Chapter 38: Redemption Leaf Pastry

Midnight.

Neighborhood near Shanhai Street.

Tai Sui strolled into a resentment barrier created by a vengeful ghost as if taking a leisurely walk.

To be precise, it was a low-quality barrier.

At the time, to avoid scaring the two male college students, Tai Sui had suppressed the demonic and malevolent aura on his body. This low-IQ vengeful ghost mistook him for an ordinary youth who had accidentally wandered into the barrier.

An icy palm rested on Tai Sui’s shoulder. The vengeful ghost leaned close behind him and asked in a ghostly voice, “It’s so late, why are you walking alone at night?”

Having just let two prey escape, the vengeful ghost was very annoyed. The hand gripping Tai Sui’s shoulder couldn’t help but exert a bit of force. In his experience, being tapped on the shoulder by a ghost late at night would definitely terrify this handsome guy…

“Didn’t you notice?” Tai Sui had just fallen asleep not long ago before waking up to deal with this troublesome matter. His tone was languid. But those familiar with him knew he was a bit grumpy when woken up.

In the past, his prey would either be terrified or wouldn’t dare to answer back. This was the first time the vengeful ghost had encountered someone who dared to question him. He was stunned for a long time before asking, “Notice what?”

“There’s no soul fire on my shoulder.” Tai Sui said, turning his head with a slight smirk on his lips. “Are you new here? Don’t you know whose territory this block is?”

Meeting Tai Sui’s eyes without any warning, the vengeful ghost was suppressed by the surging dark red within them and shivered.

Soon, the vengeful ghost regained his composure. “Are you a zombie? I’ve been a ghost here for several years, and I just slept for two years. How did this block become your territory?”

Tai Sui turned around and leaned closer to the vengeful ghost. “Not a zombie, I’m Tai Sui.”

“You’re… Tai… Tai Sui!!” The vengeful ghost was so scared that his head fell off, his skull rolling to Tai Sui’s feet and being stepped on.

The vengeful ghost dared not resist, and his headless body froze in place.

Tai Sui pressed down with his foot, his tone nonchalant. “Slept for two years, huh? Are you awake now?”

“Awake, awake!” The vengeful ghost wanted to cry but had no tears.

Tai Sui: “Disturbing people late at night, almost waking up my little brother. How do you plan to settle this account?”

The vengeful ghost guessed that the earlier commotion had attracted this lord and might even be the one who saved those two young people. He quickly apologized, “I know I was wrong! I’ll go to the City God Temple to confess right away! I won’t do it again!”

Staying in this block was worse than going to hell!

Tai Sui scoffed. “Why would I give you such a reward?”

Vengeful Ghost: I just slept for two years; has the world changed this much? Going to hell has become a reward, sob sob sob.

The vengeful spirit surrendered any hope. “What must I do for you to forgive me?”

Tai Sui actually thought about it. “The new dormitory needs planting vegetables and flowers recently. You come back with me to work, and then sweep Shanhai Street for twenty years. When I’m in a good mood, I’ll send you to hell.”

Vengeful Ghost: Wow, you’re actually quite nice!

Tai Sui put the vengeful ghost’s head back on his neck, patted his shoulder, and said in the lightest tone the most terrifying words for a ghost, “Behave yourself when you’re doing community service. Don’t think about secretly harming people. Otherwise, I’ll let you know that even going to hell will be a luxury.”

The vengeful ghost wept inwardly: I already know.

Tai Sui placed a restriction on him and threw him into the courtyard of the new dormitory. “Before tomorrow, turn over all the soil here. No noise allowed.”

After Tai Sui left, the vengeful ghost was overwhelmed with a desire to cry his heart out, but he dared not. The resentment barrier he used to trap and scare people was now used for soundproofing. He picked up a hoe and began to turn the soil diligently and fearfully.

He was saved, but why does being a ghost still involve farming?

---

Early morning.

Yun Tao heard that a ghost volunteer had come to the shop and was very happy. He gulped down the rest of his milk and asked eagerly, “What year is this ghost from? Can he use a computer?”

