“Hey, why is she back again?”
“Yeah, didn’t they say she went to Central City with that boyfriend of hers? Why come back? Is she here to show off to us again? I’ve been sick of hearing it for a long time!”
“Huh? You guys didn’t know? Qiu Luo broke up with her, and she made a huge fuss and jumped into the river! It was even on the news!”
“For real? She supported Qiu Luo for five whole years—didn’t all that effort just go down the drain?”
“Tch, she did it willingly. Someone like her—how could she be worthy of Qiu Luo? Besides, I heard Qiu Luo gave her all his scholarship money before leaving, so she didn’t lose out either.”
“Tsk, true. Now that Qiu Luo is in Central City, he might catch the eye of some influential figure. How could someone like her ever compete with that?”
Whispers reached Ning He’s ears as she walked into the cafeteria. She heard every word clearly, but she didn’t even bother to give them a reaction.
Over the past few days, lying on an unfamiliar bed, with unfamiliar memories filling her mind and an unfamiliar world outside, she had temporarily become emotionally immune. No person and no event could stir any waves within her anymore.
Ignoring the strange looks around her, she followed the route in her memory to the office area behind the cafeteria, found the General Affairs office, and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” an aged voice called out from inside.
Ning He pushed the door open and stepped in.
“Uncle Wood.”
The old man stopped writing, raised his head, and smiled kindly upon seeing Ning He.
“Ah, Xiao He. Why are you here? How have you been these past few days?”
The original owner of this body jumping into the river had made the intercity news, so Uncle Wood likely knew as well, but he avoided asking directly out of consideration for her feelings. Feeling a touch of genuine care from him, Ning He felt a slight warmth in her heart.
“I’m fine. It’s all in the past.”
Her composure was calm, and Old Wood breathed a sigh of relief.
“So, what are your plans now?”
Ning He’s late father had been on friendly terms with Old Wood, so he naturally hoped everything would go smoothly for her.
Ning He didn’t beat around the bush either and said directly, “I don’t have any other skills besides making food. I’m bothering you today to ask if there are any unleased stalls left in the cafeteria. I’d like to run one again.”
As soon as the news of Qiu Luo being selected by the Central City Mecha Research Institute was confirmed, the original body had eagerly submitted her lease termination application and left the cafeteria while showing off all the way.
Now that Ning He was back, mockery was inevitable. But in this post-apocalyptic world plagued by frequent natural disasters, food was scarce, and jobs that could keep one fed were hard to come by. To survive, she had to make this trip.
Old Wood flipped open his notebook to check, a troubled expression appearing on his face.
“Your previous Grade 3 stall has already been taken over by someone else. Only the Grade 0 counter for the breakfast shift is still vacant. You know that stall—it can only serve grain and flour staples, so you won’t make much money each month.”
Ning He had considered this scenario before coming. Although slightly disappointed, she accepted it quickly.
“I understand. A Grade 0 counter is fine. As long as I meet the assessment requirements, I can upgrade it later.”
Seeing her optimistic attitude, Old Wood felt relieved.
“Alright, then I’ll fill it in for you. Leasing the stall requires a deposit of five hundred Yuan. Go pay it at the finance department, and you can start work early next month.”
Ning He paused for a moment and asked:
“Uncle Wood, when is the latest I can pay the deposit?”
Old Wood paused for a moment before realizing what she meant.
“No one is currently lined up to rent this counter, so I can hold it for you until the end of the month. If you don’t have enough money, I can advance it for you.”
Ning He shook her head. “It’s alright, there are still about ten days left. I’ll figure out a way myself, and if it really doesn’t work out, I’ll ask for your help.”
Five hundred Yuan was no small sum. Old Wood had a family to support and wasn’t wealthy himself, so it was better for her to figure something out on her own.
Old Wood didn’t press further either.
“Mm, don’t rush. If it comes to it, just let me know. Don’t be formal with me.”
Ning He nodded. “Thank you, Uncle Wood.”
Leaving the office, Ning He paid no mind to the surrounding mockery and gossip, keeping her back straight as she walked out of the cafeteria.
The Mecha Academy was the most important institution in Beiluo City, located in the center of the Inner Ring, whereas Ning He’s rented apartment was far away in the Fourth Ring.
Taking the cross-city light rail, high city walls separating each ring flashed past Ning He’s eyes from time to time. The further toward the outer city, the greyer and more crowded the buildings became, and the murkier the air grew.
In the apocalypse, survivors were divided into social strata, and the original owner’s current situation was dire.
