Chapter 364: The Kitchen Officially Opens for Business

Chapter 364: Chapter 364: The Kitchen Officially Opens for Business

Others posted photos of the convenience store’s prices alongside the old prices from the Material Exchange Points, and the difference was night and day.

For example, a 50ml bottle of mineral water—the largest size available at the exchange—cost twenty Crystal Cores.

But at the convenience store, a 350ml bottle of mineral water cost less than a single Crystal Core.

How crazy is that?

People had no choice back then but to accept the exorbitant prices for supplies. But not anymore!

Boss Hart is here with her lottery shop! We’re saved!

The residents of Kervan Base passionately went to bat for Boss Hart online.

They even dug up the original, most popular discussion thread just to argue with her detractors in the comments.

So you say Boss Hart is ambitious? So what? Who doesn’t have a little ambition?

You say she wants to monopolize the market? Please. Even when you’re hunting zombies, you have to shop around for the easiest kill. Everyone has eyes; we can all see who’s cheaper and who has better quality.

Inferior products get phased out by the market naturally. She doesn’t need to monopolize anything.

You say she’s squeezing out the Material Exchange Points? Again, see above. When there’s a better option, why would anyone choose to suffer?

And that she’s causing remote bases to run out of food and supplies? Are you kidding me?!

Aren’t those Material Exchange Points the ones voluntarily leaving the market?

Does Boss Hart really have the power to shut down over half of the Material Exchange Points in just two days?

While the residents were passionately defending her, Lily Hart was dozing off.

That morning, as everyone gathered for breakfast, Frost Shaw made a suggestion. "Boss Hart, since you want to install vending machines in every base, why don’t we do a speed run?"

The others repeated in unison, "A speed run?"

Lily Hart knew what he meant: they would just drive the RV all over Cathaya, stopping at each base only long enough to THUMP-THUMP, install the machines.

They’d spend an hour at each base, max. It would be the most efficient way.

It would be fast, yes, but Lily Hart wanted to install the scratch-off machines and the vending machines at the same time. Otherwise, she’d have to make the same tour all over again.

If everyone’s purchasing power were a little stronger, they could cut the time down to half a day.

Lily Hart said honestly, "That’s a good idea, but we wouldn’t be able to install the scratch-off machines simultaneously."

Frost Shaw had overlooked that. Of course, installing them both at once would be better.

He had a vague idea of Boss Hart’s ultimate goal: to open lottery shops all over Cathaya! To let everyone have a chance to play!

He understood and even revered this goal. It wouldn’t be easy to achieve.

"Alright, we’ll work hard!" Frost Shaw said with determination. "Since there are no shortcuts, we’ll just have to do it the proper way."

They arrived at another new base, named Bain Base.

Lily Hart had a hunch the Base Commander here was named Bain. ’It’s a little on the nose.’

After several days of preparation, Donnie was ready to officially open for business today.

Lily Hart made a point of showing her support, ordering six dishes to be delivered to the RV at noon.

Donnie was treating this first order with the utmost seriousness.

He taped the menu and a description of his private kitchen to the glass so passing customers could take a look.

He had a daily limit of fifty dishes, and he’d even set up a progress bar to clearly show how many were left.

Today, it already showed only forty-four left.

Inside, Donnie was prepping Lily Hart’s order. Outside, someone knocked on the door.

Donnie’s eyes lit up. He immediately stopped what he was doing and wiped his damp hands on his apron.

He used his elbow to nudge the door open and said with overflowing enthusiasm, "Hello, welcome! This is Donnie’s Private Kitchen~"

Donnie had a large frame, and after several days of feasting, his face had successfully rounded out.

When he smiled now, he radiated a cheerful, contented energy that made you want to pinch his cheeks.

The customer asked cautiously, "Can I order food here?"

Overflowing with passion, Donnie’s voice went up a register. "Yes, indeedy! Here’s the menu for your reference, or you can just tell me if there’s a specific dish you’re craving~"

The customer racked his brain but couldn’t think of anything. It had been too long since he’d eaten a proper meal.

But looking at the simple, easy-to-understand names on the menu, he could just imagine how delicious the food would be.

"I’ll have the Meatball Medley Stew and the Sweet and Sour Crispy Pork," the customer said, still a bit hesitant.

It wasn’t even expensive. The two dishes came to less than four Crystal Cores. After being ravaged by the prices at the Material Exchange Points, this felt dirt cheap.

Donnie immediately agreed. "Okay, okay, okay! You can go find a place to sit for a bit. I’ll make it right away and bring it over."

But a glance around showed that the area outside was full of people buying scratch-offs; there was no place to sit and eat in peace.

Then, a flash of inspiration hit him. He led the customer over to the night market area.

There were tables and chairs already set up there, and since the night market didn’t open until evening, it was the perfect spot.

After getting the customer settled, Donnie hurried back to the kitchen, ready to give it his all.

His dishes came with rice, and refills were unlimited.

Lily Hart’s six dishes didn’t need to be delivered until noon, so Donnie decided to prepare the new customer’s order first.

He couldn’t let his first real customer wait too long.

Half an hour later, Donnie carried the finished dishes over himself, carefully protecting them the whole way so as not to spill a single drop.

He also brought a large basin of rice—more than enough—and since this was his second order of the day, he threw in a complimentary bowl of soup.

When he saw the food, the customer’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly paid the Crystal Cores.

He couldn’t be bothered with anything else. He grabbed his bowl and chopsticks and prepared to dig in!

Donnie didn’t leave. He sat down a short distance away, hoping to see the customer’s reaction. But the man was so engrossed in his food that he didn’t notice him at all.

After quickly devouring his first bowl of rice, the man was about to get a second helping when he looked up and met Donnie’s tender, lingering gaze.

He flinched, suddenly not daring to serve himself more rice.

’Is the owner upset I’m eating too much? This is only my second bowl, that’s not a lot... Still, rice is precious. I guess it makes sense for him to keep an eye on it.’

Donnie coughed twice, stood up, spun in a little circle, and rubbed his hands together to hide his own awkwardness.

"Uh, um, take your time. If you need more rice, just let me know." Donnie scratched his head and walked away, glancing back every few steps.

Once the owner was gone, the customer finally felt safe enough to eat with abandon.

The so-called Meatball Medley Stew was exactly what it sounded like: all kinds of meatballs cooked together, then mixed up into a delicious stew.

The customer ate in a happy frenzy. He took a bite of one meatball—so good! Then a bite of another—even better!

Then he took a bite of the Sweet and Sour Crispy Pork. It was a taste he hadn’t had in forever, so authentic it brought tears to his eyes.

After he’d finished, the customer, sniffling, returned the empty bowls and chopsticks. His face was a mask of gratitude. "Boss, your food is so, so good, WAAAHHH~"

Donnie was deeply moved. "Thank you, thank you! You ate so cleanly, too~"

The large basin of rice, the two main dishes, the bowl of soup—he’d eaten every last bit, not even leaving a drop of sauce.

The customer scratched his head, embarrassed. "Hehe, well, I should. Wasting food is a shameful thing." ’I could’ve eaten twice that amount!’

The customers waiting in line outside to buy scratch-offs saw the man emerge from the glass-walled room and immediately pulled him aside.

One customer asked, "What’s that place for?"

Another customer added, "Yeah, I saw you go in there with some bowls. What’s going on?"