I Tied Up the Travel Check-In System - Chapter 5

Tang Siqi was ecstatic. This reward alone earned her 20 gold coins—for today’s spare ribs and crayfish!

What she didn’t expect was that this unassuming grocery store in a narrow alley turned out to be the antique shop the system had instructed her to find!

Although she had already completed her mission, Tang Siqi, curious as she was, entered the shop.

An old radio played the traditional Pudong storytelling repertoire “The Cases of Judge Shi,” and the elderly man listened with rapt attention, ignoring even customers who came.

Tang Siqi happily and leisurely perused the shop. The interior was quite different from the other antique shops she had just visited. While typical antique shops might display ceramics, silverware, or ancient coins, this one featured a collection of everyday finds.

There were enamel mugs common in the 1970s and 1980s, street signs from now-defunct streets in old Shanghai, old furniture, suitcases, and even posters from the Republican era and tickets from old theaters.

Walking into this store, Tang Siqi seemed to be back in her childhood. There used to be many old items in her home, but later she moved to a new house and many of the old items with a sense of age disappeared.

The radio gradually dimmed, and an old man approached, his hands behind his back. “What would you like to buy, little girl?”

Tang Siqi gave an embarrassed smile. “Uncle, I’m just browsing.”

The man adjusted his glasses. “Look, look, these are all my collections. Many are older than you.”

He sat down in a corner and began sorting through some old newspapers, chatting with Tang Siqi as he did so. “It started out as a family hobby. My grandfather loved collecting old things, and then my mother. At the time, I was disgusted, thinking they were all junk, not collectibles. But after they both passed away, I didn’t expect this hobby to take over. This old house was also built by my grandfather, and now it’s been passed down to me. I’ve decided to use it as a shop, displaying all these old items. If you’d like to see them, you’re welcome to come and visit. If you like anything, you’re welcome to buy. It’s like making friends.”

Tang Siqi listened to the old man’s stories as she browsed the shop.

“Can I take a picture?” Tang Siqi asked cautiously.

“Haha, of course. It’s nothing special.” Tang Siqi pulled out her phone and selected an angle. The sunlight streamed down, illuminating the time-traveled cabin. The composition was quite nice.

Tang Siqi had already decided: she’d paint a picture about this and write about the uncle’s story on the review community.

After saying goodbye to the uncle, Tang Siqi took the bus home. Before leaving, she made a special stop at a nearby supermarket.

Having completed her mission, she now had 20 gold coins!

She opened the app to confirm:

[Fresh premium pork ribs 5 jin, reimbursable. Click >>]

Yes, it was indeed the pork ribs from this supermarket. This supermarket has a lot of imported goods, and the prices are ridiculously high, but it’s undeniable that the food here is truly excellent, with a wide selection of fresh foods.

The ribs are carefully selected, chopped to uniform lengths, and neatly stacked. The price is also prohibitive: 50 yuan per jin—a rip-off!

Normally, Tang Siqi and Xu Qianning wouldn’t shop here, but today, with the system reimbursement, Tang Siqi didn’t hesitate and chose this supermarket.

She couldn’t afford it normally, but today it was like free!

Tang Siqi happily selected, buying exactly five pounds. As for crayfish, while this supermarket also had them, she didn’t want to buy them here. There was a top-notch crayfish shop downstairs. They made delicious food, and you could choose your own flavor. You could ask the owner to make them less spicy, so Junbao could enjoy them too.

As she was checking out, the woman in line behind her couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, are these spare ribs on sale?”

Tang Siqi replied, “I don’t think so. 50 yuan a pound.”

The woman was stunned. “51 pounds?! That… looks good, but that’s too expensive! I tell you, you can buy them at the market. A pound is only 20 or 30 yuan.”

Tang Siqi smiled and said nothing more.

Yesterday, she’d thought these premium short ribs were ridiculously expensive, but today, with her points redeemed, she could buy five pounds in one go. It was so cool!

Just after paying the bill, the phone vibrated. Tang Siqi picked up the phone and saw that the bank had sent a text message, saying that 250 yuan had been deposited into the account.

Tang Siqi carried the spare ribs and went to the crayfish restaurant again in a joyful mood.

This crayfish restaurant is well-known far and wide. It is just downstairs from Tang Siqi. The business is booming, but it also makes her suffer.

Because even if she stays at home, she can smell the tempting aroma wafting from the crayfish restaurant downstairs in her room.

Luo Junbao asked many times when he could eat crayfish again, and every time Xu Qianning said that he could eat it on his birthday.

At this time, Luo Junbao would always sigh and wonder why there was only one birthday a year.

Whenever Tang Siqi ordered takeout, she wanted to blacklist this crayfish restaurant. She always saw it, but couldn’t afford it, so she could only envy it…

“Boss, give me five pounds of spicy crayfish tails, and one pound of less spicy.”

“Okay!”

Tang Siqi thought for a moment, then added, “How about two pounds of less spicy?”

“Haha, our crayfish isn’t cooked spicy unless specifically stated. How about this? I’ll give you two pounds of spiced crayfish and three pounds of mildly spicy crayfish?”

