As soon as the door opened, it revealed a floor covered with clothes and a tall stack of shoe boxes, while the windowsill was piled high with bags of dried goods.
Charlotte changed into a pair of slippers and planned to tackle the clothes first.
She tore open all the packaging bags, tossed the dresses into the washing machine for a rinse, and while the first cycle was running, she used a black marker to label the shoe boxes with their styles and colors.
This way, she wouldn't have to open each box to check later.
The shoe cabinet by the door was definitely not going to fit everything, so she looked around the room and decided to stack the shoe boxes in the southeast corner of the living room, where there was some space.
Charlotte took out the thicker shoes from the shoe cabinet and arranged them in three rows, with various heels, styles, and colors, placing the shoes she had been wearing these days on the bottom row.
The shoe boxes lined the wall up to the top, filling an entire row, looking extremely impressive.
At this point, the washing machine chimed, indicating that the cycle was complete.
Charlotte took the nearly dry clothes from the machine, hung them on a rack to dry, and then put another batch of clothes into the machine to wash.
She grabbed an oversized plastic bag, stuffed in all the useless packaging, and put in any damaged clothing. Finally, she cleared a space to organize the dried goods.
Picking up a bag at random, she checked the date and found that it was all expired.
But the food inside looked perfectly fine, without a hint of green mold.
Maybe the preservatives were extremely effective?
Charlotte didn't dwell on it. She divided the items into two equal parts and packed them into plastic bags, planning to take them upstairs for Jeremy to try later. If they were still okay, she could put them up for sale.
The rest she didn't plan to eat herself but intended to display in the showcase for sale. She wondered if expired products would pose a problem.
It seemed she would need to ask Jeremy about that later.
After working hard for two or three hours, she was utterly exhausted, lying on the sofa feeling completely drained.
Today's exercise had definitely exceeded her limits... but it was worth it...
Charlotte lay on the sofa, looking at the wall full of shoe boxes and the hundreds of clothes hanging to dry, feeling immensely satisfied.
She would gladly experience this kind of tiredness ten thousand times.
When the last batch of clothes was finished washing, she dragged her weary body to hang the clothes on the rack, had a sip of water, and then grabbed a huge bag of dried goods to take outside.
"Bear, come over and help! Take this bag upstairs!"
Bear, who had been cleaning, put down her cloth and came over. With a look of anticipation from Charlotte, she effortlessly lifted the bag with one hand and took the elevator upstairs.
Charlotte then carried another bag, closed the door behind her, and headed upstairs.
On the second floor, Bear stood obediently by the elevator, holding the items and waiting patiently.
"Here, Bear, take this to the breakfast room."
Charlotte opened the door to the breakfast room and gestured for Bear to come in.
The breakfast room had previously been off-limits during non-meal times, but after lying on the sofa and pondering, Charlotte decided that inviting Jeremy for dinner would be inappropriate in room 201 or the lobby. Hence, she finalized the breakfast room as the venue.
By removing the restriction on the breakfast room, she made it accessible for herself and allowed her to invite guests, thus solving the problem of finding a place to host a dinner.
The breakfast room's tables and chairs had been replaced with a set from the supermarket, featuring solid wood tables and matching chairs that looked more upscale compared to the original plastic ones.
"Bear, wipe the seats and disinfect them."
While Bear was cleaning, Charlotte opened the food court and ordered from the highest-rated hot pot restaurant. She chose a yin-yang hot pot, two servings of oil dipping sauce and tea, and for the meat, she ordered braised chicken feet, fresh duck intestines, fish roe shrimp balls, beef slices, lamb slices (three plates each), crispy tripe, and quail eggs.
For vegetables, she got a nine-compartment vegetable platter, crystal noodles, lotus root and kelp platter, green bamboo shoots, and sweet potato noodles.
For snacks, she ordered brown sugar glutinous rice balls and wide noodles.
For desserts, she chose ice tangyuan, ice three-flavor dessert, three bottles of ice-cold beer, and a jug of corn juice.
These items cost her 299 points, bringing her total expenditure to 400 points including lunch.
When Bear had finished cleaning, she placed two tables together, set the hot pot in the middle, and arranged the plates of meat and vegetables beside it, followed by desserts and beer.
Everything was laid out on the two tables.
"Bear, go invite the guest from room 201."
Bear turned and went out.
The food ordered from the food court didn't require any electricity; the hot pot automatically adjusted its temperature, so even outdoors, there was no need to worry.
Soon, the door to the breakfast room opened, and Jeremy walked in behind Bear.
He had changed into a simple black T-shirt and jeans, looking as though he had just taken a shower, with damp hair.
Charlotte couldn't help but glance at him when he wasn't as covered up.
Speaking of which, Jeremy had quite fair skin.
"Come on, sit down. I promised to treat you to a meal."
The hot pot was his own request, located on the fourth floor of the shoe store.
Charlotte had expected him to choose barbecue, as barbecue and alcohol were a classic combination.
Jeremy, hiding his surprise, took a seat graciously. He casually opened a beer and took a few hearty sips.
"Refreshing!" Jeremy raised the corn juice and poured her a glass, then poured himself another glass of beer, his eyes filled with sincerity. "Summer老板, thank you."
Charlotte understood the implication in his words and smiled, saying, "Don't mention it. I should be the one thanking you for finding so many useful items today. In fact, treating you to a meal is my advantage!"
"No, these items are things nobody would want. Now, food is the most precious! Boss treated me to two meals today, and I have nothing to offer in return." Jeremy lowered his gaze and casually tapped the beer bottle with his fingers.
He didn't like being indebted to others.
The table was filled with fresh ingredients, giving him an odd feeling as if he were being sold.
He couldn't fathom her true abilities, but it was clear that a comfortable environment and delicious food were essential.
A safe place to stay and endless food—these conditions were highly sought after in any base.
What was her real motive?
Jeremy's gaze towards her was filled with suspicion and wariness.
Charlotte choked on her corn juice, realizing that he had figured things out so quickly.
"...Alright, let me be straightforward." Charlotte set down her glass and cleared her throat.
Jeremy gave her a knowing look, crossing his arms and pursing his lips.
"Cough, well, tomorrow I want to visit the furniture store and check out places selling tiles, curtains, and home appliances."
Charlotte smiled as she used serving chopsticks to put a generous amount of meat and cooked duck intestines on his plate.
"Go ahead and eat. I'll be your guide tomorrow."
"Is that all?" Jeremy ignored her actions and stared into her eyes, trying to force her to reveal the truth.
Charlotte almost raised her hand to swear innocence, "Yes, that's it. Are you coming or not?"
The red, bubbling pot emitted a gentle sound, with slices of meat, tripe, and quail eggs floating around. The spicy and aromatic smell was intensely stimulating.
Jeremy took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm coming!"