this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
It didn’t take long before all the plants were harvested in the afternoon. Jiang Ci, as promised, let the employees go home early.
The remaining work wasn’t much, and Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan could handle it themselves. After sorting all the vegetables, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan packed them into bags, one pound per bag, totaling one hundred bags.
Each bag contained different kinds of vegetables, with not every bag necessarily having the exact same types, but each bag was bursting at the seams and accurately weighed.
The two sat in the courtyard, chatting while packing the vegetables. By working together, they quickly completed the task.
Even after packing one hundred bags of vegetables, there was still plenty leftover. Jiang Ci stored all the remaining vegetables in a space that could keep items fresh.
The most abundant harvest was potatoes, yielding nearly a thousand pounds. Each plant was full of potatoes, and everyone had been amazed when they dug them out. Even before the apocalypse, they had never seen such a bountiful harvest.
The barbecue shop had already completed its task of serving one hundred survivors yesterday, and since they had been busy all day today, Jiang Ci still hadn’t had the chance to check on the store’s status yet.
After completing this task, the shop would undergo another upgrade. The barbecue shop’s hall instantly expanded to eight tables and chairs, doubling the space it had compared to before.
As a reward for this task, the barbecue store’s newest addition to the menu was grilled lamb chops and white button mushrooms, both of which Jiang Ci liked very much.
She exchanged the ingredients from the mall, put them in the fridge, and then went next door with Song Jinchuan.
Just as they stepped out of the barbecue shop, Jiang Ci saw the crowd outside the store, with some people even setting up tents right at the entrance.
If it weren’t for the sign, one might even think this was some sort of camping site.
“What are you all doing here? Why are you setting up tents outside my store?” Jiang Ci asked, bewildered.
“It’s just for tonight, we’ll leave tomorrow, absolutely won’t affect your business at all,” the survivor assured her confidently.
“Please be flexible, Boss. You only have a limited amount of spots available for purchasing vegetables, and if we don’t find a way, we won’t be able to get one.”
Jiang Ci couldn’t tell whether she should laugh or cry as she saw the survivor pleading earnestly with her, clutching the tent as if afraid of being driven away.
“Alright, but you have to leave tomorrow. You can’t set up tents outside in the designated area anymore,” Jiang Ci said helplessly.
“Got it, Boss. Don’t worry, we’ll clean up all our trash tomorrow and make sure it’s spotless,” the survivor chuckled, then continued securing his tent.
After speaking with them, Jiang Ci continued walking toward the hotpot restaurant.
She looked up and noticed a significant change outside the hotpot restaurant. The originally two-story building had now become three stories tall.
The simple modern style had also become more luxurious. The exterior walls were newly tiled with pristine white tiles adorned with artistic patterns, making it look quite visually appealing.
Jiang Ci remembered she still had some flower seeds in her seed pack leftover which she could use to plant around the store.
Seeing the changes before her eyes, Jiang Ci’s curiosity was almost overflowing. She quickened her pace, eager to see what the third floor was like.
As soon as she stepped into the hotpot restaurant, Jiang Ci saw Yuan Yuan coming down from upstairs, apparently having just finished cleaning the area.
The first floor had been expanded once again. The individual hotpot seats were now separated by partitions, creating small private spaces—practically heaven for introverts.
With the increased space, a small two-level staircase had been added, leading to a platform with two more tables. The staggered arrangement looked quite nice.
The wooden stairs had been replaced with concrete ones, covered with beautiful anti-slip tiles.
Both the first and second floors had completely transformed, now bathed in a warm yellow tone.
On the second floor, a new staircase that hadn’t been there before now led to the third floor.
The third floor was slightly smaller than the second, with independent private rooms on both sides, each seating up to three to five people.
Jiang Ci opened one of the private rooms to take a look. Each room had windows and was soundproof, making it perfect for small gatherings with friends and family, or couples who didn’t want to be disturbed.
The hotpot restaurant had also unlocked hand-made beef balls, which were exceptionally chewy and springy. Jiang Ci bought a large pack from the store using her points—a full twenty pounds—and the price was still quite reasonable.
When Jiang Ci spun the lucky wheel, she won the hotpot restaurant’s hand-pulled noodles.
She realized she hadn’t been unlucky at all lately. When she first arrived at the hotpot restaurant, she always landed on the more common green slots. However, her draws mostly hovered between blue and orange now.
After touring the changes in the hotpot restaurant, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan returned to the courtyard through the back door.
Before leaving, Jiang Ci glanced out the window at the camping survivors outside. They were very self-aware and quiet, clearly afraid of any noise being overheard and subsequently getting them driven away.
Although the survivors outside had all set up tents, it was bound to be a restless night for them as they all eagerly anticipated the vegetable sale early the next morning.
*
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:
When Jiang Ci woke up, the sky outside was still dim with light. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was just past five in the morning. Still, she felt quite refreshed.
She had noticed that her health had significantly improved ever since she started drinking water from that well.
