Chapter 7: Defeat Magic with Magic
At the connection between the dining car and the next carriage, the air was thick with a scent of anxious smoke.
The middle-aged man wearing a gold chain—Boss Wang, who had claid to be in the building materials business yesterday—was currently standing with one foot propped on the doorfra of the dining car, a half-smoked cigarette clamped between his fingers, spitting wildly.
"Sister, what you're doing is really uncalled for. Yesterday that kid could buy lobster, and today I want a bowl of porridge and you say you don't have it? Are you afraid I won't pay?" Boss Wang pulled out several red bills from his wallet and slapped them onto the stainless steel counter with a 'pa' sound. "Five hundred yuan! I want that so-called Supre Seafood Porridge, make it for right now!"
The Attendant Sister looked troubled, still holding a rag, her eyebrows furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character 'Chuan': "Sir, this isn't about the money. Yesterday's ingredients were specially supplied, and that young man paid by card in advance... The current preparation is only enough to make plain white porridge. Please don't make things difficult for ."
"Advance paynt my foot! I saw it myself!" Boss Wang had clearly spent the night cold, harboring a fire in his belly, which he now unleashed here. "I'm telling you, I'm having this porridge today, and it must have sea cucumber and abalone! Otherwise, I'll file a complaint about your poor service attitude!"
Several passengers lining up to buy stead buns nearby dared not speak out in anger and kept glancing over.
"Sister, excuse , please."
A clear and bright voice interjected, unhurried and calm, carrying a hint of morning grogginess, yet inexplicably making one's ears feel refreshed.
Boss Wang turned around and his eyelids imdiately twitched when he saw Jiang Chen.
Although the young man's clothes were wrinkled and his hair ssy, his face, once washed clean, shone brightly in the morning light, which was enough to provoke anger.
"Oh, isn't this the big spender from last night?" Boss Wang let out a sarcastic snort. "What, are you here to snatch food too? Too bad, there's no lobster left here for you to pretend with."
Jiang Chen didn't even spare him a glance. He walked straight to the dining car window and smiled at the Attendant Sister: "Good morning, Sister. Thank you for your hard work last night."
One doesn't strike a smiling face. The Attendant Sister imdiately breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening: "Good morning, young man. Are you here to buy breakfast? Ah, right now we only have white porridge and pickles. If you don't mind..."
"White porridge is fine, it's good for the stomach," Jiang Chen nodded, then switched the topic, "But I see there are still two unopened 'Yanting' gift boxes in our cabinet? Those are reserved supplies for the Train Conductor to entertain VIP guests, right?"
The Sister was stunned: "How did you know?"
Those were top-tier swiftlet nest porridge instant al gift boxes prepared in case any leadership inspected the train; they were never sold to the public and were always locked in the top cabinet.
"I saw them when I passed by yesterday." Jiang Chen took out the credit card he had used yesterday, held between two fingers, and handed it over. "Please cook both of those boxes. Also, I rember there are a few cans of unsold imported caviar and two bottles of evian water left in the dining car's freezer. Please bring those out too."
"This..." The Sister hesitated slightly. "Those swiftlet nest gift boxes are recorded under the public account. If we use them, we have to compensate at three tis the market price—one box alone is fifteen hundred, plus processing fees and other things..."
"Is three thousand enough?" Jiang Chen's tone was flat, as if he were asking if three yuan was enough for cabbage.
Boss Wang, who was preparing to watch the show next door, flinched, causing the ash from his cigarette to fall into his crotch, burning him so he grimaced.
Three thousand? For breakfast?
This slow train ride would take over ten more hours; three thousand yuan could buy two plane tickets!
"Enough... it's enough." The Sister swallowed, looking at Jiang Chen's sincere and determined eyes, and found she couldn't say no.
This young man was not only handso but also straightforward in handling things, a million tis better than that nouveau riche.
