Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Pork Stomach and Chicken

The three of them spent five minutes discussing what to have for dinner.

When Leo Colby arrived, the three were deep in a heated discussion. He suddenly chimed in, "I vote for Pork Stomach and Chicken Soup."

Roman Rowe wailed, "Didn’t we just have Coconut Chicken yesterday? We’re having chicken again today? How are the chickens supposed to survive this!"

"One vote for Pork Stomach and Chicken Soup," Lily Hart said, silently raising her hand.

"+1." Frost Shaw raised his hand without hesitation. Roman Rowe, now fighting a losing battle, glared at him and cursed, "Traitor!"

Lily Hart stepped in to take charge, making a decision rather than trying to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, we’re having Pork Stomach and Chicken Soup." The corners of Frost Shaw’s mouth had just begun to turn up.

...when they heard Lily Hart say to Roman Rowe, "We’ll listen to you tomorrow, okay?" With that, she reached out and ruffled his golden hair.

Roman Rowe was instantly overjoyed. No longer fussing over the small matter, he nodded repeatedly. "Okay, okay!" For some reason, he glanced guiltily at Frost Shaw.

Seeing that his expression was normal, Roman breathed a sigh of relief. Then he realized, ’What do I have to be guilty about? Boss Hart belongs to everyone! Not just him!’

At the dining table, each of them was lost in their own thoughts. Frost Shaw hugged a cushion, his head bowed as he pondered something. Roman Rowe, on the other hand, was buzzing with a bit of excitement, stealing occasional glances at Lily Hart.

Leo Colby was silent, as always, fiddling with his Light Brain and scrolling through guest check-in information.

"Coming through, coming through! Careful, it’s hot," Lily Hart called out.

Everyone who had been slouching, leaning, or messing around on the table quickly made way. They cleared their things, and the wide table was instantly tidy again.

The next second, three steaming pots appeared on the table, placed on heat-resistant mats. The pots were filled with a milky-white broth, brimming with pieces of chicken and pork stomach.

One pot also contained chestnuts, while another had red dates and goji berries. Beside the pots lay an assortment of side dishes.

The savory aroma wafted up with the steam, tickling everyone’s noses. The sight of the bubbling pots, combined with everyone’s eager expressions, created an unexpectedly heartwarming scene.

After taking her seat, Lily Hart helped herself to the most tender cut of meat from a chicken leg.

It was perfectly tender, easy to chew, and incredibly flavorful. It didn’t even need any dipping sauce. One bite was enough to feel like your life had ascended.

"Come on, eat up! You need to eat more meat to grow big and tall!" Lily Hart chirped, serving meat to the "little brats."

Upon hearing this, Frederick Shaw immediately grabbed two more pieces and dug in, eating with fierce determination. ’I have to grow taller and stronger so I can protect Boss Hart!’

Roman Rowe eagerly shuffled closer, holding up his bowl and batting his big eyes. Lily Hart had been about to stop serving and focus on her own meal.

But she stood up anyway and ladled him a full bowl of meat and pork stomach. "Here," she said. "Eat up."

Frost Shaw held his bowl, his fingertips gripping the rim. He considered trying to be as shameless as Roman Rowe several times, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do it...

Lily Hart sat down again, took a sip of the soup, and sighed in satisfaction. ’This is so good!’

Once the chicken and pork stomach were gone, they added the side dishes. No one liked to be wasteful, so even though they were stuffed by the end, they made sure to finish everything.

They ate until everything was gone, leaving everyone completely satisfied. Lily Hart leaned back in a stupor and happened to glance toward the bathhouse.

At some point, its lights had been turned off and its doors closed...

Lily Hart looked away. Everyone else had already started clearing the table, putting the used bowls and chopsticks into the dishwasher in the utility room.

The pots and the plates for the side dishes had come with the food order, but the bowls and chopsticks they used were their own, so of course, they had to be washed for next time.

Once the area was clean, everyone gradually departed.

