“Hello, I’m back again. Do you still have food to sell?”
Jack took the initiative to greet her.
Ning He nodded. “Yes, but not much left. What would you like?”
Jack let out a sigh of relief. He had rushed over as soon as his shift ended, terrified that everything would be sold out.
“The same as yesterday—meat sauce noodles and salad. Two of each… no, three of each, to go,” Jack said.
“Alright, please wait a moment.”
Ning He quickly packed three boxes of salad, putting in two boxes of mayonnaise and one box of burned chili sauce.
“This green sauce is pretty good, too. You can use lettuce leaves to wrap meat with the sauce spread on top, just like those people over there. It really stimulates the appetite.”
Jack looked toward the opposite side; the faces filled with enjoyment were enough to prove she was not exaggerating.
Thinking of something, he spoke up, “In that case, pack a few extra portions of this sauce separately for me as well. Charge me accordingly.”
Ning He burst into laughter and gave him a thumbs-up. “You really know your stuff!”
Once everything was packed, Jack paid, said goodbye, and walked toward the command post.
Reo was inspecting this area in the afternoon. When Jack came in, he was reviewing today’s surface mission report.
Jack placed a portion of noodles and salad on the table.
“It’s from the same stall as yesterday. Lucky I was fast, or else I wouldn’t have been able to get any.”
Reo set down the file in his hand, glanced at the items on the table, and gave a faint smile.
“That’s thoughtful of you, but there’s no need to go through all this trouble. Eating at the cafeteria is fine for me as well.”
“How could that be the same? The cafeteria serves the exact same few dishes every day—I’m sick to death of them. It’s nice to switch up the flavors once in a while,” Jack said.
“Alright, how much was it? It’s fine for you to treat me once, but I’ll pay for it myself this time,” Reo said.
Knowing his temperament, Jack didn’t push back much and accepted seventy raw coins from Reo.
“Who else did you buy for?” Reo curved his lips as he noticed Jack was still holding two other bags in his hand.
Knowing he couldn’t hide it from him, Jack confessed honestly, “It’s Dean Lightel… It’s inconvenient for the elderly gentleman to come over himself, so I ran an errand for him.”
Reo felt a slight headache coming on.
This old dean was exceptionally stubborn when it came to food.
“Alright, just this once, but don’t let it happen again. Shuttles aren’t meant to be used so casually.” His face tightened slightly with seriousness.
“Yes, Sir!” Jack stood at attention and responded.
“Alright, go on. You’ve worked hard these past two days, get some good rest.”
Jack left shortly after. Reo withdrew his gaze and looked at the takeout on the table, his expression softening slightly.
If he hadn’t misseen, the person outside was indeed her.
It seemed she had recovered.
That was good.
At least it served as an accounting for what happened.
……
Outside the command post, Ning He packed up the last portion of salad dressing and announced that they were closing for the day.
Connie settled the wages for the skewer uncle and the others who had helped, adding an extra five coins to make it a round hundred. Happy with their pay, the group packed up their stalls, bade them farewell, and walked cheerfully toward the adjacent Ring 4 residential settling area to reunite with their families.
While the three were tidying up the stall, the old grandfather who sold braised pig liver suddenly walked over carrying a piece of braised pig liver.
“Thanks to you all, my items sold out as well. Take this bit for you to eat.”
It turned out that after the news spread among diners about how burned chili sauce tasted absolute delicious with meat, many people noticed the old grandfather’s braised pig liver. After trying it, they found it paired exceptionally well, and bit by bit, the old grandfather’s stock was bought up completely.
“You don’t need to be so polite with us, Grandpa. Even without us, the braised pig liver you make would still sell out.” Connie seemed to hold quite a bit of respect for this old man, speaking with extraordinary politeness.
“Heh heh, if you said that in the past, I’d believe it, but now… let’s not dwell on it. Just take it. I’m going to pack up my things and rest, too. When you get old, you need to rest more.”
The old grandfather handed the item over with a chuckle. Connie didn’t refuse any longer, accepting it after expressing her thanks.
“Who is this old man? Why are you being so polite to him?” Ning He leaned in, asking curiously.
Connie very carefully placed the pig liver into a clean box.
“Actually, I’m not that familiar with him either. I just know he used to be an executive chef at a Level 3 restaurant in Ring 1, and his craftsmanship was amazing. But later, for some unknown reason, he lost his sense of taste, so he left the restaurant and moved to Ring 5. In the culinary world, he counts as a major senior to us, so of course we have to show some respect.”
“So that’s how it is.”
An executive chef at a Level 3 restaurant in Ring 1—that must have been an absolute peak existence in the industry.
No wonder he dared to sell such expensive food.
The three finished tidying up the stall, pulled over small stools, and gathered in a corner to open the money box and count their earnings.
“Today’s total revenue is… ten thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight raw coins!”
Connie almost cried out in astonishment, and Ning He couldn’t help but feel secretly delighted as well.
With this number, her share should be quite a bit, right?
