Ch 36: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Lu Yao thought for a moment, then took out the Acorus from her portable storage. “Is this also a plant from the forbidden garden?”

Ziye’s eyes widened. “Acorus? Where did you get that?”

The Acorus, like the Yangju, was a tiny plant, distinct from the typical flora of the Nitean continent. The flowers, trees, and grasses here were all normal-sized, and miniature plants like these had only ever appeared as part of the system’s early rewards.

Lu Yao placed the Yangju and Acorus together. “Are they both medicinal?”

Ziye lowered his gaze and remained silent.

The forbidden garden behind the sacred temple was home to many Acorus, but like the Yangju, only the Shenmu tribe could access them.

How had Lu Yao, who had never been to the Shenmu tribe, managed to acquire both the Yangju and the Acorus?

Did she truly not know their importance or purpose?

Ziye’s expression shifted, barely able to conceal his emotions.

Lu Yao quickly deduced that the Yangju and Acorus were of great significance to the Nitean little people.

Taking a deep breath, Ziye raised his head with great effort, trying to suppress his fear. “What do you intend to do with them?”

Lu Yao casually tossed the Yangju in the air, watching Ziye’s face pale in terror, then caught it smoothly. Her tone was light. “Honestly, I got these by accident and don’t really know what to do with them. I thought, since the Yangju smells tart, maybe I’d cook with it. But it’s so tiny, it wouldn’t amount to much.”

Ziye’s hands, resting at his sides, trembled faintly as he exclaimed, “Cook with it? How could you even think that? The Yangju, the Yangju is…”

The Yangju is…

But he dared not reveal more. Not even the little people from other tribes knew its secrets, much less a human.

Lu Yao asked, “Judging by what you’re saying, this fruit seems rare. Do you think it’s ripe?”

Ziye closed his eyes and nodded lightly.

Lu Yao continued, “Then it should have seeds. How about planting it?”

Ziye’s eyes snapped open. “You want to plant a Yangju tree?”

Lu Yao shrugged. “It’s just one fruit. What else am I supposed to do with it? I was thinking of planting some flowers and trees around the inn anyway. Might as well include this. I’d like to see what a Yangju tree looks like.”

Ziye’s tense shoulders gradually relaxed. “The entire fruit is a seed. Just toss it into the soil—don’t break it.”

Lu Yao nodded. “And what about the Acorus? What’s it for?”

Ziye explained, “The Acorus is the sacred flower of the Shenmu tribe. It only grows in our sacred temple’s territory.”

Among the little people’s tribes, only the Shenmu tribe never migrated, residing for generations within their sacred temple’s land. The Acorus exclusively grew around the temple.

“I see. Thank you for sharing such fascinating information.” Lu Yao stored the Yangju and Acorus away, deciding to look for gardening books later.

Ziye hesitated, then caught up with her. “When are you planning to plant it?”

Lu Yao replied, “No rush. I’ll need to make some preparations.”

Ziye quickly offered, “Let me take care of the Yangju tree when you do.”

Lu Yao frowned. “Why?”

Ziye stammered, “I… I saw my elders tending to Yangju trees before. I… have experience.”

He had seen Yangju trees before.

Someone who knew how to choose his words—he didn’t seem like the usual Nitean little people.

Lu Yao tilted her head. “Are you saying you want to work at the inn as a staff member?”

Before Ziye could answer, Jiexiang, who had been eavesdropping by the window, eagerly raised her hand. “Me, me, me! Lu Yao, I want to be a staff member too!”

The inn’s food had utterly won Jiexiang over. She had overheard the Red Pig tribe little people praising it, even claiming it was better than the Xiaguang tribe’s food. After discreetly asking Yuanwei for confirmation, she received a subtle but affirming answer. Jiexiang had been pondering how to ensure she could eat here often, and now she had an opportunity.

Lu Yao didn’t mind adding two little staff members to her team. Jiexiang and Ziye successfully secured their trial positions.

[System Notification: Lu Yao’s inn has reached 60% basic completion and successfully hosted 100 guests. Current task progress is at 65%. Keep up the good work, shopkeeper!]

The proxy bot’s formal voice suddenly sounded, causing Lu Yao to pause her task. Achieving the milestone of hosting 100 guests must have been due to the influx of the Red Pig Tribe.

Although they hadn’t stayed overnight, they had eaten the inn’s food, used the hot springs, and paid with goods, which apparently counted under the system’s criteria.

However, the progress was only 65%. Was it because the shop’s star rating hadn’t increased?

