Energy Bar

"Xiu Ping's son had made something of himself. He started a business and company in the past two years and made quite a bit of money. They even hired a nanny at home."

"If she weren't just passing the time, she wouldn't have come here to work."

Inside the supermarket, seeming to notice Chen Feng's confusion and surprise, another employee beside him smiled and explained.

The one called Aunt Zhang was the auntie he had met that morning. She was somewhat plump, and they had eaten lunch together.

"Thank you, Aunt Zhang."

Chen Feng nodded lightly in understanding.

So Aunt He had come here to experience life.

Feeling the gap between people, he shook his head to himself.

As for the employee shopping card placed before him, Chen Feng considered it and ultimately put it in the drawer, deciding not to use it.

He wasn't at the point where he couldn't afford food. It was better not to accept too many free things.

Then, standing at the register, he quickly put on the Red Vest printed with the words Yong Le Fu and entered work mode.

Everything went smoothly. During that time, he also met another employee who had come to take over Aunt Zhang's shift.

Li Hongxia, thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, was mainly responsible for supermarket sanitation and arranging the goods on the shelves.

She was somewhat thin, with yellowish skin, obvious wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and quite a few spots on her face.

"This is Xiaofeng, the new college student."

"This is Hongxia. You can call her Sister Xia."

Before leaving, Aunt Zhang kindly introduced them. Chen Feng thanked her, and he and Li Hongxia nodded amicably at each other.

Time passed. He stood behind the register as customers gradually began coming in.

Some were elderly, some children, some young men, and some young women.

"Give me a pack of cigarettes. Tian Hua, yes, the slim ones."

A man asked for a pack of cigarettes, and Chen Feng scanned the barcode and took payment.

"How much is this bottle of water?"

"Five yuan." Someone else came over carrying a bottle of sports drink called Arrow.

"Okay, scan it."

Beep! Five yuan had been deposited into the account!

All kinds of notification sounds continuously rang through the small supermarket. Chen Feng remained busy until ten at night, when he finally felt that there were far fewer customers.

Perhaps because they were unfamiliar with each other, he and Li Hongxia only exchanged a few words.

The two silently did their own work. It wasn't until it was almost midnight, when it looked like no one else was coming, that Chen Feng went to the goods section to buy some things he needed.

Two packs of noodles, a carton of milk, two boxes of eggs, and a large bag of bread.

Most of it was food. He also bought a box of Superman Brand Energy Bars.

This was a highly nutritious food in the Chi Kingdom. It looked like a long milk stick, but contained abundant protein and was especially suitable for people who practiced martial arts or exercised regularly.

The price wasn't low either. One box cost more than five hundred yuan and contained only twenty-four bars.

"You can use our internal shopping card to pay. Deduct the three-hundred-yuan allowance first."

"Then you can make up the shortfall yourself. The shopping card will automatically give you an internal discount."

Li Hongxia, who was mopping the floor, kindly reminded him. Chen Feng was slightly stunned, only then learning that this was possible.

"Thank you, Sister Xia." He thanked her while holding a large box of goods.

"You're welcome."

Li Hongxia smiled slightly and glanced at the Energy Bars he was carrying.

A trace of surprise flashed through her eyes as she asked curiously, "Xiaofeng, do you like working out?"

"Yes, I train occasionally."

Chen Feng didn't mention practicing boxing. He didn't like being too high-profile.

"That's pretty good."

Li Hongxia smiled and nodded, quickly finishing mopping the floor.

The two said nothing more. Chen Feng followed her instructions and completed the transaction.

He swiped his employee card separately, first using up his free allowance for the month before adding another four hundred yuan.

After an 15 percent discount, there were still 120 yuan and 60 cents left on the shopping card.

"Money really disappears fast."

Chen Feng shook his head and looked at the balance on his phone.

Of the thousand yuan Chen Yun had transferred him, six hundred remained. Together with the shopping card, he only had a little over seven hundred yuan in total.

"It should be enough to hold me over until payday."

"If it really isn't, I can use Fukuanbao's credit. As long as I pay it back within a month, there won't be any interest."

Chen Feng thought to himself. He had no face to ask Chen Yun for money again.

"I'll lock up. You can leave first."

After Li Hongxia finished cleaning, she used a long iron hook to pull down the supermarket's rolling shutter.

"It's fine. I'm not in a hurry."

Chen Feng shook his head lightly and glanced at the pitch black sky.

He found a cardboard box and packed away everything he had bought. Then he silently stood on the stone paving outside the supermarket, watching her lock up.

Only after confirming that the rolling shutter was completely locked did he say goodbye to her and leave carrying the large box.

Tap, tap!

His footsteps echoed. It was already past midnight, entering the early hours of the morning.

There were few pedestrians by the roadside, and the dim streetlights cast a yellow glow over the road.

Now and then, two or three drunkards appeared, while the scent of grilled skewers drifted over from scattered barbecue stalls.

Chen Feng sniffed, ultimately swallowing his saliva and continuing toward the residential complex not far away.

Tap, tap!

His steps were steady and strong. Because his strength and physique had improved, he didn't feel tired at all along the way.

Several minutes later, the old residential complex appeared across the street.

Chen Feng stepped forward, preparing to pass by a dark alleyway entrance.

"Fuck, we're practically going broke."

"Wang Jie said we were brothers, but when we asked him to lend us a little money, he refused."

"Brother Jin, did you look for him?"

"Of course. That brat has no idea where he's hiding. If it weren't for—hm?"

Voices rose from inside the alleyway, and Chen Feng glanced over from the corner of his eye.

Under the faint yellow light cast by the streetlamp, he could vaguely make out three young men smoking at the alleyway entrance.

Their arms were all tattooed. One look was enough to tell they were thugs, and one of them seemed to have dyed yellow hair.

Perhaps because they saw him pass by, their conversation abruptly stopped as they all looked toward him.

"Alone?"

Someone muttered, deliberately making his gaze a little fiercer.

Chen Feng didn't stop and continued toward the residential complex.

This was the old district of Nanjiang City. The infrastructure was poor, and the surveillance was unreliable.

The original owner of this body had seen these thugs around several times. The leader was called Zhao Jin. He loafed around all day, had spent time in a police station, and had quite a few marks on his record.

There was no grudge between them, and Chen Feng had no desire to get mixed up with thugs.

Tap, tap!

His steady, powerful footsteps continued at once, soon disappearing into the darkness.

Nothing unexpected happened, and Chen Feng returned home safely.

He locked the door from the inside and turned on the lights.

Gray-black floor tiles came into view. The old sofa seemed to gleam faintly, while the television screen remained black.

Chen Feng quickly took the eggs, bread, and other items out of the cardboard box and put them in the refrigerator to keep fresh.

Finally, he went to the bathroom, took off his clothes, and let the hot water from the showerhead cascade over his body.

Huff!

The exhaustion of the day surged over him, and Chen Feng let out a breath.

Droplets of water slid across the increasingly defined lines of his muscles like tiny stones.

Making money and practicing boxing.

Those two thoughts grew increasingly clear in his mind. He knew he still had a long road ahead of him.

Finally, after washing up.

He casually dried his hair with a towel and lay down on the bed without another word.

Relaxing his breathing, he didn't open his phone as exhaustion crashed over him like a tide, allowing drowsiness to envelop him.

Until several minutes later.

The mist flashed, and the long-awaited Dream World appeared once more.