After finishing the last dumpling, Cheng Lin pushed the bowl aside, grabbed the backpack from the sofa, and headed out the door. Inside the bag were her ID, bank cards, and thick stacks of cash—the heavy weight made her feel especially secure.
She drove her SUV straight to an auto shop in the suburbs. “Boss, I want to rent the largest small truck you’ve got—long range, high load capacity.” She got straight to the point, her tone crisp.
Seeing how straightforward she was, the owner immediately led her to the vehicle. A brand-new blue light truck was parked in the yard, in excellent condition. Cheng Lin took it for a test drive, confirmed that it handled smoothly, then promptly paid a week’s rent. She left her SUV at the auto shop, took the wheel of the truck, and drove straight toward the large wholesale market in the city center.
The market was bustling with noise. Trucks and tricycles moved constantly, and the aromas of various ingredients mixed with the vendors’ calls, full of everyday life. Cheng Lin took a deep breath and headed straight for a seafood stall. Now that she had money, she had to make up for her neglected appetite. In her previous life, she had worked like a beast of burden and never achieved seafood freedom—she had even hesitated to spend on a buffet costing just a few hundred. This life, she would properly treat herself.
“Boss, I’m hosting a banquet—prepare some fresh seafood for me!” She tapped the counter, her voice bright. The vendor’s eyes lit up. “How much does miss want? Everything came in fresh this morning!”
“Sea bass, tuna, basa fish, ribbonfish, squid—three hundred jin each; freshwater shrimp, three hundred jin; crabs, two hundred jin.”
The numbers stunned the vendor for a moment before he broke into a wide grin.
“No problem! I’ll get everything ready—live and freshly caught!”
“And,” Cheng Lin added, “get me a batch of glass tanks and oxygen tubes—enough to hold all this seafood. Make sure they stay alive during delivery.” The vendor agreed immediately and arranged for workers to prepare and pack everything. Cheng Lin paid in full on the spot, took the receipt, and scheduled delivery to her rented temperature-controlled warehouse before 9 a.m. the next morning.
Next came the dried goods section: two hundred jin each of dried squid, dried scallops, and dried abalone—easy to store and carry. At the vegetable stalls, she waved her hand generously—one thousand jin of cabbage; five hundred jin each of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and Lipu taro. The vendor scribbled frantically in his notebook.
At the fruit stalls, the owner had already noticed this big customer and warmly greeted her. “What would you like, miss? Everything was picked fresh in the last two days.”
“Apples, oranges, bananas, pears, pineapples, jackfruit, and durians—one thousand jin each.”
As a durian lover, now that money was not an issue, she naturally had to stock up. Finally, she visited a seed shop, buying one hundred jin each of various vegetable and grain seeds—ample “ammunition” for future planting.
After making a full round—paying, signing, and arranging delivery times—Cheng Lin was so busy her feet barely touched the ground. By the time everything was done, it was already past four in the afternoon. Her stomach growled in protest, and she realized that aside from the morning’s dumplings, she had not eaten anything all day.
“Food comes first,” she muttered, starting the truck and heading straight for the old district. The old street there was filled with authentic long-established eateries—far more reliable than the pre-made dishes in commercial areas.
The stone-paved road of the old street twisted and turned, lined with quaint shops. Cheng Lin parked the truck and entered a place with a sign reading “Old Xi Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant.” The interior was simple but clean, and several veteran chefs worked in the kitchen, the aroma drifting out through the windows.
She chose a large table by the window, picked up the menu, and began ordering directly:
“Sliced pork in chili oil, boiled fish in chili oil, dry-fried green beans, dry-fried tofu, braised pork knuckle, stir-fried three delicacies, cold mixed vegetables, brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, brown sugar ice jelly, plus a pitcher of fresh watermelon juice and a big bowl of rice!”
The server was startled. “Miss, you’re alone—you won’t be able to finish all this!”
“I’ll pack what I can’t finish. No waste,” Cheng Lin said with a smile, waving her hand. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper meal.”
