Ch 162: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Liu Xue’e and Liu Mingyuan walked silently toward the cinema, both looking rather unhappy.

The ticket Liu Shi had given Liu Mingyuan was for Little Chef, but he wanted to see The World’s Greatest, the martial arts film that had stirred up endless excitement in the market. Everyone who’d seen it raved about it.

Liu Xue’e’s ticket was for The World’s Greatest as well, and she, too, wanted to see it. For the first time, Liu Xue’e, who had always deferred to her younger brother in all matters, mustered the courage to refuse him.

She was due to be married by year’s end, and once she moved in with her in-laws, she might never have another chance to go to the cinema. This might be her last opportunity, and she didn’t want to have regrets.

Stunned, Liu Mingyuan felt a pang of frustration. The siblings walked the entire way in silence, neither initiating conversation.

When they reached the cinema entrance, ticket inspection for the second screening had just begun. As they stepped through the transparent glass door, they heard Lu Yao speaking.

She was saying that the special event tickets for women were not valid for male guests.

Liu Mingyuan stopped abruptly, his face going pale.

Last night, Liu Xue’e had told him that the ticket was a women-only event ticket, but he hadn’t taken it seriously, assuming it was just an excuse. He hadn’t expected that the cinema would actually enforce this policy in person.

At the ticket checkpoint, Li Niangzi’s husband was red-faced, glaring at Lu Yao defiantly, “How do you know this ticket isn’t one I bought myself?”

Lu Yao’s expression remained calm. “Every ticket sold by the cinema is numbered. I personally drew the numbers for the event tickets, so I know them. In both screening halls, tickets numbered 31 to 40 are designated as event tickets. If a man presents an event ticket, the cinema will not accept it.”

Li Niangzi’s husband looked down at his ticket, unable to read. After a long moment, he still couldn’t figure out where the number was.

The people in line behind him craned their necks to take a look. “It’s number 35. It’s definitely an event ticket, just like the manager said.”

Stomping his foot in frustration, Li Niangzi’s husband protested loudly, “Why give free tickets to women only? Are men just born to be chumps, always having to buy tickets to get into your lousy cinema?”

This man, a brawny dockworker, saw that all the patrons waiting in line behind him were men. Raising his voice, he hoped to pressure the manager into backing down.

Lu Yao noticed a few women standing hesitantly at the lobby entrance, tickets in hand but hesitant to approach. She exhaled slowly, her tone turning slightly firmer. “Who says we don’t have events for men? The day before the cinema’s official opening, we held three preview screenings of The World’s Greatest, all free of charge. All the tickets went to men.”

Although the previews hadn’t specified a gender restriction, it was indeed only men who had attended.

Many of today’s customers were familiar faces from Little Chef, and many of them had first seen The World’s Greatest at those previews.

When Lu Yao brought it up, they remembered that initial experience. It was, after all, their first exposure to something called a “movie,” and the impression had been a deep one.

As the boss reminded them, it suddenly dawned on the crowd that, apart from the cinema staff, they’d never seen a woman among the moviegoers.

Lu Yao’s gaze shifted from the crowd of men waiting to be checked to the hesitant women in the lobby. “The films shown at the cinema can be enjoyed by both men and women. But there’s something strange about the fact that, although this cinema isn’t a shady place, we’ve yet to see a single woman come through its doors. Is it that they’re uninterested? Unenthusiastic? Or is someone stopping them from coming? You ask why we’re giving these tickets specifically to women. There’s no complicated reason—simply, as a woman, I find these movies fascinating and enjoyable, and I wanted other women to experience them as well.”

Her intent was straightforward: to invite women of Great Wu to see a movie and encourage them to try out this form of entertainment.

After saying her piece, she turned to the man holding the event ticket. “I have a question for you as well. You’re a man, so why are you using a women-only event ticket? If you want to see a movie, why not buy a ticket yourself?”

For a moment, the lobby fell silent as the citizens of Great Wu, men and women alike, seemed taken aback.

“Event tickets held by men are void,” Lu Yao declared before turning her attention away from the man. Looking toward the entrance, she called out, “Ladies, come to this side for ticket checks. The movie’s about to start, and there’s free popcorn and cola with each ticket.”

Li Niangzi’s husband, with so many eyes on him, felt his pride take a hit—especially with all those women from his own street watching him. Flushed with embarrassment and rage, he suddenly raised his fist and lunged at Lu Yao.

Just as Lu Yao was speaking, Ku Ba swiftly stepped forward, intercepting the man’s punch with ease. He twisted the man’s arm behind his back, pressing him down to the ground. “Trying to get away with it and then lashing out—now that’s truly disgraceful. Boss, what should I do with him?”

Lu Yao replied, “Escort him out.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd as several men quietly slipped out of the line near Zhu Zhu’s side. No explanation was needed; they were all men trying to use their female family members’ tickets to sneak into the cinema.

At the entrance, Liu Mingyuan stood, face red with embarrassment, caught between staying and leaving. The women and young ladies were already heading to Lu Yao for ticket checks. Liu Xue’e glanced at him and said, “I’m going in now.”

Liu Mingyuan kept his head down, silent.

Liu Xue’e took a few steps, then paused. She took out her pouch, counted out thirty copper coins, and handed them to him. “Take this and buy a ticket for the next screening. And hurry back to give Mother the Little Chef ticket so she can come too.”

Stunned, Liu Mingyuan looked up, “Where did you get this money?”

Liu Xue’e replied, “I saved it over the years from selling embroidered handkerchiefs. Zhu Zhu told me yesterday that the tickets couldn’t be transferred, and Boss Lu wouldn’t allow it.”

Zhu Zhu, who greatly admired Lu Yao, often talked to Liu Xue’e about her. Liu Xue’e had come to understand Lu Yao’s straightforward nature and anticipated that there would be no bending of the rules here. She’d steeled herself and brought some extra money, just in case.

Liu Mingyuan’s face flushed as he lowered his head even more. “Sister, I was wrong.”

Liu Xue’e pressed the money into his hand. “The cinema is amazing, even I wanted to come, so it’s no surprise you’d feel the same. We’ll talk more about this later. Now, go bring mother. She says she’s too busy with the business, but do you really think she doesn’t want to come?”

Liu Mingyuan spun around and dashed off, too ashamed to face Liu Xue’e any longer. As he thought about his mother, Liu Shi, guilt filled his heart.

Despite the commotion, the ticket check concluded without major disruption. Lu Yao herself led the women into the screening hall, ensuring each took their assigned seats according to the row numbers printed on their tickets.

Unbeknownst to most, an opulent carriage had pulled up outside the cinema. A maid exited, approached the vehicle, and respectfully bowed as she gave her report. “My lady, I’ve gathered the information.”

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