Chapter 43: You’re So Devoted to Your Fiancé
Shen Lu complained bitterly to herself.
If she’d known that the deodorizers used in the Upper City District were different from those in the Lower City District, she would have had even more to complain about.
After selling the last serving of mala tang, a system notification announcing the task’s completion echoed in her mind.
[DING! Mint Water: 40/40. Egg Waffles: 30/30. Mala Tang: 30/30. Fried Rice: 5/5. Fried Noodles: 5/5. Task complete. Reward: One Lottery Ticket.]
At that moment, a familiar male voice spoke up.
"Looks like I’m too late."
Shen Lu looked up. The man before her was covered from head to toe in a dark combat suit, with only his eyes visible. A powerful heat radiated from him, making his agitated state easy to sense.
"Mr. Xue?"
"It’s me." Xue Can didn’t pull down his tactical mask. The Lower City District always stank after heavy rain, and his Spiritual Sea was already in turmoil. The stench would only worsen the pressure in his head.
"Is there anything left to eat? Egg waffles? Mint water? I’ll take anything."
"All gone." Shen Lu was a little touched.
Xue Can had been her very first customer. And while they’d gotten off to a rocky start, there was no denying he was now her most loyal one.
’Look at him,’ she thought. ’He just got back from a mission, and the first thing he does is come support my business.’
Xue Can’s eyes narrowed, his gaze falling on the mala tang cooker. "Isn’t that soup?"
"Uh... that’s not exactly soup..." Shen Lu began to explain, but Xue Can cut her off gruffly. "Sell me two cups."
"Fine."
’He’s so insistent, and he’s a regular.’ Shen Lu didn’t have the heart to refuse him again.
Shen Lu ladled out a bowl of the tomato broth, sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, and passed it to him.
"This one’s on the house. Sorry, all the ingredients are sold out. You’ll have to come earlier next time."
Not caring whether it was scalding hot, Xue Can pulled down his mask, picked up the bowl, and poured the contents straight into his mouth.
The tomato broth, which had simmered with all sorts of ingredients, was intensely flavorful, but Xue Can had no intention of savoring it. All he wanted was for his Spiritual Sea to quiet down.
There were always a few days each month when his Spiritual Sea would become especially volatile. Those were the hardest times to get through.
Kids from wealthy families, like Bai Lei, could spend a fortune on hospital treatments. But for someone like Xue Can, who didn’t have that kind of financial backing, he had to find other solutions.
He could either tough it out or go to the black market.
The black market was cheaper than the hospital, but the effects were mediocre. Xue Can had gone a few times and found it to be of little use.
Now, however, he had a better option.
After downing the bowl of tomato broth, the splitting pressure in Xue Can’s head immediately subsided.
The relief was so profound he let out a long sigh.
’He looks less like someone who just had tomato broth and more like he just downed a divine elixir,’ Shen Lu thought.
’Is it really that good?’
’I’ve had tomato hot pot myself. It’s delicious, sure, but not *this* good.’
’This is too much.’
Shen Lu suspected that any second now, his clothes would burst off, his cheeks would flush red, and he’d start moaning with tears in his eyes.
’No way. Seriously, no way.’
’This isn’t some cooking anime I’ve been dropped into.’
"Boss Shen, sell me whatever’s left." Xue Can wasn’t picky. Whether it was mint water, egg waffles, or tomato broth, he’d take anything as long as it soothed his Spiritual Sea.
He had another urgent mission to attend to, and he was leaving tonight. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed over in such a panic.
"Well... alright." Shen Lu couldn’t argue with Xue Can. She sold him the broth from the clear and tomato pots but skipped the spicy mala one. Xue Can only had one canteen, and while mixing the clear and tomato broths was acceptable, adding the spicy one to the mix would be a disaster.
Shen Lu only charged Xue Can 100 Star Coins as a "friendship price." After all, she might need to ask him for a favor someday.
Xue Can’s visit was a whirlwind; he was gone in less than ten minutes.
No sooner had he left than Wang Daguo arrived.
"Huh? Boss Shen, did you bring Fu Cheng out all by yourself?"
"Yeah. I don’t feel comfortable leaving him home alone."
’I can’t exactly tell him business was slow, and I had to bring out my Lucky Cat for good fortune, can I?’
Shen Lu had to make up a plausible excuse on the spot.
Wang Daguo nodded in understanding. "Boss Shen, you’re truly devoted to your fiancé."
He used to think Fu Cheng was Shen Lu’s brother. It wasn’t until Bai Wanwan let it slip a few days ago that Wang Daguo learned the half-dead man was actually her fiancé.
’I respect Boss Shen even more now,’ he thought.
’Any other woman might not have the courage or determination to keep looking after Fu Cheng. Their bond must be incredibly deep.’
Shen Lu’s expression was a mixture of awkwardness and resignation.
’Alright, whatever you say,’ she thought.
Wang Daguo pushed the food cart back first, then the flatbed cart. Once he had moved Fu Cheng onto the bed, his work was done.
As Shen Lu paid him, she asked casually, "Has the body-collecting work been busy lately?"
At the mention of it, Wang Daguo’s expression tightened. "Very."
He didn’t know what was going on, but he’d collected more bodies today than ever before. He felt that if things kept up like this, his part-time gig might just become a full-time position.
"Will helping me out interfere with your main job, then?"
"Not at all. I’ve got it all scheduled." Wang Daguo pocketed the money. "Alright, Boss Shen, I’ll be heading out."
"Okay."
Shen Lu took only the empty containers and dirty utensils from the food cart. She left the rest of the cookware and ingredients where they were, storing them along with the entire cart in her System Warehouse.
She had no choice. Her rental unit was too small to fit the cart, and she was afraid someone would steal it if she left it outside. Even with its anti-theft features, Shen Lu didn’t feel safe leaving it out.
’It’s much safer in the warehouse.’
After cleaning the utensils and cookware, Shen Lu went to check on the flowerpot on her windowsill.
The green onion seeds had been planted for two days, but there was still no sign of them sprouting.
’Then again, they’re supposed to take about ten days to sprout, so it’s still too early.’
She gave them a little water, then went to prepare dinner.
Even though she’d worn a mask, it hadn’t completely blocked out the stench. Having smelled that foul odor for most of the day, Shen Lu had no appetite, even now that she was back in a place with fresh air.
’I’ll just have some refreshing fruit.’
As for Fu Cheng, he would have fruit puree, of course.
While resting on the sofa, Shen Lu suddenly remembered the nutrient liquid Wang Daguo had given her.
’I’ve been here for about ten days, and this is the first time I’ve gotten my hands on one of these.’
She took the tube of nutrient liquid from her warehouse, pulled off the cap, and took a sniff.
’Hmm... it has a weird smell, kind of like fermented strawberry juice.’
’Could this possibly taste good?’
Shen Lu grimaced and sealed the cap tightly. It wasn’t like she was starving; she didn’t need to drink nutrient liquid. Besides, it was expired. Who knew if it would give her an upset stomach?
’Medicine is too expensive here. It’s best not to get sick and waste money on unnecessary expenses.’
She put the nutrient liquid back in the warehouse and took stock of her earnings for the day.
She had almost 5,000 Star Coins, and her popularity value had risen to 1,487.
’What a great day’s haul.’
’Speaking of which, I can probably start planning to rent a storefront now. I just need to figure out where...’