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as translator, proofreader and editor!
Jiang Ci’s parents adapted quite well, smiling and nodding. “Alright, we’ll go explore another day. This place is much more convenient than our small town. We can even grow some vegetables in the small yard downstairs. When you come back, you can eat the vegetables we grow.”
“Sure, if you want to grow something, go ahead. If not, planting some flowers would be nice too,” Jiang Ci replied.
Back in the small yard downstairs, Jiang Ci showed her parents to their room. She had given them the largest room, which had its own bathroom, making everything very convenient.
The next day, she took her parents around to familiarize them with the area. To her surprise, they adapted even better than she had expected. Within a few days, they had already become acquainted with the people at the nearby market and the shopkeepers in their vicinity.
Jiang Ci couldn’t help but admire their social skills.
A week later, the staff at the hotpot restaurant finally completed their training and were ready to start working. Jiang Ci chose the closest auspicious day for the grand opening.
Capitalizing on the current trend, she released several promotional videos on the most popular short video platform before the opening. She also spent money to invite a few influencers to come and try the food.
With these preparations in place, the hotpot restaurant’s popularity reached a level Jiang Ci had never imagined. At this point, those who had been taking photos and checking in at the entrance finally realized that this was a hotpot restaurant.
Seeing the exquisite decor and the influencers enjoying the delicious food in the videos, netizens instantly decided to visit and check in when the restaurant opened.
At the peak of its popularity, the hotpot restaurant officially opened. Since setting off firecrackers was no longer allowed, Jiang Ci hired a waist drum team and a lion dance team to create a lively atmosphere.
Zhou Keke, though young, was a seasoned foodie who had tasted countless delicacies. Recently, she had noticed that the quality of hotpot in the market seemed to be declining due to the sheer number of establishments. Most of them tasted the same, and she hadn’t had a truly satisfying meal in a long time.
That day, she came across a newly opened hotpot restaurant. The decor was a grand Chinese style, which appealed to her taste, so she immediately decided to check it out.
Getting off the subway, she could see the restaurant named, A Hotpot Restaurant. There were quite a few people at the entrance, and it seemed like there was even a queue to get in.
She went over to get a number tag, which read 82, indicating there were still eighty-one tables ahead of her.
She hadn’t expected the business to be so booming. Smelling the hotpot aroma wafting from inside, she licked her lips, feeling a tinge of anticipation.
After waiting for nearly three hours, it was finally Zhou Keke’s turn. As she entered, a smiling staff member handed her a discount coupon, “For the first seven days of opening, we’re giving out unlimited discount coupons. With this coupon, you can get 20% off. Enjoy your meal!”
Zhou Keke took the coupon and was led by the staff to her table.
On the table was an electronic screen embedded in the surface for ordering. Zhou Keke opened the menu and browsed through it, selecting some dishes she liked.
When the hotpot base arrived, Zhou Keke was hit by the strong aroma of beef fat, and the spicy scent rushed straight to her nose. She felt her mouth watering instantly.
Her eyes lit up. It had been a long time since she had smelled such an overpowering aroma.
The hotpot bases at Jiang Ci’s hotpot restaurant were all exchanged from the system, ensuring that the recipe couldn’t be stolen and its flavor was guaranteed.
She could tell that all the ingredients were fresh, and combined with the hotpot base, the taste exceeded her expectations.
In recent years, trendy restaurants had been popping up everywhere, but they were all style over substance, which had left her disappointed. She hadn’t expected to find such a pleasant surprise here.
After one meal, Zhou Keke decided to add this restaurant to her “delicious and frequent” list.
She was also a blogger with millions of followers online, known for her honesty and sharp tongue. Those restaurants that were hyped up by influencers would be torn apart in her reviews. It was the first time her followers had seen her praise a restaurant without reservation, and they too became curious about this hotpot place.
Father and Mother Jiang watched the bustling business in the restaurant and couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. They hadn’t expected the business to be so good.
The newly hired manager, surnamed Huang, was a decisive woman. After the opening, she organized a series of activities that received great feedback from the general public.
As the hotpot restaurant gradually stabilised its business, and as Jiang Ci’s parents started to settle into their new life, planting vegetables in the yard, Jiang Ci finally prepared to return to the apocalypse.
Originally, she had planned to only take a month off, but things hadn’t been resolved in time, inevitably dragging her vacation to two months.
“I need to go to my boss’s place for a few days. Dad, you and Mom can use my car when you go out. Be careful,” Jiang Ci instructed before leaving. She then went to another small house she had bought, and in a flash, she returned to the apocalypse.
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:
As soon as she arrived, she was hit by a bone-chilling cold. Although it was also winter in the real world, it hadn’t been cold to this extent. She had worn fewer clothes and almost froze to death upon her return.
Jiang Ci quickly put on a few more layers of clothing before opening the door to her room.
