Ch 135: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

After a moment, Jiu Hua waved her hand. “Going to the shop is fun, but being a staff member is way too stressful.”

Just thinking about having to serve customers made her so anxious that she couldn’t sit still and felt she’d lose sleep at night. If she were to become a staff member, the anticipation alone would leave her too agitated to even write properly.

Lu Yao had anticipated some resistance, but she was fond of Jiu Hua, and the Little Pet Cafe needed her.

“If you come to the shop and don’t like frequent contact with customers, you can go to the Octopus Room, Coral Room, or Sea Urchin Room. You probably haven’t been to these yet, so you could try them next time—they’re all interesting options.” Lu Yao thought hard about what might appeal to Jiu Hua. “Flexible hours—you can choose your shift, and I’ll manage the schedule. Pay is based on Night Light City’s standard rate for similar jobs. Could you give it another thought?”

“Incomplete personality, unsuitable for further experiments.”

“Number 1042’s assessment: de—fec—tive.”

“Erase the number, send her back to the welfare center.”

Jiu Hua hugged her knees, curled up on the sofa, and lowered her head. “Boss, I’m sorry. I really can’t accept. It’s not that your terms aren’t good; it’s that I lack the capability to be a staff member.”

Lu Yao was puzzled. “Why?”

Jiu Hua replied, “When I became an adult, I was diagnosed with an incomplete personality, incapable of adapting to normal social activities—a broken cog.”

In this world, the law considered those over sixteen to be adults.

Jiu Hua left the lab at sixteen but never returned to the welfare center. She chose to live alone, relying on her knowledge and experience from the lab to find a place to settle and survive through her most vulnerable years.

After her life stabilized, she continued learning, exploring the world, and understanding herself, eventually becoming who she was today.

Though she still couldn’t participate in typical social activities, at least she wouldn’t starve. She felt she should be content.

“Incomplete personality? In what way? Who said so?” Lu Yao was incredulous. “Do you really not know how incredible you are?”

Jiu Hua looked stunned. “Um… I…”

Without hesitation, Lu Yao hugged Jiu Hua tightly, nodding vigorously. “You’re kind, knowledgeable, brave, and have a keen insight into human nature… You understand this world, and you’re also incredibly lovable.”

Jiu Hua looked away, nervously fidgeting with her fingers, her voice barely a whisper, “Even with all these compliments, I still won’t work at Little Pet Cafe.”

Lu Yao thought there was a chance. “Then could you come by temporarily to help for a few days? We’re terribly short-staffed, and only you can help me in this world.”

Jiu Hua’s heart skipped a beat, but she still hesitated. “I…”

Lu Yao placed a hand on her shoulder. “For anything you don’t know how to do, just ask Harold. Don’t mind his tough demeanor; he’s actually very kind.”

Harold’s ears twitched as he opened his eyes and sat up, casually asking, “What are you talking about?”

Lu Yao patted Jiu Hua’s back, smiling at him. “I said you’re very reliable, considerate, and patient with newcomers.”

Harold straightened up, eyes gleaming as he looked at Jiu Hua. “Are you coming to the shop? If you run into any problems, just come to me—I am the senior here, after all.”

The atmosphere was practically begging for her to call him “senior.”

Jiu Hua lowered her head, pretending not to notice. “Well… I haven’t…”

The rain outside stopped, and Lu Yao stood up, cutting in, “It’s getting late. Harold and I have to head back. Jiu Hua, please think it over, okay? We really need you—”

The shopkeeper’s voice was soft and sincere, her eyes clear and bright, gazing straight at Jiu Hua, who could even see her own reflection in them.

Jiu Hua’s eyes flickered, and she finally gave in. “I’ll think about it.”

Lu Yao gave her a gentle hug. “Then see you in the deep sea.”

…

After leaving Jiu Hua’s apartment, Lu Yao felt like wandering around the city, so she didn’t let Jiu Hua see them off.

Though Night Light City was surrounded by the sea on all sides and was an island city, its architectural style was so distinctive, it looked more like a rugged, industrial inland steel city.

After the heavy rain, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, quickly evaporating the moisture on the ground.

The neatly aligned artificial street trees on either side of the road looked fresh and green but offered no real relief from the heat.

After only a short distance, Lu Yao was sweating, feeling sticky and uncomfortable, and her mouth was dry.

Lu Yao decided to buy some water. She went to a small shop by the road, opened the freezer, took out two bottles of water, paid, and handed one to Harold.

Harold pointed to a broad area below a residential building not far away. “Looks like something’s going on over there.”

