Because their bodies were too filthy, they were reluctant to soil their room. Setting down their luggage, they discussed taking a shower first before eating.
Since their younger son was still small, He Ru opened a can of eight-treasure porridge and had Jiang Yu and little Jiang Xun share it, while she and Jiang Weiping showered first.
Carrying her toiletries to the bathroom, she arranged the toothbrush, towel, and comb on the sink vanity before stepping into the shower stall.
The warm stream of water washed away the dirt along with the exhaustion in He Ru’s body, and the fragrant scent of shea butter body wash filled the bathroom.
After scrubbing for more than ten minutes, He Ru was finally clean, her skin flushed red as if she had been reborn.
After blow-drying her hair, she changed into the cleanest set of clothes from their luggage.
Carrying a kettle and two cups, He Ru walked into the adjacent room. Jiang Weiping had already begun scrubbing the grime off their younger son, and Jiang Yu headed over to the neighboring bathroom to shower.
She tidied up all the luggage brought from home, setting aside clothes that needed washing and arranging their remaining belongings neatly.
The family had a total of a little over two hundred Level-1 Crystal Cores and four Level-2 Crystal Cores left. Having spent a considerable amount bit by bit on little Jiang Xun’s medical treatment, if they were still at the base right now, paying rent would have left them unable to afford food.
He Ru boiled two kettles of hot water, retrieved four bowls from their luggage, and rinsed them with boiling water to sterilize them.
Pouring the remaining hot water into cups, she stood by the window, gazing out at the pitch-black night outside, taking a sip after blowing on the cup. The water was very hot, but it soothed her anxious heart.
She had no idea how long this peace would last, but she truly wanted to stay here with her family forever.
After showering, the family of four gathered around the small tea table, placing the luck-filled Deluxe Family Seafood Noodle Pot right on the table.
The moment the lid was opened, it looked exactly like the picture: a thick, generous layer of large shrimp, abalone, and various seafood, with a massive king crab resting right in the middle.
He Ru grabbed bowls and began dividing the noodles, breaking the crab into smaller pieces.
The family ate the noodles and drank the broth, feeling a long-lost sense of happiness.
Little Jiang Xun was utterly joyful, holding a large shrimp to chew on in one hand and a piece of crab leg meat in the other.
He could no longer remember what good food he used to eat; looking back, it felt as though there had only been an endless supply of potatoes.
“This is so delicious! I really hope we can eat this every day from now on!”
Jiang Xun ate with utter satisfaction, and his older brother Jiang Yu patted his head. “Tomorrow brother will take you to draw blind boxes again. Whatever our little lucky star draws is bound to be delicious.”
Jiang Xun nodded vigorously.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, and after feeding his younger son his medicine, Jiang Weiping took two hundred Crystals downstairs to top up his balance.
After helping Jiang Weiping top up his balance, seeing that there was no activity outside, Xie Yue planned to head back up to sleep. In any case, even if someone arrived, nothing could be damaged.
He Ru stayed with her younger son in the king-bed room. With her younger son still sick, she gently stroked his face.
Seeing a faint smile on her younger son’s pale face, He Ru tucked in the blanket beside him and fell asleep as well.
Jiang Weiping and his eldest son planned to head out tomorrow to scout the surrounding roads; after all, they couldn’t just sit back and consume their resources until nothing was left.
The father and son slept on the soft bed, slowly drifting off into dreamland.
Life in the apocalypse was extremely dull. Because Xie Yue had slept too much the day before, she woke up early in the morning.
Looking at her system panel, she remembered that her task had been completed yesterday and opened the information tab:
[Hotel Name: Universe Hotel (1-Star)
Hotel Manager: Xie Yue
Abilities: Absolute Domain (Invincible within your business territory)
Assets: 96 Crystals
Inventory: 1 Self-Service Check-In & Top-Up Machine
Hotel Upgrade Condition: Host 4/50 guests
Task: Recruit 1 qualified employee (0/1)]
Xie Yue pondered what defined a “qualified employee”—there must be specific criteria required to achieve it, not to mention the far-off hotel upgrade requirement.
Shaking her head, she simply stopped dwelling on it and decided to let nature take its course. After washing up, she went downstairs to hunt for breakfast.
Replacing the room supplies machine with the self-service check-in and top-up machine, Xie Yue patted its silver-white casing with satisfaction.
Today was going to be another couch-potato slacker day!
Hesitating before the blind box machine for a moment, she decided to just go for a five-in-a-row draw.
After pressing confirm, the first item to come out was pickled mustard beef instant noodles. The second was a can of lychees—not bad at all; that would be dessert after breakfast.
The third item was a self-heating tomato beef brisket hot pot, the fourth was a can of millet porridge, and the last was a pack of crab sticks.
After finishing two bowls of instant noodles, Jiang Weiping and Jiang Yu prepared to head out and look around the area. Lying on the soft bed last night and smelling the room’s pleasant fragrance, both father and son had been terrified that waking up would reveal it to be nothing more than a dream.
Going downstairs, they saw Xie Yue drinking millet porridge while nibbling on crab sticks.
“Heading out so early? Did you sleep well last night?” Xie Yue greeted them.
“That was the most peaceful sleep we’ve had since the apocalypse began. Thank you, Hotel Manager. We plan to walk around nearby to earn some Crystals,” Jiang Weiping replied.
“You’re very welcome—you’re guests, after all! Just don’t wander too far. The area around the hotel within the ground lights is completely safe. Oh, right! The car parked outside—please move it down to the underground garage.”
“Will do. There’s one more thing bothering you, Hotel Manager—is there any laundry detergent in the hotel? The clothes we brought aren’t quite enough to rotate.” Jiang Weiping inquired.
Xie Yue smacked her forehead in annoyance. “Oh dear, I completely forgot to mention! Put the clothes in the laundry basket and place it inside the laundry nook at the end of the corridor. Once they’re washed, you’ll be notified to pick them up.”
“Thank you, Hotel Manager. We’ll be heading out then.”
“Go ahead, go ahead! Stay safe out there.” Xie Yue waved her hand, feeling a bit worried—there were exceptionally many zombies in the city center.
Although the zombies around the hotel perimeter were significantly fewer, she still worried. After all, they were the hotel’s only guests so far, as well as the first living people Xie Yue had encountered in this world.
The apocalypse was far too cruel, and Xie Yue hoped their entire family would remain safe and sound.
After finishing her breakfast, Xie Yue stood at the hotel entrance, stretching her arms and legs.
The fountain in front of the hotel entrance had long dried up, looking somewhat dilapidated. All around was a desolate wasteland covered in withered yellow weeds.
The vehicles on the street were rusted through, and the ground was covered in dark, sticky stains. A few mutilated corpses lay in the corners, emitting a putrid stench.
Walking along the hotel path toward the back, this area must have belonged to the hotel’s garden previously, but now only a field of wild weeds remained.
Thinking about the food in the fast food machine, she couldn’t possibly keep eating those forever.
If only fresh, juicy vegetables and fruits could be grown on this patch of land, how wonderful that would be! She wondered when the restaurant on the second floor would be unlocked; the Universe Hotel’s restaurant was bound to have a unique flavor of its own.
Lost in thought, she slowly walked back inside.
Xie Yue sat back down on the sofa, pondering how she could let more people know about her hotel.
Relying solely on waiting for guests to show up at her doorstep meant the hotel upgrade task would remain far out of reach.
As long as there were more guests, her restaurant would surely be unlocked in no time!