Now that she had money, Shen Moxi hurried to browse the shop and buy some tasty food, along with some for Song Qi. After all, he was her big spender, and all this money was his.
First came the ultimate soul food, spicy strips-two packs. Then two bottles of yogurt, a box of bread, and a pack of ham sausages. Finally, she looked through the drinks and chose a large bottle of healthy fruit-and-vegetable juice, then bought a bag of disposable cups.
Once she had made her selections, placed the order, and paid, Shen Moxi waited quietly, incredibly excited inside.
"Ding! Master, your items have been sent. Please check your delivery." The joy in Xiao Tao's heart could be heard even through its mechanical voice.
Thump! A large cardboard box appeared in front of Shen Moxi.
Shen Moxi picked up the box, climbed down from the kang, put on her shoes, and dashed over to Song Qi's room, pushing the door open.
Hearing the bang of the door opening, Song Qi immediately opened his eyes and saw Shen Moxi carrying in a box that looked something like wood.
"Hey, Song Qi, get up! I'm treating you to something delicious!" Shen Moxi kicked the door shut behind her and ran over, thrilled and excited.
"Hmm? What are you holding?" Song Qi's health had improved after taking those medicinal herbs. He propped himself up into a sitting position and looked at her in confusion.
"Hehe, listen, that luminous pearl you gave me was worth so much! I sold it for quite a bit. Now we don't have to worry about food or clothes. I just bought some delicious food that only exists in this era for you to try." Shen Moxi set the box beside Song Qi and opened it. "Come take a look. These are all things I used to love eating."
With that, she took out the bread, unwrapped one, and handed it to him. "Here, this soft thing is called bread. It smells wonderful, and it's soft and tasty. Try it."
"Is bread a kind of steamed bun? It's soft like one, but it doesn't look the same." Song Qi took it and had a bite. "Mm, it tastes good. Better than the pastries where we're from. Very fragrant."
"Bread is made from flour too, but it uses high-gluten or low-gluten flour instead of ordinary flour. It also has to be baked in an oven, not steamed in a regular pot." Shen Moxi opened a packet herself and ate with relish.
"What are high-gluten and low-gluten flour?" After finishing his bread, Song Qi took another one and copied her way of opening it.
"They're types of flour too, made through other processing steps. As for how they're made, I don't know how to explain it clearly. I'll buy a bag sometime, and we can make some ourselves. I'll teach you." After finishing her bread, she took out the spicy strips and opened them.
She put one in her mouth, then took one out for him. "These are the ultimate soul food, spicy strips. Try one. They're so good you can't stop eating them. Every time I eat these spicy strips, I just can't stop."
Song Qi took it with one hand, held it to his nose for a sniff, then took a bite. The heat made him suck in a breath, and he nodded as he ate. "Mm, so spicy, but it feels so good. Delicious."
"They're spicy strips. How would they taste good if they weren't spicy? They're hot, but you just can't stop. I'll pour you a cup of fruit-and-vegetable juice. That'll ease it."
Shen Moxi took the small towel beside her and wiped the oil off her hands. She took out two disposable paper cups, opened the juice, and poured two cups, handing one to Song Qi. She gulped down more than half of hers and closed her eyes in contentment. "Whew, now this is enjoying life. So damn nice."
Song Qi drank until his cup was empty, then held it out to her. "Another cup."
Shen Moxi poured him another. "Put the rest of this stuff in your own space in a little while. If you're hungry or craving something, just take it out and eat it. Tell me when you run out. Tomorrow, once you can go out, we'll go make some money."
"Mm, you make the arrangements. Just tell me whenever you need me. You know more about this place than I do. I still have a lot to learn." Song Qi finished his juice and took the little towel to wipe his hands too.
"Give it here. I'll take it out and wash it. It's covered in oil now." Shen Moxi took the towel and gathered up the rubbish left from their food, ready to go destroy the evidence in a moment.
With a wave of Song Qi's hand, the cardboard box and everything in it were put away. Though Shen Moxi had seen it before, she still couldn't help marveling. Wasn't that just so convenient?
She had to work harder. Once my system reaches a hundred and fifty thousand points, I'll have a storage room too. At five hundred thousand points, I can upgrade it to a space.
Shen Moxi went outside, washed the little towel, and hung it out to dry. Then she went to the kitchen to see what food there was and prepare dinner. As it turned out, there wasn't much to eat, and the vegetables were all wilted.
According to the original owner's memories, the Song family should have been quite well off. Things shouldn't have been this bad.
After thinking for quite a while, she seemed to recall the original owner's mother mentioning that Song Qi's condition had been fairly serious at the time, so they had spent all their savings on his treatment. They had used up the military subsidy as well, which was why the Song family hadn't provided anything when the two families arranged the marriage.
There was a vegetable patch behind their house with some vegetables growing in it, but none were doing very well, and they probably didn't taste very good either. She might as well buy some from the system herself.
"I'll buy some vegetables and meat from the system first. Just enough for one meal. They probably won't notice anything, right?" Shen Moxi rubbed her chin and thought it over.
She found a little folding stool and sat down, then browsed the system shop. It was May now, so she had to pick things that were available at this time of year.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans-she bought those three vegetables, along with a few eggs, half a jin of meat, dried wood ear mushrooms, and rice. She would reheat the chicken soup left over from lunch. She bought ready-made steamed buns so she wouldn't have to steam any later.
She went back to her room to check the time. It was past three. She would simmer some rice porridge over low heat first, then stir-fry the dishes at the end. They should be about due home when everything was ready. She wanted to make a more lavish meal too, but present circumstances wouldn't allow it. There was nothing in the house, and suddenly conjuring things up would frighten them.
She rinsed the rice, added water, and put it in the pot, but lighting the fire stumped her a little. This old-fashioned cooking pot wasn't easy to manage. She found some old newspapers and lit them, blowing hard. It took a great deal of effort before the firewood finally caught.
"Whew, finally." Shen Moxi wiped the sweat off her forehead, put the lid on the pot, and went to wash the vegetables.
Humming a little tune as she chopped and stir-fried, she leisurely finished three dishes: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, moo shu pork, and dry-fried green beans.
She wiped down the dining table and arranged the plates, then put the steamed buns in a small steamer basket and set it on the table. She checked the porridge in the pot. It was ready, so she put out the wood fire and covered the pot.
She went to Song Qi's room. The fellow was sitting there eating spicy strips, holding a drink in one hand and the strips in the other.
When he saw Shen Moxi come in, he even raised the spicy strips in his hand. "Want some more? These are so good."
"Dinner's ready. I came to ask if you can go out to eat yet. If you can, come out for dinner and get some fresh air." Shen Moxi smiled and shook her head.
"Mm, I'm fine now. Getting out of bed and walking won't be a problem. I'll take some more medicine tonight, and I'll be fine tomorrow." Song Qi finished the spicy strips, downed his drink in one go, and wiped his hands and mouth. Bracing himself with his arm, he got down and stood up.
"This is a good chance to have a look outside. I still don't know what it looks like." Song Qi picked up the paper cup and handed it to Shen Moxi. "What do we do with this?"
"Give it to me. I'll burn it. Can you walk on your own, or should I support you?" Shen Moxi took the paper cup, folded it in half, and held it in her hand.
"I'll walk slowly on my own. I can walk. I'm not that weak." Song Qi waved a hand.
"Okay, I'll go see if Aunt Shan and the others are back. Be careful and walk slowly." Shen Moxi opened the door and let him make his own way out slowly.