As soon as she opened the door, she was startled. There seemed to be a massive snowman right at her doorstep.
The sound of the door opening made the so-called, “snowman,” move, and clumps of snow soon fell off its body. Jiang Ci then realized that this wasn’t a snowman at all, but a person.
Jiang Ci almost screamed, but when she saw Song Jinchuan’s well-defined face underneath the snow, her heart finally settled.
“Why are you here?” Jiang Ci quickly pulled him inside, brushing the snow off his clothes. Seeing his nose and the tips of his ears red from the cold, she hurriedly poured him a cup of hot water to warm his hands. “Why didn’t you come in? What were you doing sitting at the door?”
Song Jinchuan, perhaps dazed from the cold or something else, didn’t respond to Jiang Ci’s barrage of questions. Instead, his dark eyes continued to stare intently at her, filled with an emotion so deep it seemed almost tangible.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Seeing Song Jinchuan just looking at her without speaking, Jiang Ci grew worried and stepped forward to take his hand. Instead, he unexpectedly pulled her straight into his arms, hugging her gently.
In a place where Jiang Ci couldn’t see, Song Jinchuan’s eyes finally showed a hint of relief and the joy of having her back.
Jiang Ci was supposed to return a month ago. He had waited for her with great anticipation, but from morning till night, she didn’t appear.
Song Jinchuan thought she might have been delayed by a day or two, but as the days turned into weeks, she still hadn’t come back.
By the time half a month had passed, the anxiety in his heart was almost unbearable.
That day, he had gone out and overheard a few survivors talking, “Boss Jiang hasn’t been around for a while. Where has she gone this time?”
Those words felt like a sharp knife slowly piercing his chest. Indeed, Jiang Ci hadn’t returned for so long. Was it possible she wasn’t coming back anymore? After all, for her, that other place might truly be her home.
After that incident, he would sit by Jiang Ci’s door every day, lost in thought, sitting there from dawn till dusk.
Thanks to his special abilities, he didn’t feel the cold nor catch a cold, yet his heart grew emptier with each passing day.
It was only just now, when Jiang Ci suddenly appeared. Upon hearing the noise from inside the room, he almost thought he had been hallucinating. But then the door opened, revealing Jiang Ci’s clear and beautiful face.
Now, finally being able to hold her in his arms, Song Jinchuan felt as if he had come back to life.
Jiang Ci was still a bit confused, but recalling the image of Song Jinchuan sitting outside her room like a stray dog that had been abandoned, she could roughly guess what he had been afraid of. Feeling the slight tremor in his hands, her heart softened. She hugged him back and gently patted his back, “I’m sorry. I was supposed to come back a month ago, but I got held up by some things and was delayed for another month.”
“It’s okay. You’re back now, and that’s all that matters,” Song Jinchuan’s voice was slightly hoarse. Feeling her in his arms, his heart slowly began to beat again.
With the air conditioner on, the room gradually warmed up. Song Jinchuan, belatedly realizing he was still holding Jiang Ci, awkwardly let go of her, his ears turning a deep red. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, I should have informed you earlier. But don’t worry, as long as my shop and the base are here, I will definitely come back,” Jiang Ci said, and she briefly explained to Song Jinchuan what she had been doing.
Ever since Jiang Ci discovered that they could follow her to her world, she had been planning to tell him about it and take him there someday.
When this thought crossed her mind, Jiang Ci herself was momentarily stunned. Over the past year and a half—almost two years—she had truly come to regard Song Jinchuan as one of her own, with the feelings between them seemingly even closer than that.
She wasn’t some naive, inexperienced girl fresh out of society. Naturally, she understood what this change in her meant. When it came to matters of the heart, she had always been rather laid-back. If there was no one she liked, she could live her life alone. But if there was someone she liked, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.
With this in mind, her gaze toward Song Jinchuan softened.
“Next time, I’ll take you to my hometown. I’ve opened a hotpot restaurant there too,” Jiang Ci said after some consideration.
Song Jinchuan’s eyes lit up instantly, “Really? I can go with you?”
“Of course,” Jiang Ci replied nonchalantly. “I’ll show you around properly then.”
Song Jinchuan nodded, a gentle smile on his face. His heart was now completely filled with Jiang Ci. He had initially wanted to ask about the hug before she left, but now it didn’t seem necessary anymore.
Two months had passed, and the cold weather had reached its peak. Without a hat or mask, one’s face would instantly be chapped by the wind.
Apart from hotpot restaurants and other eateries, the most popular places were the bathhouse and hotel, which were almost always fully booked.
Survivors staying in these warm places were reluctant to venture outside, especially those in the bathhouses. Those with enough crystal cores would book a private room and stay comfortably with their families for a few days. They could order food and have it delivered, living a life akin to that of immortals.
hiiii daily updates will be back! 12pm aest! ◡̈
