Ch 94: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Xu Ru and her group entered the blind box store, feeling the warmth gradually chase away the chill and numbness from their frozen hands and feet.

Before stepping in, they thought they’d mentally prepared themselves, picturing the store as they braved the snow and wind, trying to bolster their spirits. But once inside, they realized their imaginations fell short.

The store was bright and clean, shelves stocked full of goods, evoking a nostalgic sense of stepping back twenty years.

Luo Huian noticed them lingering by the entrance, looking bewildered and a bit overwhelmed, and approached them with a smile. “Hello! Is this your first time at the blind box store?”

Xu Ru nodded, her voice hoarse. “Yes, we came from a neighboring district. We heard we could trade for food here.”

Luo Huian guided them to line up for blind box tokens and explained, “These five machines all offer food items—hot, sweet drinks, fragrant instant noodles, crunchy sweet fruits. There are also main course blind boxes and a newly added ingredients box today. Plus, there are crystal-core blind boxes, which are very useful. Guests can choose based on their needs.”

The ingredients blind box had just launched today, featuring 36 different options. Each draw cost 60 tokens, and they weren’t yet available as full sets, meaning they couldn’t buy a complete box.

Xu Ru and her husband exchanged tokens, noticing the long line for the ingredients machine, so they decided to join the line for the main course blind box first.

To the left of the main course machine was the ingredients machine, where customers eagerly opened their boxes beside it.

“Is this… a piece of pork? I got meat!” one person exclaimed, holding up a newly opened blind box.

With animals and plants having mutated, fresh, edible meat had become rare, only safe to eat occasionally from certain mutated animals. But even then, the taste was usually lacking.

Since the new series offered so many options, a long booklet listing each type was included in each box. The lucky customer hadn’t even checked the booklet yet and was thrilled to discover a large piece of fresh pork.

Another person at a nearby table unboxed a bag of salt.

Onlookers couldn’t hide their envy. “Is that really salt? It’s so fine and white! This store is amazing!”

“I got a bag of sugar! Hey, you with the salt, want to swap half?” someone offered.

“Let’s trade. Half a bag of salt for half a bag of sugar. With a main course box to go with it, we’d have enough for four or five days,” a tall, slender customer replied.

“I got a box of fresh eggs!”

“I’ve got a bunch of fresh lettuce; want to trade two eggs?”

“Sure, sure! Fresh veggies for eggs!”

“Oh wow, I think I pulled out some rice seasoning? This ingredients box has everything! When will the store start selling full sets? I want a whole box!”

“With 36 different types, a full box would be pricier than even the winter-exclusive series!”

“But you’d be set for months! It wouldn’t spoil, and you’d have meat, vegetables, and seasonings. Eating something different every day—it sounds like a dream!”

Xu Ru watched the exchanges with eager anticipation. After drawing her main course box, she immediately lined up behind the ingredients machine.

The blind box store offered so many options, with automatic limits per customer, so nearly everyone could get what they wanted after waiting their turn.

She and her husband each drew five food blind boxes, then noticed the medicine blind box and drew two of those as well. With the remaining tokens, they pooled together for a crystal-core box.

For Zhu Hong and her family, neighbors who had initially thought traveling so far in a cold wave was too risky, Xu Ru’s persuasion about the safety in numbers finally convinced them to join.

Now, each of the Zhu Hong couple held five food boxes, two medicine boxes, and two crystal-core boxes, grinning with delight.

Zhu Hong could hardly believe it. “Not only is there food, but medicine, too—it’s like a dream. I’m so glad we decided to come with you; otherwise, we’d regret it forever.”

Ruan Xiangying, another member of the group, added, “Everything here is wonderful, but the trip was so long. I wish this store would open a branch in our district.”

As they drew their boxes, a store assistant explained the benefits of activating protection contracts. Worried about being robbed on their way back, Xu Ru’s group paid extra to activate the contracts on the essential food and medicine boxes.

After carefully packing their blind boxes, they set off toward Guangming Base in haste.

Halfway back, it started snowing again. Xu Ru’s group, each carrying bags woven from rattan and filled with blind boxes, lined up and helped one another as they moved forward steadily through the snow.

“Someone’s up ahead,” Xu Ru’s husband, walking in the lead, spotted a group in the distance. He tensed up and signaled the others to stop. After observing for a moment, he relaxed. “Looks like it’s the search team!”

Xu Ru asked, “Did they return this quickly?”

Ruan Xiangying commented, “They’re moving slowly and don’t seem to have any supplies. Maybe they didn’t find anything?”

“They’ve stopped. Should we go over?” Xu Ru’s husband asked.

Since they were from the same base, normally it wouldn’t be an issue to meet. However, with so many food boxes on them, they couldn’t help but feel cautious.

Xu Ru, thinking clearly, nudged her husband forward. “Let’s go check. If they didn’t find any supplies, we can tell them about the blind box store.”

People from other bases in neighboring districts were exchanging for goods at the blind box store, so their base could benefit as well.

And with their key blind boxes protected by contracts, they didn’t have to worry too much about someone with ill intentions taking them by force.

As they approached, search team member Tong Yu cleared snow from the ground and laid out a straw mat, while Xu Surui and another teammate helped Lu Hui sit down.

