"Brother Qin Gang, you're such a kind-hearted person, aren't you? But I have to give you some advice. You say your restaurant is grand, but your attitude towards guests is too arrogant. It makes people feel uncomfortable. If you change your way of speaking a little, people will feel more comfortable, and it will make your service seem better."

"Yes, yes, yes, today you really showed me what it means to be outmatched. To be honest, after running a shop for so long, I've met a lot of people and encountered many scams and cheating incidents, which has made me lose my temper. You're too controlling with your words and can't control your employees. You seem too cowardly, and everyone who comes to your shop wants to bully you. But you're right, you can't condemn everyone. Today you've really taught me a lesson. Girl, I'm definitely going to be your friend."

Xia Enruo was, after all, a big businessman in his previous life, and he agreed with some of the things Qin Gang said. Indeed, there are many people in society who treat others differently based on their status, so only by becoming economically independent and strong can one avoid being looked down upon.

"Brother Qin Gang, my name is Xia Enruo. Well then, we can say that we became friends after our initial misunderstanding."

She reached out and shook hands with Qin Gang; it seemed this was the first friend she had made since she transmigrated.

Xia Enruo spent five yuan to buy four jin of meat coupons and five jin of grain coupons from Qin Gang, and then purchased all the necessary items according to the locations he told her about.

Finally, she went to the black market to see what it was like in this era. It was similar to a market today, with stalls on both sides of the road selling all sorts of things, and even more novel items than state-run stores, such as scarves, underwear, floral fabrics, and condiments. However, everything was displayed on sheets-like cloths, and when inspectors came, they could just grab the goods and run away, just like the street vendors chased by the city management officers in her previous life.

After strolling around for a while, Xia Enruo bought a carp. Suddenly wanting fruit tea, she bought some seasonal fruits, fresh milk, and other ingredients for making it. Finally, she decided to buy a bamboo basket to carry her purchases, saving her from carrying heavy bags and getting tired.

The day's expenses totaled twenty-five yuan. After deducting the twenty yuan she needed to repay Gu Shaoxuan and the round-trip bus fare, Xia Enruo looked at the one hundred and forty-five yuan and eight mao in her pocket and immediately felt proud and overjoyed. Although she hadn't found a job, it was still a good start. This money could support her for a while, and she had learned a lot about the market situation, so it was a fruitful day.

Xia Enruo, carrying a basket on her back, was panting heavily. It seemed that the original owner's body really couldn't function without exercise; she was already quite weak after walking only a few miles.

She took out her keys to open the door, and her neighbor, a woman carrying a child, came out to throw out the trash. In her memory, this woman was called Ge Qiuqin, and she had been quite nice to her. Although she was a bit aloof, she was the only person in the military family compound who had never made fun of her.

Once, when the original owner of this body had nothing to eat, she even gave her a few vegetable buns. Her husband and Gu Shaoxuan were comrades-in-arms; he was a clerk in the army. She came from the countryside with the army and took care of their four children at home every day, living a simple and frugal life.

"Sister-in-law, let's go out."

Xia Enru greeted them, casually wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Ge Qiuqin glanced at Xia Enruo and felt that she was different from usual today. Her hair was neatly combed, her clothes were clean and tidy, and the collar was white. She was also carrying a basket of things. Was this still the same Xia Enruo who used to be lazy, gluttonous and dirty?

"Yes, I'm going out to take out the trash. Did you go out to buy groceries?"

Ge Qiuqin spoke in a straightforward tone, just like her personality.

"Sister Qiuqin, we've run out of food at home. I'm going out to buy some rice, flour, and vegetables. I'll also make some steamed buns. Why don't you come over to my house for a meal later?"

"No, I've already started cooking rice on the stove. If you don't know how to cook, why don't you take some from my house to tide you over? Xia, you're actually acting like you're living a normal life today."

When Ge Qiuqin heard that Xia Enruo was making steamed buns, she dared not eat them herself. She had never seen Xia Enruo cook since she arrived. Every time Gu Shaoxuan brought back the supplies distributed by the army, they would end up going bad and being thrown away. She couldn't even cook a meal, so it was strange that she was making steamed buns today.

"Sister-in-law, you're praising me. I also like how I know how to manage my life now."

Xia Enruo replied with a smile.

“That’s right. Shaoxuan is a good person. If he had a bad temper, he would have divorced you long ago. Life has to be lived like this. If you don’t know how to do it, tell your sister-in-law and I’ll teach you.”

Xia Enruo replied with an "okay," thinking to herself that they would get divorced soon, but Xia Enruo just didn't know it.

After entering the house, she rested on the sofa for a while before getting busy. First, she plugged in the refrigerator to pre-cool it down. Then, she cut the pork and ribs she bought into pieces, keeping some for immediate consumption and refrigerating the rest. She kneaded the flour into dough and set it aside to rest. Next, she started mixing the filling. Today, she was going to make pork and mushroom buns.

With everything ready, while the buns were steaming, she started making fruit tea. Buns are usually eaten with soup, but she hadn't had fruit tea for two days, so she decided to make some.

In her past life, she would drink a cup of Americano in the morning and a cup of fruit tea in the afternoon to stay awake every day. It was strange that she suddenly stopped. However, it was not easy to get good coffee beans now, but making fruit tea was still possible.

After an hour of busy work, the meal was finally ready. To repay Ge Qiuqin for the vegetable buns, Xia Enruo picked out five buns with a large bowl, poured a large cup of fruit tea, and brought it over.

Ge Qiuqin stared wide-eyed at the steaming hot buns.

"You actually made it? I thought you were joking with me. Is this really your skill?"

Xia Enruo could understand the other person's astonished expression. Who would have thought that someone who wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle could actually steam buns today?

"Sister-in-law, I'm all alone at home. Am I some kind of goddess descended from heaven? I know you have a lot of kids, so I'll give you five, one for each of you. Oh, and I also made some fruit tea for the kids to try."

"Fruit tea? You can drink tea with fruit? Is it sugar water?" Ge Qiuqin was completely confused.

"You can't drink tea with fruit, but you can make it into tea. Just treat it as a beverage."

After Xia Enruo left, Ge Qiuqin still couldn't believe what the fruit tea was. She didn't want to listen to Xia Enruo's nonsense and get a stomachache from drinking it.

She poured out a small cup and took a sip. It was really delicious. She had never tasted anything like it before. It was much better than the soda sold on the street. The rich aroma of black tea combined with the fruity fragrance was sweet, sour, and refreshing.

The tea also contains mashed fruit pulp, and it tastes sour. It seems that this fruit can really be made into tea. Xia really has this skill; I never would have guessed.

Ge Qiuqin took another bite of the bun; it was still filled with meat, and it tasted really good.

"This is truly a first for me, a young woman getting married in a sedan chair," she murmured.

After finishing her meal and tidying up the house, Xia Enruo rested for a while and then did some yoga stretching exercises at home.

It was still early, so she decided to go for a run along the riverbank to improve her physical fitness. In her previous life, she would spend an hour working out at the gym after returning from work, until she was drenched in sweat before taking a shower and going to bed.

She boiled a pot of water on the stove, turning the heat down a bit, so she could wash herself when she got back from her workout.