RHRPAW Ch 4

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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In their hearts, they already believed that this person was most likely driven insane by the apocalypse, which was quite common. Many survivors had mental breakdowns and ended their own lives. However, the fact that this shop had electricity still needed further investigation.

“Alright, alright,” Jiang Ci said with a smile as she walked out from behind the counter, holding a menu in her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She approached the group, “Just one clear soup base and a plate of sliced potatoes, right? Do you want rice? Our rice is unlimited for just one second-level crystal core per person.”

“Then we’ll take rice for three people,” Xu Yan said, playing along since it was all nonsense anyway.

“Great, so the total will be five first-level crystal cores, one third-level crystal core, and three second-level crystal cores,” Jiang Ci calculated, then looked at the three of them without moving, making it clear that payment was required before the meal.

The three of them pondered for a moment, and finally, Xu Yan took out the crystal cores from his bag and placed them in Jiang Ci’s hand.

“Old Xu, are you really giving her the crystal cores? I think this is just a scam shop, designed to cheat people out of their crystal cores,” Zhou Lin whispered as he leaned over, watching Jiang Ci head to the kitchen.

“It’s fine. She’s just a girl who’s not quite right in the head. If anything seems off, we can always get the crystal cores back,” Xu Yan replied. Besides, the price wasn’t high; first, second, and third-level crystal cores were quite common.

Xu Yan glanced toward the kitchen, his eyes still filled with lingering caution.

While Jiang Ci was in the kitchen, they took a look around the small shop. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the large electric rice cooker next to the condiment station, which was still lit with a warming light. They had no idea what was inside.

But then again, why was there electricity here? Even in the base, it wasn’t until the fifth year of the apocalypse that everyone could use electricity. This place was truly full of mysteries.

As they were lost in their thoughts, a sudden aroma wafted out from the kitchen.

The smell was both unfamiliar and familiar; something they used to encounter frequently before the apocalypse, but now, in their daily struggle for survival, they had long forgotten about.

For a moment, all three of them were stunned.

From there, Jiang Ci carefully carried a pot out from the kitchen.

As she got closer, the aroma grew stronger, and they realized that the smell was coming from the pot in her hands.

Jiang Ci placed the pot on their wooden table and pressed the switch button. The hotpot here was different from the ones in Jiang Ci’s world. The bottom of the pot could heat itself without needing to be plugged in or lit with fire, making it both convenient and safe.

“This is the clear soup base you ordered. Please wait a moment, I’ll go get your bowls and chopsticks,” Jiang Ci clapped her hands and turned back to the kitchen.

The three people sitting at the wooden table hadn’t fully processed what was happening. In front of them was a clear, golden broth, exuding an enticing aroma of food. The soup was filled with ingredients like mushrooms, goji berries, and slices of ginger.

“Our clear soup base is made from the broth of a genuine old hen, and we’ve added a lot of medicinal herbs that are good for the body. It tastes really good.” In fact, Jiang Ci had just learned this from the system and decided to use it as a selling point.

After setting out the bowls and chopsticks, Jiang Ci went back to the kitchen to slice a plate of potatoes. She didn’t cook often, so her knife skills were rather basic. The potato slices were uneven—some thick, some thin. Looking at her handiwork, Jiang Ci felt a bit embarrassed and touched her nose.

However, the three people outside didn’t seem to care about how the potatoes were cut. They were still staring blankly at the bubbling broth in front of them.

“Your dishes are all here. The rice is over there, and there’s soy sauce too. If you need anything, just help yourselves,” Jiang Ci said before retreating behind the counter.

This was the first table of customers in the shop, and she couldn’t help feeling excited. She quietly opened the task panel to check the progress. The task to serve five customers and unlock mineral water had already changed from (0/5) to (3/5).

Xu Yan, Zhou Lin, and Gu Qi sat in their seats for a while before finally snapping out of their daze. The aroma of food instantly filled their noses.

“How about…” Zhou Lin swallowed hard, “we give it a try?”

Gu Qi picked up the plate of potato slices and dumped them into the boiling pot. “I’ll just try a bite.”

The potato slices cooked in just a few minutes. Each of them picked up a slice with their chopsticks. The potatoes were soft and tender, easily breaking apart when pinched between chopsticks.

Coated with the rich, savory flavor of the clear broth, the potato slices were exceptionally delicious.

Gu Qi was momentarily stunned, and by the time he came to his senses, the potato slices in the pot were almost gone. He quickly grabbed the last slice and put it in his bowl, giving his usually reliable teammates a reproachful look.

After finishing the potato slices, the three of them were still craving more. They immediately called out to Jiang Ci, “Boss, three more plates of potato slices, please!”

While Jiang Ci went back to the kitchen to slice more potatoes, the three of them went to the condiment station in the back. Each of them filled a small dish with soy sauce and scooped three large bowls of rice, heaping them to the brim.

