Ch 254: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray in her hands. “Hu Jiao, come in and sit.”

Hu Jiao stood at the doorway. “What’s going on?”

Lu Yao turned to set down the tray and walked to the entrance. “Hu Jiao, always being stuck in place doesn’t do any good. Just think of this as the last tutoring session. You can do whatever you want, no matter the outcome, I’ll always be on your side.”

Little Hu Qi probably didn’t understand and tilted his head to look at Lu Yao. After a few seconds, he turned back to Hu Jiao, his eyes full of confusion.

Hu Jiao frowned, pressed his lips tightly, and silently turned to leave.

Since the time he was saved on the overpass, he felt that Lu Yao was like a demon, always able to see straight into a person’s heart.

Not only that, but she also seemed completely unafraid to draw out the deepest, darkest thoughts within someone.

After everything he had been through, what did he want now?

Hu Jiao’s eyes grew deep as he returned to the Hu household, thoughts swirling in his mind.

Father Hu had already gone to the company, and Chen Jing was still asleep.

Hu Jiao tried using his superpower. Indeed, his abilities were not restricted by this physical body.

Skillfully, Hu Jiao used Chen Jing’s phone to register a social media account and started broadcasting for an hour each day.

His broadcasts were simple. Each afternoon after school, he would go live to practice the piano.

Hu Jiao’s superpower could be understood as having spider-like characteristics, not only possessing eight eyes but also being able to produce silk.

After years of developing his ability, he could even share the images within his field of vision with others.

Just like when he used to do outdoor live streaming.

Occasionally, Lu Yao would watch Hu Jiao’s streams and roughly understood what he was thinking.

After a week, Hu Jiao had gained quite a few followers online, and Father Hu finally came home, drunk.

When Father Hu’s fist came down, Hu Jiao turned off the live broadcast but used Chen Jing’s phone to record evidence of Father Hu’s abuse. He called the police and notified the community’s women and children protection association.

These were things Hu Jiao had researched while considering his next steps.

When he was young, he didn’t know that the community women and children protection association even existed. He felt anxious making the call, not expecting much, but the response was quicker than he imagined.

The injuries on Hu Jiao and Chen Jing had not yet been concealed by Father Hu, and with video evidence, Father Hu was immediately separated from Chen Jing and their son. The fact of domestic violence was publicly announced to the entire community.

Before long, Father Hu was forced to divorce Chen Jing and lost his job.

The staff at the women and children association assessed that Chen Jing was unable to raise Hu Jiao on her own and prepared to take Hu Jiao into their care.

Lu Yao expressed her willingness to adopt Hu Jiao.

Although Lu Yao was a single mother, she had a stable job, and her assets and personal records were impeccable, proving she could care for two children. With Hu Jiao’s consent, the association allowed him to stay with the Lu family.

Lu Yao then moved with Lu Hu Jiao and Hu Qi out of the Kumquat District, purchasing a new property closer to Kumquat Elementary School.

Hu Jiao asked, “When did you find out about the women and children association?”

In his memory, such an organization didn’t exist, but it had come up during tutoring, indicating that Lu Yao had researched it beforehand.

Lu Yao said, “It’s common knowledge. Nothing unusual. Do you regret it?”

The violence and neglect Hu Jiao suffered as a child weren’t a lie, and his resentment couldn’t be dissolved with a few words.

During the tutoring, he had many ways to deal with Father Hu but chose the most restrained option.

Even during tutoring, he didn’t indulge in his own anger.

In other words, he had controlled himself.

Lu Yao was a bit surprised by this.

Hu Jiao had indeed struggled internally, wanting to beat Father Hu as he had been treated in the past, even considering exposing Father Hu’s actions online to use public opinion to escape his situation.

Hu Jiao’s eyes softened, and he gently shook his head. “I thought about many things, but I just don’t want to be bound by them or the past anymore. At the Supernatural Research Institute, I saw many test subjects who were powerless and out of control. I’m lucky. I don’t want to waste more time, and I don’t want to become someone like that.”

His trauma was rooted deep in his heart, but when the shopkeeper brought him out of the Supernatural Research Institute, it had started to heal.

The old Hu Jiao was lost, weak, and defeated, not knowing what kind of person he should become or what his purpose was—until he met the girl in front of him.

She wasn’t the kind of beauty that took one’s breath away or a sharp, distinct individual, but being with her made it feel like no matter how difficult things got, one could get through them step by step, feeling an inexplicable sense of peace and an urge to become a better person.

Lu Yao smiled, gently ruffling Hu Jiao’s soft hair. “You took a step forward.”

This might not be a particularly satisfying ending, but Lu Yao was pleased with the actions Hu Jiao took after thinking for himself.

On the long and lonely road of life, there are many things we cannot control.

Be able to pick things up, and put them down.

The troubles of life won’t lessen, but life will certainly become much more pleasant.

In the final tutoring session, Lu Yao, Lu Hu Jiao, and little Hu Qi lived together for ten years, until the two young boys grew up to be sixteen.

“The tutoring is over,” Lu Yao said softly.

Hu Jiao opened his eyes and returned to the familiar tutoring room.

The childhood memories of Hu Qi gradually returned to his consciousness. Hu Jiao leaned over the desk, unable to control his emotions.

Lu Yao patted the young man’s shoulder and stood up to leave the office.

Having stayed in another world for too long, her mind was also exhausted, even though only three minutes had passed in reality.

Lu Budu was waiting by the door. When he saw Lu Yao come out, he immediately reached out to support her, his eyes full of worry. “Mother.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Lu Yao said, gripping Bu Du’s small hand tightly.

