Chapter 8 - 7: The Heatwave Is Here

Chapter 8: Chapter 7: The Heatwave Is Here

Raising the price was out of the question, so the only option was to cut costs.

One way was to use fewer radishes and chives. However, not only were those ingredients free—meaning cutting back wouldn’t increase Ning He’s profits—but doing so would also significantly impact the flavor of the Lampshade Cakes.

They were already expensive, and if the flavor wasn’t exceptional, she was afraid sales would plummet.

The second method was to shrink the size without changing the recipe. Ning He was currently using a wok ladle as a mold, and a finished Lampshade Cake was about the size of an adult man’s fist, making it very filling.

Shrinking them still risked impacting sales, but it would preserve the flavor and might also appease the other stall owners.

Ning He had already downloaded and read Beiluo City’s vendor management regulations, which contained the following rule:

If seventy percent or more of the members in a market collective request that a certain merchant undergo rectification, relocation, or inspection, said merchant must accept and comply with the request.

This meant the fried skewer vendor and the others weren’t just making baseless accusations or deliberately giving her a hard time out of jealousy. If she truly angered the masses, it was entirely possible for the other merchants to jointly demand she make changes.

Making changes would be one thing, but what if they investigated her stall and the black mud was exposed? How would she complete the system’s missions then?

’This is such a pain. Why does it feel like this black mud is causing more trouble than it’s worth?’

Feeling a knot of frustration in her chest, Ning He grabbed a clean tomato and took a bite.

The rich, sweet-and-sour juice flowed down her throat, and she calmed down slightly. Then, she remembered something.

’I can sell vegetables, too!’

According to the information she’d gathered at the flea market over the past two days, every household in Beiluo City used plastic containers to grow hydroponic vegetables, supplementing their vitamin intake and reducing expenses.

This could be a way to legitimize her own vegetables, making it less suspicious when she went out to sell them.

However, the main bed of black mud was already full, and she needed to save the radishes and chives. She had to figure out how to utilize the leftover black mud within the limited space of her attic.

After thinking about it all night, Ning He went to the flea market first thing the next morning. She hunted down a pile of plastic bottles, buckets, boxes, and crates, and wheeled them home on a small cart.

Once home, she transplanted some of a vegetables into these plastic containers, placing them in a conspicuous spot by the window. She even moved the sun-loving ones directly to her doorway. That way, anyone who passed by would see them and become her witnesses.

As for the black mud piled in the attic corner, Ning He packed it into several plastic crates. The frames of these crates were full of fist-sized openings. By planting seeds in these openings, she solved the problem of limited floor space.

This was a solution Ning He had spent a long time devising. The seeds she tucked inside were mostly for varieties that didn’t grow too large and weren’t prone to falling over.

They were mostly common, high-demand varieties like bok choy, cabbage, lettuce, chives, and potatoes.

These were all varieties sold at the market and known to be suitable for hydroponics; otherwise, people would be suspicious if Ning He suddenly produced them.

After finishing her work, Ning He took a break, sipping water while she considered a suitable buyer.

Given her own abysmal reputation, finding someone trustworthy for this kind of gray-market deal was nearly impossible.

Ning He finally settled on the noodle shop in the market. Thanks to the chef’s license rental, they were already in the same boat. What was one more thing?

’Worst case, I’ll just offer a lower price. How could they not be tempted?’

She had finished her shift at the stall yesterday with nearly a thousand original coins saved up, enough to get her chef’s license back. She might as well go have a proper chat with them right now.

You always had to bring samples when talking business.

Ning He picked some of the best-looking vegetables from the two crates in the corner, packed them in a black bag, and put it inside a woven plastic basket.

She checked the time. It was 11:30 AM, the noodle shop’s busiest hour.

’Better wait until after the lunch rush.’ Besides, Ning He was hungry herself. She’d eat first.

Some of the vegetables in the crate had been harvested a while ago and were starting to wilt. Ning He picked them out, deciding they would make a nice side dish for her lunch.

As a former food blogger with a million followers, simply boiling vegetables in plain water felt a little pathetic. Ning He rummaged through her ingredients and decided to make a simple sour soup base.

The vegetables grown in the system’s black mud were excellent quality. The tomatoes, for instance, were perfectly sweet and tart, and should make for a flavorful base.

Ordinary homes didn’t have kitchens, as there was no demand for home cooking. So, Ning He brought the stove from her cart inside, boiled water to scald and peel the tomatoes, then diced them. She also steamed a small potato and minced some chili peppers, scallions, and garlic.

She heated oil in a pot, then stir-fried the diced tomatoes until they broke down, releasing their fragrant, red oil and tartness. Next, she added the minced chili, scallions, and garlic, frying them until aromatic before adding water and bringing it all to a boil. She seasoned it with salt and sugar.

Ning He looked at the vibrant red tomato soup. It was missing something. Finally, she went and picked a small lemon, then plucked some mint and cilantro.

Once she added the lemon juice and slices to the somewhat plain tomato soup, it absorbed the distinct flavors of the mint and cilantro, and the sour fragrance immediately became rich and intense.

Finally, she mashed the steamed potato into a paste and mixed it into the soup to thicken it. A fragrant, intensely flavored, Southeast Asian-style hot and sour tomato soup base was now complete.

