Ch 7: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

The little people stayed one night at the inn with their three red pigs, spending a total of five Nitean coins (two for the single room and three for the double room). Lu Yao refunded them a small piece of fur worth one Nitean coin.

The proxy bot handled the billing, ensuring accurate calculations and facilitating refunds or additional charges, all primarily in the form of goods circulating within the Nitean Continent.

Monk sat in the center of the sled, gripping the reins tightly, his excitement evident. “Lu Yao, I’ll make sure to tell my tribe about your inn!”

Zhuang Yu, patting the stack of new flyers on her lap with a serious expression, said, “We’ll be sure to give these drawings to everyone we meet.”

Dada added, “When the Twilight Moon season ends and I’m out hunting, I’ll come see you again.”

Lu Yao smiled and waved as the pig-drawn sled rolled away from the inn’s entrance like a toy car.

The three red pigs huffed and puffed with determination, moving at a surprisingly brisk pace.

Suddenly, Zhuang Yu exclaimed, “Look, how beautiful!”

Last night, they had only noticed the small light strings wound around the fence, but now they saw the colorful pinwheels of various sizes spinning in the wind. They looked like a sunny season’s meadow bursting with flowers.

Monk, unable to resist, repeated the line he’d said countless times: “I told you, Lu Yao is amazing, and so is the inn!”

Zhuang Yu nodded. “It wouldn’t be bad to come to Thorn Valley for hunting in the future.”

Dada gently stroked the fur covering his lap, his eyes softening. “When the weather warms, I’ll make more fur.”

Monk teased, “Not feeling heartbroken about it anymore?”

Dada lowered his head. “No. I like it here…” and I like Lu Yao too.

Zhuang Yu, visibly excited, added, “Me neither! The food here is way better than smoked jerky. When we get back, the chief and the hunting team will be stunned.”

Lu Yao had packed a whole fried shrimp along with the one they hadn’t finished, sending it off with their sled.

Shrimp was a rarity. The Red Pig Tribe only encountered it when trading for rock salt with the Black Rock Tribe, and even then, it was usually dried shrimp—small, pungent, and unappealing to the inland little people, who preferred living in caves and hunting.

Despite the taste, the scarcity of shrimp made it a joyous occasion whenever they got some.

But the shrimp from Lu Yao’s inn was entirely different. It was fresh and large, with a crispy shell enclosing meat that was springy, tender, and slightly sweet. Even just thinking about it made their mouths water.

Thankfully, they had eaten their fill in the morning; otherwise, the craving would have been unbearable.

…

[System Notification: Mission progress is at 30%, with a 100% positive feedback rate from guests. Keep up the good work, shopkeeper!]

It seemed the feedback was collected automatically. With that, Lu Yao turned and headed back into the inn.

Changing bedding, pajamas, and towels, and cleaning rooms were routine tasks.

Lu Yao retrieved her newly purchased miniature washing machine for socks from the storage and threw in the used bed linens and pajamas worn by the little people. She added detergent, set the timer, and started the machine.

While the washing machine was running, she began cleaning the guest rooms.

The rooms were so small that cleaning them didn’t feel like a chore; it was more like playing house, reminiscent of her childhood games. The presence of the little people made this “game” even more delightful.

Lu Yao rather enjoyed this kind of busy yet mundane work.

The inn had a sort of magic that slowed down time.

By the time she finished tidying up two rooms, the washing machine had just stopped.

Lu Yao tied a sturdy, thin rope under the windowsill and hung the freshly washed bedding and clothing with small clips.

A row of tiny blankets and clothes fluttered in the wind, resembling colorful flags from a distance.

Lu Yao considered building a laundry room on the first floor near the guest rooms, making it easier for future staff to manage.

The miniature washing machine was still quite large in the eyes of the little people, so it needed to be placed in an appropriate spot. She also thought about optimizing the machine’s functionality with magic.

After breakfast, Harold returned to the nail salon, while Budu went to the Little Pet Cafw to feed the “fluffies.”

Since the fluffies rarely saw people during their holidays, they had developed a strange “obsession with snuggling people.”

Budu often lost track of time playing with them and wouldn’t return until lunchtime.

With the inn temporarily quiet, Lu Yao didn’t mind managing it alone.

After finishing her chores, she noticed the sunshine outside and decided to take a short break. She set out some snacks, brewed a pot of hot tea, and prepared to relax before tackling her next task.

The shops in the market street were mostly closed for the New Year’s holiday, as staff had gone home. However, the work group chat remained lively with idle chatter.

Lu Yao was browsing through last night’s messages when a new one popped up.

