Chapter 962: The Difference Between a Bag and One

Returning from a mission, covered in grime, Shi Du squatted outside the smithy of Territory Eleven, munching on a cucumber as he asked Huo Zhun in a low voice, "Brother Huo, which subject did you pass?"

Huo Zhun, who was slurping a tomato, replied, "Survival Skills. You?"

"Law. I was only four points short on Survival Skills!" Shi Du wrung his wrists in regret. "If I'd memorized two more knowledge points, I'd have passed. I really regret not listening to Sister Li."

After Zhu Li bought a workbook, she asked Huo Zhun and Shi Du if they wanted a scanned copy to practice on; both found it too much trouble and refused.

The result was that Zhu Li was free, while the two of them still had to endure scolding and study for another year!

"Good news, good news!" Tang Huai's head poked out of the window, startling Huo Zhun and Shi Du. "Xia Qing says there's a chance next year the Ninth Center can also become a test site, so you two won't have to go to the Safe Zone to take the exam!"

Huo Zhun……

Shi Du……

Thanks, but it doesn't feel like good news at all.

Huo Zhun, walking out of the storeroom carrying tools, asked, "Shi Du, how many points did you get on the liberal arts paper?"

"……32."

Tang Huai……

Xia Qing……

Huo Zhun shrank his neck, because he had scored 2 points fewer than Shi Du.

Huo Zhun hadn't expected Shi Du to be so bad either, and still unwilling to give up, asked, "What about Math, Physics, and Chemistry?"

"……23."

Huo Zhun……

Xia Qing……

Huo Zhun, who had scored 17 points more than Shi Du, immediately straightened up.

Tang Huai couldn't stand it anymore. "Do you have the paper? Take it out, let me see what kind of questions are this hard!"

Shi Du said, troubled, "There were three big questions, I couldn't even understand what they were asking."

"Exactly! If you're testing Math, Physics, and Chemistry, then test Math, Physics, and Chemistry—why are the question stems so long? Who can make sense of them…" Huo Zhun was gesturing and complaining when a glare from his old man shut him up.

Seeing Lord Huo Lei getting worked up again, Tang Huai quickly stepped in to mediate. "Uncle, you can't blame Brother Huo entirely. The year the Catastrophe hit, Shi Du had just started middle school, and Huo Zhun was only in sixth grade. By now, they've long forgotten everything they learned. Their situation is actually pretty good—plenty of survivors a few years younger than them can't even recognize characters."

Xia Qing, walking out of the house, nodded. What Tang Huai said was true.

Survivors who had finished elementary school before the Catastrophe were indeed lucky, because they could read, write, and do arithmetic. The biggest problem was survivors currently between the ages of 13 and 20.

Many people in this age bracket had never attended a single day of school.

Lord Huo Lei sighed. "All delayed by the Catastrophe. If it hadn't happened, Zhu Li and Jiang Ying would definitely have gotten into good universities and found good jobs."

Jiang Ying had entered hellish Catastrophe survival mode at eight years old. After the Safe Zone built schools, the points Jiang's mother earned alone couldn't feed their family of three, so Jiang Ying and her brother had to scavenge for trash and search for food everywhere, and they certainly had no points to buy books for studying.

After entering the territory last year, Jiang Ying went with Tan Qi to Territory Four to study for over two months. Then the Ninth Center built a school. Tan Qi, who met the enrollment requirements, entered the school to study, and Zhao's mother also joined the school as a teacher, so Jiang Ying lost her chance to study once again.

Tang Huai said cheerfully, "Uncle Huo, Jiang Ying's current job isn't bad either."

After the Alliance Research Institute was established, Jiang Ying no longer took part in the collective labor of Territory Fifteen. She cooked for herself at home, and aside from tending her own greenhouse, she studied making all kinds of agricultural implements with Lord Huo Lei.

Lord Huo Lei had praised her to Xia Qing several times, saying Jiang Ying had strong hands-on ability and a quick mind. The rolling maza and seed drill that sold best at the institute were both jointly developed by Jiang Ying and Lord Huo Lei, and Jiang Ying had earned over two thousand points in profit-sharing as a result.

