Chapter 47:Yanis's Mother

After her nap, Yanis's mother, Marni, was indeed sitting on the sofa, her demeanor stiff as she cautiously touched everything around her.

Charlotte, with a warm and friendly smile, approached her. "You must have just come down, right?"

As she spoke, she turned on the air conditioner. The cool breeze began to flow, and the temperature in the lobby gradually became more comfortable.

Marni quickly stood up, nervously rubbing her hands together and stepping back to make space. She had a grateful yet nervous smile on her face. "Oh no, not at all. I just came down."

"Please, sit down. Are there any TV shows you like to watch?" Charlotte patted the sofa and began changing channels slowly, inquiring gently if Marni had any preferences.

Marni was pleasantly surprised and didn't dare to be picky. She naturally accepted whatever Charlotte offered.

"Well, then let's watch 'Parents' Love.' I've seen it a lot these days, but I haven't had a chance to watch it."

"Alright, we'll watch whatever you like. I'm not picky."

Marni was overwhelmed by the luxury of having air conditioning and TV, something she had never imagined in her life. She was deeply grateful and couldn't bring herself to be fussy.

The two of them watched several episodes of TV in a pleasant atmosphere.

During the commercial break, Charlotte filled two glasses with water from the water dispenser. She placed one in front of Marni and, with a gentle smile, asked, "I haven't asked you how I should address you?"

"I—my surname is Wang, and you can call me Wang Mei. I feel embarrassed to drink your water. I'm not thirsty; I don't want to waste it." Marni's face flushed with excitement as she waved her hand, repeatedly declining.

How could she not know how precious water was? In their old base, a single cup of pure water could be sold for a level-two crystal core!

She couldn't afford it, and her son's job of hunting zombies wasn't easy!

Charlotte smiled and pushed the glass of water towards her, not allowing her to refuse. "Drink up, don't be polite. I actually wanted to ask you something. If you keep refusing, I won't be able to bring it up."

Marni had no choice but to accept the glass of water, sipping it slowly. She was curious about what the boss could possibly want to know.

"Boss, feel free to ask. I'll tell you whatever I know, not missing a single word!"

"Good. Where did you come from? How many survivors are there in your base?"

"Our base is called Future Base, Third Base. It's a small base with a few hundred people, and there are over fifty leaders in it. Tucker is one of them, but he only manages the sanitation for the surface—"

Seeing Marni gradually focus on Tucker, Charlotte quickly interrupted, "How far is your base from here?"

"It's quite a distance, and some roads are blocked or have many zombies, so detours make it even farther. At least half a day's journey." Marni recalled the arduous journey, narrowly escaping zombie attacks, and knew she could never return to the base.

"Does your base provide water and food?" Charlotte asked, her interest piqued.

"Only people who work get food. Water is distributed according to the base's schedule, but there's no fixed time. Most people have to find their own solutions. Some sell water, but the output is so limited that it's not enough for everyone."

Unlike here, where water is not only cheap but of good quality, and the water in the restroom has never been cut off. It's like returning to peacetime!

Charlotte had a general understanding now and smiled even more warmly. "How about this: if I promote here at your base, saying that we sell food and water at the same prices as now, what do you think?"

"That would be wonderful! It would save lives! You don't know, but it's the high-temperature season now, and it's only going to get hotter! Every year during this time, many people die! Either from heat or thirst!" Marni took a big gulp of water, her excitement barely contained.

"If they knew you had water for sale here, everyone would come! If you're too busy, just let me know, and I, Wang Mei, will definitely help!" Marni patted her chest, making a promise.

The high-temperature season was extremely hard to endure. Not only was it dangerously hot, but water was also scarce. During this season, water-based abilities became highly sought after. Even 冯贝, despite her low ability level, had become a potential source of water.

However, the water she sold was ridiculously expensive, with a half-full bottle priced at a level-two crystal core! Who could afford that?!

The higher-ups in the base didn't care about the lives of ordinary people. If the boss could sell water, Marni was willing to help, not for fame or profit but out of solidarity among ordinary people who struggled to survive!

Marni was restless with excitement, glancing at the water dispenser several times, eager to start selling water to those in need.

Charlotte saw that Marni was interested and feigned excitement as well. She took her hand and said, "Sister Wang, your idea is exactly what I was thinking! You see, I don't lack water here, and I have hundreds of empty bottles in the warehouse. I was worried about what to do with them! Thanks to you, I have a solution! But…"

Marni's brow furrowed with concern as she urged, "But what? Boss, just tell me. If it's something I can do, I'll definitely help!"

Charlotte, with a shy smile, said, "It's just that there are too many bottles, and I'm busy with running the store, arranging guest check-ins, and managing the restaurant's meals. I really don't have time for these miscellaneous tasks…"

"Oh, that's nothing. Such a small thing is nothing. Leave it to me! I'll start filling the bottles now!"

"You wait for me. I'll get the bottles."

Without further ado, Charlotte got up and went to the office. She ordered 200 clean empty bottles from the mall, spending 10 points.

Soon, she returned with two large bags of empty bottles. "Sister Wang, here are 100 empty bottles. Thank you for helping!"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I'm quite bored downstairs with only the air conditioning and TV. Doing something useful makes me feel better!"

Marni eagerly took the bottles and moved to the water dispenser, expertly opening the lid and filling the bottles with cold water.

She didn't fill them completely, leaving some space at the top.

Charlotte walked over to her side, planning to put the filled mineral water bottles into the refrigerator. After all, the fridge was empty, and in such hot weather, chilled water would sell better. Once more people knew about the hotel, she could stock up on drinks and ice cream from the mall to sell.

"Ah, no need for you to help. Little Boss, you go back to your work. Leave this to me. Don't worry, I'll make sure there are enough bottles!" Marni bypassed Charlotte, neatly arranging the bottles in the fridge.

"I used to work as a sales clerk in a supermarket, so I'm quite skilled at this! Little Boss, your hands are delicate. Don't do this kind of hard work!"

Her words made Charlotte feel a bit embarrassed. She had only intended to use Marni's help as a free labor, but she hadn't expected Aunt Wang to be so attentive!

Marni, on the other hand, felt much more at ease. She had her own little plans.

She needed to build a good relationship with the boss. Not asking for too much, just as long as they wouldn't be driven away later.

Marni had a premonition that the more people came to the hotel, the more competition there would be to get in!