Tang Siqi glanced at the system instructions again. The exchange was for five pounds of spicy crayfish tails, and she wasn’t sure if the spiced version counted.

After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Forget it. Two pounds of mildly spicy crayfish and three pounds of normal.”

[Congratulations! You’ve exchanged for five pounds of spicy crayfish tails. Remaining wealth: 0 gold coins.]

Oh, I’m broke. Out of money again.

Tang Siqi returned home with two large bags of food, feeling both sweet and melancholy.

Xu Qianning was preparing to make dinner when she saw Tang Siqi coming back. She said, “Siqi, we had shredded beef for lunch and I left a small portion for you. How about I make stir-fried corn kernels with green peppers and tomato and egg soup tonight?”

Tang Siqi put the food in her hand on the kitchen stove with great effort. “We’re having crayfish tonight, and I also bought pork ribs.”

Xu Qianning turned around in surprise and opened her pocket to see, “Oh my God, Siqi, you bought so much?”

Tang Siqi rubbed her red hand from being strangled. “Well, Junbao also likes to eat crayfish, and the garlic pork ribs you make are a must-try. I want to eat some…”

Xu Qianning was about to ask when the door opened. Luo Junbao, who had just returned from playing next door, said in a baby voice, “Mom, I’m back, Tang Siqi, I’m back.”

When Tang Siqi saw this little baby, she couldn’t help teasing him, “Junbao, it’s your birthday today.”

Luo Junbao looked serious and corrected him sternly, “Tang Siqi, my birthday is only two days later than yours. My birthday is in October, and I’m a Libra, just like you. How could you forget?”

“Ah…” Tang Siqi dragged out the last line of her voice. “Last time, your mother said that you can only eat crayfish on your birthday. So, we won’t be bringing you along today.”

Luo Junbao’s big eyes were filled with surprise, and his little face flushed slightly. “Crayfish?” He looked at his mother. “Are we having crayfish today?”

Her son looked so adorable. Xu Qianning rubbed Junbao’s head and said, “Your Aunt Siqi bought it. Go thank her.”

“Thank you, Aunt Siqi…” Luo Junbao said sweetly, licking his lips.

Tang Siqi chuckled, “Alright, usually I eat for free. Today it’s my turn to buy you something delicious to treat you.”

The kitchen was filled with laughter that day. Usually, due to the high price of spare ribs, Xu Qianning was reluctant to make garlic spare ribs. She thought making spare rib soup would be more nutritious, last for several meals, and save money.

Today, Tang Siqi bought some top-quality ribs, making them the perfect pairing for garlic spare ribs.

Luo Junbao took the initiative to peel the garlic, while Tang Siqi assisted in the kitchen.

However, even though Tang Siqi bought five pounds of spare ribs at once, Xu Qianning didn’t cook them all at once. She saved three pounds for two more meals.

After mincing the garlic that Junbao had peeled, add salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, and white pepper to season. After marinating, add eggs and starch. Once the mixture is well-coated, it can be fried.

Tang Siqi rarely goes into the kitchen. Her cooking skills are limited to instant noodles and instant hot pot.

Today, for the first time, she watched Xu Qianning make garlic-flavored spareribs. She thought her cooking skills were amazing.

However, she was just watching from the side. When it came to cooking, she had only learned from Luo Junbao how to peel garlic quickly and well.

Dinner was finally served. Luo Junbao waited for his mother to come to the table before he started eating. However, his eager expression revealed his anxiety.

He took a bite of the garlic-flavored spareribs: “Ah, they smell so good! The spareribs my mother makes are so delicious!” Luo Junbao praised as he ate.

Xu Qianning smiled at her son’s satisfied expression, then looked at Tang Siqi. “Siqi, how much did you buy these spare ribs? I’ll give you the money later.” She had noticed the price tag earlier, but Tang Siqi had torn it off before taking it home.

“No need. I don’t usually pay for food, so I occasionally buy some delicious food to treat everyone. Come on, Junbao, try this plate of non-spicy crayfish.”

“Oh, I’m eating better today than on my birthday!” Luo Junbao no longer cared about his image. He grabbed the crayfish in his left hand and the garlic spare ribs in his right, eating like a sated kitten with great relish.

Xu Qianning was very happy to see her son happy, but she was still a little worried: “Siqi, after you bought these things, will your living expenses be enough? If not, you don’t have to pay the rent for the next quarter for the time being.” ”

Okay, don’t worry, it’s enough.” Tang Siqi thought, although there is not much money on the card, but it seems not bad to be able to buy some food and daily necessities to supplement the family expenses with the gold coins rewarded by the system every day.

Tang Siqi also picked up a piece of garlic-flavored spareribs. The unique aroma of the spareribs bloomed on the tip of her tongue. The taste of the spareribs was excellent. It was worthy of being the best ribs from the imported supermarket. With the blessing of Xu Qianning’s cooking skills, Tang Siqi was so happy after eating it. She suddenly felt that such a day was simply wonderful.

I don’t know what good things will be on sale tomorrow.