…

In the afternoon after five o’clock, the small convenience store experienced a rush of customers.

Number 444 had been sitting in the wicker chair since returning at noon, observing for the entire afternoon and had already memorized the prices of most of the store’s goods.

Seeing the peak hour arrive and the young female clerk struggling to keep up, Number 444 put aside his doubts and stood up to help greet the customers.

He hadn’t interacted with anyone outside the research institute and sanatorium for many years. Imitating Xu Xiaoxiao, he quickly got the hang of it.

By the time they closed up in the evening, Xu Xiaoxiao, who was counting the inventory and cash, was delighted to find everything balanced. She said happily, “Thanks to Number 444 for helping out this afternoon. Actually, the store has been hiring recently. Would you like to give it a try?”

Number 444, who was eating, paused slightly at her words, glanced at Xu Xiaoxiao, and instinctively looked at Lu Yao. “Someone like me… can I work?”

Xie Molin, hearing that Number 444 seemed interested, felt the treatment results were incredibly effective, even without using a time machine.

Hu Jiao, still caught up in the lingering emotions of the tutoring session, was distracted while eating but couldn’t help commenting, “Why wouldn’t you? As long as you want to.”

Lu Yao nodded. “If you’d like to, you can come for an interview.”

Number 444 set down his utensils, and a ripple appeared in his eyes, usually as deep as a dried-up well. “If I work at the store, can I ask the store owner to use the magic that makes food taste good?”

Except for Xie Molin and Lu Budu, the others didn’t understand what he meant.

Lu Yao nodded again. “Of course. It’s actually a type of healing magic, but its effects here are slower. With around twenty consecutive casts, your sense of taste and smell will gradually return.”

Number 444 blinked and slowly lowered his head. “I’d like to try.”

That evening, Lu Yao and Xie Molin discussed the matter of Number 444 joining the Childhood Tutoring Center over dinner.

Number 444’s employment was not yet official; everything he did at the Childhood Tutoring Center was part of a new treatment plan. Even his salary was funded by the sanatorium.

Xie Molin handled the negotiations and liaison with the sanatorium, which found 444’s progress incredibly remarkable. The procedural steps moved unusually quickly.

The Childhood Tutoring Center and the sanatorium quietly established a collaborative relationship.

444 began his internship at the tutoring center’s convenience store under the guidance of Xu Xiaoxiao.

Hu Jiao, who had completed his tutoring, officially joined the Childhood Tutoring Center as well. Lu Yao entrusted him with the monitoring room duties and the management of the official account.

The position of monitor was crucial, a role Lu Yao had prepared for in order to ensure the continued operation of the store after the task ended.

Whether it was the staff in the shopping street or those in Sanhua City, none could truly handle Alfred.

When Lu Yao was not present in the store, the progress of other tutoring teachers needed constant observation.

Hu Jiao’s abilities seemed tailor-made for this job; with the necessary permissions, his eyes could observe different situations across various timelines and contact the store owner when needed.

More importantly, the monitor would come into contact with much of the guests’ personal information, making the position a true test of character and a role that required absolute trust from the store owner.

Even though confidentiality agreements could enforce discretion, Lu Yao took great care when choosing the candidate.

After fully understanding the monitor’s responsibilities, Hu Jiao privately struggled for a long time. He felt inadequate for such an important position but was also quietly delighted by the shop owner’s trust and didn’t want to refuse.

The system, listening to Lu Yao explain the monitor’s duties to Hu Jiao, held back its comments.

When their discussion ended, it could barely contain its curiosity and questioned: “When did you come up with this plan?”

The system was agitated, its speech unclear, but Lu Yao understood.

“Around the time I spent ten million,” Lu Yao said without guilt. She had indeed recognized Hu Jiao’s potential very early on.

The system muttered quietly: “I forgot, you never make a loss in business.”

Lu Yao chuckled, “I consider myself fair. If one day you also want to do business with me, don’t hesitate to ask.”

The system scoffed: “You’ve been acting quite bold lately.”

Lu Yao didn’t mind at all.

In any case, the Childhood Tutoring Center was gradually settling into a stable routine.

A few days later, Lu Yao received a long-awaited task notification.

“Lu Yao’s snack shop has been well-managed, attracting a large crowd and surpassing one billion in total revenue, upgrading to a nine-star shop. The reward is a license to open a branch +1, with a rights protection period of fourteen days. Please decide before the deadline or forfeit the reward. Keep up the good work, store owner!”

Lu Yao: “???”

The system exclaimed in disbelief: “How long did it take to reach a billion?”

Lu Yao had never considered the possibility of opening a branch and was momentarily stunned. “What does ‘branch license’ mean?”

The system replied: “Does this really need explaining? It’s literal: the store owner has earned the right to open another store in Dreamland. However, as a branch of the snack shop, this store must primarily sell food and have a real storefront on the shopping street.”

Lu Yao: “And what does ‘rights protection period’ mean?”

The system explained: “The branch license is a special reward that comes with the snack shop’s upgrade to a nine-star shop. The store owner can choose to accept or decline. If the owner hasn’t decided within fourteen days, it will be considered a voluntary forfeiture of the reward.”

This was essentially what Lu Yao understood, and it left her in a dilemma.

The task for the snack shop had long been completed, so opening a new branch in Dreamland would only be a waste of money and effort, serving no real purpose.

But letting go of such a reward felt somewhat unsettling.

Lu Yao raised her hand and gently massaged her brow. “Let me think about it.”

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