this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
Jiang Ci glanced up at him, surprised that this man with thick eyebrows and big eyes was such a genuinely good guy.
However, she couldn’t just push everything onto Song Jinchuan, so she said, “If it gets too overwhelming, we can close the shop for half a day. There’s no strict rule stating that we have to open every day. We can both use that time to take a break and get some fresh air.”
Song Jinchuan nodded while organizing things. He found it quite comfortable to get along with Jiang Ci. Whether she was speaking or doing things, she was always unhurried, moving at her own unique pace.
This rare moment of leisure made Song Jinchuan feel a sudden sense of contentment.
After tidying up, Jiang Ci ordered dinner for both of them. With more ingredients available now, the dinner options had also expanded. Jiang Ci tried to order something different every day, and today, it was a teriyaki beef bowl, with a slightly sweet and savory sauce poured over the rice and beef slices, making it look incredibly appetizing.
The two sat facing each other, each holding a bowl of rice, enjoying their meal.
Since they were both in the main hall, the shop hadn’t been upgraded yet after the task was completed.
After dinner, as the sky grew dark, Jiang Ci was about to close the shop and head back to her room to rest when more customers arrived.
It was the sisters, Cheng Jing and Cheng Meng. They had been walking all day and night, exhausted and hungry. When they saw the sign, they thought they were hallucinating. How could there still be a hotpot restaurant in the apocalypse?
But the flashing neon lights on the sign as well as the faint aroma of food told them this wasn’t a hallucination—it was real.
As they stepped inside, the smell of food became even stronger. The shop looked quite spacious, with tables and chairs neatly arranged. Everything was spotless, and the entire place had an ambience that seemed incompatible with this apocalyptic world.
Next to the counter was a small blackboard with prices written on it. Everything seemed well-organised.
The sisters looked around, their eyes filled with disbelief and curiosity.
Just as they were marveling at the surroundings, Jiang Ci walked out and greeted them with a smile, “Would you like something to eat?”
Cheng Jing and Cheng Meng were startled but quickly composed themselves. “Are you the owner of this place? Is this really a hotpot restaurant?”
“Yes, it’s a hotpot restaurant. The available soup bases, dishes, and prices are all listed on the blackboard. You can take a look and decide what you’d like,” Jiang Ci explained.
The sisters slowly sat down on the chairs. The shop had left them in such shock that they needed a moment to process everything.
After whispering to each other for a while, they finally ordered a beef tallow soup base, beef and lamb slices, a vegetable platter, and because they were curious about the pot helmets, also ordered two portions of pot helmet.
Jiang Ci took their order to the kitchen and then went to the pot helmet stall to make the pot helmets.
Just as she brushed on the oil, footsteps and voices sounded from outside the shop again.
Jiang Ci saw the survivors who had come during the day returning together. When they caught the aroma of the pot helmets, their eyes lit up, and they quickened their pace. “Boss, are you still making pot helmets? Can we buy some?”
Hearing this, Jiang Ci peeked out to count the number of people gathering. There didn’t seem to be that many, so it shouldn’t take long. She nodded, “Sure, but it’s still limited to two per person.”
The survivors were instantly delighted. They hadn’t expected to find such a pleasant surprise by coming to the hotpot store a little later than usual.
Cheng Jing and Cheng Meng, who had been whispering to each other, stopped talking when they noticed some unfamiliar survivors—mostly tall men—entering the shop. The sisters immediately became alert, their bodies tensing up.
The survivors seemed to sense this and very consciously sat at the table farthest away from them.
The group greeted the boss familiarly as soon as they arrived and then placed their orders. It was clear they were regular customers.
Soon, the aroma began to spread throughout the hotpot shop. Cheng Meng took a deep breath and swallowed hard. She quietly nudged Cheng Jing’s arm, “Sis, it smells so good.”
The aroma of food always has a way of comforting the heart and soothing the anxiety in people’s minds. At that moment, the weariness and anxiety the two sisters had been carrying seemed to be healed by that aroma.
The hotpot base and dishes were quickly served. Cheng Jing and Cheng Meng’s eyes were practically glued to the plates of meat slices. It had been ten years since the apocalypse—how could there still be such fresh meat?!
The hotpot base bubbled away, and the meat slices were tossed into the pot, mixing together with the boiling, bright red oil.
From their initial hesitation, Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing soon began eating with gusto. They had lived through the apocalypse for ten years and had no idea such a place existed. It was simply delicious.
“By the way, are the people from Hope Base okay?” The conversation from the other table clearly reached their ears.
At the mention of Hope Base, Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing’s chopsticks paused mid-air.
“How could they be okay? That was an eighth level mutated beast. Several people were sent flying and died on the spot,” another survivor shook his head, his tone filled with regret. “A few ability users died, with more than half of the ordinary survivors killed or injured. Hope Base has suffered a heavy blow this time.”
Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing’s expressions turned grave again. Although they didn’t know the details, if their uncle was still at Hope Base, he must be in some kind of danger now.
“Hope Base was attacked? It’s that severe?” Jiang Ci, who had just finished making the pot helmets, overheard the survivors’ conversation and asked.
The leader of Hope Base had come to buy mineral water twice before and had even brought her a particularly beautiful set of jewelry—sapphires and sparkling diamonds set together, dazzlingly radiant.
After spending time with these survivors, Jiang Ci found them to be straightforward and endearing. Now that she knew something had happened, it was only natural for her to inquire.
“Suddenly, an eighth level black snake appeared, wreaking havoc on the base. By the time we received the message and went to rescue them, many people had already died. The remaining survivors from Hope Base are currently staying at the neighboring Hummingbird Base,” the survivor described the scene they had witnessed, using several interjections to express their sorrow for the loss of life.
Jiang Ci could only imagine the scene of dead bodies scattered everywhere, but for people in this post-apocalyptic world, it had already become their norm. Apart from lamenting their fate, they didn’t experience the same emotional turmoil as Jiang Ci.
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:
After finishing their meal, Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing took the initiative to approach and inquire about Hope Base.
Upon hearing that they were here to search for relatives, the survivors’ eyes showed a hint of pity, but still enthusiastically provided the location of Hummingbird Base.
“We’ll head over after eating, bringing some supplies to help. Why don’t you come with us later?” The survivors spoke with a bit of hesitation, worried that the two girls might feel scared being with a group of men.
“In that case, I’ll go take a look too,” Jiang Ci suddenly spoke up.
“Boss, you’re going too?” The survivor was clearly surprised, and even Song Jinchuan turned to look at Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci nodded, “I’ll go and see if there’s anything I can help with.”
At that moment, the survivors’ gazes towards Jiang Ci filled with emotion. They all felt that Jiang Ci was very righteous, willing to go to such a dangerous place to help without a second thought.
Only Jiang Ci herself knew the real reason. Just moments ago, the system had issued a temporary task: to ensure that the displaced survivors at Hummingbird Base have a hot, hearty meal by eight o’clock in the morning.
This meant that Jiang Ci had to go to Hummingbird Base tonight and prepare a large pot of food for the hundreds of survivors there.
Seeing that Jiang Ci was also going, Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing visibly relaxed.
Actually, the cooking part wasn’t that difficult; the challenge was cooking for hundreds of people. The system thoughtfully provided her with a large pot that could self-heat without electricity or fire.
The pot was indeed huge, big enough to fit two of Jiang Ci inside, along with a foldable pan for making pot helmets.
While the survivors were still eating, Jiang Ci filled several large buckets with water into her space and exchanged for a lot of dough to make pot helmets.
By the time she was fully prepared, the survivors had finished their meal. Jiang Ci turned to Song Jinchuan, saying, “You can rest in the store. I should be back by tomorrow morning.”
But Song Jinchuan had already taken off his apron. “I’ll go with you. It’s too late, and with two people, we’ll be able to look out for one other.”
Jiang Ci wanted to say something more, but Song Jinchuan had already tidied up the shop’s tables and chairs as usual, turned off the lights, and headed out the door.
She had no choice but to follow Song Jinchuan.
“Are we going to hitch a ride with them?” Song Jinchuan stood at the door and turned to look at Jiang Ci. Although the survivors had come by car as they were carrying some supplies, the car wasn’t very big. With them plus Cheng Jing and Cheng Meng, it was already somewhat overloaded.
Jiang Ci quickly shook her head and then walked to the corner of the hotpot restaurant, pulling out her foldable electric scooter. “You can ride with them. I’ll take this.”
Jiang Ci had originally thought of letting Song Jinchuan ride with her, but upon comparison, it was clear that riding in a car would be much more comfortable than taking her scooter, so she didn’t suggest it and instead went back inside to fetch Hui Hui, who had been craning her neck to look around.
Hui Hui was practically a magic weapon for avoiding disasters. Bringing her along would make their journey much safer.
Since their last outing, Jiang Ci had purchased a large knitted backpack from the system store, one that could just fit Hui Hui.
To those unaware, it looked like Jiang Ci was just carrying supplies. No one would guess there was a actually large tortoise inside.
Song Jinchuan glanced at the small electric scooter and frowned slightly. He felt uneasy letting Jiang Ci ride this scooter behind them all by herself.
“I’ll go with you,” Song Jinchuan said straightforwardly. He attributed his series of mental gymnastics to the fact that Jiang Ci was his savior—after all, it was only right for him to protect his savior.
When Song Jinchuan climbed onto the scooter, he looked a bit pitiful to outsiders—his long limbs cramped inside the small scooter.
Jiang Ci sat on the back seat, hesitating for a moment before saying, “How about I drive?”
“It’s fine. Hold on tight,” he said, and as soon as he finished speaking, the electric scooter suddenly shot forward.
SJC’s mental gymnastics have begun
