Ch 206: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao arrived at the cinema early, with Harold following close behind.

For Moon Landing’s premiere, the 3D screening room on the second floor was opening to the public for the first time, with Shui Shan and Ming Shi handling ticket checks and Harold distributing custom-made 3D glasses.

That morning, the Great Wu Dynasty staff struggled to squeeze through the crowds already gathered outside the cinema; the entrance was packed.

As soon as the doors opened, the waiting guests flooded in like a rushing current.

Ye Xiao and Ku Ba stood at the entrance, barely maintaining order. Guests almost broke into fights over their place in line, but the intimidating presence of the guards kept them in check, forcing them to queue up properly to buy tickets.

Ever since Shui Shan and Ming Shi snagged the jobs at the cinema, Jin Lu and Qi Wu had felt somewhat dejected. They spent their free time in the first-floor lounge, silently directing resentment toward Die Qi.

However, the excitement surrounding the Moon Landing trailer had them eagerly looking forward to the premiere, nearly forgetting about Shui Shan and Ming Shi.

On the premiere day, they assumed that, with nearly all of Ling Xiao Pavilion’s top assassins working at the cinema, they could easily pull some strings to get tickets. Yet, by the time they arrived in the morning, the premiere tickets were already sold out, with the second and third showings selling out soon after.

Sitting on the steps outside the cinema, Jin Lu and Qi Wu looked like they had reached a crossroads in life—lost, helpless, and disheartened.

With so many guests and a fair number remaining in the lounge even without tickets, Lu Yao noticed that additional help was needed, especially on the second floor. Standing at the entrance, she called out, “Jin Lu, Qi Wu, interested in some temp work?”

Jin Lu & Qi Wu: !!!

Lu Yao assigned Jin Lu to supervise the second-floor staircase and lounge, assisting Qin Sanwei and Chang Ming when needed, while Qi Wu helped Wen Jian with ticket checks on the first floor.

Both had become familiar with the cinema’s routine, so they accepted the offer with a bit of hidden delight.

Lu Yao offered them a three-day contract, with wages paid at the end of each day.

In three days, the rush for the 3D screenings would likely start to settle.

Unaware of Jin Lu and Qi Wu’s hidden desire to work at the cinema, Lu Yao simply felt that Ku Ba’s fellow apprentices had strong skills and could be helpful.

Jin Lu and Qi Wu secretly resolved to make themselves indispensable during these three days, hoping to turn their temp contract into a permanent one.

With Lu Yao reaching out to them directly, Die Qi could have no objections.

After setting up the assignments, Lu Yao returned to the ticketing area for the 3D screening room on the second floor.

With Shui Shan and Ming Shi managing the ticket checks, Harold, wearing a pair of 3D glasses himself, handed glasses to guests, instructing, “Once inside, just wear these like this.”

The guests eagerly accepted the glasses, curious about the new experience.

They had seen the cinema staff wearing these for some time, but now they had the chance to try them out themselves.

Scanning the crowd, Lu Yao spotted many familiar faces: Xie Xu and his group, noblewomen Xie Wan and Sun Qinghe, the storyteller Chen Jingshan, Liu Gennong, Wan Baozhu with her maid, Bai Xiang Hall’s Xuan Li and Wang Sheng, the ladies from Jing Hong Hall, the Jiang family elder and steward…

The 3D screening room was in high demand, with no option for private bookings, making tickets difficult to obtain.

Eager just to secure tickets, the guests no longer cared much about propriety or seating arrangements.

Once inside, the audience could immediately feel the 3D screening room’s distinctiveness: seats were spaced an arm’s width apart, making the theater spacious and quiet, while the screen at the front was twice the size of a regular screen.

Seated, they noticed that without glasses, the screen appeared to have two layers, with one layer floating slightly and blurrily above the other.

Xie Xu put on the glasses, and the screen became sharp. Taking them off, he glanced up at the hazy screen, then repeated the process a few times before finally taking off the glasses to examine them. “These actually have some use.”

Chen Yuning inspected his glasses as well. “Don’t you feel that when you wear them, everything—people, objects, scenes—seems right in front of you?”

The two beside him nodded, with Prince Jin adding, “It’s just like in the trailer’s last scene, when the spaceship took off—it didn’t seem like it was on the screen, but as if it were truly right before us.”

Next to them, a guest wearing the glasses couldn’t resist waving their hand in front of their face, reaching out to touch the image that appeared so close yet remained untouchable.

Old Master Jiang’s eyesight had weakened over the years—near vision was a struggle, though he could still see things at a distance fairly well.

