Ch 118: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao walked into the kitchen to find two blue plastic containers packed with wriggling, plump, fresh eels.

Ji Feiming and Qingmei knew Lu Yao’s routine: freshly caught seafood needed to be kept separately for a while before adding them to the tank.

Seeing her return, Qingmei smiled and said, “Boss, we can finally have eel rice!”

Lu Yao, still in her wetsuit, gave the containers a quick glance and asked, “Where did these come from?”

Leaning against the doorway, Ji Feiming replied, “I went out to get them.”

With his temporary staff badge, he could access the shop’s special spaces.

“Oh.” Lu Yao got up and headed toward the bathroom. “I’ll take a bath first, then I’ll deal with them.”

In the bathroom, she filled the tub with hot water, showered, and then sank in, lost in thought.

She had mentioned wanting eel rice just yesterday. This morning, she had run into the trapped orca, and by the afternoon, two crates of eels had arrived.

It didn’t feel like a coincidence—what was he up to?

If he truly wanted to kill her, he’d had countless chances in every world they’d crossed.

She just couldn’t figure it out.

The sound of paws scratching lightly at the door broke her thoughts.

“Meow.”

It sounded like Erxin. Realizing she’d soaked for a while, she got up and dressed.

When she came out, Qingmei had already left, and Ji Feiming was busy gathering up the cats.

Erxin, who had tried to sneak into the bathroom earlier, was now held firmly in Ji Feiming’s arms.

Lu Yao headed to the kitchen to sort the eels. She selected twenty of the freshest, plumpest eels to send to the snack shop for grilled eel and placed the rest in the tank.

The deep-sea tank now housed eels, octopus, snapper, sea urchins, lobsters, crabs… with each species separated by partitions, so she didn’t worry about any cross-contamination.

…

At 8:30 p.m., the last table of guests left, and the Nine-Tier Hall restaurant closed.

Xie Minghua took off his chef’s hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, quickly finished cleaning the kitchen, changed clothes, and left.

At a nearby pancake stand in the alley by the restaurant’s back door, he bought a pancake for two yuan, carried a water bottle from the restaurant, and ate as he walked toward the bus stop.

He reached the bus stop just as he finished the pancake, and the bus arrived shortly after.

Spending two yuan on the bus fare, he reached the apartment building around 9:10 p.m.

In the underground garage, he picked up his car and opened the ride-hailing app, starting his second job.

Xie Minghua had two children; his eldest had just started elementary school, and his little girl was about to start preschool.

His wife had quit her job to care for the kids, leaving her busy all day.

To ease their financial burden, he started working as a rideshare driver after his shifts about six months ago.

On busy days, like holidays or rainy nights, he could make two to three hundred yuan; on most nights, though, after hours of driving, he would earn fifty to a hundred yuan.

At 2:30 a.m., Xie Minghua finally returned home.

Tonight hadn’t gone well; he’d spent hours waiting for rides, ending up with just over fifty yuan.

Passing the barbecue stand by his building, he rubbed his stomach, swallowing involuntarily. He had rushed to his shift without dinner, filling up with just a small pancake, and was feeling genuinely hungry now.

A full barbecue meal for an adult man would cost at least thirty yuan.

After working the whole night and earning just over fifty yuan, he couldn’t bring himself to splurge on it.

Shaking his head, he swallowed his craving, deciding to go home and make a bowl of noodles.

In the kitchen, Xie Minghua was cooking noodles.

Perhaps from exhaustion, or maybe he was just distracted, or likely both, he fumbled the bowl while reaching for the seasoning oil.

With a sharp crash, the bowl fell, shattering into pieces, soy sauce, vinegar, and wet chicken powder splattering across the floor in a sticky mess—a reflection of his mood.

In the bedroom, Zhao Rou opened her eyes abruptly. Realizing her husband was home, she pushed aside her thin blanket, exhaustion etched in her expression, and got up to check on him.

“What are you doing?”

Rubbing her eyes, Zhao Rou came out to see the kitchen light on and her husband’s familiar, tall figure crouched on the floor, his shadow cast on the frosted glass sliding door. Her brows knit slightly.

During the day, she cared for their young daughter, dropped off and picked up their son from school, managed the housework, prepared three meals, and helped with the kids’ homework in the evening.

Though the tasks weren’t large, they were endless. By the end of each day, her patience and energy were worn thin.

Standing at the kitchen entrance, she saw the mess on the floor and Xie Minghua frantically cleaning it up.

The frustration within her ignited like a spark. She pressed her lips tightly, went to the bathroom to grab a rag, and pushed him aside with a firm nudge from her knee, muttering, “I’ll do it.”

Xie Minghua sheepishly stepped back, equally exhausted.

The air was heavy; just work and life’s trivialities had drained all their energy. They didn’t even have the strength to argue.

Once the floor was clean, Zhao Rou noticed the boiling water on the stove. She reached for a clean bowl from the cupboard, ready to mix the seasoning.

Xie Minghua walked over, turned off the burner, and said in a low voice, “Forget it, let’s not bother. I’m not hungry anymore.”

Zhao Rou glanced at him, then heavily set the bowl down and turned back to the bedroom.

A few minutes later, Xie Minghua entered the bedroom to grab his sleepwear and went to shower. By the time he returned, it was nearly 3:30 a.m.

He collapsed onto the bed, lying back-to-back with his wife.

Beside him, Zhao Rou kept tossing and turning. Both were frustrated, yet each held it in.

Arguing? They were too tired.

They thought they would stew in this tension all night, feeling on edge until dawn.

But, somehow, they both fell asleep shortly after closing their eyes.

