When Song Miaozhu looked up the sports car requested by the Car Accident Ghost, she nearly choked. The cheapest model from that brand cost four million yuan—doubled to eight million hell coins.
She shook her head. "This order's probably impossible."
Given the poor quality of modern paper money, even if the ghost's family burned him a mountain of gold and silver, they'd never accumulate enough for this luxury vehicle.
Next was the Gaming Ghost, who'd initially budgeted 20,000 hell coins for a "Little Overlord" console and game cartridges. After Song Miaozhu recommended a more advanced "Paradise Console" with rechargeable features, he upped his budget to 30,000—but demanded gameplay footage first.
~
It took Song Miaozhu an hour and a half to research the prices for all ten ghost purchase requests. Whether or not the orders would go through, she still prepared the quote sheets.
But that wasn't all—she had to compile images and descriptions for certain unfamiliar products into documents and print them out, so ghosts like Game Ghost and Xiang Yun could use them for reference.
It took another hour to sort everything using her laptop.
There weren't many print shops in town. She had to call Chen Shuanghe to find one tucked away in an alley.
"Add a printer and computer to the procurement list," she noted, planning a printing station for Anshou Hall Paper Shop to streamline future orders.
On her way back from the print shop, hunger hit. She passed a restaurant and went in for lunch. But the food was disappointing, and the prices weren't worth it.
"Remember this place—never again."
Back at the shop, she organized the printed materials with their corresponding quotes and placed them in the ghost shop's counter drawer.
By then, the cleaners were finishing up. Every surface—front hall, back room, staircase, attic—now gleamed dust-free. After paying them, Song Miaozhu turned to tonight's inventory. Last night's best sellers—and highest profit margin—were cigarettes and alcohol.
Alcohol was easy. She bought a variety of brands this time, one crate each, and paid extra to have it delivered that evening.
Cigarettes were harder. Each shop only allowed limited purchases.
She ran all over town, buying small amounts from each place, eventually gathering thirty cartons. Then she went to a well-stocked supermarket and bought crates of drinks and snacks from their warehouse, again arranging for delivery. She also picked up a few items that had been in high demand among the ghosts the previous night.
If the wholesale market weren't so far out in the suburbs, or online orders didn't take several days, buying in bulk or online would've been far cheaper.
But for now, town shopping would have to do.
To save time over the next few days, she stocked up enough goods for the next three nights in one afternoon. By evening, all goods were delivered to the paper shop. She shut the doors and moved a third of the inventory into the Ghost Shop. After that she locked up and headed to Aunt Chen for her usual dinner.
Around 8 PM, she returned to the old house on Xiaozhu Hill.
Since the Ghost Shop didn't open until 11 PM, she had some time to read Fengdu: A Handbook for New Ghosts.
The Underworld had its own rules.
To run the Ghost Shop properly, she needed to understand how Fengdu worked—within the boundaries of its laws.
Excerpt: Underworld Livelihood Chapter
"When mortal life ends, the soul enters the Yellow Springs.
Before the Court of Yanluo, virtues and sins are weighed.
The Eighteen Hells purge wicked karma;
Fengdu City rewards accumulated merit.
Underworld Livelihood is granted based on virtuous deeds—
Annual stipends flow from the Magistrate's Office,
While offerings from the living fill ancestral homes..."
Song Miaozhu was instantly immersed.
The book skimmed over the soul's journey before entering Fengdu. It only briefly mentioned that souls must first appear before King Yama for judgment. Based on their deeds, they either suffer punishments in Hell or, once their sins are purged, they may enter Fengdu to live while awaiting reincarnation.
The first chapter was "The Underworld Livelihood Section."
It described the significance and usage of this currency and introduced a department under the Fengdu Court—the Underworld Livelihood Bureau.
When ghosts first arrive, they can collect a large sum of underworld livelihood based on their accumulated virtue while alive. This amount also determines how much they receive annually and how much reincarnation will eventually cost.
Survival in Fengdu depended on this currency:
—Accumulate enough? Apply for reincarnation.
—Run out first? Face dispersal or beast rebirth.
Thus, recently deceased ghosts were the wealthiest—those forgotten by the living relied solely on dwindling stipends.
Beyond ancestral worship, nether-life could be earned through:
—Business (high capital, high risk)
—Government work (ghost official positions)
—Employment (shops, services)
Both government and private jobs required résumés. Yes, even the underworld has résumés. But they aren't self-written. They're compiled by another Fengdu department—the Records Division. They collect a soul's deeds from life and experiences in death to form a résumé.
At this point, Song Miaozhu knew she needed to hire a ghost employee. Doing all the sales herself was inefficient and time-consuming. Days were spent stocking; nights selling. She barely had time to study the Secret Art of Paper Crafting.
And with the upcoming spiritual resurgence, she couldn't afford to abandon the hell coins and gold ingot business. Mortal specialty items may be novel, but paper crafts were true high-profit ventures.
A single sheet of paper worth mere cents, folded well, could become an ingot worth hundreds—thousands—even tens of thousands of hell coins.
And not just the living—ghosts could craft too.
After death, the mortal-world shopping service would cease, but spirit-crafting could continue forever.
She still hoped to revive and elevate her family's legacy in paper crafting. The items described in The Secret Arts of Paper Crafting were incredible.
"Once Sister Xiang Yun arrives, I'll ask her about labor rates in Fengdu," she thought, closing the book.
It was almost midnight.
As usual, she showered, braided her hair, dressed in a velvet robe, and went down to the Ghost Shop.
Lighting candles, organizing stock, opening the store—everything done in one fluid motion.
Song Miaozhu: "!!!"