Chapter 40 - 36: Making a Fortune

Chapter 40: Chapter 36: Making a Fortune

To handle such a large crowd, the three of them divided the labor.

Ah Huai was in charge of the youtiao, which had the highest sales volume.

Connie was in charge of the two types of jianbing.

And Ning He was responsible for the budai mo.

Mia and Natie had already shared how delicious the budai mo were with the group members, but no one was willing to miss out on any of the delicacies. Even if they couldn’t eat all four items themselves, they would team up on orders to try everything.

This was a common practice in the group, so everyone was used to it and placed their orders with a practiced coordination. This kept the order flow for Ning He and her helpers relatively even, preventing any one person from being completely overwhelmed.

But there was still no time to rest.

The fryer in front of Ah Huai was always at full capacity, frying three youtiao at a time. Connie’s two crepe griddles were also constantly occupied; as soon as one crepe was done, she had to immediately spread batter for the next.

Ning He simply stir-fried enough filling for three servings at a time. Since everyone ordered the premium version with added egg and shredded tofu, making three servings in one go greatly improved efficiency.

The group members at the front of the line took their food to the dining area, found a table, and began to eat.

Naturally, the first to get their food were Leitel and the other group owners and administrators.

The five of them had ordered five youtiao, two vegetable jianbing, two jianbing guozi, and three budai mo. Everything was cut into small pieces, arranged on plates, and steaming hot.

Following Ning He’s suggestion, they had also each bought a cup of soy milk.

The fragrant aroma filling the table made their mouths water, and Leitel was the first to pick up his chopsticks.

"Let’s dig in. I’ll try this budai mo first."

"I’ll try the youtiao. It’s so golden brown, you can just tell it’s perfectly crispy!"

"I’ll have the vegetable jianbing. This outer layer is so thin..."

"Then I’ll try the jianbing guozi."

In an instant, all five connoisseurs reached for the dish that interested them most.

Because of Mia’s tireless praise, Leitel had high expectations for the budai mo. After the first bite, however, he realized his imagination had been far too limited.

His palate had tasted rare meats and spices, and expensive vinegars and soy sauces were staples in his home. But right now, a flood of flavor was erupting on his tongue.

An intense, complex flavor washed over him like a tidal wave, overwhelming his tongue from tip to root with a medley of tastes. For a moment, he was speechless.

The others weren’t faring any better.

The stout, middle-aged man had already taken advantage of their distraction to silently start on a second youtiao.

The old man with the cane quietly pulled a serving of vegetable jianbing in front of himself and began to wolf it down.

The thin old man and the gray-haired old man were each holding a jianbing guozi, their eyes closed as they savored it. They would take an occasional sip of soy milk—ah, the feeling was just too satisfying!

The reactions from the other group members were nearly identical.

’This trip was so worth it!’

When it was Mia and Natie’s turn, Connie recognized them and was delighted.

Upon learning that they were the ones who had helped bring everyone here, Connie generously gave them their food for free. The two of them walked away happily with their plates.

Back at Leitel’s table, they had finished all the food before they knew it. The portions were just right, leaving them all about seventy percent full. This was their usual eating habit, which they called "health maintenance."

But it wasn’t enough!

Leitel stroked his beard and got back in line.

’Hmm, I should get a portion for my wife.’

’One portion might not be enough. Better make it two.’

Seeing him go, the others exchanged a look and followed suit. Another chaotic wave of repeat buyers descended upon the stall.

Other Fifth Ring residents who had wanted to buy something to eat saw this group of well-dressed people rushing one after another to buy food and wisely chose to go to other stalls instead.

The food-sharing group had over three hundred members in total, and with more than one hundred and forty of them showing up today, they completely cleaned out the ingredients Ning He had prepared.

Because the youtiao sold so well, the two soy milk vendors in the food court also sold out early, and the vegetable congee seller also benefited significantly.

Towards the end, Ning He ran out of liquid egg and shredded tofu. The stout, middle-aged man, flush with cash, went directly to a stall that had those ingredients, paid double to buy their stock, and told Ning He to just use it.

All in all, the lengths these people went to for a bite to eat were simply jaw-dropping.

"Young lady, let’s exchange contact information. Next time you set up your stall, you must let us know. Otherwise, if I can’t find you, this old man will just be worrying for nothing."

Leitel said to Ning He with a broad smile before he left.

"Alright!"

Ning He readily agreed, pulling out her phone to add him to her contacts.

"The next time I have something delicious, I’ll be sure to let you know!"

