Ch 143: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Thingyan: the previous chapter was missing some parts. It’s been completely redone. Thank you to the kind reader who notified me. I apologize for the inconvenience 🥲

…

Lu Yao obtained the contacts for several younger members of the Ji family and reached out to them one by one. After brief introductions, she initiated video calls.

She had an idea of how the interviews would go, and the results were as expected—neither party seemed particularly satisfied.

However, she was surprised when someone proactively contacted her, with the note: “Ji Zhixin.”

When the camera turned on, the background was dim. A faint sliver of silver light from a side window cast a subtle glow on the young man’s face and his brooding eyes, which held a faint glimmer.

Lu Yao chatted with Ji Zhixin for a few minutes. Although he seemed somewhat low-spirited, he spoke with clarity and patience, showing a conversational finesse that met her requirements well. She explained the job responsibilities and benefits, and without much hesitation, he accepted.

After hanging up, Lu Yao sat and pondered the situation. She had agreed to meet him in person, at least once, to finalize things.

Switching to her tablet, she browsed through job postings. The listings were a hodgepodge, and it was hard to find anything substantial with a quick scan. After about ten minutes with no luck, she opened the system and pulled up her store stats.

Her businesses had grown, and so had the associated responsibilities—she hadn’t checked her stats in a while and was taken aback by what she saw.

Store Owner: Lu Yao
Age: 22
Shops: 4
Employees: 174
Popularity Points: 37,659,500
Assets: 32.63M
Wish Progress: 18%
Storage Slots: 40

The number of shops had increased to four, and the staff had skyrocketed to 174, with the majority being adorable animal staff from the Little Pet Cafe. There were one hundred water drop seals, twenty Wakaba rabbits, twelve chubby birds, six Marumaru dogs, and seven piggy cats. After cleaning up the Eden Sea’s trash mountain, her popularity points had surged by over thirty million, which was expected. Now, stray garbage occasionally drifted into the Eden Sea, and she had left a cleaning machine in the store, with two seals patrolling daily to keep things tidy and sustain the rising popularity points.

Her assets had reached over thirty million, though the daily expenses across the stores averaged seventy to eighty thousand yuan, not counting the cost of gold at the nail salon, crystal cores at the blind box shop, and seafood at the Little Pet Cafe.

Turning off the system, she looked back at old moments from her social media—a wave of nostalgia and inspiration washed over her as she saw images of her recent nail designs, customer photos, and promotional events she’d organized for engagement. With Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, she felt an urge to turn her idea into reality.

Lu Yao took out pen and paper, starting to sketch a plan.

…

That evening, as the nail salon was closing, the store’s non-human staff gathered.

Lu Yao emerged from her office, clearing her throat before announcing, “The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up, and I’m planning a small event to give back to our customers with a limited-time, collaborative mooncake box. Anyone interested?”

She wanted to use this event to connect her four stores across different worlds, creating a bond with her customers that would allow her businesses to flourish long-term.

Mumu tilted her head, his light blue eyes filled with confusion. “What’s the Mid-Autumn Festival?”

The fairy Merulu, struggling to flap her wings, flew up to Lu Yao’s shoulder and asked, “What’s a mooncake?”

Lu Yao explained the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival and its traditions of moon-gazing, eating mooncakes, and lighting lanterns.

Puxiu perched on Lu Yao’s other shoulder. “So, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a bit like our Moon Goddess Festival, where we worship the moon goddess and pray for a good harvest. But what does a four-store collaboration mean?”

Lu Yao tapped her pen against the armrest, explaining, “Since I have four stores in different worlds, I thought each shop could launch its own signature mooncake flavor, and we’d package all four into a Mid-Autumn gift box. Some would go to customers as part of a promotion, and the rest would be for employees as holiday gifts.”

The nail salon fell silent, and the non-human employees looked at Lu Yao in awe.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, starting to feel uncertain. “Is it too complicated?”

Edward held Ambrose down as he attempted to stand up. “Store Owner, do you have any samples or references for the mooncakes?”

Lu Yao pulled up some images of new-style mooncakes from the internet, and everyone gathered around to see. Ambrose, Tina, Clarissa, Si Jin, Harold, the fairy twins, and Mumu all leaned in close.

Edward commented, “Like nail art, the appearance of mooncakes can be designed in any way we want. I propose making bat-shaped mooncakes.”

Si Jin leisurely suggested, “Since it’s a four-world collaboration, we must showcase the best mooncake of Alexander. And the most formidable race in this world is undoubtedly the dragon clan.”

Tina immediately raised her hand. “Agreed! Let’s make dragon-shaped mooncakes.”

Harold, arms crossed, stayed silent but nodded his agreement.

Ambrose, feeling competitive, protested, “Then I vote for a little skeleton-shaped mooncake.”

Perched on Edward’s shoulder, Mumu chirped excitedly, “Squee!” indicating a vote for a slime mooncake.