Lu Yao glanced over. A group of people had gathered, a child was crying, and two workers in gray uniforms stood in the middle of the crowd, looking quite conspicuous.

In the crowd, a scruffy-looking middle-aged man was pleading, “I’ve only got six of them. I won’t sell anymore; I’ll take them back on the boat this afternoon. Can you not fine me?”

“It’s clearly stated in Night Light City’s regulations that pets aren’t allowed. Not only did you smuggle puppies into the city, but you’re also selling them in a residential area. A fine is in order. If you don’t pay, not only will these puppies be dealt with, but you won’t be allowed to leave either,” one of the men in gray uniforms replied sternly.

The child nearby wailed louder, “Don’t hurt the puppies! I don’t want to buy one anymore.”

The parent, frightened, picked up the child, preparing to leave, apologizing repeatedly, saying they hadn’t intended to buy a dog.

The middle-aged man sat on the ground, face filled with worry and distress.

He’d heard people in the city were secretly keeping pets, and a single puppy could sell for tens of thousands, so he’d been tempted.

After managing to get hold of two high-quality litters, all his efforts were now in vain.

Lu Yao peered over and saw a bag near the man’s feet, half-open, with several snow-white puppies inside.

The puppies were tiny, almost the size of a palm, with snow-white fur and shiny, wet black eyes like black pearls, whimpering pitifully.

“What kind of dogs are these? They’re so small.” Lu Yao, unfamiliar with the breed, was curious.

The middle-aged man immediately looked up. “These are ‘Marumaru Dogs,’ a breed unique to Star City Eight. They’re naturally small and don’t grow much bigger. Even as adults, they’re only about the length of two palms, snow-white and round, very adorable, with a friendly temperament.”

One of the gray-uniformed men gave the middle-aged man a kick. “You’ve got some nerve, huh? Planning to sell the dogs right in front of us?”

Lu Yao approached, squatted down, and reached into the bag.

The puppies whimpered, their short tails wagging like tiny propellers as they eagerly crowded around to lick her fingers.

“Is there anything wrong with their genetics? Are they prone to illness?”

The puppies’ tongues were soft and wet, tickling her hand as they licked.

The middle-aged man glanced nervously at the gray-uniformed men and didn’t dare answer.

Lu Yao lifted one of the puppies, cradling it in her hand. It was like holding a ball of snow, warm and fluffy. “They’re so cute. Do they really have to be taken away?”

One of the gray-uniformed men narrowed his eyes, looked at Lu Yao for a moment, and replied, “Marumaru Dogs are a unique breed from Star City Eight, naturally selected with no genetic defects. Any smuggled pets must be returned to the original farm upon payment of a fine. If the fine isn’t paid, they will be sent to the slaughterhouse as per regulations.”

Lu Yao gently scratched the soft fur on the puppy’s neck. “If I pay the fine, could I take these puppies with me?”

The middle-aged man perked up at this, pushing the bag toward her. He stood up immediately and said, “You’re going to pay the fine? Then take all the dogs. Just leave me out of this.”

He didn’t have the money and didn’t want to end up detained here. He never thought someone would offer to pay.

City folks really have something wrong with their heads.

The gray-uniformed officer was momentarily taken aback, then nodded slightly. “Five hundred per dog, so that’s three thousand for all six. Once the fine is paid, these dogs still can’t stay in the city.”

Lu Yao readily paid the fee, signaling Harold to collect the puppies. “We’ll be leaving the city right away.”

The crowd dispersed, leaving only the two gray-uniformed officers standing there.

One of them asked, “The fine has to be paid at the community office, and they shouldn’t be allowed to take the dogs. Who knows if they’ll resell them? Boss, why are you being so lenient all of a sudden?”

The officer who collected the money glanced at him. “Let’s go.”

…

Little Pet Cafe

Ji Feiming saw Lu Yao and Harold walk through the door and let out a sigh of relief, standing up to greet them. “You’re finally back.”

Today had been overwhelming for him.

Lu Yao gave a nod, brushing past him with a bag in her hand.

Ji Feiming looked puzzled. “What’s with the boss?”

Harold shrugged, gesturing for him to look back.

Lu Yao carefully lifted each puppy out of the bag, one by one. All six Marumaru Dogs, now wearing custom collars, rolled around on the floor like little snowballs.

Ji Feiming was stunned. “What… is this?”

“The Little Pet Cafe’s new staff members, Marumaru Dogs. Their special trait is cuteness; their very presence is therapeutic. Harold, teach them the rules, and we’ll get them started in the Coral Room later,” Lu Yao declared firmly.

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