When Mu Qingfeng mentioned buying food, He Lingyu smiled.
“Honored guest, you can choose from three payment methods, crystal cores, gold, or banknotes. Any of the three will do.” Those were the three options the game provided.
Mu Qingfeng had considered many possibilities, but he had never expected that answer. In the apocalypse, banknotes had long stopped being a usable currency.
Unfortunately, he did not have any cash on him either, otherwise he could have mooched a meal.
Mu Qingfeng did not consider himself particularly moral, and he believed that in this world, people with a conscience were rare.
But when it came to crystal cores, he said, “Wait a moment.”
He truly did not have any crystal cores left, but there was still a pile of zombies lying outside.
He was glad the owner had not disposed of them.
He returned after harvesting cores and asked, “These are all for you. Is it enough?”
He did not look down on He Lingyu just because he could not sense any ability fluctuations from her. On the contrary, he suspected she might be someone of an even higher level. Otherwise she would not have been able to face so many zombies and calmly grill barbecue.
He Lingyu gestured for him to toss the crystal cores into the cash box at the counter. She did not want to touch anything dug out of zombies. Who knew what viruses they carried?
After he paid, Mu Qingfeng’s gaze drifted back to her barbecue. He had no idea where she had gotten meat. The apocalypse had gone on for so long that most people had no food left, let alone meat.
He Lingyu shifted her body to block his view and handed him a sheet of paper.
“You can only choose from these. Forget about the barbecue.”
Mu Qingfeng took it. It was a menu, and it looked like it had just been written.
That was exactly what it was. He Lingyu had written it moments ago. With only a few items listed, she almost felt embarrassed calling it a menu.
But Mu Qingfeng reacted differently. The moment he saw it, his eyes widened.
Buns? Rice? Farmhouse stir fry?
“Everything on this menu can be made?”
Suspicion rose in him. What was the purpose of this person opening a shop?
Was it only for crystal cores? Then what use were banknotes?
“If I couldn’t make it, why would I write it down? Are you eating or not?”
Why did this NPC talk so much?
No wonder the game had zero downloads. So she really was the only fool who fell for it.
“I’m eating, I’m eating! One bowl of rice, one stir fry dish, and two buns. Thanks.”
Mu Qingfeng placed his order at top speed and watched He Lingyu turn and enter the kitchen.
Not long after, she brought the food out and set it in front of him.
“Eat. If it’s not enough, you can get more.”
When Mu Qingfeng heard that he could refill if it was not enough, his eyes practically lit up. There was such a good deal?
The apocalypse had been going on for a long time. Not just him, most people had not eaten a steaming hot meal in ages.
He devoured the rice as if a storm had swept through, leaving the bowl spotless.
He held the bowl out to He Lingyu. “Another bowl, thanks!”
In the end, he downed three bowls of rice and ate two big buns before he finally stopped.
[Mission complete.]
[Reward: decorative greenery, blue tablecloth.]
[New mission issued:
[Hint: Completing missions will upgrade the restaurant to LV.2.]
As Mu Qingfeng set down his chopsticks, He Lingyu saw the notification on the computer. Oh? Work had arrived.
It had been a long time since he had eaten so freely. Mu Qingfeng felt a faint discomfort in his stomach, but he did not regret it at all. He had no idea if he would be able to eat something this good tomorrow.
If he did not still need to search for his mother, he truly would have wanted to stay here. As long as he hunted zombies every day, he could eat his fill.
“Can I pack some food to take with me?” He knew it sounded like wishful thinking, but she could run a restaurant in the apocalypse, so maybe it was possible.
“For now, the restaurant doesn’t offer takeout. Dine in only.”
So that was that.
“But…” He Lingyu paused at the right moment. When Mu Qingfeng looked over, she smiled. “But if you can bring me customers next time, I’ll comp one meal for you.”
Mu Qingfeng lifted his brows. That statement carried multiple meanings.
