Chapter 316: Hot Pot Restaurant Grand Opening

Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Hot Pot Restaurant Grand Opening

’It’s the grand opening today, after all. I might as well take my people over and see how things are going.’

At that thought, Lily Hart’s mood improved a little, but then she suddenly remembered she still didn’t know that old man’s name...

’Whatever, I’ll ask when I have time. I nearly died from exhaustion just now.’

Cynthia Whittaker suggested, "Why don’t we all go to the hot pot restaurant for lunch? We’re all so tired from this morning, so let’s skip cooking."

"Good point. Let’s go," Lily Hart said, getting up.

Roman Rowe and the others trailed behind like zombies, their souls practically drained from their bodies.

When they arrived at the hot pot restaurant, curious customers were already peering inside, all marveling.

Boss Hart really had a new surprise every day; a breakfast shop and a hot pot restaurant had just appeared out of thin air.

And Steadfast Base was the first to enjoy them. Just the thought of being among the first customers was enough to make their hearts pound with excitement.

A customer who had been peeking inside saw Lily Hart arrive with her group and immediately straightened up, asking with a straight face, "Boss Hart, what’s this place?"

Lily Hart replied casually, "A hot pot restaurant. Opening right now. Care to come in for a bite?"

In fact, there was a sign on the door with the three words "Hot Pot Restaurant" hanging brightly, but it was a familiar dance—one person had to ask, and the other had to answer.

"Yes! Absolutely!" the customer hurriedly agreed.

"Hold on, hold on." Lily Hart stopped him. She pulled a string of firecrackers out of nowhere, then produced a lighter with her other hand. With a deft movement, she lit the fuse.

She quickly tossed it toward an empty spot. It set off with a series of loud CRACKLE-POPS, filling the air with smoke. Red paper exploded out intermittently, making for an incredibly festive scene.

Cynthia Whittaker hadn’t expected this at all. A wave of warmth washed over her, and she was deeply moved.

Lily Hart, however, looked completely unfazed, as casual as if she’d just tossed away a crumpled piece of paper. She raised her voice and announced, "The hot pot restaurant is officially open for business!"

For some reason, the firecrackers seemed to ignite the crowd, and everyone started cheering and hollering.

Cynthia Whittaker opened the door. It was her first time facing so many people. Mustering her courage, she imitated Boss Hart’s manner.

She announced in a loud voice, "Everyone, please come in and find a seat. There’s a QR code on the table. Just touch it with your Light Brain and the menu will appear."

Hearing this, the customers all surged inside, sitting at tables with people they knew.

The entire restaurant was clean and tidy. The customers whispered among themselves.

"It’s the apocalypse, and there’s a hot pot restaurant? Where do the ingredients even come from?"

"When you’re dealing with Boss Hart, you’re worried about a basic problem like that? You should be more worried about whether your wallet is full enough!"

"I heard the hot pot restaurant and the breakfast shop were both won in a draw here at Steadfast Base. Who on earth was so lucky!"

"Cynthia Whittaker! The Wind Ability User. She’s a major figure, too."

"I knew about the hot pot restaurant—Boss Whittaker won that one. But who got the breakfast shop? I don’t think the owner has made an appearance."

"I’m not sure about the breakfast shop. Someone saw him yesterday. Apparently, it’s an old man?"

"An old man?"

Everyone found their own seats, and soon the first floor was more than half full.

Sure enough, there was a QR code in the corner of each table. Remembering what Boss Whittaker had said, they all tapped it with their Light Brains.

A screen appeared in front of each person—a scrollable menu.

Everyone browsed it first, calculating the cost in points converted from Crystal Cores, and discovered it wasn’t expensive at all.

A full meal for one person only required five or six Crystal Cores. The more people there were, the more cost-effective it actually was.

The menu was simple and easy to use. You just had to add the dishes you wanted to the shopping cart, and then check out all at once.

Less than a minute after confirming the order, the pot base and all the dishes arrived.