Clarissa slammed her blood-red scythe on the ground, coolly declaring, “I vote for a demon design.”

The fairy twins squeezed into the center. “Fairies are powerful and adorable…”

“And edible!” Harold interrupted mercilessly.

Merulu raised a tiny fist, threatening to punch Harold in indignation.

Watching from the sidelines, Lu Yao retreated to the sofa, silently accepting that these guys were beyond help.

Unable to sway each other, the group soon gathered materials and began crafting mooncakes on the spot. They even used nail art techniques, trying to create the most magnificent mooncakes with precious gems and rare ingredients.

Lu Yao couldn’t get a word in, so she let them continue their chaotic creativity. Midway, she received a call from Ji Feiming, and after discussing things with him, she returned to find her otherworldly staff still bickering over mooncake designs. She knew from experience this could take quite a while.

Shaking her head, she left to check on things elsewhere.

The addition of seafood dishes to the snack shop’s menu had made its late-night service more popular than ever. When Lu Yao arrived, she pitched in to help, then took a break to share her mooncake gift box idea with Xingzi, Bai Ming, and the others.

By midnight, after closing, Xiao Qie gathered everyone who wasn’t on a late shift—Chi, Meng Qin, Ning Yun, Yu Cai, and Mo Cheng—all came back to the store.

Outside, the night sky sparkled, city lights reflecting off the river, vibrant yet serene.

The employees sat around Lu Yao, eagerly listening.

She explained the mooncake gift box idea once more.

Each of the souls working in the shop had come from different worlds. Some celebrated Mid-Autumn like Lu Yao’s, others had similar festivals with different names, and some had never experienced it.

Most of the snack shop employees had an idea of what the Moon Festival entailed, so they understood her vision instantly.

Xingzi, resting her chin in her hands, eyes shining, said, “Mooncakes… It’s been ages since I’ve had one.”

Yu Cai added, “I never expected to celebrate the Moon Festival again. I’d love to have this mooncake box.”

Ning Yun, engrossed in the reference images Lu Yao had found, said, “A gift box with mooncakes from different worlds is just fascinating! Boss, will we get one too?”

Lu Yao nodded, “Mid-Autumn Festival gift, a box for each of you.”

The employees were thrilled. For the souls who had passed, the thought of receiving such a gift felt surreal. As Quan Shengju had once put it, “It’s the kind of thing you’d never imagine in life, but get to experience in the afterlife—a magical feeling, like Santa personally bringing you a gift.”

Bai Ming tapped on the mooncake designs on the tablet, worried. “I can’t think of any unique Dreamland elements.”

Xiao Qie added, “Other than death and time, there’s nothing here. Even our ingredients come from the boss.”

Ning Yun glanced at Lu Yao and raised a hand. “I suggest making some flower and leaf-themed mooncakes, with real petals or leaves on top. I bet the customers would love it.”

Xingzi’s eyes lit up. “Real flowers from the living world? That’s brilliant. Knowing there’s a real flower or leaf in each mooncake would make them crazy to get one.”

Across the window, ordinary grass and plants might seem commonplace, but for the residents of Dreamland, they were precious. Decades or even centuries later, they might still cherish a single petal or leaf from these mooncakes.

Chi interjected, “Flower mooncakes would be special, but only for Dreamland customers. Don’t forget this mooncake box is for all four stores, and when placed next to magical or ocean-themed mooncakes, ours could seem underwhelming.”

They had heard that the other stores had magic, mystical energy sources, and even deep-sea themes—it seemed almost impossible to compete.

Lu Yao mused, “I think flower mooncakes are charming. I remember in spring, Ning Yun really wanted a flower from outside the shop, but it wasn’t possible. Now, with osmanthus in bloom, I’ll see if I can get some fresh blossoms.”

Mo Cheng remarked, “Osmanthus-flavored mooncakes… That’s so luxurious. I doubt anyone would dare eat it.”

Ning Yun eagerly raised his hand. “I want osmanthus!”

Bai Ming chimed in, “Even roadside wildflowers could look cute if dried and placed on the mooncake—it’d save money too.”

Finally, Qi Chen voiced his thoughts, “Aren’t we focusing too much on looks? Taste is key.”

Meng Qin agreed, “If we want to stand out among the four stores, taste and creativity both need to be top-notch.”

Lu Yao sighed, wondering how even the snack shop had turned into a mooncake brainstorming committee.

By the time she left the snack shop, it was late. The streetlights on either side had been broken before, but Ji Feiming had them fixed recently.

On her way back to the nail shop, Lu Yao passed by the blind box shop and decided to take a look.

Even at this hour, it was daytime inside the blind box store.

Tiger cub lay near the door, lazily flicking his tail. Wei Xuan, Nie Yu, and Xue Ge were tidying the shelves, while a few customers browsed the boxes.