Tai Sui: “Looks quite young. Said he’s been a ghost for several years, so he should know how to use one.”

Yun Tao immediately asked Tai Sui to take the shop’s laptop and go to the new dormitory to find the ghost volunteer.

The vengeful ghost had been turning soil all night, looking haggard and weak as he dozed off in a corner, when he was suddenly awakened.

Opening his eyes, he saw a delicate and adorable little boy.

“What’s your name?” the little boy asked in a childish voice.

Vengeful Ghost: “Liu Qing.”

“Little Liu, there’s an important task for you now.” Yun Tao looked at Tai Sui. “Brother, give the computer to Little Liu.”

With a wave of Tai Sui’s hand, the laptop floated in front of Liu Qing.

Liu Qing didn’t dare to meet Tai Sui’s gaze and shrank further into the shadows. He didn’t ask any questions; instead, he muttered to himself, ‘This little boy is Tai Sui’s younger brother, or another one of Tai Sui’s incarnations? It doesn’t look like it at all; he looks so harmless and cute.”

Much kinder than his brother.

Yun Tao opened the laptop and skillfully logged into the online shop’s webpage. “Little Liu, from now on, you’ll be our online shop’s customer service representative. Today, I’ll teach you some basic tasks, and later, you’ll have to handle things on your own!”

Liu Qing: “Huh?”

Saved my life, but being a ghost still means doing customer service?

Tai Sui raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Liu Qing replied instantly, “No!”

Yun Tao was delighted and opened the Azure Bird window page. “Logistics are handled here, and orders from the underworld are also processed here.”

Liu Qing: !!

Saved my life, they even have business dealings with the underworld. I can’t afford to offend them!

Liu Qing no longer dared to shrink into the shadows and straightened his back. “Yes, boss.”

Yun Tao patted his arm with his little hand, his eyes crinkling. “I believe you can handle this job. If you perform well, you might even get lenient treatment.”

Liu Qing was moved, genuinely feeling that Yun Tao was both cute and clever, a completely different person from Tai Sui.

He asked boldly, “Boss, you’re not a living person either, are you? Are you also an incarnation of Tai Sui?”

Yun Tao shook his head, his little ahoge swaying. “Nope.”

Liu Qing’s heart leaped with joy. “Then what is your true form?”

It must be an adorable little monster!

Yun Tao smiled, revealing his little tiger teeth. “I’m a Taotie. Little Liu, being a vengeful ghost doesn’t have much of a future. I ate seven evil ghosts with several hundred years of cultivation not long ago.”

Liu Qing: …

Liu Qing was so frightened that his three souls and seven spirits scattered. It was Tai Sui who retrieved them one by one and pieced them back together.

Liu Qing: When you come out to be a ghost, you eventually have to pay it back.

He used to scare people, but now he was the one being scared.

Although he was terrified, this wasn’t considered a work injury. Liu Qing was assigned an office and began to familiarize himself with the work diligently. Fortunately, he had some experience in this field before he died, so he picked it up quickly.

---

After the breakfast rush ended, two guests came to Taotie Delicacies.

Lu Xingzhu and He Baichuan stood foolishly at the door, holding flowers and carrying two large bags of snacks and toys.

Lu Xingzhu was a bit intimidated by Tai Sui and handed the bouquet to Yun Fenghe. After returning the previous night, he had frantically researched Taotie Delicacies and knew their names, calling out, “Brother Yun.”

“You might even be younger than us, but you saved us, so you’re our big brother!” Lu Xingzhu hadn’t slept well all night, and his voice was hoarse. “Actually, today is my birthday. If we hadn’t met you last night, I would have been in a lot of trouble.”

He Baichuan nodded repeatedly. “Brother Sui was amazing, he just casually wiped away the ghost handprint on Ah Xing.”

“The flowers are beautiful, thank you for your thoughtfulness.” Yun Fenghe said with a smile. “Let us give you a birthday cake.”

Lu Xingzhu quickly said, “No need, we were planning to buy a Worry-Free Cake anyway.”

“Right, we’re meeting friends to celebrate and were hoping to buy a bigger cake.” He Baichuan held up the snack bag. “These are snacks and toys for Taotao. Where should we put them?”

