Chapter 2 - 1: Unsuccessful Application

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Unsuccessful Application

"Hey, why is she back?"

"Yeah, didn’t she say she was going to Central City with that boyfriend of hers? What’s she doing back? Don’t tell me she’s here to show off to us again. I’m so sick of hearing it!"

"What? You guys don’t know? Qiu Luo broke up with her. She threw a fit and jumped into a river—it was all over the news!"

"Really? She supported Qiu Luo for five years—wasn’t it all for nothing?"

"Hmph, she brought that on herself. How could someone like her ever be a match for Qiu Luo? Besides, I heard Qiu Luo gave her all his scholarship money before he left. It’s not like she came out of it with nothing."

"Tsk, that’s true. Once Qiu Luo gets to Central City, he might catch the eye of some important person. How could someone like her ever compare?"

As soon as Ning He walked into the cafeteria, whispers started to reach her ears. She heard them clearly but couldn’t be bothered to even change her expression.

For the past few days, she had been lying in an unfamiliar bed, with unfamiliar memories in her mind, in an unfamiliar world outside. She had become temporarily immune to emotion; nothing and no one could stir the slightest ripple within her.

Ignoring the strange looks from those around her, she followed the route from her memory to the office area behind the cafeteria, found the administrator’s office, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." An aged voice came from inside the room.

Ning He pushed the door open and walked in.

"Uncle Wood."

The old man stopped writing, looked up, and offered Ning He a kindly smile when he saw her.

"Ah, Ning He. What brings you here? Have you been all right these past few days?"

The original owner’s river-jumping incident had been on the city news. ’Uncle Wood probably knows,’ Ning He thought, ’but he’s being considerate and not asking directly.’ She felt a trace of his concern, and her heart warmed slightly.

"I’m fine. It’s all in the past now."

Her expression was calm, and Old Wood seemed relieved.

"So, what are your plans now?"

Ning He’s late father had been on good terms with Old Wood, who naturally hoped things would go smoothly for her.

Ning He didn’t beat around the bush. "I don’t have any other skills, but I know how to cook. I came to trouble you today to ask if there are any stalls in the cafeteria that haven’t been rented out. I want to keep working."

The moment it was confirmed that Qiu Luo had been selected by the Central City Mecha Research Institute, the body’s original owner had eagerly terminated her lease and left the cafeteria, showing off the whole way.

Coming back now, Ning He was sure to be met with ridicule. But in this post-apocalyptic world of frequent natural disasters, there wasn’t even enough food to go around, and a job that could put food on the table was hard to find. For the sake of survival, she had to make this trip.

Old Wood flipped open a notebook in his hands and glanced at it, his expression troubled.

"Your old third-level stall has already been taken. The only thing available is a Zero-level Stall during the breakfast slot. You know that stall; you can only make staple foods like rice and noodles. It doesn’t pay much each month."

Ning He had considered this possibility before she came. Although she was a little disappointed, she accepted it quickly.

"I understand. A Zero-level stall is fine. As long as I meet the assessment requirements, I can still upgrade."

Old Wood was pleased to see her optimistic attitude.

"Alright, I’ll put you down for it. Renting the stall requires a five-hundred-original-coin deposit. Just pay it at the finance office, and you can start at the beginning of next month."

Ning He paused for a moment, then asked:

"Uncle Wood, what’s the latest I can pay the deposit?"

Old Wood paused for a second, then he understood.

"No one else is looking to rent this stall at the moment. I can hold it for you until the end of the month. If you don’t have enough money, I can cover it for you in the meantime."

Ning He shook her head. "It’s alright. There are still about ten days left. I’ll figure something out on my own. I’ll only trouble you if I have no other choice."

Five hundred original coins was no small sum. Old Wood had a family to support and wasn’t well-off himself; it was better for her to figure it out on her own.

Old Wood didn’t press the issue.

"Alright. Don’t worry too much about it. If you can’t manage, just tell me. Don’t hesitate to ask."

Ning He nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Wood."

Leaving the office, Ning He ignored the surrounding jeers and gossip, squaring her shoulders as she walked out of the cafeteria.

The Mecha Academy, Beiluo City’s most important institution, was located in the Inner Ring Center, while the house Ning He rented was far out in the Fourth Ring.

As she rode the cross-city light rail, towering city walls separating the various rings flashed past Ning He’s eyes. The farther out she traveled, the grayer and more crowded the buildings became, and the more turbid the air grew.

In this post-apocalyptic world, survivors were still divided into classes, and the original owner of this body was currently in a very bad state.

