Chapter 4: A newly renovated small restaurant ready for business

Before the opening, Ye Wan still had a lot of things to buy. Some of the things were not available in the market or the shopping street, so Dorothy recommended a second-hand shop to her. Ye Wan took a red double-decker bus and changed buses three times before she found the place. It was a huge warehouse made of red bricks.

The large warehouse was filled with shelves that truly had everything. It was divided into home furnishings, clothing, and even weapons areas. Ye Wan bought a few floral tablecloths and a box of glasses. She even saw a few pairs of jeans that weren't quite the right size hanging in the clothing area. The salesperson said they were imitations of clothes worn by adventurers from another world, and were said to be more convenient for movement than long skirts, so many working people would buy them.

Most women in this world wear tight-fitting waisted tops with loose long skirts and leather boots, decorated with a lot of lace, embroidery and jewelry. They look very beautiful and charming, but they are too inconvenient to wear, especially for people like Ye Wan who have to work.

Therefore, Ye Wan specially selected two pairs of jeans, two plaid shirts, and two pairs of comfortable sneakers.

She also found a second-hand lantern in the home furnishing area and hung it under the eaves. When dusk fell, the lantern would emit a soft warm light.

This lantern is beautiful and can also help diners identify the location of the restaurant.

After doing all this, Ye Wan also had to clean the restaurant inside and out. The ivy covering the outer wall was really difficult to clean, so she paid someone to clean it. She also had to re-tiled the leaky ceiling and replaced the scratched glass with new ones.

The other furniture in the living room on the second floor was acceptable, but the creaking wire bed was truly unacceptable, so Ye Wan threw it away and replaced it with a wooden bed. Although it was also second-hand, the four pieces of furniture on it were new. After the quilt had been exposed to the sun for a day, Ye Wan felt particularly warm and comfortable when he lay down on it.

Thanks to Ye Wan's efforts, this tavern, which had been gnawed by wind, rain and ivy for years, finally shed its vicissitudes. The newly laid tiles were sturdy and would no longer leak, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves were bright.

The mottled areas of the exterior wall were re-plastered, the two windows facing the street were re-glassed, and Ye Wan replaced the main door of the tavern with a double-leaf oak door. The sign on the lintel was repainted, making it more eye-catching.

Ye Wan had scattered some flower seeds given by neighbors in the wooden flower boxes on both sides. As long as he sprinkled some water with a watering can every day, beautiful flowers would surely bloom.

The exterior was almost done, and all that was left was the interior. Ye Wan put on an apron, picked up the broom again, and began to sweep the dust off the floor.

The little guinea pig Pancake also put on a piece of floral rag as an apron. It stood excitedly on Ye Wan's shoulder, and seemed ready to do something big.

It was early in the morning when the door was suddenly pushed open and the bell hanging on the door handle rang "Ding Dong".

Emma had a ponytail today and was wearing a pink plaid skirt. She came in and greeted Ye Wan enthusiastically: "Good day, I heard your restaurant is about to open. I came to see if there is anything I can help you with."

Ye Wan expressed her welcome to Emma with tears in her eyes. She had been busy alone for several days and suffered a lot. When she climbed to the roof to check the eaves, the ladder was blown away by a strong wind.

Fortunately, Pancake ran next door to find Dorothy, otherwise she didn't know how long she would have to stay on the roof.

With the help of Emma and Pancake, Ye Wan spent a whole day and finally made this originally dirty little restaurant look brand new.

The glass was polished to a crystal clear shine, and sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting golden spots on the oak tables and chairs.

The faded and stained carpet on the floor had been cleaned and beaten, and its color had regained its brightness, revealing a beautiful and intricate cross hunting pattern. The bar counter had been waxed and could even reflect the light of the chandelier. The foul smell of dust in the air had disappeared, replaced by the fragrance of a large pot of foxtail lilies on the table, which was a grand opening gift from Dorothy, the owner of the candy store next door.

Emma sat on a chair and shared a large bag of orange marshmallows with Muffin. The candy had a strong orange aroma, was sweet and sour, and a little chewy. Most importantly, it had a little burst of juice in the middle when you bit it, and it tasted like you were in an orange orchard in autumn.

Ye Wan came out with a bucket, pulled a stool and sat down, and started eating candy: "Now we can open for business soon."

The ingredients and seasonings in the kitchen were already prepared. Everything was ready, except for the guests. Ye Wan thought for a moment and asked, "What happened to that witch yesterday?"

Emma said, "She's not a witch at all. She doesn't have any magical powers. The guards finally asked her to return all the money she'd scammed, but last night she was furious and ranting about how the wands provided by the black market were inaccurate. They were supposed to emit mist, but how did it become a rose?"

Ye Wan thought about the beautiful red roses between his staffs and began to smile.