"It’s a deal. There’s one more thing," Leitel said, rubbing his hands together with an eager smile. "To be honest with you, my wife absolutely loved the roasted chili sauce from last time. She said it tasted a lot like the food from her hometown. You see, I was wondering if you could sell me some separately? I’m willing to pay extra."

Before Ning He could answer, a slightly angry voice came from the side.

"Aha! Didn’t you say last time that you didn’t get to try the roasted chili sauce either? So you were secretly hoarding it all for yourself! Young lady, you can’t play favorites. I want a jar of that sauce too, name your price." The speaker was the old man with the cane.

"That’s right, we want some too."

The other three men all shot Leitel an indignant glare.

Ning He found this rather amusing.

’These old men are about to have a falling out over some roasted chili sauce.’

"Alright, it’s not hard to make. However, the recipe for the sauce I sold last time wasn’t complete. If you want the authentic roasted chili sauce, the cost of ingredients will be much higher. If you’re okay with that, I can make a jar for each of you."

"Money is not an issue. Just make it to the highest standard," the stout, middle-aged man said with a calm expression.

It was the kind of unshakeable composure that could only come from being fabulously wealthy.

"Okay, I’ll message you when it’s ready."

After they agreed, the stout, middle-aged man insisted on leaving a deposit of five hundred original coins, and the group left, completely satisfied.

Ning He looked at the large-denomination bills in her hand, a grin splitting her face from ear to ear.

’I’ve definitely struck it rich today!’

Connie found her money-grubbing expression a little funny.

"Don’t get too excited just yet. It’s not too late to celebrate after we figure out exactly how much we earned."

The three of them quickly packed up the stall and took out their three cash boxes to count the money.

Over the past two days, they had sold no fewer than five hundred youtiao. The five-original-coin jianbing guozi had sold over two hundred servings. The vegetable jianbing, priced from eight to twelve original coins, had sold nearly two hundred servings. And after today, sales of the most expensive item, the budai mo, were now almost on par with the vegetable jianbing.

"...Including the portion Ning He took for supplies, the total is six thousand, four hundred and seventy-five. Based on our pricing’s profit margin, we earned at least seven hundred."

Connie was very happy.

After deducting her and Ah Huai’s wages, Ning He would still have over four hundred left.

Earning over four hundred in two days was considered a very high income in Beiluo City.

The hard work had paid off.

Seeing Connie so pleased, Ning He felt a little guilty.

Her vegetables didn’t actually have any cost, and she had already deposited the money she’d taken for ingredients yesterday into her bank account.

’I must have made at least three thousand this time!’

’I’m rich!’

Ning He had to pinch herself hard to keep from laughing out loud.

She wanted to give Connie and Ah Huai more money, but she held back.

’It would be hard to explain the situation with the vegetables. On paper, I only earned four hundred, so giving them a bigger cut wouldn’t make sense.’

She could only drop the idea for now and find a way to make it up to them later.

With the stall packed up, the three of them weren’t in a hurry to go back and decided to stay and have some fun for a while.

Although the square’s decorations were simple, there were plenty of activities, including various talent shows. Ning He was dazzled by the different styles of dance alone and tipped quite a few coins. There was also a makeshift cinema where classic movies were being projected, and Ning He even went in to watch for a bit.

However, she didn’t see the old man who sold braised pork liver today, which was a little disappointing. Remembering what the big guy had said, she decided to find a suitable time to check out that barbecue restaurant.

’Upgrading the cafeteria stall takes too long. If there are other paths, they’re worth a try.’

「That night.」

Ning He lay in bed, admiring her bank card. Right at that moment, her card balance had reached a whopping five thousand!

’Once I finish the roasted chili sauce order, it might even break six thousand.’

’Then maybe I can go to a security company and ask about the fee for leaving the city. There might be a chance.’

The more Ning He thought about it, the more motivated she felt. She got out of bed, went up to the attic, and bought some seeds from the system to plant.

The main ones were the Erjingtiao and millet peppers for the roasted chili sauce, along with ginger, garlic, onions, green onions, and cilantro. She also replanted some leafy greens, tomatoes, and potatoes.

This trip to the stall had used up all the vegetables she planted last time, so everything needed to be replanted.

After she was done, Ning He took a shower, lay back down in bed, and, before closing her eyes, casually opened the system and scrolled to the bottom.

"Biological Guide 1/3000"

"reputation value 173/1,000,000"

Huh?

’When did my reputation value go up so much?’

Ning He’s eyes lit up, but when she saw the long string of zeros that followed, that little spark of excitement was extinguished.

’What am I thinking? Even if I made everyone in Beiluo City fall in love with me, I’d still be far from a million.’

’I should just get some sleep!’

Ning He closed the interface and drifted off to sleep a few minutes later.