Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 36

Lin You sits on the sofa in the supermarket’s rest area, holding a water cup and looking around. He notices that Gao Sheng has somehow wandered over to the shelf and is examining the items with a curious, almost greedy expression.

Nervously, Lin You stands up and hurries over to Gao Sheng. He lowers his voice and speaks carefully, “Cousin, don’t wander off.”

Gao Sheng picks up a bottle of wine, encased in a glass bottle. The transparency of the bottle makes even the simplest wine seem unusually refined.

Gao Sheng turns to Lin You, his eyes glowing. “Why didn’t you tell me the immortal had things like this here?”

Lin You is momentarily thrown off by the question. Slightly confused, he replies, “These are just indulgent luxuries, not really worth mentioning.”

Isn’t the abundance of hedonistic pleasures in this immortal’s abode proof enough that he regards wealth as mere dirt? The items here alone could open anyone’s eyes. A bottle of wine, for example, would make noble scholars who love wine fight for it, wouldn’t it?

Lin You continues, “Cousin, if you want to drink, we’ll have plenty when we go back.”

But Gao Sheng grabs his wrist, shouting fervently, “Do you think it’s about the wine?! It’s this wine! It’s immortal wine! If we could bring this back and present it to the emperor… Uncle has been in service for over twenty years, always stationed in Anyang. Doesn’t he want to take a step further?” Gao Sheng says passionately. “And what about you? Do you want to be stuck in Anyang your whole life?”

Lin You blinks, slightly dazed. He has never considered this. His plan is to study hard, perform well in the imperial exams, and then start as a minor official, much like children from poor families. If he shows talent and proves his worth, he hopes the emperor will notice him.

“Lin You…” Gao Sheng looks at Lin You’s bewildered expression, his earlier enthusiasm fading. “The principles in the books should be followed when appropriate, but don’t believe everything they tell you. Don’t listen to those poor fools who say you can rise step by step by being an official. If it were that easy, why would aristocratic families fall into decline?” Gao Sheng continues. “We, the children of aristocratic families, see and learn more than those from poor families. Did you know that when the country was founded, the emperor wanted to marry the legitimate daughters of the three prominent families, but none of them agreed? They looked down on him because he was an outsider.” Gao Sheng laughs. “And now? Have you heard of the three families lately? They were once very powerful. Now, it’s a challenge for those families to even send their daughters to the palace as concubines. Aristocratic families only remain influential if their members have positions close to the emperor.” Gao Sheng smiles, his voice lowering. “Those stories of waiting in remote mountains for the emperor’s invitation are just that—stories. The emperor never lacks servants. Only by getting close to the emperor can you share in the imperial power. Look at how many noble families have worked hard to send their daughters to the palace. They know that women who aren’t favored in the palace suffer, but in the court and harem, they balance each other. That’s how a family remains strong.”

Lin You looks at Gao Sheng, shocked.

“If you’re truly from a poor family,” Gao Sheng goes on, “the highest achievement you can hope for is attending the annual palace banquet. No matter how talented you are, you’ll always be at the bottom, watching others rise ahead of you. But with these things,” Gao Sheng’s voice rises in intensity, “maybe… maybe Uncle won’t have to stay in Anyang anymore. Maybe we could go to the imperial city!” Gao Sheng returns the bottle of wine to the shelf. “Think about it. Your father’s still the governor in Anyang, but what about you? Will you only ever be a county magistrate? Since I’m here, I won’t leave empty-handed.”

Lin You, panicking, argues, “How could it be empty-handed? Ten stones of grain per mu! This isn’t nothing!”

Gao Sheng glances at him, unimpressed. “You’re going to take The Lord Immortal’s grain and give it directly to the people?”

Lin You is surprised. “Isn’t that possible?”

Gao Sheng sneers. “The Lord Immortal’s treasures aren’t meant for you to give away. They’re for the emperor.”

Lin You is stunned.

Gao Sheng pats his shoulder. “If you don’t offer it to the emperor, you’ll lose your head, and the Lin family will gain nothing.”

“But…” Lin You grasps Gao Sheng’s sleeve, “If we offer it to the emperor, the people outside the city will starve when The Lord Immortal grain runs out!”

Gao Sheng’s expression softens. “That’s why I suggested you bring back things people enjoy.”

Lin You sighs. “I understand now.” He bows respectfully to Gao Sheng. “Cousin, I was narrow-minded. I misunderstood you.”

Gao Sheng waves it off. “It’s not a misunderstanding. I’m just thinking about your official career.”

