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“You’re an employee of the restaurant, and we can even be considered friends now. The contract doesn’t state that you’re responsible for my safety, and I’m not your responsibility. This time, it was my own carelessness and has nothing to do with you,” Jiang Ci quickly added.
Although Song Jinchuan pursed his lips and didn’t argue further, he still believed he hadn’t done well enough and secretly decided to follow Jiang Ci wherever she went from now on.
“Do you have any other injuries?” Song Jinchuan asked after finishing applying the medicine to her hand.
Jiang Ci moved her body around and shook her head. “No, that’s all.”
Only then did Song Jinchuan breathe a sigh of relief and pack up the medical kit.
Jiang Ci, who was concerned about the customers at the front, stepped out of the kitchen first, with Song Jinchuan reminding her not to touch any water and to leave any work like that for him.
When Song Jinchuan came out, he happened to meet the meaningful gaze of Huang Mao. He ignored him, walking past him expressionlessly as he continued to stay busy.
The small base that had been attacked was eventually merged into the larger base that came to the rescue. After things stabilised, the former leader of the small base specially visited the hotpot restaurant to thank Jiang Ci for her help.
Lin Fei stayed at the hotpot restaurant for half a month before continuing on her journey. She bought a lot of food from the restaurant to replenish her space and, after bidding farewell to Jiang Ci, slowly walked out of Jiang Ci’s sight with her large backpack.
She was like a free gust of wind, never staying in one place for long. Jiang Ci sometimes envied such courage.
During this half month, Jiang Ci finally found time to deliver the last few delivery orders. Today was her last one, and after completing the task, the braised delicacies were unlocked.
Because the braised food stall needed to be set up and the restaurant also needed to be upgraded, Jiang Ci announced that the restaurant would be closed for half a day for renovations right after noon.
“There will soon be a new delicious snack available this time. Everyone can look forward to it,” Jiang Ci said.
The survivors felt both regret and anticipation, wondering what kind of food would be available this time. After all, anything produced by the hotpot restaurant was bound to be exceptionally delicious.
After closing the door, Jiang Ci asked Song Jinchuan to return to his room and rest. During the shop’s upgrade period, he was to stay in his room until the upgrade was complete. She would call him out once it was done.
Song Jinchuan nodded, tidied up the kitchen, and then went into his room.
Once both of them were inside, Jiang Ci carried Yuan Yuan back to the bedroom. As soon as Yuan Yuan was placed on the floor, it began cleaning the room.
Yuan Yuan’s round, figure rolling around caught Hui Hui’s attention, causing Hui Hui’s gray head to involuntarily follow her movements.
After everyone had left, the shop began its upgrade.
Jiang Ci sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the large prize wheel the system had displayed before her. This time, the orange reward was a courtyard, depicted in the image as a refined Chinese-style courtyard with both a house and a plot of land.
Jiang Ci’s eyes immediately lit up—this was exactly the style she loved.
Before spinning the wheel, Jiang Ci clasped her hands together and silently prayed, hoping for it to land on the orange section.
After clicking, the wheel began to spin. Perhaps because she had been doing a lot of good deeds recently, the pointer actually stopped at the edge of the orange section.
Jiang Ci successfully obtained the courtyard she had wanted and nearly jumped off the bed in excitement. “Will the backyard I won from this prize wheel also appear in the real-world hotpot restaurant?”
[Of course, host. Everything you obtain for the hotpot restaurant can be exchanged and realised in reality,] the system replied.
Hearing this, Jiang Ci was overjoyed. Her family home had a rooftop with a small garden where her parents had cultivated a small vegetable patch, growing seasonal produce. Her father often said it added a touch of warmth to life. She was sure her parents would love a hotpot restaurant with a courtyard.
[In light of your recent outstanding performance, you’re rewarded with an additional spin,] the system announced.
Jiang Ci hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise and quickly clicked again.
The wheel soon stopped, with the pointer landing on the self-serve milk tea section. Looking at the image of the exquisite milk tea and toppings, Jiang Ci’s milk tea-loving heart began to stir.
[Congratulations, host, for winning the self-serve milk tea. The house will be upgraded, and the self-serve milk tea topping station will be added to the hotpot restaurant after the upgrade,] the system said.
Overall, Jiang Ci was very satisfied with this round of prizes, as she had won things she truly liked.
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:
This upgrade took longer than previous ones, and it wasn’t until nightfall that the system informed Jiang Ci that the upgrade was complete.
Jiang Ci, who had been dozing off, immediately sprang out of bed and went to knock on the neighboring door.
Song Jinchuan quickly opened the door, his eyes clear and alert. He was wearing a black muscle tank, seemingly having just finished exercising. His shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his body and outlining his well-defined abs.
“What’s wrong?” Song Jinchuan looked down at Jiang Ci, his voice hoarse from the strenuous exercise.
Jiang Ci suddenly started stammering uncharacteristically, “Well… the shop is finished with renovations. I was about to ask you to come take a look with me.”
“Alright, give me a moment to change,” Song Jinchuan said.
“Sure, no rush. I’ll step out first,” Jiang Ci replied, then hurriedly walked away.
Her pace only slowed down when she reached her own room. Turns out that handsome guys are really only suitable to be admired through a screen; seeing them in person is just too overwhelming.
