Chapter 397: Zhengxin Chicken Cutlet

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: Zhengxin Chicken Cutlet

There was also a small storage room in the back, which could be used for miscellaneous items.

"Want to give it a try?" Lily Hart asked.

"Yeah, yeah!" Brock Finch was eager, but he didn’t quite know where to begin.

Lily Hart first showed Brock Finch how to purchase ingredients and tools from the store, then had him stack everything in the freezer once they were bought.

As she gave instructions, Brock Finch followed along. His movements were reasonably quick and efficient.

The chicken cutlets were semi-prepared, so all they had to do was deep-fry them.

"Alright, first, let’s use the tongs to pick up a cutlet and place it in the fryer," Lily Hart directed. Brock Finch did as he was told.

The oil was already hot. As soon as the chicken cutlet went in, it began to SIZZLE, and a fragrant aroma instantly filled the air. Brock Finch’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

’Who would have thought I’d get to eat fried chicken in the apocalypse?’

There was a timer on the fryer. When it went off, Lily Hart took out the cutlet and placed it on a metal tray to the side to cool.

Beside the tray were various seasonings, like cumin powder and sweet plum powder.

All you had to do was sprinkle them on the cutlet according to the customer’s preference.

Brock Finch understood perfectly. But what he wanted most right now was... to eat this chicken cutlet!

Lily Hart wanted to eat too. Giving them haircuts had been surprisingly draining. Even though she wasn’t the one doing the cutting, it was just as tiring.

So she picked up a nearby knife and, with a few quick chops, cut it in half. She then took out the special paper bags for the cutlets and packed one half for each of them.

"Here." She handed a bag to Brock Finch.

The two of them squatted by the display case near the entrance, eating as if no one else was there.

The chicken cutlet shop was next to the night market, which was next to the bubble tea shop. A customer, having just bought a drink, came out and spotted the conspicuous pair.

Smelling the fragrant aroma of fried chicken in the air, they couldn’t help but be drawn over. They asked hesitantly, "Are you selling these?"

Lily Hart glanced at Brock Finch. "You can open for business today if you want."

The prices were already set, so they could start selling immediately.

Brock Finch nodded eagerly. "Okay, let’s open today! I feel like it’s an auspicious day."

Lily Hart had no idea how he’d determined that, but it didn’t stop her from being supportive. "Alright. Good luck."

With that, she got up to leave, with no intention of staying to help. But her conscience pricked her, so she stood at the entrance and watched for a bit.

For today, he was only selling chicken cutlets. The process was simple: open the package, place the cutlet in the fryer, take it out when the timer finished, put it on the tray, and sprinkle on the seasonings.

Brock Finch’s movements were fairly quick and practiced, and he was just about managing to keep up.

Lily Hart watched for a bit before leaving, satisfied. ’I just love shopkeepers who don’t need to be babied.’

Walking on from the chicken cutlet shop, she passed by each of the other stores. She peeked inside every one and saw that they were all busy.

No one noticed her arrival, but Lily Hart didn’t mind. She would just pop in, take a look, and leave. Seeing everyone so occupied put her at ease.

When she reached the factory, she went inside for a look and found a new assembly line. She walked over to the busy Seth. "Did you upgrade again?"

Seth was running around nonstop, but he still took a moment when he saw Lily Hart. "Yeah. I think it’s for producing medical supplies. But I’m already struggling to keep up with selling the products from the other two lines, so I haven’t started this one yet."

Lily Hart frowned. "Why don’t you buy a few robots? They’re really useful. You can’t keep working yourself this hard. Besides, as you get more assembly lines, you’ll never be able to keep up."

Seth looked up. He had considered it but had never found the time to look for suitable robots.

He knew that Stan Sterling and Frost Shaw were already using robots, and that Lily Hart had helped them set them up.

’Forget it,’ he thought. ’Lily Hart is busy too. She definitely doesn’t have time to help me with it.’

Still, the idea of having a robot was appealing. "Alright, I’ll look into it when I have some free time."

Seeing how busy he was, Lily Hart said, "Don’t worry, I’m free right now. I can help you out." With that, she found a stool, sat down, and started browsing.

’I just need to find one similar to the robots at the breakfast shop.’

’As long as they can help Seth sell meal boxes and clothes, it’ll be fine.’ With that thought, she bought two robots identical to the ones at the breakfast shop.

After the purchase went through, Lily Hart took out the robots.

She then programmed their operating instructions. Once activated, the two robots each headed toward an assembly line.

One stopped in front of the fast-food line, picking up each meal box as it came off the belt and stacking it on a small nearby cart.

Once the cart was full, the robot would push it to the sales window for Seth. Now he just had to hand the boxes out, which saved him a lot of work.

The other robot stood before the clothing line. It picked up each garment as it came off, swiftly folded it, and placed it in a large plastic bin on the side.

Lily Hart clapped her hands in satisfaction. She walked over to the medical supplies assembly line and flipped the switch.

Once it started up, Lily Hart stood by the line, waiting quietly.

The first item was... Ibuprofen extended-release capsules. ’Not bad. Useful. Good for pain relief.’

The second... Cold remedy granules. ’Also good. A cold might seem minor, but in the apocalypse, it can be a death sentence.’

The third... Gauze. ’Very useful. For bandaging wounds, since not every base has a clinic yet.’

’It’s all pretty practical stuff.’ Lily Hart grabbed a basket and held it under the end of the line to catch the items.

’Alright, I’ll discuss this with Elder Shaw when I get the chance. This could be another great way to make money.’

With the robots in place, Seth’s workload eased considerably. He even came over to Lily Hart and said, "Since you’ve already bought two, why not get one more to man the sales window?"

"Hmm, good idea. That would make things even easier for you. But remember to feed them Crystal Cores on time, or they’ll run out of power," Lily Hart advised, casually ordering another robot as she spoke.

Now completely freed up, Seth watched Lily Hart leave the factory.

Lily Hart returned to the lottery shop. She had just sat down when she was told someone had won a machine from a scratch-off ticket. She was puzzled. ’So what if someone won a machine? Big deal...’

Still, she resignedly got up. Situations like this were usually not simple. For Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs to be surprised enough to come tell her, it had to be something major.

She climbed down from her RV again. Before her stood a two-meter-tall machine that looked a lot like a vending machine, except it wasn’t selling food.

It was selling... Light Brains?

’I’ve been wanting one of these for a while now, and someone actually won it!’

’Although, I was thinking of a shop that sells Light Brains, not a machine. Oh well, as long as it sells Light Brains, it’s fine.’

She walked over. A man was circling the machine, his face beaming with excitement.

Seeing Lily Hart, the man’s face lit up with a smile. "Boss Hart, you’re here! It’s a Light Brain rental machine!"

’Rental? Not for sale?’

Lily Hart stepped forward curiously and examined the machine. Through a transparent glass panel, she could see five rows, each holding seven Light Brains on display racks.

They came in various forms: wristwatches, rings, necklaces, and bracelets.

There was a small screen on the side where you could select which Light Brain to rent. The rental duration and the model determined the price.

Lily Hart tried selecting the basic wristwatch model. A one-day rental was only 100 points! And the longer the rental period, the cheaper it became!