Fame and fortune—how many people have mocked them throughout history, yet how many are desperate to gain them? In this mundane world, who is truly aloof and detached?

“Trade for wine?” Ye Zhou’s eyes light up as he scans boxes of agate. Watching the numbers jump higher and higher, he can’t help but smile.

He turns to Wu Yan, who has come to report. “Let him exchange for it. Just remind him that the wine bottle is fragile. Tell him to be careful on the road.”

Wu Yan nods. “Understood.”

In addition to the wine, Lin You has exchanged for many other items—most of them related to luxury and indulgence.

Though Ye Zhou suspects these aren’t exactly what Lin You had hoped to exchange for, he doesn’t intend to ask or intervene. It’s the customer’s prerogative to buy whatever they wish. The supermarket has plenty of goods, and everything on display is up for sale.

“Let him choose for himself,” Ye Zhou says, scanning a box of agate. His hands are beginning to ache from the constant motion. He glances over at Zou Ming, who is reading a magazine nearby.

Zou Ming looks up as if sensing Ye Zhou’s gaze, then places the magazine down and walks over. Without saying a word, he takes the barcode scanner and continues the routine movements, much like Ye Zhou has been doing.

Ye Zhou sighs with relief. “Thanks. I’ll go grab some water.”

Zou Ming barely reacts, his head lowered so his expression is hidden. “No need to thank me.”

Ye Zhou smiles. “It’s only polite. Do you want something to drink? There’s milk tea, tea, and regular drinks.”

Zou Ming nods. “Mineral water is fine.”

Besides drinking water, Ye Zhou also needs to prepare the seeds of the immortal grain for Lin You.

There are two varieties—sweet potatoes and potatoes. Ye Zhou prints out a note in traditional Chinese characters, although he knows the writing isn’t as clear as he’d hoped. He knows how easily words can be misinterpreted.

Ye Zhou asks Wu Yan and the others to pack nearly all the sweet potatoes and potatoes from the supermarket.

“Are these The Lord Immortal grains with a yield of ten stones per mu?” Wu Yan asks, though he’s eaten both sweet potatoes and potatoes countless times in the supermarket. He doesn’t realize these varieties have such high yields. Comparing the two, he prefers sweet potatoes. They’re soft, glutinous, sweet—much better than what he had expected.

Ye Zhou nods. “These two are The Lord Immortal grains.”

The sweet potatoes in his supermarket are an improved variety—high-yielding and sweet. They are nothing like the bland sweet potatoes his grandparents used to eat.

“After drying, these sweet potatoes can be preserved for a long time,” Ye Zhou says with a smile. “If you leave them fresh, they might sprout. But if they do, they can still be planted.”

Wu Yan and the others become excited. “Can we plant them ourselves, outside the supermarket?”

“Yes, we can plant them!” someone else says enthusiastically.

“I haven’t worked the land since I came here,” another adds.

Ye Zhou shakes his head gently. “We can’t farm here.”

Wu Yan looks disappointed, but Ye Zhou quickly adds, “I’ll probably leave tomorrow. You can tell others that those who wish to join me can meet tonight in the break room. If you’d rather stay, I won’t force you. I’ll leave something for you to take, and Lin You will help you head south.”

Wu Yan freezes, and the others are speechless.

“Leave? Where to?” they wonder.

The Lord Immortal is taking them somewhere? If they go to The Lord Immortal Realm, can mortals like them really establish themselves there? Or will The Lord Immortal take them for cultivation? Can they become immortals too?

Ye Zhou has already guessed what they would think and adds, “I’m not taking you to cultivate. But to countless small worlds, without a specific destination. If you want to return, you should be able to.” Ye Zhou says, “Think it over carefully.”

Chen Liu immediately says, “I am willing to follow The Lord Immortal!”

With Chen Liu leading, Wu Yan and the others also shout, “We are willing to follow The Lord Immortal!”

Ye Zhou shakes his head slightly, “What you say doesn’t count. Go and discuss it with your families. Leaving one’s hometown is difficult; not everyone is willing to leave.”

His grandparents have suffered so much in their hometown, but in their old age, don’t they still long to return and be buried in their native soil? Though they have no fond memories of their homeland, they still want to be buried there.

Ye Zhou waves his hand, “Go ask, and tell me tonight.”

After watching Wu Yan and the others carry away the potatoes and sweet potatoes, Ye Zhou returns to the cashier’s desk. He places a bottle of mineral water next to Zou Ming and gestures to him, “Let me handle this, you go have some water and take a rest.”