Lily Hart was stuffed and didn’t feel like moving, so she stayed on the first floor.

Before long, Stan Sterling arrived. He seemed a little surprised to find the lottery shop still open. He took thirty Crystal Cores from his pocket. "Boss Hart, I’m returning your Crystal Cores."

Lily Hart sat up in her lounge chair and peered over. "Just put them over there," she said dismissively, before lying back down.

If Stan Sterling hadn’t brought it up, she would have forgotten all about it. She vaguely recalled he owed her four hundred Crystal Cores... right? ’That’s a fortune!’ She sat bolt upright again and walked over.

She took a look. ’This is only a few dozen.’

Still, she wasn’t one to complain. She swept them all into a drawer. ’This is so inconvenient. If only I had a personal storage space!’

Stan Sterling had thought Boss Hart wouldn’t get up and was about to leave, slightly disappointed. But when he heard a noise behind him, he spun around, his eyes lighting up.

The sparkle in his eyes was brighter than the stars in the sky, but Lily Hart didn’t notice. She just said, "Is that all?" before sitting down and looking up at him.

Stan Sterling froze. "I... I’ll keep working hard to hunt zombies," he stammered.

Lily Hart looked him up and down, guessing he had just gotten back from a hunt. His white t-shirt was soaked with sweat from the collar down, clinging to his skin.

A light breeze blew past, revealing the well-defined, lean muscles underneath.

’Gotta say, he really has what it takes to be a kept man. That waist is so trim, you can tell it’s powerful. His shoulders aren’t Pacific-Ocean-wide, but paired with that narrow waist, the whole look is really harmonious. Very nice.’

"Hmm... Stay safe," Lily Hart said, propping her chin on her hand. Her gaze was locked on him, and she wasn’t sure why she’d said that.

"Thank you, Boss Hart." Stan Sterling’s face flushed, and he looked quite shy.

Lily Hart smiled and casually handed him a loaf of bread. "Don’t rush to pay back the Crystal Cores. We’ll probably be heading to Spring-Watch Base early tomorrow morning, so don’t wander off."

’If you run off, we might just leave without you during the transfer.’

’I don’t care if you’re a kept man or a spy. As long as you’re here, you’re my customer. I’m not in a hurry. I’ll wait for you to show your true colors.’

Stan Sterling took the bread with both hands and nodded obediently. He peeked at her cautiously, then quickly looked away.

Lily Hart didn’t miss that glance. She sneered inwardly. ’Do they teach acting and how to best seduce women in their "kept man" training classes...?’

’He’s too good at this. That shy, timid little peek.’

"Well... I’ll head back then. You should get some rest, Boss Hart." Stan Sterling turned to leave. The back of his shirt was almost completely soaked through, revealing the solid muscles of his back.

Lily Hart’s eyes followed him until he entered the hotel. ’I’m definitely not the type to swoon over a handsome man,’ she told herself. ’It’s just that his identity is suspicious. He requires long-term observation.’

’Right.’

’That’s exactly it.’

Lily Hart closed up the vehicle and went upstairs to wash up and go to sleep.

「The next day.」

Lily Hart was jolted awake by the fervent sound of gongs and drums. Bleary-eyed, she shuffled to the window in her pajamas and slippers.

She pulled the curtain open a crack and peeked her head out. The scene below shocked her.

About a hundred people were scattered in front of the RV. The dozen or so people at the very front included someone carrying a drum and others banging gongs. All of them were in high spirits, dressed in their cleanest clothes.

Standing in front of the makeshift band was a single man: Douglas Donovan. He wore a bright red shirt and black pants and was playing a suona.

The piercing sound seemed to echo endlessly, seeping through every crack and crevice. It was perfectly clear even from inside the RV.

She threw the curtains wide open, shoved the window up, and yelled down, "Douglas Donovan! What do you think you’re doing?!"

Before he could answer, the hundred-odd people began to chant in unison, "We respectfully send off Boss Hart from Fortune Base! May your path ahead be clear and bright!"

They repeated this three times.