The system limited Tang Qiyue's point exchanges to items from other timelines only. She could not purchase anything from the current timeline.
This restriction wasn't really a problem, but considering her home situation and the kinds of items available in the post-apocalyptic world, Tang Qiyue found herself quite interested.
High-tech equipment was abundant in that world, but food was scarce.
Fortunately, food was the one thing Tang Qiyue didn't lack on the island, while many post-apocalyptic items were very attractive to her.
Without Zhan Zeyi at home, she felt much freer.
She exchanged for a pair of headphones with a memory card full of songs from the post-apocalyptic era. She could listen to music while working so she wouldn't feel bored.
Taking advantage of Zhan Zeyi's absence, she also exchanged for a small toolbox. Originally, she had planned to pave the floor with stone slabs, but since Zhan Zeyi wasn't around, she decided to gather some sand and mix it with special materials from the post-apocalyptic world to harden the ground.
But first, she needed a cart to collect the sand.
Sand was easy to spot, and if anyone visited her home and saw it suddenly appear, it would be difficult to explain. It was better not to do anything suspicious.
So Tang Qiyue went to borrow a wheelbarrow from the one-eyed uncle.
When he heard that Tang Qiyue wanted to spread sand in the house, he immediately waved his hand.
"Why would you need to do that yourself? Those brats are always idle. I'll have them haul a few cartloads for you!"
Without even asking for Tang Qiyue's opinion, the one-eyed uncle arranged for several soldiers to bring sand.
The beach had plenty of fine white sand. Even if some was taken away, the tide would bring more.
However, the sand wasn't spread immediately after being brought back. Instead, it was piled in the yard to dry in the sun so the moisture could evaporate.
Tang Qiyue could handle the rest herself.
She took out some dried meat she had exchanged and shared it with the soldiers who helped her. Although it was food from the post-apocalyptic world, it still tasted good as jerky.
The soldiers happily accepted and left.
Looking at the pile of fine sand in the yard, Tang Qiyue felt grateful for those honest soldiers.
When the neighbors heard that she planned to use sand in the yard and house to prevent mud, many of them decided to do the same.
That evening, after taking a bath, Tang Qiyue looked at the shabby bathroom and couldn't help exchanging for an all-purpose robot.
After setting its program and fumigating the yard to drive away mosquitoes, she let the robot work.
Soon the bathroom was transformed.
The floor was flat and firmly compacted, and even a drainage ditch had been dug.
Tang Qiyue didn't dare make too many changes, since it would be hard to explain.
Even this was somewhat difficult to justify, but she could barely pass it off by saying she had compacted the ground herself.
When she returned to the bedroom, she naturally didn't leave it untouched.
Cleaning had always been Tang Qiyue's weakness. Now that she had this little helper, she could finally escape the burden of housework.
However, because materials were limited, she didn't dare let the robot make drastic changes that would attract attention.
Even as she lay in bed that night, Tang Qiyue was still thinking about making something that would look appropriate for this era so no one would suspect anything.
The next day, without Zhan Zeyi waking her up, the earplugs proved their worth.
She slept until late morning.
When she opened the door, she saw a lunchbox hanging from the handle.
Without thinking, she knew the one-eyed uncle from the canteen must have arranged it.
Inside the lunchbox was a bowl of noodle soup, some fried fish, and two cornbread buns.
Although it didn't look very appealing, it tasted quite good.
After finishing breakfast, Tang Qiyue exchanged some sugar and tobacco.
She remembered the one-eyed uncle's pipe always tucked into his waistband. Although he never smoked while cooking, the smell of tobacco on him proved he was definitely a heavy smoker.
Even in the post-apocalyptic world, many people liked smoking.
Tobacco had evolved to be easier to grow, and after special processing it still had a stimulating effect. However, harmful substances like nicotine had been removed.
Tang Qiyue didn't want to give someone a gift that could harm their health.
Loose tobacco would also be easier to explain than ready-made cigarettes, since it couldn't easily be traced or reproduced.
As for the sugar, she remembered how excited the one-eyed uncle had looked when he saw sugar in the cafeteria before.
It was obviously a rare item.
Since he had arranged breakfast for her, Tang Qiyue felt she should return the favor.
Carrying the gifts, she went to the cafeteria.
Sure enough, the one-eyed uncle was sitting under the big tree outside, smoking.
When he saw Tang Qiyue, he immediately asked cheerfully,
"How was breakfast?"
"Uncle's cooking never disappoints," Tang Qiyue replied with a smile.
Then she took out the tobacco wrapped in dried leaves and handed it to him.
The one-eyed uncle sniffed it, his eyes widening instantly.
He even pressed his thumb into the pipe bowl to extinguish the burning tobacco.
Tang Qiyue almost laughed.
Didn't that hurt?
Fortunately, the thick calluses on his fingers protected him from burns.
"Let me smell it again!"
The tall, iron-tower-like man suddenly looked extremely eager.
He wanted to grab the tobacco from Tang Qiyue's hand but held himself back so he wouldn't scare her.
Seeing this, Tang Qiyue quickly handed it to him.
The one-eyed uncle immediately brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply, his single eye shining with excitement.
After smelling it several times, he couldn't resist emptying his pipe completely. He even used a thin wire to scrape out every bit of old residue before carefully filling it with the new tobacco.
After lighting it with a match, he took a deep puff.
His eye gleamed with delight.
"Strong… but smooth on the throat!"
"Good stuff!"
He had smoked his entire life, from cheap tobacco to expensive brands, but none had ever matched this.
"Girl, where did you get this?"
Tang Qiyue rubbed her nose awkwardly.
"My dad probably slipped it into my dowry. I figured Zhan Zeyi doesn't smoke, so I brought it to you, Uncle."
There was no way the one-eyed uncle would go ask her father to confirm it anyway.
"Oh… I was hoping I could buy more."
He sounded genuinely disappointed.
But when he heard that Zhan Zeyi didn't smoke, he suddenly chuckled.
If that brat knew his wife had given such good tobacco to someone else, he would probably be furious.
"Girl, you're right. That kid Xiao Ye doesn't smoke. If you ever get tobacco like this again, remember your uncle, alright? I'll cook you something delicious!"
The one-eyed uncle shamelessly set a trap for Zhan Zeyi.
Tang Qiyue happily agreed.
Seeing how pleased he looked, she decided to ask him something.
But the moment she asked the question—
the one-eyed uncle's expression suddenly changed.