Chapter 14 The Price
Su Ruyi finished the last bite of her roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), leaned back in her chair contentedly, and began to drink her soda.
The local soft drinks taste good, and they're ice-cold, perfect for a hot summer day.
"Satisfying! The taste is really good. I feel like I could easily take on ten people at once."
Su Ruyi was glad she had brought Wang Huiting with her. In order to leave quickly, the two boarded any bus they saw.
As it turned out, Wang Huiting knew exactly where to get off the bus and find a small restaurant that was both delicious and affordable.
Su Ruyi has a bad sense of direction. Even with GPS navigation, she often got lost. Once, she almost drove her car into a field while following the navigation.
With Wang Huiting as a living food map, life is so much easier.
Having only been here once, they've already become like locals, their talents and skills are off the charts.
Su Ruyi ate with Wang Huiting the whole way, her mouth never stopping. She was already hungry at mealtime, but after exerting herself so much just now, she was even hungrier.
Having power also has side effects; once she exerts herself too much, she gets incredibly hungry, probably because she's converting energy into strength.
With her thin arms and legs, it's hard to believe she has such strength with the appetite of an average person.
It really costs a lot of money. Su Ruyi almost couldn't keep her composure when she thought about how much money she had just spent.
Su Ruyi used to think that it was very easy for an ordinary person to have enough to eat. Even if she wasn't a landlady, but just an ordinary worker drifting in the city, she wouldn't worry about starving to death. It's just that eating well might require careful budgeting.
Things are different now. If she doesn't work hard to earn money, she'll really go hungry relying on the meager earnings of an average person each month!
Su Ruyi wanted to avoid feeling unwell, so she made sure to include meat, eggs, dairy, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables in her diet; otherwise, she felt energy-deprived and unable to exert herself.
However, this also put Su Ruyi at ease. How could one have such a powerful advantage without putting in any effort? This is just the right time.
But I need to make money.
Wang Huiting was completely stunned. She had witnessed Su Ruyi's appetite over the past two days, but she was still shocked today.
"Sis, have you been eating too much at home?"
Su Ruyi just ate five bowls of noodles, five roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), five caijiabing (vegetable pancake), five baskets of mutton buns, and three bowls of mutton offal soup.
This one meal alone cost nearly fifty yuan!
She was so excited about fifty yuan all night, but she felt uneasy with it in her pocket. In the end, Su Ruyi ate it all in one meal.
At first, she wanted to pay, but later she realized that she couldn't afford it.
Fortunately, they ate their way through the restaurant and didn't eat so much at one place, otherwise Su Ruyi would have been stared at like a monster.
Even so, it has already astonished many people.
"I don't need to eat this much every meal. I just exerted myself, so my stomach is empty. If I don't do anything at home, I won't burn that much energy."
Su Ruyi has now figured out the pattern. Her basic diet is now three or four times more than before. Her appetite is large, but not outrageous. It's similar to that of some adult men with big appetites.
But once she uses strength beyond her natural limits, she needs food to replenish her energy. It's like owning a car; she needs fuel to drive it.
She lost control and used too much force just now, otherwise she wouldn't have been so badly exhausted.
Wang Huiting immediately thought this made sense. "Sis, if I make money in the future, I'll buy you delicious food!"
"Okay." Su Ruyi patted her shoulder. "I'll be waiting for you to take care of me."
The two packed their backpacks in the shop; inside were fruits for Grandpa Zhang and pastries made by Li Mei, both of whom were rather fragile.
Some items were damaged, but thankfully not many; even after they were picked out, there were still quite a few left.
The damaged fruit and pastries were eaten by Su Ruyi, leaving Wang Huiting completely numb.
Su Ruyi, on the other hand, felt regretful. If there were mukbang (eating broadcasts) now, or even a competitive eating contest, she could immediately monetize her eating capacity.
"Shall we go to the Zhang family now? Didn't you say you wanted to buy new clothes?" Wang Huiting asked nervously.
Before leaving, Li Mei told Wang Huiting that the Zhang family was not ordinary, and that she must be obedient and follow the rules when she got there.
Despite her seemingly effortless success, Wang Huiting, coming from a small county town, still felt somewhat intimidated and inferior when facing fashionable city dwellers.
Moreover, she was going to meet someone of extraordinary status and position. After all, she was just a teenage girl who hadn't seen much of the world, so it was inevitable that she would be timid.
“Grandpa Zhang knows my family’s situation, so there’s no need to put on an act in front of him. Besides, I’m dressed perfectly well, clean and tidy, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
For Su Ruyi, all her current clothes are retro in style, and as long as they are neat and elegant, they are full of their own charm.
Her outfit was custom-made; her mother had it tailored by the best local tailor.
A white shirt paired with army green trousers, the trousers being wide and baggy, giving off a bit of a military uniform vibe.
This outfit used to be the dream of so many people, but perhaps because so many people wore and saw it before, now everyone prefers bright colors, and her style is a bit outdated.
It's like in her past life, some young people saw too many bright colors and then returned to a more neutral style. Looking at the brightly colored scarves of the aunties and grandmas is just an eyesore.