As Jiang Ci finished her morning routine and stepped out of her room, she saw Song Jinchuan already up and exercising in the yard.
Since she was already awake, Jiang Ci decided to open the shop early to sell the vegetables, avoiding the congestion that would come later with survivors arriving for hotpot and barbecue.
Stepping outside, Jiang Ci was startled by the dense crowd of survivors, having grown even larger than that of those who had camped outside the previous night.
Seeing Jiang Ci appear, the crowd excitedly gathered around, “Boss Jiang, can we start buying the vegetables now?”
Seeing that the crowd was large enough, Jiang Ci nodded. Song Jinchuan was already setting up tables and chairs and organizing the survivors into a line.
The survivors quickly lined up, anxious to secure their spot with all of them wanting to be at the front of the line, which inevitably led to some crowding. The noise grew louder, with even some arguments breaking out.
“Everyone, please don’t push, or I’ll have to cancel the sale,” Jiang Ci warned sternly, her face cold.
Her words had an immediate effect as the crowd calmed down and began to form an orderly line.
Song Jinchuan handed out the one hundred numbered tickets he had prepared the day before. As he distributed them, the survivors watched with a mix of tension and anticipation.
As the tickets were handed out one by one, the number in Song Jinchuan’s hand dwindled, and the eyes of those still in line grew wider with anxiety.
Soon, all one hundred tickets were distributed. Those who received them cheered with joy, while those who didn’t sighed in disappointment, lamenting their bad luck.
Hearing the collective sighs, Jiang Ci, who was organizing the vegetables, addressed those without tickets, “Don’t worry, everyone. Tomorrow, we’ll have 500 spots available.”
Her words instantly lifted the spirits of the survivors. With 500 spots—400 more than today—they felt confident they could secure a place.
Those who didn’t get tickets didn’t leave but stayed to watch, curious about the vegetables Jiang Ci was selling.
“One bag of vegetables costs one third-level crystal core. Please have your crystal cores ready. Once you’ve prepared them, we’ll start selling the vegetables,” Jiang Ci announced.
She then picked up a bag of vegetables from beside her and placed it on the table in front of her.
The vegetables in the bag were lush and green, with a potato included. Although advertised as one pound, each bag clearly weighed more.
The vegetables, still moist with dew, looked particularly enticing.
The survivors without tickets watched on with even greater envy.
“What’s going on here? Why is everyone lining up?” asked a puzzled survivor who had only just arrived.
“You haven’t heard? Boss Jiang is selling vegetables. Only 100 bags today. I got here at four in the morning, but still didn’t get a ticket.”
“Only four? Some people camped here since yesterday, so of course they got here earlier than us.”
The survivor, who had just returned from a mission, was unaware of the news and now looked crestfallen, as if he had missed out on a fortune.
“Don’t worry, there are still 500 spots available tomorrow, so I’ll be staying here tonight as well.”
“The boss has already said that you can’t stay outside the store. If everyone does this, how will they run their business?”
Upon hearing this, the survivor sighed again, “Forget it, even if I have to stay up all night tomorrow, I must grab a pound no matter what.”
“Boss Jiang, can vegetables be sold in bulk? I’m willing to pay double the price.” It was the leader of the Red Rabbit Base’s turn, so he directly asked the question he was most concerned about.
Jiang Ci shook her head, “Sorry, but we can’t sell in bulk for now.”
Jiang Ci didn’t completely reject that option, as she wasn’t sure if the system might suddenly unlock some kind of planting base later.
The leader of the Red Rabbit Base found this answer within expectations but couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.
When half of the 100 vegetable packs were sold, the employees also arrived one after another, and started to help Jiang Ci organize and sell them.
In no time, all 100 portions were sold out. Jiang Ci and the employees also tidied up the tables and chairs, commencing the start of today’s business.
The survivors who bought the vegetable packs hurried home, while the remaining survivors angrily comforted themselves by thinking that since they couldn’t grab any, having a hotpot or barbecue meal would still be good.
Today, Aunt Mo Yun didn’t come alone but was accompanied by a younger female survivor.
That female survivor specifically came over to talk with Jiang Ci, and Jiang Ci then learned that she was Mo Sisi, whom Aunt Mo Yun had always mentioned.
“Thank you, Boss Jiang, for taking care of my mother.” Mo Sisi said again, which was already the tenth time she had said thank you.
Jiang Ci waved her hand, “Really, there’s no need to be so polite. Aunt Mo Yun has also helped me a lot.”
“Yesterday, I heard from my mom that you’ve been collecting some gold recently. I’m not sure if you’ll like this.” Mo Sisi said as she took out a somewhat dull-looking wooden box from her bag. When she opened it, she found that the inside hid a complete set of gold jewelry.
Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and so on, all designed in an intricate and antique style.
Jiang Ci fell in love with it at first sight, knowing at a glance from the craftsmanship and weight of the items that they were quite valuable.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