Involuntary gasps of amazement rippled through the restaurant. These tables were incredible!

They could make dishes appear on their own? And the pot base! And the bowls and chopsticks! Everything just materialized out of thin air!

Good heavens! If not for Boss Hart, who else could keep them all fed!

On a nearby partition, a chart listed the cooking times for various ingredients, like "Shrimp Paste: three minutes," and so on...

Someone at the next table said, "There’s a sauce station over there, with lots of fruit on it!"

"Where? Where? Is it all-you-can-eat? Do we have to pay?"

"Fifty points per person. It’s not expensive. All you can eat, and there’s fruit and braised rice!"

"Really? For real? Let’s go! What are you standing around for!"

At the sauce station, large white plates held small, cut pieces of cantaloupe, watermelon...

There were also several large tubs containing braised rice with beef, white fungus soup, congee, and other staples.

There was a bit of everything.

"Look! It’s actually watermelon!!"

"How long has it been since we’ve had fruit?!"

"AHHH, I’m going to eat so much fruit!"

Everyone tended to lose control at the sight of fruit. They grabbed several small plates from the rack below and frantically piled them high.

They wouldn’t return to their seats until their hands were too full to carry any more, and even then, they’d come right back for another trip.

They went back and forth several times before they were satisfied. ’We paid for this, so we have to get our money’s worth!’

Some opportunists just kept eating the braised rice and fruit from the sauce station.

They didn’t order a pot base or any other dishes, just gorged themselves on the items from the sauce station.

Roman Rowe noticed this situation and immediately reported it to Lily Hart and Cynthia Whittaker.

Cynthia Whittaker pondered for a moment. "How about we set a minimum charge? Otherwise, people can just come in, pay 50 points for the sauce bar, and eat their fill."

"Sure, you can decide," Lily Hart said supportively.

"Then a minimum of three hundred points per table?" Cynthia Whittaker mused.

"Sure. That’s a reasonable amount," Lily Hart nodded. She generally preferred a hands-off approach to these smaller matters.

Cynthia Whittaker immediately adjusted the settings on her Light Brain. The menu screen instantly popped up in front of those who hadn’t ordered a pot base.

It was prompting them to continue their order.

They chose to ignore it, not ordering a thing, and took the opportunity to stuff a few more pieces of fruit into their mouths.

The screen kept flashing, reminding them to order, but it was consistently ignored.

One of them even muttered under their breath, "I’m not ordering anything. I’ll just eat the fruit. What are you gonna do about it? Kick me out if you have the guts!"

A countdown appeared on the screen: 3, 2, 1...

"AHHH—" The whole table of people was flung out of the restaurant.

They flew over the heads of several other tables as everyone’s eyes followed their trajectory.

Someone asked cautiously, "What did they do?"

"They must have provoked Boss Hart. She’s usually so easygoing, she wouldn’t do something like this otherwise."

"I think there’s a minimum charge, but they didn’t order a pot base or any dishes, just ate fruit from the sauce station."

"How could that be okay? Did they think they could get full just by eating fruit?"

"That’s just straight-up freeloading, isn’t it? The sauce station is already a bargain!"

Everyone felt that Boss Hart opened these shops purely to benefit the survivors. The prices were so low, the variety of dishes so rich, and you could even eat all the fruit you wanted.

What more could you possibly ask for? Some people are never satisfied!

"Exactly! We’d better eat our fill. What if Boss Hart leaves tomorrow!"

"Don’t say that, you’re making me lose my appetite," someone said, while furiously stuffing more meat into their mouth.

Several more tables were ejected in quick succession. They scrambled to their feet, indignant, pointing at the restaurant and shouting curses. Cynthia Whittaker hadn’t expected such a direct solution, though she had to admit, it was an effective method.

They would have to wait a full day before they could even try to enter again.

When they found they couldn’t get in, they began to regret it. They could only crowd around the entrance, staring longingly at the people eating inside and smelling the faint aroma of hot pot from within.