Thanks to the power of connections and money, the "Perfect Sweets Shop" in the imperial capital was fully renovated in just a few days.
The new store maintained the same decorative style as the Lili Town sweet shop, but with a much more spacious layout, allowing for more seating and better equipment than before.
The building Yan Xi gave to Yun Manman was also three stories tall. The first floor served as the sweet shop with a small kitchen in the back, while the second and third floors were empty. Yun Manman thought they could be used as a resting area.
Over the past few days, she had posted an announcement on the "Perfect Sweets Shop" social media account: "Perfect Sweets Shop's imperial capital branch is opening soon! Welcome everyone to come and taste our sweets, and experience perfection and sweetness. Address: Central Street, Imperial Capital..."
As she clicked send, Yun Manman suddenly realized that she now owned a branch store!
She could be considered a small business owner now, right?
She was one step closer to her dream of opening sweet shops all over the Lingyi Continent.
At the same time, she also posted job listings for apprentices and servers on the account and recruitment websites.
Upon learning that the sweet shop was opening a branch in the imperial capital, netizens from the capital cheered in the comments: "Awesome! Now we don't have to take that long sky rail ride to Lili Town anymore!"
"So the boss closed shop for so long to come to the capital and choose a location for the branch! What a great spot! The boss must have spent quite a bit."
"Waaah, why not open one in Gaofu Town? It's right next to Lili Town."
"Boss, can't you really draw a rabbit on the cupcakes..."
"You're hiring! Boss, are you looking for a kangaroo that's great at fighting? Just feed it some scraps every day!"
Yun Manman saw the comment about drawing rabbits on cupcakes and gave a light cough.
Oops, she had genuinely forgotten about that.
As for the kangaroo, would it be as good at fighting as Gangzi?
Well, it wasn't impossible. The sweet shop did need a bodyguard.
Although Lili Town already had Bian Yan, they still needed to hire two more.
The imperial capital branch also needed quite a few staff.
So this time, they were hiring quite a lot of people.
Yan Xi had only recommended two beast people who were excellent at management and finance. As for the other apprentices who needed culinary experience, Yun Manman had to interview them herself.
But this was proving to be quite difficult!
Yun Manman sat in the yet-to-open new store, scrolling through resumes on her communication device, feeling a bit worried.
She had already found several servers, just waiting to screen them during the trial period after opening. But she was having trouble finding suitable apprentices.
It wasn't that there weren't many applicants; in fact, there were quite a lot.
But most of them had just heard about it online and wanted to join the hype, clearly not intending to stay long-term.
Moreover, in this era, many beast people solved their meals with takeout and had never even entered a kitchen.
Finding someone with culinary experience was indeed not easy.
Yun Manman's ears drooped slightly as she picked up her cup and downed the milk tea in one gulp.
Keep looking! She refused to believe she couldn't find anyone!
"Ding-a-ling..." The clear sound of a wind chime rang out.
Yun Manman had hung a cat-head crystal wind chime at the door, similar to the one at the Lili Town sweet shop.
She loved these shiny decorations that made such pleasant sounds.
The shop door was pushed open, and a thin female beast person cautiously peeked in: "Excuse me... are you hiring here?"
Yun Manman quickly stood up, opened the door wide, and led her in: "Yes, are you here to apply for an apprentice position or as a server?"
The female beast person wore simple clothes, was not very tall, and her hands at her sides nervously clutched at the hem of her clothes: "I'm here to apply for the apprentice position, is that okay?"
She had short blue-gray hair topped with two light gray, rounded large ears. Her gray and white tail hung stiffly behind her, and her black eyes showed nervousness and unease.
Yun Manman invited her to sit across from her, poured her a cup of milk tea, and said softly: "Of course. No rush, have some milk tea first. It's very hot outside, isn't it?"
She looks a bit timid, could she be socially anxious?
The woman glanced at her a few times before picking up the milk tea and taking small sips.
The iced milk tea was sweet and refreshing, instantly dispelling the stuffy, oppressive feeling of the rainy summer day.
Her dark eyes brightened, and she couldn't help but take a few more sips: "It's so good!"
Seeing her relax, Yun Manman smiled, her dimples showing slightly: "Right? It's the best drink for summer."
After finishing the milk tea, the female beast person opened her resume on her communication device and placed it in front of Yun Manman, then sat properly.
"Hello, my name is Sisi, and I'd like to apply for the apprentice position."
Yun Manman quickly scanned Sisi's resume. Her species was listed as a silky mouse - a chinchilla?
Her age seemed to be middle-aged for the silky mouse species.
She continued reading, her gaze falling on "Previously served in the First Army logistics, responsible for vegetarian cooking" and "Marital status: Spouse deceased".
Yun Manman had an idea.
She asked, "Aunt Sisi, I see you used to cook for the army. What made you leave that job?"
A shadow passed over Sisi's eyes: "My spouse and my son were both soldiers in the army. At the time, I wanted them to be able to eat my cooking, so I joined the army logistics."
"Later... later they both died in the claws of the beast-haters. Not only did I lose my purpose in the army, but I also suffered from PTSD, so I resigned."
"I spent my days alone at home, not wanting to do anything. It was... a friend who couldn't bear to see me like that and recommended I apply here."
"He said this place might make beast people feel more relaxed and happy, so I came."
Sisi spoke honestly, but Yun Manman hadn't expected this reason.
She had no family left at home. How heartbroken she must be.
Sisi was a respectable military wife.
Yun Manman thought for a moment, then took out some small cookies she had made as snacks in the morning and placed them beside Sisi:
"I'm sorry for bringing up such a painful topic."
"Please have some cookies. Eating something sweet might help improve your mood."
Sisi blinked hard, her eyes reddening slightly, and hurriedly tried to refuse: "How could I? I'm here for a job interview!"
"The atmosphere here has already made me feel much more relaxed. I'm not as easily startled anymore."
Sisi was telling the truth.
The warm color scheme of the decor, the bright lighting, the light music playing in the background, and the lingering sweet aroma from when Yun Manman had baked cookies earlier in the morning - even the most tense nerves would relax in such a soft and easy atmosphere.
Yun Manman's ears on top of her head twitched, and her emerald cat eyes narrowed slightly: "It's alright, please eat. They're not expensive."
An invisible, cloud-like mist of spiritual energy gently spread out, enveloping the sad and nervous chinchilla across from her.
"Since you've worked for the First Army before, I definitely trust you."
"But we do need a trial period here. Can you come tomorrow to learn how to make sweets with me?"
Sisi nodded vigorously, her light gray ears on top of her head bobbing up and down: "Yes!"