“Deducting the cost of ingredients and the wages paid to the uncles, there’s about seven thousand five hundred raw coins remaining. Your two baskets of vegetables count for two hundred, and taking thirty percent of the rest for your share, the total comes to… two thousand four hundred.”
Ning He let out a massive sigh of relief.
Not only was there enough money now, but there would also be plenty left over—life could go on!
Connie was also extremely happy. She and Ah Huai had earned five thousand coins today, which was close to two months of their usual income—it was truly a huge surprise.
Thinking of something, Connie counted out fifteen hundred raw coins from the money box, then pulled an item out from a compartment in the stall cart, handing them over together to Ning He.
“Take these, we’re all clear now.”
Ning He took a look—it was precisely her chef certificate.
“Thanks a lot.”
Ning He put both items away safely. Her hard work hadn’t been in vain after all; there would be no problem with the academy cafeteria now.
“No need to thank me. It was agreed upon in the first place, I’m merely keeping my promise.”
“So what do you two plan to do next?” Ning He asked.
“We’re going to reunite with our family. What about you?” Connie showed a rare moment of care for her.
Ning He burst into laughter. “I’m all on my own, so I’ll just stay right here. Few people around means peace and quiet, no need to queue for the toilet or shower, and it’s close to the command post, so it’s safe.”
Connie nodded. “That works too. Then let’s part ways here.”
“Mm, goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
Connie and Ah Huai pushed the cart toward the Ring 4 passage. Ning He watched their retreating figures, feeling a tiny sense of loss in her heart.
They had cooperated so pleasantly that she truly felt a bit reluctant to part.
Just then, Connie suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around.
“Um…” Her expression looked a bit unnatural, and her eyes avoided meeting Ning He’s directly. “Ah Huai and I haven’t completely mastered these few new dishes yet. Once we get outside, if you’re willing, should we talk about collaborating again?”
Ning He froze for a moment, then grinned widely.
“Sure! No problem!”
Connie raised her eyes to look at her and smiled as well.
“Then… see you after we get outside.”
“Great!”
As Connie’s and Ah Huai’s figures gradually vanished at the end of the passage, Ning He prepared to return to the rest room to get some sleep.
Having been busy the entire day, there wasn’t a single spot on her body that didn’t ache.
“Cough.”
A cough sounded from behind her. Ning He turned her head and saw that it was actually the head chef from Golden Pomelo Restaurant who had come to snatch her ingredients earlier.
Behind him stood several other head chefs from the Ring 3 restaurants—a considerable number of people, making for quite an intimidating presence.
“Can I help you?” Ning He raised an eyebrow.
“Cough, well, there were many misunderstandings earlier. I came to apologize to you, and I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Perhaps because he rarely apologized, the head chef’s smile was somewhat stiff.
“It’s fine. It didn’t stop us from making money anyway, so naturally I won’t take it to heart,” Ning He laughed.
These words sounded fine at first listen, but a closer taste left one feeling awkward. Hearing the sarcastic undertone in Ning He’s words, the chef’s eyelids twitched, yet his face did not turn cold.
This surprised Ning He a little, giving rise to a trace of vigilance in her mind.
Showing unprovoked kindness—there must be a trap!
Sure enough, the very next moment, she heard the other party say:
“Actually, we came looking for you because we’d like to invite you to work at our restaurants. Our few shops are considered somewhat famous in Ring 3. You’re a Level 3 chef and possess such skills—staying in a small restaurant in Ring 4 is truly wasting your talent. Rest assured, as long as you’re willing to join us, the compensation is negotiable.”
Are they here to poach me?
Ning He smiled. “I don’t plan on changing jobs for the time being. As long as I have the skills, money can be earned anywhere—don’t you think so?”
These words were truly a bit arrogant, and the expressions of the head chefs across from her turned rather unsightly.
“Haha, young people really are so confident when they speak. In that case, we won’t force it. However, we’re very interested in the two salad dressings you made and are willing to pay two thousand raw coins to buy the recipe. What do you think?”
Tsk, the fox tail revealed itself so quickly!
“Do I have the word ‘fool’ written on my face?” Ning He rolled her eyes. “You’ve lived to such an age, have you ever seen a chef sell off their exclusive secret recipe? Point one out to me, and I’ll go take a look to see if his head was smashed by a brick.”
What a joke. In this world, a chef with real expertise never had to worry about making money—how could they possibly sell a secret recipe?
It wasn’t that Ning He wasn’t tempted at all, but firstly, she wasn’t that short on money right now; secondly, the price lacked sincerity; and thirdly—most importantly—selling a secret recipe made no logical sense. This group of people was unreliable, and doing so might bring endless future trouble.
Coming to find her alone for a private negotiation was a clear attempt to take advantage of her young age and isolation, ganging up to set a trap for her to fall into.
“I see that you gentlemen are all head chefs with superb craftsmanship. Why don’t you try making it yourselves? Maybe you’ll manage to figure it out, and you can even save two thousand coins! I still have things to do, so I won’t chat with you any longer. Goodbye!”
Lacking the patience to waste words on these people with impure motives, Ning He turned around and walked away, leaving behind a group of people whose faces were as dark as the bottom of a pot.