Chapter 3: Cabbage and Pork Dumplings

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Hearing that the supply will be cut again next year, how are ordinary people supposed to survive!

The three of them suddenly shared a silent understanding—they wanted to seize this RV! To claim it as their own! The water inside would be theirs!

Lu Li was unaware of their thoughts; she only knew that customers were coming, and she had to greet them warmly.

“Hey, want to try a scratch card?” Lu Li’s face blossomed with a radiant smile as she approached the three men who wore sullen, expressionless faces.

The contrast was stark—inside the RV stood Lu Li, fair-skinned and vibrant, looking robust and healthy, while outside were the three men, ragged, blackened, and gaunt.

The more the three men observed, the deeper their envy grew, and so did their fear. How could a girl just barely in her twenties live so well in this apocalypse?

Her strength must be top-notch!

That impulse to claim the RV for themselves was temporarily suppressed.

The girl among them spoke first. “Scratch cards? What can you win? Actual coins? Or some kind of currency?” Her voice was hoarse from years of dryness.

Lu Li’s eyes brightened as she enthusiastically explained, “Who still uses paper money these days? Of course, it’s all kinds of weapons, food, daily necessities, and even crystal cores~”

She added, “If you can think of it, you can scratch it!”

The girl’s face lit up with delight. “Food? Really? I want to try!!” She hadn’t had a full meal this entire month and had long forgotten the feeling of being full.

Lu Li immediately said, “One crystal core per card~”

“That’s too expensive. Do you know how hard it is for us to kill just one zombie? Can you guarantee every card has a prize?” The girl hesitated, questioning her.

She found the shopkeeper easy to get along with, unlike those arrogant base commanders who looked down on others.

Lu Li pondered for a moment and said seriously, “I can’t guarantee every card will have a prize, but you gotta take a chance—maybe your bike will turn into a motorcycle! If you don’t try, you won’t even have a bike!”

In truth, she was secretly consulting the system.

That actually made sense… This apocalypse had lasted ten years; who didn’t have some savings!

The girl carefully pulled a gray crystal core from her pocket, resembling a diamond but without any glow or eternal value.

Lu Li took it and tossed it into the Money Cat’s mouth. Its eyes quickly spun, then stopped, displaying a number: 50.

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At the same time, the Money Cat opened its mouth and meowed, as if speaking in cat language: “Chen Yue, 50 points…”

Ah… one crystal core equals 50 points? Lu Li now had a rough idea.

“Let me try that big 7 over there first?” Chen Yue pointed to the scratch card on the left, simply because it looked nicer.

“Sure!” Lu Li tore a card from a booklet and handed it to her, then gave her a small golden shovel. “Use this to scratch!”

Chen Yue seemed unfamiliar with the tool and simply leaned on the table to study it, while the two men crowded closer, curious.

Lu Li explained, “This is a cover film. Scratch it off, and there’s treasure hidden underneath~”

Excited, Chen Yue began carefully scratching with the little golden shovel. The cover didn’t cover the entire card, only a section at the bottom; the rest was gameplay instructions and cartoon images.

She cautiously scraped off a corner and faintly saw a few words: “Thank you for your patronage…”

Her heart instantly sank, but she didn’t give up, continuing to scratch sideways until a whole row of “Thank you for your patronage” appeared.

The two burly men couldn’t hold back and started teasing, chanting, “Oh oh oh! Thank you for your patronage! Thank you for your patronage!”

Chen Yue couldn’t help herself either and punched them each in the head. The two men staggered backward several steps, barely able to keep their balance.

Yet they dared not voice their anger.

Lu Li looked on, bewildered, thinking they must be bonded for life in this apocalypse, but who knew… it was just so funny.

Chen Yue scratched another row, again all “Thank you for your patronage.” She glanced up at Lu Li, wondering if this woman was just scamming crystal cores.

But then she dismissed the thought—this woman had a brand-new RV, and she’d even seen a clean, tidy bathroom through the door crack. There must be water!

Still harboring a bit of suspicion, she kept scratching and finally revealed a picture of dumplings.

But the apocalypse had lasted so long that dumplings had vanished into history. She pointed at the image and asked, “Shopkeeper, what is this?”

Lu Li glanced and replied without hesitation, “Dumplings. What filling do you want?”

Seeing the three of them utterly confused, she took the liberty of choosing the cabbage and pork filling, a large portion! After all, the first customer deserved good treatment—maybe she’d become a regular.

She stuffed the scratch card into the cat’s mouth. The Money Cat meowed a few times, and Lu Li itched to pet it, but its smooth back was so sleek it was like a slide…

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Soon, a steaming plate of dumplings appeared on the table, about twenty in all.

Each was plump, the translucent skin almost glowing, revealing the faint pink meat inside, and the aroma tantalized their senses.

Chen Yue’s eyes were glued to the plate, just watching the rising steam made her saliva uncontrollable. She eagerly asked, “Is this… mine?”

Lu Li pushed the plate forward, adding a pair of chopsticks, and said firmly, “Yours! All yours!”

“How can you eat dumplings without dipping sauce? Here’s dipping sauce!” Lu Li snapped her fingers, and a small dish of chili vinegar appeared before them.

Chen Yue was a little overwhelmed but, under the envious and jealous gazes of the two men, carefully picked up a dumpling and nervously popped it into her mouth.

The texture was rich—the dough was chewy, wrapped around a generous filling with just a hint of cabbage. One bite and the juices exploded, mingling with the meaty aroma.

Tears sprang to Chen Yue’s eyes—she was crying tears of joy.

It had been so long since she had tasted such delicious food. At this moment, her gaze toward Lu Li was full of admiration.

One of the men swallowed hard for the fourth time and finally couldn’t resist reaching for a dumpling. But the moment his hand touched the plate, he was flung ten meters backward.

The three watched as he flew through the air and hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Lu Li smiled kindly at Chen Yue. “Don’t worry, keep eating. Our shop guarantees the safety and rights of our customers.”

Chen Yue relaxed, shot a glance at the man eyeing the dumplings hungrily, and happily resumed devouring her meal.

She ate while tears streamed down her face. “It’s so good, really. This is the first time I’ve eaten dumplings since the apocalypse. It’s the best food I’ve ever had!”

She ate voraciously, and Lu Li was a little worried. She turned to pour her a glass of water.

They all froze. The man struggling to get up from the ground also froze.

In unison, they exclaimed, “Water! This is water!” Their expressions were full of excitement.

Lu Li hurriedly explained, “Yes, it’s water. No poison, feel free to drink.”