this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
“Don’t worry, I won’t get infected. It’s just protocol to quarantine for a few days,” Jiang Ci gently comforted upon seeing the obvious concern on his face, her heart softening.
As the owner of all these restaurants, she had to set a good example.
Song Jinchuan’s frown didn’t ease at all. While he was staring at Jiang Ci, there was worry and heartache hidden in his eyes. Although he understood her reasoning, he couldn’t suppress his feelings.
After finally persuading him to leave, Jiang Ci finally began her vacation (quarantine).
Since Song Jinchuan had brought her phone and tablet for her, and the ward had been equipped with conventional bathing facilities, Jiang Ci didn’t find the three days difficult at all.
When Lu Dongmei finally said she could leave, Jiang Ci even felt a bit reluctant to go.
Jiang Ci hadn’t enjoyed such leisure in a long time ever since the hotpot restaurant’s business had picked up.
Upon leaving, the first person Jiang Ci saw was Song Jinchuan, who had come every day to the clinic to talk to her through the window and was now the first one waiting for her at the door.
After coming out, what Jiang Ci had on her mind wasn’t the long-awaited freedom, but that acute infectious disease.
During these three days, she hadn’t just been resting but had also been discussing with the system whether to build walls and gates outside the restaurants and set up checkpoints at the entrance to prevent such situations from happening again.
However, she hadn’t heard of any recent outbreaks of disease in any area. Although it seemed to be spreading on a small scale for now, the disease would definitely pose a significant challenge if it were to suddenly break out on a large scale later.
Jiang Ci informed Song Jinchuan about this, and his expression also turned grim, “Eight years ago, there had also been a virus outbreak that claimed many lives.”
Although Song Jinchuan had summarized the entire event in just one sentence, Jiang Ci knew the reality must have been far more brutal than the words conveyed.
Lin Fei couldn’t leave with Jiang Ci since she eventually contracted the virus and started running a fever the next day due to prolonged exposure to the virus.
After returning to her room, Jiang Ci began her plan to build a gate and a wall.
The wall would encompass the entire area, with a gate installed at a suitable location. If expansion or additional gates were needed later, it would cost extra points.
This gate would directly cost Jiang Ci ten million points.
Jiang Ci couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart—ten million points was equivalent to ten million Chinese yuan in her world.
But for the smooth operation of her shops in the future, these points were non-negotiable and had to to be spent.
[The wall will begin construction after all humans have left,] the system informed Jiang Ci after deducting the points. [The host can now choose the style of the gate and plan the scope of the wall.]
Jiang Ci opened the 3D screen, and a realistic image of a restaurant appeared before her.
Below the image were various styles of gates and walls, ranging from the most primitive red brick walls and iron gates to white walls with black gates, and even walls covered in graffiti murals, offering a rich variety of colors and types.
Jiang Ci placed each one on the realistic image for comparison and ultimately chose a beige wall adorned with mountain rock plum blossoms, the red and yellow hues making it look exceptionally beautiful. The gate was a black double iron gate with some intricate carvings in it, appearing both grand and exquisite.
Above the gate was the restaurant’s signboard, A Restaurant City.
Jiang Ci was somewhat surprised by the name of the signboard, which had directly upgraded from a restaurant to a restaurant city, sounding very majestic.
“As more and more shops open, this place will inevitably become a specialized city,” the system remarked.
After discussing with the system, Jiang Ci inadvertently turned her head and saw that Xiao Heihei had climbed onto Xiao Lulu’s back. Xiao Lulu didn’t seem to mind, slowly carrying Xiao Heihei around the room, while Hui Hui watched the two cubs from the side.
Jiang Ci found the scene inexplicably heartwarming.
As they passed by Jiang Ci’s bed, Xiao Heihei seemed to notice her gaze, slid down from Xiao Lulu’s back, and slowly walked to the bedside. Then, with a little effort, lifted its short two front legs and placed them on the edge of the bed.
Jiang Ci was utterly charmed by it, her heart melting as she bent down to scoop it up and place it on her lap.
“I still don’t know what your special ability is. Is it the same as your sister and mother, a wood attribute ability?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Ci noticed a black, metallic stone appearing in her palm. The stone had been crafted into the shape of a flower, and it looked quite beautiful.
Jiang Ci was pleasantly surprised. It seemed that Xiao Heihei’s ability was different from both its mother and sister. She wondered who had taught it to carve stone flowers.
She gently patted its head, saying, “Thank you.”
It was unclear whether Xiao Heihei understood her words, but it affectionately nuzzled her fingers.
*
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 she woke up the next day, the base had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Since Jiang Ci had been in quarantine, the system had postponed the upgrade of the shops until the previous night.
Now, not only was the base surrounded by walls and equipped with a main gate, but each shop had also undergone significant changes.
