Chapter 308: Taste Test

Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Taste Test

After a tour of the area, the girl marveled, "Wow, Boss Hart, you have everything here." ’Will I even be able to make any money...?’

Lily Hart replied casually, "But there’s no hot pot restaurant."

’Heaven knows how often I eat hot pot. This way, I won’t have to make it in the RV anymore. I can just come to the shop. It’ll be so convenient.’

The girl felt reassured. Pointing to the empty lot behind the bathhouse, she said, "Let’s put it here, Boss Hart."

"Okay." Lily Hart spun around on the spot. The night market was off to her front-left and the factory to her front-right. It seemed this really was the only choice, unless they were to expand sideways.

Still holding the Lucky Cat, she casually slipped something into its mouth. She aimed the cat’s mouth toward the plot of land, raised her eyebrows at the girl, and grinned. "Watch closely now!"

The girl’s big, dark eyes were fixed on the spot, unblinking, as she waited for the miracle to happen.

A beam of white light shot out from the Lucky Cat’s mouth. It formed a perfect parabola before landing smoothly on the ground. The girl stared intently, afraid to miss a single second.

After the white light vanished, a two-story building appeared before them. Its exterior was silver-gray, giving it a sophisticated but cold feel—not at all the kind of warmth you’d expect from a hot pot place.

The overall style was very much like a "Haidilao" from the Civilized Era.

The two walked inside side by side. The first thing they saw was a series of semi-open booths, separated by partitions about a meter high. The partitions enclosed the tables and chairs, creating small, private spaces.

Lily Hart quite liked it. ’It offers a sense of privacy without being completely enclosed.’

The side facing the aisle was left open, allowing for easy access.

The inside also resembled a Haidilao—clean and tidy, with a well-stocked condiment bar. It had cilantro, scallions, chopped celery, minced garlic, diced beef, millet chilis, and more...

There were also several kinds of fruit, like dragon fruit, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

There was even tremella soup, congee, bingfen, braised rice with beef cubes, and other items...

The sight made Lily Hart’s mouth water. It reminded her of the happy days when she would often go eat at Haidilao by herself.

The more the girl saw, the more overwhelmed she became. "B-Boss Hart," she stammered, "are you saying this entire restaurant is... mine?" ’This is too amazing! It’s an absolute windfall!’

Lily Hart affirmed, "Of course it is. Oh, right, I haven’t asked for your name yet."

The girl lowered her head and said, a little uncertainly, "My name is Cynthia Whittaker."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lily Hart perked up. She grinned and said loudly, "Hey, lift your head up! That’s a beautiful name! Be more confident—you’re a boss now!"

Cynthia Whittaker looked up at her, her eyes filled with admiration. "Really?"

"Of course!" Lily Hart nodded emphatically. "Believe in yourself. You’re the best! I’m sure you can run this restaurant well!"

Cynthia Whittaker nodded, her face breaking into a wide smile. She looked around but noticed there was no kitchen. ’Where does the food come from?’ she wondered. ’Surely I don’t have to source and prepare everything myself?’

’I’m not that capable...’

So she asked, "Boss Hart, where’s the kitchen? And where are the ingredients?"

Based on Lily Hart’s understanding of the system, there wouldn’t be a kitchen. That would be hard mode.

She pulled Cynthia Whittaker over to a nearby table and they both sat down. There were QR codes on the top-left and bottom-right corners of the table. Lily Hart tried tapping one of the QR codes with her Light Brain.

A screen immediately appeared in front of them. It was the menu.

It was exquisitely designed, with dish names and pictures.

First was the soup base. You could choose a single pot, a split pot, or a four-quadrant pot.

There were a full ten different types of hot pot bases to choose from.

Lily Hart and Cynthia Whittaker sat side-by-side. The more Cynthia looked, the more amazed she became. "Wow, there are so many choices..." she murmured in awe.

