Hello, Welcome to Merit Supermarket (SUPERMARKET)
It's not just humans who have inner voices.
Jiang Chenyi understood this principle when he was 15 years old. But if an inner voice came from an inanimate object, it meant that there was a "spirit" within it.
Either a vessel spirit had been born, or a spirit had been sealed inside the object.
"Wait, let me see that bell." Seeing the two aunties about to stuff the bell into a trash bag, Jiang Chenyi quickly stopped them.
Whether it was a vessel spirit or a sealed spirit, it couldn't be casually discarded. If someone else picked it up and the "spirit" happened to awaken, it would be troublesome.
The aunties were puzzled and looked at the owner of the room. Since the item was found here, the ownership naturally belonged to Luo Qiuming.
Luo Qiuming also didn't understand why Jiang Chenyi was so surprised, but he knew the other wasn't the type to overreact.
"Give it to him."
After taking the bell from the aunties, Jiang Chenyi cleaned it and pressed it to his ear before closing his eyes to quietly listen.
When the bell wasn't shaken, no matter how hard Jiang Chenyi listened, he couldn't hear any sound.
But when he slightly shook the bell, a faint yet clear voice came from within: [I want to live.]
[I want to live...]
[I want to keep fighting...]
[I want to protect them...]
These three inner voices were parallel but were each equally clear, indicating that these three wishes were equally important to the owner of the voice.
Jiang Chenyi's expression turned complex.
Such a situation with multiple inner voices was truly rare.
From another perspective, these three wishes could be understood as: the owner of the voice wanted to live in order to keep fighting, and wanted to keep fighting in order to protect certain people.
So, at its core, this inner voice was about wanting to protect certain people.
Jiang Chenyi carefully examined the bell.
In his eyes, the bell was engraved with Runes, which emitted a faint golden light.
This wasn’t a seal, but rather a protection for the Spirit inside.
"How peculiar…"
Carving so many Runes on a small bell was no simple task.
Who would go to such lengths to protect a Spirit?
Hearing his mutter, Luo Qiuming asked softly, "What’s peculiar? Can you explain?"
Jiang Chenyi looked at the bell with frustration.
It was difficult for him to answer Luo Qiuming’s curiosity.
He slowly shook his head before meeting Luo Qiuming’s gaze with confusion. "Don’t ask… I don’t even understand what’s going on with this bell myself."
Luo Qiuming was momentarily stunned with his eyes filled with a hint of surprise: So, there are things you don’t know either.
Jiang Chenyi felt a pang in his heart under that gaze.
He wasn’t the Heavenly Law, after all, so naturally, he didn’t know everything.
However, stimulated by that look, Jiang Chenyi suddenly felt the urge to investigate this thoroughly.
"Can I take this?" he asked because he wanted to study it further.
Luo Qiuming waved his hand casually, "Take it! If there’s anything else in my house you fancy, take it all!"
Jiang Chenyi glanced at the small bell a few more times before silently tucking it into a hidden pocket in his clothes.
Just as he finished storing the bell, Zhang Miaomiao returned with Zhao Jiamin, and Xiao Rui was with them.
"How did it go… Uh? Did it not go well?" Luo Qiuming noticed the pale faces and reddened eyes of Zhao Jiamin and her daughter, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.
He looked blankly at his wife, only to find her eyes filled with rage.
After the two part-time workers left, Zhang Miaomiao grabbed a cushion from the sofa and slammed it down, "That scumbag Zhou Wei!"
Facing two pairs of confused eyes, Zhang Miaomiao took a deep breath before slowly recounting what had happened that morning.
They arrived at the civil affairs office at nine o’clock.
Zhou Wei showed up alone and looking haggard but the moment he saw Zhao Jiamin, his expression turned vicious and cruel.
"Don’t think this is over. President Lu and the others might not do anything to you because of Luo Qiuming, but don’t forget, I’m Zhou Rui’s biological father. I have the right to see her anytime, anywhere."
Even with Zhang Miaomiao present, he still threatened Zhao Jiamin.
"You better watch out. Don’t let me find an opportunity, or else… Hahahahaha!" He laughed like a madman.
No scratch that—he was a madman.
Zhao Jiamin’s body trembled slightly and wished she could rush over and end this scumbag’s life!
They successfully divorced, but Zhou Wei’s words left Zhao Jiamin deeply worried.
"That’s how it went." Zhang Miaomiao said with her eyes icy. "The others, out of respect for me and Lao Luo, won’t do anything to Jiamin and Xiao Rui. Even if they didn’t completely delete the photos, there’s no need to worry about exposing them."
But Zhou Wei was different!
Back when the Zhou family went bankrupt, if it weren’t for Zhao Jiamin working herself to the bone filming, Zhou Wei would have been beaten half to death by debt collectors. He wouldn’t have the comfortable life he has now.
But now that they’re divorced, President Lu will undoubtedly take his anger out on Zhou Wei.
And without the project and without his financial lifeline, Zhou Wei’s company is doomed.
With no people and no money, Zhou Wei will definitely try to cling to Zhao Jiamin!
All three of them knew that the most urgent matter now was dealing with Zhou Wei, but… how?