“Boss, what brings you here at this time?” Wei Xuan looked surprised.

With the time difference between worlds, Ji Feiming’s recent deliveries had been at night, and Lu Yao rarely visited so early.

Xue Ge and Nie Yu also looked over, wondering if something was wrong.

Lu Yao waved her hand. “No big deal.”

Xue Ge quickly gathered Lilly, Zhong Ruying, and Luo Hui’an from the lab. Lu Yao explained her idea of creating a Mid-Autumn mooncake gift box for the stores.

In the Impermanence world, which bore a striking resemblance to Lu Yao’s world, Mid-Autumn Festival had been celebrated twenty years prior.

Zhong Ruying, the oldest, had tasted mooncakes in her childhood, though the memories were faint. Luo Hui’an, Wei Xuan, and Nie Yu had heard about the tradition from their elders, while Xue Ge and Lilly had only come across mentions of it in the lab.

Tiger cub, however, looked completely confused, having never heard of a “mooncake festival.”

Hearing about the plan for a mooncake gift box, collaboratively crafted by all four stores, everyone grew excited.

Wei Xuan asked, “Does anyone here know how to make mooncakes?”

Everyone looked at each other, faces blank, and slowly shook their heads.

Most of them hadn’t even seen or tasted one before. What were they supposed to do?

Nie Yu suggested, “Let’s ask some of the elderly nearby during lunch break. They’re bound to know more than we do.”

Wei Xuan nodded, “Good idea.”

Luo Hui’an suggested, “Tomorrow, I’ll also go ask Grandpa Jiang about traditional mooncake designs and flavors.”

Lilly slapped the table with excitement, “Not only should they taste great, but they also have to look amazing!”

Xue Ge, stroking his chin, seemed to get increasingly competitive, “This mooncake contest is serious! Let’s make ours the best-looking and best-tasting!”

Tiger Cub lifted his paw with a fierce little “Awoo!”

Lu Yao: “…”

When did this become a mooncake competition?

…

At the Little Pet Cafe, the fluffy staff didn’t understand what a Mooncake Festival was, so Lu Yao only briefly explained it to Jiu Hua.

This world didn’t celebrate a Mooncake Festival; it only had the Sea God Festival.

Jiu Hua was instantly intrigued and, like the other shop employees, filled with competitive determination for the four-shop mooncake gift set, asking Lu Yao for plenty of materials to study.

Lu Yao had her hands full all night, so after explaining things to Jiu Hua, she hid away in the Fishing Room’s office for a break.

By the time she woke up, Ji Zhixin had already landed and was settled in by Ji Feiming.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Ji Zhixin watched Ji Feiming on the phone, a bit surprised.

Before his injury, he had seen Ji Feiming a few times at the family’s New Year gatherings. His clan uncle, dignified as a god’s envoy, was always surrounded by people, reserved and distant, hard to approach.

This was the first time he’d seen his uncle speaking so cautiously. The tone itself wasn’t obvious, but from his expression and stance, the nearly deferential attitude was clear.

After hanging up, Ji Feiming turned to him. “The boss wants us to head over now.”

Ji Zhixin paused, “The boss you were just speaking with?”

Ji Feiming nodded, “Yes, originally, she planned to pick you up, but something came up. We’ll go check out some dessert shops in the city center instead.”

Ji Zhixin almost couldn’t contain his reaction, “Wait, I thought this was a job interview? Why dessert shops?”

Ji Feiming got up, pushing him toward the door, “I’m not entirely sure either, but she must have a reason.”

Ji Zhixin: “…”

This job seemed less and less reliable. Could his uncle have been tricked? Uncle Feiming had spent half his life in the shrine as a god’s envoy, where everyone showed him respect—could he really handle the complexities of the outside world?

Was it too late to back out now?

Of course, Ji Zhixin didn’t have a choice. Ji Feiming declined the housekeeper’s help and pushed Ji Zhixin out the door, settling him in the back seat.

About five minutes later, Lu Yao got in the car from the curb.

Wearing a sun hat and carrying a small black purse, she got into the passenger seat, buckled her seatbelt, then turned around to greet Ji Zhixin.

“Hi, I’m Lu Yao.”

She looked even younger in person than she had on video—black hair, fair skin, with eyes bright and full of energy, her smile incredibly warm.

Ji Zhixin felt a flicker of regret for hiding his injury, but under her clear gaze, he found himself even less able to mention it, managing only a hesitant, “Ji Zhixin.”

After the introduction, Lu Yao turned back around, speaking casually, “I did some research online; today we’ll be hitting five dessert shops and picking up samples to bring back. I overslept a bit, so we have a packed afternoon ahead. Can you drive faster, Xiao Ji?”

Ji Zhixin blinked in confusion. Xiao Ji… was she talking to him?

Then he heard his uncle respond with a cheerful, “Sure.”

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️