The boyfriend she’d spent her entire fortune supporting had run off, her river-jumping stunt had made the news, and she was surrounded by the jeers of people taking pleasure in her misfortune. More importantly, her bank account only had one thousand original coins left. That amount could have lasted for a while, but yesterday the rental company had deducted the quarterly rent and utility fees, and in the blink of an eye, all she had left was three hundred yuan.

Even affording a meal was now a problem.

Half an hour later, Ning He got off the train.

As she walked a short way in the direction of her home, the enticing aroma of food suddenly wafted through the air.

Ning He glanced around and realized she had reached the community market.

There was a school near the market, and it was also close to a small factory district. It was just the time of day when school was letting out and the factories were changing shifts. The number of people on the streets was visibly increasing, and snack stalls and small restaurants had begun to solicit customers.

As the long-missed scent of food drifted through the air, Ning He’s mouth began to water uncontrollably.

Ever since she’d arrived here, all she had eaten was a viscous, powdered paste; she hadn’t had a single proper meal.

"Fragrant and crispy fried potato slices!"

"Egg pancake, just Three Original Coins! What a bargain!"

"Get your vegetable pancakes! Filled with spinach, cabbage, and carrots!"

"Stir-fried noodles! Get your fragrant chili stir-fried noodles!"

The small stalls mostly sold fried items, dishes combining grains and vegetables. A red label with the number "1" was stuck to the side of each of these stalls.

Only the stall selling egg pancakes had a label with the number "2".

From the body’s fragmented memories, Ning He knew that chefs and restaurants in this world were subject to a strict ranking system.

Level 0 meant you could only handle staple ingredients like rice and noodles. Level 1 could work with vegetables and soy products, Level 2 could handle eggs, and only Level 3 chefs could prepare meat. The body’s original owner had been a Third-level Chef. As for any higher levels, her memories seemed to contain no information.

The bustling scene, somewhat reminiscent of her past life, captivated Ning He. But before she could take in another breath of the rare, lively atmosphere, a hand tapped her shoulder, and a woman’s shrill voice sounded from behind.

"I’ve been looking for you for days! Where have you been? Come with me, quick. There’s something I need to talk to you about."

Before Ning He could react, the woman grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward a noodle shop across the street.

The noodle shop’s decor was considered one of the most exquisite in the entire market, though this only meant that its tables and chairs were neat and clean, and its walls were painted in a rare white-and-green pattern.

A conspicuous "3" on the noodle shop’s sign made it clear this was a Level 3 Restaurant, a place that could sell meat.

Ning He was pulled into the noodle shop’s back kitchen. A blast of hot air made her dizzy for a moment, and before she could recover, something was shoved into her arms.

"We had a deal. I rent your Third-level Chef Certificate for one thousand original coins a year. Now that you’re not going to Central City anymore, this business isn’t safe. I’m giving this back to you, and you give me the money back. You’ve had it for less than a month, so I’ll take a small loss. Just give me back nine hundred."

Ning He opened her mouth, looked at the chef’s certificate in her hands, and a forgotten memory surged up from the depths of her mind.

’So that’s where the thousand in my account came from!’

"Um, I don’t have the money right now... Can I write you an IOU?" For once, Ning He felt a pang of guilt.

The woman was in her early thirties, with long brown hair and delicate features that were marred by a somewhat fierce expression. Hearing Ning He’s words, her face immediately changed. "No money? A big shot like you, earning one or two thousand original coins a month at the academy cafeteria, walking around with your nose in the air—and you have no money? Are you kidding me!"

Ning He licked her lips, her voice a little dry.

"I really don’t have any money. It’s all been spent."

"Spent it? What could you have spent it—" The woman seemed to remember something and stopped abruptly. She looked Ning He up and down a few times, her eyes filled with suspicion. "The person on the news a few days ago who jumped into the river... was that really you?"

Ning He gritted her teeth and nodded, silently screaming in her heart:

’That was the original owner’s stupid mistake, not mine!’

The woman’s expression softened slightly. She snatched the chef’s certificate back and said reluctantly, "If that’s the case, I’ll hang onto this. Come back for it when you have the money. And don’t you dare let this slip to anyone outside!"

Leaving the noodle shop, Ning He’s brow was deeply furrowed.

Renting the academy stall also required a chef’s certificate, which meant she needed to scrape together one thousand four hundred original coins before the end of the month.

’The average monthly salary these days is only seven or eight hundred. Where am I going to get that much money?’

Just as Ning He was worrying about this, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in her mind:

"Host, crops in the experimental plot have matured. Please harvest them in a timely manner."