Ch 234: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Little Hu Qi’s eyes lit up when he saw the black dragon plush. He looked up at the man for approval, and only after receiving it did he carefully reach out. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Lu Yao cheerfully nudged Hu Jiao, who was clinging to her leg, forward and introduced him. “This is my little one, Lu Hu Jiao. He’s six years old.”

Hu Jiao, slightly taller than Hu Qi, seemed stiff and unsure of what to say, still adjusting to his new role.

Hu Qi blinked his big, bright eyes twice and softly greeted him, “Hello, big brother.”

He was also six but hadn’t had his birthday yet, so he instinctively addressed Hu Jiao as his elder.

Lu Yao and Hu Jiao didn’t linger long at Hu Qi’s house. After giving the gift and exchanging a few pleasantries with the man, they left.

Throughout their visit, the lady of the house never appeared, and Lu Yao didn’t ask about her.

After leaving Hu Qi’s home, Hu Jiao’s mood was noticeably low.

Lu Yao asked him to return home while she delivered the remaining pastry boxes to other neighbors.

Back in 305.

Hu Qi’s mother stood by the window with her hair disheveled, eavesdropping on the hallway sounds, occasionally casting a glance at Hu Qi standing in the corner.

Hu Qi was holding his new black dragon plush, feeling quietly happy, not noticing his mother’s gaze.

As soon as the door to 306 opened and closed, Hu Qi’s mother frowned, turned back, and snatched the plush from his hands, scolding, “Playtime’s over! Go practice the piano!”

With that, she tossed the plush into the trash.

Hu Qi didn’t dare to disobey and silently returned to the piano room.

But soon after the piano started, the music abruptly stopped again.

In 306.

Hu Jiao sat on the sofa near the window, his eyes dark. “When I was young, I always obeyed her commands. I thought it was because I loved her. Later, I found out that her ability activated through spoken words, and anyone with a lower power level than hers had no choice but to obey.”

Lu Yao paused her task of organizing clothes. “A power of verbal control?”

Hu Jiao: “Something like that.”

Lu Yao: “If she had such a power, she could have resisted your father, couldn’t she?”

A look of sarcastic bitterness, far beyond his years, crossed Hu Jiao’s youthful face. “Though her power has potential, she herself has little interest in it. Most of her time is spent dressing up and competing with others. Apart from controlling me as a child, her power affects no one.”

Seeing Hu Jiao’s face grow darker, Lu Yao quietly considered whether it might be best to suppress some of his memories to ease the tutoring process. After a moment, she dismissed the thought, walked over, held his face gently, and spoke softly, “Dwelling too much on the past can consume you. We didn’t cross time from the future to relive pain, did we?”

Hu Jiao snapped out of his thoughts, meeting her gaze—firm but gentle. Startled, he jerked back, breaking free and shrinking into a corner. “If you have something to say, just say it! You—you—”

Lu Yao replied calmly, “Right now, I’m your mom. You’ll need to get used to it. Tomorrow’s your first day at school, and I can see your social skills aren’t quite up to little Hu Qi’s level. You should start planning for tomorrow. Don’t end up alone, friendless.”

Hu Jiao hesitated. “I…”

After a long day of moving in, visiting neighbors, and organizing, Lu Yao prepared a simple dinner of two bowls of noodles.

It was basic soy sauce noodles, topped with a few crisp greens and a fried egg, golden on both sides.

Hu Jiao took a bite, a hint of surprise flickering on his face. After a moment, he muttered with a hint of indifference, “Not bad.”

Lu Yao didn’t argue with the child, simply replying, “Good boy.”

Hu Jiao: “…”

After dinner, Hu Jiao began to pack his own school bag.

He carefully wrote his name in a notebook and then turned to Lu Yao. “Why is my last name Lu? Are we a single-parent family?”

Lu Yao, folding clothes, froze for a moment, a vague sense of déjà vu washing over her.

—“I don’t want the last name ‘Lu.’ I don’t want to share a surname with you.”

—”Then, what surname do you like? You can choose.”

The sound of flipping pages echoed in her mind. After a while, a clear and youthful voice answered, “I want this ‘Lu’ (陆). Lu… Xiao and Lu Yao. Similar, yet different.”

It seemed Lu Yao chuckled softly. “Childish.”

…

“What are you thinking about?” Hu Jiao, having jumped down from his chair at some point, was standing in front of Lu Yao, looking up at her with a curious expression. “You’re smiling kind of weird.”

