Chapter 32 Pumpkin Porridge's First Overnight Stay
On the night she officially became unemployed, Ning Jia felt somewhat lost, yet also relieved, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.
"If I don't have to work, I won't be a slave anymore. Isn't that great?"
He Meng was holding a small porcelain dish and drinking the pumpkin porridge that Ning Jia had just cooked, mumbling as she drank.
Bai Su, who was standing nearby, also said, "Lord Ning Jia works so hard every day. Now that he doesn't have to work, he can finally take a break."
"Thank you, I'm fine now."
Ning Jia extended a finger and patted the two little people's heads to express her gratitude.
Although she said that, she still sighed inwardly.
She knew that people wouldn't die if they didn't work, so how could she not understand that? In fact, she went over and calculated all the household expenses and the balance in the bank account several times over.
Aside from the monthly medical expenses paid to Ms. Ning, as long as she is frugal, she should be able to stay in bed for half a year without any problems. However, she is always on edge and cannot completely relax.
After all, the current economic situation is not good, and she herself is not very confident that she can find a job with the same salary and benefits. The few interviews she has attended recently have also proved this point.
But Ning Jia thought again that there was no point in worrying about it. Instead of worrying about not being able to find a job, she should think about how to sell more sachets. Wouldn't that bring in the money?
Speaking of which, it's been several days since she went to a few study rooms to "promote" her products, and surprisingly, no one has approached her to buy sachets. She can't help but wonder if there's something wrong with her marketing strategy.
She had originally planned to go to more distant places to try and promote her product tomorrow, but now that plan has to be put on hold for the time being.
Since things have come to this, let's have dinner first.
Ning Jia walked into her source of energy—the kitchen—and opened the round, large earthenware pot on the stove. The pumpkin porridge inside was thick and fragrant, and the little people had already eaten most of it.
Or, she can just eat this too.
Just as I was thinking, He Meng had somehow run into the kitchen, jumped onto the counter in a few quick steps, and called out urgently, "Ning Jia, Ning Jia!"
Ning Jia turned her head and looked at her with some surprise, then understood, "Do you want more rice? Wait a moment, I'll get you some."
“It wasn’t me,” He Meng shook her head, then realized she hadn’t said it right and changed her words, “It’s mainly because my mom wanted to drink some more, and of course, I wanted some more too.”
Ning Jia was taken aback. Zhe Lan never had a big appetite and usually didn't eat much. It seemed that she really liked the pumpkin porridge this time. She couldn't help but smile slightly and said, "I know, I'll be right there."
After Ning Jia served Zhe Lan and her daughter He Meng another plate of hot pumpkin porridge, He Meng, with a serious expression, said to Zhe Lan:
"Mom, you ate more than usual today. You must eat slowly. If you can't finish, let me eat."
Ning Jia smiled again at He Meng's unusually serious demeanor. This guy is actually quite caring.
When she returned to the kitchen, her gaze fell on the round clay pot on the gas stove. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she picked up her phone, took a picture of the pumpkin porridge in the pot, and sent a WeChat message.
Ms. Ning replied quickly: "How is the clay pot I bought? Is it easy to use?"
It's very useful; it's convenient for making porridge or soup.
That's good. Make sure to cook more chicken soup, pigeon soup, pork rib soup, and oxtail soup regularly to ensure you eat nutritious meals.
Don't worry, I can't speak for everything else, but I'm very serious about food.
[Yeah, I know [smiley face] It's so late, you should eat.]
Okay, I've eaten. Take care of yourself and get some rest. Let me know if you need more money.
[That's enough, I haven't even finished spending the money from last time, don't worry about the money.]
...
Ning Jia hesitated for a moment, but still didn't mention that she was unemployed. The time for Ms. Ning's follow-up medical examination was fast approaching, and that would be another considerable expense. If Ms. Ning knew she was unemployed, she would be even less likely to accept the money she transferred.
I'll tell her when I find my next job.
After eating some simple vegetable and egg pancakes and pumpkin porridge, Ning Jia, still sitting at the table, couldn't help but start calculating the bill again.
