Ch 181: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

The scent of osmanthus filled the city in August, and Great Wu’s streets were increasingly lined with stalls selling cakes, pastries, and lanterns, subtly evoking the festive atmosphere of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

On Song’an Street, the cinema was as bustling as ever.

When private rooms were made available for reservations two days prior, socialites like Xie Wan and Sun Qinghe quickly sent people to secure them. The three ten-person mini theaters and one twenty-person hall were fully booked within half a day.

On this day, two new films were released: In Search of Deep-Sea Beasts, whose trailer had been out for three days, and the fourth installment of The Little Chef.

When the trailer for In Search of Deep-Sea Beasts first aired, it sparked heated discussions in the Eastern Market. Nearby shop owners were somewhat alarmed, fearing that the monstrous creatures on screen might burst out into reality, like the infamous “popcorn monster” incident. Yet this time, the store owner chose not to dispel the rumors, letting them spread.

On the day of the premiere, the queue for tickets wasn’t as overwhelming as for the premiere of When blossoms fall, but it exceeded Lu Yao’s expectations.

Ku Ba, standing behind the ticket booth, watched as Chen Xiaoliu and Li Chunhua managed ticket checks. A tall woman in black, with her hair tied up like a man, handed her ticket to Chen Xiaoliu before approaching Ku Ba and winking at him.

Startled, Ku Ba took a step back, filled with questions but silent.

It was none other than Die Qi, who had arrived in Liangjing the previous night. With curfew approaching and the cinema closed, she had found a place to stay, exhausted from days of travel. The cinema had become the city’s hottest topic, and she overheard people in her inn talking about it, including those who had come from outside the city to experience it firsthand.

Die Qi looked Ku Ba up and down, unable to resist patting his hair. “Did you really cut your hair?”

Ku Ba glanced around the hall, not spotting Lu Yao or Fu Chi, and pulled Die Qi down the hallway a few steps. “What are you doing here?”

Die Qi shrugged with a smirk. “I came to see you.”

Ku Ba scowled. “See me? Don’t you have anything to do back at the pavilion?”

With a serious tone, Die Qi replied, “You sent back all sorts of curious things and said the lady owner here is cunning and unpredictable. I was worried that you’d be outmatched, so I came to lend a hand.”

Ku Ba rolled his eyes and gave her a shove. “Stay out of the boss’s way. She and I get along well. If you’re not needed, go back. I don’t need help here.”

Die Qi was genuinely surprised. In such a short time, Ku Ba’s usual grumpiness seemed to have softened, and he was even speaking well of someone. Could he actually have feelings for this store owner?

“What are you thinking?” Ku Ba glared, noticing her odd look.

Die Qi shook her head. “Nothing. By the way, have you heard from Xiao Jiu since you’ve been here? He sent word saying his leg was injured and he couldn’t return to the pavilion just yet. I actually came mainly to bring him back.”

Ku Ba paused, surprised. “He said that in his letter?”

Die Qi raised an eyebrow, catching on. “Where is he?”

Ku Ba scanned the hall again but didn’t spot Ye Xiao, feigning regret. “He’s not around, might be in the break room. I’m on duty and can’t go check.”

Die Qi looked surprised. “He’s here too? But isn’t he injured?”

Suppressing a mischievous grin, Ku Ba suggested, “You should find him and ask yourself.”

Just then, sounds from the screening room indicated that In Search of Deep-Sea Beasts was about to start. Die Qi held up her ticket. “Since you’re all here, I don’t need to go hunting him down. I already bought a ticket, so I’ll see what this ‘movie’ is all about.”

Inside the screening room, Die Qi found her seat, looking around curiously at the strange foods the other patrons held—things she’d never seen back in Mushui City. The air was filled with a warm, sweet aroma.

Before she could ponder further, Ku Ba entered and handed her a warm tub of popcorn, a chilled cup of orange juice, and a freshly grilled hotdog.

Just as the safety messages and advertisements ended, In Search of Deep-Sea Beasts began.

Excited whispers filled the hall: “It’s starting, it’s starting!”

Die Qi looked at the screen, where an expanse of azure ocean greeted her. Silver waves crashed against the coast under a dark sky, stirring a hint of anxiety within her.

The theater had a slight hum of anticipation. Compared to the terrifying trailer, this opening scene felt almost too calm.

Then, a narrator’s voice came in, introducing the members of an expedition team and informing the audience of their mission to explore the secretive lives of deep-sea giants.

Die Qi held her hotdog in one hand and a handful of popcorn in the other, munching away noisily like a hamster. The snacks were decent, but was this what everyone was raving about as a “movie”?

She had heard stories about The world’s greatest, The Little Che, and When blossoms fall just yesterday and had been quite excited. This theater’s setup and decorations were genuinely impressive, especially the giant wall in front of her and the strange, immersive sound surrounding the room. But was the story itself going to be this boring?

Not interesting at all.

After over a minute of introductions, the team, carrying their gear, boarded a boat heading toward a specific location on the map. They aimed to observe the hunting behavior of a creature called the “killer whale.”

As the engine roared and the boat kicked up a trail of white spray, heading out into the vast ocean, Die Qi gradually straightened up, her eyes widening with astonishment.

Was this… a boat?

Other viewers murmured, too, surprised by the sight. This vessel looked nothing like the wooden boats they were familiar with. With strange patterns on its white hull, it seemed to be made from something other than wood and moved quickly without oars.

In what seemed like no time, the group had left the dock and arrived at a desolate part of the sea. The aerial shot of their surroundings only heightened the grandeur.

The expedition team’s luck was remarkable. They encountered a pod of killer whales even before reaching their target location. Specifically, three killer whales hunting a humpback whale with its calf.

One of the killer whales suddenly surfaced beside the boat, its round, blunt head and sharp teeth visible as it made soft “eep eep” sounds.

Die Qi stared intently at the screen, her hotdog hanging halfway out of her mouth, forgotten, and she even stopped munching her popcorn.

There were creatures like this in the sea? These people were insane! How could they dare reach out to touch it? Weren’t they afraid of being dragged into the water?

In another screening room, Qin Sanwei sat in a corner, his gaze locked on the screen in terror as he watched the explorers interact with the creature, his heart nearly stopping from fright.

The rest of the audience seemed to fare no better, equally captivated and horrified by the scene of the team playing with such a monstrous creature in the water.

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