Zhao Jiamin slowly raised her head with her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Jiang Chenyi—she still remembered that he had once asked about her wish.
"Right now, I just want Zhou Wei to never, ever, for a lifetime, trouble Xiao Rui again! Manager Jiang, I beg you."
She pulled the still bewildered little girl and knelt with a thud in front of Jiang Chenyi.
However, Jiang Chenyi's actions were quicker than hers.
Before she could fully kneel, he firmly grasped both of their shoulders.
"You've already knelt before me once, and I've said I would help you. This small matter is quite easy to resolve."
Seeing the relaxed smile on Jiang Chenyi's face, Zhao Jiamin's anxious heart gradually calmed down.
"Let's go to the supermarket. There are goods there that can meet your needs."
Zhang Miaomiao and Luo Qiuming both widened their eyes as they instantly recalled the magnificent and fantastical world behind the supermarket's door.
Receiving a definite response, Zhao Jiamin was so moved she was on the verge of tears.
Seeing her slightly trembling body, Jiang Chenyi's heart softened: "If you're not afraid of being tired, we can set off now."
Getting the item early would completely reassure Zhao Jiamin, and Xiao Rui would no longer be harassed.
Zhao Jiamin deeply bowed her head with her pale, slender neck and frail back, seemingly as fragile as a swan protecting its young before death.
Jiang Chenyi looked at the other two: "I really disturbed you last night. I'll take her to handle this matter first, and I'll come back here once it's resolved, alright?"
The Luo and Zhang couple naturally wouldn't refuse.
The sapling had grown nearly five centimeters taller than yesterday, and beneath the dense leaves, a small green fruit the size of a fingernail had emerged.
In three days, the fruit would be ripe.
An hour and a half later, Jiang Chenyi brought Zhao Jiamin and her daughter back to the supermarket entrance.
He opened the gray door and stood at the entrance before reaching out to them: "Although it's a bit late, there's something I still need to say."
"Hello, welcome to the Merit Supermarket."
As soon as the words fell, Zhao Jiamin and Xiao Rui clearly saw the eight-panel black screen with golden characters flash with a bright light, and the words "Merit Supermarket" shone particularly brightly.
Equally bright were the eyes in front of them.
Unlike before, these eyes now seemed to see through her past that made Zhao Jiamin instinctively avoid his direct gaze.
As they entered, Jiang Chenyi followed a few steps behind while standing behind the mother and daughter.
Arriving in front of the door, Jiang Chenyi placed one hand on Zhao Jiamin's shoulder and held the Golden Abacus in the other.
Zhao Jiamin heard the crisp sound of collision from behind, along with Jiang Chenyi's voice as he calculated.
"Ancestral accumulated virtue of four thousand six hundred points, a donation of one million three years ago deducted two thousand Merit Points, using internet trolls to smear others deducted four hundred Merit Points, saving someone from capital punishment gained one thousand Merit Points..."
Zhao Jiamin listened quietly to these matters. Perhaps it was because the voice behind her was too calm that she didn't feel the fear of being seen through.
Soon, Jiang Chenyi finished the calculation: "A total of eleven thousand four hundred and eighty Merit Points. You can push the door open and go in yourself."
"Mom!" Hearing that her mother had to go in alone, Xiao Rui couldn't help but call out in worry.
Zhao Jiamin gently touched her face and smiled before saying, "Don't worry, brother is trustworthy."
She glanced back at Jiang Chenyi, and after seeing him nod, Zhao Jiamin took a deep breath and forcefully pushed open the door in front of her.
The moment the door opened, Jiang Chenyi covered Xiao Rui's eyes.
Unless you were the client, it was best not to look directly at what lay beyond the door.
Xiao Rui obediently stayed still until she felt the hand in front of her eyes loosen, and then she abruptly opened them.
The door closed again, and her mother was now holding a box in her hands.
"Come, let's talk in the courtyard,"
Zhao Jiamin was still in a daze as Jiang Chenyi led her away.
After they sat down, Jiang Chenyi snapped his fingers near Zhao Jiamin's ear.
The sharp sound, like a thunderclap in dense fog, quickly brought Zhao Jiamin back to her senses.
She took a heavy breath but before she could speak, Jiang Chenyi stopped her.
"Aren't you going to open it and see what's inside?"
This question immediately caught the attention of both mother and daughter.
Zhao Jiamin was clutching her chest and tremblingly opened the box with her daughter Xiao Rui.
It was a mother-of-pearl wooden box, and inside lay two delicate bracelets.
Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, Zhao Jiamin had seen countless gemstones, but she couldn't identify the material of these bracelets.
The bracelets looked like twisted silver ropes and emitting a soft, moonlight-like glow.
Just looking at them made her feel much calmer.
Jiang Chenyi placed the bracelets on the wrists of both mother and daughter.
As soon as they were worn, a flash of light appeared on the bracelets and then they vanished.
"Alright, now that you're wearing the bracelets, you and Zhou Wei are in a state of mutual blocking and blacklisting."
You won't see, hear, or touch from him, and Zhou Wei won't even be able to get close to you, let alone harass you.