Chapter 143: Made A Move

The weather had started to clear up by the end of the month, so it was a rare and beautiful day. There weren't even clouds in the sky. Li Xiaofei rode his modified motorcycle, taking Little Aunt and Little Jie to the rule-of-law district.

It was Little Jie's first time visiting anywhere in the rule-of-law district other than her school. She was extremely excited, chattering non-stop as she looked at the tall buildings around her.

She was especially excited by the commercial district in the city center. The wide streets, the glass-fronted buildings, the enormous screens, the 4D ads visible to the naked eye... It was like another planet compared to the slum. Little Jie’s eyes widened at the magnificent and beautiful scenery.

"I never knew there were such beautiful places in the world," Little Jie exclaimed.

Li Xiaofei said, "One day, our slum will be even more beautiful and better than this place."

He took the two ladies for a tour around the commercial district in the city center. Then they arrived at the Starry Sky Tower. The shopping vouchers they received as a reward from the authorities specified the Starry Sky Supermarket, located in the basement level of the tower, as the designated redemption location.

The three of them then wandered around the supermarket. Little Jie was still in a state of excitement. She looked around everywhere, like she was in a magical amusement park.

Li Xiaofei took out the shopping vouchers and bought two pounds of fresh vegetables, half a pound of tomatoes, three apples, and a ten-pound bag of flour. Even with the vouchers, it still cost a total of 12,000 star coins. This would be considered a hefty expenditure for many middle-class families in the base city.

After shopping, it was almost noon. Li Xiaofei originally planned to have a lavish meal at a restaurant on the sixth floor of the mall but Little Jie refused adamantly. The little girl stubbornly dragged Li Xiaofei out of the Starry Sky Tower.

"The things here are too expensive," she said firmly. "Brother, let's not waste money. If you really want to have a feast, let's go somewhere cheaper. It'll be more affordable, have bigger portions, and still be delicious."

Little Aunt also agreed with her.

"Alright," said Li Xiaofei, surrendering to the two frugal women.

In the end, the three of them went to a hot pot restaurant on Congtai Road, located on the outskirts of the commercial district.

"Welcome," the waiter greeted them promptly and led them to table number 12 in the main hall.

"Four Seas Buffet Hot Pot has great online reviews, large portions, and is very filling," Li Xiaofei said.

To be honest, this was also his first time eating hot pot since he had crossed over to this world. He looked at the menu. Meat was cheap, but vegetables were expensive. Noodles were even more expensive. But the most expensive items were the various dipping sauces.

Vinegar, chili peppers, crushed peanuts—these things were dozens of times more expensive than meat. In this era, hunting star beasts was easier, but growing crops was very difficult. Growing seasoning crops like chili peppers and peanuts was even harder. The limited land and water had to be used for growing staple foods. It was completely different from five hundred years ago.

Li Xiaofei thought that since it was a rare outing, he might as well order some. When the bill came, he realized that the cost of the dipping sauces alone accounted for half of the total expenses.

"Sir, please pay before dining," the restaurant manager approached, holding the bill.

Li Xiaofei was surprised and asked, "Isn't it usually pay after eating?"

The restaurant manager, a well-dressed middle-aged woman with a face full of high-tech enhancements, looked openly disdainful as she said, "Sorry, sir, but you need to pay first to enjoy our services."

"Why don't they have to pay first?" Li Xiaofei pointed to a few nearby tables.

The restaurant manager didn't reply, merely glancing up and down at their attire. Li Xiaofei wasn't wearing his Noble Gentleman suit, and both Little Jie and Little Aunt were dressed very plainly. They didn't look like they could afford to dine in such a place.

Damn. We are being discriminated against.

Since he didn’t want to ruin the good mood of the day, Li Xiaofei used his light core to scan the QR code and pay in advance.

When she saw that he could indeed afford it, the restaurant manager's face immediately showed a slight smile. "Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, feel free to call for a waiter."

With that, she turned and left. Little Jie nervously glanced around. It was her first time in such a 'high-end' restaurant, and she felt a bit out of place. Little Aunt just sat quietly.

"There's a classmate from my school over there," Little Jie whispered suddenly.

Li Xiaofei looked in the direction she pointed. There was a family of three four rows of tables away, near the window. He saw a middle-aged, slightly plump woman with heavy makeup, a bald, muscular man with tattooed arms, and a slightly plump girl wearing a pink princess dress, a hair clip, and a pink crossbody bag.

Little Jie's classmate is probably the girl.

"Want to go say hi?" asked Li Xiaofei.

Little Jie shook her head, saying, "I don't like Kong Xinyue. She often bullies people at school."

Li Xiaofei's heart sank as he asked, "Does she bully you too?"

Little Jie quickly shook her head and replied, "No, she doesn't."

Li Xiaofei didn't think much of it and stood up. "I'll go get the dipping sauces."

He knew their tastes well, so he took three bowls and headed to the condiment station. Since the sauces were much more expensive than the main dishes, two waiters were stationed there, watching everyone who came to get sauces to ensure no one took too much.

When Li Xiaofei reached the station, he saw that the variety was limited. Just as he finished preparing three bowls of sauce, a sharp scream erupted from the dining area behind him. Then came high-pitched yelling. Then he heard the unmistakable sound of a loud slap. He turned around, his expression darkening instantly.

The middle-aged woman with heavy makeup was jumping up and down near table 12, shouting, "You little brat. You’re stealing from my family and not admitting it. You’ve even broken her new toy. Whose child are you? So ill-mannered. Where are your parents?"

Little Jie was holding her face, tears welling up in her eyes. "It wasn't me. She broke it herself... And I didn't steal anything from you. These vegetables and fruits are ours. We bought them ourselves."

The girl in the pink princess dress looked smug and arrogant. "It was you, you little pauper. You snatched the toy from my hand and dropped it on the ground."

The plump woman sneered, "Besides, how could someone as poor as you, a wild dog from the slum, afford vegetables and fruits from the Starry Sky Supermarket? Hmph, you lying brat."

As she spoke, she reached out to pull Little Jie's hair.