Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: He Is Here

Hua Buwan sat in the waiting room, looking out at the people taking their computerized written exams in the room ahead. She hadn’t felt nervous outside, but now her heart inexplicably raced.

A glass partition separated the two areas, muffling the sounds from inside. Whenever someone came out, another would go in. Security guards stood by the door, quickly shushing the waiting crowd whenever it got too loud.

Time ticked by. After an indeterminate wait, her number was finally called. Hua Buwan stepped forward and joined the line to enter.

When it was her turn, the security guard simply told her, ”Machine 108.”

”Okay,” she replied.

She went inside to find her computer, discovering that number 108 was located all the way in the back. Taking her seat, she followed the on-screen prompts: she scanned her ID card, completed the facial recognition, and clicked to begin the exam.

Hua Buwan instantly immersed herself in the test. However, she had barely answered two questions when the older folks around her started raising a ruckus.

”Instructor! The facial recognition isn’t picking me up!”

”Instructor, how do I click this? Do I press here? How does the mouse work? Why isn’t my mouse moving?”

”Instructor, why did the timer start counting down? I’m not ready yet!”

”My computer is lagging! What do I do, instructor?”

”Why? Why isn’t my machine doing anything? This is making my head spin!”

With all sorts of unexpected issues popping up, the once-quiet testing center instantly devolved into chaos. The patrolling proctors immediately stepped forward to maintain order.

”Sit down, everybody sit down!”

”Keep quiet! If you have a question, raise your hand first!”

”Don’t disturb the others taking their exams! Silence!”

Hua Buwan glanced at the commotion before returning her focus to the screen. When her final score of ninety-eight appeared, she let out a secret sigh of relief. She thought, ”I passed! I passed on my first try!”

Unable to hold back her smile, she confirmed that her score had been successfully submitted before grabbing her ID card and heading out. She verified her grade, signed her name, and officially conquered the written exam. Beaming, she retrieved her belongings from the locker and left the testing center.

The first thing she did was text her instructor the good news and immediately schedule practice sessions for her practical test. Experienced drivers always said that the closed-course practical was the hardest part of getting a license; once you passed it, the license was practically yours. She was already starting to look forward to it. She wondered if she had the natural talent of a Qiuming Mountain racing god. She couldn’t wait!

After finalizing her driving schedule, Hua Buwan returned to the supermarket.

Her new freezers were arriving that afternoon, and she needed to sign for them, fill the water containers, and start stocking up on ice. For lunch, she had a simple cup of instant noodles and took a nap. The delivery men arrived at the supermarket just as she woke up. She set the water-filled freezers aside, planning to move the ice into her spatial dimension once it froze solid.

After finishing her chores, she unlocked the supermarket doors to open for business, simultaneously scrolling through short videos about the practical driving test on her phone.

Unexpectedly, the owner of the neighboring store walked over. It was Zhou Guodong’s son.

He seemed to have lost even more weight recently, and his hair was buzzed into a crew cut. From a distance, she used to think he looked rather gloomy. Now that his hair was short, she realized he actually had quite handsome, regular features. His eyes had lost the dark, brooding look from a few days ago, replaced by a clear brightness.

”I’ll take a bottle of mineral water.” His voice was smooth and clear, sounding just like a fresh-faced high school boy.

Hua Buwan paused her video, stood up, and placed a bottle of water on the counter, only shooting him a quick, fleeting glance out of the corner of her eye.