Ch 89: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Changming Base

Chi Jin frowned at the card in his hand, where the three large golden characters “Hidden (Major)” were printed on a solid black background, making them exceptionally striking.

Several members of Jiang Han’s team gathered around the table, their astonishment mixed with barely concealed jealousy.

Not only did Brother Chi draw a hidden item, but it was from the rare winter-exclusive series, one that no one had pulled in days.

Jiang Han’s jealousy nearly became tangible: “Brother Chi, your luck is unbelievable. Is this even fair?”

He’d been pulling boxes for days, hoping to score a sleeping bag for his backpack, yet luck hadn’t favored him.

Chi Jin had been staying at the base for days, not once visiting the blind box store. This morning, he was practically dragged there by Jiang Han, who urged him to pick a box randomly. He brought it back, opened it, and drew the rare major hidden item.

Jiang Han couldn’t make sense of it.

No one could see Chi Jin’s expression under his sunglasses, but only he knew how restless and uneasy he felt inside. When he first tried the store’s blind boxes, he told Lu Yao he had bad luck—it wasn’t just a polite disclaimer.

Chi Jin was born unlucky; anything he truly desired was always beyond his reach, and anything he hoped for would end up broken.

Yet, at the blind box store, he had repeatedly drawn hidden items. This was abnormal.

Whenever his luck improved, it meant something bad was on the horizon.

“Brother Chi, should we go redeem it?” Jealousy gave way to curiosity in Jiang Han, who was eager to find out what the hidden item actually was, coaxing Chi Jin to head out again.

Chi Jin brushed his thumb over the card’s edge. He wasn’t sure if the card was too sharp or if his skin was overly fragile, but a sharp sting pricked his fingertip, leaving a thin cut that oozed faint blue liquid along the card’s edge.

He pressed his finger against it, casually slipped the card into his pocket, and stood up. “Let’s go.”

The others noticed nothing unusual, happily following along.

Recently, the main food blind boxes at the store had become wildly popular among mothers and grandmothers, rekindling a long-lost joy in those who had struggled to cook without resources for years.

The store offered a wide variety of main food boxes, each with a decent portion. They could redeem the boxes and trade with each other to gather a range of ingredients.

Even without the crystal-core series of pots and kettles, they could cook delicious meals using regular pots and crystal cores.

Rice, millet, and flour served as staple foods, while potatoes, sweet potatoes, and vermicelli could be used to create unique dishes or sides.

Chi Jin and his group arrived at the blind box store and went directly to knock on the office door next to the machine.

Lu Yao emerged from within, “What’s up?”

Jiang Han nudged Chi Jin forward. “Shopkeeper, our Brother Chi just drew the winter-exclusive major hidden item. We’re here to redeem it.”

Chi Jin still wore his sunglasses, his expression unreadable.

Compared to his obviously excited companions, he appeared somewhat indifferent and calm.

Lu Yao gave Chi Jin an astonished look; this really was incredible luck.

She reached for the card, habitually brushing her fingers along its edge.

Chi Jin watched as a faint trace of blue blood appeared on her fingertip, his lips parting slightly, only to close in silence.

Without examining the card too long, Lu Yao confirmed it was the black card for the major hidden item, slipped it into her pocket, and said, “Alright, the major hidden item is in the outside warehouse.”

A hidden item stored in a warehouse?

Jiang Han and the others were filled with intense curiosity.

Some regular customers in the store heard about someone pulling the winter-exclusive major hidden item and came outside to watch.

The warehouse had just been upgraded in recent days, located beside the blind box store.

The ground had a thick layer of ice, wet and slippery.

Lu Yao wore a long, light blue down coat, the white fur on the hood gently drifting with the wind, brushing against her porcelain-like skin.

Her steps were steady as she walked, her expression calm and aloof.

Chi Jin walked beside her, his gaze flickering toward her, his lips pressed into a straight line.

“Close at hand, yet as distant as the edge of the sky.”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Lu Yao inexplicably felt as if she were being watched and turned her head to check.

The young man, a full head taller than her, wore sunglasses, his expression hidden, his gaze seemingly unshifted.

Was it just her imagination?

Reaching the warehouse, Lu Yao brushed off the feeling, lifted her hand to press her fingerprint, and the warehouse door opened.

She walked in, pulled down a dust cloth, positioning herself facing the entrance. “This is the winter series major hidden item—a snowmobile powered by a crystal core.”

The people at the entrance were stunned. They had imagined all sorts of possibilities but hadn’t expected the blind box store to go this big.

A small blind box could contain something as extraordinary as a snowmobile.

The snowmobile moved via a specialized track system, allowing it to traverse snow, wetlands, and slopes with speed and strong stability, suitable for ski resorts, forest patrols, and rescue missions.

In this Impermanence world, a few vehicles remained, mostly held by high-ranking officials at major bases.

Gasoline and diesel were scarce, so those vehicles were rarely used, reserved as emergency escape tools hidden within the base.

Many middle-aged customers at the store stared, wide-eyed and rooted to the spot, at the new snowmobile.

Someone swallowed, unable to hold back the question they’d been deliberately ignoring: “Store owner, where on earth did you get all this stuff? Food and little gadgets are one thing, but a snowmobile? This is too absurd!”

Lu Yao tossed the dust cloth aside, clapped her hands, and looked at Chi Jin. “This thing isn’t easy to start. If you can get it running, that’s on you.”

