novelraw Chapter 297: Who's worse, who's more unlucky?
Chapter 297: Who's worse, who's more unlucky?
Chapter 297: Who's worse, who's more unlucky?
"Come, come inside. What are you doing standing at the door?" Gu Tang didn't understand what was wrong with him, so she went up and pulled him to the table.
She then pointed to a row of small boxes, each about the size of a palm and a different color, on the table and said, "Open them one by one."
"Huh?" Gu Ping'an, who had made countless predictions in his mind, was immediately dumbfounded.
He looked at the row of boxes with a blank expression.
Open the box?
His second sister called him in to open the box.
Gu Pingan asked cautiously, "Is there something in these boxes?"
For example, rats or insects, used to deliberately scare people.
Gu Tang understood what he meant and glared at him: "What nonsense are you thinking? I don't have time to tease you!"
Gu Pingan: ...Are you kidding me?
"Hurry up!" Gu Tang urged impatiently.
Gu Ping'an's skin tightened, and he reached out to grab the box, but Gu Tang stopped him.
"Wash your hands first, then light three sticks of incense to worship the gods in heaven."
Gu Pingan: ...
Gu Tang pointed to the washstand, where a wooden basin filled with warm water was placed, and told him to go wash his hands.
After Gu Ping'an washed his hands, Gu Tang led him into the inner room, lit three incense sticks, and had him worship in front of the shrine with many paper strips pasted on it.
Gu Ping'an curiously stepped forward for a look, and was instantly dumbfounded.
On the small shrine, there were dozens of well-known Taoist deities, such as the Jade Emperor, Buddha, Queen Mother of the West, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the Three Star Gods of Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity, as well as various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from Buddhism.
These dozens of bigwigs from both Taoism and Buddhism were crammed together, their shrines covered in stickers, some even double-layered!
Gu Pingan couldn't understand this operation, nor did he understand what it was for.
"Second sister, what's wrong with you...?"
"I'm worshipping Buddha and gods!" Gu Tang looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction.
The bottom layer was filled with Western gods, like Jesus, Mary, Zeus, and Apollo—she pasted on everything she could think of.
"These gods and Buddhas all lead to the same goal, so we might as well put them all in one shrine. Let's quickly offer our prayers and then open the box."
Gu Ping'an stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at the shrine, truly admiring it!
In this world, I bet only his second sister would do something like this!
"Second sister... if you pray like this, will it be effective?"
"Spiritual? Spiritual my ass!" Gu Tang cursed, then sighed, "I just wanted some peace of mind."
Gu Ping'an: "...You should be glad it doesn't work. If it really did, you, Second Sister, would be the first to suffer."
Gu Tang: ...? ? ?
Holding the incense stick high, Gu Ping'an bowed devoutly to the Buddhist shrine, repeatedly praying in his heart that if there were truly spirits, they would never, ever blame his second sister.
His second sister is just... a bit lazy, and prefers convenience!
After bowing three times and inserting the incense into the incense burner, he followed Gu Tang back to the outer room to open the box.
The five boxes were different colors, about the size of a palm, and the workmanship on the surface was extremely exquisite. I don't know where his second sister got them from.
I picked up a box at random, opened it, and found it to be completely empty.
“It’s empty.” Gu Ping’an handed the box to Gu Tang so she could see it.
The system announcement was playing in Gu Tang's mind—
[Congratulations, host, for unlocking the Herbal Processing Skills Gift Pack. You have randomly acquired one pharmaceutical skill.]
The blind box that Gu Pingan opened was a skill blind box.
Gu Tang laughed and told Gu Ping'an to keep driving: "Don't worry about whether it's empty or not, just keep driving!"
Gu Pingan put down the empty box in his hand and opened the remaining four boxes in one go. He was surprised to find that all the boxes were empty.
OK?
Why should I give him an empty box to open?
At this moment, Gu Tang was engrossed in the system broadcast—
[Congratulations, host, you have unlocked the Life Supplies Gift Pack! You have randomly received three types of daily necessities.]
[Congratulations, host, you have unlocked the Life Supplies (PLUS) Gift Pack! You have randomly received six kinds of daily necessities (Endless Supply).]
[Congratulations, host, you have unlocked the World Spice Gift Pack and randomly obtained ten kinds of spices.]
[Congratulations, host, for unlocking the Winter's Arrival Gift Pack! You have randomly received two types of winter-warming items (Endless Supply version).]
Once all the gift boxes were opened, the system announcement also finished.
The smile on Gu Tang's face had vanished, replaced by a strange expression.
Putting everything else aside, just in terms of the quantity and variety of prizes offered, I completely outclass Gu Ping'an.
Right now, she needs to see what the specific rewards are. If the rewards aren't good enough, she'll definitely explode!
