Hongye didn’t believe it. Tilting its head, it rubbed against its owner and then firmly pressed its paw on the icon for the cold pot skewers. 

Wen Yu sighed and decided to order a few skewers of beef and shrimp paste—something meaty to try out. Not too spicy though, so she picked mild. 

“Just so you know, you only get to eat a little bit!” 

“Awoo~” 

Hongye nodded obediently and stood still, staring at the screen without blinking. 

The system prepared the order quickly. In less than thirty seconds, the cold pot skewers were packed in a paper bucket. 

Wen Yu picked up a bamboo skewer, intending to take the skewers off and put them in the food bowl for Hongye. As soon as she picked up a beef skewer, the aroma hit her. She paused and couldn’t resist taking a bite. 

Hongye blinked twice. 

“Awooo!!” 

Who even tries to steal food from a fox?! 

Wen Yu felt guilty and patted its head, immediately ordering three more spicy beef skewers as compensation for stealing its food. 

Hongye did the math—owner ate one, the fox got three. Not bad. 

It cleverly raised its paw and pushed the remaining skewers toward Wen Yu with a look of expectation. 

Wen Yu understood and lightly tapped the fox’s head, then took the skewers off the sticks and placed them in Hongye’s special food bowl. 

“That’s all!” 

Hongye wasn’t discouraged. It leaned in to sniff, was hit by the spicy smell, but instead of retreating, it eagerly started eating. 

There wasn’t much food in the bowl, only three or five bites before it was empty. It ate too quickly and only felt the rising spiciness afterward. 

Hongye’s eyes sparkled as it stuck out its tongue, panting and searching for water, seemingly enjoying the chili flavor. 

Wen Yu got it some milk and then called the silver wolf. 

“Tianbing, come in and pick something to eat~” 

A furry silver paw stepped onto the floor, followed by the whole silver wolf walking inside. 

“Hongye chose cold pot skewers, but they’re quite spicy. Want to try some?” 

The wolf sniffed the spicy air and shook its head, then leaned in to smell the snacks on the shelf. 

He passed the chips, passed the beef jerky, and finally stopped at the egg yolk pies. Then he looked back at Wen Yu. 

“You like sweet things, right? Then have this tonight!” 

Wen Yu immediately took all the egg yolk pies from the shelf and also grabbed a few types of bread, sharing them between the fox and the wolf. 

They both ate heartily while Wen Yu started thinking about new recipes. 

Since Tianbing likes sweets, maybe she’d try making a cake tomorrow. 

✧✧✧ 

Central Base

Chen Zui didn’t even go back to her own room. She pushed open the door to Grandma Liu’s house. 

“Tian Tian! You’re about to eat a hamburger combo from the supermarket!” 

Because they weren’t packaged, cooked food from the supermarket absorbed radiation faster in the desert. So Chen Zui usually brought back ingredients instead, letting Grandma Liu do the cooking to keep radiation levels as low as possible. 

While Grandma Liu cooked, Chen Zui would excitedly describe supermarket goods by her side. Every time, Tian Tian would rest her chin in her hands and listen intently, afraid to miss a single word. 

Chen Zui and Hu Jiang hadn’t saved enough money to buy anti-radiation suits for both of them, so they never brought Tian Tian to the supermarket. 

But even if they had the money, Tian Tian was still so young—they wouldn’t feel safe taking her out. 

“Really?!” 

Tian Tian leapt toward her, and Chen Zui caught her in a hug. 

Grandma Liu gave them a disapproving glance as she flipped the scallion pancake she was cooking. 

“Supermarket cooked food is expensive to begin with, and it comes back with higher radiation than raw ingredients. That’s just not worth it.” 

“Isn’t it better to just buy flour, oil, and salt? I can make pancakes for you instead.” 

Chen Zui leaned over, tore off a small piece of the just-finished pancake, and popped it into her mouth, hopping from foot to foot as the heat hit her. 

“Whew, hot!” 

Fresh out of the pan, the pancake was golden on the outside and soft on the inside. Tearing it revealed delicate, flaky layers soaked in oil. One bite filled her mouth with the rich aroma of wheat. 

Even though it burned, Chen Zui didn’t spit it out. She just kept sucking in air to cool the piece in her mouth. 

“Don’t worry, Grandma. Oasis Supermarket just launched a delivery service. All we have to do is wait at home, and the food comes straight to the door! The whole delivery process is sealed against radiation—no matter how far across the desert it travels, the radiation level stays at zero!” 

Tian Tian had never heard of delivery before. She looked up curiously and tugged on Chen Zui’s sleeve. 

“Sister, what’s delivery?” 

Chen Zui crouched down and gently touched her little braid, patiently explaining. 

“It means a really skilled delivery person will bring delicious food right to your doorstep. We just give them silver coins, and we get fresh meals in return.” 

“Wow, that’s amazing! Then let’s give the delivery person the paper bunny I folded too, to thank them for bringing us tasty food~” 

Just as she finished speaking, a knock came at the door. Chen Zui called out. 

“Who is it?” 

A flat, almost genderless voice replied from outside. If anything, it sounded like someone whose voice was in between male and female during puberty. 

“Oasis Supermarket delivery has arrived. Miss Chen Zui, please receive your order.” 

“Oh! Coming.” 

