Ch 9: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

The four-person team consisted of the eldest, Xiong Ming, who was the leader; Hu Xi and Yin Er, a newlywed couple who had just performed the Iris Ceremony; and a young little person named Xiao Ji, Xiong Ming’s son.

Behind them were two pack animals, long-haired cattle slightly larger than red pigs. These animals had thick, fluffy gray-black fur and moved slowly, resembling oversized plush toys dropped on the ground from afar.

The sudden hailstorm had caught them off guard, and Xiong Ming was anxious. Based on his experience, stronger winds and heavier snow were likely to follow, making it essential to find shelter quickly.

Yin Er couldn’t help complaining, “We shouldn’t have listened to those three young people from the Red Pig Tribe.”

The four had been on their way to exchange animal hides with the Red Pig Tribe and planned to stop at the Shenmu Tribe. Along the way, they had encountered three Red Pig Tribe little people, who told them that the thorns in Thorn Valley had been cleared, leaving the road wide and smooth. They also mentioned a big person running an inn there.

Xiong Ming wasn’t interested in learning more about the big person or their inn; he just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. Hearing that Thorn Valley now had a passable road, he decided to take the shortcut, which could save at least two Sunshine Days on their journey to the Shenmu Tribe.

Now near Thorn Valley, they found that the snow was just as deep, and the road was still difficult to traverse.

The worsening weather, combined with the hailstorm, made it clear they needed to find a sheltered spot to rest before the snowstorm hit.

Xiao Ji fished a piece of paper out of his animal hide pouch. “They gave us a map. Why don’t we head to the inn?”

Hu Xi immediately objected, “No!”

Xiao Ji tilted his head. “Why not?”

Yin Er replied, “Didn’t you hear them say how terrifying the big people are? Taller than mountains, and a single finger could crush us.”

Xiao Ji countered, “But they also said the inn was safe, and the food was even better than that of the Xiaguang Tribe.”

Hu Xi rolled his eyes. “As if big people’s food could compare to the Xiaguang Tribe’s!”

Xiao Ji retorted, “And you’ve eaten their food, have you?”

Hu Xi smirked. “The big people don’t know it, but I have been to the Xiaguang Tribe.”

No tribe could rival the Xiaguang Tribe in culinary expertise.

Walking ahead, Xiong Ming raised a hand to quiet them, tilting his head and twitching his ears. “Listen, there’s a strange sound in the wind.”

Little people from the Luo Xiong Tribe had exceptionally keen hearing. Xiao Ji perked up and indeed caught the faint “clattering” noise.

He recalled the little person with the beast horn mark under his eye mentioning a long, wide road outside the inn, bordered by a fence adorned with windmills that clattered when the wind blew.

Unable to contain his excitement, Xiao Ji dashed ahead and climbed a slope, where he spotted the directional sign and the spinning windmills.

Following the sign’s arrow, he saw the inn in the distance and froze momentarily before shouting back, “We’re here! The big person’s inn is right ahead!”

Xiong Ming and the others descended the slope, observing everything around them as they walked, until they reached the inn’s entrance and finally stopped.

The three adult little people stood silently, staring up at the inn. Xiao Ji asked, “Aren’t we going in?”

Xiong Ming glared at him. “Keep your voice down. Don’t let them notice us.”

Xiao Ji didn’t understand. Those three little people had said they’d stayed at the big person’s inn, and the Thorn Valley was indeed as they had described—wide and smooth. If the big person running the inn wasn’t bad, why couldn’t they go inside?

Xiong Ming’s expression was grim. After surveying the area, he led the long-haired cattle to a spot under the inn’s windowsill and whispered, “We’ll rest here for the night.”

It was sheltered from the wind, close to the big person’s dwelling, and under the eaves that could shield them from falling snow—a perfect place to rest.

Yin Er’s ears twitched as her face turned pale. “Do we have to stay here?”

The house was enormous, and whoever lived inside was undoubtedly a big person. If they were discovered using this spot to escape the cold, could they get away in time?

Hu Xi caught Yin Er’s pleading gaze but shared Xiong Ming’s thoughts. There wasn’t a better place to stop for the night in this area.

They pulled the long-haired cattle closer to the wall but didn’t dare unload all their luggage, only taking out some animal hides to wrap themselves in.

