"Ah! I absolutely can't endure this, who's responsible! Bastard!"
Ma Dongqiang's system reward arrived a bit earlier than Xiang Beifei had anticipated. He bossed the vendors around every day, scavenging all sorts of things in the market, so the collection was quickly complete.
Therefore, when the vendors were closing up shop and Ma Dongqiang's angry howls rose from the other side, Xiang Qingde still found it strange.
"What's wrong with him?"
Xiang Qingde looked at Ma Dongqiang puzzled as he hopped up and down in agitation.
"Don't know, maybe he's constipated."
With two thousand yuan in his pocket, Xiang Beifei watched Ma Dongqiang like an onlooker eating melon seeds.
Xiang Qingde suddenly understood, then whispered after a moment, "You see, what goes around comes around. That's why it's better to be kind."
He seemed rather satisfied.
But Ma Dongqiang was on the verge of going mad with anger!
Originally he was happy to have saved enough endurance value, and with much excitement, he went to claim his reward that he had accumulated over several months, only to find that the system had glitched!
Ma Dongqiang's face turned green on the spot!
[Please learn to hold back and remain silent. Avoid getting agitated, or endurance points will be deducted.]
"All my things are gone, how can I possibly hold back?"
[The host failed to hold back, endurance value -1, current endurance value is 2]
"I'm so done with this!"
[The host failed to hold back, endurance value -1, current endurance value is 1]
Ma Dongqiang took a sharp breath and hurriedly shut his mouth, his face turning white.
His [Endure and Swallow Your Voice] system had two ways of acquiring points.
If others chose to endure and swallow their voices against his actions, he could accumulate endurance value. If he himself endured and swallowed his voice in response to others' actions, he could also accumulate endurance value.
Enduring and swallowing one's voice was a two-way street.
Thus if his task reward was lost, he had to endure it too!
If he couldn't endure, then it would be disastrous!
He had finally accrued 21,003 points by exploiting these vendors, and after exchanging them for his task reward, now both the Primordial Strengthening Pill and two thousand yuan were gone.
He had been domineering for so long, lost his cool for a moment, threw a fit, and as a result, had his endurance value docked too!
Ma Dongqiang saw the customers and vendors around him all pointing and whispering, and he felt like his lungs would explode with rage!
But he dared not lash out.
Even if these vendors mocked him or threw a rotten egg at him, he had to endure and swallow his voice.
Most importantly, he couldn't take retaliatory measures against these vendors, otherwise, that too would count as failing to endure, and endurance points would be deducted!
"I... I will endure!"
[You chose to endure and swallow your voice regarding the matter that befell you, your endurance value +1, your current endurance value is 2]
Ma Dongqiang hated this so much internally!
Even if he had to bite off his teeth, he still had to swallow them.
Xiang Beifei saw all of Ma Dongqiang's system notifications and knew that Ma Dongqiang probably wouldn't exploit the vendors for a while, as it would all be counted by the system as failing to endure.
"Grandpa, actually you could just ask him to pay up, not let him scavenge. I think he wouldn't dare to say anything," Xiang Beifei said.
Ma Dongqiang's need to endure and swallow his voice meant that when others refused his demands, he couldn't make a fuss.
However, all these vendors needed to make a living in the market, and Ma Dongqiang decided whether the vendors could sell vegetables there or not, so whatever Ma Dongqiang said, those vendors had no choice but to follow.
Xiang Qingde shook his head, his grandson had just awakened to his system and would need to attend school in the future, he needed this job—better to avoid any additional trouble.
Xiang Beifei didn't continue explaining.
However, Ma Dongqiang might continue to exploit these bottom-tier vegetable vendors who make a living by selling their goods.
But that's okay, since grandfather is here, Xiang Beifei doesn't mind making a few more trips to this place.
He tossed the Primordial Strengthening Pill to Xiaohei. Ma Dongqiang was at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, a small realm higher than Xiang Beifei, which also meant he could be used to illuminate a constellation.
So far, with the two types of medicinal pills given by Principal Li Nanxing, plus the Primordial Strengthening Pill, he had three in total. He still needed one more to be ready to illuminate the Arrogant Dragon Constellation.
It was just a pity that the body technique manual from Liu Qianrou wasn't very powerful, only suitable for the early stage of Qi-Controlling. He could only think of a way to sell it.
"Let's go, I said I would take you out to eat today."
Xiang Qingde said cheerfully.
Xiang Beifei did not refuse and followed his grandfather to a small stir-fry restaurant.
"Order whatever you like, don't be shy. This is to celebrate your acquiring your own system."
Xiang Qingde pushed the menu to Xiang Beifei with a beaming smile, displaying great generosity.
He was still willing to spend money on his only grandson.
Xiang Beifei ordered three dishes, spending twenty-one yuan.
He knew his grandfather always saved money, so he ordered three of the cheapest dishes, just to make a gesture.
"You must have been studying your system in your room yesterday afternoon; I didn't disturb you. This morning, when I got up, you were still sleeping, so I didn't ask you about it. Speaking of which, how well do you understand your system now?" Xiang Qingde asked.
"I have basically figured it out. I'm thinking about how to complete tasks."
"Is the first system task difficult? Can I help in any way?" Xiang Qingde asked.
Xiang Beifei shook his head: "I need to complete it independently."
"Complete it independently?"
Xiang Qingde understood. If the system required tasks to be completed independently, then others couldn't intervene, otherwise, it would be considered a failure.
"In any case, you need to take your system seriously. Ask more if you don't understand, and be sure to speak up if you have needs. Don't hold back. Grandpa is here! I will definitely help you," Xiang Qingde instructed.
Xiang Beifei nodded and then glanced at his grandfather's system again.
That snowflake panel always made him feel puzzled.
What had happened to make his grandfather's system turn out ?
But he did not feel it was appropriate to inquire, so he had to suppress this curiosity for the time being.
The dishes were served quickly.
Xiang Qingde kept putting food onto Xiang Beifei's plate while he himself ate rice. He hardly touched the three dishes, only occasionally using his chopsticks to dip into the sauce to touch up his rice with a bit of taste.
"Aren't you eating, Grandpa?"
"I am eating, I am. You hurry up and eat more. It's time for you to grow," Xiang Qingde said with a smile.
Xiang Beifei didn't say much, ate half, then put down his chopsticks and said, "I'm full."
"Full already? Eat some more, you're growing."
"This meal doesn't suit my taste. I don't want to eat out next time—it's not tasty," Xiang Beifei said.
"Not tasty? Oh, I knew we shouldn't have come here, and there's still so much left..."
Xiang Qingde looked somewhat distressed at the three plates of food that Xiang Beifei had barely touched.
Xiang Beifei said, "If we can't finish it, let's just leave it. Toss it out."
"How can we do that? We can't waste food like that, how can we just throw it away? You better eat some more," Xiang Qingde hurriedly shook his head, urging Xiang Beifei to continue eating. But Xiang Beifei looked disgusted, and Xiang Qingde had no choice but to eat some of the dishes himself.
Eventually, he had the leftover dishes packed up.
Actually, the food at the restaurant was cooked better than at home, and Xiang Beifei was aware of this fact.
But when eating out, his grandfather always claimed not to like the food, then left the tasty things for him to eat, barely eating much himself.
However, Xiang Beifei knew how to get the thrifty and frugal old man to pick up his chopsticks and join him in eating.
Just say it should be thrown away.