belt brought up.

Its design was simple, with a piece of jade set in the middle. According to the introduction, it contained three cubic meters of storage space, and items could be stored or retrieved by channeling Soul Power into it.

Chen An nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Three cubic meters would be enough for things to carry around.

I just wonder how much it costs.

The thought had barely formed when the auctioneer's voice rang out.

"The starting bid is twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins."

The smile on Chen An's face froze.

How much?

Twenty thousand?

Instinctively touching the money pouch he had brought, Chen An suddenly felt that it seemed rather superfluous.

Before leaving, he had been thinking he should pay for his own purchases. Now it seemed he would do well to stick to buying a little pepper.

And that was only the starting bid.

Before he could recover, the bids had already changed several times, quickly reaching thirty-one thousand.

"Grandpa Sword, how about we forget it?"

Chen An tugged Chen Xin's sleeve, lowering his voice.

"Too expensive?"

"Yes."

What was embarrassing about admitting that? I came to buy seasonings, not the entire seasoning shop.

Chen Xin glanced at him and smiled.

"For your use, it isn't expensive."

With that, the old man reached out and pressed the bidding button beside his seat.

"Forty-one thousand Gold Soul Coins! Would any other honored guest like to raise the bid?"

The auctioneer's voice immediately followed.

Chen An looked at the platform, then at Chen Xin, momentarily at a loss for words.

I just said it was expensive, and you added another ten thousand?

No one raised the bid after that. When the auctioneer's hammer fell, the belt belonged to Chen Xin.

Chen An, however, was still looking at the old man.

"Grandpa Sword, you call this inexpensive?"

"It's for you. Just take it."

As he spoke, Chen Xin stood and motioned for the two of them to follow.

Ning Rongrong answered and pulled Chen An along, not finding anything amiss in the slightest.

As she pulled him along, Chen An could not help muttering inwardly.

Fine. I really have spent too much of these past six years in the kitchen.

After payment, the belt was brought over. Chen Xin inspected it before handing it to Chen An.

Following the old man's guidance, Chen An slowly channeled Soul Power into the jade and, sure enough, sensed the space within.

He tried putting the cloth bag inside, and his hand immediately grew lighter. With another thought, the bag returned to his hand.

This is handy.

When he had heard the price earlier, it had pained him, but now that he actually held it, Chen An was rather reluctant to put it down.

After watching him try it back and forth twice, the smile in Chen Xin's eyes deepened.

"Put it away. Are we still buying tea?"

"Buy it."

Chen An nodded hastily. He couldn't forget this.

After leaving the auction house, they made another trip to the tea shop. This time, just as Chen Xin was about to pay, Chen An beat him to it and pulled out his own money pouch.

"I'll pay for this."

The old man glanced at him but didn't insist, simply withdrawing his hand with a smile.

Chen An asked the shopkeeper to wrap the two portions of tea separately before stowing them in his belt, thoroughly satisfied.

Toward evening, the three finally returned to the sect.

When Gu Rong heard they were back and came over, Ning Rongrong was showing Chen Xin the new hair tie she was wearing. The little trinkets they had brought back from the city were also laid out on the table.

"Looks like you had a good time."

"Grandpa Bone, this is for you."

Chen An took out a packet of tea and handed it over.

Gu Rong reached out to accept it, but rather than looking at the tea right away, he first glanced at Chen Xin beside him, and his smile deepened.

"Xiao An is so thoughtful. Even on an outing, you remembered this old man."

Chen Xin said nothing, merely placing his own packet of tea on the table.

Gu Rong's gaze stopped short.

"You got some too?"

"Xiao An bought it."

Chen Xin answered perfectly naturally, casually shifting the packet of tea closer to himself.

The old fellow's gesture amused Gu Rong. As if anyone would snatch your tea!

But when his gaze fell on Chen An's waist, the old man understood a little more.

"You bought Xiao An this too?"

"It makes carrying things easier."

"It certainly does."

Gu Rong nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Chen An.

"Then whenever you make something tasty from now on, you can bring Grandpa Bone a portion too?"

At that, Chen An froze for a moment before looking at Chen Xin.

The old man lifted his teacup, his expression not changing in the slightest.

"Be careful when ladling the soup. Don't burn yourself."

Well, now.

This belt hadn't even had time to warm against my waist, and they'd already lined me up to deliver meals?