Xiong Ming dug a few blackened stones out of his bag, preparing to light a fire and boil some water to go with their dry rations.

When traveling, their meals and accommodations were always kept as simple as possible.

Hu Xi tiptoed off and returned with a stone pot filled with clean snow.

Yin Er leaned against one of the long-haired cattle, her face pale and weary as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out a piece of smoked jerky. Exhausted, hungry, and frightened after a long day, she needed a bite of meat to steady herself.

Xiao Ji, wrapped in animal hide, sat by the fire, staring blankly at the flames. His whole body ached, and he was completely drained.

Suddenly, Xiao Ji’s nose twitched, and his eyes lit up. “What’s that smell…? It’s so good…”

Xiong Ming looked up and glared at him. “Behave yourself.”

Xiao Ji protested, looking aggrieved, “But it’s true!”

As they spoke, the aroma grew stronger, tugging at their senses like tiny hooks, pulling them into a haze.

Hu Xi and Yin Er smelled it too—a rich, indescribable scent of sizzling oil, as if a large piece of meat were frying and releasing its juices. Their mouths began to water uncontrollably.

Xiao Ji couldn’t resist. He got up and followed the scent to the inn’s entrance, stopping at the small door and calling back, “It’s here!”

The three adults jumped up to stop him, but it was too late.

Xiao Ji pushed open the little door, and the sound of bells—“ding-ling-ling!”—rang sharply in the quiet of the valley night.

Warm light spilled out from the door, and the alluring aroma became even more intense.

By the cooking counter, Lu Yao was bent over, about to start eating a bowl of noodles.

After working late into the night to replace doors, she was too hungry to sleep. Seeing a piece of spare cured meat soaking in the kitchen’s basin had sparked a craving for cured meat and shredded pork noodles. So she’d set up a pot and cooked herself a bowl, just finishing it.

At the sound of the bells, Lu Yao immediately put down her chopsticks.

At the door, Xiao Ji, who was a bit shorter than Monk, had fallen to the ground. His eyes were wide with fear as he stared at Lu Yao, his curled-up legs trembling helplessly.

Lu Yao paused briefly, then crouched down. “Are you here to stay or to eat?”

The little person had a pair of round, beast-like ears. Despite their already diminutive size, two fluffy brown ears poked out from their hair.

What tribe was this little one from?

Their cuteness was overwhelming.

Outside, three more heads peeked cautiously around the doorframe.

Perfect, they were all beast-eared little people.

It seemed they didn’t realize they’d already been spotted.

Lu Yao lowered her gaze, trying to appear as gentle and non-threatening as possible. “There’s heavy snow tonight, and the wind outside is too strong to stay overnight. The beds here are warm and soft, you can take a hot bath, and there’s a hot supper waiting…”

Xiao Ji snapped out of his daze. His round ears twitched warily as he shakily pulled a flyer from his animal hide clothing.

Lu Yao took the flyer, smiling softly. “You must have met Monk and his friends. They stayed here last night and left this morning.”

Xiao Ji finally mustered the courage to speak, looking up at her. “Are you a big person?”

Lu Yao nodded. “I am.”

Xiao Ji fell silent.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Yao offered, “I just finished cooking some noodles. Would you like to try a bowl?”

Xiao Ji’s eyes widened, and he instinctively swallowed. “Noodles?”

Lu Yao reached out and gently picked Xiao Ji up, setting him down on the counter. She then fetched the little people’s special bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen.

From her untouched bowl of noodles, she pulled out a single strand of thick noodle, adding two plump, fragrant strips of cured pork, some minced green peppers, and bits of fresh pickled garlic. Tearing off a small piece of fried egg, she piled everything into the small bowl, topping it with a ladle of hot broth sprinkled with chopped scallions. She pushed it in front of Xiao Ji.

“Try it—it’s delicious.”

Xiao Ji’s reason snapped like a taut thread. His eyes sparkled as his gaze locked onto the bowl of noodles before him. It was that smell.

“Wait!”

A sharp, urgent voice came from the doorway as Xiong Ming dashed in. But all he heard was the sound of his son eagerly slurping noodles.

Hu Xi and Yin Er followed hesitantly, their expressions uneasy.

Lu Yao turned to them. “Would you like some noodles as well?”