He, too, repeatedly put on and took off the glasses, a hint of curiosity crossing his aged face.

As the initial excitement faded, and the storyline deepened, the audience became absorbed in the film.

Some viewers had initially assumed Moon Landing was similar to Seeking Immortals, a tale of gods, cultivators, and monsters. After all, these characters dreamed of reaching the moon—a feat seemingly impossible without divine powers.

But from the beginning, this story took a different path. A group of people sat together, discussing their aspirations of reaching the moon—men and women alike, their eyes bright and voices spirited, creating an atmosphere that lifted the audience’s mood.

This team of six—four men and two women—drafted the initial moon landing plan.

Wan Baozhu sat up straighter, her eyes bright with intrigue.

What she loved most about the cinema was its portrayal of people, events, and objects that simply didn’t exist in Great Wu Dynasty.

These things appeared so vividly in front of her, as though such a world truly existed.

For example, the women in the film who held the same status as men, wearing the same clothing, entering the same spaces, discussing the same issues. Such actions were referred to as “work.”

As the story delved into each character’s background, it became evident that these women were as well-educated and professionally skilled as the men.

They freely shared their opinions in public without being chastised for ambition.

Wan Baozhu found herself captivated by such stories, reaffirming her belief that she was not an oddity.

In the film’s world, her thoughts were commonplace—perhaps she had simply been born in the wrong world.

In the first five years of Moon Landing’s implementation, the team struggled with building the spaceship, hindered by a lack of technical support.

Eventually, they received assistance from a foreign nation, bringing in a team of advisors.

At first, Wan Baozhu felt anxious—could they trust these so-called foreign experts and professors?

Gradually, she began to see that behind this aid lay familiar motivations.

The first five years passed, and the spacecraft’s construction had only just begun.

Then, due to various reasons, the foreign allies withdrew their support, leaving the moon landing project at a standstill once again.

Wan Baozhu focused on the unfolding story, though her thoughts wandered.

The cinema, perhaps, wasn’t as terrifying as it seemed.

Human nature, it appeared, hadn’t changed at all.

Even the film’s idealistic characters faced misunderstanding and unending challenges.

By the fourth five-year phase, two of the original team members had passed away—one due to illness and another in an accident on their way home from work.

The unpredictability of life seemed an eternal truth.

But as time went on, talented young aerospace scientists joined the project, picking up the torch passed down by the previous generation and working tirelessly toward the completion of the moon landing mission.

In the sixth five-year phase, everything was ready—manned spacecraft, astronauts, safety tests, logistical teams… All was in place for the final step: landing on the moon.

In the theater, every audience member instinctively lifted their heads, watching as the spaceship named “Hope” ascended into the sky.

Then, through the perspective of “Hope,” they saw Earth for the first time, and everyone suddenly understood.

Earth—the place where humanity lives?

The sight through the glasses was even more overwhelming than the trailer had been, rendering them speechless.

It wasn’t the moon after all.

The world was, in fact, a sphere.

Amid their astonishment, some began to wonder, is this really true?

But the ground they perceived was flat.

Or perhaps, this was simply a fictional story, the fantasy of the film’s creator.

Maybe they were only witnessing one person’s dream.

At that moment, the spacecraft drew closer to the moon.

The moon’s surface began to appear, and everyone held their breath, imagining the palace of the moon, Chang’e, the Jade Rabbit, and the laurel tree…

The spaceship landed smoothly, and the astronaut, in his spacesuit, carefully opened the hatch and stepped out with cautious, measured steps.

The audience in the theater was spellbound. What unfolded before them was a barren landscape, devoid of vegetation, rivers, animals, or… humans.

The astronaut was alone on the moon, and there was nothing there.

The sky was a dense black, and the moon’s surface was pocked and desolate.

Silence filled the theater, as a profound sense of loneliness and confusion washed over the viewers.

Was there truly nothing on the moon?

Not even a trace of humanity.

All those years, spanning two generations, culminating in this solitary glimpse—was it really worth it?

Was the end of humanity’s pursuit of truth also empty?

Then, what are we so desperate to grasp, pouring our life’s energy and passion into it?

Perhaps… it’s only a void.

The astronaut, holding a flag, moved slowly across the moon’s surface in his cumbersome suit, the faint sound of his breathing audible.

At this moment, he was the only visitor on the moon.

In this moment, he and the audience shared the moon.

The tracks he left formed a thin, long line of footprints.

Step by step, so solitary, so heavy, yet so resolute.