She then turned to the man at the entrance who had questioned her, smiling slightly. “The joy of opening a blind box is in never knowing what surprise awaits.”

Jiang Han’s team, who had never seen a snowmobile, gathered around, curiously touching it from all sides. “This thing is so cool. Brother Chi Jin, do you know how to drive it?”

Chi Jin slowly shook his head. “Does the store owner know?”

Lu Yao nodded. “Want to learn?”

Chi Jin leaned back slightly, hesitating a bit. “How about a test ride first?”

When Lu Yao set the snowmobile as a major hidden item, she anticipated that whoever drew it might not know how to ride it, so she was prepared to teach.

Without hesitation, she put on a helmet, mounted the snowmobile, and rode it out of the warehouse, as the crowd at the door silently cleared a path.

The snowmobile didn’t need to stick to specific roads and had excellent stability, moving smoothly as long as there was a path.

Chi Jin pulled his cold-weather coat tighter and carefully sat behind her.

The vehicle roared to life, speeding off with two bursts of sound.

Jiang Han and the others were left far behind, staring in amazement.

“Holy crap! The snowmobile is so cool!”

“But isn’t the store owner even cooler? Why would she know how to ride this?”

“I’m more curious why she would put this in a blind box. Doesn’t she risk losing money?”

In the snow, the cold wind whispered like a distant cry in their ears.

Lu Yao turned her head slightly and shouted, “Where do you want to go? I’ll take you for a ride.”

Since arriving in this world, she had only explored around the store and hadn’t gone far.

Now, the surroundings were blanketed in snow, a field of white. Snow-covered ruins dotted the area, exposing only faint, weathered remnants.

The world looked like a long-dead, desolate city.

Lu Yao drove the snowmobile, the unfamiliar young man riding behind her. Instead of feeling uneasy, she felt a curiosity to see more of the world.

Chi Jin, a bit dazed, finally murmured, “Up to you.”

…

Hope Base, Building Six dormitory.

A few days ago, Yu Zhenzhen caught a severe cold with a high fever that wouldn’t break, but after taking the blind box store’s fever-reducing medicine, her body gradually recovered.

Another group member, Lei Mo, had also been burning up with fever, so high they almost doubted he’d make it.

After taking the fever-reducing medicine sent by Xi Tingran, his symptoms subsided that night.

Now, four adults from the group sat together, discussing matters.

Yi Chuan adjusted his glasses and asked, “Xiao Luo hasn’t woken up yet?”

Yu Zhenzhen looked down and whispered, “No, the medicine doesn’t seem to work.”

Li Jia snorted. “That little brat is overly delicate. If the medicine from the blind box store doesn’t work, we should go confront the owner.”

Yi Chuan frowned and shot her a glance. “We can’t even get into the store, so how are we supposed to confront anyone?”

Thinking about it made Li Jia grit her teeth in frustration. “We can’t go, but can’t Captain Xi? The medicine he brought from there can’t cure the illness, and he has no thoughts on it? He’s relying on us to develop crystal core energy, yet his attitude is like this? I’d say Z8 is better than here.”

Yu Zhenzhen and Lei Mo hadn’t visited the blind box store yet, though they’d heard Li Jia cursing it daily. They were curious but smart enough not to show it.

Yi Chuan’s frown deepened, clearly annoyed at Li Jia’s lack of reasoning. He murmured, “We may not know how she does it, but that store sells food and has even developed crystal core-powered items. All the bases in this area rely on that store and have been getting by comfortably during the cold wave. Do you think Xi Tingran would risk offending the store owner over a few of us?”

Li Jia pursed her lips, still fuming inside.

Yi Chuan continued, “Xiao Luo’s illness has always been hard to treat. His parents put in a lot of effort without finding a cure, so don’t expect the blind box store’s medicine to work miracles. The problem now is that without Xiao Luo, the crystal core development research is stalled. Xi Tingran is already suspicious of us; we need a plan.”

Yu Zhenzhen suggested, “I noticed that Xiao Luo did show slight improvement after taking the medicine. He’s just still in a deep sleep. Could it be that the dosage wasn’t enough?”

Li Jia scoffed, “Then have Xi Tingran buy more medicine boxes from the blind box store and feed them all to him. If it still doesn’t work, you two can go to the store and make a scene!”

Yu Zhenzhen and Lei Mo exchanged glances but remained silent, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Outside the room, Luo Hui’an, who was supposed to be in bed, carefully leaned against the door, eavesdropping on their conversation.

So, the medicine he’d taken came from the blind box store.

Having learned what he wanted, he tiptoed away quietly.

After going downstairs, he looked around for a moment, quickly determining which way to go, and then, moving his plump body with as much effort as he could muster, ran outside.

Luo Hui’an’s escape went smoothly; he didn’t encounter anyone along the way.

When he reached the main gate of the base, he hesitated, unsure if he’d be allowed to leave.

Just then, a group of people ran in from outside, enthusiastically talking about the blind box store’s winter-exclusive major hidden item.

“That big snowmobile was so cool, but someone from Changming Base got it.”

“I want a snowmobile too—it’s like flying when you drive it.”

“If only our base had one! Do you think there’s a chance to borrow it from Changming Base if we go scavenging?”

Hearing this, several people ran outside to join the excitement.

Luo Hui’an blended in with the crowd and headed toward the blind box store with them.

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