After tidying up the room, Song Kening was so hungry that her stomach felt like it was stuck to her back.
Since last night, all she’d had was one bag of bread that was about to expire and one cup of instant noodles.
She rubbed her stomach and turned to Lu Zhiyu.
“Come on. Let’s get something to eat first.”
Lu Zhiyu was standing by the window, looking at the bustling alley below.
Hearing her, he turned around and nodded.
The two went downstairs and walked out of the alley.
It was lunchtime, and the streets were even busier.
The fast-food restaurants were packed with people.
Workers in all kinds of uniforms carried trays around looking for seats, while others lined up outside waiting for their food to be packed.
The aromas of stir-fried rice noodles, clay-pot rice, pork rice, and all kinds of other dishes mixed together and filled the air.
Song Kening looked around.
Her eyes landed on a small shop.
It wasn’t very big.
A simple sign stood outside, with yellow characters against a red background:
Yunfu Stone-Ground Rice Rolls.
There were only four or five tables inside, all occupied.
A few people were also waiting in line outside.
“This one!” Song Kening said.
There weren’t many people in line, so it was soon their turn.
Behind the counter was a woman in her forties wearing an apron.
She was quick and efficient.
When they approached, she asked in Mandarin with a Cantonese accent,
“Pretty girl, what would you like?”
Song Kening looked up at the menu.
Plain rice rolls: 3.5 yuan.
Egg rice rolls: 4 yuan.
Meat rice rolls: 6 yuan.
Egg and meat rice rolls: 7 yuan.
Soy milk: free.
She answered without hesitation,
“Two plain rice rolls.”
The auntie looked at her, then at Lu Zhiyu standing behind her.
“Okay! Two plain rice rolls. Help yourselves to the soy milk over there.”
The shop was tiny.
The tables were packed closely together, and the stools were made of plastic.
When Lu Zhiyu sat down, his legs were so long that his knees almost hit the table legs.
He had to turn slightly to the side before he could sit somewhat comfortably.
The soy milk was kept in an insulated container, with a stack of disposable cups beside it.
Song Kening poured two cups and brought them back.
She placed one in front of Lu Zhiyu.
“Drink. It’s free.”
Lu Zhiyu picked up the cup and took a sip.
The flavor was light, and the sweetness was mild, but the soy aroma was rich.
It was obviously freshly ground.
Song Kening took a sip and smacked her lips.
“This soy milk is pretty good. It tastes better than the stuff from the supermarket.”
The rice rolls arrived soon after.
They were served on two white plates, with a thin layer of soy sauce covering the bottom.
The neatly rolled rice rolls rested on top, sprinkled with a few chopped scallions.
Song Kening picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of rice roll, blew on it, and popped it into her mouth.
The rice roll was thin and smooth, with the fragrance of rice and the savory saltiness of soy sauce.
It practically melted in her mouth.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
“It’s delicious!”
Her words were slightly muffled by the food.
Seeing how satisfied she looked, Lu Zhiyu picked up his chopsticks and tried a piece as well.
It really was good.
The rice rolls were authentic—thin enough to be almost translucent, smooth without being greasy, with soy sauce seasoned just right.
Although there was no meat or egg, the pure fragrance of rice stood out even more.
Song Kening ate quickly.
Before long, her plate was completely empty.
She took a few more sips of soy milk, leaned back in her chair contentedly, and let out a long breath.
“I’m alive again.”
Lu Zhiyu had finished his food as well.
He put down his chopsticks and slowly drank his soy milk.
Song Kening looked at him and suddenly asked,
“Lu Zhiyu, you think these rice rolls are pretty good too, don’t you?”
Lu Zhiyu raised his eyes to look at her but said nothing.
Song Kening smiled.
“It’s easy to go from frugal to extravagant and hard to go back. But it’s the same the other way around. When you’re hungry, everything tastes good.”
Lu Zhiyu lowered his eyes and continued drinking his soy milk.
Song Kening’s smile faded.
She took out her phone from her canvas bag and checked her WeChat balance.
Lu Zhiyu had previously transferred all the remaining cash to her so she could manage their expenses.
“1,833 yuan.”
She sighed.
“That’s all we have left.”
Lu Zhiyu suddenly said,
“We can’t even afford a mattress.”
Song Kening looked up at him, a hint of pride in her eyes.
“Who said we’re buying a new one?”
“For 500 yuan, I can get everything we need.”
She smiled confidently.
“Don’t worry. I’ll save money and support you.”
Lu Zhiyu looked at her.
For some reason, he suddenly felt that he couldn’t understand this woman at all.
Five hundred yuan…
She could set up an entire home with that?
By then, Song Kening had already stood up.
He had no choice but to stand as well and follow behind her.
There were fewer pedestrians on the street now.
The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly, and waves of heat rose from the pavement.
Song Kening walked ahead.
Her hair was tied into a neat bun, exposing her fair nape.
The hem of her floral dress swayed gently with every step.
She walked slowly, looking around as though searching for something.
“What are you looking for?” Lu Zhiyu asked.
Without turning around, Song Kening answered,
“Buildings.”
Lu Zhiyu frowned.
“Buildings?”
Song Kening finally turned around to explain.
“Some people leave Yangcheng and can’t take their furniture with them, so they sell everything cheaply. They’ll put up notices downstairs or ask the landlord to post them.”
She pointed toward a nearby building.
“Look. Like that.”
Lu Zhiyu followed her gaze.
A printed sheet of A4 paper was posted on the wall.
Moving Sale—Refrigerator, TV, Sofa, and Other Furniture for Cheap.
A phone number was printed underneath.
Song Kening looked at it and shook her head.
“It’s too far. It’s at the other end of the alley. It’d take us more than ten minutes to walk there.”
“Let’s look around here first.”
She continued forward, scanning the walls, utility poles, and bulletin boards of every building.
Lu Zhiyu followed behind her.
Watching how focused she was, he couldn’t help asking,
“How did you get so good at living on so little?”
Song Kening’s steps paused slightly.
As though anyone actually wanted to live a hard life.
She continued walking without turning around, her voice full of helplessness.
“You think I want to? I don’t have a choice.”
Lu Zhiyu was silent for several seconds before asking again,
“After you were adopted, didn’t you live in a mansion?”
Song Kening froze.
Adopted?
Right.
The original Song Kening had been an orphan and had been adopted.
But she wasn’t the original.
How was she supposed to answer that?
She couldn’t exactly say:
I’m not the Song Kening you know. I came here from another world.
She answered vaguely,
“…Not anymore.”
Lu Zhiyu didn’t ask anything further.
Song Kening secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued walking.
After turning a corner, she suddenly stopped.
“There! There it is!”
Ahead was a seven-story residential building.
It looked similar to the previous one, but a freshly printed white sheet of paper had been posted on the wall.
“Returning to my hometown to develop my career. Furniture and appliances for sale at low prices: bunk bed, computer desk, induction cooker, rice cooker, electric kettle, water heater, mini refrigerator, clothes rack, folding table. Interested buyers, call: 135xxxxxxx.”
Song Kening immediately took out her phone and dialed the number.
“Hello. I saw the notice downstairs. Are the furniture and appliances still available?”
A young man’s voice came from the other end.
“Yes, they’re all still here. Do you want to come up and take a look? I’m in Room 302.”
“Okay, we’ll be right up.”