Ch 151: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

As dawn’s light seeped in, Lu Yao looked down, noticing a neatly laid stone pathway with five steps leading up to a row of tiled houses with red pillars and gray bricks, each bearing signs for tea houses and bookstores. The characters on the signs weren’t the simplified Chinese she was familiar with, yet she could recognize and understand them.

In the distance, a few long-drawn-out vendor calls echoed, mingling occasionally with the bark of a dog. It was early morning here, though it was still midnight back in the shopping street—time flowed differently between the two.

Lu Yao stepped over the threshold and gently closed the door behind her. The cinema’s entrance in this world mirrored the traditional red pillars and gray-brick tiled roof style but lacked a signboard, giving the doorway an unfinished, bare look.

To the left was a store called “Rongxi Book House,” its doors closed for now, and to the right stood a grand three-story tea house named “Chunxi Pavilion,” which seemed to be just opening for business as a light, fragrant aroma of tea wafted in the air.

After standing at the entrance for a while and noticing no patrons around yet, Lu Yao continued down the street.

She passed a pawnshop, a jewelry store, a cloth shop, a cosmetics shop, a stationery shop, and an herbal medicine hall—traditional establishments lined the street in quaint charm, though most were still closed.

Farther down, the bustle grew louder. Vendors selling meat buns, noodle stalls, cake stands, and wonton soup were energetically calling out to the morning customers, who were steadily arriving.

Now and then, a passerby would catch sight of Lu Yao, eyes widening as they quickly lifted their sleeves to shield their faces, murmuring softly under their breath, “Avert your eyes! Avert your eyes!”

“Oh dear, what’s that woman doing, out and about with her hair loose!”

Pausing at a stall selling duck-blood vermicelli soup, Lu Yao looked down at her outfit. The shopping street and Alexander Continent were both in the midst of summer, and the snack shop and Eden Sea maintained comfortable temperatures. Lately, she’d been wearing short sleeves or summer dresses everywhere. Here, everyone was dressed in long robes or skirts, men and women alike. Naturally, her attire seemed to cause quite a stir.

Cultural shock!

Lu Yao hesitated for a moment, considering if she should return and change. But she doubted she’d find anything suitable at home, and while there was a clothing shop nearby, she didn’t have any money.

After some thought, Lu Yao shrugged. It’s just a short-sleeved shirt, she reasoned. Once the cinema opened, it was bound to introduce a whole new world to them. Getting a head start on adjusting wouldn’t hurt.

With that in mind, Lu Yao was ready to continue her walk, but the stall owner—a woman selling duck-blood vermicelli—hurried over and took her by the arm. “Miss, come here quickly.”

Aunt Zhu led Lu Yao behind the stall, promptly covering her with an apron she used for work. “Why are you running around dressed like this? Where’s your family?”

Caught off guard, Lu Yao realized her exploration plans were dashed. Seeing Lu Yao’s somewhat dazed expression, Aunt Zhu pushed her gently into a corner seat and handed her a bowl of duck-blood vermicelli soup. “Sit here and eat for a bit.”

The soup had tender pieces of duck blood, some duck intestines, and duck liver on top, sprinkled with bright green scallions. The noodles gleamed, nestled in steaming duck broth, with a rich, fragrant aroma that filled her senses.

Lu Yao’s stomach growled. Though she’d eaten quite a bit the night before, the smell was too tempting. She couldn’t resist and picked up her chopsticks, taking a big slurp of the vermicelli noodles. She blinked, savoring the flavor, then tried a piece of duck blood—it was slightly gamey but fresh and tender. She lifted the bowl and sipped the broth.

Having traveled through four different worlds, Lu Yao had tasted many unusual delicacies.

The flavor was simple, yet perfectly fresh—a satisfying meal, especially in the lively morning atmosphere.

Lu Yao slurped down the last of her noodles, then looked up to find the noodle seller gone. None of the other patrons dared meet her gaze. She felt around in her pocket, retrieving a handful of pearls from her storage space and placing them on the table.

These pearls were ordinary ones gifted by the waterdrop seal guardians. She’d had plenty left over after making the mooncake boxes. They didn’t have any special properties, but they were of high quality—round and lustrous.

Aunt Zhu hurried back with the town’s patrol, looking worried when she didn’t see Lu Yao. She anxiously asked the nearby customers if they’d seen her. That young lady, so disheveled and naive-looking, could easily be tricked in the bustling city of Liangjing, where people from all walks of life mingled.

One patron mentioned the girl had left after eating but had left behind a pile of pearls on the table.

The patrol captain, Zhang Cheng, picked up a pearl and examined it closely. “These are shark pearls, and of remarkable quality. Aunt Zhu, you must have been mistaken. A young lady who could afford pearls like this surely isn’t foolish. Well, if there’s nothing amiss, we’ll be on our way.”

Still, Zhang Cheng asked which direction she’d gone and led his team toward Song’an Street to check things out.

Lu Yao, feeling full, wandered back to her shop. Along the way, she encountered a group of young boys, each carrying a cloth bag and wearing a head wrap. She overheard they were on their way to school at the end of the street.

The boys, about eleven or twelve years old, stared at her in astonishment, clearly unsure how to react. They watched her enter the long-vacant shop and stood there scrutinizing it for a while.

Back at her shop, Lu Yao sat down and began making adjustments to her design blueprint. After half an hour, she handed the revised blueprint to the system. “Renovate it like this. I’ve also tweaked the sign a bit.”

