Mi Beibei stood beneath the shade of a tree at the entrance of her apartment complex, eagerly watching the people coming and going, hoping to make a few more sales.
But she soon discovered that her earlier stroke of luck had been nothing more than a fleeting moment.
From the rush-hour crowds after work until two o’clock in the afternoon, when the blazing sun hung high in the sky, the bustling street gradually emptied until it became quiet and deserted.
For more than two hours, Mi Beibei stood rooted in place like a tree, faithfully guarding her tiny “stall.”
Her throat had long since become hoarse. Every time she called out to attract customers, it felt as though sandpaper were scraping against her throat. Even so, she gritted her teeth and shouted over and over,
“Instant noodles! Self-heating meals! Cheap prices! They’re near expiration, but I guarantee they haven’t expired!”
The only response she received was the occasional curious glance and far more indifferent backs as people walked away.
Several middle-aged women carrying grocery baskets and chatting cheerfully happened to pass by. Attracted by her tired voice, they slowly walked over.
They stood in front of her goods, looking over the instant noodles and self-heating meals one by one while quietly discussing them among themselves.
Seeing this, Mi Beibei quickly stepped forward. She forced a warm smile onto her face, though her nervousness was impossible to hide.
“Aunties, these are all near-expiration foods. They’re really affordable. Although they’re close to their expiration dates, they’re still well within the shelf life. They’re perfectly safe to eat and all produced by legitimate manufacturers.”
However, the words “near expiration” seemed almost like a curse.
The moment the women heard them, the curiosity on their faces instantly turned into hesitation.
One elderly woman with gray hair and reading glasses frowned slightly as she gently put the self-heating meal back on the ground.
She clicked her tongue and said worriedly,
“They’re near expiration? That doesn’t sound very reassuring. What if someone gets sick after eating them? Going to the hospital would cost far more than the money you’d save.”
Another slightly plump woman wearing a floral blouse immediately nodded in agreement. Shaking her head, she tugged on her companion’s arm.
“Exactly. At our age, we can’t take that kind of risk. We’d rather buy fresh ones from the supermarket for peace of mind.”
With that, the women leisurely walked away, leaving Mi Beibei standing there with a face full of disappointment.
Her feet had gone numb from standing for so long.
Her stomach began growling loudly, followed by waves of painful cramps.
Looking at the pile of instant noodles and self-heating meals that had barely been touched, all the joy she had felt earlier had completely disappeared, replaced by frustration and disappointment.
With no other choice, she bent over and mechanically packed everything back into the large shopping bag, one item at a time.
Every movement reflected her exhaustion and unwillingness to give up.
Dragging her heavy feet, Mi Beibei finally made it home.
The moment she stepped inside, it was as if all the strength had left her body.
She loosened her grip, allowing the large bag to fall to the floor with a loud thud.
Her legs felt as heavy as lead.
Each step required all the strength she had left.
She barely managed to reach the sofa before collapsing onto it like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
She sat there in a daze.
Her stomach cramped again and again, the sharp pain constantly reminding her that she needed to eat.
But the disappointment from her failed attempt at selling overwhelmed her.
Those negative emotions surged over her like raging waves, leaving her with no energy to care about her hunger.
She simply sat there like a lifeless statue.
Time seemed to stand still.
After who knew how long, she finally reached for her phone.
She hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all morning.
Now her stomach was fiercely protesting.
It churned violently, and sour acid rose into her throat, threatening to make her vomit at any moment.
“If I don’t eat something soon, my stomach is really going to develop problems. I can’t afford to get sick now. I don’t even have money to see a doctor.”
She muttered bitterly to herself.
Forcing her weak body to stand, she slowly walked toward the refrigerator.
When she opened the refrigerator door, a blast of cold air greeted her.
Inside, however, there were only two lonely potatoes resting on the pale white shelf.
They silently testified to just how difficult her life had become.
She stared blankly at them for quite some time before sighing helplessly and closing the refrigerator.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the large shopping bag she had left near the entrance.
After hesitating for a moment, she slowly walked over and picked up a pack of instant noodles.
Then she paused.
After thinking for a while, she put the instant noodles back and instead took out one self-heating meal.
“Boss Wang gave me one for free today. I’ll just treat it as giving myself a slightly better meal… a small reward for working so hard all morning.”
