Ch 6: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Dada and Zhuang Yu had already forgotten their previous reservations, holding hands and joyfully spinning circles around the sealed bag.

The coldest season was about to arrive, and with this food, their hunting team wouldn’t need to go out every day.

When three moons appeared in the night sky, the Nitean Continent entered the cold and desolate Twilight Moon season.

The harsh weather and scarce food during the Twilight Moon season meant that the tribe usually organized strong young little people into hunting teams, taking turns to hunt and share their catch among everyone.

Monk’s parents had passed away shortly after he was born, and he had grown up cared for by the tribe. He had always wanted to give back to his people. With this stash of food, it felt like the first step toward fulfilling that wish.

Lu Yao waited for their excitement to settle before speaking up calmly, “The food isn’t going anywhere, but if you’re staying at the inn, you’ll need to exchange for Nitean coins first.”

Monk didn’t have any items for exchange, but Zhuang Yu brought out some smoked jerky, and Dada produced a piece of fur about three centimeters wide and five centimeters long from his small bundle.

The fur had the highest value, exchanging for five Nitean coins, while three pieces of smoked jerky exchanged for one coin.

Lu Yao mentally noted the relative values—though her estimate might not be entirely accurate. It seemed the value of a fur far exceeded that of smoked jerky or sugar blocks, with sugar blocks likely being slightly more valuable than jerky.

Using premium fur and jerky to exchange for six Nitean coins left Dada and Zhuang Yu visibly distressed. The cost of staying a single night was steep.

As she had done with Gan Li before, Lu Yao led them to the manual elevator to go upstairs. The three red pigs were left behind, with Harold taking them to the livestock shed.

Since they had no extra luggage, Lu Yao directly guided them to the second and third floors.

The inn still had only six rooms for now—four standard rooms on the second floor and two double rooms on the third.

Monk and Dada moved into Room 301, a double room, while Zhuang Yu took Room 201 for himself.

Lu Yao was slightly surprised by their choice. Despite being in what seemed to be a primitive civilization, these little people appeared to have some advanced concepts, such as an awareness of gender.

Animals inherently have gender awareness, but humans’ gender consciousness differs significantly, often involving notions beyond reproduction.

How much were these little people similar to big people, and how much were they different?

Pushing aside her wandering thoughts, Lu Yao focused on teaching the little people how to use the items in their rooms before turning to prepare dinner.

Dinner time had already passed. Having spent the day building roads and fences, Lu Yao had only prepared ingredients and hadn’t cooked anything for the guests in advance.

With the hour growing late, all that remained on the stove was half a pot of bone broth, perfect for cooking noodles. She just wasn’t sure if the little people liked noodles.

She went to the guest area to ask. Monk cracked open his door slightly, his hair still damp. “Noodles? Anything’s fine.”

Lu Yao turned back to the kitchen to prepare.

Ten minutes later, Monk, Dada, and Zhuang Yu, having finished their baths, changed into the inn’s provided pajamas, and slipped on their slippers, came downstairs.

The first-floor dining area featured six wooden tables paired with matching wooden chairs, with windows opened on both sides for light and ventilation.

The three guests chose a window-side table facing inward, allowing them to see Lu Yao busying herself in the kitchen through the window.

Lu Yao pushed a miniature serving cart over and passed through the window three large white porcelain bowls, each bigger than the heads of the little guests. A golden egg pancake peaked over the top of the noodles, nearly covering them entirely, while an enticing aroma wafted into the air.

Monk hugged his bowl and took a deep, blissful sniff. “Smells amazing!”

Across from him, Dada and Zhuang Yu stared silently at their bowls, speechless. The noodles were unlike anything they had ever seen.

Seeing them frozen in place, Lu Yao explained, “I’m sorry, dinner preparations were a bit simple tonight. I’ll make something hearty and delicious for breakfast tomorrow. Go ahead and eat—if it’s not enough, I can make more.”

Monk clumsily picked up his chopsticks and peeled back the egg pancake, his eyes lighting up. Beneath it were shredded meat and noodles, the aroma making his mouth water.

Unable to wait, he twirled a large bundle of noodles, blew on them hastily, and slurped them up in one go. When he looked up again, his cheeks were puffed out like a hamster’s, his mouth glistening with oil—completely oblivious to how he looked.

So… so delicious!

Dada and Zhuang Yu couldn’t resist any longer and picked up their chopsticks, starting to eat the noodles in their own awkward ways.

As Dada dug through the luxurious layers of noodle toppings, he finally reached the pale-yellow noodles at the bottom and realized these weren’t stone yam noodles as he had expected.

When Monk mentioned the innkeeper was making noodles, Dada had assumed it would be the rare stone yam noodles they occasionally ate.

Stone yam was a tuber that grew underground, with small, round fruits that were hard and astringent when raw but tender and slightly bitter when cooked. It was a common, filling staple for Nitean little people.

