Chapter 275: Tanghulu

Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Tanghulu

Then, one by one, candied fruit skewers appeared on the tightly packed straw, as if flowers had suddenly bloomed.

There were all kinds of varieties: traditional hawthorn, modern strawberry, green grape, yam bean, sugar orange, blueberry...

The surrounding customers couldn’t help but gasp. "Wow~ So pretty~"

The fruit was coated in a layer of rock sugar, blinging under the sun. It was so beautiful it made your mouth water.

She handed the stick back to the customer. "Here, hold it tight. Don’t drop it."

The customer got the hint, grabbing several skewers for Lily Hart—the biggest and best-looking ones.

He stuffed them into Lily Hart’s hands. "Boss Hart, take these and eat. If you want more, just say the word."

Lily Hart gave a simple smile, nodded, and reminded him, "If you want to start selling now, stay in this area. Don’t wander off too far."

That way, she could keep an eye on him and make sure no one gave him trouble.

"Okay, thank you, Boss Hart~" the customer agreed, positioning himself right next to the table.

He tried one of every kind of skewer and found he couldn’t stop. They weren’t cloying at all—just crisp and sweet.

The fruit inside still retained its original flavor, and the rock sugar coating gave it an even richer texture.

The mouths of the onlookers watered as they waited for him to finish eating and start selling. They hadn’t expected him to take so long.

Lily Hart returned to the RV and started eating too. She gave one skewer to Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs, keeping her favorite green grape, strawberry, and hawthorn ones for herself.

Just as she was about to eat, she couldn’t help but think of how Roman Rowe would always pop up out of nowhere whenever she had food.

She even deliberately peeked outside. ’He should still be at the convenience store.’ She relaxed and started to eat.

But just as she was about to take a bite, Roman Rowe’s mournful voice suddenly came from behind her. "Boss Hart, what are you eating? What’s that in your hand? It looks so good~"

’Oh, crap. I forgot Roman Rowe was making soup in the kitchen.’

She had no choice but to hand him the hawthorn one. "Here. I get two, you get one."

Roman Rowe wanted to laugh at her reluctant expression. He ate one piece of fruit and gave the rest of the skewer back to her, unconsciously adding a reminder, "Don’t eat too much sugar this late at night."

Lily Hart couldn’t be bothered with him and ate all three of her skewers. She ate slowly, and by the time she finished, the man outside had started selling his candied skewers.

It had been a long, long time since anyone had eaten candied fruit skewers. In the apocalypse, sweets like these were an extremely scarce resource.

He was selling them for one Crystal Core a skewer, which wasn’t expensive. After all, each one had seven pieces of fruit, plus the sugar.

Watching this, Lily Hart took out ten Crystal Cores to buy ten more skewers. The customer initially wanted to give them to her for free, but she insisted on paying.

It wasn’t just one or two skewers, so there was no reason to give them away for free. Business wasn’t easy for anyone, so he had no choice but to accept the payment.

He gave her fifteen skewers.

So, with seven skewers in her left hand and eight in her right, Lily Hart slowly stepped out of the RV.

She nibbled on one as she walked toward the convenience store. It was bustling inside, with a crowd that rivaled the lottery shop’s. Frost Shaw was leaning against the counter, taking a break.

When he saw Lily Hart arrive, he quickly came out, smiling at her instinctively. Then his eyes lit up at the sight of the skewers in her hand. "Candied fruit skewers?"

Lily Hart smiled at him, handed over a hawthorn skewer, and followed him into the convenience store. She passed one to Easton, Frederick Shaw, and the others as well.

Everyone got one, so no one was left out.

Frost Shaw had just taken a bite and looked up to say something to Lily Hart, only to see her gracefully departing.

Lily Hart didn’t stay long at the convenience store. She turned and went to the factory to find Seth. He was also working hard, standing behind a window selling fast food.

The line was very long, but luckily the open space in front of the factory was large. She skillfully slipped into the factory and stuffed a candied fruit skewer toward him.

Seth was busy handing a meal box to someone. He turned to see Lily Hart come in, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone again.

She came and went in a flash, leaving only a candied fruit skewer stuck on the table. A warmth spread through Seth’s heart, and he was suddenly overcome with a craving for something sweet. Ignoring the customers outside, he picked it up and stuffed a piece into his mouth.

’So sweet, and so good.’

Lily Hart moved on, heading to the bathhouse. Owen Warren was sitting in his usual spot, looking energetic, the very picture of a model employee.

Owen Warren knew the moment she entered but pretended not to see her, even as his peripheral vision scanned her a thousand times. Only when she was right in front of him did he lift his eyes to look at her properly.

"Yo, you’re here?" Owen Warren said flirtatiously, his gaze fixed on the skewers in her hand. ’Is she here to... bring me some warmth?’ His eyes moved up, locking onto the smile on her face.

’Very sweet.’

"Here, for you to look at," Lily Hart said generously, holding out a skewer. Not for him to eat, but for him to look at; she didn’t know if zombies could eat sweets.

’But this candied strawberry one is so pretty. Just having it here to look at would brighten anyone’s mood.’

"..." Owen Warren accepted it with a sense of resignation. As if asking her, and as if asking himself, he said, "Can I not eat it?"

"Go ahead and eat it. It probably won’t kill you." Lily Hart leaned against the counter, propping her elbows on it. Her arms were getting tired from holding the skewers, so she thrust the whole bunch at Owen Warren.

"Hold these for me for a bit," she said with brazen confidence. Owen Warren had no choice but to take them. Seeing her shake out her arms, he couldn’t help but smile. ’She gets tired so easily.’

Lily Hart decided not to take them back, letting him hold them while she pulled one out for herself and started eating. She jutted her chin at him. "You eat too." ’Let’s see if you die.’

Seeing her like this, Owen Warren felt a strange urge to take a bite of her, but he held back. He just pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and feigned obedience.

He took the skewer she had originally given him and tried a bite. It was sweet, but not as sweet as her smile. The fruity aroma was rich; it made for a pretty good snack.

He played along and nodded. "It’s good." After a pause, he added, "It looks like I won’t die."

Lily Hart snatched the bundle of skewers from his hand, shot him a glare, and turned to leave. "Hmph~"

A smile appeared on Owen Warren’s face as he watched her walk out the main door. Only then did he finish the rest of the skewer, leaving the stick on the counter instead of throwing it away.

Lily Hart went to the hotel next, planning to give one to Leo Colby. He was already so bored he’d started reading a book. When he saw her arrive, he dutifully put it down.

He accepted the candied fruit skewer she offered. "Another scratch-off prize?" Leo Colby asked with a smile.

"Yep. Every single one of them is incredibly lucky," Lily Hart said. The two chatted for a while longer before she left, heading toward the small vegetable patch out back.

As expected, Stan Sterling was there. He’d been thinking that it was almost time for dinner and had come to check on the plants. Seeing Lily Hart approach, he immediately stood up and subconsciously straightened the apron he was wearing.

It was an apron Lily Hart had brought him from the kitchen, worried he would get his clothes dirty.

The apron strings were tied behind him, making his waist look even slimmer and his shoulders broader. A streetlamp wasn’t far behind him, casting its light his way.

With a small pair of shears and a little trowel in his hands, he gave off the strange impression of an angelic gardener.

Lily Hart was stunned for a moment before she remembered why she’d come. "Come on, come on, stop working," she called out.

The moment Stan Sterling heard her, he immediately put down his tools and walked over in a few quick steps. When he saw her hand him a candied fruit skewer covered entirely in strawberries, his heart filled with sweetness.