Chapter 39 - 35: Found You

Chapter 39: Chapter 35: Found You

Mia had already devoured the stuffed flatbread pocket in her hands, but she was still craving more.

"Whoever made this is amazing! It’s so delicious! We’ve never seen this kind of food in the Third Ring."

"I know, right? The sauce inside is incredible. I’ve never tasted anything so rich. Now I totally get why everyone in the group was raving about that tomato meat sauce and salad dressing. It’s so good you want to shout it from the rooftops!"

As she said this, Natie suddenly froze. She’d just remembered something.

"The group admin mentioned that the vendors last time were a few young people too. Do you think... it could be that much of a coincidence?"

Mia was stunned for a moment. "No way..."

But then again, she thought, ’It’s not impossible.’

"Maybe we’ve been looking at this the wrong way. They *are* at the food festival, just not selling the same things! Mia, let’s go back and ask them, quickly!"

The two hailed a cart and rushed back to the food plaza, but by the time they arrived, the stall was already covered with a gray-green tarp. They had closed up for the day.

"They’re already gone? What do we do now?"

Natie’s face fell with regret.

"We should have just asked them when we were there! Of all the stalls to miss!"

"I guess the only way to be sure is to ask the members in the group who’ve been there."

An idea struck Mia. She quickly pulled out her phone, snapped a picture of the stuffed flatbread pocket in her hand, and posted it in the group chat.

"Found some amazing street food. I think the vendors might be the ones the group admin posted the bounty for. Need to verify their appearance!"

The group chat had been buzzing last night after the admin posted the bounty, but it had fallen silent since. Mia’s message made it explode with activity.

Many of the members searching the city for the mysterious stall were after the thousand-coin reward, but just as many simply yearned for another taste of that unforgettable food.

Like Leitel, they had been obsessed with the food ever since tasting it at the shelter. They couldn’t get it out of their minds. The day they learned the shop had been shut down, they were too demoralized to even go to work.

Now that there was finally a lead, everyone grew excited. A few of the older members who had actually seen Ning He and her two friends quickly posted their descriptions in the chat.

"Two women and one man, all around their twenties or thirties."

"One of the women has long brown hair, the other has short black hair. The man looks the youngest, doesn’t talk much, and wears a blue bandana on his forehead."

...

As Mia and Natie read the detailed descriptions, their eyes began to light up.

’That’s them! It has to be!’

Leitel returned home from the café in a sour mood.

The morning was gone. Beiluo City wasn’t that big, and he’d had people check everywhere they could think of. Still no news. It looked like the search was a bust.

Mrs. Leitel was also a little disappointed.

Ever since she’d tasted that roasted pepper sauce, she’d found herself homesick, craving that specific flavor. She knew half the reason her husband was searching so hard was for her.

With that thought, Mrs. Leitel pushed aside her own disappointment and gently consoled her husband.

"It’s all right. If it’s meant to be, it will happen."

Leitel sighed. "I suppose you’re right."

He instinctively opened his phone to check the group chat again. He expected to find it dead, but instead, he saw a notification for nearly a hundred new messages.

He shot upright, his heart racing, and tapped open the chat.

By the time he finished reading the new messages, his already wrinkled face was creased into deep ravines by a huge smile.

"Darling, you were right. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be!"

Then, Leitel quickly dialed his old buddies.

"You saw the group chat, right? We’re heading out first thing tomorrow morning!"

「On the second day of the food festival, a light acid rain fell in the morning.」

But the event wasn’t canceled. For the residents of Beiluo City, a minor inconvenience like this was hardly enough to stop them from having a good time, as long as it wasn’t life-threatening.

Ning He and her friends arrived at the venue an hour and a half later than scheduled. The plaza was already bustling with people, and the air was filled with lively, upbeat music.

The trio hurried to their stall, carrying the day’s ingredients, and were stunned by the sight that greeted them.

Their stall was completely surrounded by a large crowd. The clothes these people wore were obviously of a different style than those of Fifth Ring residents—the fabrics were bright, the tailoring impeccable. A single glance told you they were expensive.

"What... what’s happening?"

Ning He and Connie exchanged a silent, bewildered glance.

"You’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for ages!" Seeing them, Leitel breathed a sigh of relief and emerged from the crowd, beaming. "You certainly led us on a merry chase. Mia and her friend said you were selling something new, so we hurried over for a taste. Hope we didn’t startle you!"

Ning He looked at the old man with the bushy white beard and quickly dredged up a memory.

"You’re the gentleman who came to the shelter for the tomato meat sauce noodles!"

Leitel smiled and nodded. "A few of us old-timers have been craving your cooking for days, but we just couldn’t find you. Luckily, it seems fate is on our side, and we finally ran into you today."

Ning He laughed. "It really is fate. In that case, let’s get to work so everyone can eat soon!"

The crowd, which had been waiting for a long time, erupted in cheers. They watched with eager eyes as Ning He and her two friends walked over to the stall, pulled back the tarp, and got to work.

Preparing the ingredients would take some time, so Leitel told everyone to wander around nearby, while he and a few of his old buddies sat down at a nearby table.

Due to their status, Leitel and his friends rarely ventured into the Fifth Ring. As they looked around, it was clear the buildings and festival decorations were a far cry from what they were used to in the First Ring—crude, even. But the residents didn’t seem to mind; they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Business at the surrounding stalls was brisk, and the cheerful laughter of children drifted over from the play area. A small amateur concert was underway not far off, with people taking turns on stage to sing a few lines to a chorus of applause and good-natured jeers. The atmosphere was boisterous.

"...It’s been years since I’ve been here. It looks relatively stable. Seems ’those people’ know to avoid crowded places," the old man with the cane said, his hawk-like eyes scanning the crowd before he snorted softly.

Leitel waved his hand dismissively. "Let’s not worry about all that. We’ll let the younger generation handle it. They’re all smart kids; they’ll be fine."

The gray-haired old man nodded in agreement.

"We’re just here to eat. We can just pretend we don’t see the rest. We’re not young anymore; we can afford to turn a blind eye to a thing or two."

The topic was quickly dropped, and the men’s attention returned to Ning He’s stall.

"I wonder what this *budai mo* tastes like. How will it compare to that roasted pepper sauce? I hope it’s worth the trip."

"I doubt it’ll disappoint. Just look at the way that girl chops vegetables. She’s as good as that fellow Yamaguchi. I’d say she’s the real deal."

Right then, Ning He was julienning vegetables at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye. All that could be heard was the swift DOK DOK DOK of her knife against the cutting board.

Since they had sold out early the day before, Ning He had gone home and harvested every last vegetable from her garden. Today was going to be another huge day of sales.

By the time Ning He finished prepping the vegetables, Connie had the batter mixed. The dough for the fried dough sticks had been kneaded the previous night and left to proof in the fridge; it was now at the perfect consistency and ready for the fryer.

Seeing that things were about ready, Leitel immediately sent a message in the group. In less than a minute, everyone had reassembled in front of the stall and formed three lines.