Chapter 356: Time to Open for Business!
In the end, despite Ru Yi's adamant resistance, Qi Han finally managed to get his hands on her chubby cheeks and give them a satisfying squish before leaving the system space.
He'd been wanting to do that for ages.
And honestly? The squishiness did not disappoint.
"Hmph! Don't forget, I can still hear you!"
Back inside the system space, Ru Yi pouted, rubbing her cheeks with a grumble.
Qi Han chuckled awkwardly, then quickly had Ru Yi summon Zhui Yun.
He'd accomplished his goal in the Star Dou Forest—time to head back to Han Shi.
Although he was returning about five days early, there was still a lot to do: remodeling the restaurant, planning new menu items for breakfast and late-night snacks, and preparing them in the second system space.
Come to think of it… time was tighter than he thought.
It had been a while since he'd seen Zhui Yun, and Qi Han genuinely missed it. The moment it saw him, the faithful beast happily nuzzled up to him.
"Zhui Yun, let's head back to Shrek City."
With a smile, Qi Han mounted the beast, hugging Pururu in his arms as they darted swiftly through the forest.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Thank you for your patronage!"
Ying Shuang wore casual clothes today, a refreshing contrast to her usual maid uniform—she looked livelier, more approachable.
She took five copper coins from a customer and dropped them into a money jar before passing over a steaming hot Mo Wu Tuan, handed to her by Ye Lingqing.
Her bright red twin ponytails added a vibrant splash of warmth to the quiet alleyway.
Taking advantage of a lull between customers, Ye Lingqing gave the girl a grateful look.
"Ying Shuang, thank you."
"No need to thank me—we're friends, aren't we?"
Ying Shuang flipped her hair, cheeks flushing slightly.
"Helping a friend is only natural."
"Besides, I'm usually free around noon… and you're paying me anyway, aren't you?"
At that, she couldn't help but laugh.
"That pay's hardly worth mentioning…"
Ye Lingqing scratched his head sheepishly. He knew all too well what kind of wages his Master gave his regular staff—his own small offering didn't even come close.
It had been ten days since their Master left, and Ye Lingqing had finally completed the task Qi Han left him—reaching the three shine stage.
With no further instructions for the time being, and plenty of idle hours, he had a sudden idea: why not go back to selling Mo Wu Tuan again?
Not for money this time, but as a way to practice, to stay sharp.
Back when he'd sold them before, it was out of necessity.
Now, it was about discipline.
After Ying Shuang returned from obtaining her fourth spirit ring, she began showing up at the shop around noon. She claimed she was "just checking if Boss Qi was back yet," but would linger for chats with Ye Lingqing and quietly watch him knead dough from behind the divider—before slipping away silently.
Once she saw him set up a new stand after completing his training task, she volunteered to help him out.
Though Ye Lingqing's stall was still in the same alley to avoid bothering others, with the energetic Ying Shuang helping to call in customers, business began to pick up.
Still, this was just something to keep busy—he wasn't trying to overwork himself.
Each day, he only sold 200 Mo Wu Tuans, then packed up and returned to the shop.
Before long, the day's batch was sold out. After politely turning away the latecomers, Ye Lingqing and Ying Shuang pushed the cart away together.
"Lingqing… when do you think the boss will be back?"
Ying Shuang counted on her fingers.
"It's already been fifteen days."
"Fifteen days already?"
Ye Lingqing scratched his head again. These past days had been so fulfilling, he hadn't even noticed how quickly time had passed.
Soon, a trace of concern appeared on Ye Lingqing's face.
"Didn't Master say he was going to renovate the shop? There are only five days left. Why hasn't he come back yet? That's barely enough time to get anything done."
"Yeah…" Ying Shuang also looked puzzled.
"Could it be… Boss forgot about the renovations?"
"I doubt it." Ye Lingqing shook his head.
"Master has a really good memory. I'm sure there must be some other reason."
...
As the two chatted along the way, they soon arrived at the entrance of Han Shi. Ye Lingqing came to a sudden stop, rubbing his eyes in disbelief at the familiar figure standing at the door.
"Master? When did you get back?"
Qi Han looked at Ye Lingqing and Ying Shuang, his expression slightly amused.
"Just now."
His gaze then drifted to the cart they were pushing.
"What's this? You two were selling Mo Wu Tuan?"
"Master, I've already mastered the dough technique, and since I had nothing else to do these past few days, I thought I'd find something productive."
Ye Lingqing quickly explained, a bit nervous. He had acted on his own—what if Master disapproved?
"I see," Qi Han nodded in understanding, then smiled.
"Come on in."
"N-no, that's okay, Boss."
Ying Shuang's face turned red the moment she saw Qi Han. She'd secretly been helping Ye Lingqing, and now that she'd been caught, embarrassment flooded her.
"I have class this afternoon, so I'll head back."
"Alright."
Watching her flee with a flushed face, Qi Han's expression grew even more curious.
"Lingqing, let's talk inside."
"Yes, Master."
Ye Lingqing nodded and followed Qi Han into the shop—only to freeze in surprise when he spotted Zhui Yun.
"Master, is that…?"
He had thought it was a rented Blood Red Unicorn for transport, but Qi Han had led it inside like it belonged there—clearly not what he expected.
"This is Zhui Yun, our new shop companion."
Qi Han patted the beast affectionately.
"And this is my disciple, Ye Lingqing."
Ye Lingqing was about to ask who Qi Han was talking to when he suddenly felt something touch his forehead—the tip of Zhui Yun's horn.
