After counting the meal fee, Rita didn't rush to pay. Instead, she waited until her health was fully restored, then placed the money on an animal hide with the words "Meal fee, self-serve" written on it.
She glanced toward the distant Mung Bean Tribe, who was signaling her, but she didn't respond—she acted as if she were AFK .
She had given the money but not fully given it. Her initial guess was that the food tents, much like the restaurants in the post-cooking competition food street, each had their own rules. Violating these rules a certain number of times might lead to punishment, but as newcomers, she and others had no way of knowing what these rules were.
There were too many possibilities. It could be the wrong timing, or maybe they couldn't find the rules, or perhaps it was because they, as latecomers to the Dark Food Street, couldn't see them.
