Li Lan's expression softened immediately. Her daughter was shivering in her arms—it would be trouble if she got sick.
"Thank you then." She stopped refusing and, holding her little girl, stood up to follow them into the small kitchen. Again, they sat considerately in a corner.
Worried that being overly enthusiastic might backfire, Qian Zhenzhen didn't disturb them further, bustling in and out pretending to be busy while retrieving things from her space inventory.
She brought a bucket of river water to the stove, sprinkled in disinfectant powder in front of them, then scooped half into the large iron pot to boil.
She accessed the voucher shop and spent 10 Koi Vouchers on a family indoor/outdoor charcoal stove plus 5 jin of charcoal, setting it up at the small kitchen doorway.
The soup pot from the Luxury Family Set would work perfectly.
The dried ginger tea in the shop was affordable too—20 packets for 1 Koi Voucher.
She added bottled drinking water to the soup pot and dropped in some ginger tea bags to brew.
Heat steadily radiated from both stoves, and the mother and daughter soon warmed up.
Comfort (1/1) - Complete (√)
Bubble bubble... Before long, the ginger tea came to a boil. Lifting the condensation-covered lid released steaming vapors, filling the air with its unique, stimulating aroma.
Qian Zhenzhen added two spoonfuls of sugar. The fine white crystals dissolved into the tea, lending a subtle sweetness to the aroma.
Many people dislike ginger tea, finding it spicy and strange, never wanting a second sip. But for those who lack food and warmth, it's a reliable hot drink.
Qian Zhenzhen ladled some into a bowl, blew on it to cool it, and tasted it—the sweetness was just right.
"Would you like some ginger tea to warm up?" Without waiting for them to refuse, she ladled out two bowls, adding extra sugar to the little girl's portion. "Big sister doesn't have much sugar left, so I can only add a tiny bit more—you can't complain it's not enough."
"Sugar, sweet..." The little girl's eyes lit up, and she tugged at her mother's clothes, face full of longing.
With the steaming tea before them, Li Lan bit her lip and looked toward Qian Zhenzhen, who had returned to chopping sweet potatoes with a steady thunk-thunk-thunk. She repeated: "I... little sister, I really don't have any vouchers left. I don't know if you've heard about Black Peak Mountain Base. If this really is an inn, taking in guests like us who can't pay would only lose you money."
In this apocalyptic world, inns were a luxury. While similar establishments existed in cities, bases, or wanderers' camps, they were either lodgings for wealthy travelers or chaotic places catering to all sorts, involving gambling and drugs.
An ordinary inn like this, opened in the forest, seemed strange and hard to imagine.
Li Lan held her daughter tighter and sighed helplessly: "To be honest, we haven't eaten anything for almost two days, and we don't have anything valuable to offer as collateral..."
Hearing her mother's dejected words, Zhou Shuxuan softly called out: "Mama..." She stretched out her tiny arms to hug Li Lan's neck. "I'm not hungry anymore, and I don't need sugar anymore."
Qian Zhenzhen paused, then took the opportunity to explain: "It's okay! How about this—you can work to pay? You probably noticed outside that this house doesn't have any defenses, and I can't manage everything alone. It would be great if you could help!"
As she spoke, the mother and daughter's eyes grew brighter. Finally, Li Lan wiped her eyes and replied: "I'll work, I can do lots of work, just for a little food..."
Zhou Shuxuan raised her hand. "Big sister, I can work too!"
"You just stay with your mama!" Qian Zhenzhen wouldn't dare use child labor. She pointed to the bowls in front of them. "Drink your ginger tea first."
She introduced herself and asked their names, then said: "After you eat something, rest for the night first, and we'll talk about work after dawn."
With that, she picked up her knife again to continue chopping sweet potatoes, preparing for dinner.
Li Lan responded with a sound of agreement and let out a soft breath, finally picking up the sugar-sweetened bowl and blowing on it before bringing it to her daughter's lips. "Careful, it's hot."
Zhou Shuxuan held the plastic bowl with both hands, wrinkled her little nose as she took a small sip, stuck out her tongue at the spiciness, then said with a grin: "It's so good! Mama, drink yours too!"
Seeing that she could hold the bowl steadily, Li Lan picked up her own bowl and began to drink.
The hot tea flooded into her mouth, the distinctive spicy aroma of ginger filling her nose and overwhelming her taste buds. This spiciness carried a hint of sweetness, flowing down her throat and into her stomach, immediately awakening her hungry organs.
After drinking the whole bowl in one go, her body broke out in a light sweat, and her hands and feet warmed up.
If the heat from the two stoves worked from the outside in, then the ginger tea's warmth worked from the inside out. Only at this moment, feeling the changes in her body, did Li Lan truly believe she had successfully escaped with her daughter.
She secretly observed the innkeeper, that energetic young woman who seemed to be such a kind girl...
Although Li Lan knew she shouldn't meddle in others' affairs, she decided to find an opportunity to ask if this girl needed any other help—besides working, she could help in other ways too.
The water on the stove had long since boiled. Qian Zhenzhen brought over a wooden basin and ladled some out, put a steamer rack on top, then led Li Lan and Zhou Shuxuan to the bathroom. "Sister Li Lan, dinner will take a while, why don't you and your daughter wash up? There's soap in the cabinet and disinfected cold water in the bucket—remember to mix the water to the right temperature."
After closing the bathroom door, she quietly opened the back door and took out some materials from the warehouse, piling them in the corner for easy access tomorrow.
Dinner was canned luncheon meat with sweet potato soup and steamed lily bulbs. Qian Zhenzhen set up chairs in the small kitchen**,**and Li Lan came out of the bathroom with Zhou Shuxuan. After washing up with hot water, both of their spirits were noticeably lifted. The fresh scent of soap wafted through the air as they walked, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
The three of them gathered around the stove to eat, with the residual warmth in the small kitchen helping to dry their damp hair.
Li Lan's eyes welled up at the sight of the canned luncheon meat. "Little Qian, this is too much, we couldn't possibly..."
In this post-apocalyptic world, meat was extremely precious. Even these near-expired cans were valuable and hard to come by.
Since it was her first day of business, Qian Zhenzhen wanted to have a good meal, and she also wanted to try completing that special reward, so she handed over chopsticks and said: "It's fine, you're my first customers, so there's a discount. Besides, this dinner isn't free—you'll have to work for it."