Only the little people of the Xiaguang Tribe knew how to pound the tough stone yam into fine, long noodles. Stone yam noodles were far superior in taste to the tubers themselves, but their labor-intensive preparation meant they had to be bartered for with valuable items.

For young little people like Dada and Monk, eating stone yam noodles was a rare treat.

Dada, who had secretly been looking forward to the possibility, hadn’t eaten stone yam noodles in years. Yet the noodles in front of him were nothing like what he had imagined—and far exceeded his expectations.

The thick, smooth noodles were perfectly coated with the rich broth, their texture enhanced by the shredded meat and egg pancake. Every bite was incredible!

Zhuang Yu, silent as ever, simply cradled her large noodle bowl and slurped audibly, the sound of “hulu-hulu” echoing as she ate.

A few minutes later, she set down her now spotless bowl, even the broth gone, and declared boldly, “Another bowl!”

Monk quickly added, “I want another too!”

Dada chimed in, “Me too!”

Lu Yao returned to the kitchen, pulled out a single long noodle from her storage bag, broke it into three portions, and tossed them into the boiling pot.

One noodle was enough to make three bowls, more than enough to fill the three little guests.

While the noodles cooked, she used a miniature frying pan to prepare a quail egg pancake, drained the oil, and divided it into three portions.

After downing two bowls of richly flavored noodles, the three little ones were so full they had to lean against the walls as they waddled back to their rooms.

Late at night, Dada lay on the soft, spacious, and warm bed. Though he was exhausted, he kept jolting awake just as he was about to drift off.

From the bed next to his, he could hear the steady breathing of Monk, who was soundly asleep, wrapped tightly in a cocoon of blankets that bulged like a silkworm pupa.

Dada restrained himself and called out softly, “Monk?”

Monk turned over, pulling the blanket tighter around him, but didn’t respond.

Lying stiffly on his back, Dada couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. Summoning his courage, he got up, draped a piece of clothing over himself, and opened the door.

The hallway lights were half-dimmed, with the area near the kitchen still lit. There was no one else around except the innkeeper, who sat under the light, doing something that cast a giant and intimidating shadow on the wall.

From time to time, a soft “tap-tap-tap” sound came from her direction, though it couldn’t be heard from within the room.

Taking a deep breath, Dada closed the door behind him and stepped out. He lingered in the hallway, quietly watching Lu Yao’s silhouette.

Sensing his presence, Lu Yao turned her head, looking surprised. “Did I wake you?”

Dada stiffly shook his head, his eyes fixed on her hands. “What are you doing?”

Lu Yao stood up and switched on the light, the sudden brightness dispelling the eerie shadows and Dada’s unsettling thoughts.

Dada felt his tense body instantly relax.

Lu Yao pointed downstairs and lowered her voice. “If you can’t sleep, you can go down there.”

After hesitating for a moment, Dada walked downstairs alone, taking a left and heading straight until he stopped at a grayish-blue wall.

He noticed a door at the base, just large enough for a little person to pass through.

Behind the door was a wide, open, and empty space. Against the walls were stacks of neatly cut stone bricks and some long pipes of unknown use, alongside a half-built wall.

Dada hadn’t realized there was such a vast area adjacent to the guest rooms.

In the distance, the innkeeper was sitting and working at a table.

A strange thought crossed Dada’s mind. It felt as though the spaces the little people inhabited were casually placed items within the nest of a big person.

Perhaps that was why he couldn’t sleep tonight.

It took him a long time to cross the space and reach Lu Yao.

Lu Yao was sanding wooden boards with sandpaper, a large blueprint lying on the table beside her.

Looking down, Dada examined the strange sheet. It was snow-white, larger than the bed he had slept in, and much thinner than the beast hides they used.

He couldn’t understand the drawings on it but recognized the three piglets sketched there as the red pigs unique to their tribe.

Once again, he asked, “What are you doing?”

Lu Yao fitted several wooden boards together, her expression satisfied. “I’m making a small sled. You can use it when you head back.”

Hearing how Monk had been upset after losing his supplies last time, Lu Yao thought of making a miniature sled using wooden boards and metal plates. With three red pigs to pull it, they would have the strength needed to carry it back.

Dada didn’t understand what a sled was or why Lu Yao was doing this. His curiosity overcame him, and he blurted out the question that bothered him most: “Why are you helping us with this?”

In the stories told by the tribal elders, big people were described as evil and terrifying, which was why they had disappeared from the continent.

The big person in front of him was just as enormous and intimidating, but she didn’t seem evil.

Lu Yao smiled. “No particular reason. I just want you to return to your tribe safely.” She paused and added, “And maybe spread the word that there’s an inn in Thorn Valley.”

Dada immediately felt that this big person was even kinder than he had imagined.

Lu Yao picked up a screwdriver and screws, then looked at Dada. “Could you hold this for me?”

Dada was startled. He hadn’t expected a big person to need his help.

He stepped forward and held the wooden board firmly with both hands.