Yun Fenghe said, “You’re too kind. Keep the snacks for your party.”

“We’ve already bought snacks for the party!” He Baichuan insisted, so Yun Fenghe had no choice but to let him put them on the dining table.

They specifically bought toys for me… Yun Tao thought for a moment. “Big brothers, the ghost who scared you yesterday was brought back by Brother Sui. Should we have him apologize to you?”

Lu Xingzhu and He Baichuan were greatly startled and waved their hands frantically.

“No need, no need!”

“Little brother, we don’t stand on ceremony!”

Yun Tao blinked. “Alright then.”

Lu Xingzhu and He Baichuan went to the bakery to buy a cake. As they passed by the Migugu tree, they stopped simultaneously and looked up at the canopy.

The emerald green leaves swayed gently, letting in dappled golden light. The Migugu tree looked like a paper mulberry tree. If you ignored the patterns on its trunk, it didn’t seem particularly special.

But they knew clearly in their hearts that this tree was the lighthouse that had saved them the night before.

Lu Xingzhu whispered, “Thank you. Can I hug you?”

A leaf fell on his head, like a large hand gently stroking it.

Lu Xingzhu was pleasantly surprised and gently hugged the Migugu tree.

After they left, Yun Tao sat at the bar counter, propping his chin up with one hand. “Many people probably need the Migugu tree’s ability, right?”

Hai Xi nodded. “Yes, I know many human friends with a bad sense of direction. They often complain about navigation apps. In some cities with complex terrain, even experienced drivers can get stuck on elevated roads for two hours and not be able to get off.”

However, dolphins didn’t have this problem. They possessed a sonar system, allowing them to locate objects through echolocation, and thus became experts in underwater navigation.

Yun Tao seemed thoughtful and went into the Shanhai Mall to browse, buying some newly unlocked edible Migugu leaf powder.

“Sister Xi, Sister Feifei, let’s make some Migugu pastries,” Yun Tao paused. “To save the directionally challenged!”

Feifei: “Sure, the shape of the Migugu leaves is very pretty. How about making leaf-shaped shortbread?”

“Sounds good.” Yun Tao took out a bag of leaf powder. “Let’s add this in.”

Hai Xi: “This color is very beautiful. To maintain consistency, we can use mung bean and osmanthus fillings.”

Dolphins didn’t have a sense of smell and didn’t need to drink water, but they had a highly developed brain. Making desserts was one of the hobbies she had developed in her long life. After joining the team, Hai Xi learned all the desserts and drinks in the bakery in a very short time. She never drank the beverages here, instead relying entirely on her memory to recall all the procedures.

Feifei, on the other hand, was naturally talented. The work assigned to her was always done correctly.

They combined their strengths and spent a morning making Migugu leaf shortbread.

The shortbread cookies were neatly arranged on wooden trays, perfectly replicating the elegant shape of Migugu leaves. The color was a beautiful, fresh green, and they emitted an enticing aroma.

Yun Tao praised, “So beautiful! You two are amazing!”

Feifei and Hai Xi both smiled. Being praised by the little treasure every day, how could their work enthusiasm not be high?

Yun Tao called everyone over for a taste test, including the volunteer Liu Qing.

The sun was too intense at this time, so Liu Qing could only quietly hide under Lin Jiuyuan’s oiled paper umbrella, hitching a ride.

Liu Qing could tell that this person was a truly ordinary living human and couldn’t see him at all.

Liu Qing let out a confident stream of muttered thoughts, “In this terrifying restaurant, only this ordinary handsome guy brings me a sliver of safety. Thank you, ordinary handsome guy.”

The ordinary handsome guy, Lin Jiuyuan, had taken leave these past two days to rush his comic update. Last night, he was up late again drawing, and to make matters worse, this installment wasn’t going smoothly, with worrying progress. He was so sleepy that he kept yawning, not wanting to bother with this new ghost colleague at all.

Reaching the bakery, he casually tossed his oiled paper umbrella into the umbrella stand. He raised his hand, made a grasping motion in the air, and a freshly baked leaf pastry instantly left the tray and landed in his palm.

