Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 6

The refugees gather together to eat, sitting around with the hot porridge brought by Cao’er’s mother.

Unlike the thin porridge they encountered on their journey, the porridge from Cao’er’s mother is thick, and every grain of rice has bloomed. A light yellow, cotton-like layer floats on top.

Seeing the refugees holding their bowls but hesitating to eat, Cao’er’s mother explains, “The Lord Immortal said that you need to nourish your stomach. Only when you nourish it properly can you eat oily meat. This porridge is sprinkled with meat floss, made from meat, so you can taste the flavor of meat.” She swallows, her tone proud. “This is a good thing.”

Cao’er’s mother hands a strange bottle to Wu Yan’s wife. Raising her chin, she adds, “For the child to drink, it’s no worse than human milk.”

The woman takes the bottle, bewildered. There is a soft, white nipple on top. She reaches out to touch it, finding it soft to the touch.

Cao’er’s mother sighs impatiently. “Just put it in your child’s mouth, he can drink it himself.”

The woman doesn’t dare move, holding the bottle as though it is some rare and precious treasure.

Unable to stand it any longer, Cao’er’s mother grabs the bottle from the woman and shoves it into the baby’s mouth.

Children don’t need instruction to suck. As soon as the baby’s mouth touches the nipple, he begins sucking eagerly.

Cao’er’s mother stands still for a moment, stunned.

Children this young already know to fight for survival.

The refugees eat outside, and Ye Zhou finds them some clothes to change into inside the supermarket. After their meal, they still need to shower and have their heads shaved. He also has to clean the warehouse. Fortunately, Cao’er and her mother have already tidied it up.

Although the warehouse floor has a thin layer of dust, it will only take a quick mop to clean it. Once they lay down the straw mats and bedding, the space will be ready for sleeping.

Thankfully, Ye Zhou has opened a large supermarket. If it had been a small one, with so many people, they would have had to empty the inventory just to feed and hydrate them.

By the time Ye Zhou finishes his tasks, the refugees who have finished their meal have been sitting outside for a long while.

Ye Zhou stands at the door and winks at Cao’er’s mother.

With a smile on her face, Cao’er’s mother approaches. She lowers her head and bends her waist, her posture respectful. She speaks loudly. Before, she had been too weak from hunger to speak properly, but now, after recovering, her voice booms like thunder.

“Lord Immortal, please give me your orders.”

Ye Zhou has grown accustomed to her voice. In fact, it feels a bit familiar to him.

His second aunt had a similar voice. Fierce in tone, yet very kind-hearted. Whenever Ye Zhou visited his hometown, his second aunt would buy him toys and cook his favorite dishes.

He misses home.

When he worked outside before, he never missed home, perhaps because he knew he could always return.

But now, after only ten days in this place, he longs for his home.

Ye Zhou whispers, “Take them to wash up. I’ve put their clothes in the security room. They need to change before coming into the supermarket. Do you understand?”

Cao’er’s mother nods. “Then, where will they sleep?”

The room she and Cao’er share has only two beds. It isn’t large, and even though they could fit four people on the floor, there is no space for everyone.

What about the rest?

Ye Zhou replies, “Take them to the warehouse.”

Cao’er’s mother suddenly understands. “The warehouse is good! It’s big and has windows!”

Under Cao’er’s mother’s command, the refugees enter the security room to shower.

The elderly, women, and children go first, while the men wait outside.

Ye Zhou glances at the men. He hopes they are good people, but that is only a hope.

If they have bad intentions, he will have to harden his heart.

His main priority is to survive. Everything else has to come second.

Ye Zhou quickly looks away and returns to the supermarket.

The men watch his back as he walks away. It is the first time they have seen Ye Zhou’s face clearly.

“Immortal… no wonder he’s called an Immortal,” Wu Yan says, dazed. “He doesn’t resemble us at all.”

One of the men nearby whispers, “I’ve heard those noble sons are also fair-skinned.”

“But they definitely don’t look as good as the Lord Immortal!”

They all look down at their hands. Their fingers are short and thick, and their palms are small. It doesn’t resemble the Lord Immortal at all, whose arms and hands are long and slender. Theirs are as black as coal, while the Lord Immortal’s are so pale, they are almost glowing.

His face is also different from theirs.

They all have eyes and a nose, but immortals’ faces seem to have been molded by Nuwa herself, while theirs seem like they were just leftover clay thrown away by her.

Why couldn’t Nuwa spare a little effort to mold them herself?

Alas…

“I didn’t expect we’d be so lucky,” says the man with spots on his face, a happy smile on his face. “When I was a child, a fortune teller said I was blessed and that a noble person would help me when I was at my wit’s end. I thought he was a liar back then!”

The men talk outside, while the women talk inside.

They help each other shave their heads. Although there’s an old saying that one’s hair and body come from one’s parents, how could these peasant women afford to follow such rules?

If everyone in the countryside followed the rules, they wouldn’t survive.

“It’s better to shave it, so the new hair will grow shiny,” the old woman says as she sits on a small chair, letting her daughter-in-law shave her head.

The younger wife smiles. “This blade is really useful. It’s covered with something outside, so it won’t cut the skin.”

The young wife adds, “I heard from my mother that the Lord Immortal in the storybooks can shake the sky and earth with a breath. What’s this blade compared to that?”

“Oh, you’re just bragging after eating,” the other wives laugh. “What’s this blade? Have you seen such a blade in your hometown?”

The young wife giggles. “If we follow the Lord Immortal in the future, we’ll see everything.”