One should know that working within the territory, the maximum was only 150 points a month!

Learning her daughter was doing so well, Jiang's mother cried until she could barely catch her breath, and specially bought gifts and rushed over from the Safe Zone to thank Lord Huo Lei.

"So, in the end, you still need a good brain." Lord Huo Lei responded, shot his dim-witted son a glare, then handed the grinding and polishing machine to Xia Qing. "Take it and use it. I won't need it for a while."

Xia Qing took it with both hands. "Thank you, Uncle Huo. I've already ordered one; the patrol car can deliver it next time."

Tang Huai asked curiously, "What does Sister Qing need the polishing machine for?"

Xia Qing answered expressionlessly, "Making things."

Tang Huai……！！！

Huo Zhun, mustering his courage, asked, "Sister Qing, are you planning to take the high school diploma exam?"

Xia Qing, who had only attended a few days of Gao Yi before entering Catastrophe survival mode, shook her head. "Not taking it."

Huo Zhun and Shi Du both exhaled in relief at the same time. Great—once they got their middle school diplomas next year, their education would be the same as Sister Qing's, and they wouldn't have to keep studying.

Seeing Xia Qing about to leave, Tang Huai, who had come to watch the fun, immediately took his leave, and Shi Du immediately followed.

After the three of them walked out the north gate of Territory Eleven, before Tang Huai could speak, Xia Qing said to Shi Du, "I need to go to Territory Eight. Will you and Tang Huai walk together?"

Shi Du, who had originally planned to hitch a ride, immediately nodded. "Sure."

Tang Huai gazed longingly at Xia Qing, hoping to go with her to Territory Eight. Xia Qing pretended not to see, got in the car, and drove off directly.

What for, going to Territory Eight?

To trade for pink crystals!

Damn, there was a shameless wolf that specifically demanded a sparkly Yishi protective case inlaid with pink diamonds!

To trade for Green Lantern mountain walnuts, Xia Qing could only accept it.

Because a Yishi protective case inlaid with pink diamonds could be exchanged for a bag of Green Lantern mountain walnuts. A pink diamond without inlay could only be exchanged for one Green Lantern mountain walnut!

You damn thing, leaving something like this in Cave 55 on the mountain—who wouldn't know there's treasure inside?! Xia Qing truly didn't know how to evaluate this wolf.

Xia Qing really wanted to give Broken-Waist Wolf a vision test, to see just how many colors its evolved eyes could distinguish!

After returning to the territory and finishing dinner, under the supervision of the shameless client, Xia Qing, without a moment's rest, polished her plain but very practical Yishi protective case until it gleamed, then glued the crystal fragments onto the case with adhesive, and brushed on a layer of clear varnish.

Then, Xia Qing showed the sparkly crystal-studded Yishi protective case with a string attached to the client, asking, "Broken-Waist, does this look alright?"

Broken-Waist Wolf, with a few patches of fur missing from its head, looked up with shining eyes, signaling Xia Qing to put it on it quickly.

Xia Qing……

"Not yet. We have to wait until the clear varnish dries before you can wear it." Xia Qing hung the Yishi protective case somewhere not far from the air conditioner to speed up the air-drying, then asked, "Broken-Waist, when are we going to check the quality of the mountain walnuts?"

Broken-Waist Wolf turned its head and continued watching TV to study.

Xia Qing……

Damn it!

Want to beat up the wolf!

"Tomorrow evening is time for the medicinal bath. Broken-Waist, don't forget to notify Her Majesty and Big Wolf to come soak."

Broken-Waist turned its head to look at Xia Qing, raising its left front paw that was still in a splint.

"This one's waterproof, so it can soak." Broken-Waist's injuries this time were all superficial, and the medicinal bath was the perfect remedy. So aside from the necessary disinfectant and antibacterial medicine, Xia Qing didn't give it any other medication.

Only then did Broken-Waist grin, baring its little pointed fangs.

Xia Qing smiled and ruffled its head, letting it continue studying while she went off to patrol the territory.

Before she had even finished one circuit, Xia Qing received a message from Tang Huai:

Tang Lu's college entrance exam score had exceeded the admission cutoff line, so she could go to university.