Chapter 341: The Lettuce Is Growing Really Well

Chapter 341: Chapter 341: The Lettuce Is Growing Really Well

Stan Sterling flinched, clearly startled by her sudden appearance. He turned to see her profile as she gazed upward.

Her jawline was distinct and her nose was delicate. It was as if every feature was perfect.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the peach tree’s branches, dappling them both in patches of light as if they were bathed in its glow.

One patch of light happened to land on Lily Hart’s earlobe, making it look as translucent as jade.

Stan Sterling stared, a little lost in the sight, until Lily Hart, hearing no response from him, tilted her head to look over.

"What are you looking at?" Lily Hart asked suspiciously.

The moment she glanced over, Stan Sterling quickly averted his gaze and fixed it on the vegetables diagonally behind her.

"L-look, that head of lettuce is growing really well," Stan Sterling stammered, flustered.

Lily Hart followed his gaze. It was crisp and vibrant green—it really was growing nicely.

"Alright! We’re having lettuce in oyster sauce tonight!" Lily Hart declared.

"?" A look of confusion crossed Stan Sterling’s face before he burst out laughing. ’For the lettuce, this is probably the best possible outcome.’

Still laughing, Stan Sterling went and picked the head of lettuce, cradling it in his arms like a precious treasure.

He even secretly took a picture of it, adding the caption: The vegetable she picked.

While they were talking, one of the peach trees was picked completely clean, not a single fruit left.

Lily Hart looked over and smiled. "This machine does a good job. It deserves a big reward!"

Stan Sterling played along, pulling out a Crystal Core and slipping it into the machine’s slot. "Then let’s reward it with a Crystal Core."

The movements were so smooth and natural that after he said it, even Stan Sterling himself was stunned.

But when his eyes met Lily Hart’s, her face was full of amusement. She laughed and instinctively patted his shoulder.

Stan Sterling scratched his head in embarrassment. ’My brain must have short-circuited to make me feed the machine a Crystal Core. How did I get so childish too?’

’But it looked like I made her laugh, hehe.’

Watching the machine pick fruit was surprisingly interesting. It was like a diligent gardener, working conscientiously and not missing a single piece of fruit.

The two of them stood by the vegetable patch, watching the robot pick fruit. It was surprisingly relaxing.

When a basket was full, the robot would produce another one. Once it had filled a fifth basket, it retracted its mechanical arm and placed all five fruit-filled baskets on the ground.

Stan Sterling moved the fruit into storage. When the time came for the sale, whoever managed to buy some would have it shipped directly from there.

Only after it had picked every last fruit and vegetable in the garden did the robot stop. Its mechanical arm drooped to the ground, and it retracted all its tools, looking completely drained.

"This is killing me! Can this robot get tired?" Lily Hart reached out and poked it. She didn’t use much force, but the robot swayed unsteadily.

Stan Sterling pulled out another Crystal Core, slid it into the slot, and said with a perfectly straight face, "It’s probably hungry again."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the robot, which had been slumped over and on the verge of collapse, instantly straightened up, standing tall with its "chest" puffed out.

This sent them both into another fit of laughter. ’If it weren’t for this robot, what else would make us laugh so much!’

Stan Sterling snuck a glance at Lily Hart and saw her doubled over with laughter. The bun on top of her head bobbed up and down, looking like a little chick pecking at grain.

A few strands of hair had come loose and framed her ears, adding to her charming innocence. He couldn’t help but let out a laugh himself. ’This harvesting robot was definitely the right purchase.’

After laughing for a while, Lily Hart straightened up with her hands on her hips. She caught her breath and said, "All the vegetables are picked. What are we still doing here? To the lottery shop?"

Stan Sterling nodded, agreeing with unconcealed eagerness. The two of them walked side by side toward the RV.

The path from the garden to the lottery shop passed by the night market and the bathhouse.

It was still early in the day, but under the night market’s awnings, the stall owners were already waiting.

They had been moving between bases frequently of late, and the vendors had been told to stay in the factory with their equipment, only coming out once they reached their destination.

As people who had been displaced by the apocalypse, they were extremely adaptable. They had even started earning Crystal Cores from their stalls, enough to rent rooms in the hotel and sleep comfortably during the day.

When evening came, they’d go to the night market to run their stalls and earn money. They could even occasionally visit the bathhouse to relax. Their lives were carefree and happy—truly the envy of others.

Looking at the night market, Lily Hart suddenly felt a craving. She muttered, "I could go for some candied fruit."

The moment Stan Sterling heard her, he immediately offered, "I’ll go buy you a couple of skewers."

"No need. It’s not open yet," Lily Hart said, starting toward the night market. "Besides, they don’t know you, so they wouldn’t sell to you anyway." Stan Sterling hurried to keep up.

When they were still some distance away, the stall owners rushed over to greet her, each one of them beaming and scrambling to be the first to say hello.

"Boss Hart, what brings you here?"

"Boss Hart, craving some stinky tofu?"

"Oh my, if you want to eat something, just let us know! We’ll deliver it right to you. It’s no trouble at all!"

"That’s right, you don’t need to come all the way over here yourself."

Faced with the barrage of greetings, Lily Hart smiled and responded to each one. Stan Sterling stood beside her like a handsome attendant.

Lily Hart’s gaze swept across the crowd before settling on the candied fruit vendor. The man stiffened, thinking he’d done something wrong.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Lily Hart ask, "Could I have a few skewers of candied fruit?"

The vendor breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly. With everyone watching, he fumbled to turn on his equipment. A minute later, he had a bundle of ten or so skewers of candied fruit ready.

He shoved them all into Lily Hart’s hands. "Boss Hart, please, take them! If it’s not enough, just come back for more!"

Lily Hart gestured for Stan Sterling to get out a Crystal Core, but the vendor tried to refuse payment. They went back and forth, one trying to pay and the other pushing the payment away.

"Just take it," Lily Hart said with a smile. "If you don’t, I’ll be too embarrassed to come here again." She took the Crystal Core from Stan Sterling’s hand and tried to give it to the vendor, but he was still reluctant.

The other vendors chimed in. "Yeah, just take it. Don’t make things awkward for Boss Hart."

"Boss Hart is just being considerate. It’s not easy running a stall at night."

Lily Hart’s smile was radiant. She didn’t contradict the other vendors’ persuasive words, simply pushing the Crystal Core a little closer to the man.

Bombarded by everyone, the candied fruit vendor felt he couldn’t refuse Boss Hart any longer. He reluctantly accepted the payment and said out of habit, "Come again if you like it!"

"No problem," Lily Hart agreed cheerfully.

She handed half the skewers to Stan Sterling, then picked out a green grape one for herself, unwrapped it, and started to eat.

She waved to the vendors. "I’ll be going now. Keep up the great work, everyone."

Hearing her words, the vendors felt a strange surge of motivation. They began passionately pledging their loyalty, "We’ll work our hardest, Boss Hart! You can count on it!"

Lily Hart waved goodbye, and Stan Sterling hurried to follow. Cradling an armful of candied fruit, he couldn’t help but feel a bit like a tagalong.

After leaving the night market, Lily Hart went to the hotel. Leo Colby was in the middle of checking in a guest and was a little surprised to see her. His gaze then shifted to the person behind her.

’Was that Stan Sterling following her?’ But before he could say a word...

...Lily Hart had already hurried away, leaving a single skewer of candied fruit on the counter. It was strawberry.