Chapter 22: Someone Wants to Steal?
The first to arrive at the Chinese Restaurant were, unsurprisingly, the regulars.
Familiar with the route and knowing the ropes, they had gathered at the west wall gate the moment the morning bells tolled inside the city.
Long Qian, Long Ya, and Long Shi led the pack, with Jia Wen, Jia Si, Lilin, and Lina not far behind.
Every one of them carried basins, cloths, sacks, or handcarts. Bantering and laughing, they eagerly debated what to eat for breakfast.
As they passed through the city gate, the guards in black uniforms shot the group several puzzled looks.
Strange.
This crowd didn’t look like scavengers marching off to brave the wastes.
They looked like they were heading out for a spring picnic.
“It smells so good… What is that?”
“Pork cracklings? No… it’s a completely different aroma…”
The moment they reached the familiar white light, the rich, savory smell of cooked food roused the hunger clawing at their bellies.
Going all night without food used to be a regular occurrence. Back then, no one bothered with breakfast; with rations distributed only once a day, you had to stretch every bite.
Besides, nobody craved food that tasted like cardboard anyway.
Now, things were different. Faced with actual delicacies, their stomachs sounded an immediate charge.
Better yet, they had coins in their pockets.
Long Shi craned his neck, sniffing around to pinpoint the source of the scent.
Shoving and jostling with Long Ya, who was just as fast, the two scrambled over to Ling Jing, who was currently ladling out a massive pot of stew.
“Boss, what is this?” Long Ya asked first, her eyes glued to the pot alongside Long Shi’s.
“One-pot hodgepodge stew,” Ling Jing said, pointing toward a newly written placard. “The price and detailed attributes are all listed right there.”
Long Shi, Long Ya, and the others crowding behind leaned in to inspect the fresh board.
[One-Pot Hodgepodge Stew] For 24 hours after consumption: Physical strength increased by 5%, body temperature stabilized, mental resistance increased by 10%. Stew Attribute: Doubled effects of other foods consumed within 30 minutes. Price: 15 City Coins per serving.
“What does this mean…?”
“If I eat a bowl of this stew, then eat a roasted potato, the potato purges two percent of the poison?” Long Qian asked.
Ling Jing nodded. “Precisely.”
This was her very first official “dish.”
A composed dish yielded vastly different buffs compared to single-ingredient items. Its final effects weren’t just a crude sum of the raw components.
Boosting physical strength, regulating temperature, and stabilizing mental focus… these perks aligned closely with what people from her home world associated with a hearty stew.
Warm, comforting, and deeply satisfying—the quintessential taste of home for northern folk.
As for the price tag, it was naturally much steeper than roasted potatoes.
It used far more ingredients and seasoning, so the production costs had to be factored in.
Besides, the disposable takeout bowls used to serve the stew cost points from the system, too.
“Hiss… That’s a bit pricey.” Long Shi happened to have exactly fifteen coins in his pocket, but buying a bowl would clean him out completely. His heart ached at the thought.
He had earned that money yesterday hauling sacks of rotting sweet potatoes on his back! Even if he had blown a chunk of it on pork cracklings, sweet potatoes, and roasted potatoes afterward…
He leaned toward Long Ya. “Sis, how about we pool our money and split a bowl?”
Long Ya rolled her eyes at him. “Fine. You put in eight, I’ll put in seven.”
“Wait, isn’t that a rip-off for me…?”
Long Qian chimed in: “Count me in, too. That makes it five coins each—fair and square.”
The bowls the boss used looked quite generous, after all.
“Deal! Sounds like a plan! Then I’ll grab a roasted potato on the side—absolute bliss!” Long Shi daydreamed happily.
“Drop the coins into the box as usual, right, Boss?”
Ling Jing nodded, handing over a pre-portioned bowl. “Utensils are free—help yourselves.”
Beside her hand sat two small wooden containers, one holding disposable wooden chopsticks and the other plastic forks.
These were cheap enough—two hundred pieces for a single point—so she offered them complimentary.
Back in her old world, restaurants never charged for disposable cutlery either.
With its higher price tag, the stew didn’t see an immediate rush of buyers.
Ling Jing sold one serving to the Long family trio, one to Old Hu, Qiu Jie, and another companion, one to the Jia brothers and Auntie Yun, and another to the middle-aged man’s family.
In total, four servings were sold; the rest held off for the moment.
That was only natural. The day had barely begun, and no one had started “earning” their keep yet this morning.
Fifteen City Coins wasn’t an amount just anyone could drop on a whim.
Still, the flavor was undeniable.
The second the bowl touched his hands, Long Shi couldn’t wait to twirl a massive forkful of vermicelli into his mouth.