The hotpot restaurant, as the central point of the city, hadn’t expanded its floors this time but widened both sides of the building to accommodate more people. With its grand Chinese-style colors and decorations, it exuded a majestic aura, truly befitting the city’s flagship restaurant.
The barbecue restaurant next door, though only two stories tall, held its own beside the hotpot restaurant, each with its unique charm.
The breakfast shop had also expanded considerably, and from the outside, passing customers would be able to see the bright lights coming from inside as well as the faint wisps of steam rising from the food.
The convenience store, the medical clinic, and the barbecue stall across the street, being welfare facilities given as rewards, didn’t have room for upgrades, though their current size was sufficient.
Jiang Ci heard a lot of commotion coming from the main gate. As she walked over, she saw a crowd of survivors gathered outside, seemingly puzzled by the sudden appearance of the tall walls that now kept them out.
[Once the host opens the gate for survivors to enter and exit, there’s no need to close it again. The gate will be equipped with specialized detection equipment. Only survivors whose health status is marked as green and healthy will be allowed to enter. If a red danger signal lights up, it means the person is carrying a virus and will need your approval to enter.]
With this feature in place, Jiang Ci no longer had to worry about survivors infected with contagious diseases or the zombie virus accidentally breaking in.
Song Jinchuan helped her open the gate, and the survivors outside immediately started bombarding her with questions upon seeing her.
“Boss Jiang, when was this built? Are we going to be locked out from now on?”
The area outside the walls was no longer part of the restaurant’s safe zone, and zombies and mutated beasts roamed freely there. No one wanted to stay outside there.
Jiang Ci shook her head. “No, it was just completed today, so the gate was closed. From now on, it will remain open.”
Seeing the relieved expressions on their faces, Jiang Ci continued, “Due to the recent outbreak of an infectious disease, we’ve temporarily built these walls and gates. Those carrying the virus won’t be allowed to enter or exit freely. I’ll handle each case at my own discretion.”
“An infectious disease? Has it returned?” The survivors were even more shocked by Jiang Ci’s words than by the new gates and walls. The previous outbreak had been devastating, and those who had lived through it remembered it all too vividly.
Seeing the grim expressions on everyone’s faces, Jiang Ci comforted them, “Now that our clinic has developed a cure to treat the epidemic, there’s no need to panic. If anyone feels unwell, they can come here for help.”
Her words gradually calmed the anxious hearts of the crowd. Indeed, things were different now. They had Boss Jiang and the clinic.
As the doors opened, the survivors filed in one by one, their eyes involuntarily drawn to the lights above. Seeing the green lights light up one after another, their moods began to relax.
Once inside the city, everyone queued up outside their preferred shops as usual.
Slowly, people grew accustomed to the walls and gates installed outside the eateries, even feeling a greater sense of security with these additions.
Turns out Lin Fei’s infection wasn’t severe, and with timely treatment, she was discharged after a week.
Jiang Ci went to pick her up personally. Seeing that Lin Fei’s face had not only not thinned but had even rounded out a bit, she knew that Lin Fei had been doing quite well and hadn’t suffered much from the illness.
Standing behind the glass door, Lu Dongmei briefed Jiang Ci on the general situation. Zheng Wan and his wife’s conditions were now under control, and they would recover completely in a few more days.
“Is the medicinal herb supply sufficient? I can send some over if not,” Jiang Ci asked again.
“I do need some more medicinal herbs,” Lu Dongmei replied, her eyes bore traces of dark circles, indicating she had been working late for several days. However, her eyes sparkled, showing her genuine passion for the job.
Lu Dongmei listed a few medicinal herbs, “We should cultivate more of these recently. They’re specific to treating this epidemic. I’ll make some pills as a precaution.”
After noting them down, Jiang Ci nodded, indicating she would replace the herbs in the medicinal fields with these varieties upon her return.
At the same time, the system task, which had been dormant for several days, finally updated. She was to produce ten thousand pills to suppress the epidemic, with the reward being the construction of a train and train tracks.
Hearing this reward, Jiang Ci was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected the system to be so generous, directly rewarding her with a train!
This meant that in the future, there would be transportation to pick up survivors from farther away, making it much more convenient. From then on, survivors would no longer complain about the distance.
Instantly energized, Jiang Ci pulled Song Jinchuan back to her small courtyard and began the work of harvesting and planting medicinal herbs.
She also specifically informed Lu Dongmei about the quantity of pills she would need, “I’ll give you extra points as a reward for making the medicine.”
However, Lu Dongmei wasn’t very interested in the points. Instead, she placed great importance on the task of making the medicine and assured Jiang Ci that she would definitely complete it.
*
Meanwhile, in another city at the Sunrise Base, Tan Ziyi had just returned to the base after completing a mission, only to find the usually bustling base unusually quiet. The survivors were hurrying about, all wearing masks.
pls vote in the poll! i won’t change hui hui bc i gen have no idea how to translate her — grey grey just sounds too awks
