Living solely by selling scrap to get by.

After finishing the delicious roasted meat, Wen Jiu tidied up the utensils. Once she had freshened up, she grabbed her sack and headed out.

The trash district where she lived was a few hours' walk from the nearest urban area. However, having made the trip several times before, Wen Jiu didn't find it particularly tiring; she simply considered it a good way to exercise.

By the time she reached the outskirts of the city, it was nearly noon. She navigated the familiar path to a scrap yard on the edge of town and called out in a sweet voice, "Grandma Zhao!"

However, upon entering, she didn't see the familiar old woman. Instead, a tall, thin young man put down some cargo and glanced her way.

"Grandma Zhao is out. Are you here to sell something?" Wang Nan narrowed his eyes, surveying the slight, thin frame of Wen Jiu.

Wen Jiu merely nodded without a word, slowly dragging her sack toward the counter. Not waiting for Wang Nan’s help, she deftly swung the sack onto the table.

"Tsk, the quality of these things is mediocre," Wang Nan said, putting on his gloves and rummaging through the bag before smacking his lips. "Eighty Star Coins at most."

While Wang Nan inspected the items, Wen Jiu observed him in turn. As the saying goes, one's face reflects one's heart; even if he tried to appear friendly, his true nature was evident in his features. He had thin lips and a narrow chin, indicating a greedy nature, though his cheekbones weren't high enough to suggest he was beyond redemption. A crude iron badge hung on the chest of his coarse cloth shirt, engraved with "Grandma Zhao’s Resource Recycling Station," suggesting he was a hired hand.

"One hundred," Wen Jiu said. Since it wasn't Grandma Zhao herself, she didn't feel the need to be polite and stated her own valuation directly. Having sold scrap here several times over the past half-month, she had a solid grasp of the going rates.

Wang Nan hadn't expected the seemingly docile and ignorant girl to name the exact maximum market price. Still, being a businessman, he didn't want to yield so easily; he wanted to squeeze out every bit of profit he could.

He pulled a few items from the bag and said in a tone meant to sound helpful, "Little sister, the price I’m giving you is the fairest you'll find. Look, this gold-alloy screw has quite a bit of wear on the tail, and this printed circuit board has too many scratches." He added, "I’m only offering this much because you’re young. If you went anywhere else, they’d give you seventy at most!"

Wen Jiu didn't buy his act. She stood expressionless and held her ground: "One hundred."

The grin on Wang Nan's face stiffened. He sighed and countered, "Fine, fine. How about ninety?"

Wen Jiu didn't argue further. In silence, she stuffed the items back into her sack and, without looking back, began dragging it toward the exit.

This caught Wang Nan off guard. He had expected her to engage in a few more rounds of bargaining. He couldn't afford to let a customer walk away, especially when business had been slow lately. Seeing Wen Jiu about to step out the door, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Ninety-five!"

Seeing that she still didn't turn around and was actually picking up her pace, Wang Nan became desperate. Gritting his teeth, he let out a final, pained cry: "One hundred! Fine, one hundred!"

Only then did Wen Jiu stop and turn around. Unlike her previous indifferent expression, her eyes curved into a smile as she walked back toward him. Seeing her smile, Wang Nan felt even more dejected, his heart aching from the failed negotiation.

Wen Jiu walked up to him and held out her small hand, waiting for payment.

"Sigh." Wang Nan clenched his jaw, pulled one hundred Star Coins from his waist pouch, and slowly handed them over.

"Thank you, brother." Wen Jiu snatched the coins from his tight grip and tucked them away.

Paper currency was rare in this era; most transactions were handled via Star Network transfers. Only impoverished people like them, who couldn't afford "Smart Rings" to access the network, still used physical cash.

As soon as she had the money, Wen Jiu emptied the sack and prepared to leave, but Wang Nan called out to her.

"Little sister, are you selling that rope?" He stared with gleaming eyes at the coil of rope tied to her waist. Seeing his expression, Wen Jiu realized immediately that the rope was likely worth a significant amount—otherwise, this miser wouldn't be so eager.

She took the rope off and held it, pondering for a moment before offering a sweet smile. "Selling? Sure, I picked this up too."

Hearing that she had found it, Wang Nan’s eyes darted around as he began to scheme. "This looks like a replica; it's not worth much."

"Is that so, big brother?" Wen Jiu pouted and scratched her head, acting like an innocent child. "Then how much can I sell it for?"

Suppressed his excitement, Wang Nan pretended to be indifferent. "Four hundred Star Coins, maybe." To prevent her from doubting him, he added, "The cold season is coming soon, and you're just a poor kid, so I want to help you buy some things to stay warm. That’s why I’m offering this price. We don't usually buy replicas like this anyway."

He stole a glance at Wen Jiu, who was looking down as if in deep thought, and waited patiently. He had offered four hundred; surely it would take the kid forever to earn that much scavenging.

But to his surprise, Wen Jiu looked up and smiled at him. "In that case, I won't trouble you."

She quickly tied the rope back around her waist and darted out the door, leaving Wang Nan standing there in a daze.

After running for a distance, Wen Jiu stopped to consider Wang Nan's words. Seeing how eager he was, the rope was surely worth much more than four hundred. She needed to visit a few more scrap yards to estimate its true value.

With this in mind, she headed toward another scrap yard she knew. Before she had gone far, she saw an elderly woman with white hair walking shakily in her direction.

"Grandma Zhao!" Wen Jiu recognized her instantly and ran over with a smile.

Grandma Zhao coughed twice, her face lighting up with a kind smile as she saw the girl approaching. "Oh, my dear girl. I haven't seen you in a long time."

"I didn't have much to sell lately," Wen Jiu said, taking the bag from Grandma Zhao's hand and supporting her as they walked slowly. "But as soon as I had something, I came straight to you."

Wen Jiu was always glib; if she wanted to carry a conversation, she never failed. As she supported the old woman, she instinctively checked her pulse and realized Grandma Zhao was suffering from a cold-induced cough.

"Grandma Zhao," Wen Jiu asked, "where were you just now? I went to the scrap yard but didn't see you."

"Oh, I went to see a doctor," Grandma Zhao replied with a smile. "I've been coughing a bit lately."

Wen Jiu understood. Grandma Zhao had always taken care of her, often paying higher prices for her scrap. "I see," Wen Jiu said. "I heard from someone that drinking ginger juice helps with coughs."

Grandma Zhao looked puzzled. The urge to cough returned, and after a fit of hacking, she asked weakly, "What is ginger?"

Wen Jiu realized then that many ancient Chinese plants were missing in this world, or at least known by different names. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of ginger. "This. You crush it, boil it in water, and drink the soup after straining it."

Actually, a ginger and almond concoction would be better for these symptoms, but Wen Jiu wasn't sure if almonds or licorice existed here.

Grandma Zhao took the ginger and looked at it. "Oh, you mean this? We call this 'spicy root.' It tastes very hot!"

Wen Jiu nodded. "That's the one. You should try it, Grandma." She handed over the rest of the ginger she had, tucking it into Grandma Zhao’s pocket.

Not wanting to spurn the girl’s kindness, Grandma Zhao thanked her, and they chatted as they made their way back to the scrap yard.