Su Ruyi is the type who can accept anything; she's willing to try things even if she doesn't really like them. She gets tired of wearing the same style all the time and likes to constantly rotate her outfits. Her walk-in closet has all sorts of styles.
Thinking of her pile of clothes, Su Ruyi felt a sharp pain in her heart.
In her 500-square-meter house, more than 300 square meters are walk-in closets. Hats, shoes and bags are in one room, clothes are in another, and accessories and cosmetics are in the dressing room.
Her own room is actually quite small because she doesn't like sleeping in an empty room; she feels creeped out if she wakes up in the middle of the night.
"sister?"
Wang Huiting noticed that Su Ruyi looked unwell and couldn't help but feel worried.
Su Ruyi snapped out of her daze, clearing her mind of all thoughts. The person was already here; thinking so much would only make her more upset.
"It's okay, I want to make a phone call first."
Wang Huiting: "I know where they are. I saw one installed at a convenience store on the bus just now."
Su Ruyi gave her a thumbs up. With so many people on the bus, she was still able to remember what was happening on the side of the road. Her observation skills were amazing.
The phone rang a few times before being answered.
"Hello." A middle-aged woman's voice came from the other end of the phone.
Su Ruyi said, "Hello, is Grandpa Zhang home? I am Su Ying's daughter from Xiangli Village, Su Ruyi."
There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Please wait a moment, I'll go get Mr. Zhang now."
Upon hearing that it was Su Ruyi calling, Grandpa Zhang immediately put down what he was doing and answered the phone.
"You little rascal, you finally called me! If you hadn't called, I was coming to find you."
Hearing that familiar and affectionate voice, Su Ruyi's anxiety completely dissipated.
The two families have maintained contact over the years; Su Ruyi's first phone call was to Grandpa Zhang.
However, after so many years apart, it's inevitable that we'll feel a sense of unfamiliarity.
When Tong Aihua had her accident, Su Ying was worried that it would affect Su Ruyi's college entrance examination, so she kept it from her and waited until Su Ruyi finished the exam before asking her to come and see her.
Therefore, during this period, it was Su Ying who contacted Grandpa Zhang, and Su Ruyi had not spoken to Grandpa Zhang for a long time.
Su Ruyi smiled and said, "Grandpa Zhang, here I am! I remember you promised to take me out for a big meal. You can't go back on your word!"
When Su Ruyi was little, she loved it when Grandpa Zhang talked about all kinds of food. It was like opening a door to a new world for her, showing her that there were so many wonderful things in the world.
Grandpa Zhang was a "red capitalist" (a term referring to people who are considered wealthy and influential). His family was extremely rich in the past and he had seen all kinds of delicious food. He could easily charm a country girl.
Their friendship gradually warmed up amidst their fantasies about delicious food. Although Su Ruyi felt unfamiliar with Grandpa Zhang, she still vividly remembered those dishes.
"Are you in the provincial capital now? Where are you? I'll have my driver pick you up."
"No need, I'll take the bus there myself in a bit. I just wanted to see if you were home and if it would be convenient for me to come over."
Grandpa Zhang deliberately spoke in a deep voice: "What do you mean by that? Are you being too formal with your grandpa? Have you forgotten how you used to ask me to bring your poop home for you?"
Su Ruyi blushed. "Grandpa Zhang! How could you say such a thing? It's so unbecoming of your current status!"
In rural areas, manure is a very important fertilizer, and Su Ruyi was taught from a young age that fertilizer should not go to outsiders.
But she was too young to stay still. When she was playing outside, she couldn't run back. But she couldn't bear to waste the space in the wild, and she also thought it smelled bad. So she went to ask Grandpa Zhang for help. For this, she was beaten by her mother several times.
Perhaps because of this, her interactions with Old Master Zhang were not criticized. People probably thought she was 'bullying' him, trying to get him to accept reform, rather than colluding with him.
Grandpa Zhang laughed heartily, recalling that the past wasn't all hardship.
"You'll be no fun when you grow up. What's with all this talk about status? Is this how your mother raised you? Don't learn from outsiders."
"Yes, yes, Grandpa Zhang, I know I was wrong. I'll give you my address now, and you can have someone come pick me up. Please don't come, I have my sister with me, and it will be difficult to arrange seats."
Grandpa Zhang scoffed, "Dream on. I wouldn't even personally pick up your mother if she came."
When Wang Huiting heard that someone had come to pick her up, she became even more nervous.
What kind of family is this? They have a car, and they even have a driver!
When she saw the car, she was even more at a loss as to how to walk.
Wang Huiting wasn't familiar with car brands, but she could still tell the difference between good and bad; she could tell from the look of the car in front of her that it wasn't cheap.
The driver, dressed in a crisp uniform, got out of the car and opened the door for the two of them.
Su Ruyi remained calm, accepting the other party's service as a matter of course with Wang Huiting, without feeling anything was wrong.
After all, decades from now, when you take a luxury ride-hailing service, they'll have just as good service.
But when she entered the Zhang family mansion, even she, a woman who had seen the world, was still shocked.
I truly understand the saying: "My home is in the forest, but some people's home is the whole forest."
A note from the author:
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