Chu Jiangyue truly doesn’t care about these Zombie Crystal Cores; she doesn’t rely on them for a living.
"I’m just hired by you to cook, and on top of that, you’re offering a reward. That’s not proper."
Granny Hua still wasn’t willing to take advantage of Chu Jiangyue for nothing.
"You don’t need to offer any reward, I’ve already said it. Boss Chu, please take it back."
Qi Mo returned the bag of Zombie Crystal Cores to Chu Jiangyue.
Chu Jiangyue looked at the bag of Zombie Crystal Cores and finally compromised.
"Okay, but I also can’t let you help for nothing.
The hotel’s mangoes are about to ripen; by then, you can take priority in buying a batch."
Just when they returned to Jianglin Hotel, Chu Jiangyue noticed the mango trees had already borne fruit. At the growth rate in the hotel, it would ripen in just a few days.
Hearing about the mangoes, Qi Mo’s eyes lit up.
It was his favorite fruit.
"Great! I will definitely buy some!"
Since the apocalypse began, he hadn’t eaten any fruit, let alone mangoes.
If Jianglin Hotel had them, that would be wonderful.
"I’ll inform you in advance."
Last time, it was Shen Zhigui and his group; this time, it was Qi Mo.
"Qi Mo, what are you doing outside? Why not come in?"
Qi Mo didn’t live alone; while he was talking with Chu Jiangyue and the others, the people inside were clearly getting anxious.
"Coming, coming! Boss Chu, let’s go inside and talk."
Qi Mo moved aside at the villa entrance to let Chu Jiangyue and Granny Hua go in first.
"I’ll head back first; call me if you need anything."
Jin Churan saw that he wasn’t needed and didn’t want to stand around like a background prop.
Chu Jiangyue waved him off and went into the villa with Granny Hua.
Seeing Chu Jiangyue and Granny Hua coming in, the others in the villa looked surprised.
"This is..."
They knew Boss Chu, but who was this old granny?
Is she Qi Mo’s grandmother?
"This is Granny Hua, the chef hired by Boss Chu, who will be living with us for a while.
Once Jianglin Hotel’s mangoes ripen, we have first dibs on buying them!"
Qi Mo was clearly very interested in the priority purchase of mangoes.
"Mangoes?"
The others were also surprised when they heard about the mangoes.
In the current environment, getting fresh fruit was almost as difficult as reaching the sky.
"Indeed, the mangoes at Jianglin Hotel are about to ripen."
However, before they could gain purchasing priority, they needed to ensure Granny Hua’s personal safety.
"There are mangoes! What do we need to do?"
Even in the apocalypse, they knew well by now that there was no free lunch in the world.
"You just need to protect Granny Hua while she stays at the villa."
Now, the task was close to completion, with only a few people left.
Just a day or two more, and it would be sorted.
After all, B City Safety Base sent people daily; it was just a matter of numbers.
"No problem, we’ll protect her like our own grandmother."
Given Granny Hua’s age, calling her their grandmother wasn’t wrong.
Granny Hua looked at Chu Jiangyue with gratitude; she had indeed thought of many things for her.
If not for Chu Jiangyue, she would have been in a complete daze when she got here.
Chu Jiangyue nodded, trusting them fairly well.
Moreover, Jin Churan was in a nearby villa; he was the heroine’s brother in Little Fox’s storyline and surely a person of noble character.
If anything happened to Granny Hua, he surely wouldn’t stand by.
"I’m heading back; Granny Hua, settle in first. I’m not in a rush."
The cooking was just an excuse; Chu Jiangyue never treated Granny Hua as a genuine cook.
"I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow morning."
But as a non-resident of Jianglin Hotel, she could only stay for two hours at a time and needed to manage her time wisely, lest she be kicked out before finishing cooking.
She had no idea where she would end up if evicted; if pushed into a zombie horde, survival was impossible.
Granny Hua pondered over these matters.
Chu Jiangyue didn’t think so far ahead; seeing Granny Hua had been settled here, she believed life would only get better.
She didn’t refuse Granny Hua’s offer, as she couldn’t be too obvious.
After settling Granny Hua, Chu Jiangyue didn’t linger at Prosperity Heights and, after saying goodbye to Granny Hua and the others, left the villa and headed to the exit of Prosperity Heights.
By the time she returned to Jianglin Hotel, it was quite late. Chu Jiangyue returned to her cabin, whipped up some noodles for herself, ate, then washed up and went to sleep.
*
Staying at Jianglin Hotel provided immense security, allowing Chu Jiangyue to sleep until she naturally awoke.
Once freshened up, she opened the cabin door to find Granny Hua waiting outside.
"Granny Hua, you could have sent me a message when you arrived."
"Why didn’t you remind me either?"
Chu Jiangyue asked the Little Fox quietly perched on her shoulder.
"Didn’t you say not to wake you when you’re sleeping?"
In previous instances, the Little Fox had thoroughly experienced Chu Jiangyue’s morning grumpiness.
"Although you’re not a human, you should still act accordingly next time. If Granny Hua comes again, wake me, even if I’m sleeping."
"Understood, master."
The Little Fox professed to be a very obedient Spiritual Leader.
The exchange within their minds, though lengthy, lasted only a moment.
"I saw the door closed and assumed you weren’t up, so I didn’t call you."
However, she had already wasted 20 minutes waiting for Chu Jiangyue.
With less than two hours left, Granny Hua hurried into the kitchen, ready to whip up breakfast for Chu Jiangyue.
While Chu Jiangyue’s cooking skills were average, Granny Hua’s were divine.
Chu Jiangyue felt that before she had even blinked, Granny Hua had finished making dumplings.
Since it was only for Chu Jiangyue, Granny Hua made just 20 dumplings, which were quickly done and set to boil.
"With only two hours, I can’t linger, and need to save time for lunch and dinner.
Once these dumplings float, they’re ready to be eaten."
Granny Hua took off her apron and left the cabin in a hurry, heading toward the Jianglin Hotel’s exit.
Chu Jiangyue watched Granny Hua depart and soon saw Qi Mo approaching.
Granny Hua and Qi Mo left Jianglin Hotel together.
[Task: Please expand Jianglin Hotel’s clientele (1000/1000), completed
Task Reward: 3rd Building fully operational, unlock refreshing summer drinks, Experience +1000]
[Current hotel level: 3 (8150/10000)]
[Renovate and place the 3rd Building? Yes/No]
Seeing the 3rd Building, Chu Jiangyue’s eyes sparkled, and she decisively opted for renovation and placement.
Chu Jiangyue placed the 3rd Building just behind the 2nd Building, but not too close, avoiding any lighting issues.