Suddenly, the astronaut stopped, stood up straight, and looked back toward Earth.

From the moon, Earth appeared as a small round ball, just as they saw the moon from Earth.

But Earth was a blue planet.

The astronaut solemnly planted the flag into the moon’s surface.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from all directions, startling the theater’s audience.

It turned out that people on Earth were also watching the moon landing via satellite broadcast.

After nearly thirty years of effort, only one person had made it to the moon, yet he had fulfilled the dream of millions.

Even though there was no palace, no Chang’e, and none of the fantasies they had imagined, and even though he had only seen a barren land, people were overjoyed, as if they too had reached the moon.

Jiang Yudie lowered her head, pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve, her emotions conflicted. Turning slightly, her gaze faltered.

The Old Master Jiang tilted his head slightly, his dimmed eyes fixed skyward, and two clear tears rolled down his weathered face.

Jiang Yudie was startled.

This was the Old Master’s first film, and while it was indeed different from the other stories they had seen, it didn’t seem like the kind to bring him to tears.

In all her years, Jiang Yudie had never seen her grandfather show such vulnerability.

She had always feared her grandfather, who had long retired and carried a gentle air, even more than her stern and severe father.

To her, her grandfather was the very pillar of the Jiang family.

Old Master Jiang lifted his hand, roughly wiping his face with his sleeve, and murmured softly, “The world is always like this—only a few can lead the way. And those who lead are the keepers of the flame.”

Jiang Yudie didn’t catch his words and leaned in closer.

Suddenly, there was a loud “boom” as the lights in the theater came on, signaling the end of the film.

Like Jiang Yudie, most guests were still caught up in their emotions, sitting as still as puppets, unable to move.

Only Wan Baozhu took off her glasses and stood up immediately, heading out.

She needed to find Lu Yao.

…

At the palace.

Having just finished the morning assembly, Minister Chen hurriedly exited the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

A colleague called after him, “Minister Chen, Minister Chen, why the rush?”

Minister Chen paused, turning slightly to respond in a low voice, “Has Lord Du heard of the cinema?”

Lord Du shook his head, but Minister Zhou, passing by, couldn’t help but interject, “The cinema? It’s been the talk of the town. I even saw Moon Landing’s trailer—truly a wonder. I wonder if they actually reached the moon?”

Minister Chen nodded enthusiastically. “That’s exactly why I’m curious! Today is the premiere, and I had my son get tickets. I’m rushing over to see for myself.”

Minister Zhou clapped his hands in regret. “I should have thought of that. I was planning to buy tickets myself this afternoon. Now I wonder if there will be any left.”

Lord Du, usually absorbed in books and official matters, had never heard of the cinema and didn’t follow the conversation. But looking around, he noticed nearly everyone discussing the cinema and this “Moon Landing,” and he grew curious.

Without even returning home to change, Minister Chen went straight from the palace to the cinema in his official attire. Spotting his son, Chen Yuning, in the lounge area, he quickly walked over.

Chen Yuning was deep in conversation with Xie Xu andPrince Jin about Moon Landing’s plot when his father tapped him on the shoulder.

Startled, Chen Yuning asked, “Father, you came straight here from court?”

Minister Chen’s face was serious, and instead of answering, he asked, “The ticket?”

Chen Yuning pulled it out and handed it to him. “Father, this film is a bit different from what we expected.”

Minister Chen grew even more tense. “Don’t spoil it for me. I want to see it myself.”

Throughout his walk to Song’an Street, snippets of conversation mentioning “moon landing” and “spaceship” filled the air, so Minister Chen blocked his ears, fearing spoilers.

He headed upstairs with his ticket. Shui Shan and Ming Shi, seeing his official robes, instinctively started to flee, but Harold stopped them, reminding them they were law-abiding citizens now.

…

In the Hall of Diligence.

Emperor Wu was reviewing memorials when Qin Mingde entered with a young eunuch in blue.

“Well?” The emperor set aside his memorial.

The young eunuch had just returned from outside the palace, looking dazed and unfocused. He knelt, took a moment to collect himself, and then spoke softly, “Your Majesty, regarding Moon Landing…”

Half an hour later, the eunuch finally finished his report.

Emperor Wu sat in silence for a long time before finally speaking. “Qin Mingde, convey my decree—summon the cinema’s owner, Lu Yao, to the palace.”

Qin Mingde was a bit startled, but his own curiosity about the cinema was piqued. Accepting the decree, he personally set off to bring Lu Yao to the palace.

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