Xia Chuyi gnawed on a steamed bun without taking a seat at the table, watching with great interest as the Master rolled out dough to wrap dumplings.
No kidding, the Master's skills were indeed impressive; his dumpling wrapping was both fast and skillful.
She didn't sit down; Xia Lan probably hadn't eaten dumplings in a long time, so she stayed watching and didn't go to the table either.
After a while, the dumplings were cooked and served.
"How much?" Xia Chuyi asked the Master about the price.
"Two buns for five cents, two taels of food coupons, no food coupons for ten cents. Dumplings for 30 cents, half a pound of food coupons, no food coupons for 60 cents," the Master quoted.
With food coupons, the price was halved; without them, it was doubled.
Just as she remembered, Xia Chuyi nodded secretly.
She took out five cents and two taels of national food coupons and passed them over.
"For the Master, here's the money for the buns."
The Master glanced at Xia Lan's shocked face, didn't say anything, and took Xia Chuyi's money.
"Chuyi... Chuyi..." Xia Lan's face turned red, "How could you... how could you..."
How could you pay only for the buns, right?
Xia Chuyi grabbed the steamed bun and nibbled it calmly: "Before leaving home, it was agreed that public transportation costs would be covered while food and lodging would be on our own, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
"From today onwards, let's stick to the rules we set at home."
Having said that, she bit into her steamed bun leisurely and walked away, indifferent to Xia Lan's aggrieved expression behind her.
In her past life, she had overextended herself out of pity for Xia Lan, unknowingly drained by her and ultimately even losing her life for it.
This lifetime, would she still be that foolish?
Xia Chuyi casually nibbled on the steamed bun as she left the cafeteria.
The bun in her hand was substantial, and its flavor was purely wholesome. As she chewed, a sweetness developed.
Unfortunately, she had just nibbled on a radish from her space, which made the bun seem less tasty.
She threw the remaining bun into her space and made a pretense of tucking it in her chest to camouflage.
After disposing of the bun, she didn't return to her room but headed straight out of the guesthouse.
An hour later, Xia Chuyi appeared outside the textile factory.
"Fresh vegetables for sale! Fresh cabbages, big radishes, fresh indeed!"
At the factory entrance, Xia Chuyi wrapped her head in a scarf and called out in dialect.
It was lunch break, and some of the female workers were carrying food from the cafeteria home, while others were empty-handed, planning to cook at home.
Hearing Xia Chuyi's cries, the curious female workers came over and looked at the vegetables in the cardboard box.
"Wow, your vegetables are so fresh! How much are they?"
Could they be anything but fresh? They were freshly picked from her space.
"Both cabbage and radish do not require food coupons, five cents per pound, and tomatoes too, ten cents per pound."
"Tomatoes too?" The female worker exclaimed, "Ten cents a pound, that's expensive."
Xia Chuyi snickered, seeing that the female worker looked poor, obviously wanting to buy, just trying to haggle.
"It's not expensive; these items are scarce, barely seen even in state-run markets, and I don't ask for food coupons. Buying from me is taking great advantage!" She exaggerated immensely.
Wasn't it a huge advantage? Her space-produced items tasted much better than ordinary ones.
Seeing that Xia Chuyi was not willing to budge, the female worker gritted her teeth: "Fine, it's indeed hard to find, I'll take whatever you have!"
Xia Chuyi was startled and took out all the tomatoes from the box.
Business became easier once she made a sale.
Several other women came by, drawn by the freshness of her vegetables, and soon the cardboard box was empty.
Truth be told, business was so good she felt like adding more vegetables to the box, but she decided against it.
There was only so much that could fit in a box, and constantly taking out more vegetables would likely lead her to be caught and subjected to research soon.