Just smelling that long-lost hot and sour aroma made Ning He’s mouth water.

She wiped her mouth, tossed the washed vegetables into the pot, and added a handful of fresh noodles she’d bought that morning for Three Original Coins.

Once the vegetables and noodles were cooked, she ladled them into the soup, carried the bowl to her table, and began to savor her meal.

First, a sip of the broth.

The moment it touched her lips, an intense wave of sour and spicy flavor sent a dizzying rush from her tongue to the crown of her head, a blissful, transcendent sensation. After a moment, that intensity faded, replaced by a powerful burst of mint and cilantro that lingered between her teeth, the aftertaste seemingly endless.

It was hot, sour, and delicious, perfectly balanced between salty and sweet, with the unique, refreshing fragrance of lemon and mint.

This simple version of the sour soup lacked many of the complex seasonings she had used in her past life, but to Ning He, who had eaten bland food for half a month, it was an absolutely divine, top-tier assault on the senses.

’What if I sold this?’

The thought had barely formed before Ning He dismissed it.

’Even the three-to-four-coin Lampshade Cakes have a limited market. A bowl of these sour soup noodles would have to sell for at least ten original coins—enough to buy two eggs. Who would shell out that kind of money?’

’If I price it too low, it’ll attract unwanted attention. If the system’s black mud gets exposed, it would be a disaster. The gain wouldn’t be worth the loss.’

’Forget it. I’ll reconsider when I can set up a stall inside the Third Ring.’

The residents of the Third Ring had higher incomes; there would surely be more people willing to spend.

However, the last time she’d looked for a stall location, she had checked all the market collectives in the Third Ring. They were all full. Some even had waiting lists. There was no telling when she’d get a chance to snag a spot.

She couldn’t rush the matter.

Putting those thoughts aside, Ning He focused on enjoying her meal.

Still, it was a bit of a shame.

’A soup base this good would be heavenly with seafood, in a hot pot, for braising chicken feet, or for making raw-marinated dishes!’

’Using it on just noodles is such a waste!’

After finishing everything, soup and noodles included, Ning He sank onto her chair in satisfaction, not wanting to move a muscle. Finally, she managed to lift a hand, grab the remote, and turn on the TV.

Living in the apocalypse was tough; living without good food was even tougher. You had to find joy amidst the suffering, and for that, you needed some entertainment. The television was one option.

The film and television industry in Beiluo City was underdeveloped. To be precise, aside from a few amateurs shooting short videos for their own amusement, it was practically nonexistent. The television station either broadcast classic pre-apocalypse works or imported shows and films from other cities in the Alliance.

When Ning He had nothing better to do, she would watch it to pass the time.

She casually flipped to the music channel and closed her eyes.

First, enjoy the food. Then, enjoy the music.

’Life doesn’t seem so bad after all.’

Ning He basked in the pleasant moment, but the music suddenly cut off. After a few seconds of silence, a calm, serious voice came from the television.

"...We are now issuing an emergency announcement."

"The Meteorological Bureau has confirmed that a strong thermal air current will pass over the city at 11:00 PM tonight. The maximum outdoor temperature is expected to rise to eighty degrees and will last for three to five days. The Municipal Council has officially issued a Second Level warning. All citizens are instructed to prepare essential supplies and proceed in an orderly manner to their district shelter entrances. All relevant departments are instructed to make the necessary preparations..."

"I repeat, the Meteorological Bureau has confirmed..."

Ning He froze, her eyes snapping open to stare at the television screen.

Sure enough, the screen had switched to a Beiluo City news studio. A female anchor was reading the notice with a solemn expression, a red warning ticker scrolling across the bottom.

’The fried skewer vendor just mentioned this yesterday, and it’s already happening today?’

’Eighty degrees?’

’You’ve got to be kidding me!’

’Is it going to steam me alive?’

’And what about my stall?’

Before Ning He could collect her thoughts, a piercing siren wailed through the air.

Beiluo City’s warning system had been activated.

The extreme heat was really here.

Ning He stood stunned for a full minute. When she finally snapped out of it, she leaped from her chair, dashed to the side of her bed, and dragged a large case from underneath it.

The case was packed to the brim.

A sleeping bag, a large packet of compressed food powder, a few bottles of water, a bag of toiletries, a phone charger, and even a deck of cards and a small folding chair.

Every household had a "go-bag" like this, ready to be grabbed at a moment’s notice.

Ning He’s taut nerves relaxed slightly, but then her brow furrowed again.

The extreme heat would last for five days. That meant she only had two days left to scrape together the academy deposit. Time was too tight.

’Besides, won’t this entire room of vegetables be ruined?’

’If that happens, the losses will be immense.’

Ning He steadied her nerves, dragged the case out, and wiped the dust off it, her mind racing.

There were still several hours until the heat current arrived.

By protocol, everyone had to be inside a shelter within six hours of the city-wide siren. She still had some time to figure something out.

Ning He stood up and looked out the window.

At this time of day, most of the residents were still at work and the children were at school. It was quiet everywhere, with nothing out of the ordinary to be seen.

Ning He decided to go to the market to see what was happening.

There was no time to waste. She immediately locked her door and headed out.