Chapter 4

In the bustling Xicheng Agricultural Wholesale Market, Jiang Henian headed straight for a grain and oil wholesaler, following behind an auntie carrying a vegetable basket into one of the stores.

Auntie-approved stores must be trustworthy!

When she came out, she was holding a delivery slip in her hand.

200 jin of rice, 100 jin of flour, three large 5-liter containers of peanut oil, 10 jin of salt, plus 3 jin each of soy sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, and various seasonings. The shop owner even rounded the total down to an even 1,500 yuan and promised home delivery.

Her heart trembled when she paid — that was half of her money gone in a flash.

Seeing she was about the same age as his daughter and quite pretty, the shop owner struck up a conversation:

“Little girl, why are you buying so much?”

Jiang Henian had already prepared a story. She smiled and replied:

“My family is opening a small restaurant. I’m helping stock up during my school break.”

“I see. Do you need meat? I also run a butcher stall — all freshly delivered from the slaughterhouse.”

Jiang Henian’s eyes lit up.

“How much is it?”

“Prices are fair. Lean and pork belly are 17 yuan per jin. If you buy a lot, I’ll give it to you for 15. Ribs are 28.”

Still not cheap.

Jiang Henian drooped her head and sighed, then pulled up the inventory checklist she kept in her phone’s notepad.

She’d been writing it bit by bit since the dreams started, even searched doomsday prepping guides online and copied down suggestions.

Eight full pages of items — and she had only checked off the top three lines on the first page.

If anything really did happen, this grain and oil stockpile would keep her from starving for a year. Barely.

The supermarket was way too expensive, and with her pitiful finances hanging by a thread, wholesale markets were her only option.

She stuffed the delivery slip into her bag and moved on to the meat and produce section.

Vendors called out eagerly, waving fresh goods at passing shoppers. Jiang Henian looked at her remaining 1,700 yuan and felt like a eunuch in a brothel — totally powerless.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and bought 30 jin of pork, 10 jin of chicken, 15 jin of napa cabbage, and 5 jin of eggs — which cost nearly 700 yuan more.

She bought these from several stalls, and for such small quantities, nobody was offering home delivery.

But thanks to her good looks and don’t-look-poor face, she borrowed a handcart from the grain store owner.

She hauled the meat, eggs, and vegetables in three trips to a quiet, unmonitored corner of the market — and stashed them all into her space.

Only then did she drag her tired feet out of the marketplace.

She’d also pre-ordered 100 meat buns and 100 giant scallion pancakes from the bun shop. After some sweet talk and bargaining, she got a discount.

Now, she only had a little over 500 yuan left on her. There were times she used to spend more than that on a single Western meal.

She couldn’t afford to spend another cent. If nothing happened in the end, she still needed money for daily expenses and possibly running away.

It was close to noon, and the sun was blazing.

The more Jiang Henian walked, the weaker she felt. After a whole morning of running around, she was left with a deep sense of helplessness.

Even if she prepared a year’s worth of food, what if she didn’t have pots, pans, or even a stove to cook on?

What if it was cold and miserable, and she didn’t even have a blanket or coat? What if she didn’t even have a place to live?

No wonder her dream self was digging wild vegetables in the mountains like some tragic novel heroine.

Honestly, she didn’t even know how to knead dough or cook. Her best dish was scrambled eggs — with eggshells still in it.

If only she could buy more ready-to-eat food. It’d be great to store warm, cooked food in the space. No matter how long it stayed in there, it would still be fresh and ready to eat when taken out. She had 15 square meters of space, after all.

But she had no money. Raw ingredients were way cheaper than finished food.

A penny could stump a hero. It could certainly stump a pampered former heiress.

She used to buy thousand-yuan handbags on impulse, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants, frequent luxury boutiques, and always had a car to pick her up and drop her off.

Now, all of that was gone — along with her friends. When her family fell, they scattered. And her heartless, gambling scumbag of a father was the one who buried her in debt in the first place.

Living in fear every day was exhausting. If she really was going to transmigrate, Jiang Henian just wanted a better life.

She didn’t want to suffer.

Call her soft, useless — whatever. She just wanted to eat well, dress warmly, and live a peaceful, carefree life. No hardship!

Even if the world turned terrible, with the space and a few years’ worth of supplies, she could find some hole to lie low in and live as a happy salted fish.

But…

She’d barely scratched the surface of her checklist. The more she looked, the more anxious she felt.

Those dreams and hallucinations — the intense, realistic hunger, her starving body fighting with others over scraps — terrified her.

Her sense of security had shattered two weeks ago, when she realized she was alone and the abyss she’d fallen into was dug by her own father.

She was scared.

Plop.

A tear hit the ground.

Jiang Henian hadn’t cried in a while, but now, with the road ahead unclear and her funds stretched to the limit, she couldn’t help but shed silent tears of frustration.

“Why am I so damn poor…”

sob sob sob sob…

She took a leave from work today too. Her wages would be docked. sob sob sob…

If she transmigrated before payday, it’d all be for nothing! sob sob sob sob…

Under the scorching sun, she grudgingly spent a few more precious coins to unlock a shared bike and pedaled home, sobbing into the wind.

“Thanks so much, boss — even helped deliver them too!”

Jiang Henian paid the bun shop owner for the food.

“No problem, thank you for the business — and for recommending us too!”

The owner, a jolly, chubby auntie, pointed at four foam boxes in the trunk and beamed:

“These keep the food warm. Still hot! Want Auntie to help carry them in?”

“No need, just unload them here. My family will bring them in.”

The auntie helped her move the heavy boxes to the courtyard gate and left.

Jiang Henian peeked around to make sure no one was watching, closed the gate, and stashed everything into her space.

Together with the grains, oils, meats, and vegetables she bought in the morning, her storage space still looked pitifully empty — like a lonely, cold corner.

She squatted by the wall, slowly chewing on the mixed filling bun the shop owner gave her as a freebie, her brain spinning non-stop.

She’d listed her apartment for sale, but no serious buyers had come yet. It probably wouldn’t sell anytime soon.

But she had a feeling. It was close. She was running out of time.

Where else could she get more money?

Now that she was saddled with massive debt, she was blacklisted on all the major loan platforms. She couldn’t even go full dark side and “borrow” money if she wanted to.

Hmm… these buns were really good. She could eat them for days without getting tired. The owner said that “that boss” ordered 50 beef buns to be delivered every day.

That Doberman was basically a walking meat bun — all muscle and glossy coat. Feeding it must cost a fortune.

Jiang Henian’s chewing suddenly paused.

Money!