Chapter 350: 350: Attracting Hatred

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Attracting Hatred

“`

There was no need to mention that a single steamed bun was exorbitantly priced; here, a bowl of thin porridge could sell for five Crystal Cores.

“No wonder when Brother Li mentioned 70 Crystal Cores on the bus, Wan Li didn’t even bat an eyelid as she took out the money,” Su Jin muttered.

“Yeah, suddenly I feel that everything in the Heart Talk Convenience Store is incredibly cheap. Are all the people in this base really that wealthy?”

Lin Xiuyuan couldn’t help but ask.

“Not necessarily, do you see anyone buying anything here?”

Lu Hao glanced at the sparsely populated cafeteria and continued, “Besides, if they really had money, they wouldn’t be pawning their belongings at the pawnshop.”

Lin Xiuyuan remembered when they had just left the pawnshop; a few more people had entered it with various items big and small. He also felt that Lu Hao was absolutely right—if everyone were wealthy, they wouldn’t need to pawn their things, would they?

At that moment, Lin Yunguo had already led Li Xiuying around the cafeteria, checking each window. The few people inside the window started to sneer at the sight of several people who looked but didn’t buy anything.

“I thought you were rich. You’re dressed nicely enough, but you can’t actually afford to eat, can you?”

“Tsk, just some old men and women, bringing along a little brat, how much money can they have? They must have raided some clothes store outside.”

“Exactly, exactly. Don’t worry, sir, we don’t charge anything for you to look at these dishes, oh hehehe~”

“…”

Feeling helpless, Lin Yunguo glanced back at Su Jin. He had merely looked at the flatbreads in the window and noticed that they were moldy on the surface, which made him look a bit longer, and now they were misunderstanding that he couldn’t afford to eat?

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Lin Xiuyuan became indignant. He felt humiliated by people looking down on his family as if they were about to be pointed at and mocked. So, he took a deep breath and started to retort, “Are your meals even edible? You have the nerve to sell them? I wouldn’t eat them even if you paid me!”

“Hey, you young fellow, so many people can’t get a chance to eat our food, I bet you’re just broke! Right, you can’t afford it!”

A woman spoke in a sarcastic tone, her expression growing more smug as she talked.

Su Jin didn’t understand where these people got their sense of superiority from, but she didn’t want her family to endure any more disdain. She took out a pack of plump steamed buns from her backpack, waved them in front of the people at the window, then pointed to the many empty seats inside the cafeteria and asked, “Is there a charge for sitting here and eating?”

The sight of the big, plump pack of steamed buns seemed glaringly offensive to the people at the window, to the point where no one actually heard what Su Jin had asked.

“Miss, there’s no charge for sitting here and eating,”

a middle-aged woman with her hair tied back answered from a nearby seat.

“Thank you,”

Su Jin smiled at the woman, then took a seat at one of the tables closest to the cafeteria window.

She then took out several boxes of packed meals from the backpacks of the others and placed them on the table, telling her family, “It’s about time for a meal. Let’s eat here and then continue walking around!”

“Sure, sure, girlie, I’m quite hungry myself,”

Nie Qing picked up a box of packed meals and sat down.

“Let’s all eat,”

Lu Hao also took a packed meal box and distributed a wet wipe to everyone from the ones Su Jin was holding.

Lin Xiuyuan took a big bite of a meat bun and muttered resentfully, “Hmph, you think I’m too broke to eat your food? White flour! Meat filling! See that?”

“Grandpa, this chicken wing is really tasty,”

Mao Qiqi said with a sweet smile.

“If it’s tasty, eat more, darling. Next time, your grandpa will make some for you,”

Li Xiuying also opened a box of packed meals and began eating as she spoke.

The people at the window: “…”

Who would have thought anyone still made buns with white flour these days?!

“`

And when they looked from afar, they realized that not only did the lunchbox contain meat, it even had white rice? And even green vegetables?!

Compared to the porridge with a few grains of rice floating in it, the grey grain buns, and the moldy flatbreads they sold here, what were those even!

Without comparison, there’s no harm!

Su Jin glanced at the cafeteria and noticed that there were hardly a few people eating here.

She picked up two steamed buns and walked over to the middle-aged woman with her hair tied back, saying, “Auntie, thank you for earlier, these two buns are for you.”

“No, no, no, such precious things, I really can’t accept them,” she began to refuse, knowing how expensive food was these days. These two buns could fetch a sky-high price if sold in this base!

“It’s okay, please take them. But it’s best if you finish them here before leaving.”

Su Jin glanced at some of the people in the cafeteria who couldn’t help but look this way, her intention was genuine, but she didn’t want to bring trouble to the woman.

“Ah, you, you’re such a kind-hearted beauty. But, you see, you’re newcomers to this base, so you must take good care of your belongings,” the auntie leaned in and whispered to Su Jin. The base might seem peaceful on the surface, but it was actually very dangerous.

“Thank you,” Su Jin said before she walked over to a family’s table, ignoring the looks from the people around her, chatting with the family while continuing her meal.

Looking at the middle-aged woman contentedly eating the meat bun, the few people inside the window suddenly felt like slaps were echoing across their faces.

The meat bun looked so big, and round, clearly stuffed full of filling.

Some people couldn’t help but swallow; if they could have a meal like that, oh no, even just one bun, they’d be willing to spend any number of Crystal Cores!

Regrettably, those people ate their meals at such speed that they even packed up the clean lunchboxes, not letting a single grain of rice fall…

Before Lin Xiuyuan left, he cast a sidelong glance at the several people inside the cafeteria window, sneered coldly, and then walked out.

The petrified few inside the window: …

Just as they were about to leave the cafeteria, they noticed that the second floor seemed to sell food too, but a notice posted at the entrance discouraged them from the idea of going up to take a look.

The notice, with a few big sloppy black characters, read: This restaurant is only open to specified individuals. Others keep out.

“And who might these ‘specified individuals’ be?”

Lin Xiuyuan inquired.

“These ‘specified individuals’ are the leaders of the various teams in the base and those who have opened shops within the base,” the middle-aged woman who had received Su Jin’s steamed buns kindly explained as she came out.

The family, upon hearing this, lost any inclination to enter. They weren’t people of this base, nor were they ‘specified individuals.’ Since they couldn’t go in, they might as well leave it be.

After bidding farewell to the kind-hearted auntie, the group exited the cafeteria’s main door, continuing their journey forward.

On the high wall beside the library, in gilded letters, were written four words: The Sea of Learning is Boundless.

Seeing these words, Lin Xiuyuan was overwhelmed with nostalgia. The Sea of Learning is Boundless; in the past, whenever he saw these words, he felt nothing but pain from being in the ‘Sea of Learning.’ Now, they could only turn into fond memories.

“Sigh, I find this base somewhat sinister. Where is its freedom?”

Nie Qing clicked his tongue from the side.

“The freedom to set prices, I guess. They skyrocket or plummet at will, and nobody cares,” Lin Xiuyuan responded.

“Mhm, you’re spot on. Besides, this is actually the least free base of all,” Lu Hao mentioned to Lin Xiuyuan.

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