Lu Yao aligned the screws with the holes in the wood and carefully screwed them in one by one.

About ten minutes later, the miniature sled was fully assembled.

Lu Yao tied a sturdy and durable piece of thin jute rope to it. “The seat might feel a bit hard. I’ll knit a cushion cover with yarn later, so it’ll be softer to sit on.”

Dada’s eyes widened. “What’s yarn? How do you make a cushion cover with it?”

Lu Yao pulled a ball of yarn and a crochet hook from the drawer and demonstrated on the spot.

Dada flopped onto the brown yarn ball, rubbing his face against it. “It’s so soft.”

Since the little people were small, the cushion didn’t need to be large, and Lu Yao worked quickly. She crocheted two yarn pads according to the sled’s dimensions, then secured them to the seat and backrest with yarn threaded through the corners. She also wrapped the armrests with yarn for added grip.

Pointing to the cushion, Lu Yao said, “Try sitting on it.”

Dada climbed onto the sled. The elevated perspective, slightly higher than riding a red pig, made the world look different. The cushion was as soft as Lu Yao had described, and he couldn’t help but feel impressed.

For someone so large, this big person could create something so perfectly suited to the little people. Her hands were remarkably skilled.

Imagining the sled harnessed to the red pigs and gliding through the snow, Dada found the idea novel and intriguing. While the little people of the Red Pig Tribe were adept at raising red pigs, they had never thought of this before.

Lu Yao yawned, her face showing signs of fatigue. “That’s done. I’m going to bed. How about you?”

Dada was momentarily stunned before slowly climbing down from the sled. “I’ll sleep too.”

Lu Yao smiled. “Not scared anymore?”

Dada quickly glanced at her, then lowered his head, nodding shyly. “No.”

The little people of the Red Pig Tribe were known for their bravery, but Dada was the exception—a cautious and timid soul who often overthought things. Unlike Monk, who made decisions in a flash, Dada hesitated over everything.

Staying at this peculiar inn, Monk and Zhuang Yu had adapted quickly, but Dada had been uneasy the whole time. Yet somehow, this big person made him feel at ease.

Returning to his room, Dada fell asleep quickly this time.

…

The Next Morning

Monk leaned over Dada’s bed, his face practically glowing as he shouted, “Wake up! Lu Yao made fried shrimp!”

Shrimp?

Dada opened his eyes. “The shrimp from the Black Rock Tribe?”

Monk nodded, then shook his head, gesturing with his hands. “Way bigger than that.”

He had woken up early and seen Lu Yao preparing the ingredients. The shrimp destined to become fried shrimp was larger than him!

Monk dragged Dada out of bed, urging him to get dressed and head downstairs to find Zhuang Yu.

The three of them gathered in the first-floor dining area, waiting. Lu Yao wheeled over a cart just in time to hear Dada describing the enormous shrimp Monk had seen that morning.

To make the meal feel extravagant, Lu Yao brought an entire fried shrimp on the cart to the dining area. In front of the guests, she sliced it and plated it with her special sauce, serving each person a portion.

The shrimp, fresh from the Little Pet Cafe, was so large that even the three of them combined couldn’t finish it.

The meal also included rice, a side of pickled radish salad, and a bowl of winter melon, seaweed, and dried shrimp soup.

Unbeknownst to Lu Yao, her act of slicing the shrimp was quite shocking to the little people. The golden fried shrimp sprawled across the plate, larger than an adult little person. Wielding a Western knife, Lu Yao made two swift cuts, reducing it into manageable portions.

However, once the shrimp entered their mouths, the little people were too busy eating to say anything else. The marinated shrimp meat was intensely flavorful, and its freshness was amplified by frying, making it doubly delicious.

Harold and Budu were also eating breakfast—fried shrimp, rice, side dishes, and the same soup—but in portions many times larger than the little people’s.

When they finished, they peeked through a small window to see the three little people slumped over their table, motionless.

“What’s wrong with them?” Harold asked.

Lu Yao held back a laugh. “They’re stuffed.”

The three little people were so full they felt faint and still couldn’t finish the entire shrimp. Lu Yao packed the leftovers in a specially designed takeaway box from her snack shop, keeping it warm for their journey.

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At the Inn’s Entrance

The three little people climbed onto the sled, their food stash securely tied and covered with dry leaves. The three red pigs stood in a row at the front, harnessed with reins.

Rested and rejuvenated from their stay, they were ready to leave.

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Author’s Note:
Q: Did the innkeeper use magic to shrink the food?
A: Likely not. The food itself is large; shrinking it would only alter its shape, not its essence, and would still overstuff the little people.

However, reverse operations might work. Prepare small portions, use magic to enlarge them during cooking, then shrink them back after cooking. (What am I even discussing?)

In reality, miniature kitchens and scaled-down cooking models are popular hobbies. No magic required—just money. If you don’t want to spend much, DIY is equally fun.

Goodnight!

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️