It wasn't that he couldn't sell this Silver Fish Stone Xuan,
But what could Tang Mo possibly use to buy it? Shi Xuan looked at the thin girl before him, feeling conflicted.
Money had long since become worthless paper due to its inability to circulate. Only food was the real currency now.
But did Tang Mo have any? And how much could she offer in exchange for this fish?
"How about we just forget it..." Shi Xuan said after some thought.
"Don't say that." Tang Mo grew anxious. This fish might not be important to others, but to her, it was incredibly so.
'Ten points of agility! It's the perfect tool for escaping danger.'
"I stockpiled a lot of food before the famine. Class Monitor, just name your price. Don't be shy!" As if seeing that Shi Xuan was hesitant to speak, Tang Mo actively encouraged him to make an offer.
It was as if she were saying, 'I'm rich, so rip me off! It's fine, go for it!'
"How about... five meals' worth of food and water? Any kind of food is fine." Shi Xuan hesitated for a moment before suggesting a price.
He had quoted a slightly inflated price, thinking that girls liked to bargain, and he could lower it a bit later.
"No problem, deal!"
Afraid he would go back on his word, Tang Mo quickly agreed.
This was an abnormal treasure! In her past life, she had sold one for a single piece of bread and had regretted it for so many years.
Now that it was her turn to buy one from someone else, she genuinely felt too embarrassed to haggle.
"Then come back to the dorm with me. I'll go get the items for you." In reality, Tang Mo could take things out of her Space since she was wearing a backpack.
But who would carry so much food and water around every day? It would be too illogical.
"Is it okay if I... put this fish away first?" Tang Mo asked after a moment's hesitation.
Doing this wasn't exactly proper. After all, the transaction wasn't complete, so the fish wasn't hers yet.
But she had waited so long for this fish. It was just too precious, and now that it was in her hands, she really didn't want any mishaps.
"No problem, you can hold on to it." Shi Xuan wasn't worried about his classmate, who was also a well-known top student in their department.
In his eyes, it was unthinkable that someone would run off with a fish.
They were currently trapped in the school, and the mutant beasts hadn't appeared yet. Aside from hunger, they hadn't encountered any real danger. No one knew just how important these attribute points would become.
However, there were too many things he couldn't imagine. Forget running off with it; once the mutant beasts appeared, people killing and robbing others for a single abnormal treasure would become a commonplace affair.
Tang Mo contentedly put the fish into her bag, casually tossing it into her Space, then led Shi Xuan back to the dorms.
Leaving Shi Xuan to wait downstairs, Tang Mo went up by herself.
Opening her locker, Tang Mo thought for a moment about what exactly to give him.
Aside from a few cooked dishes packed from a restaurant to satisfy her cravings, she hadn't touched anything else in her Space.
As for the things in her locker...
The package in the very back was not to be touched. Rummaging through the rest, Tang Mo grabbed a plastic bag, picked out some items from her locker, and packed them.
A five-pack of instant noodles, ten packs of compressed biscuits, and five bottles of mineral water.
This wasn't just five meals' worth. According to the school's current rations, this was enough for more than ten meals.
'This silver fish is worth it! Besides, Shi Xuan helped me out of a jam at the very beginning.'
Tang Mo would remember everyone who had helped her and been kind to her.
'No one is obligated to be nice to you. You have to learn to be grateful.' This was a principle Tang Mo had understood long ago.
Putting the plastic bag into her backpack, Tang Mo went downstairs.
But when she got downstairs, she found Shi Xuan standing there with an uneasy expression, and someone else was next to him.
"Someone reported that you two were privately hiding a fish. Shi Xuan just admitted to it. Hand it over."
Tang Lianwei stood with his arms crossed, shooting Tang Mo a sideways glance.
Tang Mo glanced at Shi Xuan. The look on his face told her that what Tang Lianwei said was true—he had really talked.
This threw a wrench in Tang Mo's plans. If she had been alone, she would have denied it to her dying breath. There were no surveillance cameras; without evidence, her word was as good as anyone's.
Even if they went up to search her room, they wouldn't have found anything. After all, the fish was already in her Space by then.
But obviously, Shi Xuan didn't know about the Space. The moment he heard Tang Lianwei threaten to search Tang Mo's room, he panicked and admitted to the fish.
"Oh? Did you tell him about the big red carp we caught?"
Tang Mo didn't know how much Shi Xuan had said, so she could only try to test the waters.
"Yeah." Although Shi Xuan didn't know why Tang Mo was saying this, he went along with it. He wasn't stupid enough to tell Tang Lianwei about the abnormal treasure.
'But if the fish has been discovered, we'll definitely have to hand it over. When we do, won't the truth come out anyway?'
He didn't understand the point of Tang Mo's actions.
Hearing Shi Xuan's reply, Tang Mo breathed a sigh of relief internally, but she didn't let it show on her face, instead putting on a look of utter despair.
She slowly took off her backpack and pulled out a red carp from inside.
This was a fish she had caught in the lake earlier. After catching it, she had waited until no one was looking and stuffed it directly into her Space.
"Since you already know, we'll hand it over." Tang Mo resignedly held out the fish.
"What you two did was a mistake! I'm going to report this to the school. According to the rules, both of you will be penalized three days' worth of food rations."
Tang Lianwei snatched the fish, not forgetting to give the two a harsh lecture before leaving, completely satisfied.
After he left, only two people remained, their heads hanging in disappointment.
However, Tang Mo's disappointment was an act; Shi Xuan's was real.
Three days' worth of rations! He had a sturdy build and a high daily calorie requirement; he really wasn't sure he could endure three days without food.
He didn't know where Tang Mo's red carp came from, but since they had already been punished for it, the silver fish naturally belonged to her now. Shi Xuan felt he couldn't possibly ask for the five meals' worth of food and water anymore; that would be far too improper.
"At least we managed to keep the abnormal treasure! Cheer up, Class Monitor!" Tang Mo pulled Shi Xuan to a secluded spot behind her dormitory building.
Shi Xuan tried to cooperate by pulling at the corners of his mouth, but unfortunately, the resulting smile looked worse than if he were crying.
"A deal's a deal. This is for you!" Tang Mo pulled the items from her schoolbag and stuffed them into Shi Xuan's arms.
"I can't take this!" Shi Xuan's first reaction was to push the items away.
"Why is there so much?" Feeling the weight in his hands, Shi Xuan was surprised. 'This isn't five meals' worth, this is more like fifteen!'
"That fish is worth it. If you really won't take this, then my only choice is to hand over the silver fish and try to trade even more food for it with Tang Lianwei."
"Sigh, who knows how high a price he'll demand. With the meager supplies I have, I wonder if I'll ever see that fish again."
Tang Mo feigned sadness.
Hearing Tang Mo say this, Shi Xuan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Since you put it that way, I won't refuse. I'll take the stuff. From now on, if you need help with anything, just call me. I don't have any other special skills, but I do have some muscle."
Shi Xuan accepted Tang Mo's favor. Having received so much, the sorrow of losing three days' rations was swept away.
And so, the two concluded their transaction in this pleasant atmosphere.
Just as both of them, thoroughly satisfied and happy with the outcome, walked out from the shady spot and circled back towards the dormitory building, Tang Mo saw a familiar figure standing right in front of them.
"Qin Ling?"