With no one around, Qi Huan unconsciously swayed to the rhythm. Suddenly, the system changed its tone: "Good deed +1, points +1."
"Good deed +1, points +50."
...
The wonderful sound began again, intermittently ringing for ten days. Qi Huan's points also reached a new historical high.
"Congratulations, host. Your current balance is 115,000. Would you like to have a level five system?"
"What if I say I don't want it?"
"Then you'll have a heartbroken system."
"Hehe, I'm just teasing you. Here's 100,000 points, go ahead and upgrade!"
"Alright, host. Now it's a happy system serving you. Please wait a moment."
"System version 5.0 loading—"
"Loading complete!"
"Rewarding the host with a necklace!"
As the system's voice faded, a red string appeared in Qi Huan's hand, with a golden pendant the size of a fingernail shaped like a truck's cab.
"What's this for?"
"It's the physical form of the control cabin, host."
Hearing this, Qi Huan's eyes suddenly lit up: "So, I can put it on a carriage, or on someone else, and move along with it?"
"Exactly."
"That's great!" She was overjoyed.
The carriage ride had nearly shaken her to pieces. Now that the space could move, she only needed to hide the pendant on the carriage, and she could slip into the space and travel comfortably!
Those 100,000 points were well spent.
Qi Huan hummed a tune, her mood exceptionally beautiful, even eating half a bowl more than usual for breakfast.
After breakfast, Yan Ge called out to her.
"Miss Qi, don't you get bored staying in your room all the time?"
Qi Huan shook her head.
She hid in her room to enjoy the air conditioning, she had storybooks to read, snacks and drinks to enjoy, and she could even chat with the system when bored. Her life was rich and colorful, not boring at all.
However, Yan Ge thought she was just being polite.
"Miss Qi, although the drought continues, His Highness has managed resources well, and life in the city is largely unaffected. Many shops are still open. Would you like to go out for a stroll? There's a carriage for coming and going, so you won't get sunburned."
With that, Yan Ge gave Yan Qing a look, and Yan Qing immediately presented a veiled hat with both hands.
The veiled hat had a ring of white gauze, which could both hide her appearance and block the sunlight.
Seeing their eager looks, Qi Huan's eyes were filled with amusement: "Alright, let's take advantage of the cooler morning and go out for a tour of Yunzhou City."
"Great! I'll go arrange the carriage!" Yan Ge ran off quickly, afraid she might change her mind.
At the end of the Chen hour (7-9 am), the carriage headed towards the busiest street in Yunzhou City.
Yunzhou was prosperous, with wide and smooth roads in the city, and exquisitely decorated shops on both sides.
Affected by the drought, most shops were still open but had few customers.
Qi Huan showed little interest in jewelry shops and clothing stores; she didn't lack these things.
Li Shuchen had bought her many clothes and accessories, enough for her to wear something different every day for a month.
Therefore, there was no need to waste money on these.
She had heard that Yunzhou was famous for its iron mines and excellent knives. She wanted to buy a few good knives for cooking.
While Li Country prohibited armor, it didn't prohibit knives. Most iron mines were owned by the court, used to smelt weapons and armor. But a very small number of iron mines were jointly operated by officials and private entities, allowing iron to enter the civilian market for making farm tools or kitchen knives, ensuring people's livelihoods while also increasing Yunzhou City's income.
Under Yan Ge's guidance, Qi Huan entered Yunzhou's most reputable knife shop.
At this time, the shopkeeper was talking to a white-clothed man. Seeing customers arrive, and noticing their luxurious attire, he immediately signaled to the shop assistant to greet them.
The assistant approached with a smile: "Welcome, miss. Please come in. All the products in our shop are made by master craftsmen with decades of experience, and the quality is guaranteed. You can't go wrong even if you choose with your eyes closed. What are you looking for?"
"Let's look at kitchen knives."
"Certainly, please come this way."
The assistant led Qi Huan straight to the kitchen knife display rack, explaining each one in detail.
After hearing his introduction, Qi Huan asked for Yan Ge's opinion and chose the sharpest ones. Then, she began to haggle with the assistant as if she'd done it a thousand times before.
The assistant's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at her. The young lady before him seemed to be from a wealthy or noble family, how could she be so down-to-earth in haggling with him?
In the past, most people who came to buy kitchen knives or farm tools were common folk, and the assistant had experienced haggling many times, becoming quite skilled at it.
"Miss, you get what you pay for, and we really can't lower the price any further. Cheap things have nothing but cheapness going for them, while expensive things have nothing but the price as a drawback. You have a great eye, and you've chosen our most expensive models. Considering you're buying multiple items, I've already given you a significant discount..."
Qi Huan had met her match and enthusiastically engaged in the discussion. Only when her mouth began to feel dry did she nod and say, "Alright, please wrap them up for me."
"Certainly!"
Meanwhile, Yan Ge and Yan Qing had also chosen their desired knives.
Yan Ge selected a butcher's knife, curious as she had never used one before.
Yan Qing chose a chopping axe. The kitchen maids all praised her for her speed and the aesthetic shape of her chopped wood. She eagerly helped them chop wood every day just to hear a few words of praise.
However, the caravan's chopping axe had become a bit dull, so she wanted to buy a new one!
Although they all had their own monthly allowance, Qi Huan still paid for them together. She was always generous to her own people.
The assistant clicked away on his abacus and finally said, "The total is seven taels and one qian."
"How about we round it down?"
"......"
The assistant looked towards the shopkeeper, and after seeing him nod, he said, "Alright, consider it a gesture of friendship. I hope you enjoy your purchases, miss. Please come again!"
Qi Huan took out some silver from her purse, weighed it in her hand, and placed it on the counter.
At the same time, she noticed that the white-clothed man who had been talking to the shopkeeper earlier was now casting occasional glances in their direction.
Seeing her turn to look, the white-clothed man didn't avoid her gaze. Instead, he smiled warmly and nodded at her, rhythmically fanning himself with a folding fan.
The knives they had chosen, as well as the contrast between Qi Huan's haggling and her outward appearance, had slightly surprised him.
The white-clothed man thought for a moment, then took out a dagger from his sleeve and offered it to her, saying, "A gift."
Qi Huan stopped in her tracks, looking at him quizzically.
Seeing that she didn't accept and instead became wary, the White-Clothed Man suddenly broke into a smile. "My lady, there's no need to be suspicious. This shop is my property. I noticed you bought quite a few items, so I'd like to offer you this small gift as a token of my appreciation."
"That won't be necessary. I'm just a frail woman; a dagger would be of no use to me," she replied.
The White-Clothed Man's smile didn't falter. "It could still be useful for self-defense."
Given that he had said this much and wasn't asking for money, Qi Huan didn't refuse any further. She gestured for Yan Ge to accept the gift.
After leaving the shop, Qi Huan boarded her carriage, and they began to head back. As they reached the corner of the street, the crowd suddenly thickened.