Lily Hart chose the "True Fragrance" soup base. After confirming the base, the menu showed categories for meat, vegetables, staples, meatballs, mushrooms, and soy products. The variety was immense.

She picked a few of her favorite dishes, then turned to Cynthia Whittaker, who was still scrolling back and forth through the menu in disbelief. "Just order whatever you want. You’re the boss, so you don’t have to pay to eat here."

"Really?" Cynthia Whittaker felt another wave of shock wash over her. ’This place is just too wonderful, boo hoo...’

She looked down at the menu again, her eyes glistening with tears born of pure shock and emotion. After a moment, she said, "Everything looks so delicious... You can just order, Boss Hart."

She paused, then declared with a burst of bravado, "I can treat you! Boss Hart!"

Lily Hart chuckled and readily agreed. "In that case, I won’t hold back." She ordered a few more dishes, enough for two adult women.

After finishing, she pressed the confirm button. They both waited in anticipation, curious to see if the food would be delivered by a robot or if they would have to pick it up from a designated window.

A moment later, a pot appeared in the recessed center of the table. Inside was the soup base they had chosen, a festive-looking red broth.

Then, the dishes they ordered began to appear on the table out of thin air. For example, the baby napa cabbage was served in a small white bucket, arranged with the leaves fanning out from the base like a flower.

The fatty beef rolls, for instance, were arranged neatly on a long, rectangular white plate, looking both beautiful and fun. The tableware was predominantly white.

The fish roe fortune bags were also served on a long plate, looking like little plump babies sitting in a row.

Once all the food had arrived, a plate, a bowl, and a pair of chopsticks appeared in front of each of them. If they needed more, they could get them from underneath the condiment bars.

Cynthia Whittaker felt happy just looking at the spread. She was almost hesitant to pick up her chopsticks. ’Everything is so cute and pretty,’ she thought. ’How could I possibly eat it—’

The next moment, she saw Lily Hart already dipping fatty beef rolls into the pot. A few seconds later, Lily fished a piece out and placed it in her bowl. "Quick, quick, eat it while it’s hot."

This snapped Cynthia Whittaker out of her reverie. All other thoughts vanished, her mind filled only with ’eat, eat, eat’ and ’delicious, delicious, delicious.’ She picked up her chopsticks and grabbed the clump of beef.

She popped the entire roll into her mouth. It was incredibly fragrant, with a faint, milky aroma. It didn’t need any dipping sauce at all; the spiciness of the broth and the flavor of the meat were perfect on their own.

The two of them made short work of the plate of fatty beef rolls. Only then did Lily Hart ask, "Want to go mix some dipping sauce, or get a bowl of tremella soup?"

"Okay, okay!"

With her stomach satisfied, Cynthia Whittaker felt less reserved and loosened up a bit. She skipped happily to the nearest condiment bar.

There was more than one condiment bar; there were at least six or seven on the first floor, and the same on the second.

Lily Hart also got up to mix her sauce. ’This is so much more convenient than eating hot pot at home,’ she thought. ’The selection of condiments is amazing.’ She mixed a sesame-based sauce for herself and ladled out a bowl of hot tremella soup.

She snacked on some fruit from the bar while waiting for Cynthia Whittaker, who was struggling to decide which sauce to make.

In front of the condiment bar was a large sign with illustrated recipes for several common dipping sauces, like a sesame paste dip, an oil-based dip, a dry dip, and so on...

Cynthia Whittaker was agonizing over which one to choose when she spotted the sauce Lily Hart was holding. In a sweet, pleading tone, she asked, "Boss Hart, could you maybe make one for me, too? The same as yours."

"Sure thing." Lily Hart readily agreed, grabbing a bowl from underneath the counter and starting to mix.

She had it mixed in a flash and handed it to her. "Here you go. Let’s head back."

Like a little fangirl, Cynthia Whittaker cradled the bowl of sauce and obediently followed her back to their table. The two of them then dug in, eating with great cheer.