The system scanned the blueprint, hesitated, then couldn’t resist asking, “Why such a design? This will clash even more with the rest of the street.”

The new blueprint transformed the once simple design into a more stylish, avant-garde look, with black tiles of angular patterns and a black-and-gold color scheme. Transparent glass would let passersby see everything inside the shop. In the midst of Song’an Street’s quaint traditional architecture, it was bound to stand out.

Lu Yao replied, “It’s all about creating a fresh experience!”

From her brief stroll, she’d noticed the nearby streets were clean, spacious, and filled with shops, bustling with markets and even schools. This was indeed a lively city.

With the shop set for maintenance, Lu Yao left. Tomorrow, the new sign would go up.

Although she’d already opened four shops, she still felt a thrill each time a new one was about to launch. She had a feeling Little A would appear this time too—his silver hair and red eyes would certainly stand out in this era. The thought made her even more excited.

Back in the shopping street, it was still late at night. Lu Yao pulled out her phone, sending a few messages.

The system was taken aback. “You already know what you want to buy?”

This cinema was essentially a private theater, different from a standard one. The paperwork and procedures were handled by the system, leaving the business operations entirely to the owner’s plans.

The films needed licensing, and some scenes might require cuts or re-dubbing. She’d researched the prices, and some older or low-budget films had licensing fees ranging from tens of thousands to millions.

Previously, uncertain about the shop’s background, she’d prepared a few interesting options and had now made her decision.

Lu Yao replied, “I’m just asking for quotes.”

The system, feeling a bit down, asked, “When did you start preparing all this? You never told me.”

Lu Yao smiled. “Things were so busy over Mid-Autumn. And I was hesitant—the costs are high, I don’t have much money, and it’s a risky investment.”

The system sighed. “Then why did you decide to go through with it?”

Lu Yao responded, “Because I have you. You’re my dream-fulfillment system; you’re here to help me achieve my wishes. If anything goes wrong, you’ll help, right?”

The system agreed, albeit with a hint of reluctance. “Of course. Within the scope of the task, I’ll do my utmost to support you, boss.”

Lu Yao chuckled. “You’re my confidence booster.”

The system felt slightly flustered, with a strange sense of joy stirring within.

The next morning, Zhou Su arrived at work, carefully parking her scooter beside the Cadillac, right next to Lu Yao’s.

The parking lot was somewhat cramped, and when guests arrived with their luxury cars, there was hardly enough space to maneuver. Zhou Su felt a sense of reassurance only when her little scooter was parked next to the shop owner’s.

As Zhou Su approached, she saw Ji Feiming and his nephew, Ji Zhixin, one standing and the other seated, both seemingly observing the Little Pet Cafe. When Zhou Su had first learned Ji Zhixin couldn’t walk, she’d been taken aback since he moved around the shop just like anyone else. By then, however, she’d already started working there, and though running away had crossed her mind, she found she didn’t want to leave. Once you accepted certain things, they somehow became part of the daily routine.

“Good morning! What are you guys looking at?” Zhou Su greeted her colleagues cheerfully as she joined them.

Neither Ji Feiming nor Ji Zhixin acknowledged her immediately, both staring up at a large sign. Zhou Su followed their gaze and was immediately astonished: “’Lu Yao’s Interdimensional Cinema’? Is this the new shop?”

It looked like they planned to open a cinema, but who would come to watch a movie out in this remote area? Then she remembered that most of the shop street’s customers weren’t from this world, so the new shop’s patrons were likely from other realms. What kind of world would it be this time? Zhou Su felt a surge of curiosity.

Ji Feiming and Ji Zhixin were equally intrigued. Just then, Lu Yao emerged from the nail salon, crossed the small road, and came to a stop behind them. The sign was now in place and, as she’d hoped, looked grand and eye-catching.

Ji Zhixin turned to Lu Yao, unable to resist asking, “Boss, where’s this one set?”

Lu Yao replied, “A world called the Great Wu Dynasty.”

Zhou Su’s face lit up with excitement. “Ancient times? No wonder it’s called an ‘Interdimensional’ Cinema! This is so interesting. Boss, can we go inside?”

“It’s still under renovation; it should be ready by the afternoon,” Lu Yao answered.

Ji Zhixin then asked, “Boss, do we have proper film rights?”

Lu Yao replied, “I’m planning to buy some.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Feiming looked down at Ji Zhixin, who then added, “If you have specific projects in mind, let me know. I might be able to help.”

Lu Yao looked a bit surprised. “You have connections?”

Ji Feiming interjected, “The Ji family dabbles in many areas and invested quite a bit in the film industry years ago. Zhixin was managing some of those business matters for the family and is familiar with it.”

This was an unexpected boon. Lu Yao immediately decided to push Ji Zhixin’s wheelchair toward the Little Pet Cafe. “Come on, let’s discuss it inside. Xiao Ji, could you bring breakfast over?”

Ji Feiming nodded. “Alright.”

Ji Zhixin: “…”

Zhou Su eagerly followed, her eyes sparkling. Breakfast in hand, she listened with rapt attention as her colleague recounted stories of his past exploits in the business world and life as a young master of a prominent family—it was riveting.

Meanwhile, it was already noon in the Great Wu Dynasty. As students from Song’an Academy finished their lessons and headed home with book bags slung over their shoulders, they passed by the Rongxi Book House and noticed a crowd gathering, seemingly watching something of interest.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️