this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
“No… no, we’re here to buy water,” Deng Dashan replied after a moment of hesitation.
“Buying water also requires getting a number. You’d better hurry, or all the numbers for today will be gone,” the survivor pointed to another long line. “Right now, you only have to line up for the pot helmet stall while everything else needs a number.”
Hearing this, the two quickly ran to join the other line, even forgetting to say thank you to that kind survivor.
Today, Zhou Lin, Xu Yan, and Gu Qi were in charge of distributing the number tags. As the first customers to ever eat at the hotpot restaurant, they felt a sense of pride seeing the place grow busier and more prosperous. See, they had been the first ones to discover this place.
Since they were already quite familiar with Jiang Ci, they often helped out with tasks when the restaurant was busy. Today, the kitchen, the pot helmet stall, and the number distribution systems were all overwhelmed with people, so they hat voluntarily taken on this job.
The three of them were tall and imposing, giving them an air of authority just by standing there.
Deng Dashan and his companion queued for over two hours before it was finally their turn.
Zhou Lin was handing out the numbers, Xu Yan was recording their information down with a pen, and Gu Qi was maintaining order. The three of them worked together seamlessly.
“Are you here for hotpot or to buy water?” Zhou Lin asked.
“We’re here to buy water,” Deng Dashan replied, stammering slightly despite having imagined this situation countless times in his head beforehand.
“Alright, please provide the name of your base and the person in charge, as well as how many boxes of water you need.”
“Deng Dashan, person in charge of Harvest Farm. We need five… five hundred boxes of water,” Deng Dashan swallowed hard as he watched the survivor write down his name, address, and the amount of water he wanted to purchase.
Before he could feel relieved, a woman’s voice chimed in, “Harvest Farm?”
Everyone looked up to see Jiang Ci walking over to the line while drying her hands.
She picked up the record book, which indeed listed Deng Dashan and Harvest Farm.
If she remembered correctly, Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing had mentioned that the farm left by their parents was called Harvest Farm.
“Wait a moment,” Jiang Ci said before taking the book and heading inside. No one dared to object and waited obediently where they were.
Only Deng Dashan and Yang Yan exchanged uneasy glances. “What’s going on?”
But no one knew, and no one answered them. However, judging by Jiang Ci’s demeanor, she didn’t seem very pleased with them.
The other survivors quickly took a silent step back, not wanting to get involved with them.
Jiang Ci carried the book upstairs, where Cheng Meng, Cheng Jing, and Wang Jin were eating hotpot. In the middle of their meal, they were surprised when they saw her coming in.
“Take a look. Is this your family’s farm?” Jiang Ci handed the book to the Cheng sisters.
Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing were puzzled at first, but when they glanced at the book, their expressions changed abruptly. They stood up from their seats in an instant. “Is Deng Dashan here?”
“Don’t get too worked up. No matter what happens, your uncle is still here,” Wang Jin quickly interjected.
“They came to buy water. I thought the name looked familiar, so I came up to ask. You two just focus on eating. I won’t do business with them,” Jiang Ci said.
The system had told her that she would have absolute freedom while running the hotpot shop, meaning she could act freely according to her own preferences. Jiang Ci despised people who bit the hand that fed them during times of crisis.
Cheng Jing and Cheng Meng, however, were flustered by her words and hurriedly waved their hands in distress. “Boss Jiang, you don’t have to turn away business for our sake.”
“I don’t need their business. There are plenty of people outside waiting to buy from me. They’re the ones that need me, not the other way around,” Jiang Ci said before taking the book and heading back downstairs.
When she returned, Deng Dashan and Yang Yan watched her nervously. Jiang Ci placed the book back on the table without even glancing at them and simply said to the three record-keepers, “Cross them off. We won’t do business with them in the future.”
Zhou Lin and the other two were momentarily stunned but quickly nodded, crossing out Harvest Farm and Deng Dashan’s name.
Jiang Ci’s words struck Deng Dashan and his group like a bolt from the blue.
Just moments ago, they had been on the verge of taking back precious supplies to solidify their position at the farm, but now those dreams had popped like bubbles.
“Why can’t we buy it?” Yang Yan blurted out, so shocked that she couldn’t control her temper or the volume of her voice.
“You should know very well what you’ve done. How dare you ask me why?” Jiang Ci sneered.
“How is it fair for you to do this? Everyone, judge for yourselves. We’re all survivors, so why are you treating us differently?” Yang Yan panicked for a moment, wondering if those two wretched girls had also come to this city and said something earlier to the boss here.
Before Deng Dashan could say anything, Yang Yan had already caused the situation spiral out of control.
They absolutely couldn’t afford to offend such a powerful figure with so many resources. He quickly tried to pull Yang Yan away, trying to take her out of there.
But Yang Yan was clearly too worked up to care. After all, this was her ‘specialty.’ She had managed to drive away the sisters Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing before by twisting the truth and manipulating the crowd.
