Chapter 3: Portable Supermarket

With the divorce letter in hand, Lin Ruanyuan had nowhere to go.

Penniless, she could only consider returning to her parents' home to see if she could stay there for a few days.

But just as she left the village, she ran into a group of sturdy men dressed in gray linen clothes. She recognized them; they were servants of Master Ding from the town over the mountain.

Seeing their aggressive demeanor, they were probably looking for her.

Quickly hiding behind a big tree, Lin Ruanyuan held her breath and waited for them to pass.

Once they were inside the village, she hurriedly ran out of the village.

Although she had the divorce letter, the Fu family had already sold her to Master Ding, so it was better to avoid confrontation for now.

However, this meant she couldn't return to her parents' home. If Master Ding refused to give up, he would definitely send people to her parents' house to find her, and that would be like walking into a trap.

She hadn't thought of this earlier, but now that she did, she certainly wouldn't do something so foolish.

Brushing off the dirt she had gotten from hiding behind the tree, Lin Ruanyuan pursed her lips and continued walking.

Unfortunately, her body was too frail. Who knows how long those scoundrels from the Fu family had starved her. She was struggling just to walk.

She hadn't gone far when the servants from Master Ding's household came rushing out of the village again.

"Find her quickly. That little stutterer can't have gone far. The Fu family said we can take her back as soon as we catch her."

"Go, go, go, check her parents' place. She hasn't consummated her marriage with the short-lived one from the Fu family, so she's still a virgin. The master said she has wide hips good for bearing sons. We can't let her get away."

After saying this, the group of servants hurried towards Lin Ruanyuan's parents' home.

Hiding in the grass, Lin Ruanyuan glanced back at her hips and fell into deep thought...

But now wasn't the time to worry about the size of her hips. From what she heard, Master Ding was determined to take her back as a concubine.

Once those servants went to her parents' house and found she wasn't there, they would likely send more people to find her. She needed to leave this place quickly.

Dragging her exhausted body, she didn't know how long she had been running on this seemingly endless road before she finally collapsed by the roadside.

Damn it, she should have brought some food from the Fu household. Touching the divorce letter hidden in her clothes, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With the divorce letter, she was single again. Though a widow is also single, having the divorce letter meant she wouldn't have to deal with the scoundrels from the Fu family anymore, which was a relief.

Though it was autumn, the heat was no less oppressive than in the height of summer.

Lin Ruanyuan was drenched in sweat and felt like she was going to rot. She desperately wanted to find a place to bathe, even if she couldn't change clothes, just to feel a bit more comfortable.

But she was starving. She had never felt this hungry in her life. Even during her days as an assassin, she had never experienced such gut-wrenching hunger.

Those scoundrels from the Fu family had starved her for three days after her husband's death. After the beating she had taken earlier, she had no strength left. She was squatting by the roadside, unable to stand.

Panicking, Lin Ruanyuan wanted to leave quickly, fearing the servants from Master Ding's household would catch up and take her back.

But she failed to stand up several times. On her last attempt, she fell forward.

"Careful." Suddenly, a big man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her just before her face hit the ground.

Lin Ruanyuan's vision went black. She squinted and could only make out that the person in front of her was taller than her and had a lot of facial hair. She couldn't see anything else.

Seeing she was about to faint, the man frowned.

"Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?" he asked, his voice thick with concern.

"Th-thank... you... hungry... no..."

Lin Ruanyuan wanted to say she didn't need a doctor, just that she was dizzy from hunger. But she stuttered so badly, she couldn't get the words out.

The man seemed to have little patience for her struggling and let go of her hand, then pulled out a piece of dry food from his coat and handed it to her.

"Eat something first. You look like you're starving."

Lin Ruanyuan quickly took the food and devoured it. Though the food was hard, it was a lifesaver at this moment.

"Thank you," she said gratefully after eating a few bites and feeling a bit better.

"It's nothing. What's a girl like you doing here?" the man asked gruffly.

"I..." Lin Ruanyuan didn't know how to explain, so she mumbled, "There was trouble at home, and now... I'm on the run."

The man sighed at her exhausted appearance. "There's a small town up ahead. If you don't mind, I can take you there and find you a place to stay."

Lin Ruanyuan thought for a moment. Although she didn't know this man's background, she had no better options and agreed.

"Thank you, really."

The man said nothing more, just gestured for her to follow. The two of them walked towards the small town, one after the other.

As dusk fell, Lin Ruanyuan followed the stranger, her heart filled with both anxiety and hope. Though the future was uncertain, she knew that as long as she kept moving, there would always be a glimmer of hope.

She clutched the divorce letter in her hand and silently vowed to herself that she would escape this predicament and live a free life.

Without the man's support, Lin Ruanyuan stumbled again. Struggling to maintain her balance, she managed to avoid falling once more.

At that moment, her vision, darkened by hunger, finally cleared a bit.

She noticed that she was now holding two items in her hands.

Looking down, she saw half a flatbread and a white steamed bun, along with a sheepskin water pouch.

"Eat quickly. It's getting dark, and it's not safe here. Finish eating and go home," the man said as he placed her back in her squatting position. Without waiting for Lin Ruanyuan to respond, he turned and left.

"Tha...thank... you..." Lin Ruanyuan stammered, but before she could finish, the man had already disappeared around the bend, hidden by tall shrubs.

Desperately hungry, Lin Ruanyuan didn't care about the man's identity. She quickly devoured the half flatbread. Choking on the dry bread, she took a gulp from the water pouch to wash it down.

After finishing both the bun and the flatbread, she finally felt a glimmer of hope.

However, she had to admit, the bun and the flatbread, though finished, were truly awful. She had never eaten anything so terrible in her life.

With the sun setting, she needed to find a place to stay. She couldn't return to her parents' home and had no money, leaving her with nowhere to go.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she looked around, intending to find a cave to shelter in.

But after taking a few steps, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

[Congratulations on successfully activating the supermarket. Welcome.]

Simultaneously, an image of a space not belonging to this era appeared in her mind.

It was a room about a hundred square meters, filled with various goods. This, presumably, was the so-called supermarket.

Lin Ruanyuan's mouth twitched. Such a tiny space dared to call itself a supermarket? Even a small roadside convenience store was bigger than this.

[This supermarket can be upgraded based on the host's spending. Each upgrade will provide more goods.]

[Since the host is currently penniless, the supermarket offers a convenient pawn transaction option.]

Lin Ruanyuan's mouth twitched again. This space supermarket was quite user-friendly. But being reminded of her penniless state was a bit harsh.

[Would the host like to accept the pawn transaction option? If so, please mentally say 'yes'; if not, please mentally say 'no'.]

Truly penniless, Lin Ruanyuan sighed inwardly. It seemed she had no choice but to say 'yes'.

[Congratulations on activating the pawn option. Please mentally identify the item you wish to pawn, and the cash register system will automatically appraise it.]

Lin Ruanyuan looked herself over and finally decided on her tattered outer garment.

[Tattered linen garment, appraised at one copper coin.]

Damn, her clothing was only worth one copper coin...

What could she do with one copper coin? It could barely buy a white steamed bun.

Walking forward, she began searching for other items she could pawn.

Suddenly, she noticed a faint green object on the sheepskin water pouch given by the man earlier.

It was a small jade pendant!