Liu Qing came out from under the oiled paper umbrella and saw this scene perfectly. He almost lost his head again in fright.

This guy wasn’t ordinary either! So, he had heard all his muttered thoughts just now!

Saved my life, but being a ghost still means social awkwardness.

Lin Jiuyuan used one hand to prop up his chin and catch the flaky crust, biting off half of the leaf pastry in one go. His eyes, hazy from staying up all night, lit up. He mumbled, “So delicious.”

The one he randomly picked had osmanthus filling, which was particularly fragrant.

After finishing the rest of the pastry in two bites, Lin Jiuyuan poured himself a cup of shatang fruit tea. He took a sip and suddenly paused.

Yun Tao brushed the crumbs off his hands. “Xiao Lin, what’s wrong?”

“I suddenly know why this installment wasn’t going smoothly. It turns out there was a particularly inconspicuous but very impactful bug in my plot,” Lin Jiuyuan said in surprise, picking up another leaf pastry. “Little boss, what kind of pastry is this again?”

Yun Tao chuckled. “This is called Redemption Leaf Pastry. It’s made with fresh Migugu leaf powder to keep your life from getting lost.”

Lin Jiuyuan exclaimed, “Amazing! If it hadn’t reminded me, I would have definitely finished drawing this installment in agony, only to overturn and redraw it painfully.”

“Wuwuwuwuwu…” A miserable crying sound suddenly echoed in the glass room.

Everyone turned their heads. It turned out that Liu Qing had quietly eaten a leaf pastry and was now holding his head and wailing.

Yun Tao: “Little Liu, why are you crying? Is the sunlight in the glass room too strong?”

But they had already drawn half the curtains.

Liu Qing shook his head, his face covered in tears. “I just suddenly realized how many wrong things I did before. If I had reported to the underworld immediately after my accidental death instead of becoming a resentful ghost and harming people, I would probably have been reborn by now, right?”

“Those two young people yesterday had no grudges against me, yet I wanted to harm them and steal their yang energy. I deserve to die!”

Yun Tao: “You’re already dead.”

Liu Qing choked.

“Even resentful ghosts shed tears after eating it. It looks like it works well; we can put it on the shelves.” Feifei looked at Yun Tao. “What do you think, little boss?”

“I think so too!”

Hai Xi picked up a leaf pastry. She couldn’t smell the fragrance and didn’t particularly like this kind of food, but a certain lop-eared rabbit should love it. She couldn’t help but wonder, when the lop-eared rabbit came to work and ate this leaf pastry, would he find his way back from the path he had lost?

---

Hu Xuewei, Old Hu’s daughter, had become fond of Taotie Delicacies due to her enthusiastic live-streaming and couldn’t forget the delicious food she had introduced in the streams. She suggested that her family have a gathering at Taotie Delicacies.

Old Hu initially disagreed, but after going fishing with Zhang Manzhu once, he not only changed his mind but also became a staunch fan of Taotie Delicacies.

After their family meal at Taotie Delicacies, Old Hu secretly downloaded a certain red app, followed Taotie Delicacies, and proudly became Yun Tao’s Nth wild grandpa fan.

So, when Taotie Delicacies released the ‘Redemption Leaf Pastry,’ Old Hu was the first to notice and quickly asked his assistant to queue up at the shop to buy it.

The assistant returned with three small boxes of pastries and reported, “General Hu, there’s a purchase limit, I could only buy this much, six in total.”

Old Hu knew Taotie Delicacies’ rules and said happily, “It’s good enough that we could buy some!”

Hu Xuewei was going hiking with friends tomorrow. Old Hu kept a box for himself and gave the rest to Hu Xuewei.

Hu Xuewei was very happy. She opened the packaging box and put all the individually wrapped small pastries into her backpack. Only a few, not heavy at all.

Early the next morning, Hu Xuewei and her friends drove to Minghai City for a hiking trip. Today, they were going to challenge Minghai’s highest peak. They planned to take a small path that could offer views of a “skyline” and a waterfall.

Hu Xuewei thought this trip would be just like any other ordinary outing.

