Chapter 3: Jijang Mall

Rows of neatly displayed products and price tags filled the rectangular screen.

It looked exactly like an online shopping mall.

Even the products and user interface were identical to a website Yeonhee had frequently used in her previous life.

"What is this? Jijang... Mall?"

For a moment, she was bewildered by the unfamiliar site name.

Then a conversation she'd once had with her mother flashed through her mind.

“Yeonhee, do you know where the saying ‘Even a small good deed returns as a great blessing’ comes from?”

“Santa Claus?”

“That's from ‘You Better Not Cry.’ This saying comes from the teachings of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.”

Her mother had explained that when Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vowed to save all those suffering in hell, everyone had said it was impossible.

A person's fate was determined by the karma they themselves had created.

How could anyone erase all those sins?

Yet the compassionate Bodhisattva had vowed that if even the tiniest speck of goodness remained in a person's heart, he would never give up on them and would gladly help them.

Perhaps this "Jijang Mall" was some kind of systemized version of that help.

A way of encouraging people not to give up on living virtuously, no matter how difficult life became.

Wait a minute!

Could this be connected to that notification I saw earlier?

The one that had appeared after she shared her porridge with her siblings.

It definitely said something about completing a Good Deed (Minor).

Yeonhee's heart began racing.

Glancing around to make sure her siblings weren't paying attention, she discreetly scrolled down the page.

At the very bottom, she found a small banner.

Current Points: 6 pt

Jijang Mall User Guide

• Products sold within Jijang Mall can only be purchased using Good Deed Points.
• Good Deed Points are earned whenever you perform altruistic actions.
• The number of points awarded varies according to the significance of the good deed.
• Product prices are based on modern-era market values.
• 1 point ≈ 1,000 won.
• Purchasing items that do not exist in the current era may incur additional fees depending on their influence on history.

© Ksitigarbha Corp. ∞ All Rights Reserved.

"Holy crap. This is insane."

I really get points for doing good deeds?

And she could freely purchase modern goods with those points?

"Then of course I'll live a virtuous life!"

"I'll become an angel descended upon the earth!"

Yeonhee silently celebrated.

For the first time, her mother's words—that kindness never truly went unrewarded—felt real.

With this, rebuilding the family might actually be possible!

Although they were currently exiles, there was still hope for her father.

If there had truly been evidence of treason, he would have been executed rather than merely exiled.

I need to accumulate achievements here and make sure Father's good deeds are reported to the court.

If enough merit is recognized, even the Emperor will have no choice but to issue a pardon.

How could an exiled criminal build merit?

Actually, there were several ways.

She could leave behind a masterpiece that would be remembered throughout history, much like the scholar Jeong Yak-yong, who was eventually pardoned after years of exile.

Or she could follow the example of Fan Zhongyan of the Northern Song and save tens of thousands from famine through large-scale relief projects.

As a last resort...

There was always the example of the legendary Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

Though that method required the nation itself to be on the brink of collapse, which she would rather avoid.

The Fan Zhongyan route is definitely the most practical.

Build systems to prevent famine.

Save the people.

Earn public support.

Leave her name in history.

And enjoy something that felt suspiciously like playing a city-building simulation game.

That's three benefits at once. No way I'm passing that up.

Of course, all of that required enormous amounts of money.

The So family, stripped of all their assets, could hardly dream of funding relief efforts.

That was probably why even her wise father had never dared attempt such a thing.

But I have the Good Deed Point System and Jijang Mall.

Through Ksitigarbha's compassion, virtue and wealth had become one.

How could I not do good deeds?

A smile spread across her face.

"All right."

"Let's see what kinds of products are available."

Claiming she was tired, Yeonhee sent her siblings away and firmly shut the door.

Then she reopened Jijang Mall.

If she was going to rely on this ability, she wanted to understand it thoroughly.

And it would be nice if I could buy something useful right away.

The family's rice jar was almost empty.

Aside from that, they had only a few wilted vegetables and some seasonings left.

Considering everyone's poor health, meat was desperately needed.

Unfortunately, she wasn't very optimistic.

Meat is expensive these days.

Sure enough, a package of fresh beef cost 12 points, far beyond her budget.

Canned ham was even more expensive.

Apparently, historical influence fees greatly affected pricing.

“Potatoes are 20 points per kilogram? That's almost three times the supermarket price!”

Granted, potatoes were practically a cheat item in historical fantasy novels.

Filling, productive, and absurdly efficient to farm.

No choice. I'll have to wait until next year's planting season.

Once planted, potatoes multiplied almost endlessly.

Buying them repeatedly with points would be ridiculous.

Of course, some items were much cheaper because they already existed in this world.

For example:

Radishes.

Large radishes cost only 2 points each.

A true angel among vegetables.

“Oh, as expected of a commoner's crop. The cost-performance ratio is amazing.”

Autumn radishes were sweet, nutritious, and filling.

After a moment's thought, Yeonhee purchased one.

Immediately—

Thunk!

A fairly large cardboard box suddenly materialized out of thin air and dropped onto the floor beside her.

“Wow. This is literally instant delivery.”

The item had arrived the moment she ordered it.

Calling it "rocket delivery" almost felt inadequate.

At this speed, it should be called light-speed delivery.

Grinning, she opened the box.

Inside sat a single giant radish.

No padding.

No packaging.

Just the radish.

“Yep. This weirdly lazy oversized packaging is exactly their style.”

After removing the radish, she examined the box.

She had half expected it to disappear afterward.

Fortunately, it remained.

“Oh? This could actually make decent insulation.”

The Great Jin Empire seemed to be modeled after ancient China.

Which meant there was no underfloor heating.

At night, cold air seeped up from the floor and chilled their backs.

Didn't they make cardboard beds for the Tokyo Olympics?

If I save enough of these boxes, they'll definitely be useful.

At the very least, it would be warmer than sleeping directly on a straw mat spread over the floor.

Carefully, she folded the box and stored it in a corner.

“Now then... what do I do with this radish?”

The easiest answer was soup.

But making radish soup with nothing but water and radishes was hardly appealing.

It wouldn't be much different from boiling random vegetables.

“Nope. Looks like I'll have to get the meat myself.”

After all...

Meat was meat.

Placing her hands on her hips, Yeonhee shrugged.

It was finally time to put her skills to work.

* * *

Qingyang County.

A frontier city surrounded by steep mountain ranges.

And within it, Mangok Village—a tiny settlement hidden deep among the most remote valleys.

How could people raised in luxury in the capital possibly survive after being exiled to a place like this?

If they don't freeze to death or starve to death, they'll be lucky.

There was a reason exile was often considered a "gentle form of execution" in the Great Jin Empire.

Those unable to adapt quickly perished.

And in that regard...

The So family had been truly blessed.

Because So Yeonhee happened to possess expert knowledge in exactly that area.

After organizing her thoughts, she hurriedly gathered her siblings.

“What? You're going to catch fish using soybean paste?”

“Technically it's doenjang.”

Just moments ago she had sent them away because she was tired.

Now she'd suddenly called them back together.

Naturally, they wondered what she was talking about.

Had the mushroom poison not fully left her system yet?

The So children scratched their heads as they looked at Yeonhee, whose entire demeanor had changed within the span of a single hour.