Hello, Welcome to Merit Supermarket (SUPERMARKET)
"The two of you are destined to have a child."
The couple followed Jiang Chenyi into the shabby little supermarket. Perhaps due to their troubled minds, they didn't notice the anomalies on the shelves behind the screen.
As soon as they sat down in the courtyard, they heard the young man say these words.
However, this statement alone wasn't enough to move them.
Jiang Chenyi wasn't bothered by their lack of reaction and took the initiative to place three bottles of Mountain Spring Water from the ordinary shelves onto the table.
"When I say you're destined to have a child, I mean you will definitely give birth to one. Miscarriages don't count."
Hearing this, Zhang Miaomiao looked up but only for a moment before lowering her head again.
That brief glance was enough for Jiang Chenyi to see the lifelessness in her eyes.
They had come without much hope.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet," Jiang Chenyi shifted the topic and did not continue with the matter of the destined child.
"My name is Jiang Chenyi, and this supermarket is called the Merit Supermarket. As long as you have enough Merit, you can trade for anything here."
He pushed the Mountain Spring Water toward the woman and continued, "Including the child you lost due to malice."
The couple instantly looked up at him with their eyes filled with disbelief: What did he mean by that? What did he mean by a child lost due to malice?
"You don’t know about this, but you can investigate it. I can also give you a hint. Once you’ve figured it out, you’ll know whether what I’m saying is true or not." Jiang Chenyi spoke these words with a smile while being unfazed by the skeptical looks they were giving him.
After saying this, he fell silent then opened the water bottle, and took a sip of the Mountain Spring Water.
His confident demeanor instilled both fear and a sense of trust in the couple.
Luo Qiuming clutched his chest and felt that his heart was beating faster than usual.
Unconsciously, he grabbed one of the water bottles to open it, and took a sip. In the next moment, a cool sensation spread from his mouth throughout his entire body.
The discomfort caused by his accelerated heartbeat quickly dissipated under the soothing effect of this coolness.
"This is…" He looked at the water bottle in his hand in surprise and noticed that it didn’t even have a label.
"Health-Nourishing Spring Water, an ordinary item on the supermarket shelves. Isn’t the effect remarkable?"
Only after Jiang Chenyi mentioned the supermarket for the second time did Luo Qiuming turn his gaze to the shelves nearby with his mind replaying Jiang Chenyi’s words—anything can be traded.
He tightened his grip on the bottle: "Can anything really be traded?"
Zhang Miaomiao glanced at her husband.
After sharing a bed for twelve years, how could she not sense the eagerness in his voice?
But…
"Reviving lives is forbidden. That’s a taboo." When Jiang Chenyi said this, his expression was unusually serious.
Other than that, there was nothing in the supermarket that couldn’t be traded, unless the required cost was too high but that was the customer’s problem, not the supermarket’s.
"If I want a child, what would it cost?" Zhang Miaomiao instinctively grasped Luo Qiuming’s arm.
There was a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes now, though it was slight, it was better than the lifelessness before.
Luo Qiuming comfortingly patted the back of his wife’s hand then straightened his posture and looked directly into Jiang Chenyi’s eyes.
But Jiang Chenyi’s next move was beyond their expectations.
He pulled out a necklace from his clothes with his hand brushing over a Small Golden Abacus.
In their eyes, the small abacus gradually grew in size until it became the size of a regular abacus.
This single act was enough to dispel any doubts Luo Qiuming and his wife had about Jiang Chenyi.
And what Jiang Chenyi used to awe them wasn’t just this. His eyes seemed to have golden liquid flowing within them, and soon, his light-colored pupils became as dazzling as gold.
"Wait a moment and let me calculate." His fingers moved over the abacus but his gaze remained fixed on the couple.
Under the stare of those eyes, the couple felt as if they had been frozen in place.
"Three months ago, you donated one million to ten children's welfare homes in the capital. The money was entirely used for the children's medical treatment, so you earn 10,000 points of Merit. Half a year ago, you built a primary school in a mountainous area and provided education opportunities for fifteen children, earning 1,500 points of Merit. A year ago, you donated three million to flood victims... Hmm, only half of it was used, and since you've already gained fame from it, you can only earn 1,000 points of Merit..."
His fingers moved faster and faster, and the words he spoke were like bombs, leaving the couple stunned.
The donation from a year ago was public, known by fans and many passersby.
But the one million three months ago and the Hope Primary School half a year ago... these were donations they made privately and known only to themselves and no one else.
Even the children's welfare homes that received the donations didn't know the true identity of the donors.
The couple exchanged glances, finding not only surprise but also an irrepressible anticipation in each other's eyes.
This person might truly be able to help them have a child of their own!
"Alright! As of now, the two of you have a total of 53,650 points of Merit. Not bad at all, you've done quite a lot of good deeds."
This number also made Jiang Chenyi somewhat happy, as it proved that the couple before him were genuinely good people.
And if they were good people, then a deal could be made.
"So..." Zhang Miaomiao couldn't suppress her inner desire and asked, "With so much Merit, is it enough to have a child?"