After finishing, Cao’er’s mother leads the refugees to the warehouse.

The warehouse is behind the supermarket. It is bigger than any of the houses they have seen. Empty, it can accommodate hundreds of people.

What surprises them most is the bed that has been made on the floor.

Even without touching it, they can tell that the materials used to make the bed are of excellent quality. The clothes they are wearing are also of good material, with fine stitching and soft fabrics. These are things they have never seen before.

Back in the countryside, clothes are made from the cheapest burlap. When first worn, they are stiff and scratchy, only becoming comfortable after they’ve been worn out and worn thin.

But the clothes they wear now are brand new, close-fitting, and don’t itch at all.

They do find the style a little odd, though—short sleeves and short pants, exposing arms and legs. The men are fine with it, but the women, because the clothes are too form-fitting, have to put on a long-sleeved outer layer over them.

But they don’t complain. Immortals aren’t from the mortal world, so they don’t have to follow mortal rules.

“Maybe all immortals dress like this,” someone whispers.

“Exactly. Don’t they say that the body is just a shell? Immortals wouldn’t care about whether it’s covered or not.”

They soon choose their beds—just enough for everyone.

Wu Yan and his wife pick the two innermost ones. When they sit down, they realize the beds are very soft. Wu Yan’s wife lowers her head and lifts the sheet, discovering a palm mat underneath, with two layers of cotton wool spread over it.

“Such good cotton wool… and it’s used just to make a bed,” she says blankly, stroking the soft layers.

Wu Yan has relaxed quite a bit by now. With only refugees like them in the warehouse, there is no pressure. He smiles and says, “What we think is wasteful might just be putting things to use in his eyes. What’s precious to us may be nothing to an immortal—something he can summon with a breath.”

Wu Yan’s wife nods. Sitting on the bed with her child in her arms, she feels the contrast. No matter how hot it is outside, it is cool in here.

This place… it really is nice.

This must be the paradise her father-in-law once speaks of.

She used to live a decent life. Though she is just a village girl, her family had a scholar. He couldn’t pass the imperial exams, but he could read and write, and might’ve found work as an accountant in the county town. Her family tightened their belts for his education, but they had hope.

It is because her brother can read that the Wu family takes a liking to her.

Her husband’s family has land. Not much, but enough to run a small oil mill. The household is simple, and they can afford to send Wu Yan to school.

Wu Yan isn’t the best student—he studies for years but doesn’t pass the exams. When the mill is busy, he helps out.

But in her eyes, he is the best man in the world.

When they flee, he doesn’t abandon her. He doesn’t make her abandon their daughter like other men do. If he has one bite of food, she has one too. If he has a sip of water, she has a sip too.

And through all that hardship, their daughter survives.

She can’t hold it back anymore and bursts into tears. “Husband! Oh, husband!”

Wu Yan holds her close as she weakly pounds on his chest, crying incoherently.

As soon as she starts crying, the other refugees—who had just been smiling—are quickly overwhelmed and begin crying too.

They don’t cry while they are fleeing, but now that they are safe, they can’t stop.

When Cao’er’s mother comes in, what she sees is a group of people holding each other and weeping, nearly throwing themselves to the ground in grief.

She feels sorrow too, but keeps her expression firm. She raises her voice: “You don’t have to work today. The Lord Immortal said you should rest for two days. Work only after you’ve recovered. But don’t think that just because the Lord Immortal saved you, you can live like the master and his wife. There’s no such cheap thing in this world. If I see anyone slacking off, I’ll report to The Lord Immortal and have you thrown out!” Then her tone softens: “I’ve suffered before too. Now that we’ve made it here, it’s a blessing. Don’t think too much—just work hard.”

Cao’er’s mother comes from a farming family. She knows that as long as people have a way to survive, few dare to dream big. No matter how high the landlord’s rent, as long as it doesn’t mean starving, they endure it.

And even if it does lead to starving, they still endure it.

The refugees all shake their heads, desperate to show their sincerity. They look like they would swear to the heavens. “We wouldn’t dare. If we lie to The Lord Immortal, we’ll be struck by lightning. We’d never dare.”

Cao’er’s mother is satisfied. After knocking them down with words all day, she is tired. She takes a sip of water and says, “You can rest. If you need anything, come to the break room and find me. Don’t blame me for meddling—I’m doing this for everyone’s sake. Don’t let one person’s mistake cause everyone to suffer. You know what it’s like out there. People are selling their children, even trading them for food. Here, we don’t lack food or clothing. The Lord Immortal may be cold, but he won’t kill us for no reason. Just live honestly.”

While the refugees chat, Ye Zhou is studying the cash register.

He holds a strip of cloth—cut from the refugees’ old clothes. He has washed and disinfected it before bringing it in.

The little note earlier says the cash register can auto-convert currency. But what kind of currency? Can it include cloth?

After all, in ancient times, cloth was used as currency. And when a country’s money loses value, barter becomes more popular.

Ye Zhou stares at it for a long time but can’t figure it out. In the end, he holds the barcode scanner up to the cloth and tries his luck.

The screen suddenly lights up, and Ye Zhou rushes over to see it.

Linen x1
Income: 0.5 yuan

Ye Zhou: “…”

Only fifty cents?

Well, better than nothing.

If he’d known earlier, he wouldn’t have tossed out Cao’er and her mother’s old clothes. He might’ve made nearly ten yuan.

Now that the staffing issue is settled, another problem looms in front of Ye Zhou—

Where can he go to attract customers?