Chapter 14

After that, Xue Jiali got carried away and kept frying skewers until Rao Ke had to call an emergency stop.

Seeing the pile of skewers on the table, Rao Ke told Xue Jiali to share them with the neighbors. Without a word, Xue Jiali wrapped them up and went off to spread some warmth to the nearby beastmen.

The sky gradually darkened, and stars began to speckle the black velvet of the night. At the center of Daylight Square, a huge bonfire had already been lit. Dressed in their best, the beastmen gathered with family and friends, savoring the festive atmosphere.

Various stalls surrounded the square, filling the air with a medley of enticing aromas.

The most popular was Rao Ke's skewer stall. Rao Ke handled the oden, grilled sausages, and drinks; Xue Jiali managed the skewers; Sesame Paste took charge of packing and collecting money; and Xue Qiu was in charge of being adorable.

"So delicious! How many more amazing things do you have?" Ke Enli held a skewer in one hand and an iced cola in the other, with oden and sausages packed away as well. His tail wagged contentedly.

Around him, many beastmen were eating to their hearts' content.

On the table beside Rao Ke was a pile of goods, all sent by the neighboring stall owners. Seeing how busy Rao Ke's stall was, they figured she had no time to visit other stalls, so they generously brought their offerings over.

Because everyone was so enthusiastic, Rao Ke's stock quickly ran out.

Rao Ke wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue and looked enviously at Xue Jiali, who hadn't broken a sweat.

Xue Jiali took a bite of the big white radish from the oden, squinting in satisfaction as the radish, soaked full of broth, came out tender and soft.

"It's just how my body is."

"By the way, what element mage are you?" Rao Ke asked curiously.

"Water and ice elements."

All the gifts from the neighboring stalls piled up to quite a lot. Both humans, the cat, and the dog ate until they were stuffed.

Xue Jiali savored his food contentedly, thinking about whether to pack some to send back to the Elf Forest.

Everything here was new to him, astonishing him, including the soft white tissue he used to wipe his hands.

"Come on, let's take a walk around," Rao Ke said, feeling full and deciding to stroll to aid digestion. Xue Jiali didn't say much, just stood up and walked by Rao Ke's side.

Although the food on the Kaqisha Continent was generally mediocre, some local specialties were worth trying.

"Here, this is giant python meat skewer. I specially marinated it with your marinade—it's really good!" Someone stuffed two skewers into Rao Ke's hands as she walked.

Rao Ke smiled her thanks, handing one to Xue Jiali, then sharing one with Sesame Paste and Xue Qiu.

Xue Jiali, with a distant expression, dutifully gnawed on the meat skewer, his arms laden with all the gifts the beastmen had given Rao Ke.

Rao Ke had underestimated her popularity in Daylight Town. No matter how much she refused, she couldn't fend off the enthusiastic beastmen.

In the end, she had to drag the overloaded Xue Jiali back to the RV.

Xue Jiali put everything inside.

"Sister Ke, come quick! The bonfire feast is about to start!" Jin and his friends dashed over to the RV, then shouted excitedly at Rao Ke.

Rao Ke smiled in response, then handed out some candy to the kids, watching cheerfully as they ran off.

"Are you going?" Rao Ke asked Xue Jiali's opinion. "It'll be lively, but maybe a bit rowdy."

Xue Jiali nodded.

Back in the Elf Forest, Xue Jiali rarely attended such lively gatherings, but this seemed like a good experience.

The two of them, along with the cat and the wolf, headed to the bonfire at the square's center, where the beastmen had formed a large circle.

By then, many musical and dance-inclined beastmen were already dancing gracefully in the middle, their movements accompanied by primitive instruments, creating a unique charm.

Rao Ke watched with great interest, and nearby beastmen called for them to join in.

But given her tone-deaf singing and clumsy dancing, Rao Ke politely declined with a smile.

Xue Jiali, facing the same situation, looked at the enthusiastic beastmen and could hardly bear to refuse, but silently declined as well.

In the end, Sesame Paste stepped up and joined the dancing, quite impressively at that.

Rao Ke took out her tablet to take photos and record the memorable moments.

"Ke." Rao Ke turned to see Rebecca and Duo Weituo appearing before her in elegant, casual outfits.

"Hi," Rao Ke greeted with a smile.

"You're leaving tomorrow? What a shame. I was hoping to invite you to dinner at our place," Rebecca said with a light smile, as refreshing as the first thaw of snow.