Zou Ming shakes his head slightly, “No need. Aren’t you planning to leave tomorrow? After scanning in, just buy what you need, and you’ll get it tonight and leave tomorrow.”

“We’ll need to hire another person,” Zou Ming asks, “Want me to recommend someone?”

Ye Zhou nods. “That one you mentioned before—the super patient one, right? Is it a guy or a girl? What’s the name?”

Zou Ming: “Chen Shu. Female. She was originally a soldier.”

Ye Zhou asks curiously, “Which world is she from? Same as you?”

Zou Ming: “No, she’s from a time of peace.”

Ye Zhou laughs. “That’s pretty good. Should be similar to mine then. So did she register voluntarily or, like me, was she forced into it?”

Zou Ming thinks for a moment. “Voluntarily. She wanted to train herself.”

Ye Zhou: “…That’s seriously impressive.”

Lin You has people move The Lord Immortal food to the carriage, and he takes the stack of papers handed to him by Wu Yan with both hands. To prevent Lin You from accidentally dropping them on the road, Ye Zhou has printed a total of ten copies.

“These characters…” Lin You looks at the writing on the paper, and is immediately shocked by how uniform it is. “They’re so perfect.”

It doesn’t look like it’s written by a person at all. Even if one person writes the same character, there’s always some slight difference, but these characters are completely identical—whether large or small, thick or thin.

It seems as though they are carved and then printed. Even if they are printed, there isn’t a trace of uneven ink.

The paper is also different from what they are used to. It is more delicate and white, and despite so many characters, there isn’t even a hint of ink smudging.

“It really is written by an immortal,” Lin You says, holding the stack of papers as if they are some rare treasure.

Wu Yan pours cold water on him, “It wasn’t written by an immortal. The Lord Immortal didn’t write it. He just used an immortal technique.”

Lin You: “…Since it’s an immortal technique personally used by The Lord Immortal, then it can be considered as written by The Lord Immortal!”

Wu Yan falls silent for a moment, “That makes sense.”

Lin You then looks at The Lord Immortal food sent by Wu Yan and the others. Since Ye Zhou isn’t there, and Lin You knows that Wu Yan and the others are all mortals, he casually asks, “Brother Wu, have you eaten The Lord Immortal food yourself?”

Wu Yan nods, “Of course, I’ve eaten it. This is sweet potato, and this is potato.” Wu Yan smiles, “We prefer sweet potatoes. They’re soft, fragrant, and sweet.”

Lin You: “Sweet?”

Wu Yan nods, “It’s sweeter than sugar.”

Food that can fill your stomach, has a high yield, and is sweet.

Lin You blushes with excitement.

“Potatoes aren’t tasty?” Gao Sheng asks curiously.

Wu Yan: “Not really. They’re not as tasty as sweet potatoes, but if you fry them into chips and add some spices, they’re very fragrant. They’re also good when you stew meat with them,” Wu Yan says, swallowing his saliva.

He is already craving stewed meat.

Cao Er’s mother, for the sake of The Lord Immortal, has learned to cook from the pictures in the recipe, even though she can’t read.

To Wu Yan, Cao Er’s mother’s cooking skills are now better than the chefs in restaurants.

Especially the braised pork.

Wu Yan swallows again.

Every time, there isn’t even a drop of sauce left, and everyone rushes to soak the rice with the sauce.

Lin You’s people are moving the exchanged goods. They carefully pack the wine to prevent the bottles from breaking on the way back. Ye Zhou has also given them plenty of bubble wrap to cushion the wooden boxes.

“Master Lin, don’t you want to exchange some dry food this time?” Wu Yan asks.

Lin You says with some shame, “It’s already shameless to exchange for wine. How could I exchange for dry food?”

He had thought that the things he brought should not even be enough to exchange for grain seeds, yet now he has exchanged them for wine and other goods.

He is already embarrassed and doesn’t want to exchange anything else.

Though The Lord Immortal has never stopped him and is generous with the things they exchange, he still knows shame.

Wu Yan: “Then bring more water for the journey. There are no water sources nearby.”

Lin You bows and says, “Thank you.”

He turns to look at the busy guards and at the wine and grain seeds being loaded onto the carriage.

How much grain does it take to brew a bottle of wine?

And how many lives could that grain sustain?

The nobles are still living in indulgence, while the common people starve and await death.

Lin You takes a deep breath. “If the immortal has any task for me, Lin You will obey, even at the cost of his life!”

“Let’s go!”

He doesn’t know if he’ll ever have the chance to return to the immortal’s abode—or see the immortal again.