Wandering Spaceship in Deep Space - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: It’s Time To Learn

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Even until now, Zhang Yuan was unwilling to look for any random lab to test the composition of the residual liquid, as it might perhaps randomly expose some sort of deep secret.

When things got blown out of proportion at that time, the loss would outweigh the gain.

He understood the rationale of keeping one’s wealth hidden. And since it was his father who left it to him, he should just benefit from it alone.

“Sigh, forget it. I’ll know when it’s meant to be. As for what I’m not supposed to know, it would be best not to delve in further… Since Dad was vague in his explanation, he must have his reasons.”

Zhang Yuan suppressed his curiosity and threw this problem to the back of his mind.

There were numerous shops along the streets—convenience stores, clothing stores, restaurants, fruit stands—basically almost everything was available here.

The fruits sold here were rather cheap and fresh. There was a type of seaweed plant named Pupu Grass, a new species of plant that was cultivated a century ago. It was deemed as a ‘Present from space bestowed by the Gods to mankind’.

The plant tasted sweet, similar to grapes, and the pulp contained a type of Vitamin B antioxidant that was very beneficial for health.

If it were consumed for an extended period, it could even increase the average lifespan of humans.

Zhang Yuan purchased a few catties of Pupu Grass, which cost 3 yuan per catty, intending to enjoy it at home.

Next would be the clothing stores, which flooded his line of sight.

Even though the current logistic system was well developed and the prices of online shopping were very worthwhile, people were still unable to get rid of their bad habit of shopping. In their point of view, online shopping and physical shopping were two entirely different experiences.

That was because, in the current era where there was a lack of petroleum, clothes were quite expensive.

If people wanted to own a cabinet of clothes with all sorts of different styles, it would cost a large amount of money. In that sense, people loved shopping even more now because touching and feeling the item in their hands was also pretty good.

Zhang Yuan entered a shop that sold undergarments and casually picked up a few undershirts, briefs, and socks.

“After a 20% discount, the total is 887 yuan!”

“Boss, can you go cheaper?” Zhang Yuan tried to bargain.

“Sorry, no bargaining here!”

The reason why there was staff in shops was to increase the employment rate of the country. Even though the current production and social welfare system of Xia Country could support many of its idle citizens, a decrease in the overall employment rate would result in an increase of crime rates as those people had nothing better to do.

As a result, it would be better to create some low-skilled job opportunities that did not require any skill or ability.

So expensive! Four briefs, three undershirts, and five pairs of socks that were not from a famous brand had actually cost him 800+ yuan. A normal worker’s monthly salary would at most be around 4-5k!

Zhang Yuan rubbed his nose and deeply felt that his bargaining skills were too undeveloped. Or perhaps it was because the other party was a man.

If the cashier was a female employee, perhaps she might be subdued by his appearance and give him a discount.

Despite the expensive price tag, these clothes were made of high-quality nanomaterials that reduced the chances of getting stained. With such high-quality material, there would not be any signs of wear and tear even after several years of use—from that point of view, it was still worthwhile.

He intended to bring these pieces of article onto the spaceship.

After he walked out of the shop, he caught a glimpse of the latest clothing advertisement by a certain famous clothing manufacturer. “Clothes made of nanomaterial, with an ice-like texture and a unique silky feeling…”

When he casually touched the white-colored shirt that felt similar to touching silk stockings, it indeed felt cool to the touch.

Normal clothes would screen out infrared radiation, but this garment made of nanomaterial provided no thermal insulation. The nanopores of the material would help to disperse heat through infrared radiation.

Of course, as this brand new material was thin and soft, it would accentuate a female’s figure. The price tag of that garment was also quite expensive and a single piece cost around 2000+ yuan.

The development of nanotechnology had changed the world, including what the people wore.

Zhang Yuan touched the silky material that felt good to the touch while his thoughts wandered elsewhere. ‘It looks quite similar to white silk stockings and it’s also rather soft.’

‘Petroleum was truly a gift from the heavens. How were the clothes in the past priced so cheaply?’

‘To think our ancestors treated petroleum as fuel and burned it!!’

Zhang Yuan sighed as he thought.

He then thought of some citizens in certain countries who just managed to fill up their stomachs but were still incapable of buying clothes to wear and had to be subjected to extreme weather.

He did not feel much compassion for them, as most of those countries were former oil producers.

They were once the wealthiest countries on Earth, but they had now been reduced to that state. There was only a sentence that could describe their current situation: Stay idle and eat, and one’s whole fortune will be used up in time.

All good things will come to an end. The number of declining countries recorded throughout history were too many to count. Be it an individual or a whole civilization, each of them had their lifespan.

Rising in crisis and declining in comfort was a never-changing principle. When they were rich, they did not pay heed to have a back-up plan, and therefore, they could only suffer right now.

Following on, Zhang Yuan entered a life insurance company intending to purchase two additional retirement endowment plans for his Aunt and Uncle.

Even if they did not need money at this moment, society was ever-changing, and people could experience fortune and misfortune in the blink of an eye. What if something happened to them in the future?

Therefore, it was always good to have an additional back-up plan.

“Please refrain from informing the beneficiary until two years later. Would that be possible? I’ll pay a lump sum instead of installments.”

“Of course!” The beautiful reception was exceptionally enthusiastic, and her face was flushed red.

Insurance agents would receive commissions for every policy they sold, and in particular, these types of huge transactions meant a huge paycheck to them. Obviously, she would be in the clouds with such a big spender and besides, the other party was also a handsome guy with a tone of voice that sounded conservative, giving off a very comfortable feeling.

“The total cost of these two policies would be… 300 thousand federal dollars. After retirement, each beneficiary would receive 2000 federal dollars every month, and if we do not include inflation, you would recoup the investment in 75 months.”

“Ok!” Zhang Yuan straightforwardly signed the papers and made the payments.

He did not feel any heartache despite being a prodigal son. Oh well, he’ll just consider it as a small gift for his relatives before his departure.

After he finished all he had to do, there were not many things he had to do left.

Zhang Yuan returned home and organized all the tasks at hand.

As for the bucket list and those unimportant tasks, he decided to just give up as the only thought in his mind was to study.

An intensive study session!

In the following days, Zhang Yuan happily read through all sorts of various books. First of all, he attempted to revise all his previous university courses, which include, , , , , and etcetera.

Days passed by in the blink of an eye.

His greatest wish now was to understand those reports left behind by his father inside the laptop.

Those reports were written in a similar style to casual notes. Most probably a sudden inspiration came to his mind while he worked and he casually recorded it down. As a result, it was slightly disorganized.

However, Zhang Yuan did not doubt the value behind those casually written notes.