She focused on climbing the peak. When she stopped, she realized she had gotten separated from her friends and was lost.

Ahead lay endless mountain peaks, and below was a winding path that disappeared into the forest. There was no one around. Looking around, she saw many graves on the mountainside.

Hu Xuewei’s physical strength was somewhat depleted at this point, and she felt a bit panicked.

She took out her phone and saw that there was no signal here.

She couldn’t make any calls either.

Continuing to climb might not lead to her original destination. Hu Xuewei decided to go back down the same way she came.

After walking down for a few minutes, a fork in the road appeared before her, and she was dumbfounded.

Which path had she taken originally?

Hu Xuewei didn’t dare to wander aimlessly. She was very hungry and took out something to eat from her backpack, planning in her mind that she might as well stay put and wait for rescue.

Hu Xuewei was lost in thought and didn’t notice what she had grabbed to eat until a special sweet aroma pulled her back to her senses. She realized she was eating the leaf pastry her dad had bought.

The crust was very crispy and thin, melting in her mouth. The filling inside was soft and glutinous with a sandy texture. The fresh mung bean flavor calmed her feverish mind.

Hu Xuewei ate one piece and then another, then drank half a bottle of water in succession.

Putting the food bag back into her backpack pocket, she had calmed down.

Just as she was about to find a place to rest, she suddenly remembered which path she had taken and knew exactly how to return to the correct route.

Hu Xuewei excitedly picked up her hiking stick and continued on her way without resting!

Her vision suddenly became much clearer and broader. It wasn’t long before she returned to the main road, and her phone had regained a signal.

She called her friends and found out that they weren’t far away at all!

When they reunited, her friends were extremely anxious.

“You disappeared as soon as we turned our heads, so scary!”

“We couldn’t get through on the phone either. We searched for you for a long time and couldn’t find you. We were about to call the police if it got any later!”

Hu Xuewei was also still shaken. She took out a pack of pastries from her bag and recounted her recent experience. “I came out after eating this. Isn’t it amazing?”

Her friend: “That’s pretty amazing, but you should still stick close to us. If we lose you, Uncle Hu will definitely scold me to death.”

Sounded like they didn’t quite believe her.

Hu Xuewei didn’t explain further, but she knew in her heart that the leaf pastry had led her out. This was because, at that moment, she clearly remembered all the routes of this mountain.

After the little episode, they successfully reached the summit and didn’t miss the magnificent sunset.

On the way down the mountain, her friend almost took the wrong path, but Hu Xuewei guided them back to the right way.

Her friend was exhausted. “Now I believe that pastry really can enhance memory! You actually remembered the way!”

Hu Xuewei corrected, “It doesn’t enhance memory, it helps you return from a lost path.”

It was already late when they returned home. Old Hu had just come back from work.

Hu Xuewei told him about today’s events. “Dad, thanks to your brilliance in preparing the leaf pastries for me! Otherwise, I would have had to wait for you to come rescue me.”

Old Hu was surprised. “Oh dear, this leaf pastry saved me today too!”

Hu Xuewei raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

Old Hu explained in detail that his company had recently launched a new series of products and was planning to find a major internet celebrity for promotion.

Today, while eating the leaf pastry and reviewing the reports, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. He asked his assistant to investigate further and discovered that this major internet celebrity had ill intentions and a history of scandals. They had been recommended to him through connections.

Old Hu: “This bite of leaf pastry really helped a lot.”

Besides the Hu family father and daughter, other customers who bought the leaf pastry also gave rave reviews.

Taotie Delicacies has gained another ‘Returning from a Lost Path’ story section.

[After eating the leaf pastry in the afternoon, I was about to send the proposal to my boss. Before clicking send, I suddenly had a strong urge to double-check it. Then I discovered that I had mismarked a data point. This data could have led to my unemployment, scared me into a cold sweat.]

[Upstairs, you’re my savior! I almost made a big mistake, thankfully, I corrected it in time.]

[After failing the postgraduate entrance exam, I was depressed for a long time, staying up late every day and doing nothing. Suddenly, I woke up and realized I couldn’t continue like this.]