Yang Yan thought someone would take her side this time too, but she didn’t expect everyone to be smart enough to know which side couldn’t be offended. Not only did no one speak up for her, but they also distanced themselves further from her.
While Yang Yan was still shouting and making a scene, Cheng Meng, Cheng Jing, and Wang Jin came downstairs.
Seeing the three of them emerge from the hotpot restaurant, Yang Yan’s eyes turned red, as if she had found the root of all the problems. She immediately began hurling insults at Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing.
Wang Jin quickened his pace to block his two nieces. “Watch your mouth.”
“Oh, so you’ve already hooked up with a man,” Yang Yan said with a tone full of malice, immediately resorting to slandering the two girls.
“I’m their uncle. I was originally planning to go look for both of you, but since you’ve already come to us, that’s even better!”
Wang Jin had been heartbroken when he heard from Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing about how they were driven out. He had long wanted to confront Deng Dashan and Yang Yan but was advised against it due to his health condition.
Now that Yang Yan had practically come up to their faces to insult them, he decided it was time to settle both old and new scores together.
Just as Wang Jin was about to take action, Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing stopped him. “Uncle, we can’t fight here. We might get blacklisted by the boss.”
“Song Jinchuan, kick the troublemakers out,” Jiang Ci called from inside the restaurant.
With a deep sound of acknowledgment, Yang Yan, who had thought she had won, saw a tall, burly man wearing an apron emerge from the hotpot restaurant.
Song Jinchuan didn’t waste any words. He used his wind-based ability to precisely lift Yang Yan and her companions and throw them out of the restaurant.
This move not only stunned Yang Yan but also the surrounding survivors.
How could someone use their ability with such precision? After all, the destructive power and range of abilities increase with every level you gain. They had rarely seen anything like it since it was almost impossible to target specific individuals so precisely.
Song Jinchuan flexed his hand. He had noticed that since joining the hotpot restaurant, his ability had become much more refined. Without the impurities in energy, it was became much easier for him to control.
He woke up early every day, exercised, and continuously honed his abilities. Even though his living conditions had improved significantly and he no longer lived in constant fear, he had still never once let his guard down.
After dealing with the troublemakers, Song Jinchuan silently returned to the kitchen.
Seeing that the commotion had been temporarily resolved, Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing thanked Jiang Ci and helped their uncle back upstairs. Their emotions were still unsettled.
It was unexpected for them to meet so abruptly, without any warning. They had been completely unprepared. The other party had so many people accompanying them, while they only had the three of them. If a fight really had broken out, they would definitely have been at a disadvantage. So, this time, they were especially grateful to Boss Jiang. Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing felt even more indebted to Jiang Ci in their hearts.
After this little episode, the hotpot restaurant continued to thrive with bustling sales.
*
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:
Meanwhile, Deng Dashan and Yang Yan, who had been thrown out, took a long time to get up from the ground, their bodies aching from the fall.
Still burning with anger, Deng Dashan slapped Yang Yan across the face as soon as he got up.
The crisp sound of the slap stunned Yang Yan. Deng Dashan hadn’t shown her any mercy, with Yang Yan’s face quickly swelling up.
Yang Yan covered her face, looking at Deng Dashan in disbelief. “You hit me?!”
“Yes, I hit you!” Deng Dashan, who had always cared deeply about his reputation, was furious. Not only had they failed to get the supplies, but they had also been humiliated in front of so many people. “How many times did I tell you before we came here? To watch your mouth! Do you think this is just any place? You think you’re so clever, think you can pick fights with everyone? I couldn’t even hold you back just now!”
Yang Yan knew she was in the wrong. Losing such a significant source of supplies was a major blow. If the people in their base found out, their position would become even more precarious.
Yang Yan muttered under her breath, “It’s all because of those two brats. Otherwise, how would the boss have known what we did? I shouldn’t have been so soft-hearted back then. I should have just killed them, then none of this would’ve happened.”
Deng Dashan rolled his eyes at her. Even now, she was still blaming others instead of reflecting on her own actions. She was truly beyond help.
He led the group straight to where their car was parked, each step filled with anger.
The survivors behind them exchanged glances, seeing the look of schadenfreude in each other’s eyes.
They had originally followed Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing’s parents, but after being bombarded with various threats and temptations, they had no choice but to watch as Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing were driven away.
Of course, they didn’t have much genuine loyalty to Deng Dashan and Yang Yan either. They were just trying to survive. Seeing the couple suffering and humiliated was just a bit of entertainment in their otherwise dull and stressful lives.
In fact, ever since Cheng Meng and Cheng Jing left, the atmosphere at the farm had changed.
What had once been a simple way of living had been turned upside down. Supplies had originally been distributed based on how much work you did—the more you worked, the more you would receive. But now, the three of them controlled everything tightly, making it harder than ever to exchange for supplies.
this hypocritical couple is truly a match made in heaven lmao
also if ur able to, please contribute any amount to my kofi! any donation is appreciated for a broke uni student QAQ
https://ko-fi.com/roastedmilktea
