Ch 32: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Jiegeng and Hudie’s faces lit up with joy, and they nodded eagerly.

Lu Yao rose and walked toward them. “What’s on your mind?”

Hudie tilted her head up and hesitated before speaking. “We… we want to stay in Thorn Valley.”

This pair of smallfolk had been searching for a suitable place to build their nest. After two days in Thorn Valley, exploring the surrounding area, they decided this was where they wanted to settle.

However, since this was a big human’s territory, they had hesitated to bring it up.

Would the big human even allow smallfolk to live near her domain?

Lu Yao was a bit surprised and looked down at the female smallfolk named Hudie. “Why do you want to live in my territory?”

Hudie answered straightforwardly, “Because it’s safe here.”

For smallfolk from different tribes to bond as partners, they must leave their respective tribes. Once they leave, they face risks, lacking safety and consistent food supplies.

Living near the inn, protected by a big human, was far safer than surviving alone in the wilderness.

Lu Yao asked, “May I ask which tribe you’re from?”

Hudie paused slightly before answering honestly, “My father is from the Black Rock Tribe, and my mother is from the Red Pig Tribe.”

So, she was of mixed heritage.

Lu Yao’s curiosity was piqued. “I’ve never met anyone from the Black Rock Tribe. Do you have their traits?”

Hudie nodded and rolled up her animal-skin sleeve past her elbow, revealing a small patch of bluish scales on her forearm.

“The Black Rock Tribe’s territory is by the sea,” Hudie explained.

Her parents were both strong and capable individuals. Despite being from different tribes, they successfully bore a child, Hudie.

As an adult, Hudie met Jiegeng, a smallfolk from the Xiaguang Tribe. The two became partners and, like her parents, wandered this land together.

After hearing their romantic story, Lu Yao smiled warmly and agreed. “I’d be delighted to have you as neighbors. Feel free to choose a spot to build your home.”

Hudie and Jiegeng exchanged looks, almost unable to believe it.

Had she really agreed so easily?

Hudie couldn’t help but confirm, “I mean, we want to live in Thorn Valley. We’d like to build our nest near the inn.”

Lu Yao nodded. “I understand. Just make sure to avoid the main roads and the train tracks.”

Realizing they’d been granted permission, Hudie and Jiegeng hugged each other and began jumping around in joy.

…

On the fourth floor of the second guest room area, a smallfolk with orange cat ears couldn’t contain his excitement. “We want to live here too!”

He had overheard the conversation.

Lu Yao inclined her head. “Then there’ll be two households as neighbors now.”

The cat-eared smallfolk hurried back to his room and shook his companion, who was lying in bed. “A’dai! Lu Yao said we can live in her territory!”

His companion, A’dai, was also of mixed heritage, with traits from both the Shenmu Tribe and the Red Pig Tribe. She had light golden hair and a beast horn mark below her neck.

A’dai had been resting but sat up at the news. “What’s going on?”

The cat-eared smallfolk, named Jinjin, couldn’t hide his excitement. His ears twitched back and forth as he spoke.

When A’dai heard Hudie and Jiegeng would also be staying, she became just as thrilled. She tossed off her blanket and got out of bed. “Let’s go talk to them.”

As rebels who had left their tribes, they rarely dared to speak to smallfolk from other tribes during their journey, relying solely on their companions for support.

The first time engaging in deep conversation with smallfolk who shared similar experiences, and discussing topics of mutual interest, drew in the attention of the Iris couple halfway through. The group chatted animatedly well into the night before finally dispersing.

…

At dawn the next morning, the two couples woke up especially early.

They didn’t even bother with breakfast and rushed to find Lu Yao, eager for her to accompany them to choose a site for their new homes.

Now that Lu Yao had agreed to let them live in Thorn Valley, they felt completely at ease and uninhibited around her.

Lu Yao, still groggy and barely awake, faced four pairs of sparkling, expectant eyes. Stifling a yawn, she turned to them. “Hold on, let me wash my face.”

When Lu Yao emerged freshly dressed, the little ones were neatly lined up on the first shelf of the kitchen spice rack, their short legs dangling as they waited.