After making a small fortune selling sachets and flower wreaths, she had some extra money and could slightly increase her living expenses, mainly by improving her food choices. But now that she's unemployed and has no stable income, it's safer to return to her previous frugal lifestyle. For example, when it comes to groceries, she'll try to buy plenty of seasonal produce, as it's cheaper…
Just as Ning Jia was frowning in thought, pondering how to cut costs, a heartfelt call suddenly came from the living room:
"Sister Ningjia, I want more pumpkin porridge~~"
On the coffee table, Xingxing, who had licked the small plate clean, was looking at Ning Jia expectantly, begging for more rice.
The other little figures also looked up, their eager eyes conveying the same meaning as the stars: Urgent, waiting online for more rice.
This pumpkin porridge is so fragrant and delicious, one small dish is not enough!
Only the Canglan clan chief noticed Ning Jia's low spirits and considerately asked, "Lord Ning Jia, is it really alright for our clan to stay at your residence tonight?"
Ning Jia: "Of course, no problem. I have plenty of space here."
Canglan: "If you feel uncomfortable, it's fine for us to go back."
Ning Jia shook her head, "No, the weather forecast says there will be a big storm tonight, and there might even be hail. It's too dangerous for you to stay in the park."
As she spoke, she picked up her phone and checked the real-time weather forecast again. Sure enough, it was just as predicted: heavy rain was coming, there was a gale warning, and there would be hail.
She subconsciously opened WeChat again and glanced at it, then exclaimed "Huh!" and found that she had received several friend requests.
Could it be…? Her eyes lit up, and she quickly approved the application. Before she could even ask any questions, a message arrived from someone with a profile picture that read “Victory in World War II is certain”:
Hello, I'd like to ask if those sachets that are supposed to refresh you are still available?
Ning Jia quickly replied:
[Yes, but not in the shape of a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling). Only these regular-shaped invigorating sachets are available. (Image: sachet image)]
The other party didn't seem to care much about this and asked directly:
How much does this sachet cost?
Ning Jia replied:
[It costs 40 yuan each, and the effect lasts for about a week. You can check my WeChat Moments; I've been selling it for several months now, and the price has always been this price.]
Seeing that the other party hadn't replied for a while, Ning Jia wondered if they thought the price was too high. Just as she was about to say, "There's a discount for buying more," the other party replied:
I'd like to buy twenty. Do you have them in stock? How do I pick them up?
Ning Jia: !!!
She seemed to have been struck by a surprise from heaven, grinning as she typed rapidly:
Yes, which study room are you in? I can deliver to your door.
Delivery is available now! [smiley face]
Putting down her phone, Ning Jia shook off her earlier dejection, quickly grabbed twenty energy packs, packed them up, told Cang Lan she was about to leave, but then seemed to remember something, grabbed another twenty or thirty energy packs, and hurriedly rode off on her electric scooter.
Xingxing, who was still waiting for more pumpkin porridge in the house, was completely dumbfounded when she saw Ning Jia disappear in the blink of an eye. "My pumpkin porridge?"
Cang Lan pointed to the large earthenware pot on the kitchen stove and shook her head helplessly. "The lid of this pot is too heavy. We can't open it. Let's wait for Ning Jia to come back."
Xingxing then realized the seriousness of the situation, and pouted, "Waaah, my pumpkin porridge..."
"Don't cry, I'll share some with you."
Guoguo pushed her plate of pumpkin porridge toward Xingxing, saying, "I just ate some fruit and I'm not hungry yet. You can eat these first."
"Guoguo, you're so kind."
Xingxing looked at Guoguo with tears in her eyes, gave her a sweet pumpkin-scented kiss on the cheek, and then buried her head in her drink.
Guoguo wiped the pumpkin bits off her face with her little hands with a hint of disgust. Her cheeks were flushed, and she muttered softly:
"Silly Xingxing, once Ningjia comes back from delivering the goods, we can eat pumpkin porridge again."
The other little people thought the same thing. They sat leisurely at the coffee table, chatting and eating fruit from the fruit platter, waiting for Ning Jia's return.
Unexpectedly, Ning Jia was gone for more than two hours. Dark clouds had gathered outside, and lightning flashed across the sky. Cang Lan, with several small figures, stood behind the window, gazing at the sky outside, and said worriedly:
"It looks like it's about to rain, why hasn't Lord Ningjia returned yet?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
