Chapter 58 - 53: Malatang

Chapter 58: Chapter 53: Malatang

Ning He opened her eyes again. A bare concrete ceiling met her gaze, and the distinct scent of hospital disinfectant filled her nose.

’I didn’t die... I’m still alive.’

The thought flashed through her mind. Ning He closed her eyes, her expression instantly relaxing. The sheer joy of surviving a disaster made even her physical discomfort easy to endure.

But gradually, the curve of her mouth faded. When she opened her eyes again, no emotion could be seen.

"You’re awake."

A voice came from a few steps away. Ning He turned her head slightly; a burly figure was standing in the doorway.

"You saved me."

Leo nodded and stepped inside.

"You shouldn’t have stayed outside for so long. Money can be made anytime."

"I was indeed too greedy. Are they alright?"

"They woke up a while ago and have already reunited with their families. Your injuries were the most severe, so you need to be hospitalized for observation."

Ning He glanced at the bandages wrapped around her body and managed a faint smile.

"I’m lucky I wasn’t roasted alive."

Leo shook his head. "If you still have the mood to joke, it seems your injuries aren’t too bad."

Ning He smiled, stared at the ceiling above, and suddenly asked a question.

"Why?"

It was an abrupt question. Leo froze for a moment before realizing what she was asking.

"It’s the protocol, and it must be executed. No one is an exception."

"Why is there such a protocol?"

Ning He did not seem satisfied with this answer.

Leo frowned slightly, but he still patiently explained it to her.

"It has to do with a disaster from decades ago. After that, this regulation was established to ensure that even in extreme circumstances, a spark of humanity would be preserved for Beiluo City."

"Are these sparks divided into different classes? Let me guess. If we truly encounter an insurmountable disaster, is it only the elites within the First Ring who have the right to survive?"

"If that day truly comes, yes. In a situation where survival resources are limited, making sacrifices is inevitable." Leo did not avoid the question; his answer was brutally calm.

"And if you are the one being sacrificed, that’s fine too?"

"I would accept it calmly," Leo said without a hint of hesitation.

Ning He scoffed. "Right. A heroic figure like you sacrifices the self for the greater good without blinking an eye. But not everyone is like you."

"Me, for example. I’d be resentful. I’d hate it."

"Dying just so others can live better and longer? Why should I?"

Leo gave her a deep look, his voice dropping a fraction. "Thinking like that is very dangerous."

"More dangerous than the near-death experience I just had?" Ning He asked with a hint of mockery.

Leo took a step closer to the hospital bed, staring at Ning He’s face with a solemn expression.

"You haven’t experienced true despair, otherwise you wouldn’t think this way. For the survival of humanity, these are decisions that must be made. It is indeed cruel, but we can only accept it. At least until we have better odds for survival, this is already the best plan."

"A wall blocking the survival route of hundreds of thousands of people—that’s the best plan?"

"Yes. At least, I can’t think of a better one."

Ning He pressed her lips tightly together and closed her eyes, seemingly unwilling to speak with him any further.

Leo didn’t linger, either. He was truly very busy.

"I still have work to handle. I won’t disturb you anymore. Get some good rest."

He turned and walked away. Just as he reached the door, Ning He’s still-hoarse voice came from behind him.

"I will think of a better way. If you guys can’t do it, I will."

Leo stopped in his tracks. He turned around to meet a pair of cold, resolute eyes.

"I’ll be waiting to see it."

Ning He watched him leave. She stared at the ceiling for a while before finally closing her eyes.

Later on, Connie came to visit her.

Connie also had some injuries, though they weren’t severe. Faced with Ning He’s apology, she only accepted half of it.

"I’m also partly to blame for this, so I can’t put it all on you. If I hadn’t been so greedy for a bargain and so desperate to make money, I wouldn’t have agreed to go out and set up the stall at that time. Fortunately, we survived the disaster. Let’s just treat it as a lesson learned and be more careful in the future."

