When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 111: Going to the Big Market

"Maybe. The system isn’t sure either. But if the host were to perish in a mission world, your spiritual power would definitely drop significantly."

Tan You was helpless. ’This little system... it really doesn’t know anything. I can’t count on it for a single thing.’

"Then what’s the use of spiritual power? I don’t feel any different," Tan You asked, changing the subject. She clearly wanted to fish for more information, but unfortunately, her system was a total newbie.

Seeing the Beauty System fall silent, Tan You fell silent too. "Forget it. I won’t ask anything else. Let’s get some rest."

The moment she relented, the Beauty System perked up. "Host, do the lottery! Do the lottery! You can do two ten-pulls right now!"

Was Tan You the type to be easily persuaded? She put on a stern face. "I’m not doing it. We’ll talk about it in a few days."

’This little guy is just trying to earn Energy Points from me, how could I not know?’ she thought. Speaking of which, how big of a cut did the system even take? Including the 8 Energy Points spent on the last lottery, Tan You now had 27 Energy Points. She was still 73 points away from upgrading it to an intermediate-level system.

Thinking about the double-S rating Chi Mo had given her, Tan You suddenly shot up in bed. "Do rewards for S-rank or higher come with bonus Energy Points?"

The Beauty System tried to speak, but only a burst of static came out. Tan You understood. ’So that’s considered classified information,’ she thought. ’Fine, I’ll figure it out on my own.’

’Then again, during my time in Han Tingting’s world, Han Tingting hadn’t given me an extra rating either. Could it be because I didn’t give her any beauty value? The thing is, I didn’t have anything like beauty value back then.’

Mulling over these various speculations, Tan You drifted into a deep sleep.

In the summer, the days were long and the nights were short. The sky was already bright before five in the morning. Tan You woke up early as well. Just as she pushed her door open, her grandma came out of her room.

The old woman didn’t say anything upon seeing Tan You, simply heading to the well to wash up. Tan You grabbed her rope, found a quiet spot, and started jumping. Her grandma’s eyelids twitched before she suddenly said, "You’re coming with me to the big market later. Save your energy."

Tan You’s hands paused. Only then did she remember it was the 17th. It was also a market day in the countryside. The local market was held on days ending in two and seven, and it was always a lively affair. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"What do you need to buy?" Tan You asked, putting away her rope as told. The family only had one bicycle, so she would definitely be the one to bike her grandma there. It was a forty-minute ride, meaning the round trip would take up the entire morning.

Her grandpa did have a small electric tricycle, but Tan You didn’t know how to ride it. Besides, the market was always crowded with people, so you couldn’t drive an electric tricycle through it anyway.

Her grandma tallied the list. "The winnowing basket at home is broken, we need a new one. I also need to buy some vegetable seeds, and we’ll get some pesticides on the way back."

Tan You committed it all to memory. "Got it. I’ll go make breakfast."

"We should leave early to avoid the sun," her grandma said, then picked up a small shovel. "I’m going to check on the rice paddies."

Tan You said nothing and got busy in the kitchen. Her cooking skills were average. Even after experiencing two worlds, Tan You hadn’t put much effort into culinary arts, but she could certainly fend for herself.

Perhaps because Tan You had said last night that she wasn’t doing the lottery for now, the Beauty System was especially quiet. Tan You cherished this moment of peace. In such an oppressive and cramped home, being alone was a relief.

A little before six, Tan You pushed the family’s one and only "BMW" out the door. Wang Hunv sat on the back rack, greeting villagers along the way.

"Tan You, taking your grandma to the market? What are you buying?"

Wang Hunv replied, "Some vegetable seeds. You got any at home? I could trade you for some."

The other person quickly shook their head. "Nope, none..."

Tan You wasn’t one for sweet talk, but when she saw villagers she knew, she would call out "Grandpa," "Grandma," or "Great-Grandma." That’s just how it was in their village. If you saw them and didn’t say anything, you’d quickly earn a reputation for being stiff and rude.

Tan You had been called out for it once as a child, so she’d changed her ways. ’It’s not like it costs me anything to say hello,’ she reasoned.

The Tan family lived in the middle of the village, so Tan You only started to relax once they reached the village entrance. She just pedaled silently the whole way. She and her grandma didn’t have much to talk about; after all, her grandma had never treated her particularly well in the past.

The rural market was bustling. There were people selling chicks and ducklings, clothes and shoes, various household goods, and so on. Tan You even saw someone selling braised dishes right at the market entrance.

Tan You sniffed the air and suddenly craved some meat. But she had no money. Expecting her grandma to buy meat was like waiting for the sky to rain money. How could a skinflint ever be willing to part with their cash?

’Oh well, I’ll just bear it,’ she thought, ’and treat it as a diet.’ Persuading herself with this logic, Tan You tore her eyes away from the braised-meat stall and followed her grandma into the crowd.

"This winnowing basket is way too expensive! You’re asking for twelve, but that other guy is only selling them for nine..."

Tan You stood to the side holding the vegetable seeds, watching her grandma haggle with the stall owner. When it came to bargaining, she was no match for her grandma at all. But Tan You had no intention of changing. ’Worst case, I’ll just shop online in the future,’ she thought, ’even if the internet isn’t widespread just yet.’

But Tan You had already lived through two other worlds; she was certain the internet would eventually reach every household. So, it was hard to say if rural markets like this would even exist by then.

That morning, Tan You was purely a beast of burden, responsible for carrying her grandma’s bags and pedaling the bike. She didn’t bother with anything else. In any case, it wasn’t her place to make decisions at home.

But to Tan You’s surprise, as they were leaving the market, the skinflint actually opened her purse.

The old woman stood in front of the braised-meat stall. "It smells delicious. I wonder if your grandpa would like it."

When she asked the price, Wang Hunv winced, and even Tan You thought it was expensive. She had lived a hard life since she was young. Even though her horizons had broadened and she had once handled funds in the millions, Tan You was still frugal to the bone.

"Don’t buy it here. Let’s go to the butcher’s stall. You can buy half a pig’s head, and I’ll try to make it when we get back. We can buy some star anise and cinnamon on the way," Tan You said quietly, tugging on her grandma’s arm.

Wang Hunv felt the money in her pocket, still reluctant to spend it. "Alright, let’s go to the butcher’s stall then."

Seeing her grandma act like this, Tan You lowered her head slightly. In truth, her grandpa, Tan Deming, wasn’t much of a foodie. The real glutton was her grandma, but she would never admit it, always using her grandpa as an excuse.

At the butcher’s stall, they bought half a pig’s head and two pig’s trotters as planned, which pained Wang Hunv greatly. But when she thought about the price at the braised-meat stall, she let it go. No matter how you calculated it, making it at home was still more cost-effective.

The butcher’s stall sold more than just pork; they also had side ingredients like bean products, chickens, ducks, and so on. Tan You asked for a few pieces of dried tofu. Wang Hunv rolled her eyes but ultimately didn’t say anything.

When they got home, Tan You naturally got busy. Her grandpa, Tan Deming, just watched the spectacle from the side. The old man was not one for physical labor; you could say he’d never properly set foot in a kitchen his entire life.

Besides, his health wasn’t good. Tan You really didn’t dare trouble the old man with any work.