She opened the door to see only a blurry shadow—she couldn’t make out the delivery person, but the supply box was clearly visible. Inside were the hamburger combo and ingredients she had ordered. 

After taking out the items, she hesitated, then placed the silver coins and Tian Tian’s folded paper bunny in the pickup spot. 

The box door slowly shut. The delivery figure gave a nod before flying up into the sky. 

“This supermarket… really is full of surprises.” 

Chen Zui sighed in amazement, turned around, and went back inside. Tian Tian had already run ahead, excitedly placing everything on the table. 

The three of them gathered around the steaming hamburger combo, exclaiming in unison. 

The burgers were piping hot, the fries crispy, and everything looked like it had just come fresh from the kitchen. Grandma Liu couldn’t help but sigh. 

“Even before the apocalypse, delivery couldn’t stay this hot and fresh after such a long trip.” 

Chen Zui pulled out the radiation detector—every item read a perfect 0. She tried to contain her excitement, cut the burger in half, and handed one piece each to Grandma Liu and Tian Tian. 

Grandma Liu waved her hand. 

“You eat, child, you eat. I’ve already eaten.” 

But Chen Zui firmly placed the burger in her hand. 

“Grandma, I already had some at the supermarket! This one’s for you and Tian Tian. Go on, eat it—it helps reduce mutation levels!” 

Grandma Liu had no choice but to take a bite. The burger meat was fresh, not tough or dry—even with her poor teeth, she could chew it easily. 

Tian Tian was also eating enthusiastically, too focused to even look up. With ketchup on her fries, it was like a whole new world had opened for her. 

The meal was gone in no time. Chen Zui wiped the ketchup from Tian Tian’s mouth, smiled, and asked her softly. 

“Should we get more of this for you next time?” 

“Yes!” 

✧✧✧ 

Oasis Supermarket 

Just as Hongye and Tianbing returned to the shelter, the butterfly delivery worker flew back. 

It flapped its wings and stopped in front of the self-checkout machine, dropping the silver coins it had received into the slot. 

“Beep. Verified. Amount correct.” 

Inside the box was a paper-folded rabbit. Wen Yu picked it up and saw it was surprisingly lifelike. She put it on the table and pressed it once—it even moved! She played with it for a while and decided to keep it in her room as a little treasure. 

That was the end of today’s business. Similar to yesterday, a total of 63 customers came. 

A daily summary appeared on the control panel. 

[Days of Operation: 7] 

[Current Total Revenue: 15,598 (Upgrade to General Supermarket available at 50,000)] 

[Cumulative positive feedback points: 188 (33 points redeemed)] 

[Achievements Unlocked: Newcomer, First World, Showing Potential.] 

With enough positive feedback points, Wen Yu could choose to upgrade one personal skill —Purification, Taming, or Self-Enhancement. 

Wen Yu hesitated on the personal skills page for a long time and ultimately decided not to choose any for now. She’d wait until she went out exploring before upgrading. 

Once the supermarket was closed, she went upstairs. Before returning to her bedroom, she opened the guest room door to take a look. 

“System, still not awake?” 

[There are still no signs of regaining consciousness, but the vital signs are steadily improving.] 

Seems like he’s pretty strong. Relieved, Wen Yu went back to her room to rest. 

✧✧✧ 

The next day, Wen Yu woke up early again. 

She wanted to switch things up for breakfast, so she put on an apron and chef’s hat, ready to make a cream cake. 

Whipping cream was a bit tricky, but luckily the kitchen had an automatic cream-whipping machine. You just put fresh cream and sugar into different slots, and it whipped perfect cream on its own. 

The cream clung to the beater and wouldn’t fall off even with a gentle shake, forming soft, milky-white peaks. Wen Yu couldn’t help but taste a bit—not too sweet or rich, just right. 

The sponge cake base was available in the supermarket stock area, and she could choose whichever shape she wanted. 

Since she was a beginner, she cautiously chose the most reliable option: a round shape. The cake was soft and springy, and pressing it lightly wouldn’t make it collapse or crack. 

No one could resist a fruit and cream cake. Wen Yu sliced the cake base in half, layering jam and fresh fruit in between. 

On the surface, the cream was spread smoothly, and the piping was neat and beautiful. She even hand-drew a sketch of the Oasis Supermarket on top: a two-story building with one person, one fox, and one wolf standing beside it, surrounded by colorful butterflies. 

But the design felt like it was missing something. After thinking for a while, she heard cleaning noises outside and suddenly remembered. 

How could she forget Xiao Xin? 

She added a little cartoon Xiao Xin and then drew a stick figure next to it with an arrow and the word “System.” 

And that made up all the current members of Oasis Supermarket. 

“System, take a picture of the cake for me!” 

Once the delicious cream cake was complete, the system gave a crisp “click.” A photo fell from the air and landed precisely in front of Wen Yu. 

In the photo, the young and pretty shop owner made a peace sign, standing behind a twelve-inch cake covered in colorful decorations. Looking closely, you could clearly make out every member of the Oasis Supermarket. 

Wen Yu held the photo happily, admiring her handiwork. 

“How’s that? Chef Wen’s skills aren’t bad, right~” 

The system didn’t reply but silently saved a copy of the photo deep in its database. 

You can grab the full book now on my Ko-fi page, available in both PDF and EPUB formats! 🖤
📎 Here’s the link to the full novel