The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Bead Turning

Ji You looked at the missed call notifications with great annoyance, cursing herself for oversleeping yesterday and missing the chance to collect Iron Pear Wood.

Sigh!

After a moment of thought, Ji You still decided to call Xie Yi to ask if they had set off, thinking there might still be a chance if they hadn’t.

The call connected quickly, with the howling of the wind and Xie Yi’s slightly hoarse voice coming through, ”You? Why are you contacting me only now? Ryan, Aunt Zhen Ni, and I have already entered the West District.”

Hearing this, Ji You expressed her regret and hurriedly said, ”I’m sorry, Uncle Xie Yi, I don’t know how it happened, but I overslept and missed your message.”

Xie Yi replied, ”Hmm, things are a bit complicated here, I won’t chat for long.”

Ji You hurriedly said, ”Uncle Xie Yi, please be careful.”

Xie Yi said, ”Okay.”

Then, the communication was cut off.

Ji You took a deep breath and comforted herself: It’s okay, it’s just a loss of 24 credit points, it’s not a big deal.

Yingyingying~

It is a big deal, okay?

Just thinking about it made her painfully aware.

points!

points!

How much hard labor would it take to earn that back?

The more Ji You thought about it, the less she could sit still. She immediately jumped up, wanting to find something that could make money, but—after circling around her own room, she found absolutely nothing to do.

Unintentionally, she caught sight of her Bead Turning tools covered in dust in the corner: the lathe, punching machine, hand drills, hand saw, sandpaper... all sorts of stuff, a big pile of them. Ji You’s expression froze as she thought of the negative review on her Star Network shop, a pang of pain striking her heart. To turn the beads or not?

Or perhaps...

Forget it.

Continue to do menial work on Star Network.

A honest hour’s work could earn the money for a nutrient solution.

Thinking this, Ji You immediately started walking, stepping over the Bead Turning tools. Just as her leg stepped out and wasn’t fully retracted back, Ji You suddenly stumbled, almost falling over.

She looked down and saw that it was the scattered grass seeds in the corner; they were round and slippery, and she had unwittingly stepped on them, almost causing her to slip.

”!!!”

Ji You glared fiercely at the grass seeds in front of her!

Damn it!

Were these trying to make her carve them?

Feeling out of sorts, Ji You immediately bent down, grabbed a grass seed, sat on the stool, turned on the lathe, and started working right away.

Wasn’t it just about turning them?

Turn!

She would definitely carve these troublesome grass seeds into perfectly round and smooth beads!

Puffing up her cheeks, Ji You, determined to finish what she started, immediately began bead-turning. She was accustomed to this work from her previous life; she didn’t need to study in detail, just a cursory glance and she would know roughly how to turn.

Ji You first closed her eyes to envision briefly, then... the design in her mind, one by one appeared.

That’s it!

Ji You raised her hand and started the lathe.

Clang—

Clang—

Clang—

After a series of clangs, the tough outer shell wrapped around the grass seed was polished clean, revealing the crystal-clear kernel inside. Ji You stared at it, her entire focus concentrated on the grass seed, her emotions transitioning from irritation, anger, excitement, gradually becoming calm, peaceful, serene...

The design she envisioned in her mind, with Ji You’s fully absorbed polishing, transformed from fictitious fantasy slowly into a reality she held in her hands.

On the crystal-clear kernel of the grass seed, Ji You carved a pattern of flowers and plants; bright red petals, tender yellow pistils, lush green leaves... the entire plant, from petals to stems, leaves, and roots, appeared incredibly lifelike.

Ji You stared at the grass seed in her palm, which was less than two centimeters in diameter, and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. She marveled that her craft had really become more exquisite.

It’s just a pity—

All flash, no substance.

No one appreciates it.

Perhaps because of the good hand feel, or perhaps because her emotions had completely calmed down, Ji You suddenly felt an explosion of inspiration. Not wanting to stop just yet, she continued with bead turning—she finished one, and then manually polished and carved another—

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

...

By twelve noon, Ji You felt a bit of fatigue in her mind, and with reluctance, she put down the tools in her hands.

Then, she looked down to count, and found that in just one morning, she had turned a total of 9 beads, all polished smooth, round, and lustrous. The carvings on each bead, whether of flowers and plants, landscapes, or small animals... They seemed naturally made, without a single trace of carving.

My goodness!

Her own craftsmanship was indeed steadily improving.

Ji You was very satisfied with this.

But—

What’s the use if no one appreciates these things, if they can’t be sold for money? With this thought, Ji You’s originally excited mood couldn’t help but turn gloomy again. She considered the half-morning wasted on carving some useless beads.

What else could she have done with that time?

Even doing menial tasks on Star Network could have earned 2 or 3 credit points.

What was she thinking to go and turn beads?

For a moment, Ji You’s heart was filled with annoyance and disappointment, her face growing increasingly gloomy. She raised her hand, grabbed the 9 beads, and thought about throwing them into the recycling bin, but her fingers suddenly paused, feeling somewhat reluctant.

Afterward, Ji You pulled back her hand, reopened Star Network, entered her own store, and decided to list the beads she turned today. As for whether they could sell, she didn’t hold out much hope.

The shop had been open for half a month, and there were just a few handmade beads on the shelves, nothing else, empty. Ji You thought about adding a few more beads to increase the shop’s capacity.

But—

Right upon entering her shop, Ji You felt something amiss.

Here—

Was there some kind of problem? What exactly could it be?

Ji You looked up, examining carefully from left to right, when suddenly, she slapped her thigh in realization. That’s why it all felt so strange!

The few beads she had previously placed on the shelves—

Why were they all gone?

This is odd~

Could it be—

They all sold out?

Impossible.

It’s just not possible.

Ji You stopped pondering and directly opened the backend of her shop. When she looked, hiss—

Hissing in breath, Ji You was full of awe.

This—

They really did sell out.

Which tycoon could it be?

Ji You scrolled through her backend; she had listed a total of 5 bracelets in her shop, all made from grass seed fruits. Because grass seed fruits are very cheap, someone even left a negative review on her shop, causing Ji You’s mood to be extremely sour.

Now, all 5 bracelets had sold out. When Ji You initially listed the bracelets, she had great confidence in her craftsmanship and thus priced them at 20 credit points each. After her shop had been open for a few days without any visitors or buyers, she became doubtful and changed the price to 10 credit points each.

For every bracelet, she had to spend at least 2 hours polishing them. She thought that the pricing at 10 credit points was already very cheap. Yet, as the reviewer who left the bad comment said, the raw material of the bracelet was grass seed fruit, an exceedingly common item not worth much money. Therefore, her pricing seemed outrageous to others...

But now?

They sold... all sold out.