If she needed customers, that meant earning something from them was useful to her, even if he did not know what. More importantly, it implied she had plenty of food, more than she could finish.
“Of course. Once I find my team, I’ll bring them here. And when I get to Gaofei Base, I’ll spread the word for you.”
Hearing there was a chance for a free meal, Mu Qingfeng agreed immediately.
“What’s your name? I’ll write it down.”
“Mu Qingfeng.”
He Lingyu raised her brows and offered a rare comment. “Mu Qingfeng… gentle as a clear breeze. That is a beautiful name. It seems the person who named you loved you very much.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the first genuine smile he had shown since entering the shop appear on Mu Qingfeng’s face. “My mother gave it to me.”
He had come to Gaofei Base this time precisely to search for his mother, though he did not know whether she was safe or well.
“Alright. I’ve noted your name. Next time, if a customer says you referred them, I’ll put it under your account. For every ten people, you get one free meal.”
Mu Qingfeng did not find the requirement harsh. If anything, he thought her terms were too generous. If word got out that this restaurant had food, it would draw not just ten people, but hundreds.
He Lingyu smiled as she watched her first customer leave. The moment Mu Qingfeng’s figure disappeared, her straightened back immediately slumped.
“Whew. Luckily he was just an NPC, otherwise I really couldn’t handle it.” She patted her chest. Thankfully her acting was solid, and he had not noticed she was forcing herself to stay calm.
After sending him off, she brought the dishes into the kitchen. That was one nice thing about the game. She did not need to wash anything herself. Once the tableware was placed in the kitchen, it automatically cleaned and returned to its proper spot.
Now she needed to complete the decoration mission. She spread the sky blue checkered tablecloths over the tables, hiding the roughness of bare wood. She placed a small potted plant in the center of each table, then arranged green plants around the restaurant. The atmosphere improved immediately.
[Mission complete. Please attract three customers to the restaurant.]
Seeing the mission completion prompt, her mood, already lighter, improved even more.
As for the second mission, she was not worried. Based on what had just happened, the game would probably send more NPCs.
At first, she had worried she had been transported into a real world, but from the mission system and the way NPCs showed up on cue, this did seem to be a game world.
She looked at the computer again. Past the current page were many card slots marked with question marks, all dim. The only ones lit were the items her restaurant currently had.
Breakfast: buns. Lunch: fried rice, farmhouse stir fry. Drinks: plain well water.
Wasn’t this exactly why farming and management games were addictive?
As a veteran player, nothing was more tempting than completing an entire collection.
She did not know how to return to the real world. If she had to guess, it was tied to the game itself.
Her first assumption was clearing the game.
At the current difficulty, clearing it should be easy. Since it was safe here, and it aligned with her interests, she did not need to rush. Games were meant to be enjoyed.
Continuing the mission, she selected a song on the computer, “Good Luck Comes,” then took a basket of buns and sat in the yard to wait leisurely.
She was still in the beginner phase. Maybe the game would directly send three customers over in a moment.
…
“Good luck comes, wishing you good luck, good luck brings joy and love~”
“Whoa, someone’s playing music? It’s even a restaurant?”
“It really is. Who opens a restaurant in the apocalypse? In my opinion, it’s probably a shady joint.”
There were four people, but they did not look like a single group. They stood as two pairs, clearly separated.
“Hey, brother, this place doesn’t look shady. Why do you think that?” a simple looking chubby guy asked the person beside him, genuinely confused. To him, it did not seem like a trap. He could even faintly smell food. Would a shady place actually cook real food?
“You don’t know. It’s been so long since the apocalypse started, ability users are everywhere. Who knows if it’s some ability trick to lure people in, then slaughter them once they enter? You look honest, so I’m telling you, don’t go in.”
Even as he spoke, his stomach growled. With his sallow, thin appearance, it was obvious he had not eaten a full meal in a long time.
“Xiao Yan, what do you think? Should we take a look?” the chubby guy turned to consult his teammate.