[I never realized my boss was gaslighting me, always being led by her rhetoric. Today I saw through everything and am preparing to jump ship to another company with better benefits.]

[My friend and I are both terrible with directions. Today, we brought the leaf pastries to Huicheng for travel and didn’t get lost even once! The experience was excellent!]

Even Lu Xingzhu and He Baichuan “returned from their lost path,” no longer spending all night in internet cafes playing games. They gamed in moderation and even signed up as museum volunteers.

---

[Now settling your Level 6 mission rewards!]

[Mission completed, rewards have been distributed!]

[Leveled up to Level 7 (0/1400 Shanhai Value), unlocked Shanhai Resource: Shanhai Beef!]

[Shanhai Ingredient: Shanhai Beef

Origin: Guantishan Farm

Level: SR

Efficacy: Nourishing

Price: 2 Shanhai Coins/0.5 kg]

[Unlocked Building 14 Hot Pot Restaurant on Shanhai Street]

Building 14 was the one next door to Taotie Delicacies. It had been unoccupied and was quite spacious. There was indeed an old hot pot restaurant sign hanging at the entrance, but as expected, there was hardly any usable equipment inside.

The Level 7 mission was definitely related to the hot pot restaurant. Yun Tao currently had three Shanhai Coupons, but he lacked everything else.

“Let’s draw for resources first.” Yun Tao said. As soon as he finished speaking, he accidentally clicked the wrong card pool and entered the special one.

Yun Tao: “…You’re so not smart.”

An SSR card popped out.

This time, it was the system’s turn to say “…”

This works too?

[Shanhai Special Card: Spirit Spring

Level: SSR

Characteristics: Inexhaustible, can simulate different underwater environments, soaking in it can increase spiritual power.]

[Please select the placement location for the Spirit Spring]

Without even thinking, Yun Tao placed the Spirit Spring in the courtyard of the new dormitory. There was a broken pond there that he didn’t have the means to repair yet.

“Simulate a marine environment, Sister Hai Xi should like that.” Yun Tao fantasized, “With our conditions, we might even attract dragon clan employees.”

[Your wishes will all come true.]

Yun Tao chuckled. “Draw for resources!”

This time, he didn’t click the wrong card pool. Yun Tao drew an SR-level kitchen upgrade card, which was exactly what he needed.

The last Shanhai Coupon was used on the employee card pool, but unfortunately, nothing good came out. Yun Tao wasn’t sad though, this time’s harvest was quite significant.

After the system no longer had to moonlight as customer service, its functions were quite smooth, and it readily refreshed the new mission.

[Level 7 Mission: Open the hot pot restaurant and launch Shanhai Beef as the signature dish, achieving an 80% table turnover rate within one week.

Reward: 700 Shanhai Value, 700 Shanhai Coins, 1 Shanhai Coupon

Penalty: Volunteer work in a random plane for 48 hours.]

The penalty had increased, but it had no impact.

Yun Tao was more concerned. “The reward is 700 Shanhai Value, so there are only two missions this time?”

[Yes.]

Yun Tao: “Use the kitchen upgrade card to upgrade the hot pot restaurant’s kitchen.”

[Received, the hot pot restaurant kitchen is under renovation.]

It wasn’t early anymore, and Yun Tao was too lazy to go over and take a look. He directly included the hot pot restaurant in the scope of the cleaning system.

The next day, Yun Tao went to inspect the hot pot restaurant after breakfast.

The cleaned hot pot restaurant didn’t look as shabby, but it was still a bit rundown. The tables and chairs were unusable and had to be replaced entirely.

The upgraded kitchen looked the most pleasing. It was clearly designed according to the needs of a hot pot restaurant, and the basic equipment was complete.

Yun Tao opened the Shanhai Mall and ordered two hot pot restaurant-specific dining tables, as well as some tableware.

The system suddenly had a bad premonition. [Host, why did you only buy two dining tables?]

Yun Tao said matter-of-factly, “I don’t have money. The mission only specifies the table turnover rate, not the number of tables.”

Only open two tables a day, guaranteeing a 100% table turnover rate!

The system choked.