The account closing process went smoothly. The teller promised that the funds would be deposited within three working days.
It wasn’t even 5:00 PM when she left the office, so Qiao Xin drove to a Hunan-style restaurant where she and Lin Qing had been regulars. The owner greeted her warmly the moment she stepped through the door. “Miss Qiao! You’re here. What would you like today?”
“Hello, Boss. Give me an order of braised pork ribs, an order of Mao Xue Wang (spicy blood curd stew), and a bowl of rice. Also, could you let me see the menu?” Qiao Xin said, heading to her usual table by the window.
“Of course. One moment, your food will be out shortly.” The owner handed her a menu so she could look it over at her leisure.
Qiao Xin scanned the items. Setting aside a few simple stir-fried vegetables and cold appetizers, she ordered fifty portions of everything else. The owner’s jaw dropped in genuine shock.
“Miss Qiao, are you sure you want that many?”
Qiao Xin smiled and nodded. “Boss, please have everything packed in takeaway containers and put into insulated coolers. I can come back in batches to pick them up—let your chefs cook them in rounds. It wouldn’t taste good if they went cold.” She paused. “Let me know the total, and I’ll transfer the payment. Also, these are being sent to a construction site, so please make sure the portions are generous. Don’t forget to include the rice.”
The owner’s face lit up. “Yes, ma’am! Take your time. You can count on the quality, and our portions are the most generous on this street.”
With the dinner rush still a while off, Qiao Xin finished her meal quickly. A server approached to say that the first batch was ready and asked for her van keys so they could load it for her.
Qiao Xin stood up. “I’m finished, too. Help me pack these up, and I’ll move the van a bit closer.”
As the kitchen staff loaded the containers, they recited the menu: “Miss Qiao, these two boxes are red-braised pork, these two are garlic-fried ribs, this is steamed sea bass, these are Sixi meatballs, Dongpo pork knuckles, spicy chicken, stir-fried beef, ‘ants climbing a tree’ (glass noodles), eggplant with beans, dry-fried cauliflower… and these last two are the rice.”
“Perfect, thank you for your hard work.” Qiao Xin locked the van and drove two streets over to the snack district. At the corner was a “Honey Ice City” franchise. She parked and ordered one hundred lemonades, half iced and half without. She knew their lemonade was the best; she already had nearly a thousand cups of milk tea stockpiled from last night, but she still needed to buy some milk tea powder.
She paid four hundred yuan and asked them to start the order before heading to a nearby deli. She picked up ten each of braised pig trotters, pork knuckles, pig head meat, and pig ears; ten jin each of braised beef and beef tendon; twenty each of braised chicken and salt-baked duck; and ten jin each of chicken legs, duck legs, and duck frames.
She wanted even more, but the prices were steep; she realized she could make these herself eventually. Even so, this haul cost her four thousand yuan.
After it was packed, she had the clerk help load it into the van. She grabbed the twenty cups of lemonade that were ready and told the clerk she would be back for the rest.
She shuttled back and forth to the Hunan restaurant several times to collect the rest of her order: stir-fried pork kidneys, fish in pickled mustard green soup, chopped chili fish head, cured meat with tea tree mushrooms, stir-fried pork, soy-braised duck, Mao Xue Wang, farmhouse-style stir-fried pork, egg-fried waipo vegetables, dried radish with cured meat, green beans with cured meat, red-oil braised bamboo shoots, deep-fried meatballs…
Once she had collected everything, she made one last stop at a bakery to clear out their current stock of cakes, breads, and cookies. She also pre-ordered one hundred birthday cakes, asking them to call her once they were ready tomorrow.
It was just before 9:00 PM when she got home. She was exhausted and took a lightning-fast shower. She tallied her expenses for the day: 51,000 for fruit, 8,000 for vegetables, 18,000 for the restaurant takeout, 4,000 for deli items, plus various odds and ends. It totaled 81,760 yuan. Adding the 9,000 yuan from last night’s snacks and milk tea, she had spent a total of 90,760 yuan.
