Jingzhou, Development Zone, Hengtai Home, 28th floor.
"Mom? Yeah, I'm at the new home, just came by to take a look."
As soon as Chen Mo connected the call and said a sentence, a cold sweat broke out on his back as he realized his location.
In front of the yet unsealed floor-to-ceiling window, the cold wind slapped against his face, dispelling his drunkenness. If it weren't for this call, he might have already fallen from here in a daze!
On the phone was his mother's cheerful voice.
"Yesterday, your dad and I sold the corn, 80 cents per jin, and we made 20,000 yuan altogether~ We'll transfer it to you tomorrow. Try to save a bit, this year let's aim to get the new home renovated! I'll have your grandma come over to bless the house then!"
Chen Mo slowly took a few steps back, retreating into the room, and exhaled heavily, "Hehe, okay. Mom, let's leave it at that for now, I'm tidying up some trash at home."
On the ground were scattered peanuts and empty bottles of Niulanshan Erguotou.
"Bless the house, huh!" Chen Mo kicked a bottle over.
This is a rather old tradition in Jingzhou, where before moving into a new home, the elderly in the family must live there for a few days, supposedly passing their wisdom and experience to the next generation, carrying a very good meaning.
But now...
Five years ago, Chen Mo used all his savings, along with his family's, to buy this house with a loan. Although the past five years were tough, the whole family was very happy.
Because finally, someone in the family was able to settle down and establish roots in the big city!
However, the house, which should have been delivered two years ago, was delayed over and over again. Up to this day, there are only a few workers knocking here and there, yet the house shows no progress at all.
Every day after work, Chen Mo would sneak into the construction site, climb to the 28th floor, and sit quietly in his dark room for a while.
Today, once again, it was time to pay the mortgage.
His salary stood at eight thousand five hundred, with a mortgage of five thousand five hundred, and rent one thousand five hundred.
In his dismay, Chen Mo brought alcohol and peanuts here, drinking while pondering one question: I've been cautiously striving for more than twenty years, making every choice gingerly, without any mistakes, so why am I ending up like this?
The more he thought, the worse he felt; the more he drank, the more depressed he became. Later, standing unsteadily before the yet unsealed floor-to-ceiling window, for a split second, life felt meaningless to him.
Fortunately, a call from his mother pulled him back from the brink.
Chen Mo moved his body, feeling a bit uncomfortable from the cold sweat on his back.
[Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~]
Chen Mo was initially delighted, but upon seeing the phone screen light up, he found himself a bit ridiculous.
How could he have thought of a system like this?
It was a WeChat message from his mother, dozens in a row!
While drinking earlier, Chen Mo ate peanuts and took the opportunity to whimsically ask his mother for a favor.
[Chen Mo: Mom, I miss your egg dumplings.]
These dozen or so WeChat messages were all short videos; Chen Mo opened the first one to watch.
In the frame, a pair of cracked hands held a frying scoop over the stove, and his mother's complaining voice could be heard.
"Why are you shooting my hands instead of me? I'm teaching Xiao Mo how to make egg dumplings, not showing off myself!"
His father chuckled, "Okay, okay, I understand!"
The second short video showed his mother's hands rubbing a bit of lard into the heated scoop and then pouring in some salad oil. The scoop was gently rotated, evenly spreading the grease over its surface.
Sizzle~
The egg mixture, ladled into the scoop, instantly solidified, accompanied by the sound of his mother's voice.
"Save these videos, learn to make them yourself if you crave them! Once the new house is renovated and livable, I'll come cook for you!"
Turning off the screen, Chen Mo once again plunged into darkness.
The earlier despondency gradually dissipated.
"Right, I almost wasn't afraid to die, so why be afraid to live?"
"If the house is a dud, then I'll buy another one!"
"Can't pay the mortgage? At worst, I'll become a rogue debtor!"
"When the lease is up, I'll just live in this stalled building!"
"Doesn't life still have to go on?"
Upon watching his mom's videos, a new idea suddenly sparked in Chen Mo's mind.
Currently, he has a job, and it's fairly easy-going. So why not start a little street vending business after work? Lying around at home is just lying around anyway.
It's best...
Chen Mo conceived a thought—though he'd told the family the house delivery was delayed by a year, what if he truly managed to buy another within a year?
Even though it sounds unrealistic, how would he know unless he tried?
Picking up the bottles and peanut bags from the floor and tossing them into the trash bag, he glanced at the city with its myriad lights through the cold winds outside the window.
"Damn it, let's give it one more shot!"
[Ding-dong, ding-dong!]
Chen Mo took out his phone to check. There were no new notifications.
Curious indeed.
[You have been detected as meeting the binding conditions. Based on your current desire, the host's mobile food cart is binding with you!]
"Hmm?" Chen Mo shook his head, feeling surprisingly clear-headed and believing it wasn't just a hallucination.
[Binding successful!]
As the voice ended, Chen Mo suddenly found a translucent text panel forming in his mind!
[Chen Mo's Mobile Food Cart]
[Level: LV1]
[Features: Fire stove, Workbench, Storage, Recipe Analysis]
[Note: Due to the food cart's low level, its operating hours are random each day, and update once a week. Please upgrade the food cart as soon as possible to unlock more features while earning rewards.]
[Experience: 0/10000]
This was definitely not a hallucination; Chen Mo truly saw the panel forming in his mind!
The name of this system couldn't help but remind Chen Mo of the anime, Howl's Moving Castle.
"Cooking on the move?"
Dispelling the odd thought, Chen Mo turned on his phone flashlight prepared to leave before thinking of anything else.
[Please proceed to the designated location as prompted by the system to collect your vehicle.]
Oh boy!
Seeing the words floating before him, any trace of gloom vanished, replaced by a surge of excitement.
To collect a vehicle!
A vehicle collection indeed!
If earlier, Chen Mo had been trying his luck with a what's-to-lose attitude, now!
Now, Chen Mo felt confident that he could achieve that goal within a year because he had the system!
The text before him gradually disappeared, replaced by a green arrow, somewhat resembling phone navigation. Following the arrow, Chen Mo exited the building, meandering through turns until he reached the unfinished ground-level parking lot of the stalled building.
[You have arrived]
Before him was a...
"Is this the car I'm supposed to collect?"
[Yes, please upgrade promptly. Not only can you unlock more functions of the food cart, but you can also change its appearance and performance.]
Alright then.
Chen Mo looked at the hand-pushed food cart before him, akin to a four-wheeled hand cart with a welded iron frame serving as a workbench and stove.
The earlier excitement was halved.
However, upon further thought, it wasn't too bad. If it weren't for the system, he would still need to buy such a food cart, incurring a substantial expense.
Now, at least, he was a man with a car and a house, albeit a hand-pushed cart and a stalled house.
Nevertheless, Chen Mo brimmed with confidence!