"Second sister?" Gu Ping'an felt uneasy when he saw that the smile on her face had disappeared.
He pointed to the empty boxes on the table and asked cautiously, "Were these bought under false pretenses?"
Hearing this, Gu Tang snapped out of her daze: "What nonsense are you thinking? I was just teasing you!"
Gu Ping'an: ...? ? ?
"Alright, this is none of your business, you can go now!" Gu Tang waved to him, signaling him to leave quickly.
Gu Pingan:……!!!
Staring at Gu Tang with accusatory eyes, Gu Ping'an turned and left angrily!
He was so angry!
I was tricked by my second sister again!
As soon as Gu Ping'an left, Gu Tang hurriedly closed the door and put the empty boxes on the table back into her system inventory, where the system would recycle them.
Clear the table and start checking the rewards the system has given you.
The first is pharmaceutical skills.
Gu Tang glanced at the skill in her backpack; it was the Black Poison Extraction skill.
Aconite? Could it be aconite root?
Never mind, let's just apply the skills first.
Click "Use," and the Poison Extraction skill will instantly be integrated into your body.
Immediately afterwards, images of toxin extraction flashed through Gu Tang's mind.
Her guess was correct; the aconite was indeed extracted from the aconite head. The images in her mind showed several methods for extracting the aconite, some using high technology and others using the most primitive methods, ensuring that the host could extract the aconite from readily available materials.
Most importantly, the venom extracted using this skill is about twice as toxic as the normally extracted venom, and even a tiny amount can be fatal!
A glint of light flashed in Gu Tang's eyes. This skill is amazing!
Next up are two daily necessities gift packs. Although both are daily necessities gift packs, one is a normal gift pack and the other is a PLUS version gift pack.
The quantity and quality of the items obtained are also better in the latter case. Just based on the phrase "inexhaustible," this PLUS version gift pack is absolutely legendary!
Gu Tang first checked the normal-status daily necessities gift pack, which contained three rewards: one ton of rice, one ton of wheat, and one ton of soybeans.
These three kinds of food were all grains, which surprised Gu Tang.
One ton is two thousand catties, which is quite a lot.
Especially wheat, I wonder if it will sprout if sown in the ground?
If it can sprout, these two thousand catties can be used as seed.
Modern hybrid varieties, though repeatedly sown, may lose their superior qualities, leading to pests, diseases, and reduced yields.
But she wasn't afraid. This was ancient times, where the average yield of wheat per acre was just over 100 jin. Even the improved wheat varieties of modern society, with their lower yields, were still several times better than the original wheat varieties of ancient times! And soybeans, those could also be used as seeds!
Gu Tang became more and more excited as she thought about it. She grabbed a handful of wheat and soybeans, planning to soak them in water in a plate and put them in the room to see if they would sprout.
The room is warm enough to meet the germination temperature requirements for wheat and soybeans.
After seeing the normal daily necessities gift pack, Gu Tang's anticipation for the PLUS version gift pack suddenly increased.
The PLUS version of the daily necessities gift pack has six items, divided into two categories. One category is food: one barrel of cooking oil (endless supply), one packet of sea salt (endless supply), one barrel of soy sauce (endless supply), and one barrel of aged vinegar (endless supply).
Another type of product used includes: a bag of toothpaste (meaning an endless supply) and a bag of soap powder (meaning an endless supply).
Of all the items, Gu Tang didn't remember anything except four words: "inexhaustible".
With these four words, this gift pack is definitely worth it!
Even if it only produces a bucket of water, as long as it has the words "inexhaustible supply," it can make a fortune just by selling water!
Gu Tang was very satisfied with everything she opened from the three gift packs in a row. But when she eagerly opened the fourth gift pack, she was suddenly doused with cold water.
The fourth gift pack is a spice pack, which has a rather enticing name: the World Spice Gift Pack.
The number drawn was also good, a total of ten!
But when he opened it, the sky fell: cloves, sandalwood, osmanthus, lemongrass... and so on, ten very common and cheap spices, any spice shop in Bei'an City could provide all ten!
She ended up opening a blind box and got it...
Gu Tang sighed and accepted reality.
There's one last gift pack left: the Winter Reward Gift Pack.
This gift package made Gu Tang feel proud once again.
There's no other reason than that the gift package also has four words on the back: "Endless Source".
The Winter Rewards Gift Pack contained two items: cotton wool (endless supply) and charcoal (endless supply).
The cotton wadding awarded by the system is made of cotton, not kapok. The charcoal is also smokeless charcoal; both are essential for keeping warm in the cold winter.
After reviewing all the gift pack rewards, Gu Tang couldn't stop smiling. Overall, this unboxing was an extremely successful event!
As the biggest contributor to this unboxing, Gu Ping'an deserves a reward!