Startled, Lu Yao raised her hand to rub her forehead gently, replying casually, “Oh, nothing. Go play once you finish packing your bag and don’t disturb Mom while she’s doing chores.”

Hu Jiao: “…”

…

Tianshu City, Qianmen Mountain.

A young figure stood under the icy eaves, gazing up at the mountain peak and murmuring, “The first snow hasn’t come yet?”

Qianmen Mountain was snow-covered year-round, but the child stubbornly waited for the first snow after the onset of winter.

They always spoke of how the first snow marked the time to descend the mountain.

Ji Feichen, standing nearby, replied, “By this time in past years, the mountain had already seen several snowfalls. For some reason, the first snow has been delayed this year.”

The child looked up at the sky, their long, ice-carved lashes fluttering gently, and a spark of joy danced in their crimson eyes. “It should be soon.”

The sky over the mountain was typically a dull gray, and Ji Feichen couldn’t discern anything different from usual.

…

Tangerine City, Kumquat Neighborhood.

Hu Qi had eaten dinner alone, fetched water to wash up, changed into pajamas, and climbed into bed, his mind lingering on the little dragon plush his mother had thrown away.

The moment he saw that plush, he’d felt an instant fondness for it, wanting to retrieve it but afraid of his mother’s reaction.

As he climbed into bed, Hu Qi noticed a bump in the middle, thinking it was just the pillow beneath the covers. But when he lifted the blanket, he was startled to see the little black dragon, curled up with its tail, lying there.

Realizing he’d been found, Alfred rose up and greeted him, “Hello, I’m Alfred.”

Hu Qi wasn’t scared. He eagerly climbed onto the bed, carefully reaching out to poke Alfred’s round belly, his eyes shining. “You’re really a dragon! How did you come to my house?”

Alfred wrapped his short, chubby claws around his chest with effort. “Did you forget? Auntie Lu from next door gave me to you today.”

Hu Qi looked at him in surprise. “You’re the little dragon plush?”

Alfred nodded solemnly. “But it’s a secret—don’t let the adults know. You have to keep it for me, okay?”

Hu Qi nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with joy. “Are you going to stay here?”

Alfred stepped closer, patting Hu Qi’s knee gently. “Yes. I’ll be your companion from now on, so you can tell me anything you need to.”

That night, little Hu Qi, who had nothing, received the most precious gift of his life—a treasure that belonged only to him.

He now had a secret friend named Alfred.

In the morning, reluctant to leave Alfred alone at home, Hu Qi secretly stashed him in his backpack.

The man had already left early for work, and the woman had spent over an hour on her makeup, without even checking whether he’d packed his school supplies.

As they headed out, they encountered Lu Yao and Hu Jiao, who were also leaving.

The two families exchanged polite greetings and rode the elevator down together, chatting along the way.

Upon learning that Hu Qi and his mother were also headed to Kumquat Elementary, Lu Yao offered to give them a lift.

The woman glanced at Lu Yao’s new car, forcing a smile, and after a couple of polite refusals, accepted the ride.

She sat in the front seat, while Hu Jiao and Hu Qi sat in the back.

On the way to school, the woman kept inspecting the car’s interior and subtly probing about Lu Yao’s job.

With a smile, Lu Yao replied, “Oh, didn’t I mention it? I’m a teacher at Kumquat Elementary.”

Hu Jiao, who had been racking his brain on how to strike up a conversation with his younger self, thought, “???”

The woman’s expression shifted uncomfortably. “Oh… so you’re a teacher.”

Ms. Lu responded cheerfully, “No need to be nervous. I’m just a PE teacher, actually.”

Upon arriving at Kumquat Elementary, the woman quickly bid Lu Yao and Hu Jiao farewell, hurrying off with Hu Qi.

But just as she found Hu Qi’s classroom, she saw Lu Yao and Hu Jiao entering as well.

With a bright smile, Lu Yao greeted her, “Oh, Hu Qi’s mom, it seems we’re truly fated! Hu Jiao and Hu Qi will be classmates from now on.”

“…” Hu Qi’s mother forced a smile and nodded.

Once the children were in the classroom, there wasn’t much left for the parents to do.

However, before leaving, Lu Yao made a firm arrangement for Hu Jiao and Hu Qi to sit together as desk mates.

Hu Jiao still hadn’t figured out how to talk to Hu Qi.

Even though his appearance had changed, his identity was different, and he was physically smaller, he couldn’t bring himself to interact naturally with his younger self.

Under the desk, Hu Qi tugged on his sleeve, his voice soft, “Hu Jiao gege, do you want to see my little dragon?”

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