Rao Ke waved her hand. "No worries, we'll have plenty of chances later. It's pretty close anyway."

"True. I'll find another opportunity to invite you, then." With that, Rebecca bid farewell and left with Duo Weituo.

The final event of the Spring Grace Festival was everyone holding hands in a circle around the bonfire to celebrate.

Rao Ke had Peilin on her left and Xue Jiali on her right, with everyone else pairing up randomly.

The first thing Rao Ke noticed upon taking Xue Jiali's hand was how cold it was.

After the celebration, everyone packed up and headed home.

Rao Ke was drenched in sweat, her cheeks flushed from excitement.

"Come on, let's head back to the shop!"

Starting up the RV, Rao Ke finally finished the seven-day business stint in Daylight Town. This time, however, besides the original cat and wolf, she also had an extra elf.

They traveled back through the Adventure Forest to the Keke Shop, which they hadn't seen for a week, and found it completely transformed.

What used to be a shabby two-story wooden cabin had become a beautiful three-story shop in brownish-red and white, with large glass windows embedded in the exterior and a redwood sign at the front bearing the words "Keke Shop."

Next to the shop, a matching residence had been built, connected to the shop by a passage.

A yard had been fenced off around the two buildings with a white fence, and the protective barrier extended exactly to that fence. There was also a carport.

Rao Ke parked the RV in the carport and got out, admiring the drastically transformed shop.

As it was already late, Rao Ke decided not to inspect the updated shop details.

As for the residence, the ground floor had a living room and kitchen, the second floor had a laundry room and three rooms, the third floor also had a laundry room and three rooms, and above that was an open terrace.

Rao Ke's belongings had been placed by Sesame Paste in a corner room on the third floor.

She let Xue Jiali choose a room on the second floor, and he picked the corner room.

Each room was equipped with space stones, currently expanding to about 20 square meters, with potential for further expansion using more space stones.

Initially, each room only had a bed and a desk, but later they could be decorated according to the occupant's taste.

"These are some toiletries and daily necessities. Use them for now," Rao Ke said, grabbing some items from the shop system.

Xue Jiali took them. "Thanks."

"Get some rest. Good night!"

Rao Ke headed to her room with Xue Qiu and Sesame Paste. Since it was Rao Ke's room, Sesame Paste had expanded it to 25 square meters.

Looking at the bare room with just a bed and a desk, then at the floor cluttered with miscellaneous items, Rao Ke sighed.

"Oh well, I'll take tomorrow off to organize the room and reopen the day after," Rao Ke decided with a hint of guilt and relief.

After working half the day and playing all evening, Rao Ke just wanted to shower, lie in bed playing on her phone, and finally sleep in.

Xue Qiu and Sesame Paste were too dirty, so Rao Ke brought out their small beds and let them rest there.

Rao Ke then washed herself thoroughly from head to toe and stepped out feeling refreshed.

After drying her hair, Rao Ke leaned against the bed with her tablet to catch up on shows. Sesame Paste lay on his little bed playing games, while Xue Qiu snuggled close, watching with sparkling eyes.

In the other room, Xue Jiali looked at the empty room and with a wave of his hand, items appeared from his spatial storage, floating in the air.

With another wave, everything seemed to have a mind of its own, flying to its proper place.

In an instant, a verdant, vibrant room materialized, filled with a variety of plants on the floor and the terrace.

Seeing the familiar layout of the room lifted Xue Jiali's spirits. He walked over and sat down at the desk.

After some thought, he sent a message about the day's events to the Fourth Elder. After a while, receiving no reply, he didn't dwell on it.

Instead, he began tending to the plants in his room.

All was well through the night.

The next morning, customers who had arrived early at the Keke Shop, intending to make purchases, were astonished by the drastically different store.

But before they could marvel, they noticed the wooden sign had changed.

"Room renovation. Closed for one day. Please come back tomorrow!"

A wave of disappointment washed over them; customers who hadn't tasted the shop's goods in a long time stared longingly at the closed doors, but no one came out.

Reluctantly, they left.

Wave after wave of customers arrived, but all left empty-handed.

The shopkeeper they so eagerly awaited was hard at work decorating her rooms.

To make her room perfect, Rao Ke had gotten up early to buy a slew of new furniture and decorations from the shop system.

And unpacking and positioning the large furniture practically drained all her energy.

"It would be so much easier if you could use magic at times like this."

"I wish. But those magic books might as well be hieroglyphics to me. Without anyone to explain, I can't make heads or tails of them," Rao Ke said helplessly.