Back at their seats, they ladled some broth over their rice and devoured the soup-soaked rice in no time.

By the time Jiang Ci came out, their rice bowls were empty, and the broth in the pot had been reduced by almost half.

Jiang Ci placed the three plates of potato slices on the dish rack next to their table and then went into the kitchen to bring out a soup pot to refill their broth.

The soup in the pot had been kept warm in the kitchen. It was made from bones, chicken, and some seafood, so although it looked clear, the flavor was still quite rich and intense.

At first, the three of them ate with some restraint, not exactly wolfing down their food. But as time went on, the conversation completely died down, leaving only the sounds of chopsticks clinking against bowls.

Jiang Ci glanced outside and noticed they were already on their third bowl of rice, drizzling soy sauce over it, unlocking a new way of eating.

Gu Qi met Jiang Ci’s gaze and smiled sheepishly, “Boss, we’re out of rice.”

Jiang Ci nodded, “Oh, okay. I’ll steam another pot. No worries, take your time. There’s plenty of rice.”

The system had just opened the supply store for her. Like the task panel, it was a 3D holographic screen visible only to her. The switch to activate it was at Jiang Ci’s whim, which felt quite magical.

Ten points could buy a hundred pounds of rice, so she wasn’t worried about it at all. Even if they ate ten pots, she wouldn’t lose money.

The rice cooker had a one-touch cleaning function, and the kitchen was equipped with a dishwasher. Just put the dishes in, and they’d come out clean and sanitized. Jiang Ci absolutely loved the smart kitchen.

One of the main reasons she disliked cooking was her aversion to washing dishes. If it could also chop vegetables and cook by itself, that would be even better.

The system said that as long as the hotpot restaurant kept upgrading, these functions could be realized.

A pot of clear broth hotpot and three plates of potato slices that came later were completely devoured, with not even a drop of soup left.

The three of them sat on wooden chairs, staring at the empty plates in front of them, momentarily speechless. What had they originally come here for? It was as if they had been bewitched, taking bite after bite, bowl after bowl.

Only after finishing did they belatedly realize their abs were almost gone from being so full. But it was really, really delicious.

Their minds were in constant turmoil, but in the end, they succumbed to the allure of good food.

Due to the current scarcity of resources, the research institute had spent years developing a nutrient solution that could basically meet human needs. Water and food were all solved in this one bottle of nutrient solution.

Although the nutrient solution wasn’t exactly hard to swallow, it didn’t taste great either. As survivors from a once culinary-rich nation, they naturally had no resistance to good food.

The three of them recalled their ‘bold claims’ from earlier and how they had been convinced this was a shady place. Now, they suddenly felt their faces sting a little.

“Have you guys finished eating?” Jiang Ci walked over at the right moment, smiling as she asked.

“Finished… finished eating,” Gu Qi straightened up, stammering a bit.

“So, how was it? Pretty good, right?” Jiang Ci asked with a grin.

“It was delicious, but there’s just not enough variety. When will there be meat?” Zhou Lin asked with eager anticipation.

Hearing this question, the other two also looked over, their eyes filled with subtle hope.

“It’ll come later. It’s just a bit difficult to transport supplies right now,” Jiang Ci smiled. “Next time you come, there might be new ingredients available.”

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

The three of them left the hotpot restaurant and glanced back once more. The shop was lit with warm yellow lights, standing out as particularly cozy and unique in this gray, dreary world.

Just then, a group of zombies passed by the entrance. The three instinctively grabbed their weapons, on alert, but they noticed the zombies didn’t seem to detect them at all. Even though the distance wasn’t that far, the usually keen-sensed zombies just walked right past.

Zhou Lin tentatively took a couple of steps in their direction. As soon as he stepped out of the hot pot restaurant’s protective range, the zombies, who had previously ignored them, suddenly turned their heads and started jogging toward Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin quickly stepped back a few paces. The zombie in front of him suddenly lost its target and stood still, looking around in confusion.

“Damn, that’s impressive,” Zhou Lin glanced at his teammate, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes.

The three of them turned to look back again, wondering just what kind of place this was.

They often passed by here, but they had never seen this hotpot restaurant before. It was as if it had appeared out of thin air.

After the three left, Jiang Ci took the dishes and utensils into the kitchen and placed them in the dishwasher.

In fact, while they had been observing Jiang Ci, she had also been observing these people from the apocalypse.

They seemed more robust than the people from Jiang Ci’s world, taller and more muscular. Even the shortest among them was probably around six feet tall. Standing in front of Jiang Ci, who was only five-foot-five, they were quite imposing.

The system had said that humans who had evolved in the apocalypse were like this. Without enhanced physical abilities, there was no way to fight against those zombies.

After cleaning up the table, Jiang Ci began to count her crystal cores.

Today, she had earned a total of twenty level-one crystal cores, one level-three crystal core, and three level-two crystal cores. Converted into points, that was 1500, equivalent to 1500 yuan.

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the first customers!