"Hello, Ye Lingqing. My name is Zhui Yun."
The words echoed directly in his mind.
Ye Lingqing stared in shock before realizing it was the majestic Blood Red Unicorn speaking to him.
Zhui Yun can… talk?!
Incredible!
"H-hello!"
Ye Lingqing stammered out a greeting, still amazed. This was his first time communicating with a spirit beast—what a surreal experience.
After a brief chat with Zhui Yun, Ye Lingqing suddenly remembered something and turned to Qi Han.
"Master, why haven't the renovations started yet? We only have five days before reopening. Will there be enough time?"
Qi Han remained composed outwardly, but inwardly, he was a little embarrassed.
Truth be told, in his rush to leave, he had completely forgotten about how obvious the delay would be to Ye Lingqing. Thankfully, five days was still manageable—and the boy wasn't the most worldly. He could probably fudge it a bit.
"Ahem, well…"
Qi Han coughed lightly, then carefully crafted his excuse.
"These past few days, I wasn't just working on new dishes—I also contacted a spirit master friend who specializes in architectural remodeling. He has unique abilities that allow him to complete renovations in just a few days."
He conveniently ignored Ru Yi's scornful snort from inside the system space.
"So, we'll need to leave the shop for a few days while the work is done. After five days, we'll be ready to reopen."
"I see!"
Ye Lingqing was instantly convinced.
That sounded perfectly reasonable.
Spirit masters really were amazing—even remodeling a whole building only took five days!
Thanks to Master's guidance, Ye Lingqing now had a third-level innate spirit power. With time, he believed he could become an incredible spirit master too.
Though… what could a spirit master do with a rolling pin martial spirit?
"Alright, pack your things. We'll stay at a hotel nearby for the next five days."
Qi Han smiled as he gave the instructions.
Though the renovations and expansion would actually only take one day, Qi Han still decided to stay at a hotel for five days to avoid raising suspicion.
"Alright, Master. I know a nearby place called Rose Hotel. It looks pretty nice," Ye Lingqing offered.
Rose Hotel?
Qi Han choked hard, coughing violently.
"Lingqing, let's not go to Rose Hotel. You're still too young—the waters there run too deep. You wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Oh… okay, Master."
Ye Lingqing nodded, half-understanding.
He just thought the hotel looked really pretty, like a blooming rose.
But since Master said no, then he definitely wouldn't go.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
After packing their bags, the master and disciple—along with Zhui Yun and Pururu in his arms—checked into a nearby hotel and got settled. Each of them then got busy with their respective tasks.
Qi Han first taught Ye Lingqing the key techniques of dough rolling, then made arrangements with the hotel owner to let him use their kitchen for practice.
Thanks to Qi Han's reputation, the owner readily agreed. And so Ye Lingqing began five days of intense dough-rolling training in the hotel kitchen.
Zhui Yun was housed in the stables behind the hotel. As long as Qi Han provided its meals three times a day and spent some time chatting with it, Zhui Yun was content. Qi Han promised that once the renovations were complete, the beast would have its own custom stable at Han Shi—and Zhui Yun happily agreed.
That special stable, of course, was one of the new features included in the shop's expansion.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
After getting both his disciple and Zhui Yun settled, Qi Han finally let out a breath of relief. He first discussed the remodeling plans with Ru Yi, then entered the second system space to prepare the upcoming breakfast and late-night menus.
At present, Han Shi had very few dishes suitable for breakfast. But now that he had access to the 1 Star Recipe Compendium, he had nothing to worry about. For breakfast, he planned to offer a wide variety of noodle dishes and pastries, complemented by various side items—all conveniently available in the 1 Star recipes. He could simply purchase and learn them.
As for the late-night menu...
Hah!
Inside the system space, Qi Han held the comprehensive 2 Star Recipe Compendium in his hand and declared with flair:
"Ru Yi! Exchange for the 2 Star recipe: The Story of Chuaner!
Exchange for the 2 Star recipe: Six-Flavored Shrimp!
Exchange for the 2 Star recipe: Pure Rye Lager!
Exchange for the 2 Star recipe: Golden Fried Chicken Combo!"
The Story of Chuaner was similar to the earlier Complete Hot Pot Base, except this one covered 360 different types of barbecue recipes. If the hot pot compendium was stronger than eighteen other dishes, then The Story of Chuaner was more powerful than three hundred sixty combined.
Six-Flavored Shrimp included recipes for three kinds of crayfish—mala (spicy), garlic, and thirteen-spice—and three kinds of mantis shrimp—salt & pepper, brined, and sauced.
Pure Rye Lager was a system-brewed beer. Compared to anything Qi Han had ever tasted, its rich malty aroma and smooth mouthfeel were absolutely unmatched.
And finally, the Golden Fried Chicken Combo included KFC Colonel's Chicken Nuggets. KFC Finger-Lickin' Original Chicken. KFC Spicy Chicken Wings. KFC Spicy Drumsticks. KFC Crispy Popcorn Chicken. KFC Boneless Chicken Strips. Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Cutlets, and more.
And just like that, the sixteen 2 Star recipe fragments he'd accumulated were all spent in one go.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
…Five days later…
As he reopened the doors to Han Shi, Qi Han stood in front of the completely renovated shop with a satisfied smile on his face.
He clapped the stunned Ye Lingqing on the shoulder.
"Let's go. Don't just stand there like a statue."
"Time to open for business!"
<+>
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