The other two saw that he refused to listen and snorted.
“Don’t say we didn’t warn you. If it’s really a shady place, even if you beg us to save you, we won’t turn back!”
Shady place? These NPCs really had no manners.
He Lingyu happened to hear that shout. Her expression fell and she rolled her eyes.
You’d better not come. Even if you do, I’m not serving you.
“Have you ever seen a shady place that plays music this openly?”
The person beside the chubby guy clearly did not agree with the suspicion either, so the two pairs split up on bad terms.
“Hmph. Let them go. When they die, they won’t even know how they lost their lives.”
The other two did not believe this suddenly appearing shop could be anything good, so they walked off into the distance, planning to return to base.
“Come on, Xiao Yan, let’s go in and take a look. Finding the boss isn’t urgent. The boss is so strong, he’ll be fine. But a restaurant is a once in a lifetime chance. I can already smell it.”
The boy did not speak. He followed the chubby guy toward the restaurant.
As the voices drew closer, He Lingyu finally got a clear look at them.
The chubby guy was the talkative one, and he seemed fairly simple minded.
The boy had slightly long hair, his bangs covering his eyes, looking quiet and withdrawn.
So these two were the customers the game had chosen for her. She had not expected the NPCs to play out a bit of story before ordering.
Still, since they trusted her restaurant, she would not fleece them too hard.
She had originally planned to charge more crystal cores, but now she felt a hint of conscience.
As for the two who had left, who kept calling her shop shady and even warned others not to go in, she had memorized their voices.
Hmph. They had better never come back.
Although she had a decent impression of the two customers, she did not get up to greet them. She remained calm, not at all like a player eager to complete a mission.
The chubby guy spoke first. “Excuse me, are you the owner?”
“Yes.”
Her coldness was not what they expected, but it also made sense. After all, someone holding resources had the right to act aloof.
“Are you open right now? We’d like to eat.”
The chubby guy grinned brightly. For good food, he could bow and scrape as much as needed.
“Two crystal cores.” He Lingyu named the price directly. Even if she liked them, she still wasn’t running a charity.
Both of them relaxed after hearing her terms.
Having a requirement was good. If she asked for nothing, they would have suspected a trap too.
She looked clean and fair skinned, nothing like the people of the apocalypse.
Besides, how could crystal cores compare to food? Even if she asked for ten, they would have paid.
“We happen to have two mid grade crystal cores. Boss, can you let us in first?”
He Lingyu opened the door and let them enter. “Steamed buns, fried rice, farmhouse stir fry. What would you two like?”
“Whoa! It’s this plentiful? Xiao Yan, what do you want?” The chubby guy looked older, yet he seemed to defer to the boy.
“I smelled the buns in the yard. They seem quite fragrant, so I’ll have a basket of buns.”
The boy was cautious. He had seen the buns in the yard, and they were vegetable filled. At least they wouldn’t contain some unknown meat.
“I want stir fry!” the chubby guy protested, but his voice quickly died under the boy’s look.
“Please wait.”
He Lingyu had them toss the crystal cores into the cash box, then went to the kitchen to bring out the food.
She faintly heard the chubby guy talking to the boy.
“Xiao Yan, why hasn’t the boss come yet? By the timing, he should’ve reached here already. Don’t tell me he got lost?”
“You think Brother Mu is like you?”
Brother Mu?
After setting the food down, He Lingyu went back behind the counter and left them to enjoy the meal.
She mulled over the “Brother Mu” comment. Could it really be that coincidental?
Was this some hidden plotline?
But with her personality, she would not start a conversation on her own. If it really was that man, then they would probably run into him soon anyway…
Unfortunately, the chubby guy did not give her a chance to stay quiet.
“Boss, have you seen a man pass by here? Tall, about one eighty five, really handsome, the kind of handsome that shocks heaven and moves ghosts, wearing a camouflage jacket.”
Uh…