Since it wasn’t peak dining hours, the dishes arrived quickly. In less than half an hour, the table was filled. The chili oil dishes simmered with red oil, the pork tender; the braised knuckle glistened richly without being greasy; the glutinous rice cakes were crisp outside and soft inside, coated in fragrant soybean powder.
Cheng Lin ate heartily, savoring every bite. This was what life should taste like—far better than pre-made meals.
After eating her fill, she let out a satisfied burp and waved to the server. “Miss, prepare one hundred portions of each dish I just ordered, packed. I’ll pick them up at noon tomorrow—it’s for a company gathering.”
The server’s eyes widened, but she quickly wrote everything down. Cheng Lin paid without hesitation, took the receipt, packed the leftovers, and continued strolling along the old street.
At a street corner, the rich aroma from a roast duck restaurant drew her in. She ordered half a set—the crispy skin, tender meat, dipped in sweet bean sauce and wrapped with scallions, cucumber, and pancakes, was fragrant and delicious.
“Not bad,” she praised, then told the owner, “Prepare one hundred sets for takeaway. I’ll pick them up at 12:20 tomorrow—employee benefits.”
Further ahead, an Anhui cuisine restaurant tempted her with its distinctive aromas. She immediately placed orders for one hundred portions each, to be collected at 12:35. Passing a Yangzhou cuisine restaurant, she suddenly craved crab roe buns from her past life, so she ordered five hundred each of crab roe buns, soup buns, and diced buns, plus five hundred servings of crab roe noodles, to be collected at 12:50.
At a Northeastern restaurant, she ordered another one hundred portions of signature dishes, to be picked up at 1 p.m. At Seafood City, she ordered one hundred portions each of multiple seafood dishes—stir-fried crab, scallops with vermicelli, steamed prawns, spicy crab, braised fish, sweet-and-sour fish, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, seafood porridge, and more—scheduled for pickup at 1:30 p.m.
Eating and buying all the way, by the time she finished exploring the old street, it was already eight in the evening. She checked the time and inwardly cried out, “Oh no, I haven’t visited the night market yet!”
Pressed for time, she immediately drove to the food street near University Town. Known for its affordable and authentic snacks, it was a gathering place for students—and a perfect spot for stocking up.
As soon as she entered, the aroma of grilled cold noodles and cumin-spiced skewers filled the air. Cheng Lin went stall by stall, placing orders:
“Grilled cold noodles, grilled gluten, grilled squid, lamb skewers, beef skewers, grilled cod, chicken sausages, savory pancakes, stuffed egg pancakes, cold noodles, sweet potato sheets, beef tendon noodles, and set meals—two hundred portions of each. Deliver to the temperature-controlled warehouse at 10 a.m. tomorrow.”
The vendors beamed at the big order and quickly noted everything down.
She then entered a milk tea shop and ordered one hundred servings each of fresh pearl milk tea, soy milk tea, and specialty milk tea, to be picked up at 10:30 the next morning.
Rubbing her sore arms, Cheng Lin checked the time—it was already 9:30 p.m. She decided to head home.
On the way, she passed a chain bakery that was about to close and immediately rushed in.
“Portuguese egg tarts, corn tarts, cheesecake, rainbow cake, durian cake, cream cake, mousse cake, ice cream cake, and cream puffs of all flavors—fifty of each, packed!”
The staff worked overtime to process the order. Cheng Lin arranged for staggered deliveries to the temperature-controlled warehouse before 5 p.m. the next day to ensure freshness. Only after paying and holding the thick stack of receipts did she finally relax.
By the time she drove back to the villa, it was already 11 p.m. After washing up, she lay on the soft bed, still savoring the lingering flavors of the day’s feast. Then she thought again about how she still hadn’t been able to contact Jiang Yi. Without that “golden thigh” to rely on, she could only push forward on her own. Wanting a carefree retirement life, Cheng Lin felt a hint of gloom.
She touched the jade pendant at her neck and sent Jiang Yi another message:
“Big Boss, I miss you. I’ve stocked up on so much delicious food—you better show up soon, or I’ll eat it all.”
After sending her routine check-in message, she felt satisfied and drifted off to sleep.