Chapter 6 - 5: Not Going Smoothly

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Not Going Smoothly

Ning He first went to the supermarket to stock up.

A bag of flour, a barrel of oil—one hundred and sixty original coins were gone in the blink of an eye.

Ning He winced at the expense.

She also bought some radish seeds and tucked them in her pocket. Her system was low on EXP, so she figured she’d just buy the seeds with her own money.

Then she made a trip to the flea market, but unfortunately, even a second-hand freezer or refrigerator started at four or five hundred original coins. She simply couldn’t afford one.

’Looks like I’ll have to find another way.’

’If worse comes to worst, I’ll just eat everything myself. At least nothing will go to waste.’

Ning He headed home with her purchases. Just as she turned into the alley, she saw a woman in her early thirties under the eaves of a nearby house, handing a dark plastic bag to an older woman.

"They just sprouted. This bunch is a full five hundred grams."

The older woman reached into the bag and rustled its contents. Ning He’s sharp eyes immediately identified a bundle of chives inside.

The older woman leaned in for a sniff and smiled. "They smell so fragrant. You really have a green thumb. The ones I try to plant myself never grow big!"

As she spoke, the older woman counted out a few silver coins from her small purse and handed them over.

Ning He saw it clearly: six original coins.

The woman accepted the money with a smile. After a few more words, they went their separate ways. Ning He’s gaze followed the older woman, a thoughtful look on her face.

If the original owner’s memories were correct, that woman ran a dumpling shop at the market, and chive and egg dumplings were her star product.

’So there are other supply channels like this.’

’This opens up a whole new avenue for me!’

Ning He couldn’t help but reveal a sharp, toothy grin.

"What... what are you doing sneaking around over there?"

A wary female voice reached her ears. Ning He followed the sound and saw the woman who had been selling chives standing in her doorway, watching her defensively.

Ning He was confused at first, but then a thought struck her, and she immediately understood.

Private sales of fresh food were prohibited in Beiluo City; getting caught meant a fine and confiscation of goods. Her position was a bit awkward—she was standing right behind a utility pole that hid most of her body, making it look like she was deliberately eavesdropping.

"Nothing! Just heading home with my groceries. I was just passing by. Don’t worry, I didn’t see a thing!"

Ning He brandished the large bag in her hand, gave the woman a wide grin, and sauntered away.

The woman watched her leave, the wariness in her eyes fading, replaced by a hint of confusion.

’Since when was she so easygoing?’

Back home, Ning He put her things away and began to plot out her vegetable-selling plan.

With the divine speed of the system’s black soil, she could harvest two or three kilograms of vegetables every day. If she could spread out the excess soil, she could grow even more.

If she could find a sales channel, easily earning a few dozen original coins a day wouldn’t be a problem.

The problem was, how would she explain the source of these vegetables?

After all, private trading of fresh produce just resulted in a fine and some confiscated assets. But being caught with private possession of plantable soil would land you in prison!

’I need to think this through carefully.’

Ning He went upstairs and harvested the fully ripened vegetables first. She filled a large basket with the reds and greens, which looked incredibly tempting.

The mint and fennel she had sown just two days ago were also ready for harvest. The lemons, ginger, and other plants needed a little more time.

With no refrigerator, Ning He had no choice but to place the basket in a corner of the room for now. She then returned to the attic, planted the radish seeds, and pulled up two large radishes. She prepared the shredded radish and chives she would need for her stall that afternoon, mixed the batter, and set off with her oil barrel, frying pan, and pushcart.

She set up at her usual spot. As soon as the workday ended, waves of workers changing shifts poured out of the factory complex, and crowds immediately formed around the food stalls. Ning He’s stall got a customer right away.

"This is the Lampshade Cake I was telling you about! I guarantee Anaya will love it!"

A young man, pulling his friend along, was the first to rush to Ning He’s stall, eagerly making the introduction.

"You know how picky my grandpa is. I brought one home for him to try yesterday, and even he said it was delicious. It’s definitely the real deal."

Ning He took the cue and offered a sample plate at the right moment. The dark-skinned young man beside him thanked her a little shyly, then picked up a piece to try.

After just a few chews, his entire face lit up with profound surprise, and his eyes seemed to sparkle.

"What do you think? I didn’t lie to you, did I?" the young man asked, lifting his chin smugly.

As the dazzlingly fragrant flavor faded from his mouth, the dark-skinned young man came back to his senses and said, a bit impatiently, "Give me two... no, three of the radish-filled ones."

"You got it! Just a moment!"

Ning He moved quickly, ladling batter, adding the filling, sealing it with another thin layer of batter, and placing it in the hot oil to fry slowly until it floated to the surface.

She packed them in a paper box and handed them to the young man. Before Ning He could catch her breath, several more people crowded around—they had also tried the Lampshade Cakes yesterday and were back today with friends.

Ning He greeted them, her heart swelling with delight.

’Good thing I had the foresight to prepare extra stock today.’

’I’ll definitely sell more than yesterday!’

Ning He’s prediction was correct. After the initial wave of sales yesterday, the Lampshade Cakes had attracted more customers.

But she soon noticed a problem.

Although the customers who had bought Lampshade Cakes yesterday were actively bringing new people to her stall, they almost never bought any for themselves.

Even though Ning He was certain they desperately wanted to eat more, most of them resisted the urge, no matter how much their mouths watered.

This meant that while Ning He’s stall was extremely lively—sometimes surrounded three layers deep—her sales volume wasn’t as high as it appeared.

By closing time, she had sold out, but Ning He knew it was only because she had secretly added extra filling to the last few. Otherwise, she would have had some batter left over.

Back home, Ning He did the math. She had sold ninety-one today, which was indeed more than yesterday, but it hadn’t reached the explosive popularity she had hoped for.

It seemed the income of the workers in the Fourth Ring wasn’t enough to support buying street food every day. Moreover, the cheaper chive-filled ones sold significantly better, and her net profit for the day was less than two hundred original coins.

This situation was likely to continue.

Even if the Lampshade Cakes were very popular, the workers’ limited purchasing power meant that most of them weren’t willing to spend the money.

Over the next three days, the sales figures confirmed Ning He’s suspicions.

Although the reputation of the Lampshade Cakes gradually spread throughout the factory complex and the number of people visiting her stall each day was by no means small, the quantity sold always hovered between eighty and ninety.

And even with these limited sales, Ning He’s stall had attracted the attention of her competitors. Several nearby stalls with similar prices saw their business suffer.

This was especially true for the fried skewer stall diagonally opposite her. Ever since Ning He had appeared, its business had been nearly cut in half.

They sold skewers for one original coin each—vegetable skewers and fried mantou skewers—and had always been quite popular. But after tasting Ning He’s Lampshade Cakes, which were stuffed so full of radish and chives they seemed almost free, people looked at the tiny skewers that were barely a mouthful and felt they were no longer a good deal.

The stall owner glared at her every day with eyes as wide as bronze bells, and Ning He could only brace herself and pretend not to notice. In any case, the market had administrators, so no one dared to cause trouble. Still, as soon as she sold out, she would quickly pack up and slip away, giving no one the chance to start anything.

It wasn’t that Ning He was afraid of trouble; she just couldn’t afford to waste time right now.

If she missed the deadline to pay the deposit for the academy cafeteria, her plan to activate the system’s mission would be indefinitely postponed.

’Even if I have to lie low, I’ll keep at it until I’ve saved up all the money!’

But things didn’t go as she wished. On the sixth day, they came looking for her.