She quietly muttered to herself, trying to comfort herself and ease the bitterness in her heart.
Holding the teriyaki chicken leg flavored self-heating meal, Mi Beibei awkwardly tore open the packaging.
She carefully read the instruction manual, studying every word as though it were an important document.
Following the instructions, she placed the heating pack and rice into the container, carefully added water, and finally closed the lid.
Leaning back in her chair, she let out a long sigh.
Then she suddenly slapped her forehead.
She had forgotten to add the seasoning pouch.
Looking at the self-heating meal, which had already begun producing steam, she hesitated.
In the end, she decided not to open the lid, worried that releasing the heat would affect the final taste.
She picked up the seasoning pouch and curiously examined it over and over.
Aside from a plain logo printed on the package, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.
This was actually her first time eating a self-heating meal.
Whenever she had seen them on supermarket shelves before, the price of over ten yuan had always discouraged her.
To her, self-heating meals were practically luxury items.
Rather than spending that much money on one meal, she’d rather buy a piece of fresh meat and cook at home.
That way, she could make several filling meals instead.
While her thoughts wandered, the sizzling sounds from the self-heating meal gradually faded.
The steam slowly dissipated.
Snapping back to reality, Mi Beibei carefully lifted the lid.
A cloud of hot steam immediately rose into the air.
Looking at the steaming rice, anticipation flashed across her eyes.
She carefully tore open the seasoning pouch and poured all the contents over the rice.
Then she picked up the disposable spoon and eagerly stirred everything together.
As she mixed it, several attractive-looking chunks of meat appeared among the rice.
Her throat moved involuntarily as she swallowed.
The sound echoed clearly through the silent room.
It had been over a month since she had last tasted meat.
At that moment, those few pieces of meat felt like the greatest delicacy in the world.
They were one of the few comforts life had given her.
Unable to wait any longer, she scooped up a spoonful of rice and put it into her mouth.
The rice wasn’t nearly as soft or fragrant as freshly steamed rice.
But driven by hunger, it tasted surprisingly delicious.
Every bite brought a little comfort to her empty stomach.
Mi Beibei devoured the meal, stuffing spoonful after spoonful into her mouth.
Before long, she had completely finished the entire box.
Leaning back against the chair, she gently rubbed her still half-empty stomach and sighed softly.
“The portion is too small. It’s nowhere near enough to fill me up.”
Even so, she had no intention of eating anything else.
Her eyes shifted toward the shopping bag beside her.
Inside were the remaining instant noodles and self-heating meals.
“I’ll save them. Maybe I’ll go back out later and set up my stall again. If I’m lucky, I might sell some. Maybe people getting off work tonight will buy them.”
She silently encouraged herself.
Mi Beibei cleaned up the empty container and disposable spoon before gathering the trash together.
Afterward, she realized just how thirsty she was.
She hurried over to the kettle, poured herself a full glass of water, and drank it down in huge gulps.
The cool water slid down her throat and into her stomach.
Only then did the hollow, uncomfortable feeling inside her ease slightly, making her feel alive again.
After finishing the water, she instinctively looked up at the wall clock.
The hour hand was already approaching four o’clock.
“Time really flies.”
She sighed inwardly.
After thinking for a moment, she walked into the kitchen and searched through a corner until she found several plastic food bags she had previously bought to use as garbage bags.
Her eyes then landed on a cardboard delivery box she had planned to save and sell as scrap once she had collected enough.
She quickly walked over, crouched down, and skillfully flattened the box.
Taking a marker from a drawer, she carefully wrote in large characters:
“Near-Expiration Instant Noodles & Self-Heating Meals — Clearance Sale.”
The handwriting wasn’t pretty.
The letters were crooked and uneven.
But they reflected her sincerity and determination.
After finishing the sign, she picked up the bag containing the instant noodles and self-heating meals and returned to the entrance of the apartment complex.
Choosing a conspicuous spot, she squatted down and neatly arranged all the products on the ground.
Then she firmly propped the handmade cardboard sign beside them.
Standing up, she brushed the dust from her clothes and looked at her little stall.
Taking a deep breath, she silently prayed that this time luck would finally be on her side and that she would be able to sell a little more.