After spending 50 Star Coins on a new outfit and another 7 to bathe and do laundry, a clean and refreshed Shen Lu returned to her rented room.
In the last rays of the setting sun, Shen Lu knocked on Granny Jin's door, holding a bowl of marinated radish peels.
"Little Deer?" Granny Jin's nose twitched, and her eyes fell to what Shen Lu was holding. A hint of resignation crossed her face. "I've told you before, you don't need to bring me food."
Having lived alone for so many years, Granny Jin was happy about Shen Lu's friendly overtures, but she also found them deeply unfamiliar.
She knew Shen Lu wouldn't be in the Seventeenth District forever. Since the girl wasn't going to stay permanently, why should they get too close?
When she eventually left, it would only leave an old woman like her heartbroken.
"I'm not giving it to you, I'm just asking for your help with a taste test," Shen Lu said with a grin. "I have a lot of leftover peels from peeling radishes every day, and it seems like a waste to throw them away. I was thinking of making some little pickled snacks, but I'm not sure if people will like the taste."
Granny Jin opened the door and let Shen Lu come inside.
'She's just a young girl, after all. She doesn't understand how dangerous the world can be, wandering around outside with a bowl of food, not worried at all about being targeted.'
To Shen Lu, these radish peels might be a side dish made from scraps, but to most people in the Seventeenth District, they were a rare delicacy.
After all, most people here couldn't even afford the dirt-flavored nutrient liquid and survived by eating Insect Cakes every day.
"You really must be more careful," Granny Jin felt compelled to warn Shen Lu. "You're out there every day, pushing a cart full of food to your stall. I'm sure many people have their eyes on you."
Shen Lu was well aware of this, which was why she had hired Wang Daguo. First, she needed him to help carry things, and second, his presence might serve as a deterrent to anyone getting funny ideas, though she had no idea if it was actually working.
But for now, aside from that one night, no other reckless people had come looking for trouble.
"I'll be careful." Shen Lu nodded. Then she noticed a small, dark, round cake on the table with half a glass of water beside it.
"Is that your dinner?"
Granny Jin grunted in affirmation and sat down at the table. "This is what everyone who lives here eats." She was no exception.
"What is it?" Neither Shen Lu nor the body's original owner had ever seen one before.
"An Insect Cake." Granny Jin looked at her with cloudy eyes. "Curious?"
Shen Lu sat down across from Granny Jin and could faintly smell the Insect Cake. It wasn't a pleasant odor; it had a... rank smell.
"Not especially," Shen Lu said, afraid Granny Jin might generously offer her a piece. "Why don't you try my marinated radish peels?"
Granny Jin agreed.
Having been marinated for three or four hours, the once-white radish peels were now a rich brown from the soy sauce, dotted with red from the chili oil. The aroma was enticing, and the colors were deep and vivid.
One glance was enough to tell how delicious it would be.
Granny Jin picked up a piece with her fingers and popped it into her mouth. The first sensation was spiciness, quickly followed by a sour tang. The deep, savory saltiness of the soy sauce intertwined with the crisp sweetness of the radish peel, instantly making her mouth water.
'So delicious.'
Granny Jin sighed inwardly. 'If only I had a bowl of white congee right now to go with these radish peels. That would be a taste of heaven.'
Shen Lu rested her chin on her hands and tilted her head, watching Granny Jin. When the old woman closed her eyes and remained silent for a long moment, Shen Lu asked nervously, "Granny Jin, is it good?"
'It can't taste bad, can it?'
Shen Lu hadn't tried it herself, but it smelled pretty good.
But to each their own. Some people might love something, while others despise it. Shen Lu mentally kicked herself; she should have asked Granny Jin if she even liked radish peels first.
"Delicious." Granny Jin opened her eyes, her smile brimming with nostalgia. "When I was just a little girl, I used to have marinated radish peels with white congee for breakfast."
"This place used to be different, wasn't it?"
Granny Jin hummed. "Then one day, it all suddenly changed."
The topic was growing heavy, so Granny Jin changed it. "These radish peels are delicious. If you sell them, I'm sure they'll be very popular."
Even plain, unseasoned radish peels would be a hit.
Shen Lu didn't stay for long. She chatted with Granny Jin for another ten minutes or so before returning to her room.
It was time to make dinner for herself and Fu Cheng.
After eating her fill, Shen Lu sat on the sofa to count her money. Her earnings were about the same as yesterday, which made sense since she had used a similar amount of ingredients.
[Host, friendly reminder: The seasonings stored in your temporary inventory are about to expire~]
Shen Lu pouted and spent 20 popularity value to rent a warehouse.
[Ding! Virtual Warehouse (1) has been unlocked. Area: 50 square meters. First-time rental: 20 popularity value. Subsequent monthly renewals will only cost 5 popularity value~]
Shen Lu frowned. "It's not a one-time purchase?"
[Nope.]
'Looks like I have to spend this popularity value after all. But the cost isn't too high; it's acceptable.'
[Host, you still haven't used today's Lottery Ticket.]
"I'll save it," Shen Lu said. "I'll do the draw tomorrow night."
She was a little tired and wanted to go to sleep.
"I should wrap up early tomorrow, too. I still need to buy medicine," Shen Lu planned out her next day. "I can't spend too much time at the landfill in the morning, otherwise I won't have time to bathe."
The young woman yawned. After a moment's hesitation, she climbed into the bed.
'After sleeping in a real bed, I really don't want to go back to the sofa.'
The mattress was hard, but at least her back didn't ache when she woke up.
"You don't mind, do you, Fu Cheng?" Shen Lu mumbled quietly. "It doesn't matter if you do, anyway. It's not like you can kick me off. Besides, I'm the one who rented this room."
Fu Cheng: ...
'He really had no way of kicking her out. Not that he could bear to, anyway.'
'He could "see" how busy she was every day, yet all he could do was lie there, completely unable to help.'
'Fu Cheng felt a surge of frustration, but he knew there was nothing he could do.'
'Waiting, enduring, and hoping—that was all he could do.'
The room fell silent. Soon, Shen Lu's breathing became deep and even.
In her dream, she lived in a spacious, sunlit mansion. A dozen servants waited on her hand and foot, and she lived the life of an aristocrat, never having to lift a finger for food or clothing.
On top of that, she was surrounded by five handsome young men, each with their own unique style.
The dream was so wonderful that when she woke up, she felt a sense of wistful loss.
After composing herself, Shen Lu got out of bed.
After washing up, Shen Lu stared at the bucket of used water, lost in thought.
'What can I use this water for?'
'It seems like a waste to just dump it. Should I try to sell it?'
The moment she pictured someone giving it a cursory treatment and then using it for drinking water, Shen Lu immediately dismissed the thought.
'What about... growing vegetables?'
The moment the idea surfaced, Shen Lu felt she must be going a little crazy.
'Where around here would I even find suitable soil for a garden?'
She headed out to the No. 3 Landfill. Regardless of what she might find, Shen Lu only scavenged for two hours before calling it a day and heading home.
At the street corner, someone had discarded a tin flowerpot that was still half-full of dark, reddish soil.
Shen Lu couldn't help but pick it up. Just then, a window opened above her, and a head poked out.
"That's useless, you know. Nothing will grow in it," the person said. "Unless you have soil cultivated by the folks at the research institute, you can't grow a thing in the dirt around here."