Chapter 103

Bai Jing thinks so much because he doesn't understand Song Xiaozhu well enough.

In his imagination, the young lady who ended up in the Garbage Mountain, though naive and innocent, must also...

revenge

Driven by desperation—even with amnesia, it's impossible for them to give up their once comfortable life and willingly to toil away at the foot of this Garbage Mountain.

Revenge requires manpower, material resources, and financial resources.

Liu Family Village is undoubtedly a good starting point.

Song Xiaozhu probably wants to join the Council of Elders of Liu Family Village, and if she just asks, Xiao Yunjie, will nod in agreement.

However, this is ultimately meaningless.

Given the size of Liu Family Village, even if they followed her with all their might, they wouldn't be able to pry open a single brick of that massive Fortress.

Not to mention that Liu Family Village, under Xiao Yunjie's leadership, is an impenetrable fortress and will not listen to anyone else's arrangements.

Song Xiaozhu is likely to be disappointed.

Poor Master Bai imagined a whole bunch of things, he was practically ready to stick the words "ambitious" all over Song Xiaozhu's forehead.

The next moment, Song Xiaozhu smiled and said, "It's not a big deal... Well, you know, I make tools, and they're pretty good, so I'm thinking of opening a shop in Liu Family Village. Don't worry, I'll pay the rent and abide by the village rules..."

Xiao Tong and Bai Jing were both somewhat confused.

Especially the latter, Master Bai, who considered himself experienced and had seen countless people, was filled with the thought, "... That's it?"

Song Xiaozhu didn't have many complicated thoughts; her purpose was simple, straightforward, and mutually beneficial.

--Open a shop.

She completed the Growth Quest, earned a bunch of Quantum Coin, and also gained a fixed source of Transaction Value.

The outpost would also solve the problem of Liu Family Village having no "stores," so why not?

Xiao Tong's breathing quickened. "You... you're going to open a shop in Liu Family Village?"

Song Xiaozhu: "Yes."

Xiao Tong: "Medicine... medicine..."

Song Xiaozhu: "The price of the anti-inflammatory pills remains the same, but the daily supply is limited. And... the hemostatic powder too."

She needs to focus on tools. The Synthesizer's experience points don't come from just one synthesizer; she needs to farm experience points from all synthesizers. There's also proficiency, which is a reward from level 2 achievements and a significant source of Quantum Coin.

Xiao Tong gasped, his face flushing red. A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind—he thought of the future of Liu Family Village, the villagers' joy, and his parents who had spent decades without a shop, forced to stay up all night...

Thump!

Overwhelmed with emotion, Village Chief Xiao didn't know how to express his gratitude, so he could only kowtow repeatedly, following the rules for treating ancestors.

Song Xiaozhu: "..."

She felt incredibly embarrassed, having to kneel again.

"Alright." Bai Jing used his pipe to stop Xiao Tong: "She runs a shop to make money. If you keep doing this, won't it make it difficult for her to set prices?"

Xiao Tong jolted, then quickly said, "That's not what I meant. I'm just very grateful... Xiaozhu has helped so much... Liu Family Village is really... really..."

His voice choked as he spoke, but he didn't lose his composure. Instead, he looked earnestly at Song Xiaozhu and said, "Don't worry about the pricing. We usually deal with small workshops, and their prices are 50-60% higher than the recycling station's..."

Life is truly tough in Liu Family Village...

They're comparable to the Old Chen.

No wonder they went to rob someone.

Seeing that he had calmed down, Song Xiaozhu simply explained her thoughts to him clearly, "I won't use the recycling station as the standard for pricing. I have my own system for calculating costs and profits, and I will clearly mark the prices so that everyone can choose the best option."

Then she asked Xiao Tong, "By the way, could I post some buy-out notices at the shop? Don't worry, it's nothing particularly difficult to find, just stones, scrap metal, weeds, and wild vegetables..."

Xiao Tong's eyes brightened, and he swallowed hard. "Of course!"

Song Xiaozhu then asked another question cautiously, "If we open a shop in Liu Family Village, the Scavenger Community definitely won't tolerate Sister Shuyu and me..."

Xiao Tong immediately said, "I will arrange accommodation for you!"

Song Xiaozhu shook her head. "That doesn't matter. Sister Shuyu and I can stay at the shop. I mean..." She looked into Xiao Tong's eyes. "Once the shop is running normally, you and District Chief Hu will have a complete falling out."

At present, Old Madam Hu's actions are more about forcing Liu Family Village to compromise by cutting off supplies. As for what kind of compromise, Song Xiaozhu doesn't know.

But the more she learned about it, the more she could feel the tension between the two, and that neither had crossed the line.

Old Madam Hu forbade the people of Liu Family Village from entering the recycling station, but she tacitly approved of their transactions with the small workshops.

Liu Family Village engaged in "robbery and looting" at the Garbage Mountain, but they were careful not to go too far and did not cause public outrage.

Looking at the recent disaster in Liu Family Village, Xiao Tong came to the community to find Old Madam Hu. Although Old Madam Hu tormented him severely, she did not take his life.

This is still a tug-of-war.

Considering the relationship between Xiao Yunjie and Old Madam Hu, Old Madam Hu's actions seemed more like a message to Liu Family Village: "If you want to negotiate, send someone else."

She was waiting for Xiao Yunjie.

If Xiao Yunjie is willing to compromise, there might still be room for negotiation between the two sides.

However, Song Xiaozhu's appearance disrupted this balance. She solved the problem of anti-inflammatory drugs and also planned to open a shop in Liu Family Village.

Once completed, the balance between Liu Family Village and the Scavenger Community will be completely disrupted.

If Old Madam Hu loses her means of controlling them, and Liu Family Village takes a hard line, a larger conflict is very likely to break out between the two.

Song Xiaozhu had thought of all of this, but clearly the young village chief hadn't considered it that much.

Bai Jing frowned. He knew more than Song Xiaozhu and knew that Xiao Tong was too well protected by his parents. Although his combat power as a "Hunter" was at its peak, when it came to using his brain... well, he was a stubborn person, a trait inherited from the Liu family.

Bai Jing: "There's no rush. Village Chief Xiao, go back and ask your mother tomorrow... then we'll talk about it."