Chapter 665: Chapter 665: Supermarket

"That’s true. I used to find the grannies doing their square dancing so disruptive, but looking back, we were so happy then."

As they spoke, the group arrived at the Courtyard Supermarket. The store didn’t have much for sale, but there were plenty of people browsing. The clerks were all young, wearing red armbands with "Courtyard Supermarket" printed on them.

"They even have wild vegetable roots. I bet they were dug up from the plains. It’s almost April, so the plains must be covered in flowers and green grass by now." Liam Sterling picked up a bunch of roots and sniffed them. The smell was a bit pungent.

"This is mountain lettuce. You can serve it cold or boil it."

Liam Sterling waved the vegetable roots. "Hey, excuse me, what kind of vegetable is this?"

The clerk came right over. "Those are wormwood roots. We have the leaves over here, too. Wormwood is good for reducing internal heat and detoxification. The leaves can also stop bleeding, but they’re bitter, so you have to blanch them to remove the bitterness before eating."

The clerk was very professional. She could name all the wild vegetables in the supermarket and explain their uses and preparation methods.

"Wormwood leaves look a lot like mugwort." Quincy picked up a handful and sniffed. "It’s a pungent smell, different from mugwort."

"Mugwort is also plentiful this season. The Qingming Festival was just a few days ago, so it’s the perfect time for qingtuan." Wyatt Vaughn pulled Zoe closer for a sniff. A clerk held a bundle of string, ready to tie up any purchases for customers to carry easily.

Evelyn Ford led Ronan Kendrick on a quick tour of the store, but nothing caught their eye. The others, however, grew more excited the longer they browsed. Even Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were enthusiastically picking out various knick-knacks.

Several long benches outside the supermarket were already full. A few mothers with their children were swapping parenting tips, while some elderly folks sat together, chatting about their daily lives.

Evelyn Ford made a token purchase of two packets of vegetable seeds and three bags of "Third-Generation Nutrient Soil." She planned to plant the seeds when she got back to see if they would sprout.

The supermarket was already selling produce like bok choy and cabbage, as the base had just brought in its first harvest. A nearby shelf held the tender shoots and flowers of water hyacinths, but not many people were buying them due to the high price.

Even though water hyacinths can pollute water sources, Rhys Chase had borrowed a large number of seeds from Evelyn Ford. He had the base cordon off a section of the freshwater lake just to cultivate them. The fish in the hyacinth-filled area grew plumper, and now, the livestock on the base’s farm had a steady food supply. The tender shoots and flowers of the water hyacinth were even making their way to the residents’ dinner tables.

Evelyn Ford walked out of the supermarket with the vegetable seeds, Ronan Kendrick following behind with the nutrient soil. They waited outside for nearly an hour before the others finally, and reluctantly, emerged.

"Looks like everyone had a good haul today! This supermarket is fantastic. They even have a spot for reading and playing chess. Oh, and the clerk told me they’re building a teahouse in the courtyard. It opens in a week, and tea will be super cheap—just one cent a bowl." If Joelle Finch hadn’t dragged Miles Vaughn out, he wouldn’t have left.

"One cent?"

"That’s right. In addition to the current scrip, the base is planning to introduce a new type of currency. It’s not much different from the scrip, actually. It’s the same size and made of a soft plastic—smooth on the front and matte on the back, so it’s easy to carry. Having a proper currency will make life more convenient for residents and simplify trading. The denominations are already set: one, five, ten, twenty, and fifty cents, as well as one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, and one-hundred dollar bills. The smallest is one cent and the largest is one hundred dollars. The base also plans to introduce gold and silver trading and a savings bank. But that won’t happen for a while. It’ll probably be a few years, once the base is more developed and everyone’s standard of living has improved," Liam Sterling explained in a slow, deliberate manner.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look. ’The base is introducing gold and silver trading,’ Evelyn thought. ’It seems they must have struck gold—and silver—at the mining site. Economic recovery is only a matter of time. As long as there are no more natural disasters, life will just keep getting better.’

"No need to get ahead of ourselves. Let’s focus on living well for now. Alright, everyone grab what you bought. Time to head home."

After Evelyn Ford and her group left, the old ladies at the supermarket entrance pointed at their retreating figures and began to whisper among themselves.

"Buying so much stuff... I wonder what they do. So flashy."

"Do you know where that family lives?"

"They just moved in today. I think they’re in Sector A—the house with the biggest courtyard."

"Oh, so it’s them. To live in a house that big, they must have some serious backing."

...

「Back at the courtyard.」

Everyone was exhausted. The walk from the supermarket alone took a full ten minutes, and that was without factoring in all the things they were carrying.

Peter Owens and Ethan Dawson had already brought back the coal. Evelyn Ford produced several buckets of water from her pocket dimension, and the two men started making honeycomb briquettes. Everyone else got busy as well.

"Let’s wait until the courtyard has power and running water before we move out here permanently. For now, we’ll keep living in the pocket dimension. I’m not worried about the laborers since White Wolf is watching them. If they try to stir up any trouble in there, I’ll sense it. But as nice as the dimension is, it’s still just a small, isolated world. We have to live out here in the end."

"Looks like we’re going to be living here for the rest of our lives. I’ll go clean the kitchen."

"It would be perfect if the courtyard had its own toilet and bathroom. The only drawback is the lack of one."

"How about this: we add a bathroom in the southwest corner. If we can connect a sewer pipe to the public restroom’s line, we can have our own private toilet right here in the courtyard."

Liam Sterling’s eyes lit up. "Evelyn, leave it to me. I know the person in charge of this residential area. I’ll go talk to him later."

"Liam, you’re really something. You’ve got connections everywhere," Quincy said, sidling up to him. "It’s a shame you quit that base job, though. It was pretty high-profile. Now you’re stuck with the rest of us, getting your hands dirty."

"I was an assistant for ten years. From now on, all I want to do is farm."

Quincy gave him a thumbs-up. "Great mindset. We’re all just born to be farmers."

In the afternoon, Liam Sterling went to find the area manager, taking the items Evelyn Ford had prepared for him. Meanwhile, Evelyn and Ronan Kendrick scattered the seeds they’d bought into the flowerbeds, hoping they would sprout.

"Let’s save the flowerbeds by the gate for sunflowers."

"Sounds good."

At five in the afternoon, Liam Sterling returned. He bolted the main gate to the courtyard, and then Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick led everyone back into the pocket dimension.

"Liam, did your contact agree to let us build the restroom?"

"He agreed. He said Mr. Chase spoke with him before he was assigned here, telling him to help us with anything we need. He’s going to have someone come over tomorrow to help us build it."

"That’s fantastic! To be honest, even though the public restrooms are clean, it’s such a hassle to go out there at night. And if you have the runs, you’re really screwed."

"Won’t the neighbors have a problem with us building our own restroom?" Joelle Finch asked, worried they might complain.

"Don’t worry about that. The Courtyard Services office will handle it."

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