Zhou Su, the head chef and pastry maker of the pet cafe, had started her holiday early.

[Zhou Su: I’m so bored. Are you all still at your hometowns?]

Having once worked in a large corporation with endless hours and hair loss-inducing stress, Zhou Su never imagined she’d one day feel utterly bored by a long holiday.

[Gao Meng: You’re being ungrateful…]
[Zhou Su: I reflect on my ways. [bitter_smile.JPG] Are you still in the shopping street for New Year’s, shopkeeper?]
[Lu Yao: Yes, holding down the fort with Budu and Harold.]
[Zhou Su: I miss my fluffies.]
[Lu Yao: Budu loves feeding them. The waterdrop seals and chirpy balls have all gained weight.]
[Zhou Su: !!!]
[Zhou Su: I’ll be back in two days to snuggle them!]
[Ji Zhixin: Shopkeeper, how’s the new shop?]

Lu Yao usually acted on her ideas without telling others much in advance. On the first day of the New Year, Ji Zhixin’s uncle, Ji Feichen, had visited the shopping street to see Budu. At the time, Lu Yao was resting, and Harold and Budu had handled the reception. Ji Feichen must have noticed the new shop and mentioned it to Ji Zhixin later.

[Lu Yao: It’s going well.]
[Zhou Su: Opening a new shop during the New Year? What world is it this time?]
[Lu Yao: Have you played LEGO? The new shop is basically a brick person’s ultimate dream.]
[Ji Zhixin: !!! My brick person DNA is activated!]
[Zhou Su: I love LEGO too! I wish we could do video calls or at least share photos!]

Due to the rules of the Dream Fulfillment System, the existence of the shopping street in Lu Yao’s world was only known to employees under confidentiality agreements and VIP customers. Additionally, any information about it could not be shared through photos, videos, words, or online platforms.

While these rules were necessary to protect the shopping street, Lu Yao had gradually found them inconvenient. Employees and guests couldn’t even discuss the shopping street among themselves, like performing grand deeds in secret, which was far from practical.

Perhaps it was time to move into a new phase, such as building a special platform accessible only to internal staff and VIP customers.

In simple terms, an intranet—one that only covered the market street.

Now that the system was no longer actively managing the street, Lu Yao wasn’t entirely without options. Her mind began to buzz with ideas. She immediately grabbed pen and paper to draft a plan.

Shopping Street Work Group Chat
[Lu Yao: That’s a good suggestion. I’ll try developing it.]
[Zhou Su: !!!]
[Bai Yi: Are you serious, shopkeeper?]

Bai Yi, an employee at the shopping street Childhood Tutoring Center, had been home visiting relatives during the New Year. When the conversation turned to work, only her job seemed shrouded in mystery, leaving her unable to share details. The curious yet skeptical looks from her relatives didn’t bother her much, but it was frustrating to keep quiet about her unique experiences.

For instance, the world where she worked originally had superpowers, and all the customers were ability users. Later, the shopkeeper drastically nerfed the powers, leaving only faint traces like fireflies. Or the fact that her boss, in another identity, was revered as a deity in that world.

It wasn’t about telling everyone—just being able to chat with a few cousins who knew about the market street would be a relief. Otherwise, bottling it all up felt unbearable.

“If only the shopping street had its own app,” she thought.

Bai Yi was certain the shopkeeper could easily implement this in other worlds, but in this one, there seemed to be limitations. Like everyone else, she wasn’t entirely sure of the specifics.

…

Lu Yao, deeply focused, didn’t check the group chat again.

She worked straight through to lunchtime, had a simple meal, and went back to her tasks. Harold and Budu didn’t disturb her, tidying up the dishes on their own and quietly continuing their block-building. When they got tired, they returned to the nail salon to rest.

By evening, Lu Yao finally broke out of her hyper-focused state, finding in front of her a detailed and comprehensive plan for building a shopping street intranet.

The Star Gate, which was currently inaccessible from her world, meant the wealth and resources she had accumulated in other worlds couldn’t be converted for use here. On the other hand, the shops in other worlds still relied, to varying degrees, on funds or goods from this world.

In short, despite amassing considerable wealth in various other worlds, Lu Yao was still strapped for cash.

If the intranet were successfully implemented, it could not only provide a platform for employees and VIP customers to communicate but also open up new revenue streams.

To build an intranet functional in this world, it would have to rely on Dreamland’s Amusement Park as its foundation.

Lu Yao planned to visit the head guard when she had time to discuss the feasibility of the plan.