…

“Let’s go to the shop. I heard they have eel rice today.”

“And takoyaki with a whole half an octopus leg! Hurry, or there won’t be any seats.”

“Am I the only one who goes for the cats? It’s a cat café, but everyone’s only interested in the food!”

A fish next to them rolled its eyes. “You’d have to beat out all those weirdoes. There aren’t enough cats in the shop—you can barely get to pet one!”

“Well, there’s always the backup plan of cheap, hearty seafood.”

“Erxin is so cute! Uncle’s bringing crabs to feed you!”

“See! These people have no shame, honestly.”

“Hey, when we’re done, want to go collect sea urchins?”

“Awesome! Collecting sea urchins is so fun, and the shopkeeper can make us sea urchin rice bowls!”

In the midst of all the noise, Xie Minghua groggily opened his eyes, thinking he was dreaming.

All around him were talking fish, and he had become a seahorse.

Grayish-black skin, a rounded belly, a long tail, and a slow, awkward way of swimming.

He clumsily attempted to navigate the water, fumbling several times, and when he looked up, he saw a ginger-yellow seahorse with faint cream-colored markings on its back watching him.

He couldn’t quite explain it, but in that instant, he blurted out, “Zhao Rou?”

The ginger seahorse slowly swam toward him, incredulous. “Honey?”

They recognized each other, each convinced it was a dream.

The fish around them continued discussing a “small shop,” swimming in one direction.

With their tails entwined, Xie Minghua and Zhao Rou followed them, slowly making their way toward the shop.

The Little Pet Cafe’s doors were wide open, the seawater held back by a transparent membrane.

The seahorse couple watched as various fish crashed through the door, transforming into human form upon entry, amazed by the sight.

They exchanged a glance, tails wrapped together, and pushed forward through the doorway.

Inside the shop, they reverted to their human forms, still unsure where they were.

A regular, noticing their cautious behavior, greeted them. “First time here? You two together?”

Holding his wife’s hand, Xie Minghua nodded. “Yes, this is my wife. Somehow, we ended up here together. So, uh, where is this, exactly?”

The regular was just as surprised, laughing as he shared with those nearby, “I’ve been coming here for a while, but this is the first time I’ve seen a pair arrive together!”

Xie Minghua and Zhao Rou were puzzled—why wouldn’t people arrive as a pair?

They still wondered if this place was really not just a dream.

Qingmei came out from the kitchen and, noticing the couple’s bewilderment, kindly explained things to them.

The two of them sat leaning against the wall next to a cat climbing frame.

Zhao Rou’s eyes widened as she took in the unbelievable surroundings.

This was an underwater cat café, where guests were humans who had transformed into deep-sea fish.

In exchange for fresh seafood, they could pet cats, enjoy a meal, and freely pass the time.

“Why did we end up here?” Xie Minghua murmured, thinking about his work the next morning and feeling a wave of anxiety.

Zhao Rou blinked, looking down at her hands. “Since we’re here, maybe we should try to relax? We don’t need money, and we can eat seafood, plus the cats are so cute.”

Ever since their first and second children were born, their lives had revolved almost entirely around the kids. Their expenses had increased drastically, time and energy completely dedicated to the family.

With each morning and night, exhaustion accumulated, bending his back and wearing down her vitality.

They didn’t regret their choices and loved their children, but now, faced with a rare chance to unwind, Zhao Rou felt a bit tempted.

The regular customer who had first greeted them revealed that rushing wouldn’t help; until it was time to leave, they wouldn’t be able to.

With no way back, Xie Minghua realized that worrying wouldn’t change anything, just as the other had said.

With that burden lifted, they both laughed.

Xie Minghua asked, “I saw someone order eel rice earlier. Would you like some?”

Zhao Rou nodded, then patted her pockets, her expression shifting. “But I don’t have any money. Did you bring any?”

They were both in their pajamas, and Xie Minghua’s pockets were empty as well.

Silence settled between them.

Zhao Rou looked at the fish swimming outside the membrane, her brows furrowed.

As seahorses in the ocean, swimming was already a struggle, let alone catching fish.

With no money and no fish, their dreams of a meal felt dashed.

She raised a hand to her neck.

She habitually wore a thin gold chain, no pendant, just a simple chain.

It was a gift from Xie Minghua on her birthday, three years into their relationship. They had been students then, with little money.

He’d worked part-time jobs—gaming for others, delivering food—and saved over two months to buy the necklace for her.

To her, this necklace was more precious than any jewelry chosen for their wedding.

Xie Minghua noticed her motion, gently held her hand, and shook his head. “Don’t touch that. I’ll figure something out.”

A few minutes later, Xie Minghua returned, smiling, with a string of seafood—crabs and sea urchins. “I talked to a few of the guys over there. I’ll join them this afternoon to collect sea urchins, and they lent me some seafood.”

Different types of solitary fish had varying abilities; some were skilled hunters, while others could only watch the fish swim by.

Everything in this ocean was available to share, so skilled hunters often teamed up with the non-hunters for “fishing trips.”

This helped them gather “funds” to spend at the Little Pet Cafe, and it was also a lot more fun in groups.

The non-hunters could collect seaweed, weave simple containers, or help intercept escaping catches.

The couple traded the seafood for a serving of eel rice, a sashimi platter, and a takoyaki with a whole octopus leg.

With no spare seating, they leaned against the cat climbing frame to eat.

Hearing that a couple had arrived, Lu Yao personally brought their order and casually asked, “Are you two seahorses in the ocean?”

Zhao Rou nodded, “Yes, why do you ask?”

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