Chapter 31: The Fruit Trees Ripen

“Go back, there’s nothing to see here.”

The reason she came out was that she had noticed the commotion outside and thought someone might be trying to do something against Jianglin Hotel, which is why she had woken everyone else.

Now that everyone had left, there was no need for them to stay and watch.

The morning noises hadn’t disturbed Chu Jiangyue’s sleep.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t vigilant—it was that the wooden cabin she stayed in completely blocked out external sounds.

If something were truly wrong, the little fox would come to alert her, which is why Chu Jiangyue slept so soundly.

By the time Chu Jiangyue got up at dawn, Song Chengjun and his group had already disappeared without a trace.

“Little fox, did Song Chengjun and the others leave?”

Since she had closed a big deal with them, Chu Jiangyue had considered waking up early to see them off.

But when she woke up, they were gone, and she had no idea where they had gone.

Chu Jiangyue sighed in regret. If she had known, she would have told the little fox to wake her when Song Chengjun left.

“Boss Chu, your life is already so comfortable, why are you sighing?”

Lin Xuyuan didn’t overthink it and asked directly.

Chu Jiangyue shook her head. “Nothing. Are you planning to continue searching for medicine today?”

Jiang He was injured, and without a space-type ability user, Shen Zhigui and his team couldn’t carry much at once, even with backpacks.

Shen Zhigui nodded. They had already found a pharmacy yesterday, but Jiang He’s space couldn’t hold too much, and the backpacks they had were small.

In the end, they only brought back a small amount—enough for Jiang He to use two or three times.

“Then I wish you success.”

“Boss Chu, I’m also planning to leave today to look for my sister. May I have your blessing?”

Jin Churan had somehow also come out of Building 1.

“You’re going to look for your sister?”

Honestly, Chu Jiangyue admired Jin Churan’s courage.

Going alone, crossing the entire Long Kingdom, just to find his sister.

However, according to the little fox, Jin Churan would later become the OTP of the main couple—so it probably wouldn’t be so simple.

“Then… safe travels?”

Chu Jiangyue had nothing else to say, and this was the only appropriate blessing she could think of.

“Thank you, Boss Chu!”

Receiving Chu Jiangyue’s blessing, Jin Churan immediately beamed a bright, sunny smile.

Chu Jiangyue, meanwhile, began pondering the restaurant’s revenue.

Fifty thousand copper coins didn’t seem like much, but the restaurant didn’t have many dishes, and each wasn’t expensive. Most guests didn’t carry much money and usually only ate steamed buns for three meals a day.

One meal cost one coin, totaling around sixty per day.

Only someone like Shen Zhigui could afford to spend big.

But big shots are big shots precisely because others aren’t as capable.

Without enough strength, they couldn’t find more resources. Without resources, there’s nothing to trade, and the balance in their ID cards wouldn’t increase.

“Mr. Shen, have you visited the restaurant?”

Chu Jiangyue wasn’t sure if they had eaten at the restaurant the previous night, since they returned late.

After all, the waiters were robots, so the restaurant was open 24 hours.

Even robot waiters had shifts—no matter how advanced, they couldn’t truly work around the clock.

“Yes, we went in the morning.”

“How did you find the taste? Are the prices okay? If the restaurant were to run promotions, what kind would you like to see?”

Relying solely on daily meals, reaching fifty thousand coins would take forever. Chu Jiangyue decided to organize a promotion.

“A promotion? What kind of promotion?”

Lin Xuyuan suddenly jumped out from the side, almost startling Chu Jiangyue.

Shen Zhigui gave Lin Xuyuan a warning glance.

“I’m consulting Mr. Shen’s opinion about the restaurant promotion. You can also share your ideas.”

Chu Jiangyue thought Shen Zhigui was steady-minded, so for creative ideas, she should rely on someone energetic like Lin Xuyuan.

“A promotion sounds good! Otherwise, we can’t go out during the day. Staying in the hotel is too boring.”

The Jianglin Hotel was still small. Besides the rooms and Chu Jiangyue’s cabin, they only had a restaurant.

If the restaurant ran a promotion, Lin Xuyuan said he’d be the first to join.

“Mr. Lin, do you have any ideas?”

Chu Jiangyue looked at Lin Xuyuan expectantly.

“The classic one is an eating contest. Finish a set amount of food in a limited time and win a free meal. Or a competition—who eats the most in a set period…”

Lin Xuyuan listed several promotional ideas often used in pre-apocalypse restaurants.

Now, only Chu Jiangyue probably had the means to run such events.

Hearing this, Lin Xuyuan felt a little envious.

“Sounds good, though just offering free meals might be a bit plain.”

Chu Jiangyue thought about what other prizes she could offer.

“Host, you forgot! That fruit tree is about to bear fruit.”

The little fox perched on Chu Jiangyue’s shoulder, tail flicking wildly, occasionally hitting her face, confident that others couldn’t see it.

Chu Jiangyue looked at the fully blossomed fruit tree and suddenly understood.

Although she had promised to sell the fruit to Shen Zhigui first, there were so many fruits that they couldn’t buy them all.

Using fresh fruit as prizes would surely attract many participants.

“You’re very thoughtful. When you have a physical form, I’ll make you something delicious.”

Chu Jiangyue wasn’t particularly skilled at much, but she had some talent in cooking.

It was a shame she never had the chance to learn systematically.

“Great! Host, if you need any tools for the event, I’ll help you get them!”

The newly hatched little fox was still a bit naive.

The restaurant promotion was settled, and Chu Jiangyue focused on the details while also using wood-type abilities to nourish the fruit tree daily.

Finally, three days later, the entire tree’s fruits ripened.

Standing beneath the tree, Chu Jiangyue looked at the bright red fruits. “These look a bit like apples, but not exactly…”

“Host, you can check your hotel item guide.”

Remembering the little fox’s reminder, Chu Jiangyue opened the hotel item guide from her system inventory and found the fruit description on the first page.

[Fire Fruit: Consumed by fire-type ability users, instantly restores 30% of abilities. No effect on other ability users. Promotes health in ordinary people.]
Suggested Price: 10 Silver Coins each

“I wonder if Boss Chu remembers our agreement.”

“Of course!”

Once promised, Chu Jiangyue wouldn’t forget unless it was due to irresistible circumstances.

“However, even though I have an agreement with you, I can’t sell all of them to you.”

Shen Zhigui nodded in understanding.

“Before selling to you, I need to explain the situation clearly.”