For example, pots. Even though they weren't iron, she already had a big iron pot, so buying two ceramic pots was fine too.
Also, big water jars.
Right now, getting water was really inconvenient. They always had to walk to the river because there were no containers in the cave to hold water.
Now it was better, buy two big water jars.
Also, they needed to buy a few buckets, otherwise there'd be nothing to carry water with.
Oh, look, there was even a bathtub. She had to buy it. Not buying it would be unfair to how perfectly it was sitting there.
But with so many things, Paige couldn't just make them disappear without a trace.
So, Paige set her eyes on the cart in the old man's hands.
She bought the cart along with all the goods on it.
That old man was the one selling the bathtub. He had been here for several days already and hadn't had a single customer.
Today, a customer finally came, and Paige directly cleared out his whole stall.
He was so excited he almost couldn't speak.
He helped Paige load all the ceramic pots, bowls, and other bits and pieces at her feet onto the cart.
Paige had bought so much she started questioning her life.
A big bathtub, a cart, and all those buckets and ladles had only cost eight yuan.
The cart was the most expensive item.
The pots and bowls she bought earlier only cost two yuan.
But thinking about how food was only a few cents per kilo, it made sense.
Paige looked at the unwanted clumps of yellow earth in her space and thought, wow, she was absolutely rich now.
Just a small piece had gotten her so much money and a full meal. What if she brought out a bigger one?
Could she buy the whole city?
Forget it. Better not to think about that.
She thought about how the base leader got up earlier than the rooster and slept later than a dog. Even the best gene serum couldn't save that bald head of his. Just thinking about it was scary.
She'd rather stick to her small land and live happily with her men.
As for managing the city, whoever wanted to do it could have it. Just don't bother her retirement life.
Thinking it would be hard to drag the cart, Paige gave the old man an extra yuan to watch her things.
Using her mental power, she saw there was a fabric shop up ahead.
Thinking about how the four of them were wearing such worn-out clothes and didn't even have a change of clothes made her feel cold inside.
So Paige rushed straight to the fabric shop and bought two bolts of fine cotton and one of coarse cloth.
The fine cotton was for inner linings, and the coarse cloth for outer layers.
It not only helped them blend in but was also more durable.
The fine cotton looked like it could be torn with just a little force.
Paige also bought lots of needles and thread.
Most of the thread she picked up last time had already been used up.
Finally, she went to the spice shop.
She had noticed earlier that the cooks in the restaurants used many bottles and jars while cooking.
Even though she didn't know what they were, she could ask.
With the shop owner's suggestions, she bought a big bag of spices. The spices were pretty expensive and cost her ten yuan.
But thinking about how she'd have tasty meat later, she didn't feel bad about it at all.
She loaded everything onto the cart and pushed it forward in big strides.
The old man swallowed the offer he was about to make to help her and watched her leave.
He looked around, saw that it was still early, and quickly took the money home.
Actually, the grain shops in the city weren't really closed. It was just that they had limited daily supplies, and the prices had doubled.
Even so, many people still couldn't buy any grain.
Paige had been walking for a while when she noticed someone was following her.
So she began to slow down and walked toward a deserted area, giving the person a chance to make a move.
Who knew that after walking quite a distance, the person behind just kept following but didn't do anything.
Paige got angry, stopped walking, and shouted to the back, "Are you going to rob me or not? Why are you following me?"
The person behind was startled, looked around nervously, and then walked out hesitantly. "A-Are you talking to me?"
"Who else? You've been following me the whole way. Here, the stuff is right here. What do you want to rob?" Paige kicked the cart and asked.
The man quickly waved his hands. "No, no, I wasn't… I didn't mean that.
I just saw a young girl like you pushing so many things. I figured you'd get tired eventually.
So I followed you, thinking if you got tired, you could ask me for help. I'd only ask for two steamed cornbreads as payment."
His family was poor, and he had an elderly grandmother.
He used to do odd jobs to earn a meal, but now there wasn't any work left.
The number of people scavenging on the streets had doubled, and his grandmother often came home empty-handed after a whole day.
Just now, he saw how generously Paige was spending and thought of this idea.
He used to help people push carts and carry things. People would usually give him some food or money in return.
"Alright then, come here. I'm tired now, help me push it for a while," Paige waved him over.
"Okay, I'll come right away." The man happily ran over and started pushing the cart forward.
It was heavy, but for food, he was willing to endure.
Paige noticed that their pace had obviously slowed down and sighed deeply.
If she let him help all the way home, they'd probably get there by nightfall.
After ten minutes of walking, Paige took back what she was thinking earlier. This guy wouldn't make it until nightfall—he'd collapse from exhaustion.
"That's enough, you can go now. I don't need your help anymore," Paige said, taking the cart back and trying to dismiss him.
"I can do it! Am I too slow? I can go faster!" the man said nervously, picking up his pace.
He had been scavenging for several days now. This was a rare job opportunity, and he couldn't lose it.
Their food at home was nearly gone. If he couldn't find a way to earn something, both he and his grandmother would go hungry.
Well, not that they hadn't already been starving.
"I'm already home. No need for help anymore.
Here, this is your payment, now go." Paige stuffed five yuan into his hand and tried to send him away.
The man looked around at the desolate place, confused.
Home?
"Hurry up and go. What, are you trying to scout out my house too? Don't follow me anymore." She shoved two big pancakes into his hands.
"Here, take it and eat, so you don't starve to death and come blaming me." After that, Paige pushed her cart and walked away quickly.
Seeing how fast she moved, the man lowered his head in embarrassment. So he had been the one slowing her down.
"Thank you," the man said sincerely to Paige's fading figure.
With these two big pancakes, he and his grandmother could hold on for two more days.
With five yuan, he could buy some grain, and his grandmother wouldn't have to go hungry to the point of stomach pain.
Seeing that the man didn't follow her, Paige finally slowed her pace. With someone watching her, it was impossible to take shortcuts.
She wasn't just being kind. After coming to this world, Paige discovered another use for her mental power.
She could sense the goodwill or malice in other people's mental energy.
This ability was a new discovery, and she still needed to explore how to categorize it.