The sun is shining brightly today, the room is clean and bright, and there is a pleasant fragrance of flowers in the air. Ye Wan feels that everything is beautiful and life is full of hope.

Although Ye Wan had almost no money left in the safe after a few days of shopping, she was confident that she could make it back by making some purchases.

"Life is easy." Ye Wan also ate a candy and said confidently.

Until a gray-brown owl circled in the air for a long time, then landed at the window of the restaurant and flapped its wings vigorously to remind the two people sitting and chatting.

"It's an owl. How can there be an owl in the daytime?" Ye Wan was surprised. She blinked at the owl, and the owl also blinked at her.

Emma remained calm. She said knowingly, "It looks like a messenger has arrived. However, few people use owls to deliver messages these days. Only the various departments of the royal court still adhere to tradition and use owls to deliver messages."

"I don't know anyone here, why would an owl send a letter to me?" Ye Wan was very confused and could only walk towards the owl first.

Ye Wan was most afraid of things with pointed beaks. He was afraid that the owl would peck him with its sharp beak, so he had to stay away from it. He stretched out his arm tremblingly to untie the letter tied to the owl's leg.

The owl stretched its legs for a long time and hooted impatiently a few times, which scared Ye Wan.

Finally, she struggled to pull a piece of parchment from under the owl's claws. On it was written in beautiful cursive:

Dear Ms. Ye Wan:

After verification, the Old Oak Tavern (address: 18 Honey Lane, Block C, Cartmel, Royal City) under your name has the following violations:

1. Failure to pay property management fees for 22 years (including fines totaling 500 silver coins):

Including but not limited to the dumping of kitchen waste, Honey Lane's shared cleaning fees, Honey Lane's shared gas lamp burning fees, etc.

2. Penalty for Illegal Employment of Non-Human Employees (including a fine of 100 silver dollars):

Including but not limited to rusty robots in the dungeon, a group of lively goblins and mermaids stowed away from the Sea of ​​Mist. (If you are a non-human employee and are still employed, please remember to register with the union and make up your social security payments.)

3. Penalty for illegal road occupation (including a fine of 100 silver dollars):

The Old Oak Tavern once secretly planted a 420.5-meter-high devil's ivy and built a hanging garden on the vine to entertain diners, causing several skytrains to be blocked in succession.

The total amount payable, including principal and interest, is: 1,000 monthly silver coins (Note: If a citizen requests payment in Gold Coins or Star Copper Coins, the exchange rate will be used for the payment).

Payment method: Go to the United Bank of the Kingdom of Oceana and the City of Cooperation and deposit the fine into the official account of the Royal Capital Commercial Real Estate Management Office

Payment deadline: 180 working days

Please see the attachment for the channels for appeal and measures for failure to pay within the deadline.

Yours faithfully: Wangdu Commercial Real Estate Management Office

The parchment had a lot of content on it and looked like a supermarket receipt. Ye Wan opened his mouth wide and read from top to bottom.

"My dear mother, how many strange things have you done in this strange country?" Ye Wan thought.

Emma took the letter from her hand and laughed after reading it. "Oh my god, this is so interesting. Building a hanging garden on the devil's vine? Why didn't I think of such a great idea?"

After she finished praising him, Emma's expression returned to seriousness. "But if you really pay the fine overdue, there seems to be a penalty. I remember that the penalty is quite severe."

Ye Wan's voice was filled with longing: "Will they send me back to where I came from? If so, then I won't pay it."

"No, no, no." Emma seemed to understand this very well. Her father was the largest supplier of magic brooms for traveling in the capital.

"It's not that serious. Let me think about it. I remember one time, my father also forgot to pay a ticket..."

Ye Wan asked nervously, "What kind of punishment did he face?"

Jail? Parade through the streets?

Ye Wan had already imagined herself being locked in a magnificent golden cage carved with grapevines and roses, being paraded through the streets by two white horses, with countless rotten eggs and cabbage leaves flying in the air and then falling on her.

Then Emma, ​​Dorothy and the others would stand on the street and look at her sympathetically, as if she were a monkey in a zoo.

Ye Wan imagined it over again and felt her nose sore. She felt so pitiful.

Emma paid no attention to Ye Wan's ridiculous fantasy. Instead, she thought carefully about it and said, "Now I remember, they sent a large group of goblins with all kinds of instruments to sing 'The Unpaid Fine Song' in front of our store... Holy Mary, I was so embarrassed. My father went to the bank to pay the fine right away. That song was so terrible, I definitely don't want to hear it again."

Ye Wan: “…”

There are such strange punishments in the world, but overall, it is much better than being locked in a cage and paraded through the streets.

The business hasn't even opened yet and already they owe 1,000 silver coins. How can this not be considered a disastrous start?

However, Ye Wan is confident that he can run the restaurant well and sincerely help diners solve their problems as Ye Yu said in the letter.

One day, she will be able to return to her own world again.

Ye Wan thought so.