Gu Tang clicked on the lottery draw, and after using up her ten consecutive draws, she would go out to find Gu Ping'an.
Presumably because of the ten-pull event, the system's lottery wheel looks much more elaborate this time.
Click "Start," and the pointer starts spinning rapidly.
Gu Tang nervously clasped her hands together: "Gods and Buddhas! Bless me with abundant good fortune! If I get lucky just once, I'll definitely find a lot of shrines and separate you all..."
Soon, the pointer on the turntable stopped spinning, and then the system panel was filled with fireworks.
Seeing the fireworks, Gu Tang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled broadly.
Fireworks are only set off when you draw something, and judging by the number of fireworks, she must have been lucky this time!
But as soon as the fireworks faded, the smile on his face vanished instantly.
The system announcement then sounded—
[Congratulations, host, on winning the following prizes in the lottery: a bundle of firewood, a bag of rice, a bucket of oil, a bag of salt, a bucket of soy sauce, a bucket of aged vinegar, a bucket of cooking wine, a bag of green tea, a set of seasonings, and a large bag of various mushrooms.]
Gu Tang was dumbfounded: ...Fine! Very well! Dear gods and Buddhas, your shrines are gone! You may continue to huddle together!
What the hell is all of this?!
The daily necessities of life—rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—come together again!
Even the worst luck I've ever had in a lottery was better than today!
Even if I don't expect my luck to improve, it shouldn't drop this drastically!
Rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, plus cooking wine, seasonings, and mushrooms!
This is even more comprehensive than the Lifestyle Gift Pack Plus!
The problem is, this is a lottery!
This is the first time she's ever won a prize like this!
Taking a deep breath, Gu Tang kept reassuring herself, "It's okay, it's okay. Even if the reward isn't great, maybe the quantity will increase."
Take that bundle of firewood, for example. It can't really just be a bundle of firewood, can it?
Even if it's not an endless supply, it should be a huge bundle! Big enough to burn for an entire winter.
Gu Tang took out the bundle of firewood with high expectations, but those expectations vanished instantly.
A bundle of firewood that she could hug.
Gu Tang: …………
She stared at the firewood for a while, still unwilling to give up. She pulled out a few pieces of firewood and put them in the stove, then carried the rest to Gu Ping'an's room and stuffed a few more into the stove.
With about four or five pieces of firewood left, Gu Tang took them to the main room and, ignoring the surprised expressions of Uncle San and the others, stuffed the last four or five pieces into the stove.
After the firewood was distributed, Gu Tang returned to the west wing like a whirlwind and waited for the firewood to be replenished.
It turned out she was overthinking it!
The system inventory did not refresh.
In other words, it really is just a bundle of firewood, with no inexhaustible supply and no constant replenishment.
Nothing at all.
It was just an ordinary bundle of firewood.
Gu Tang was furious!
Today's luck is comparable to signing in at a money exchange! She really couldn't understand why her luck had suddenly plummeted.
"Second sister?"
Gu Ping'an followed him from the main room.
Although he had left in anger earlier, he still followed after him, worried.
Seeing that Gu Tang looked utterly hopeless, he hurriedly went into the room to ask what was wrong.
"She was perfectly fine just a moment ago, smiling like a flower, how come she looks wilted like an eggplant now?"
"You're the one who looks like a wilted eggplant." Even while immersed in "grief," Gu Tang couldn't resist arguing with someone.
"Then tell me, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing much... I was just sleepy." Gu Tang gave a very perfunctory excuse, not even bothering to be polite at this point.
Gu Ping'an naturally didn't believe this.
He wanted to say something more, but Gu Tang kicked him out again.
Gu Ping'an: ...He shouldn't have come!
Not long after Gu Pingan left, Agou sneaked over and knocked on the door.
Gu Tang opened the door and let him in. A sudden inspiration struck her, and she instantly understood.
Could this be related to Ah Gou sharing her luck?!
Gu Tang took out all the items she won in the lottery and placed them on the table.
At first, Ah Gou didn't understand what she was doing. He silently counted the things on the table and then thought of the firewood from earlier.
He seemed to understand...
"This is... a prize you won in a lottery?"
"That's right! These are the rewards I got from my ten-pull. There are nine items here, and the other one is the firewood I got in the main room."
Gu Tang forced a smile, but it wasn't a genuine one.
She added, "What do you think? We've got all the basic necessities: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. They even provided cooking wine, seasonings, and mushrooms. If we added a chicken, we could make a perfect 'Chicken Stew with Mushrooms'!"
Ah Gou: ...Is he really that angry?
"That's already very good. If it were me drawing, I'd probably get ten blank spaces in a row."
So?
Is this a competition to see who's worse or more unlucky?
Have I really fallen to this level?!