Chapter 26 - 25: Visiting Sister Helen

Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Visiting Sister Helen

Ning He was busy all night.

Making fermented rice wine was time-consuming. The rice had to be soaked, steamed, and cooled. By the time she had packed the processed rice into a glass jar, sprinkled a layer of dry yeast starter on top, and sealed the lid, it was nearly dawn.

Ning He slept in until nearly one in the afternoon. She threw together a quick meal by mixing some powdered food with water, then went upstairs to check on her vegetables.

It had only been two days since she planted the seeds, but the sprouts had already shot up. They were about palm-high, and she estimated they would be ready to harvest in another two days.

With the noodle shop sealed off, her original plan to sell the vegetables had fallen through. Ning He had to find another way.

But this wasn’t something she could ask about openly. And with her terrible reputation, there was no one she could count on. After racking her brain for a while, she decided to pay a visit to the woman who sold chives.

Remembering the woman’s wariness and hostility toward her, Ning He first went to a bun shop and bought a box of steamed buns as a gift. Then, she arrived at the woman’s door and knocked gently.

"Hello, is anyone home?"

The door creaked open a crack. The person inside saw Ning He and froze for a moment before her brow furrowed with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

"It’s you? What are you doing here?"

Ning He put on a fawning smile. "Sister, there was a misunderstanding last time. I came to apologize. I even brought you a box of steamed buns! Meat buns with thin skin and a generous filling, fresh from the steamer and still hot!"

The woman glanced at the food container Ning He held out. Puffs of warm, meaty steam wafted from it, irresistibly fragrant.

’This box must have cost several dozen, right?’

The woman’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"What do you really want?"

Ning He glanced around. "I wanted to ask you about something, Sister. How about we talk inside?"

The woman hesitated. Her gaze fell on the box of plump, round meat buns, and she thought about how long it had been since her own little son had eaten meat. Finally, she stepped back and opened the door wider.

"Come in."

"Thank you, Sister!" Ning He’s eyes lit up, and she immediately slipped inside.

The two of them sat down at a table, and the woman poured Ning He a glass of water.

"What did you want to ask? Go ahead."

"You don’t mind if I call you Sister Helen, do you?" Ning He began, trying to build some rapport.

The woman was taken aback. The Ning He before her was a world apart from the person she remembered, and she found it a bit unsettling.

"Of course... I don’t mind. But... how did you find me? You never used to talk to any of us."

A sorrowful expression crossed Ning He’s face, and she sighed.

"To be honest with you, Sister, I was possessed back then. I listened to that bastard and was so focused on climbing to a better place that I never bothered to get along with my neighbors. Now he’s run off and abandoned me, and I finally realize I was tricked."

As she spoke, Ning He let out a sob and wiped her face.

Helen stared blankly for a few seconds, finding it hard to believe.

"So it was Qiu Luo who... who tricked you? I thought you were the one who insisted on—"

Helen stopped herself before finishing, deciding it was best to let her save some face.

Ning He rubbed her eyes. Stimulated by the chili water she had dabbed on her fingers earlier, tears streamed down her face. Helen jumped in surprise.

"Don’t be sad, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just... it’s just..."

"It’s not your fault, Sister Helen. I was young and foolish. I was so thoroughly deceived I was basically counting the money for the one who scammed me."

Sobbing, Ning He recounted her carefully embellished version of the story to Helen.

She cleverly twisted the original owner’s desperate pursuit of Qiu Luo into a tale of him playing hard to get with a naive young woman, luring her in step by step until she was utterly devoted. She claimed she had supported him through school since she was eighteen, cared for his sick mother, and that her usual stingy and harsh behavior was only because life had forced her to be that way.

But in the end, her sincere heart was met with a tragic fate: she lost both him and her money, abandoned by the heartless man.

It was a story to make any listener weep and any onlooker grieve!

It was only because the original owner had never had any deep conversations with the neighbors, leaving them largely in the dark about her past with Qiu Luo, that Ning He dared to spin such a yarn.

Sure enough, Helen’s face was a mask of shock and sympathy.

"So that’s how it was... But I heard he left his scholarship money for you when he left. At least that should have made up for some of your losses."

At the mention of this, Ning He secretly gritted her teeth.

She shook her head with a bitter smile. "What scholarship money? It’s just an empty promise. It won’t be paid out until he’s been at the research institute for half a year and passed his evaluation. By then, why would he even remember someone like me?"

’That bastard Qiu made an empty promise and earned himself a good reputation. What a brilliant scheme!’

’I won’t let him get away with it.’

"How... How could that be?" Helen was utterly shocked.

It was no wonder she was surprised.

In public, Qiu Luo was just too outstanding, too flawless.

He was brilliant, handsome, and impeccably polite, always gentle with everyone.

’Who would have guessed he could be so heartless?’

"So, that person who jumped into the river... that was really you?"

’Damn it, did everyone see that news report?’

Cursing inwardly, Ning He forced a bitter smile. "It was me. I had just lost my job, all my money was gone, and I honestly didn’t know how I was going to survive. I did something stupid."

Helen sighed.

"It’s really been hard on you. If you need help with anything, you can tell me. We’re neighbors, after all. If there’s something I can do to help, I won’t refuse."

Ning He’s heart leaped with joy, but she maintained her pitiful expression.

"Actually, there is one thing I wanted to ask you, Sister. Last time, I saw that the chives you grew were excellent, so I went back and tried it myself. As luck would have it, I actually managed to grow some, and they turned out pretty well. But now I have so many vegetables I can’t eat them all myself. I was wondering if you knew of a way to get rid of them?"

She phrased it delicately, but Helen understood immediately, and her expression changed slightly.

Seeing her hesitation, Ning He decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"If it’s too much trouble, Sister, it’s okay. Just pretend I never asked. It’s just that I’m really tight on cash right now. I can barely make rent, and I might have to move to the Fifth Ring soon. Once I’m gone, at least I won’t be such an eyesore to everyone anymore."

As Ning He spoke, she wiped her eyes, and fresh tears began to stream down her face again.

Watching her, Helen felt a pang of sympathy.

’In this world, just surviving is hard enough,’ Helen thought. ’Besides, it’s not some big secret. It won’t hurt to tell her.’

Finally, she relented.

"Do you have a lot to sell? If it’s just a few pounds here and there, I can help you find some buyers. But if you have a lot, then there’s another way."

"What way?" Ning He asked eagerly.

Helen pursed her lips and lowered her voice. "In the Fifth Ring, on Black Stone Lane, there’s a vegetable shop. If you have a lot of produce to sell, go find the shop owner and tell him you want to buy meat. No matter what he says, just insist that you want to buy meat. Eventually, he’ll take you where you need to go."

’The Fifth Ring?’

A snippet of a song involuntarily popped into Ning He’s mind. She shook the tune out of her head and gratefully squeezed Helen’s hand.

"Thank you, Sister Helen. I’ll remember that."

Helen smiled. "It’s nothing. But be careful when you go to the Fifth Ring. The people who live there are a rough crowd. Finish your business and leave. Don’t linger."

"I will."

’What a kind person,’

Ning He left Helen’s house, completely satisfied, already calculating when she could go check out that Black Stone Lane.

But for now, she needed to take care of the cafeteria matter first.

The next day, Ning He opened the glass jar in the afternoon to check on it. After fermenting for a day and a night, the rice inside had begun to exude a clear, alcoholic liquid.

Ning He took a sip. The familiar, sweet, and slightly intoxicating flavor told her it was a success.

Ning He filled a large bowl with the mixture, covered it, and hurried over to Connie’s place.