Chapter 42: Sniping the Wishing Charm

A large box of sewing supplies, and it even came in a metal case, Fang Mingxi had visited the supply-and-marketing cooperative several times before but had never found it in stock. Today, however, luck was on her side. As soon as she arrived, she spotted the sewing kits displayed under the counter.

She hurried forward and pulled out a thread voucher and an industrial voucher. “Comrade, how much is this box of sewing supplies?”

Luo Lanlan was tilting her head back to drink water. The moment she heard Fang Mingxi’s urgent voice, her hand slipped, and a full cup of water splashed across her face.

Flustered, she set the cup down and grabbed a handkerchief to wipe her face and the soaked collar of her clothes. She glared at Fang Mingxi and spoke in a sharp tone.

“Comrade, could you keep your voice down? I just spilled a whole cup of water on myself.”

Fang Mingxi smiled apologetically. “Sorry, comrade. I was too impatient. It’s just that I haven’t had any luck finding sewing supplies on my previous visits.”

She spoke sincerely, her face full of anxiety, her bright eyes fixed on Luo Lanlan as if afraid she might refuse to sell her anything.

Seeing Fang Mingxi’s earnest look, Luo Lanlan realized her tone had been a bit harsh. She softened her voice.

“Well, you’re in luck. Ten boxes of sewing supplies arrived this morning. Seven were sold early, so only a few are left now.”

“One box costs one yuan, one thread voucher and one industrial voucher. Inside are four large sewing needles, two small ones, and ten colors of thread.”

Fang Mingxi let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it only required one industrial voucher; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to buy this box.

She placed the vouchers on the counter, grabbed the sewing kit, and then asked, “Comrade, do you also sell pure thread skeins? Or even defective skeins would work.”

Apart from black, white, and gray, the boxes had many other colors. If Fang Mingxi tried to play the mysterious benefactor and give these to her grandmother, she might not dare use them, some colors were simply too conspicuous for their purposes.

Luo Lanlan actually had such threads. She had planned to buy them for relatives, which is why she initially said no. But seeing Fang Mingxi’s gaze linger, she hesitated. Her heart softened, and she placed a large skein of blue-black dyed threads, ruined in the dyeing process, on the counter.

“Here, five fen.”

Fang Mingxi’s face lit up with delight. She quickly handed over five fen and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, fished out a pack of strawberries wrapped in kraft paper from her bosom and tossed it into Luo Lanlan’s arms.

“Comrade, thank you. You really saved me in a pinch. You’re not only beautiful but kind-hearted. I’ll definitely come back to buy from you again.”

Her flattery, full of rainbow praise, left Luo Lanlan in high spirits.

She casually tucked the paper-wrapped strawberries under the counter. Glancing at the bright red inside, her pupils shrank in surprise. But by the time she looked up again, Fang Mingxi had already darted away.

Her heart raced with excitement, like tasting honey. Trading a skein of flawed thread for a bag of strawberries was a deal she couldn’t complain about.

…

After leaving the cooperative, Fang Mingxi went to the state-run restaurant and queued up.

She had been craving dumplings for a long time. The few she had eaten last night were far from satisfying, and by nature, she loved dumplings. Any filling could make her happy for a while.

However, it seemed few people in Yun Province actually ate dumplings. During the Lunar New Year, most ate erkuai (rice cakes), and she wasn’t sure if dumplings would even be available on the first day of the year.

There were quite a few people dining out on the first day. Fang Mingxi waited in line for a long time and finally bought a plate of braised pork elbow, two jin of dumplings, and two jin of erkuai.

Handing over her vouchers, she naturally drew envious glances from those around her. What kind of family buys so many dumplings and rice cakes, plus a big plate of braised pork elbow, during the New Year?

The state-run restaurant had a limited supply of pork elbows, only one per customer. Fang Mingxi had gotten the last plate. What luck!

After paying, she sat at a nearby table under the fiery gazes of everyone around her, waiting.

At this hour, most people were packing food to take home. Luckily, no one was eating right next to her, or she might not have resisted diving in right there.

After half an hour of waiting, Fang Mingxi finally heard the clerk call out the orders. She quickly grabbed her packed food, hugging it to her chest, and ducked out the door into a nearby alley.

Once in the alley, she chose a secluded spot and returned to her little black room.

The moment she landed, Fang Mingxi opened the flash sale section, eyes fixed on the countdown, rubbing her hands in anticipation for the sale to refresh.

The first item she sniped was a Growth Pill, very effective for physical development. Later, she managed to snipe pills for treating headaches and fevers.

These pills worked similarly to the Growth Pill. After giving them to her grandparents with water, they hadn’t experienced any headaches or fevers over the past few months.

Fang Mingxi had heard her grandparents mention several times that, perhaps because of regular exercise, old injuries hadn’t flared up.

Before they had been relocated, whenever the weather changed, their old injuries would always ache. Now, after doing hard work every day, their health had improved.

Whenever she heard this, Fang Mingxi would show a victorious smile. These things had cost her real money, and if the flash sale system didn’t deliver, she would feel she had wasted the food she saved to buy them.

While waiting, the aroma of the dumplings became unbearable. She picked one up and ate it.

The cabbage and pork dumplings were her favorite. The erkuai was a delicious mix of sweet and savory, with sesame and minced meat. Both erkuai and rice noodles were Yun Province specialties. Fang Mingxi had always longed to taste them in her past life but never had the chance. Now, she was born here, finally, she could eat as much as she wanted.

Just as the erkuai entered her mouth, Fang Mingxi noticed the flash sale numbers hit zero. She sat up straight, watching as the panel refreshed.

A pale yellow blueprint with an empty transparent bottle in the center appeared.

Fang Mingxi clicked the question mark in the upper-right corner to check the instructions:

[Wishing Charm: Without altering the progress of this world’s history, the user may make one wish, limited to events that will occur to the user within the next three months. Flash Sale Condition: One plate of braised pork elbow, two jin of dumplings, two jin of erkuai.]

Fang Mingxi, who had just eaten a single dumpling, felt her head spin. She had been planning to feast after the sale, but the flash sale system seemed to know she had just bought dumplings and snatched the items away immediately.

Frustrated but unwilling to lose, Fang Mingxi clicked to redeem. In the next moment, the dumplings, erkuai, and braised pork elbow disappeared from the little black room.

The flash sale paper turned gray, and the Wishing Charm fell into Fang Mingxi’s hands.

She wiped the remaining meat juices from her fingers and examined the slightly curled charm in her hand, feeling a surge of excitement.

A low-end version of Aladdin’s lamp! She could make wishes without changing the progress of history, this offered so much room for manipulation.

Could she wish for her parents to return safely?