The boyfriend she had exhausted all her savings to support had run off, her jump into the river had made the news, and she was surrounded by gloating ridicule. More importantly, she only had one thousand Yuan left in her bank account. That could have lasted her a while, but yesterday the property management company deducted her quarterly rent and utility fees, leaving her with a mere three hundred Yuan in the blink of an eye.
Even putting food on the table had become a problem.
Half an hour later, Ning He got off the light rail.
After walking a short distance toward home, an enticing aroma of food suddenly drifted through the air.
Ning He glanced around and realized she had reached the community market.
There was a school nearby, as well as a small industrial zone. At this hour, school was letting out and factory shifts were changing, causing the crowd on the street to visibly grow. Snack stalls and small eateries were beginning to solicit customers.
As the long-absent aroma of food wafted over, Ning He’s mouth began to salivate uncontrollably.
Ever since she arrived here, all she had eaten was thick powder slurry, and she hadn’t had a proper meal yet.
“Crispy and fragrant fried potato chips!”
“Three Yuan for an egg pancake, a super great deal!”
“Vegetable pancakes for sale! Filled with spinach, cabbage, and carrot!”
“Fried noodles! Deliciously fragrant chili fried noodles!”
The small stalls all sold fried items, with offerings combining grain, flour, and vegetables. A red label was stuck to the side of these stalls, displaying the number “1”.
Only the stall selling egg pancakes bore the number “2”.
From the original owner’s incomplete memories, Ning He knew that chefs and restaurants in this world were strictly categorized into grades.
Grade 0 meant one could only handle grain and flour staples, Grade 1 meant one could handle vegetables and soy products, Grade 2 could handle eggs, and Grade 3 could cook meat. The original body had been a Grade 3 chef; as for higher grades, there seemed to be no information in her memory.
This bustling scene, bearing a subtle resemblance to her past life, captivated Ning He slightly. But before she could take a few more deep breaths of this rare lively atmosphere, someone tapped her on the shoulder, and a woman’s sharp voice came from behind.
“I’ve been looking for you for days! Where have you been? Hurry up and come with me, I have something to tell you.”
Before Ning He could react, the woman grabbed her arm and led her toward a noodle shop diagonally across the street.
The noodle shop’s decor was considered among the finest in the market, though it merely had neat and clean tables and chairs, with walls painted in a rare combination of white and green.
A prominent number “3” hung on the sign at the noodle shop’s entrance, signaling that it was a Grade 3 restaurant allowed to serve meat.
Ning He was pulled into the kitchen at the back of the noodle shop. The rush of heat that hit her face made her momentarily dazed, and before she could regain her senses, something was shoved into her arms.
“We agreed before to rent your Grade 3 Chef Certificate for one thousand Yuan a year. Now that you’re not going to Central City, this deal isn’t safe anymore. I’m returning the certificate to you, so return the money to me. You’ve had it for less than a month in total, so I’ll take a small loss—just return nine hundred.”
Ning He opened her mouth and looked at the chef qualification certificate in her hands, a previously overlooked memory surging up from her mind.
Great, so that was where the one thousand Yuan in her account came from!
“Um… I don’t have the money right now… Can I write you an IOU?” Ning He asked, feeling unusually guilty.
The woman was in her early thirties with long brown hair and delicate features, though her expression was somewhat fierce. Upon hearing Ning He’s response, her expression instantly darkened. “No money? Someone as impressive as you, earning one or two thousand Yuan a month at the academy cafeteria and walking around with your chin in the air—you have no money? Are you pulling my leg?”
Ning He licked her lips, her voice somewhat dry.
“I really don’t have the money. It’s all spent.”
“Spent? Where did you spend—” The woman seemed to remember something and cut her words short. She scrutinized Ning He up and down with a look of suspicion. “Was that person who jumped into the river on the news a few days ago really you?”
Ning He gritted her teeth and nodded, crying out silently in her heart:
*That was the foolish thing the original owner did, not me!*
The woman’s expression softened slightly, and she snatched the chef certificate back from Ning He’s arms, speaking reluctantly: “In that case, the certificate stays with me. Come redeem it whenever you have the money. Don’t go blurting this out to anyone outside!”
Leaving the noodle shop, Ning He’s brows knit tightly together.
Renting the academy stall also required a chef certificate, which meant she had to gather fourteen hundred Yuan before the end of the month.
In an era where average monthly wages were only seven to eight hundred Yuan, where was she going to get that much money?
Just as Ning He was fretting, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in her head:
“Host, crops in the experimental plot have matured. Please harvest them promptly.”