Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

At this moment, Boss Li, the shopkeeper, was sitting in a carriage, happily greeting people on the road.

"Old Wang, just got back from business? Your wife has been asking about you for a while. I'm leaving Soto City, the address is xxx, your wife specifically asked me to tell you."

"Old Liu, my shop has been sold, finally found a buyer."

"Zhao Ma, yes, I'm quitting. No more having to guard that run-down shop."

Thus, Li's cheerful conversations let all of his old neighbors know that his troublesome shop had been sold, and the news spread through the streets, mainly via the local aunties.

On the other side, Shen An was focused on his system panel, watching as his fame points continued to change.

Fame Points [1981] (Good things don't spread far, but bad things travel fast. No matter what, your fame has spread. Please keep up the good work, host.)

Shen An furrowed his brows. Was the shop a scam?

The location wasn't bad, and although the décor was outdated, he could always redecorate. So, where was the problem?

As he watched his fame points keep ticking up, Shen An felt like he was getting a headache.

Forget it, he decided, the problem would reveal itself in due time. For now, he'd wait until the fame points hit 10,000 before checking what the "guaranteed" reward was.

Shen An took out the trash that Tom had cleaned up and started preparing for daily life and the shop's opening.

Originally, Shen An planned to go with just Tom, but Zhu Zhuqing didn't want to stay alone at the shop, so she joined them.

Shen An went to a furniture store and bought tables and chairs, three big quilts, bedding, and even bought a pink one.

Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but twitch her lips, silently praying, "Please, don't be so childish, and please don't let it be for me."

With the handsome Shen An, the exceptionally beautiful Zhu Zhuqing, and a walking cat, they made their way through the streets of Soto City, creating a unique spectacle that turned heads as they went.

Among the crowd, a few rough-looking men were eyeing Shen An and his group.

Unaware, Shen An continued his shopping spree.

"These tea sets look great, I'll buy them!"

"Hey, these murals look really cool, I'll get them!"

"Zhuqing, these cat figurines are so cute, let me buy some for you."

"Childish, I don't want them," Zhu Zhuqing glanced at him in disdain.

"But you're only twelve years old, aren't you supposed to be a childish little girl?"

At this point, Shen An, trying to be sweet, inserted a black hairpin into Zhu Zhuqing's hair. Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered, but she didn't move.

Shen An, however, had no experience putting in hairpins and awkwardly fumbled, causing Zhu Zhuqing's hair to get a little messy.

Zhu Zhuqing's originally cold and flawless face now seemed slightly cute after Shen An's mishandling.

"You're making it look terrible," Zhu Zhuqing said in dissatisfaction.

"But I think it looks nice. If you don't like it, I'll take it off." Shen An clumsily reached to remove it, unable to detect the teasing tone in her voice.

"Silly!" Zhu Zhuqing thought, though her body unconsciously moved to the side, "Forget it, just leave it on. If I take it off, my hair will get messy again."

"Women are so contradictory," Tom muttered, observing Zhu Zhuqing occasionally touch the hairpin on her head.

Back at Boss Li's tea house now Shen An's, Shen An discovered that Soto City also had stores selling sugar, milk, and various jams.

A sudden thought struck him: if he opened a tea house, it would be too traditional and too ordinary. But, having run a milk tea shop in his previous life, he had some experience making milk tea. Even though Douluo Continent lacked high-tech tools, he could still manage to make something tasty.

Shen An thought, could milk tea also be considered a type of tea?

After a shopping spree, Shen An returned to his shop and began unloading all the items he had purchased.

"Zhuqing, Tom, we're finally home!"

"Home?" Zhu Zhuqing murmured to herself, a soft light in her eyes as she thought, "I like that word."

"Tom, Zhuqing, don't just stand around. Let's start arranging everything. I'm turning this place into a cozy little tea house," Shen An said, taking charge without hesitation.

Tom, of course, was ready to work. With sleeves rolled up, it immediately started to help.

Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes but stood up to help. With just a few vases and decorations arranged by her, the room suddenly gained a lot of character.

Tom, however, seemed to have a different level of enthusiasm. It produced a set of paper and a pen from somewhere, even wearing black-framed glasses while sketching on paper and occasionally surveying the surroundings.

In the end, an extremely stylish interior design sketch was created.

"You can always trust Emperor Tom," Shen An said, grinning with delight as he looked at the design. It looked impressive, so he immediately began arranging the furniture according to the design.

After some busy work, the retro-style tea house was ready.

The door plaque had been removed and replaced with one that Shen An had ordered while shopping: "Tom's Tea House."

After paying extra, the plaque maker rushed the order, promising it would be ready by tomorrow.

The tea house was two stories high, just as Li had said; the upper floor could also be used as a living space. The building was about seven or eight meters tall, with the first floor occupying about four meters.

Upon entering the tea house, the hallway was quite spacious. The tables and chairs were arranged according to Tom's design, creating a harmonious and aesthetic space.

At the end of the hall was the bar, with a small door on the left leading to a storage room for ingredients. The kitchen and storage room were adjacent, and on the right side of the bar was a staircase leading upstairs.

The upstairs had already been cleaned but still lacked furniture and bedding.

"Tom, I remember you can cook, right? So, it's your turn today," Shen An said with a mischievous smile, eager to try Tom's cooking.

Tom, a cat, was stunned. How could it be so smooth to be ordered around? It suddenly felt like it couldn't just be a lazy house cat anymore.

"Fine, fine, I'll buy you some fish snacks and milk next time, okay?"

Tom nodded in satisfaction, happy with the rewards, and skipped off to the kitchen.

Zhu Zhuqing, seeing that there was nothing else to do, began meditating on her own, as cultivation was important to her.

Shen An, seeing this, didn't disturb her and instead ran upstairs. While the shop was all set up, their living quarters still needed organizing.

Shen An quickly cleaned and arranged the three rooms upstairs, putting on fresh bedding.

He placed snacks and milk in Tom's room and filled Zhu Zhuqing's bedside with little figurines.

Looking at his work, even though it wasn't as stylish as Tom's design, Shen An was already very satisfied.

This felt right—it was starting to feel like a home. After putting his heart into the tea house, Shen An felt a sense of belonging. This would be their home from now on.