Watching the three of them eating together, Shen Ruoran smiled with satisfaction. She patted Zhou Qing on the shoulder and gave her instructions.
“Zhou Qing, you’ve kept the restaurant very clean. This is my ideal place to eat,” Shen Ruoran praised, giving her a high degree of affirmation.
“By the way, serve me a portion as well. Meat, vegetables, and rice—make them all large portions.”
Having slept until evening, Shen Ruoran felt a bit tired and lightheaded. She didn’t feel like deciding what to pull from her space to eat, so she chose to eat in the restaurant. It was time to taste Chef Zhou Qing’s skills.
Hearing that the Building Owner wanted to eat her cooking, Zhou Qing stood up immediately and hurried to the kitchen. She brought the food over, holding the dishes carefully with both hands. Her hand, usually so steady with a spatula, hesitated for a moment, betraying her nervousness.
The Building Owner was going to eat her food; she had no idea what the evaluation would be. These hands had cooked for many chairmen of listed companies and had always received rave reviews. But this time, Zhou Qing lacked confidence. She was afraid Shen Ruoran wouldn’t be satisfied.
In the past, if an employer didn’t like a live-in nanny, she could just find another job after being fired. But now… she had to prove her value here, because going outside meant death.
The exquisite celadon bowl was piled high with large pieces of fresh, tender duck meat, paired with neatly shaped dried bamboo shoots and drizzled with a delicious broth. The bright green vegetables were served with the leaves and stems separated, a thoughtful touch for the diner.
Shen Ruoran, who hadn’t eaten all day, picked up her chopsticks and began to eat heartily. The flavor of the duck meat rivaled that of a top-tier restaurant, and the dried bamboo shoots were soaked in broth, providing a burst of savory satisfaction with every chew.
“Delicious!” Shen Ruoran gave Zhou Qing a thumbs-up. She decided she would come to the restaurant to eat tomorrow as well.
Sitting at the next table, Zhou Qing had been watching Shen Ruoran’s reaction closely. Hearing the praise, she beamed and proactively asked what Shen Ruoran wanted to eat tomorrow so she could prepare in advance.
When restaurant employees bought groceries at the supermarket, the system reimbursed them directly. The spending would be pushed to Shen Ruoran’s system panel, and the pricing for each dish was generated automatically. Additionally, restaurant employees received a significant benefit: free meals.
Based on these two points, as the only restaurant employee at the moment, Zhou Qing could independently decide the daily menu. Shen Ruoran swallowed a mouthful of white rice, ordered a dish of hairy crabs, and left the rest to Zhou Qing’s discretion.
The next morning, Zhou Qing indeed found lively, large, and fat hairy crabs in the fresh food section.
As the four of them sat at a table for lunch, Shen Ruoran cracked open a crab leg and asked as if in passing, “Do any of you know where I can find high-rise buildings that sell clothes?”
“They need to be at least above the sixth floor, and I need all types of clothing.”
In the span of a day and a night, the floodwaters had risen again, reaching the fifth floor. Collecting clothes was an idea inspired by Jia Feifei, who had arrived in a swimsuit. Future survivors coming here would likely be soaked and have a high demand for clothing. Shen Ruoran had previously stocked clothes based on her own preferences; she was lacking men’s, children’s, and elderly clothing, so she needed to find a way to restock.
Jia Feifei, who usually spent her time shopping when she wasn’t working, excitedly put down her chopsticks. She listed the famous clothing stores and designer boutiques in City B, finally producing a list of locations that met the criteria.
Feeling the admiring gazes of the other three, Jia Feifei stuck out her tongue cutely. If this question had been asked the day before, she wouldn’t have cried because she couldn’t answer what she was good at. Thinking back on it now, it was quite embarrassing.
Based on what Jia Feifei said, Shen Ruoran made general markings on the map. She set out in her submarine for the Wantang Building in the commercial district. This location also housed Lai Yecheng, a “Full-function Farmer” identified by the [Character Identification] system, who was worth 120 Wealth points.
Wantang Building was only seven kilometers away and would take about ten minutes to reach. The building was 27 stories high. The 13th and 14th floors focused on men’s clothing, while the 15th and 16th floors were for women’s and children’s wear. According to Jia Feifei, these four floors of clothing stores were all run by the same owner, covering the needs of all age groups. Business was usually excellent, and the owner was known for rotating between driving a Maserati and a Rolls-Royce.
Shen Ruoran controlled the submarine to rise level with the water surface. She circled the building but found no direct way in; every window was locked. With such strong security awareness, there were definitely people inside.
Finding no way in, Shen Ruoran used an axe to smash a glass window. The glass shards scattered across the floor with a loud clattering sound. Avoiding the glass on the ground, she walked inside step by step.
Suspecting there were people in the building, Shen Ruoran felt the elevator was unsafe. She bypassed it and chose to take the stairs. After climbing one flight, she encountered a middle-aged man on guard.
“Where did you come from? I’ve never seen you before.” Wang Chun glared at Shen Ruoran with dissatisfaction, looking at her as if she were a disgusting pest.
Food in the building was limited. An extra person meant one more mouth to compete for their food.
Shen Ruoran was not someone who would let herself be mistreated. She immediately glared back with disdain, placed her hands on her hips defiantly, and snapped back:
“I came by boat. What, is that not allowed? The country hasn’t fallen yet, and you’re already trying to act like a local tyrant? When the rain stops and the water level drops, the police will be coming for people like you with no social conscience first.”
Wang Chun opened his mouth to curse, but Shen Ruoran’s retort left him speechless with embarrassment. He didn’t want to end up on the news.
“Fine, just go up.” Wang Chun moved aside, urging Shen Ruoran to move faster; he didn’t want to look at her for even another second.
Having won the verbal sparring match, Shen Ruoran scoffed. Her combativeness was as sharp as ever.
Once Shen Ruoran was further away, Wang Chun spat a few times in annoyance. Then he let out a sinister laugh. It would be best if this woman blundered into the big boss’s private territory; then he’d get to see a “human waterfall.” How exciting.
Aside from the initial encounter with Wang Chun at the stairwell, Shen Ruoran didn’t see any other guards as she climbed to the 13th floor. She lightened her footsteps and crept out. The 13th floor was filled with dozens of people sleeping on the floor. The refugees here looked grim and hopeless.
All the men’s clothing had been piled into one area, crowded together to leave enough space for the refugees to rest. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Shen Ruoran quietly slipped into the men’s clothing section. She collected all the clothes in the refugees’ blind spots into her space.
Unfortunately, because there were people here, she couldn’t collect everything to her heart’s content.
Shen Ruoran used the same method to go upstairs. The situation on the 14th floor was similar to the 13th. A group of people huddled together, staring blankly out the window at the rain that seemed like it would never stop. At this point, social order was on the brink of collapse.
Huang Xiaoya trembled as she moved closer to Liu Yun, her voice very soft. “Mom, I’m so scared.”