BXBX NOVEL Chapter 6: Borrowing a Tablet from Her
Chapter 6
As they walked, Gu Wanyin silently asked the system, "System, can guests enter the Grand Cafeteria? Or should they just wait at the entrance?"
"Guests can enter the Grand Cafeteria, but they cannot enter the Main Room or use any items inside it," the system replied.
"Alright, I understand."
Gu Wanyin led Dong Yue into the Grand Cafeteria, where she immediately smelled the aroma of food.
She saw Cola and Hamburger eating fried rice with eggs, along with twice-cooked pork and spicy chicken. Her eyes widened in amazement!
Goodness gracious!
What was she seeing?!
There were eggs, rice, and meat!
This was the apocalypse! Resources were scarce! Who besides the higher-ups at the Survivor Base and some powerful high-level Ability Users could eat such things?
Yet this hotel had them!
If she hadn't just eaten half a piece of bread... she might not have been able to control herself from pouncing on the food right away!
"Can... can I buy all of those?" Dong Yue asked, swallowing hard.
"Of course you can," Gu Wanyin smiled. "Come, there are freshly made dishes for you. Let's go over here so you can choose."
She led Dong Yue to the large machine and showed her the menu.
The unlocked dishes were all at the top, so there was no need to scroll down to find them.
"These are what's available for sale now. Oh, and we also have instant noodles, bread, and milk," Gu Wanyin said.
"You even have milk?" Dong Yue marveled again.
Her eyes scanned the screen back and forth before she asked, "Sister Manager, how many points for a boiled egg?"
"One point each."
"What about the spicy chicken and fried rice?"
"Fried rice is three points, and spicy chicken is five points per plate."
Gu Wanyin actually thought the prices were a bit low, but not unreasonably so. Besides, the system had said to attract customers, and lower prices would stimulate consumption.
Sure enough, the system didn't object.
Dong Yue looked down at the nine hundred points left on her card, then thought about her life over the past year or so... She gritted her teeth, deciding to splurge just this once!
"Sister, I'll have one fried rice, one plate of spicy chicken, and a serving of milk!"
"Alright," Gu Wanyin smiled.
She tapped on the machine first, selecting one fried rice and one spicy chicken.
Soon, two plates appeared at the food outlet, with steaming hot spicy chicken on them.
Before Gu Wanyin could say anything, Dong Yue eagerly picked them up, found the nearest chair to sit down, put the plates on the table, and started eating with her hands.
Feeling a bit sad at the sight, Gu Wanyin brought her a pair of chopsticks.
Dong Yue accepted them with a sheepish smile.
"The milk isn't here. Wait a moment, I'll go get it for you. What flavor do you want?"
"It's okay, Sister Manager, no rush! Plain is fine!" Dong Yue mumbled with her mouth full of chicken.
Gu Wanyin returned to the Main Room.
Milk, like bread and instant noodles, should be in the kitchen cabinets of the Main Room.
Sure enough, there were now some milk cartons in the cabinet, including boxed, bagged, and bottled varieties.
She thought bottled would be more convenient, so she took four bottles of plain milk and returned to the cafeteria.
There, she found that Dong Yue had already eaten half of her fried rice and spicy chicken.
"Slow down," Gu Wanyin said with a wry smile as she handed over the milk. "Aren't you afraid of upsetting your stomach?"
"Hehe," Dong Yue grinned sheepishly. "It's just been so long since I've had a proper meal..."
Then she opened the milk and took several big gulps.
Gu Wanyin didn't disturb her enjoyment of the food further. She went back to sit with Cola and Hamburger, giving each of them a bottle of milk and opening one for herself.
Then she noticed that they had barely touched their dishes, only eating their own portions of fried rice and fried eggs.
"Why aren't you eating these two dishes?" she asked curiously. "Don't they taste good?"
"No, that's not it. We wanted to save them for you, Sister," Cola said. "If we eat too much, there'll be less for you."
Gu Wanyin felt deeply touched.
These two kids, still so young, were already so considerate!
"I forgot to tell you, these dishes are like the instant noodles and bread - they're unlimited. You can't finish them all, so there's no need to save them for me," Gu Wanyin said with a smile.
Hearing this, Cola and Hamburger finally started eating heartily.
A mouthful of rice, a bite of meat, they were thoroughly satisfied.
The milk was also sweet and delicious, even better than milk from before the apocalypse!
Dong Yue had long since finished eating. She resisted the urge to lick the plate clean and sat there slowly sipping her milk.
How long had it been since she last experienced this feeling of satisfaction from a full meal?
Since the apocalypse began, she hadn't eaten her fill once!
After all, she was only sixteen now, just an ordinary high school freshman before the apocalypse.
After the apocalypse, she hadn't awakened any special abilities. The fact that she had managed to stumble through and survive until now was already quite an achievement.
Gu Wanyin had also finished her meal and was internally asking the system how to handle these plates. Should she wash them?
Although there was a dishwasher in the Main Room's kitchen, it would still be a big job when there were more guests in the future.
"Of course not," the system said. "Put the plates in that sink over there, and this system will automatically recycle and clean them. Also, all plates used for serving food are absolutely clean, so please rest assured."
Gu Wanyin breathed a sigh of relief and put the plates away. She then told Dong Yue, "Just put the plates here when you're done."
After Dong Yue put her plates away, she asked with a blushing face, "Sister Manager, I have one more request..."
"Go ahead."
"Can I... can I borrow your tablet for a while? Just for a little bit!" Dong Yue's face was full of longing.
"I'm sorry, but that's not possible," Gu Wanyin refused immediately.
The tablet was from the Main Room, and according to the system's rules, she couldn't lend it to guests.
"Really? I can pay with points!" Dong Yue said anxiously. "Sister Manager, I don't want to play with it. I want to use the tablet to try and log into social media, to contact my parents... We've been separated for a year due to the zombie pursuit."
Although she knew the chances were slim - after all, even if she could log into social media, how would her parents do the same? - she still didn't want to give up that tiny glimmer of hope...
Gu Wanyin looked at her sympathetically but still said, "I'm sorry, but it's really not possible."
She felt sympathy, but she couldn't violate the system's rules for this, could she?
What if the system kicked her and Cola and Hamburger out?
This was the apocalypse! She had to prioritize her own safety above all else.
Dong Yue was a bit disappointed but said, "I understand. Thank you, Sister Manager."
The food was good here, the accommodation was nice, and they were safe from zombies - it was already heaven. She couldn't be too greedy. Even if the manager wouldn't let her use the tablet, that was her right.
It's just... she missed her mom and dad so much...
After Dong Yue went back to rest, Gu Wanyin suddenly heard the system's voice in her mind: "New guests have arrived. Please go to the first-floor lobby promptly to check them in."