As for the technical approach, options included illusions, magic, holographic technology, or even superpowers. Her experience constructing the ghost telephone network for the pet cafe could also serve as a reference.

It was a large and complex project, but one that would greatly benefit the development of the shopping street if executed well.

Thankfully, the Dream Fulfillment System was currently on a “business trip,” or else it would surely be nagging endlessly in her ear.

Ding-ding-ding—

The doorbell rang.

Was this a walk-in guest?

Lu Yao set aside her plan and, noticing that Harold and Budu were nowhere to be seen, stood up to answer the door.

The small door meant for Nitean little people opened from the outside, but no one entered.

Lu Yao crouched down and saw a Nitean little person stuck in the doorway, looking somewhat startled.

This little person was taller than the door itself and was awkwardly trying to squeeze inside. When he noticed Lu Yao, he suddenly froze.

“Zhu Zhou, why aren’t you going in?” A gentle voice called from outside.

The little person named Zhu Zhou blushed furiously, straightened up, and stammered, “I-I-I saw her…”

Lu Yao simply opened the main door. Outside stood a Nitean man and woman.

The man, who had been stuck in the small door, was named Zhu Zhou. He was much taller than Gan Li, the tallest Nitean little person Lu Yao had met before. His build was sturdy, with a bushy beard and round eyes, dressed haphazardly in animal pelts reminiscent of the Red Pig Tribe’s style.

The woman standing behind him appeared to be taller than Gan Li as well, with hair that had a faint reddish tint, as if touched by the glow of a sunset. Behind her was a red pig loaded with luggage, and in her hand was a piece of paper Lu Yao immediately recognized—the first version of her flyer that Gan Li had distributed.

Crouching down, Lu Yao asked, “Are you here to stay or to eat?”

Given that they had met Gan Li and brought the flyer, they likely already knew about the inn from her.

Zhu Zhou stepped protectively in front of the woman, warily watching Lu Yao.

The woman patted Zhu Zhou, sidestepped him, and walked forward to look up at Lu Yao. “My name is Yuan Wei, and this is my partner, Zhu Zhou. We’d like to stay for the night.”

Lu Yao quickly understood—they were likely a Nitean couple.

She wondered what marriage customs were like in this world; they were undoubtedly different from what she knew.

One of the joys of running a shop in another world was learning about the diverse ways of life from the customers. These differences seemed like the best testament to the richness of existence.

As a seasoned shopkeeper, Lu Yao wouldn’t directly inquire about her guests’ lives.

Instead, she skillfully guided them through exchanging Nitean coins, unloading their luggage at the manual elevator, and leaving their red pig in the livestock shed before escorting them upstairs.

The fourth floor of the guest area had just been completed the night before. Lu Yao had no plans to add more floors and intended to build an open-air Chinese-style tea lounge on the rooftop for guests to relax.

While cleaning the second and third floors that morning, she had also prepared the suites on the fourth floor.

Like the third floor, the fourth had only two rooms, but the layout was different. The double rooms on the third floor featured two single beds, while the fourth-floor suites had one large bed with all other furnishings designed for two.

After hearing the explanation, Yuan Wei immediately chose a fourth-floor suite.

Lu Yao handed her the key to Room 401 and offered to help carry their luggage, but Zhu Zhou hoisted it himself and headed upstairs without giving her the chance.

Yuan Wei smiled at Lu Yao. “He’s not much of a talker.”

Lu Yao nodded in understanding and proceeded to introduce the room’s features as usual before finishing with, “Rest well. I’ll prepare dinner shortly.”

…

Once the door closed, Zhu Zhou let out a deep sigh of relief.

The big people described in the stories were nowhere near as terrifying as seeing one in real life. One of her hands could easily crush them.

Yuan Wei glanced around the room, her fingers brushing over the smooth surface of the table. “To think such a giant could make something so intricate…”

In the center of the table was a slim porcelain vase holding two simple floral branches. Their faint, cold fragrance seemed to linger in the air.

Yuan Wei gently pinched one of the blossoms and murmured, “I think… I rather like her…”

Zhu Zhou’s eyes widened in disbelief, looking somewhat hurt.

Yuan Wei stifled a laugh and began removing her clothes. “Gan Li said the room has hot water, and the shopkeeper mentioned it earlier too. I want to take a bath.”

Zhu Zhou’s face flushed suspiciously red. “T-together?”

---

Author’s Note:
From the nail salon onward, every version of the shopkeeper’s flyer has triggered new storylines.

Flyer: One of the shopkeeper’s ancestral marketing skills and a low-cost, high-return strategy for early-stage shops on Market Street.

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