Chapter 216: Opening a Food City?
At first, the three men thought Yu Luo was merely asking out of curiosity. After all, she appeared frail, had no attendants by her side, and wouldn’t purchase them so casually—she would surely think it over carefully before making a decision. But to their surprise, after just a few sentences, she had really bought them.
“Come out. What are you still sitting in there for? Haven’t had enough of the cage yet?” The vendor tugged at their chains, dragging them out of the iron cage while grumbling, “I’d say you three are lucky—just arrived in the wilderness yesterday, and today, someone took a liking to you. This young master is straightforward, so you’d better be loyal to him in the future.”
The three men didn’t speak as they bent down and walked out of the cage, their eyes—hidden beneath their messy hair—fixed intently on Yu Luo, the person who had bought them.
The vendor took the silver note, then immediately handed over the iron chains to Yu Luo. She frowned at the relatively thin chains and looked directly at the vendor.
“Unlock them. They won’t be needing these anymore.”
The vendor’s hands froze for a moment before he nodded repeatedly.
“Ah, seems you all have really found a kind-hearted master. To trust you like this right away—how fortunate.”
Hearing Yu Luo’s words, the three men were slightly startled. They hadn’t expected their new owner to be someone who trusted them so easily.
After some fumbling, the chains that had bound them for months were finally removed.
The moment the weight was lifted, their bodies felt stiff and uncomfortable. Having been confined in a low cage, they had spent their days sitting, unable to stand fully upright.
Staying in one position for too long had left their muscles and joints rigid.
But now, they were really free—not only that, they had met an unexpectedly open-minded master.
“Can you walk?”
Seeing them still standing there in a daze, their bodies seemingly unaccustomed to movement, Yu Luo furrowed her brows slightly.
The leading man nodded slightly and tentatively took a step forward. The two behind him followed suit, their steps trembling slightly.
“Forget it. You should stretch your limbs a bit first and get used to moving again. I guess being in that cage for too long has stiffened your bodies. I see a noodle stall ahead—once you’ve loosened up, come find me there.”
Yu Luo pointed to a small stall ahead. Though it was run by Feng City locals, considering the men’s weakened states, she wasn’t about to let them starve.
After speaking, she walked about twenty meters to the noodle stall and sat down. Looking toward the man cooking at the stove, she called out, “What kind of noodles do you have?”
“Black bean noodles and plain noodles.”
The vendor replied lazily without even glancing up from his work.
“How much for a bowl of black bean noodles?”
“Ten taels of silver per bowl.”
Yu Luo nodded knowingly. As expected of the cutthroat pricing in Feng City—ten taels for a single bowl of noodles? That amount could probably open an entire noodle shop elsewhere. The place was truly outrageous.
“Make three large bowls of black bean noodle, no chili.”
She placed thirty taels on the table and glanced back at the three men still in the distance before withdrawing her gaze.
“What’s chili?”
The noodle vendor, who had been focused on his cooking, finally looked up, confusion written all over his face as he curiously asked Yu Luo.
She paused, trying to recall what she knew from the original owner’s memories. But the former owner of her body had been as sheltered as a caged bird—even more so than she initially thought. Not only had she never heard of chili, but she was also unfamiliar with many other foods.
Not entirely certain, Yu Luo turned to ask her system.
“System, does chili not exist in this era?”
[Not yet. The variety of dishes available is quite limited. If the host were to open a food city in Feng City, it would definitely attract a large crowd.]
Yu Luo…
“A type of seasoning. Just keep cooking—maybe Feng City simply doesn’t have it.”
She waved dismissively at the vendor, indicating for him to continue his work while she pondered over the system’s words.
In reality, if the wilderness could be properly developed, the tourism industry could also be a great opportunity. For a city to thrive, it needed people.
And to attract people, she had plenty of ideas. Her past life was filled with successful case studies—she could turn the wilderness into a luxury retreat for the wealthy, a hotspot that could become famous across multiple nations.
But the biggest obstacle would be breaking through the national border checkpoints. That would be the most difficult challenge.
While she was deep in thought, the three men had finally adjusted to standing and were slowly making their way toward her.
Seeing them approach, Yu Luo set aside her thoughts and waited.
“Young master.”
The leading man stood before the table, his body filthy and emitting a strong odor—comparable to a street beggar. The surrounding customers eating noodles wrinkled their noses in disgust.
Under her mask, Yu Luo smiled in satisfaction at the three men and gave them a small nod, gesturing for them to sit.
They cautiously took their seats at the wooden table, their gazes filled with curiosity as they studied her.
“I ordered three bowls of noodles for you. I still have matters to take care of, so after eating, head outside the city and wait for me. If nothing delays me, I’ll be out before noon, and then I’ll take you with me.”
The three clearly needed a bath and a change of clothes, but rather than spending hundreds of taels in Feng City like an idiot, Yu Luo preferred to endure a little longer and handle everything later.
With that, she rose to leave.
But the moment she stood up, the three men immediately followed suit, standing so abruptly that their seats scraped against the ground.
Frowning at their reaction, she reassured them, “I’ve already paid for your food—no need to worry.”
“It’s not that, young master. W-we still have seven other brothers over there… Would you be willing to…”
Yu Luo…
Following the direction one of the men pointed, she spotted a larger iron cage nearby, where seven other men were confined.
They were in the same miserable condition as the three she had just bought—huddled inside like livestock, waiting for someone to pick them out.
“I don’t mind buying them. If you all belong together, and as long as their skills are decent and their character is trustworthy, spending some silver doesn’t bother me.”
With that, she stepped away from the bench and looked at the man who had spoken. “Are there only seven of them left? Any others?”
The man quickly shook his head, his eyes filled with barely contained excitement.
They had been nervous about bringing up the request, afraid that this young master wouldn’t agree.
After all, Yu Luo had haggled when buying the first three of them and nearly walked away without making a purchase.
But to their astonishment, when they asked, she agreed without hesitation. It was completely unexpected.