Faced with Connie’s optimism, Ning He squeezed her hand and said nothing.

There were some things that everyone probably understood implicitly. But since there was nothing they could do about it, it was better to play deaf and dumb and just act like an optimist.

"Once we’re healed up, let’s keep running the stall. We’ll start with a smaller batch, just treat it as rehab," she said with a smile.

Three days later, Ning He was discharged from the hospital and followed Connie back to their sector of the shelter.

The layout was similar to the dining area they had stayed in before, except that rows of sleeping bags and various daily necessities were laid out on the floor. There were also a few more TVs continuously broadcasting various entertainment programs.

There weren’t many people in the rest area, and Ding Xiang and the others weren’t there either. According to Connie, the community had organized temporary classrooms, and the students had all been gathered together for lessons.

As for the adults, they had all gone to work.

Ah Huai had made a trip yesterday to fetch Ning He’s emergency suitcase and thick clothes left at home. She had put away the black mud before leaving the house, so she wasn’t worried about being exposed.

After grouping together with Connie’s family to lay out their sleeping bags and other belongings, and familiarizing herself with the surrounding public facilities like the bathrooms and toilets, Ning He started discussing the street stall business with the two of them.

"...The temperature outside has stabilized now, mostly hovering around negative twenty degrees. Large-scale stall markets have been set up at every entrance and exit, complete with standardized thermal tents. They sell everything in there, and business is quite good."

"Our food cart has been recovered, and none of our things were lost. If we want to set up shop, we can start anytime as long as we have the ingredients ready."

"What did they say over at the cafeteria?" Ning He asked.

"We’ve already asked for a leave of absence. Uncle Wood said we can return to work anytime."

"The work at the cafeteria, plus running the stall... will you be able to handle it all?"

"It’s fine, we can have Juan lend a hand. We’ll leave all the miscellaneous tasks like cleaning and tidying up to him. But, won’t it be a bit too much for you?" Connie asked uncertainly, looking at Ning He’s left foot, which was wrapped up as thickly as a mummy.

She had a fractured left foot that needed a few months to heal, and she would have to get around on crutches during that time.

Ning He didn’t care at all. "It’s my leg that’s injured, not my hands. I won’t be any slower than you guys. Since there are no issues, we’ll start work tomorrow."

Connie nodded. Thinking of something, she hesitated again.

"Should we still post the news about us opening the stall in the group chat?"

That day, Ning He had asked for help in the group chat, but no one responded during that life-and-death moment. Even if it was understandable, it was hard to completely let it go.

"Yes. We’re even going to launch a new item and invite everyone to come have a taste."

"A new item?" Connie asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Don’t worry, it’s very simple to make. But we need to simmer a base broth first."

Supported by Connie and Ah Huai, Ning He arrived at the nearest entrance stall market. The market’s entrance connected to the main doors of the shelter, so the temperature difference wasn’t too massive. The thermal tents, nearly twenty centimeters thick, were clearly very effective.

Inside the tents, apart from selling food, a comprehensive array of other goods was also available, though it was relatively quiet at this hour.

Connie’s food cart was already in position. Ning He sat down on a chair and wrote out an ingredients list. Connie and Ah Huai split up to go shopping. More than half an hour later, the two returned with all the necessary raw materials.

Dried red chili peppers, cilantro, garlic bulbs, green onions, ginger, along with a massive chunk of pork bone and lard, various other vegetables, soy products, noodles, and a flat of eggs.

Not a single one of these items was cheap. Not only did they spend the few hundred original coins they had just earned yesterday, but Ning He also had to chip in several hundred more out of her own pocket.

"What are you planning to make? Second Level stalls aren’t allowed to sell meat."

Connie stared at the dozen or so pounds of pork bone and lard, her heart bleeding.

Even though these weren’t as expensive as actual pork, they still cost seven or eight hundred. How were they going to make their money back?

Ning He unhurriedly rolled up her sleeves.

"I’m going to make—Malatang."