[Lu Yao’s inn has earned high praise from the Nitean little people, upgrading to a three-star shop. Reward: +10,000 popularity points, +100 oil stones. Keep up the good work, shopkeeper!]

[System Notification: Lu Yao’s inn has reached 60% basic completion, successfully hosted 100 guests, and upgraded to a three-star shop. Current task progress is now 75%. Keep up the good work, shopkeeper!]

Seventy-five percent already?

So it really was the star rating.

Lu Yao mused that once the Rose Garden House and Hot Spring Pavilion officially opened, the star rating might increase further.

The grand hot spring room was nearing completion, and Lu Yao was now brainstorming ideas for the hot spring guest rooms. She had a new concept in mind and decided to replace the old blueprints.

While sketching out designs for the components, Heici approached her. “Lu Yao, I want that big round jar in the kitchen.”

The glass jar leftover from the peach preserves the night before was originally headed for the trash. Xiao Zheng had suggested cleaning it and repurposing it as a storage jar, so it had been kept.

Why would Heici care about it?

Lu Yao asked, “What do you need it for?”

Heici, feeling shy, fidgeted with his clothes and lowered his head. “I like it—it feels like my old home.”

Lu Yao understood.

Heici wanted to use the jar as his home.

A thought suddenly struck her: like octopuses in the ocean, which sometimes squeeze into glass jars only to be caught by humans.

She recalled Zhu Zhou mentioning that during the blazing Sunshine Season, when three suns shone directly overhead, the ground was so hot it could fry an egg. Cooking meat on heated stones was common, and they had to wrap their feet in five layers of leaves to avoid burns.

Given the little people’s size, living in a glass jar during such heat would be unbearable—like roasting on a stone slab.

Lu Yao dared not imagine further and carefully chose her words. “Heici, that big jar isn’t suitable as a home. During Sunshine Season, it will get dangerously hot inside.”

Heici’s fluffy ears twitched, his teary eyes resembling freshly washed blueberries, making him even more endearing.

Lu Yao couldn’t resist, her heart softening. “I think I understand the kind of home you like. How about I help you build a jar-shaped house that stays cool during Sunshine Season? Look, even Beef Cube, with all that thick fur, couldn’t handle living in a jar.”

Heici pressed his lips together, silent.

During his time at the inn, memories of his long-lost parents, blurred by time, occasionally surfaced. In his years of living alone, he rarely thought of them—daily survival left no room for nostalgia.

But the inn was safe and warm, and Lu Yao was strong and fond of him.

Heici knew he shouldn’t be acting so spoiled, yet he couldn’t help it. Why couldn’t he use that jar as his home?

He thought Lu Yao would surely agree.

Lu Yao sighed, pulling out a blank sheet of paper. She quickly sketched a design and held it out to Heici. “Here, how about we build a home like this? It’s bigger and more spacious than the jar, with a small door here and a window here. Beef Cube can sleep with you too.”

Heici stared at the drawing for a while before pointing to another spot. “The door should go here.”

“That’s exactly how my original home was.”

Lu Yao exhaled slowly. “Alright, we’ll go with your idea. Anything else?”

…

The consequence of drawing a new house design for one sulking “kid” was that Lu Yao now had four more design requests on her hands.

How could Heici resist showing off?

Everywhere he went, he dragged others along to see it, making Yuanwei, Hudie, A’Dai, and Jiexiang green with envy. One after another, they came to Lu Yao with their own requests.

Lu Yao briefly considered passing some of the design work to Bai Lu.

When it came to drawing, Bai Lu was the real professional.

But the little people wouldn’t accept it.

The scene at that time was like dealing with eight sulking Heici.

Who could withstand that?

Lu Yao couldn’t. Neither could Bai Lu, who waved her hands in defeat, teary-eyed. “Boss, just leave me out of this. Clearly, I’m not meant for such blessings.”

Lu Yao: “…”

The whole afternoon, the little couples loudly described their wild and whimsical requirements.

Lu Yao sketched furiously, translating all sorts of abstract ideas into concrete drawings.

Bai Lu, watching quietly from the side, eventually couldn’t help but comment, “This kind of ‘blessing’ is clearly something only you can handle!”

Lu Yao’s expression was numb. “… Thanks for that.”

By late evening, Yuanwei and her husband left happily with their new house designs in hand.

Lu Yao packed up her drawing tools, finally ready to head back to her room for a wash and some rest.

But the crisp sound of a bell broke the stillness of the night.

A new guest had arrived.

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