"Then please swipe the card. Sister, please make the porridge a bit thicker. My friends have delicate appetites, so don't put the caviar directly in; serve it chilled."
Jiang Chen handed over the card, never sparing Boss Wang a glance the entire ti.
This kind of disregard was more painful than being directly scolded.
As the POS machine printed the receipt with a 'zizhi' sound, Boss Wang's flushed face completely turned the color of pig liver.
The five hundred yuan in his hand felt exceptionally hot now. If he continued to make a scene, it would truly be self-humiliation.
"Tch, lunatic, rich enough to burn money." Boss Wang grumbled as he put the money away and scurried back to the hard sleeper compartnt, not even daring to buy plain white porridge.
Jiang Chen leaned by the dining car, listening to the receding footsteps, a faint hint of mockery curving his lips.
For people like this, reasoning was useless; one could only defeat magic with magic—in other words, with 'cash ability'.
Twenty minutes later.
Jiang Chen pushed the familiar small cart back to the door of Compartnt 8 in the soft sleeper section.
Before even entering, he heard Chen Man's loud voice coming from inside: "Qing Ge, are your legs still numb? I just ca back from the restroom, and you were still rubbing them."
"A little numb, but it's fine." Su Qingge's voice was still cold, but it lacked so vigor.
"Knock, knock."
Jiang Chen knocked on the door.
"Co in!"
The door was pulled open, and a rich aroma of rice mixed with the unique sweet fragrance of high-end ingredients instantly dispersed the musty sll of old bedding in the compartnt.
The three won, who had been tidying up their luggage, simultaneously froze their movents.
On the small tabletop, which was slightly peeling, the space was once again filled to the brim.
Crystal-clear swiftlet nest white porridge had ford a thick layer of rice oil on top. Beside it sat chilled caviar, several plates of exquisite preserved vegetables, and even so cut-up Hami lon.
"Oh my god..." Lin Wan dropped the comb in her hand. She looked at the French label on the jar of caviar. "What... what is this? How can this kind of thing be on this train?"
As a forr wealthy wife, she knew quality.
Caviar of this grade was outrageously expensive even when sold by the gram.
"Got lucky, found them clearing inventory in the dining car and snagged a deal," Jiang Chen lied without batting an eye, smiling as he gestured. "Eat quickly while it's hot. This porridge warms the stomach and is perfect for chasing away the chill from last night."
Su Qingge sat on her berth, looking at the luxurious breakfast before her, and then looked at Jiang Chen's smiling face.
Although she didn't know the exact price, as a businesswoman, she understood perfectly how false the term'snagged a deal' sounded.
Without any profit motive, why would a freshly graduated college student invest so much for a chance encounter one night?
For beauty?
She glanced at herself and the other two won.
There was indeed beauty to be appreciated.
"Let's eat first." Su Qingge ultimately said nothing, but as she took the bowl of porridge handed to her by Jiang Chen, her fingers lightly brushed against the back of his hand. "Your hands are so cold. Did you wait in line for a long ti?"
"It was alright. I chatted with soone for a bit." Jiang Chen felt the slight warmth on the back of his hand, and his heart stirred slightly.
This was the first ti Su Qingge had shown him concern proactively, no longer the polite formality of soone in a superior position, but a warmth infused with everyday life.
[Ding! Mission Complete!]
[Host spent 3280 yuan, triggering a 50x critical cashback!]
[Your bank account has received: 164,000 yuan.]
The hand Jiang Chen kept in his pocket clenched tightly into a fist, his nails digging into his flesh.
One hundred and sixty thousand!
He suppressed the urge to laugh wildly, but his expression remained calm and composed as he sat down and picked up his spoon. "Sisters, let's start. It'll get fishy if it cools down."
"Then I won't be polite!" Chen Man had been craving it for a long ti. She picked up her porridge bowl and took a big gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Mmm... This isn't porridge; this is the taste of RMB, little brother!"
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