By the time Xiong Ming, Hu Xi, and Yin Er regained their composure, they were already seated beside Xiao Ji, with steaming bowls of the same fragrant meat noodle dish in front of them. The enticing aroma was enough to make their mouths water uncontrollably.

The thick noodles Lu Yao had cooked were challenging for the little people, unused to chopsticks. They had to blow on them hard to cool them down before picking up the noodles and biting into them like a stick of fried dough.

Xiao Ji was especially bold, holding a piece of pork in one hand and the noodle in the other, taking alternating bites with great enthusiasm.

Lu Yao set aside a small bowl of noodles, half a fried egg, and a bit of sauce for herself, then picked up her own bowl and began eating as well.

Even with perfect table manners, the act of eating still produced unavoidable sounds, especially when enjoying something as hearty as noodles.

The beast-eared Nitean little people, sensitive to sounds, paused and looked up at Lu Yao.

So this was how she ate—boldly, yet somehow… not very intimidating.

Noticing their stares, Lu Yao glanced down at them. “Still hungry? I’ve got a little more left; it should be enough for you.”

Xiong Ming opened his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Xiao Ji raised his oily hand. “Another bowl, please!”

Yin Er’s fluffy cat ears twitched and flared before folding back shyly. “I… I’d like another bowl too.”

One bowl after another, the four Nitean little people cleaned out the remainder of Lu Yao’s noodles.

Outside, a stone pot simmered on the fire, bubbling and steaming, but no one paid it any attention.

The two long-haired cattle huddled together in the corner, pulling their hooves tightly beneath them against the cold night air.

Suddenly, the enormous door swung open from inside, flooding the area with bright light. A massive shadow loomed over the ground.

The long-haired cattle widened their eyes, their hooves slipping as they struggled to stand. All they could do was emit helpless “moo” sounds.

Lu Yao, using her phone’s flashlight, walked over to the corner. She picked up the stone pot with tongs, extinguished the fire, and brought the long-haired cattle and their luggage inside the inn.

The four beast-eared little people finally snapped back to reality but, having already enjoyed her food, felt too embarrassed to refuse lodging.

They introduced themselves as being from the Luo Xiong Tribe, known for their keen hearing and expertise in locating and mining veins of resources, such as the fuel called “oilstone,” which came from their tribe.

The group exchanged four pieces of oilstone for six Nitean coins. Xiong Ming and Xiao Ji checked into Room 301, while Hu Xi and Yin Er took Room 402 upstairs.

When Hu Xi and Yin Er reached Room 402, they cast curious glances toward the neighboring door.

Although the newly replaced doors fit perfectly, the height difference compared to Zhu Zhou’s door was still noticeable.

Lu Yao briefly explained the situation and took the opportunity to show them how to use the items in their rooms.

Once both groups of guests had closed their doors, Lu Yao turned around, covering her mouth as she yawned.

She grabbed a blanket from the cabinet, intending to pull two chairs together and catnap for the night.

Harold suddenly appeared, arms crossed at the doorway, his brows furrowed. “Why aren’t you going home yet?”

Lu Yao replied, “There are guests in the inn.”

Harold snatched the blanket from her. “I’ll keep watch tonight. You can’t keep doing this. You need to hire someone.”

Lu Yao agreed that hiring staff was necessary. Training little people as employees would take time, but in the meantime, a human staff member would help.

“I’ll ask about it in the work group tomorrow. For now, I’ll take you up on that. I need to go to the cinema.”

It was past midnight, but it was daytime in the cinema world.

Lu Yao planned to order a new batch of larger beds and sleepwear and pick up new tableware and kitchenware.

The first batch of tableware she had ordered was too small, and the kiln workers had struggled to get the desired quality due to the intricate firing process.

With six guests staying at the inn tonight, Lu Yao figured the bowls and plates wouldn’t be enough for breakfast, so she needed to bring in replacements.

After finishing at the cinema, she stopped by the snack shop to discuss the internal network project with the head guard and the park’s technicians. It wasn’t until 3:00 a.m. that she returned to the nail salon.

…

Author’s Note:

Before entering the inn:
Little people: “Big people are terrifying! They could crush us with a single finger!” (shivering in fear)

After entering the inn:
Little people: Feasting and living comfortably, as if at home.

JustAPoliteFear #NiteanLittlePeopleOnlyScaredForThreeSeconds

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