Piping-hot, tender glass noodles, infused with the savory essence of pork and vegetables and coated in thick, rich gravy, left a lingering warmth on his palate.
It tasted so heavenly that he completely forgot to buy his roasted potato.
“Slow down, will you?! Splitting this with you really is a rip-off!” Long Ya snapped, though the fork in her own hand was shoveling food just as fast.
Savory cabbage, potatoes, string beans, and eggplants that practically tasted like meat! The pork belly slices were the crown jewel—rich without being greasy, packed with flavor, and offering a completely different, even more satisfying experience than yesterday’s cracklings!
Long Qian watched her niece and nephew squabble over the food with a chuckle. In the blink of an eye, half the bowl was gone.
Her face abruptly hardened, and with a swift sweep of her hand, she snatched the bowl away. “Do you two have any respect left for your aunt?!”
The other groups sharing bowls were in much the same state, eating in a frantic, wide-eyed frenzy.
Only Jia Wen and Jia Si managed to eat with some semblance of decorum.
“This is so delicious. What kind of cooking style is this? I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Auntie Yun asked the boss curiously, having never known vegetables could be stewed to taste just as savory as meat.
“A traditional style from my homeland,” Ling Jing replied with a smile. “Chinese cuisine.”
“Incredible!”
Naturally, there were also those who couldn’t afford the stew or simply couldn’t bring themselves to spend that much.
Lilin and Lina were among the hesitant ones.
Much as they craved it… fifteen coins was still fifteen coins.
“Hey, Sister, look at that over there!” Lina pointed toward the sign.
Lilin looked over.
Beneath the section for the one-pot stew was another listing.
[Pickled White Radish] For 3 hours after consumption: Inhaled toxin absorption reduced by 10%. Pickle Attribute: Consuming for 3 consecutive days increases reflex speed by 2%. (Salty and spicy flavor profile; ideal accompaniment for staples) Price: 1 City Coin per serving.
“This is the pickled radish? Is it good?” Lilin stepped forward with her sister, pointing to the pickles packed in small, transparent plastic containers.
“I personally find it quite tasty,” Ling Jing answered.
“Sister, can we get one?”
“Sure.”
At one City Coin, it was dirt cheap.
It wasn’t even for the buff; they just wanted a taste.
Nothing this boss sister sold was ever anything short of delicious!
Crunch.
Lina bit into a strip of the pickled radish.
Hm?
Her eyes went wide.
Salty, spicy, and wonderfully crisp!
Chew, chew, chew… There was even a faint hint of sweetness beneath the crunch.
So good!
Seeing this, those who couldn’t bring themselves to buy the stew and had spent the last few minutes swallowing their own drool immediately stepped up.
The frail young man: “Boss, I’ll take one too.”
The woman with her daughter: “Please give me one as well.”
“Drop the coins into the box and help yourselves,” Ling Jing said, busy packaging the stew.
“Wait, Boss, your roaster…???”
Having had their attention monopolized by the new dish, the crowd only just realized that the roaster from yesterday had transformed.
It looked noticeably larger! And it even had a stainless-steel platform attached to the front!
The sign beside it had an extra line of instructions as well:
[Please deposit payment into the cash box, then take your food.]
“Yes, I upgraded it. When you make a purchase, just help yourselves,” Ling Jing explained.
“Understood!” The customer who had asked dropped four coins into the box and picked up a roasted potato.
The moment the empty slot cleared, another potato popped out onto the platform with a soft whoosh, restocking the counter automatically.
“Whoa! Boss, this roaster of yours is amazing! It sells food all by itself!”
Ling Jing offered a quiet smile.
Naturally; it had cost her three hundred points, after all.
Rumble—
The second wave of people arrived from the gate.
This was the main body of scavengers, far outnumbering Long Qian’s vanguard.
Among them were familiar faces from yesterday, along with plenty of newcomers.
Perhaps they were unfamiliar with the route, or perhaps they simply walked slower.
Wave after wave of shocked exclamations broke out in rapid succession.
“Whoa! It smells incredible! What is this?”
“Roasted potatoes?!”
Truth be told… Ling Jing was growing rather used to the reaction.
Before long, having gotten over their initial shock, the survivors caught sight of the placards. Some dashed off toward the farmland, while others lingered to buy a bite to eat.
Since it was early morning and most had empty stomachs, and because the roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes were so cheap, a fair number decided to stay.
A neat line formed.
Help yourself?
Standing in line for the roasted potatoes, a wiry, short man glanced at Ling Jing, who was absorbed in her work.
Seeing that the boss wasn’t paying attention…
He faked a movement, pulling back the coins he was about to drop into the box.
Then, he reached his hand toward a roasted potato.