After witnessing his extraordinary abilities, the couple had completely placed their trust in Jiang Chenyi.
"It's enough," he nodded but then shook his head, "and yet, it's not enough."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Miaomiao's heart sank just moments after feeling joy.
Enough and not enough... is it enough or not?
But this time, Jiang Chenyi didn't speak. He stood up and walked alone behind the ordinary shelves before opening a hidden door.
From the couple's position, it looked pitch black, and they couldn't see anything.
However, in Jiang Chenyi's eyes, behind the hidden door was an endless starry sky with twinkling stars representing custom goods prepared exclusively for special clients.
He looked at these stars, and the golden light in his eyes seemed to flicker along with them.
Just as the couple thought Jiang Chenyi was about to go back on his word, they saw him beckon to them.
"Come here."
The couple was puzzled but upon reaching Jiang Chenyi's side and seeing the vast starry sky before them, they were instantly rendered speechless.
Luo Qiuming rubbed his eyes and then pinched his arm hard.
Only after feeling the pain in his arm did he believe that what he was seeing wasn't an illusion.
Not only Luo Qiuming was in such a state but even Zhang Miaomiao couldn't help but slap herself hard.
But the pain couldn't suppress their astonishment; instead, it made them exceptionally excited.
Jiang Chenyi let the couple gaze for a while before finally placing his hands on their shoulders.
"This is...?" Before they could ask, Jiang Chenyi pushed them from behind.
"Come in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of the door closing came from behind.
Luo Qiuming and Zhang Miaomiao were startled by the voice.
Just as they were about to turn around, they heard Jiang Chenyi's serious and solemn voice: "Extend your hands and silently recite your wish in your heart."
Upon hearing his words, the couple immediately focused all their thoughts on their desire to have a child.
They closed their eyes tightly, so only Jiang Chenyi could see that the stars in the sky began to move gradually under the influence of their wish. After a few cycles, one of the stars slowly descended into the palms of their hands.
Though they couldn't see with their eyes closed, they could feel the warm sensation in their palms.
What is this!
Then, they felt Jiang Chenyi's hand on their shoulders pulling them back.
After walking a distance, they heard Jiang Chenyi's voice with a hint of laughter behind them: "Alright, open your eyes now."
The couple opened their eyes and the first thing they saw was a seedling in their palms.
In their hands appeared a handful of soil, and in the center of the soil was a seedling with only two leaves. The leaves were as long as a segment of a little finger, swaying in the wind that made the couple feel a bit anxious.
Jiang Chenyi didn't hide anything because he knew they wouldn't understand what it was, and directly explained the function of the seedling to them.
"What I mentioned earlier, your fifty thousand Merit is both enough and not enough. These fifty thousand Merit have brought you this seedling, but for the seedling to grow into a fruit, you will need a bit more Merit."
As he spoke, Jiang Chenyi led them back into the courtyard.
Seeing the couple still nervously holding the small seedling, he went to the shelf and picked out a bowl from the corner.
"Place it here, this bowl has a preservation effect."
They carefully placed all the soil into the bowl, not daring to leave even a speck behind because they feared that the seedling wouldn't survive if even a grain of soil was missing.
After settling the seedling, Luo Qiuming finally asked, "How much more is needed?"
He didn't realize until he spoke that his voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own.
Zhang Miaomiao didn't speak as her eyes remained fixed on the small seedling and reluctant to look away.
This was her hope!
"Not much, go to the children's hospital, find a child who is sick but whose family cannot afford treatment, and pay for their treatment. Whether they can be cured or not doesn't matter."
This request didn't seem difficult, but Jiang Chenyi hadn't finished speaking.
"But..." The couple's hearts almost stopped when they heard this "but."
"The child you help must be genuinely loved by their family, this point is very important."
Jiang Chenyi worried they might not take it seriously, so he added, "This point is related to your future family situation, so even if it takes a bit longer, you must find a child who is loved by their family."
"Time doesn't matter." Zhang Miaomiao's voice was also hoarse as her eyes had unknowingly filled with tears.
But these were not tears of despair, but tears of hope.
"We've waited so long, a little more time doesn't matter."
Jiang Chenyi nodded in agreement and continued, "After giving the money, have the child personally draw a cup of water. The size of the cup doesn't matter, as long as it's filled more than halfway. Then, the child should hold the cup and say thank you to you."
"After that, pour the water into the soil. Wait for a week, and the sapling will grow rapidly then bearing a fruit after a week."
Jiang Chenyi smiled with his pupils returning to their usual faint hue.
His smile was genuine and filled with joy as he congratulated Luo Qiuming and Zhang Miaomiao on their marriage.
"After this, you just need to split the fruit in half and each eat a portion."
The couple exchanged glances because they were still somewhat in disbelief. "Is it really that simple?"
"It really is that simple."
"Then... don’t we need to pay you?"
After years of pleading, could it really be this easy to have a child?
What about the cost? Surely there must be some price to pay?
Jiang Chenyi gave the Golden Abacus on the table a firm shake that caused the golden beads clinking crisply as they returned to their original positions.
"Five thousand Merit Points, and the payment has already been received."