"Knock, knock, knock..."
At three in the afternoon, after packing up her stall, Sheng Xia prepared a bowl of iced porridge and headed to the second floor of the Textile Factory office building, where she knocked on the door of the designer’s office.
"Come in!" Zhang Yu’s listless voice drifted from within.
Sheng Xia pushed the door open to find a spacious, bright office. The afternoon sun slanted across a large desk, which was cluttered with pens and white sheets of paper covered in half-finished sketches.
A floor fan beside the desk sent the papers fluttering across the floor, making a rustling sound.
"Stop hounding me! I don't have the designs, but you can take my life!" Zhang Yu was sprawled over the desk. She didn't even look up as Sheng Xia entered; instead, she tugged at her hair with both hands, her voice resolute and sharp.
Seeing her like this, Sheng Xia recalled her granddaughter’s team in her previous life, who would become just as frazzled when they couldn't find a direction for their work.
She smiled and said, "My iced porridge isn't worth a life!"
Hearing her voice, Zhang Yu immediately lifted her head. "It's you! Comrade Iced Porridge, you've finally come!"
She scurried over, took the bowl from Sheng Xia, and began stirring it with her spoon. Before it was fully mixed, she couldn't help but scoop a spoonful into her mouth.
"Ah, I’ve come back to life." Zhang Yu looked like she was about to cry with excitement. How could something in this world be so delicious? It was too good, *wuwuwu*...
After finishing a bite, she finally felt energized. "Sit down, Comrade Iced Porridge. I'll finish this quickly and return the bowl to you."
"My name is Sheng Xia!" Sheng Xia felt a mix of amusement and frustration. Good heavens, she had been selling porridge and somehow ended up with a name change—there was no one she could even complain to about that. "No rush, take your time."
"Mhm, thank you, Comrade Sheng Xia!" Zhang Yu thanked her sincerely and, true to her word, stopped rushing and began to savor it slowly.
"What is this? It's soft, chewy, and sweet. It’s so good." Because it had been so hot at noon, she had gobbled it down without really tasting it, but now, tasting it carefully, it was even better than before. She scooped up a taro ball and a tapioca pearl, asking Sheng Xia about them.
"The square ones are taro balls, made from taro, sweet potato, and brown sugar. The round ones are pearls, made from glutinous rice and brown sugar." Although the materials were provided by the System, Sheng Xia had learned the recipe and knew exactly how they were made.
"To think you’d use taro, sweet potato, and glutinous rice... that is truly impressive!" After Sheng Xia’s explanation, Zhang Yu expressed her genuine admiration.
As a designer, Zhang Yu knew better than anyone how rare and precious creativity was. A designer used simple lines to outline beautiful patterns, while a chef used the most common ingredients to create something delicious and novel. Neither task was simple.
"I’m just repeating what others have already done; this isn't my original creation," Sheng Xia said. She couldn't bring herself to claim this way of eating as her own innovation.
"Is that so? Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen it. What time will you be at your stall tomorrow? I want to have some tomorrow morning too." With the cool, refreshing porridge in her stomach, Zhang Yu felt as though she had been revived and that her inspiration would soon return.
"I live in the village, so my schedule for riding my bike over isn't fixed. How about this: whenever I arrive, I’ll make a bowl and bring it straight to you."
Sheng Xia’s stall hours were quite random. Last month, unless she had a morning appointment for bridal makeup, she would sleep until she woke up naturally. Now that she had been reborn, couldn't she be a little lazy? In her previous life, as she aged, she rarely slept well; heaven knows how long it had been since she’d had a proper eight or ten hours of rest. But seeing how much Zhang Yu enjoyed her porridge, Sheng Xia was willing to go through the trouble of bringing it to her.
"That’s perfect! I’ll give you the money later. Bring me one in the morning. And at noon—actually, never mind, you’re busy at noon, so you probably won't have time. I’ll have someone else buy it, and then you can bring me another one in the afternoon."
As Zhang Yu spoke, she glanced cautiously at Sheng Xia, afraid that she might refuse if she thought she was eating too much. She tried hard to explain to Sheng Xia why eating the porridge was absolutely necessary.
"Comrade Sheng Xia, your porridge is just too good! Whenever I eat it, my mood improves, and I feel like I’ll find my inspiration soon!"
*Hmm...* Sheng Xia knew this line well. In her previous life, her granddaughter would always say she’d study better after drinking milk tea, yet she ended up being a poor student who couldn't find a job after graduation and had to work as a full-time granddaughter for her. However, her granddaughter had inherited her lack of academic talent—the type for whom hard work made no difference. Zhang Yu was clearly different, or the factory wouldn't have hired her as a designer.
"All right, I’ll bring them to you," Sheng Xia said, agreeing without further ado. The quality of items from the System was guaranteed, and on such a hot day, there was no harm in having three bowls of porridge. She herself had already had three today—who could blame her when the weather was this hot? If she could be lenient with herself, she had no right to be strict with others.
"Thank you! You’re so kind, Comrade Sheng Xia!" Zhang Yu jumped for joy. She was already looking forward to having three bowls of porridge tomorrow.
"Don't mention it. Actually, I was hoping to ask you for a favor." Sheng Xia was willing to brave the scorching sun to deliver the porridge, partly because she liked this simple and cute girl, but also because she hoped to gain her help, so she was happy to be a bit attentive. She didn't hide her ulterior motive and said directly, "If it's convenient, could you help me ask around if there are any job vacancies at the Textile Factory, or if anyone is looking to sell a position?"
"Is that all? Sure, I'll ask for you. There definitely aren't any vacancies in the factory right now; many educated youth returned to the city a few years ago and took any spots that were open. I have heard of people selling their positions, but it’s rare. You’ll probably have to wait."
When Zhang Yu first heard Sheng Xia ask for a favor, she had been a bit nervous, fearing it might be something unreasonable. Hearing that it was just an inquiry, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. This was nothing. She felt a bit silly for thinking it was something difficult, given how serious Sheng Xia had looked.
"No problem. The salary doesn't have to be high, as long as it's a permanent position and the work is a bit lighter." Sheng Xia noticed Zhang Yu relax. The girl was simple-minded, but that didn't mean she was naive—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to establish herself in such a large factory. She had lived for over seventy years in her past life; if she had asked for a favor that required personal sacrifice or complicated social debts just because someone liked her porridge, she would have been making a fool of herself.
"All right, I'll ask around for you today." Zhang Yu looked at her a little shyly. "Comrade Sheng Xia, will you stop running your stall in the future? If I want to eat your porridge, could you find the time to make it for me?"