As she thought this, Jiang Ci turned the corner of the corridor.
What came into view was the completely transformed hotpot restaurant.
The overall decor style of the hotpot restaurant had shifted from minimalism to one with a modern aesthetic, the addition being a warm yellow tone that made the space feel cozier and more inviting.
On the first floor, next to the condiment station, a self-serve milk tea station had been added.
The milk tea station featured a large metal bucket and a row of transparent, lidded plastic containers, which were currently empty. The system had explained that the condiments needed to be purchased from the store and then added to the containers by the host.
The milk tea was sold separately as tea bags and powdered milk. Jiang Ci would need to brew the milk tea according to the recipe’s proportions and then pour it into the metal bucket on the station.
The self-serve milk tea was priced at five third-level crystal cores per person, allowing for unlimited refills, although takeout and excessive waste were prohibited.
At this moment, Song Jinchuan also emerged from his room. Naturally, he was surprised by the changes to the hotpot restaurant, though not as stunned as he had been the first time he saw it.
The kitchen freezer now had an additional ice tray specifically for beverages.
Next to the pot helmet stall, a new stall had been expanded to accommodate the braised dishes. Neatly arranged were metal, lidded containers to keep out dust, along with a transparent, glass-like material on the front. Jiang Ci touched it and realized it wasn’t glass. The system explained that it was a special material from their planet—lightweight yet capable of withstanding bullets.
A door that could be opened and closed had been added to the window, making it convenient to hand food to survivors.
The braised dishes were prepared in a large iron pot. The braising spices and ingredients needed to be purchased from the store. Jiang Ci had already glanced at the store earlier and noticed many new items, all still reasonably priced and guaranteed to be profitable.
The selling price for braised meat dishes was two third-level crystal cores per pound, while braised vegetable dishes cost two second-level crystal cores per pound.
The second floor had also undergone significant changes, with the number of tables and chairs increasing from four to eight.
The overall area of the hotpot restaurant had expanded considerably. Standing in the middle of the hall, Jiang Ci almost forgot that there had only been two wooden tables and chairs when she first arrived.
The upgrades to the backyard and rooms were being done simultaneously, and they still needed to wait a bit longer. Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan weren’t in a hurry, so they simply ordered food and sat in the hall to eat.
As they ate, Jiang Ci explained the two new services added to the shop.
Song Jinchuan noted the general process and then nodded, “Alright, I understand.”
After the meal, they waited another hour before the backyard was fully upgraded.
Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan walked to what had once been the door to her room. Turning the knob, they were greeted by a simple and clean courtyard.
Their rooms had now merged with the courtyard, and even the storage room for miscellaneous items had been relocated here. The courtyard was spacious, with most of the land cultivated for planting. In the center stood a tall, straight tree.
There were several rooms in the courtyard, and Jiang Ci chose one of them, with Song Jinchuan selecting the room next to hers.
The current rooms all came with their own bathrooms and were nearly twice as large as the previous ones. The window in Jiang Ci’s room offered her a view of the entire courtyard, and when the wind blew, the drooping branches would sway into the window. Jiang Ci absolutely adored this little design detail.
Jiang Ci also moved Hui Hui into her room. Since one tortoise and three eggs still had some weight to them, Song Jinchuan helped her carry Hui Hui and her family inside.
Hui Hui adapted to her new home quickly. After walking around the nest once, she calmly settled back into it.
“Look!” Jiang Ci exclaimed in surprise, grabbing Song Jinchuan’s sleeve as she glanced over.
Song Jinchuan followed her gaze and saw that one of the three eggs in Hui Hui’s nest had cracked open slightly.
“Is it about to hatch? What should we prepare?” Jiang Ci asked nervously.
Song Jinchuan was also facing this situation for the first time. Having spent most of his time in the military, he had never even kept a pet, let alone assisted in the birth of one. From his limited knowledge about childbirth, he managed to squeeze out a suggestion, “Should we boil some hot water first?”
“Boil hot water?!” Jiang Ci looked at him in horror. “This is our own pet, we’re not going to eat it!”
Song Jinchuan chuckled at her expression. “That’s not what I meant.”
[Host, don’t worry, and don’t interfere with the hatching process. Leave it entirely to the mutated beast,] the system’s voice chimed in at the right moment, and Jiang Ci finally felt relieved.
Since it was still early, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan decided to prepare a pot of braised dishes in the kitchen, letting them soak overnight so they could be sold directly the next day.
She opened the system mall and exchanged for the necessary ingredients, choosing the types of braised dishes they usually ate the most.
Song Jinchuan connected a pipe to the large iron barrel, filled it with water to the approximate level, and turned on the switch. Soon, the barrel began to heat up on its own.
Once the water boiled, Jiang Ci added the pre-prepared braising spice packet into the pot. The clear water instantly turned murky, and a rich aroma soon filled the air.
Even Jiang Ci, who was used to eating all kinds of delicious food every day, was nearly drooling from the enticing smell.
now i’m craving milk tea QAQ i actually haven’t had milk tea in so long — i used to buy it religiously from chi cha san chen THEY HAD A TARO BALL SERIES it was so good it was like oolong tea with taro balls BUT THEN THEY DISCONTINUED IT ARGHGJF i litcherally fell to my knees when i found it was limited time only like OMG BRING IT BACK PLS
