"quack!"

"Stop trying to be cute, it won't solve anything!"

"Gagagagagagaga!"

“I saw it all. You were stealing leaves from the jujube tree behind my back, and you even lied to me that it was the rabbits on the island who stole them. I knew it! How could rabbits jump so high and specifically target tender leaves?”

Xu Milu gritted her teeth, tapped Ah Chou on the head three times, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to hit him hard, so she could only patiently say:

"What kind of leaves do you like? I've already picked them for you. There are plenty of giant radishes and giant ping-pong grapes. You complained that the laurel leaves were unpalatable, and you even took a couple of bites from the leaves of the white jade lotus root that I got from Nezha. This fire date tree isn't even as old as you, so why are you bullying it? I only planted a few, and you've eaten them all—next time I catch you eating the tender leaves of the fire date tree, I'm going out to play by myself without you."

"Gaga! Gaga gaga gaga!!"

Upon hearing that he couldn't go out to play, Ah Chou became so anxious he was almost talking, constantly nudging Xu Milu's palm with his head:

"Gagaga..."

Having received the other party's assurance, Xu Milu's anger subsided a little, and she flicked its forehead:

"I'll let you off this time, but if a single leaf of the jujube tree falls from its leaves in the future, I'll hold you responsible."

Ah Chou, who had grown to the size of a small mountain, lay down and made a pitiful "gurgling" sound in its throat before Xu Milu let it go.

Mo Xuan happened to be passing by carrying two buckets of fish. Seeing Ah Chou's discomfiture, he made no attempt to hide his schadenfreude.

"You always acted recklessly because Madam Xu doted on you, and now you've been scolded, haven't you?"

The dragon and the turtle had often fought and bickered in the past. One would bite through the other's clothes, and the other would steal the other's fruit. Surprisingly, the more they fought, the deeper their feelings for each other became, so Xu Milu stopped caring.

Ah Chou ignored Mo Xuan and simply turned her back to him, sulking.

"Have the remaining items in the store been put away?"

Xu Milu stood up, clapped her hands, and asked.

Mo Xuan chuckled and raised the wooden bucket in his hand:

"I've put away the water vat and plants you requested, Madam Xu, but the vat looks rather empty. So I went up the mountain and caught a few red carp. If you don't like them, you can cook them. These red-tailed mountain carp are quite rare!"

This is the magic of the system space. Mo Xuan can walk out of the restaurant and onto Chang'an Avenue, while Qing Mu can walk out and onto Wuming Island. Even if the two of them step out of the restaurant at the same time, they will not affect each other.

—Even if an ordinary person stands outside the Mountain and Sea Restaurant and looks inside, they can only see an ordinary restaurant. As for where Xu Milu wants to go, that is up to her.

Xu Milu guessed that this guy was probably just craving something sweet, but she didn't expose his little scheme, since the two new fish tanks in the restaurant were meant to hold smuggled fish.

She carefully examined the two buckets of red-tailed mountain carp. The tip of each carp's tail was tinged with a rosy red like the sunset, its eyes were round, and its mouth was constantly opening and closing. It was clear at a glance that the fish must have tender and delicious flesh.

Xu Milu thought for a moment and then instructed:

"Then let's put it in the jar against the wall first, and keep it warm with eggs and well water. In a couple of days we'll make a sauerkraut fish hot pot."

"Okay!"

Although he didn't know what sauerkraut fish hot pot was, Mo Xuan readily agreed and even used a little magic to keep the fish alive, afraid that they would die before they could bring out their delicious flavor.

Xu Milu let Ah Chou go, then turned around and carried a bucket to draw water from the well in the backyard. The shop usually used this well for cooking and drinking. The well was originally connected to the groundwater, but she later used magic to capture a water vein. Since then, the water in the well not only tastes clear and sweet, but also makes steamed rice taste special.

The wisteria tree spirit's vines eagerly reached out to help, with a bunch of wildflowers of unknown origin held aloft at the end of each vine. The other vines fluttering around also massaged Xu Milu's shoulders, back, and neck—if the wisteria flower spirit had a human form, it would definitely be a fawning, sycophantic figure.

They're doing it openly and honestly, completely and transparently.

Even Mo Xuan, the most skilled flatterer, had to admit defeat.

...

...

Xu Milu carried a bucket of water into the shop, and the Mountain and Sea Restaurant had undergone some new changes:

The store is more than twice the size. On the left and right sides of the entrance are two diamond aquariums, each five meters long and three meters high. The one on the left is filled with deep-sea fish. Long-legged deep-sea squid swim slowly, occasionally changing the color of their bodies, trying to blend into the seawater.

A nine-striped abalone, about the size of an adult's fist, clings to the tank wall, revealing its golden-yellow flesh; a piece of buttery scallop is attached to a red coral tree protruding from the water, appearing orange-yellow at first glance.

On the right, the aquarium houses freshwater fish. Red-tailed river shrimp, their bodies a cherry blossom pink, forage among the purple algae at the bottom. Silver-winged flying fish, resembling a silver ribbon, nimbly swam over a group of menacing river crabs.

The red-tailed mountain carp that Mo Xuan had just put into the water tank seemed to be frightened. They all huddled under the artificial rocks in the water and refused to show themselves, with only a few peach-colored fish tails visible.

Since she happened to have a bunch of diamonds in her system inventory that were too embarrassing to show to anyone, Xu Milu went to the extravagant expense of having a dwarf craftsman carve out two diamond fish tanks.

The ivy, strawberry vines, and climbing plants that were previously grown in the store have been replaced with a modified version of the Bloodthirsty Rose.

Feeding the rooftop with large amounts of kitchen waste, the bloodthirsty rose vines, climbing on the roof, are covered with large green leaves, and bright red roses bloom among them, emitting a faint fragrance.

Xu Milu also plans to plant a giant desert cactus in the backyard, so that the restaurant will have an endless supply of cactus green drinks.

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