Chapter 11 - 10: Competitors

Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Competitors

Ning He took a lap around the stalls in the Fourth Ring, carefully examining each of their menus.

Then, she breathed a sigh of relief.

These stalls were much like Connie’s noodle shop; only their signature dishes contained meat, while the rest were mostly vegetarian.

For instance, one stall sold sausage salads and hot dogs. The sausages were a starchy chicken variety with only 20% meat content. The hot dogs came with no sauce, just a sprinkle of green peppers and chopped raw chives.

Another sold meat pies and meat buns, but the chive and pork filling was just a thin smear on the pastry, and the buns were mostly thick dough with little filling.

One stall sold clay pot stews with a chicken broth base. Ning He could see clearly that what tumbled in the large stockpot were chicken carcasses picked almost clean of meat. The broth wasn’t rich, either—at least, it didn’t have that fragrant, mouth-watering aroma.

There was also a stall selling grilled skewers. Their meat options included chicken and pork belly, which actually made Ning He’s mouth water a little. But at twenty original coins for a tiny skewer that was gone in two bites, the price was a real turn-off.

Finally, there was a small stall on the side selling braised pork liver. The owner, a white-haired old man, was slumped in an old lounge chair with his eyelids drooping as if he were asleep. What surprised Ning He was the price of his braised pork liver: fifty per serving, the most expensive item in the entire area.

’Tsk, can the residents of the Fourth Ring even afford that?’

In the eyes of Ning He, a food blogger with a million followers, not a single one of these dishes was up to par. Their prices didn’t offer a significant advantage either, so they probably wouldn’t pose much of a threat to Connie’s secret meat sauce.

With that thought, she walked back, reassured.

"Crap!"

The moment she returned to the noodle stall, she heard Connie cry out in alarm. Ning He quickly rushed over to see what was wrong.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

Connie ignored her, opening every jar on the cart to check. Her expression only grew worse.

"Can’t find the sauce?" Ah Huai asked, pausing his meat chopping.

Biting her lip, Connie nodded. "I was in too much of a hurry when we left. I grabbed the wrong jar."

"Need any help?" Ning He asked, leaning in again.

On the work table, a basin of meat had already been minced, ready to be stir-fried for the meat sauce.

The noodle shop had several toppings, but the meat sauce stir-fried with the secret sauce was Connie’s signature. This step was the most crucial part of their prep work.

Hearing this, Connie shot her a vicious glare.

"I knew nothing good would happen with you around! If you hadn’t been so clumsy while moving things, I wouldn’t have forgotten something so important!"

Unfairly blamed, Ning He secretly rolled her eyes but decided not to argue with Connie while she was angry.

’I still have to rely on her to earn money. I’ll just swallow my pride for now.’

"Okay, okay, it’s all my fault. So what do we do now? The meat is already minced, we have to do something with it soon."

Connie was in a terrible mood, biting her lip and saying nothing. It was Ah Huai who, for once, spoke up.

"Just stir-fry it anyway. The flavor will be off, so we can just sell it for a bit cheaper."

Connie’s expression shifted, but in the end, she nodded in resignation.

"I guess that’s the only way."

"If you don’t have the sauce, we can cook it a different way. Why don’t you let me try?" Ning He suggested eagerly, an idea striking her.

Connie shot her a look and snapped, "Who do you think you are, some kind of master chef? You think you can cook anything? Stop causing trouble. Can you afford to pay for this meat if you waste it? Just go cool off somewhere. Ah Huai, we’ll do as you said. We’ll just lower the price and get rid of it."

Ning He opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed the words she was about to say. She decided to wait and see how things played out.

’Even though I have a way to prepare this meat, I have no idea how well things sell in the shelter. If it doesn’t sell, I really can’t afford to cover the loss.’

Just then, a siren blared again, and an announcement soon followed from the nearby speakers.

"The shelter will close all blast doors in five minutes. Residents still near the gates, please enter the inner shelter immediately. Residents already inside, please wait where you are and do not move about freely."

"Repeating announcement..."

Ning He checked the time: 5:47 PM.

Everyone at the stalls quickened their pace. Once the blast doors closed, it would be dinnertime, and they had to be ready for customers.

Bustling figures, the sounds of frying and sizzling, the clatter of pots and pans, and the aroma of food filled the air.

For a moment, Ning He had the illusion that this wasn’t the apocalypse.

But soon, a heavy grinding sound reached her ears.

Following the sound with her eyes, she saw the final door at the gateway slowly closing.

Each gateway had five security doors, every one of them a full three meters thick, forming a solid line of defense that sealed everything outside.

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the instant the door shut, Ning He felt a wave of heat wash over her face.

’Has the extreme temperature already arrived?’

As the doors sealed completely, all the lights inside the shelter switched on, and another announcement came over the speakers.

"All gateways are now closed. This shelter period is expected to last for five days. All residents are asked to strictly adhere to the shelter’s regulations and remain in their designated areas to avoid unnecessary disruptions. Thank you for your cooperation."

"You, get over here."

Connie’s voice cut through the air. Still a bit dazed, Ning He immediately snapped to attention and scurried over.

"You just stand here later. Ah Huai and I will handle the customers."

Connie said, pointing to the stove.

Ning He raised an eyebrow and glanced around. Sure enough, she saw the figure of an administrator appear nearby again.

"Got it. Don’t worry, I won’t blow our cover," Ning He promised, patting her chest.

Connie pursed her lips but said nothing more, moving to the side to knead dough.

Ning He glanced at the stir-fried minced meat in the wok. The rich, savory aroma unique to pork made her swallow instinctively, but then her brows furrowed.

The minced meat, cooked without any sauce, was pale white. Compared to the dark, saucy meat topping they usually served, it looked far less appetizing.

The only seasonings Connie had brought were salt and sugar. ’This minced meat must taste incredibly bland. Can it even sell?’

She looked at the other toppings.

A fried egg, green peppers with tofu, stir-fried zucchini shreds, carrots with cabbage, and some green garlic leaves for aroma.

Aside from the golden-yellow fried egg, which looked decent, the rest were far too plain. ’Will any of this sell?’

Just as Ning He’s mood grew heavy, a clamor of voices drifted over from a distance.

"Time to eat, time to eat! The sky could be falling, but you gotta fill your stomach first, ahaha!"

"What are you planning to eat today?"

"I already made a reservation at the Golden Rice Restaurant for today, so of course I’m going there!"

"Yeah, their pork chop set is pretty good."

"I’m going to the Coconut Restaurant. They have fish ball soup, it’s delicious."

"Let’s go, let’s go together! They usually have discounts at times like this! Why not take advantage of a good deal, ahaha!"

A small group of people approached from the direction of the Third Ring District. Ning He’s spirits lifted, and she rolled up her sleeves, ready for action.

"Don’t waste your energy. They won’t be coming over here to eat."

Connie’s cold voice cut in.

Ning He froze. Sure enough, she saw the group head straight for the food cart area in the Third Ring without even a single glance in their direction.

"Then when will our customers get here?"

Connie continued kneading the dough without looking up.

"What’s the rush? They’ll come when they come."

There was nothing Ning He could do but wait.

It wasn’t until half an hour later that a few scattered figures appeared on the road leading from the Fourth Ring.

The first customers had arrived.