"Master Chen, please don't mind the title. In the SEIU, we call those who can manipulate spiritual energy and possess exceptional skills 'Masters' out of respect. Since you can channel spiritual energy, that makes you a master of a certain craft—worthy of honor."
Zhao Huoyan was older than Chen Shuanghe, yet at this moment, he treated her with marked deference. It almost made Chen Shuanghe break into a grin, making it hard to keep a straight face while trying to discuss serious matters like salary.
It wasn't until Song Miaozhu gave a light cough that she managed to regain composure. "If I join, can my mom and I still run our restaurant? Would it be like being a civil servant—no side business allowed?"
"The SEIU is very flexible. If you join and make spiritually-enhanced dishes, we'll try to purchase as much of it as we can for internal use. What we can't buy, you're free to sell to others."
Zhao Huoyan continued, "But once you join, if anyone in the SEIU wants to learn cooking, you're obligated to teach them. You'll also need to cooperate in spiritual energy research. Any findings related to cultivation or spiritual energy must be reported to us.
Of course, the SEIU will provide you with corresponding resources for cultivation, and everyday benefits. For example…"
What Chen Shuanghe had been most worried about was the idea that joining the Bureau would mean becoming a 9-to-5 office worker, living on the boss's schedule.
Now that worry could finally be set aside.
And the perks were genuinely attractive—so much so that her mother was practically nudging her with her eyes to just say yes already.
In the end, Chen Shuanghe agreed to join.
"That's wonderful! Welcome aboard!" Zhao Huoyan stood up and shook hands with both mother and daughter, even thanking Song Miaozhu for the introduction.
"Master Song, are you sure you won't—"
"Positive." She stood, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeves. "Now if you'll excuse me, my shop awaits."
She stood up to leave, but not before scanning the QR code by the counter and paying for her meal. And she wasn't just making excuses. Boss Wu and his crew were already en route with deliveries—she had to get back before they arrived.
Miaozhu twisted the throttle of her electric scooter to the max and managed to return to Huaihua Alley just ahead of them, quickly checking the surroundings.
It was already late. The alley, lit with old streetlights salvaged from elsewhere in town, had finally quieted down. She let out a sigh of relief and made a call. "Boss Wu! You can come in now!"
His truck was already parked at the end of the alley. Since the alley was too narrow for trucks, they always used handcarts to bring the goods in. But this time, Miaozhu noticed something different—there were more people.
Seven or eight sturdy young men pushed carts, trailing behind Boss Wu, who looked particularly shifty tonight—like he was sneaking around.
"What's with this lineup, boss? Sure, there's a lot of stock, but it's not like we needed this many guys."
"Why does it feel so suspicious? If we hadn't packed the goods ourselves, I'd think we were trafficking something shady!"
"Hey, Little Boss, do you know what's up?"
"No idea. My dad's being weird again."
…
The boys whispered among themselves, voices overlapping in a chaotic hum.
Boss Wu heard every word—especially his son's loudest one. His forehead twitched with anger, but in the end, he pretended he hadn't heard a thing.
Ever since learning Song Miaozhu was the real deal ("That 'Beauty Mystic' viral video? Yeah, that's her."), stepping into this alley made him feel watched. The chatter at least drowned out the creepiness.
But when they neared the Anshou Hall Paper Shop and saw a woman with long hair standing under the streetlight, Boss Wu nearly turned and ran.
"Boss Wu?" Song Miaozhu called out.
He steadied himself. "Oh! Miss Song, it's just you!"
Looking around, he stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Is this place... safe? I swear I keep feeling like someone's watching me."
"It's clean," Miaozhu replied. "You're imagining things. Don't spook yourself."
Boss Wu remained half-convinced. "Same place for the delivery?"
"Mm-hmm," Miaozhu nodded. "I've turned on all the lights. Want me to lead you up?"
"No need—" he took two steps toward the shop, then awkwardly turned back. "Actually… yes, please."
Song Miaozhu noticed his unease. While the others were still unloading at the alley entrance, she quietly told him:
"Ghosts are just dead people. Not scary. Oh, didn't you want to buy paper offerings earlier?"
She lowered her voice. "That Lingcheng case closed. The victim's family's about to buy up all my spirit coins. Once they're gone, good luck finding more."
Currently, crafting low-tier coins was harder for her than spirit-grade ones—and she sure as hell wouldn't sell the latter at discount prices.
Boss Wu swallowed hard. "V-victims? You mean… alive or…?"
"Dead. Living folks don't burn paper money." Miaozhu said matter-of-factly.
"What's special about yours?" Fear and curiosity battled in his voice.
"Mine?" She smirked. "Down there, these are worth ten times the generic stuff."
She even described how picky ghosts had become—how they now scoffed at printed paper cash.
Boss Wu thought of his deceased parents and wife. Had all the bundles he'd burned over the years been just worthless scraps?
He feared ghosts, sure—but not his own loved ones. "Then I'll buy some!"
Song Miaozhu smiled with satisfaction.
Fear and dependence—those were the keys to a stable business.
They climbed the stairs to the attic. Just three days ago, Boss Wu himself had delivered the goods—it had been packed full.
"Where the hell is this stock going?" He didn't dare dwell on it.
"Move it! Faster!" He barked at his crew, rushing to unload.
Then, carrying a bag of gold spirit ingots and a few golden lotus flowers, he left in a rush. He even forgot to settle the bill—Miaozhu had to transfer the money to his account herself via WeChat
Watching him flee, she realized something: she had to deal with the warehouse issue soon.
If things went on like this, a few more trips and Boss Wu might just have a nervous breakdown.
After watching the group vanish down the alley, Miaozhu turned and went back into the shop, climbed to the attic, and transferred all the newly delivered stock into the ghost store's storage realm.
These supplies would last at most three or four days over there—no risk of them going stale from excess yin energy.
With that done, she placed two small paper servants in the shop.
She had no idea when Douyin Video's trending heat would cool down. It was best to leave them here to monitor things.
She filled them with enough spiritual energy to last, gave them instructions to watch over the shop, and finally rode her e-bike back toward Xiaozhu Mountain.