Chapter 354: First Prize Kitchen?

Chapter 354: Chapter 354: First Prize Kitchen?

"Yep. Thirty years of gutting fish at a superstore. My heart is hard as iron now," Lily Hart said, deadpan.

"Huh?" Frost Shaw was completely baffled. ’What’s a superstore? No, wait, how old is she? How could she have been gutting fish for thirty years?’

Seeing the utter confusion on his face, Lily Hart felt an inexplicable urge to laugh. "Alright, if you’re free, go help in the kitchen."

Frost Shaw scratched his head. "Oh..." His mind was still replaying what she had just said.

Once in the kitchen, he remarked, "Boss Hart did a good job on that fish, you know. She even scaled it."

Roman Rowe clicked his tongue in amazement. "Yeah, her movements were so efficient. Like she’d been gutting fish for decades."

"Huh? At a superstore, you mean?" Frost Shaw asked, growing even more confused.

"What superstore?" Roman Rowe was now confused by Frost’s expression.

Frost Shaw shook his head. "It’s nothing..." ’Why is everyone acting so weird today?’

With the four of them working together, the meal was quickly prepared. After gutting the fish, Lily Hart found herself with nothing to do, since both burners on the stove were already taken.

Roman Rowe had cooked the braised fish. It was vibrant in color with a rich aroma. The skin was pan-fried until crispy, yet the meat inside was perfectly tender.

Roman Rowe served the most tender piece of fish to Lily Hart first. "Since you’re the one who prepped it, it’s bound to be delicious."

’Doesn’t it depend on the cook? What does the person who prepped it have to do with anything?’

Although Lily Hart didn’t get his logic, she ate it happily. It really was more delicious than any braised fish she’d had before!

’Is this what happens when a dish is filled with expectations? So metaphysical~’

Cynthia Whittaker was also staring at the braised fish. She took a piece, ate it, and started making odd noises.

"Mmm~ It’s so good~ The fish is so tender~" Cynthia Whittaker squirmed around in her chair.

Lily Hart shot her a glance and smiled helplessly. "Can you just speak normally?"

"Oh!" Cynthia Whittaker chirped back at her. She sat up straight and ate properly, finally looking like a civilized person.

After lunch, Lily Hart sent a message to Elder Shaw: "I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. Don’t miss me too much~"

Elder Shaw replied with a thumbs-up emoji, and Lily Hart chuckled.

After putting away her Light Brain, Lily Hart propped her head on one hand and dozed off for a bit, only to be startled by gasps from outside.

She knew it was probably another grand prize; otherwise, they wouldn’t be this excited.

’Then again,’ she thought, ’this is a new base. Everyone is still clueless about everything.’

They’d probably shriek if someone scratched off a winning ticket for a fruit basket. Lily Hart shifted her position and continued to rest.

But the commotion didn’t die down. In fact, it seemed to be getting louder. She groggily opened her eyes and glanced over.

But from her seat, she couldn’t get a full view, so she asked Tina Jacobs, "What’s going on out there?"

Tina Jacobs was busy organizing the scratch-off tickets. At the question, she looked up and said in surprise, "I think someone just won the first prize."

"What?" The moment she heard that, Lily Hart shot up from her seat.

’Someone won the first prize right after we got to Phanfly Base,’ she thought. ’Looks like the stars have aligned.’

She strode over to the prize table and braced her hands on its surface.

Before her was a transparent glass room. Its interior looked just like a kitchen.

Stove, pots, cabinets, refrigerator, sterilizer, range hood... and so on.

It looked exactly like a home kitchen.

She checked the prize records. It really was a kitchen. ’Does this mean the winner has to cook for themselves? But where would they get the ingredients and spices?’

Curious, Lily Hart left the RV and pushed her way through the thick crowd.

She managed to squeeze her way to the glass room, where a small area had been cleared. A man stood inside.

He was scratching his head, looking troubled and conflicted about something.

Murmurs rose from the crowd. "Boss Hart." "It’s Boss Hart."

He snapped his head up and met Lily Hart’s scrutinizing gaze. As if clutching at a lifeline, his eyes lit up.

"Boss Hart, you’re here! Please, come take a look! I’m afraid to touch anything. What if I move something and break it? I could never afford to pay for it!" the man said frantically, even reaching out to pull her over.

’Just from that, I can tell he’s a chatterbox,’ she thought. ’Just like Roman Rowe.’

Lily Hart subtly sidestepped him and took two steps forward, stopping before the main door of the glass room.

There was a smart lock on it.

She ignored his barrage of questions and instead beckoned to him. "Come here."

The man obediently walked over. She grabbed his arm and positioned him firmly in front of the smart lock.

A red light on the smart lock flashed, and the door clicked open. "From now on, stand right here when you want to open the door," Lily Hart explained. "It uses a retinal scan. Got it?"

The man nodded dazedly. "A retinal scan... That’s so high-tech!"

Lily Hart then pulled him inside and shut the door behind them.

While it couldn’t block the probing, curious, and jealous stares from the crowd, it at least provided some soundproofing.

The man was still dazed. "Boss Hart, is this a kitchen? Am I supposed to cook? Or be a chef? What do you need me to do?"

Lily Hart had little patience for strangers. "I need you to shut up first."

The man was stunned for a second. "Oh..." He obediently closed his mouth, assessing the room with his eyes instead of his words.

Lily Hart opened the refrigerator; it was fully stocked with ingredients. All the necessary pots, pans, bowls, and utensils were there as well.

’Is he really supposed to work as a chef? To open a little restaurant? But we already have the food processing plants, don’t we?’

’Then again, the plants only produce pre-made meals. This would be freshly cooked food. It’s a different class of service.’

She turned and asked, "Can you cook?"

The man nodded eagerly. "I can! I was a chef before the apocalypse. I can handle just about any style of cuisine!"

’What a coincidence!’

"Then that’s perfect. Just focus on cooking good food," Lily Hart said, patting his shoulder as if entrusting him with a great responsibility.

"Huh? Cook? So, can I eat the food? Where will the ingredients come from? You’re not going to make me buy them, are you?" The man unleashed another volley of questions.

Lily Hart closed her eyes for a moment. "Do you have a Light Brain?"

The man nodded dazedly. "I do, I do. What do I need the Light Brain for? Is it to..."

"Open your Light Brain," Lily Hart interrupted. ’This guy really asks a lot of questions...’

’He’s even more of a motormouth than Roman Rowe!’

"Oh, okay." The man opened his Light Brain, and Lily Hart found the "Lily Hart" app on it.

She tapped it open, and a screen showing a floor plan of the kitchen appeared, with several small icons on the side.

They were for Settings, Shop, Instructions, and so on...

She tapped on the Shop, and a massive list of products instantly appeared. Of course, they were all kitchen-related.

For instance, vegetables, meat, seafood, and cookware. It was impossible to even search for items unrelated to the kitchen.

"Here you go. Figure the rest out on your own," Lily Hart said.

"Okay, but Boss Hart, the food I cook... is it just for me? Or can everyone else eat it too? Or can I sell it to other people?"

Lily Hart took a deep breath and said patiently, "You can sell the dishes you cook, but you can’t directly sell the raw goods from the shop. Understand?"

"Oh~" The man seemed to only partially understand. ’So, she wants me to be a chef here? To run a restaurant?’

’But I’m only one person. How many dishes can I possibly make in a single day?’

’Whatever! At least I won’t have to worry about starving anymore! As for selling... I’ll just do it when I feel like it~’

Lily Hart opened the kitchen door, stepped out, and was immediately swarmed by a crowd of would-be customers.