Lu Yao’s sleepiness vanished immediately. She picked up the four smallfolk in one swoop, cradling them in her palms as she headed outside. “I’ll get us there faster.”

Jinjin’s “scream” got caught in his throat, muffled by her words.

Hudie clung tightly to Lu Yao’s thumb, his face as pale as a sheet.

Jiegeng and A’dai, on the other hand, seemed calmer, gently bracing themselves against her fingers.

…

As they stepped outside the inn, the sky had just begun to lighten, a faint white glow spreading at the horizon.

Standing in the palm of a “giant,” overlooking the vast landscape, they marveled at the sight of rolling mountains resembling waves.

Hudie exclaimed in excitement, “So high, so amazing!”

What would have been a long trek for the smallfolk was just a few steps for Lu Yao.

She soon reached the wide, open ground beside the inn and set them down gently.

Lu Yao had expected them to deliberate carefully and take their time choosing a location.

Instead, as soon as Hudie landed, she dragged Jiegeng to a corner of the inn wall and marked out a boundary with a twig. “We’ll build our house right here!”

Meanwhile, A’dai and Jinjin quickly picked a spot behind Hudie’s plot, also hugging the inn wall.

Lu Yao couldn’t make sense of their preference for sticking close to the wall but could already envision a future where a ring of smallfolk houses encircled the inn.

She crouched down, picked up a twig, and drew new boundaries 40 centimeters away from the inn’s foundation. “The eaves will need drainage channels underneath, and it’ll be too damp to live near the wall. Hudie, how about moving your plot here? I’ll help you lay the foundation and pave the area. A’dai, your house can go here—neighbors on both sides, how nice!”

Given Thorn Valley’s low terrain, rainwater wasn’t a major issue for the inn, but smallfolk houses needed special attention.

Hudie and A’dai were insistent on staying close to the inn, and it took Lu Yao quite a bit of convincing before they reluctantly agreed to move their plots slightly farther from the wall.

Having stayed in the inn’s rooms, they were now filled with ideas for their future homes, though they hadn’t made any real progress yet.

Even during breakfast, they continued discussing it enthusiastically.

…

Hearing that the others had already chosen home sites, Yuanwei felt a twinge of longing.

While living in the dorms was comfortable, she occasionally missed their old home.

She brought it up with Zhu Zhou, and together they approached Lu Yao, expressing their desire to build a new home near the inn as well.

Lu Yao marked out a plot for them next to A’dai’s and even preemptively set aside space for another plot beside it.

By noon, Heici came to Lu Yao, saying he wanted to live near his kin too.

Lu Yao took him outside to show him his designated plot.

Heici, who was used to living in caves, stared blankly at the open ground and then turned to Lu Yao, looking lost and bewildered.

Lu Yao couldn’t help laughing. “Do you need my help?”

Heici responded firmly and loudly, “Yes!”

…

As the smallfolk enthusiastically started planning their new homes, Lu Yao didn’t jump in to help right away. She wanted to observe how they built houses on their own.

The Red Pig Tribe typically lived in caves, using straw to shield against wind and cold. However, this flatland didn’t allow for digging caves.

The Luo Xiong Tribe preferred building houses from stones, wood, and mud, but A’dai was enamored with the clean, delicate style of the inn’s architecture—something Jinjin couldn’t replicate.

Hudie noted that the Black Rock Tribe liked to build under large rocks and use wide leaves for weather protection. While this worked well during the Sunshine, Spring, and Breeze Seasons, it was less suitable for the Twilight Moon Season.

Yuanwei mentioned that the Xiaguang Tribe liked living in tree hollows or among branches, choosing sturdy roots or wide branches for their homes. However, the saplings Lu Yao had transplanted around the inn were too thin and short to meet their needs.

The smallfolk grew increasingly frustrated.

Lu Yao, watching their struggles, couldn’t stop chuckling. Without offering hints, she went off to collect stones and quietly continued building her hot spring pool.

That afternoon, two new guests arrived at the inn.

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