Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Open Kitchen

"Then learn," Lily Hart said. She opened the floor plan for Lily Hart’s Lottery Shop on her Light Brain and added an open kitchen next to the storage room.

It was the same size as the storage room and came fully equipped with pots, pans, dishes, a dishwasher, and a range hood.

The three of them stared, dumbfounded, at the open kitchen that had appeared out of thin air. ’Boss Hart’s ability to get things done is just too incredible.’

’She really just makes things happen.’ Just as they were thinking this, Lily Hart tossed a few cookbooks onto the table.

She leaned back, crossed her legs, and said nonchalantly, "Here, you all should learn. From now on, you can make whatever you want to eat."

Roman Rowe picked up a cookbook and flipped through it. It had cooking steps, the required ingredients, and even pictures.

"This! I want to eat this!" he said excitedly, pointing to the cola chicken wings.

Lily Hart took one look and immediately ordered the necessary ingredients for the cola chicken wings from the store. They were all raw and needed to be prepped.

"Alright, show us what you’ve got." Lily Hart gestured toward the kitchen.

Roman Rowe didn’t back down. He grabbed the cookbook, swept up the ingredients from the table, and swaggered into the kitchen.

Frost Shaw and Leo Colby followed him in, their curiosity piqued. They touched everything, finding it all incredibly novel.

’It feels like we haven’t seen or used these things in eight hundred years.’ Frost Shaw looked at Roman Rowe. "Do you even know how to use this stuff? Don’t break it."

"Nope," Roman Rowe said honestly.

The three fell silent. ’Then why did you strut in here like you were a five-star chef?’

Roman Rowe spread the cookbook open to one side and followed the steps, tremblingly scoring both sides of the chicken wings twice.

Next, he sliced some ginger and garlic. The stove was already on and ready to use. He filled a pot partway with water.

When the water boiled, he put the scored chicken wings and ginger slices into the pot, added a splash of cooking wine, and boiled them for three to five minutes.

Everything had gone smoothly so far. Lily Hart couldn’t help but ask, "Have you cooked before?"

Roman Rowe shook his head. "No. I wasn’t even fifteen when the apocalypse hit. But for some reason, as soon as I touched this cookware, I felt a strange sense of familiarity."

’Could this be a natural talent?’

He took the blanched chicken wings out, rinsed off the scum, and set them aside.

"Next up is..." Roman Rowe muttered the steps to himself as he read the cookbook.

He poured oil into the wok, and once it was hot, he added the ginger and garlic. After they became fragrant, he tossed in the chicken wings and stir-fried them for two minutes.

He poured in soy sauce and other seasonings and continued to stir-fry, then added the cola. He turned the heat to high, letting it bubble away. After a few minutes, he gave it a stir to keep it from sticking to the wok.

Then he added a suitable amount of salt, turned the heat down to low, and let it simmer for about ten minutes, stirring constantly. Finally, he turned the heat to high to reduce the sauce, sprinkled on some white sesame seeds, and it was ready to be served.

"Whoa~"

A sweet and savory aroma filled the kitchen and drifted outward. Lily Hart leaned in for a sniff. ’It looks really good.’

She praised him generously, "Not bad, Roman Rowe! To do this well on your first try, you’ve got a real talent. Come on, come on, just a few more dishes and we can eat!"

Roman Rowe’s confidence exploded after the praise. He asked point-blank, "What do you want to eat? I’ll make it!"

"Carrot, pork rib, and corn soup!" Lily Hart said without hesitation.

’It’s been so, so long since I’ve had this soup. The best part isn’t the ribs, it’s the carrots and the corn!’

Roman Rowe flipped through the cookbook and found the recipe. He grabbed the ingredients and started following the steps.

As for what Frost Shaw and Leo Colby wanted to eat? Not important~

Making soup takes a relatively long time, which the cookbook also mentioned. After a moment’s thought, Roman Rowe decided to make the other dishes first.

By the time the soup was ready and the other dishes were cooked, he emerged from the kitchen carrying the last plate.

Only one cola chicken wing was left. His gaze shifted to the left, meeting Lily Hart’s thoughtful smile. "I saved it for you."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Roman Rowe said, forcing a smile. He put the dish on the table and collapsed onto a stool as if he’d been completely drained.

He complained resentfully, "Cooking is surprisingly hard work."

Lily Hart praised him, "But you really are amazing. To make dishes of this quality on your first try? Do you understand how impressive that is?"

Roman Rowe immediately straightened his back. "Of course! You know who you’re dealing with~"

"In that case, you’ll be in charge of the cooking from now on. Frost Shaw and Easton can be your assistants," Lily Hart said quickly.

With that said, she popped a piece of carrot into her mouth. The fresh flavor filled her senses. ’Who else understands just how delicious the carrots in pork rib soup are!’

Roman Rowe’s freshly straightened back slumped again. He shot a disgusted look at Frost Shaw, wanting to refuse.

But then he saw the look of pure satisfaction on Lily Hart’s face as she drank her soup and thought, ’It’s just stir-frying a few dishes and making some soup. No big deal~’

’As long as Boss Hart is happy~’

"Let’s eat!" Roman Rowe said, forcing himself to sound enthusiastic. A second later, he looked from the kitchen to the table. "Where’s the rice?"

Only then did everyone realize they hadn’t made any rice!

Used to this, Lily Hart ordered three wooden buckets of rice from the store. "Here, eat up," she called out, as if hawking chickens and ducks.

In an instant, one bucket of rice was completely devoured. Paired with the freshly cooked dishes, it tasted amazing.

’Maybe it really is a natural talent,’ Lily Hart thought.

After a happy meal, Lily Hart felt sleepy again. She looked at the two little cats fast asleep on the floor next to the table.

’Can they still shrink? Otherwise, they won’t fit in the two cat beds upstairs.’

Once everyone had finished eating and was slipping into a food coma, Lily Hart saw that it was dark outside and shooed them off. "Clean up and go to bed."

Everyone got up and cleared the table without being asked, neatly loading the dishes into the dishwasher and wiping the table until it was sparkling clean again.

Lily Hart watched them leave, then reached out to nudge the two big cats. "Hey, wakey-wakey. Don’t sleep here, go upstairs to sleep."

They were lying there like big lions. A few kids who came by earlier had been startled when they saw them, but once they realized they were cats, they happily came over to pet them.

"Meow~" They meowed as they slowly got up and followed her upstairs. The higher they went, the smaller their bodies became, until they were back to their original size.

Lily Hart turned back to call to them but didn’t see the two big cats. She glanced down and spotted them, letting out a gasp. She went down a few steps and scooped both of them into her arms.

"You two... ’Getting big and small is really so magical~?’" Lily Hart sang the last part, unable to keep from laughing at herself.

Lily meowed a few more times. To Lily Hart, it sounded something like, ’Nana and I are super strong now. We can get even bigger than this vehicle!’

Lily Hart was surprised and curiously asked why.

Lily snuggled in her arms, trying hard to remember, and meowed drowsily: ’Last night, I had a yummy, yummy little drink, and then I fell asleep... and today I woke up like this.’

Lily Hart had a guess. The two kittens had probably smelled her blood, had a couple of licks, and ended up like this.

’Isn’t this effect a little too immediate? And it’s way too powerful...’

She suppressed her astonishment and secretly vowed to take her business seriously tomorrow. She couldn’t keep slacking off.

After her shower, Lily Hart lay in bed playing on her Light Brain. She scrolled through the "Human Social Sphere" app. The last time she’d posted was... well, the last time. But under her most recent post...