Fang Yifei stood nearby, watching with worry as fresh blood soaked through Lu Hui’s thin cotton jacket. Her expression was anxious. “We’re at least five kilometers from the base, and the snow’s too deep. We have to stop the bleeding somehow. If it keeps going like this, it’ll be too late by the time we’re back.”

Leaning against Xu Surui, Lu Hui’s face was as pale as the snow, and she said weakly, “The wound’s too deep, and I have a skin condition. The bleeding won’t stop. Even if we make it back, it’s hopeless. Don’t worry about me.”

The eight search team members stood silent.

Blood continued to seep through Lu Hui’s clothes, slowly dripping onto the ground, staining the snow with bright red spots.

“What happened?” Xu Ru stepped forward, pushing past her husband, and carefully made her way over to the search team. “It’s me, Xu Ru.”

Tong Yu recognized her from yesterday, when she had joined them in leaving the base to visit a friend in the neighboring base. “What are you doing here? Did you find your friend?”

Xu Ru nodded slightly, intending to explain her journey to Hope Base yesterday, but then she noticed Lu Hui’s condition and her face changed. “Captain Lu is injured?”

Tong Yu pressed her lips together and explained softly, “We encountered a mutant animal that hadn’t gone dormant while searching for supplies. The captain was injured and hasn’t been able to stop the bleeding.”

Lu Hui was young, in her twenties, without powers, yet she had always led the search team in expeditions.

When Xu Ru had wanted to join the search team yesterday, most members had hesitated. As an ordinary woman without powers, she’d slow down the team and require extra protection, which was burdensome.

But seeing Xu Ru on the verge of breaking down, Lu Hui had agreed to bring her along, personally escorting her to Hope Base’s entrance.

Now, looking at the bloodless Lu Hui, Xu Ru remembered her reassuring smile from the day before. She slipped off her rattan bag, muttering, “The medicine blind box has hemostatic medicine and bandages. Please, let me find it!”

She opened the first medicine box, pulling out a box of fever medicine.

Xu Ru closed her eyes, quietly wishing, and tore open the second box. Her eyes brightened as she hurried to Lu Hui. “I got hemostatic medicine!”

The search team members, who hadn’t understood what was happening, perked up immediately upon hearing she had hemostatic medicine.

Tong Yu gently used a small knife to cut open the thin cotton fabric on Lu Hui’s arm, carefully tearing it away to reveal a frightening wound about a palm’s length and two fingers’ width.

Following the instructions, Xu Ru carefully sprinkled the hemostatic powder onto the wound. The powder was a pale yellow with a bitter scent, looking rather ordinary. But as soon as it touched the wound, the bleeding ceased within seconds, as if the injury had been sealed.

At this moment, Zhu Hong handed over two opened blind boxes, “Sister Ruan and I also opened our medicine boxes—we got a roll of bandages and some antiseptic alcohol. Let’s disinfect and wrap her wound quickly.”

A few minutes later, Lu Hui’s bleeding had stopped, and her wound was bandaged. Her breathing steadied, and everyone in both the search team and Xu Ru’s group breathed a sigh of relief.

On the way back to the base, Xu Surui glanced at the woven bags the others carried and asked, “Did you manage to find supplies in the neighboring area?”

Xu Ru’s group continued walking in a line, helping each other as they trudged forward.

Zhu Hong responded, “It wasn’t exactly supplies. There’s a blind box store in the neighboring area where you can buy food, medicine, and some cold-weather gear with crystal cores.”

The search team members found it hard to believe. They’d traveled far and found no supplies, yet the neighboring area had a store where one could exchange crystal cores for food and medicine at any time.

Still, the medicines Xu Ru had provided were undeniably real.

After escorting Lu Hui back to the base, the search team quickly regrouped and set out for the neighboring district’s blind box store.

…

Outside the blind box store, the square had been cleared of snow. Jiang Han led a group of young recruits from the base, all lined up to take turns riding the snowmobiles.

Lu Yao and Chi Jin stood in a corner of the square, watching them practice.

“Why can’t you learn it?” Lu Yao sighed, looking at Chi Jin.

The young man came every day to practice punctually, yet after several days, he still hadn’t mastered it, while even the kids who’d come just for fun had already picked it up.

Chi Jin cast her a sidelong glance, still with that lazy, nonchalant look. “I learn slowly; I can’t keep up with the young folks.”

“You look barely twenty yourself. Hardly old! I feel like you’re just not putting in the effort—there must be a reason, right?” Lu Yao asked.

Chi Jin, hands in his pockets, leaned back against a lamppost, his voice soft and clear. “You’re wrong. I’ve been trying, really. Just can’t seem to get the hang of it.”

He resembled a pale, delicate flower, lazily stretching its leaves, presenting himself as harmless.

Lu Yao’s gaze shifted into the distance, her eyes narrowing slightly, her tone calm and detached. “Jiang Han and the others have already learned. You can have them teach you. Feel free to take the snowmobile back to the base; it’s not practical to leave it here. I need to get busy. It’s cold outside, so head back soon.”

Chi Jin watched her retreating figure, his thin lips curving slightly. So perceptive, as always.

Get a little too close, and she’d push you away.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️