Don’t forget to check out our advanced chapters
Please kindly turn off your adblock
Chapter 17
The renovation work proceeded smoothly, and the shop increasingly resembled something respectable.
That evening, after Shen You finished discussing various renovation issues with the foreman, she routinely opened the [Great Qi] shop.
The same deserted alley greeted her, where a low-key exterior yet luxuriously appointed carriage stopped outside.
“Is this the place?” A male voice asked.
“Exactly.” His subordinate reported. “Minister Zhang was struck by lightning here last time. The porridge shop’s grain was transported from this location, though we don’t know how they entered.”
“Useless.”
The flat voice from inside the carriage made his subordinate shiver, and he quickly added, “However, supposedly only Liu Zheng and Zhong Jing entered together.”
Two people?
Was this the key to entering?
The person in the carriage lifted the curtain and stepped down, using a servant’s back as a footstool. “Come, let’s see what’s really happening.”
Walking to the deepest part of the alley, a strangely styled wooden door came into view in the courtyard.
The subordinate steeled himself to push the door, terrified inside yet not daring to show it.
Being struck by lightning while still surviving was one thing, but defying the special envoy would cost him several lives.
Without the expected lightning, the door actually opened.
The subordinate sighed with relief and said excitedly, “Sir, the door opened.”
The special envoy narrowed his eyes, pointing to a reliable aide, “You come with me inside, while the rest guard outside.”
“Yes.”
The two men passed through the doorway, cautiously observing the unfamiliar courtyard around them while walking into the shop.
What met their eyes was a sheet of cool white mist, while strange yet somewhat pleasant music echoed in their ears.
Yet they saw no musicians, only a woman tinkering with something, and she wasn’t singing either.
This was terrifying. They could hear music without seeing any performers.
Shen You waved away the white mist emanating from the fish pond fog machine, which she had originally intended to buy for the shop’s grand opening after renovation to create atmosphere.
The merchant had repeatedly guaranteed it would work perfectly.
Indeed, once turned on, it behaved like something possessed, violently spewing white mist that wouldn’t turn off.
After she finally managed to shut it off and stood up, she saw two customers with expressions that questioned reality itself.
“Welcome to my shop, feel free to browse.” The system’s preset voice announced.
Shen You went to the counter and stopped the music playing on her laptop, making the two men regard her with even greater wariness.
“Did you hear someone singing just now?” The special envoy whispered.
“I heard it.” The subordinate replied, not daring to release his grip on the sword at his waist.
The special envoy looked at the various strange items on the shelves, steadied himself, and asked, “Did you provide the grain for Yunzhou?”
Those accustomed to high positions always carried a certain scrutinizing manner in their words and actions.
“To be precise, it was purchased from here.” Shen You corrected with a flat tone.
“Looking at your shop, there’s no grain visible.” The special envoy said, hands clasped behind his back, his sharp eyes surveying every corner of the shop.
Shen You understood. He was trying to probe her depths. “Before entering, did you see the shop? Same principle.” She slowly raised her eyes. “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask. If you’re not buying anything, leave.”
Seeing her calm and unperturbed demeanor, the special envoy’s doubts vanished.
True masters were exactly like this.
This trip was worthwhile!
“I’m a special envoy sent by the court, seeking elixirs for longevity from the young lady.”
Shen You: ?? Was he treating her like a turtle in a wishing well?
“Don’t have any.”
The special envoy didn’t believe this response. Someone capable of producing so much grain overnight surely possessed the ability to create mere pills.
“Didn’t the young lady previously give medicine to the prince?”
The prince had cured the Lu family’s only young master in Lianzhou, and the Lu family held real military power! The medicine used was reportedly unseen by anyone. It definitely had to have come from this female shopkeeper.
Shen You replied, “Those were just wound medicine and cold remedies.”
The special envoy looked at Shen You with skepticism. “Palace alchemists can refine pills for virility and longevity. Can’t the young lady do the same?”
“I’m a merchant, not an alchemist. Those pills alchemists make aren’t safe to consume. Using so much cinnabar, the more you eat, the faster you die.”
The special envoy pondered this, realizing it would be difficult to report back.
“If the young lady would accompany me to the capital, you won’t lack treasures and rarities.”
Shen You shook her head. “Not interested.”
The special envoy’s expression darkened, seemingly considering force, however after much hesitation, he didn’t order his subordinate to act.
Instead, he used fifty taels of gold to purchase a bottle of medicated oil and four ibuprofen tablets from Shen You.
The high price was because Shen You found this old man disagreeable.
The moment the two men exited, the courtyard returned to normal and the shop disappeared.
The special envoy, whom everyone in the capital sought to flatter, had cold sweat seeping through his back.
The female shopkeeper’s final look seemed to say, ‘Try leaving this place without paying and see what happens’.
Only then did he wisely pay, asking what medicine he could buy.
This female shopkeeper could operate such a mysteriously appearing and disappearing shop while summoning lightning at will—dealing with ordinary people would be as easy as moving a finger.
Without payment, he couldn’t even leave the shop!
It wasn’t scary to encounter a black market shop, but encountering one run by a master was terrifying!
**
Shen You sat at the counter, examining the gold ingot she’d just received happily, then she exchanged it for cash through the system.
She thought she wouldn’t make any sales today and wanted the visitors to leave quickly to avoid wasting time, but who knew they’d suddenly produce a gold ingot and slam it on the table.
Well, making money made her happy.
——
Two more days passed, and the courtyard renovation was nearly complete.
She laid small gravel and bluestone slabs for landscaping, planted grass and Japanese maple trees, and placed antique-style stone lantern solar lights nearby.
Rain chains hung from the eaves with ceramic jars underneath for growing lotus and raising koi, plus she ordered an assembled pavilion online with an elm wood tea table.
Red plum and crabapple trees, which Shen You loved, were planted alongside.
Besides wanting comfortable living quarters, establishing a foothold on Antique Street required proper shop presentation.
Even the plain carved lattice windows in Xingmao Garden were antiques, with small wooden carvings worth tens of thousands.
Shen You bought modern craft small windows, bargaining with the online seller for ages before securing them for eight hundred yuan.
Since the main door already had an antique atmosphere, she left it unchanged, afraid regular customers wouldn’t recognize it.
Cutting off one’s own income was absolutely forbidden!
The shop and courtyard were completely transformed. Since renovation couldn’t happen behind closed doors, the passing neighbors couldn’t help but take extra looks.
“Your courtyard looks so beautiful. You must have spent quite a bit, right?”
Shen You replied, “Not too bad. Many things were bought online. I snagged those flower seedlings during a livestream—16.9 yuan for two with free shipping.”
Most neighbors were polite, standing only at the entrance to look and asking for links, which Shen You shared gladly, even teaching the retired elderly gentlemen how to grab discounted seedlings.
However, some people lacked boundaries.
They’d walk right in, like the grandmother with her little boy, both reaching to pluck flowers she’d planted that very morning, saying picking one flower wouldn’t bother the young lady.
Of course it bothered her. Flower enthusiasts couldn’t stand such behavior!
Shen You smiled sweetly while producing a sign: 100 yuan per flower.
The woman immediately cursed while dragging the child away.
“Little sister, they say people get cheated during renovation without knowing it. My nephew understands these things, so why not let him take a look? He happens to be here today.”
Sister Cui spoke then not waiting for Shen You’s agreement, stood at the entrance to call her nephew over.