The little girl’s eyes curved into smiles.
“Yes, yes, you can park your car in our backyard. Sister, our inn is very cheap. Follow me.”
Seeing Xu An’s troubled expression, Zhou Haimei took the steering wheel, letting Xu An sit in the passenger seat.
She communicated with the little girl the entire time.
As the vehicle moved, Xu An looked at the shops lining the street, but none of them were open.
Zhou Haimei also clearly noticed this problem and asked the girl.
“Why aren’t so many shops open here?”
The girl glanced at the two of them, still smiling, “You two sisters must be from out of town, right?”
Zhou Haimei did not deny it and nodded.
“We don’t open during the day here. We only operate at night.”
Xu An was a bit confused.
Looking at the number of shops around, they were numerous, and the signs hanging above the shops covered everything from food and clothing to housing and transportation.
They sold everything.
But why didn’t they open during the day, and instead opened at night?
“The light at night is more sufficient, the visibility is better, and it’s more convenient for the enforcement team to manage.”
“Later, the city lord announced that only night markets would be allowed.”
“So our habit here became operating at night and resting during the day.”
After hearing the girl’s explanation, Xu An grasped a key point.
“You have an enforcement guard team here?”
The little girl looked as if it were a matter of course, “Yes, the four official bases are all guarded by the army. Is there something wrong with that?”
Seeing Xu An’s slightly confused gaze, the girl thought she had said something wrong and upset the other party, what if they didn’t stay at her family’s inn?
Xu An shook her head, signaling that it was fine.
Until the car stopped, Xu An was still immersed in her memories.
Were some things starting to change?
After parking the car, Xu An and Zhou Haimei followed the little girl into her family’s inn.
Unlike the previous place they stayed, this inn had doors at the front and back. Although there was no sunlight, the strong daylight lamps illuminated the entire hall, making it as bright as if there was no gloom at all.
“Two ladies, looking for a room?”
The man who spoke seemed a bit older, but looked very energetic, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a scholarly air.
“Dad, these two sisters are checking in. I brought back customers.”
The girl lifted her chin, looking as if she expected praise.
Even Xu An, despite the events outside the city, could not help but be moved by the warm scene before her.
“Yes, we’re checking in. How much do you charge?” Zhou Haimei looked at the man and asked.
The man wore a gentle smile, “You must be from out of town. Our transactions here are calculated by contribution points. The rent for one night is 5 contribution points. If you plan to stay long-term, turn left outside and go forward for one kilometer to the trading center, where you can exchange for contribution points.”
“If you’re just looking for a place to rest, you can directly exchange equivalent food or other items.”
The man’s words earned Xu An a bit more approval, at least he wasn’t two-faced like the previous proprietress.
“How are five contribution points converted?”
The man smiled and looked at Xu An and Zhou Haimei.
“Do you have biscuits or instant noodles? Food is also acceptable. Food is one jin per night, not including meals and lodging. Biscuits would be three packs, and two packs of instant noodles would suffice.”
Xu An found the price reasonable, and not unacceptable compared to the previous inn.
She rummaged through her backpack and handed two packs of instant noodles to the owner.
“Can we shower?” Xu An asked.
“Yes,” the man said with a smile, “there’s hot water in the room, and you can use it as you please.”
This could be considered the only good news they had heard on their journey.
“Tiantian, take the guests upstairs.”
“Okay.”
The girl nodded and said to Xu An and Zhou Haimei, “Sisters, follow me.”
Xu An and Zhou Haimei exchanged glances and followed behind the child.
Upon arriving at the room, it was not much different from the previous inn.
The same double bed, washed-out bed sheets and quilt covers. However, what was more reassuring than before was that there was a large window, although sunlight could not be seen now, it was still a comfort.
“Sisters, this is your room,” the girl said, then glanced at Xu An. As if thinking of something, she turned back to them, “Oh, our night market here opens at 8 PM. If you want to take a look, don’t miss the time.”
Xu An was stunned.
She hadn’t asked the girl about the night market, but Zhou Haimei stepped forward, smiled kindly, thanked the girl, and then closed the room door and locked it.
“Tomorrow morning, let’s leave here as soon as possible.”
Xu An felt the same way without Zhou Haimei having to say it.
Although the girl had explained why they didn’t open for business during the day, she still felt a sense of strangeness.
Even if they weren’t doing business.
Why were there still no people on the streets? It looked very strange.
For the first time, Xu An agreed with Zhou Haimei, “Then should we still go out to see the night market tonight?”
Zhou Haimei chuckled, “Do you want to go?”
Xu An was typically afraid of trouble but also wanted to join the fun.
“How about we go take a look?”
“Alright.”
After discussing it, Xu An collapsed onto the large bed and soon fell asleep.
Around six o’clock, Zhou Haimei woke Xu An up.
They casually prepared some things and ate a little.
Although the girl named Tiantian had said that the night market here also sold food, they figured it would definitely be expensive.
It might even be worse than what they were eating.
They didn’t want to be ripped off, so they ate their fill beforehand before going out.
As soon as they came out of the room, Xu An saw the little girl named Tiantian skipping over to them.
“Sisters, are you going out too? You are so lucky today.”
Xu An was confused, what happened?
“Today is our monthly market day. Hunter squads from outside will also enter the city on this day to publicly sell the supplies they have obtained.”
“There will be a lot of delicious food, it’s very lively.”
Xu An found it quite novel.
At this moment, people carrying cargo boxes began to emerge from the inn one after another. After greeting the owner, they headed towards the outside.
Even the owner was dressed as if going out, appearing to be going out as well.
“Are you going to the market too?”
Tiantian nodded, “Yes, the roast meat my dad bought me last time was delicious, but the owner only comes once a month, so I can only eat it once a month.”
Saying this, the girl turned her head and shouted to the man, “Dad, hurry up! If we go late, we won’t be able to get any!”