She pulled out a duck frame, sat on the sofa, and began browsing for toiletries online; she knew buying them in bulk would be much more cost-effective.
Shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, laundry detergent, and powder—she ordered the largest sizes available. She found ten different vendors and placed separate orders, fifty units from each. These were things they would need for a lifetime; the more, the better. There was no skimping here.
Toothbrushes, towels, facial towels, slippers, bath towels, and soap—she calculated the dosage carefully and didn’t overdo it. Just enough to be practical.
Tissues, toilet paper, and sanitary napkins—she ordered five hundred packs of each. Life without these was truly unthinkable; she had to stockpile these heavily.
Facial cleanser, face cream, toner, emulsion, serum, sunscreen, and lip balm—calculating a full set for two months, she bought four hundred sets. She stuck to brands that were both affordable and effective, skipping anything from big-name labels or individual items that exceeded fifty yuan.
She still ordered three sets of makeup, just in case; it would be heartbreaking to need something and not have it.
She also picked out bedding: four-piece sets, vintage-style oversized sheets, pillows, pillowcases, down comforters, and silk quilts. She bought ten sets of modern designs and twenty vintage ones, confident that they would last them for years.
Then came the milk tea powder, various semi-finished ingredients, straws, and cups.
She processed the orders one by one, checking the total… 144,522 yuan. Qiao Xin’s eyes widened like copper bells, but she let out a long sigh of relief. These were necessities that would last a lifetime; it wasn’t much at all. I’m just too used to being frugal, she thought, before decisively confirming the payment. She messaged each vendor, urging them to arrange shipping as soon as possible.
The replies were almost instantaneous: “Of course, dear! We’ll arrange it for you right away. We guarantee the fastest shipping possible.”
With that settled, Qiao Xin finally had time to eat a duck frame. The sweet and spicy flavor was delicious—she realized she should buy spices to make more herself.
She pulled up her phone again, hunting for spice packs: mala, five-spice, aged master stocks, hot pot bases, pickled fish, boiled fish, spicy crawfish, dapanji (big plate chicken), spicy chicken, red-braised pork, Lao Gan Ma, beef sauce, rice accompaniments, and various other sauces. Whatever caught her eye, she ordered two to five hundred packs of each.
Once she started browsing food, the platform’s algorithm bombarded her with recommendations. Before she knew it, she had ordered a mountain of snacks—everything in batches of at least fifty: potato chips, sunflower seeds, candies, instant noodles, dried fruits, biscuits, pastries, cakes, latiao… if you could imagine it, the internet had it. After picking and choosing, she had over a hundred varieties in her cart.
She paid 98,900 yuan.
She kept scrolling, comparing prices. Underwear, boxer briefs, and panties—five hundred of each. Thermal base layers (thin, thick, and fleece-lined), sweaters, and fleece-lined leggings—fifty of each. These weren’t disposable, so that was more than enough.
She looked at vintage-style clothing for men and women. She didn’t know which dynasty she was transmigrating to, so she bought ten sets of vintage long-sleeved shirts and trousers for both her and Lin Qing. She wasn’t picky about the style, just the fabric—it had to be breathable and comfortable.
She realized Lin Qing’s current body was in his youth, and she didn’t know what state she would be in herself, so she bought every size just to be safe.
She chose sneakers and flats, buying fifty pairs for each size. For other shoes, she knew a specialized market she could visit later.
Modern down jackets would definitely be useless there. Since she’d already bought thermal layers, she added down vests, down liners, down trousers, and comfortable, convenient athletic wear. With a few more clicks, the orders were paid for in one go.
Then came the small essentials: oversized thermoses, insulated cups, water canteens, flashlights, batteries, solar lights, solar power banks, handheld fans, rain boots, raincoats, various tapes, scissors, nail clippers, pens, calligraphy brushes, ink, paper, and more. Anything she deemed useful was added to the list.
It was surprising how expensive these small items and clothes were. Her savings dipped by another 53,590 yuan.