Chapter 189: The Opening of the Shop-Lively

Translator: Lonelytree

The moment the firecrackers went off, some ran away screaming, others covered their eyes. Everyone clapped. They congratulated Xiao Lingyu, “Miss Xiao, congratulations on the shop opening!”

“Congratulations! I wish you a prosperous business and future!”

“Congratulations, Boss Xiao!”

Xiao Lingyu smiled and replied one by one, “Thank you! Please come in!”

The group of customers entered the shop one after another.

As soon as they entered the shop, they noticed that the shop was decorated like a boutique, giving off a luxurious feeling.

The orange-red striped walls, the lamp features from the ceiling, the shelves and counters looked comfortable and harmonious. 60 square meters was quite big, but the shop made the space feel very at home. Everything was arranged in an orderly manner.

The customer’s eyes lit up when they entered the shop and saw the vegetables. They were very excited and went to fight for the vegetables they wanted to buy.

“Hey, how come these vegetables are so much cheaper?” Someone immediately expressed the doubt. “But the vegetables look the same as before.”

“Miss Xiao, did you lower the prices?” Someone asked.

Gu Ziye and the others also looked at the prices on the shelves and frowned. The prices were too low.

At this moment, Xiao Lingyu took out the loudspeaker and explained, “Dear distinguished guests, let me explain. There are two grades of vegetables in this shop. One is ordinary vegetables, and the other is high-grade vegetables. There is a price difference between them. The high-grade vegetables have a slightly better taste than normal vegetables, so they are more expensive. However, the normal vegetables are very delicious too. If you have bought from me before, they were high-grade vegetables.

“However, our shop has a limited daily supply of high-grade vegetables. I’ll only offer 200 to 300 catties per day.”

The customers nodded with understanding.

“With regards to the difference between the two grades,” Xiao Lingyu announced, “You can test it out yourself! Since today is our grand opening, everything will have a 20 percent discount. The prices will be back to normal tomorrow!”

Then, Liu Chunhua took out a plate of sliced tomatoes. She carried the plate and served the customers.

Out of curiosity, the customers took a slice to taste.

Gu Ziye and the other often ate Xiao Lingyu’s supply, and they were curious about this new grading system too. After Gu Ziye and the others tasted it, they expressed their opinions. “The taste is indeed somewhat different!” Zheng Haiyang looked at the slice of tomato in his hand and said, “The taste of the normal-grade tomatoes is more mellow. But the taste is still much better than the tomatoes sold in the outside market. There is a pure, natural bouquet about them.”

That’s right. The biggest difference between Xiao Lingyu’s crops and those sold in the market was the natural bouquet. Xiao Lingyu’s crops had this natural scent that could make people feel refreshed.

“You’re right. The vegetables still have that unique natural taste, but it is more mellow than the usual ones!” The old customers had bought Xiao Lingyu’s vegetables once or twice, but they remembered the taste clearly. After the taste test, they exclaimed in admiration. It was really a nostalgic feeling. They could taste the difference too.

“They taste wonderful as well!” Someone had already made the purchase. They came from average families. If not for their children and pregnant women, they wouldn’t spend so much on vegetables. Now that Xiao Lingyu had offered a cheaper variant with only a slight change to the taste, of course, they would go for the cheaper ones.

The high-grade stuff was popular too. After all, Xiao Lingyu had customers from impressive backgrounds like Uncle Li and Uncle Qian.

Before this, Xiao Lingyu had a limited supply of crops. These rich families had money, but they couldn’t get the crops from Xiao Lingyu. Now that Xiao Lingyu had introduced high-grade vegetables, they naturally fought for them.

Around eight o’clock, there were more pedestrians on the street. Xiao Lingyu’s shop was located in the city center. The bustle of a newly opened shop naturally attracted a lot of attention. People stopped and their curiosity drove them to go in and take a look.

They were shocked to see how good the business was. The crowd was surging, and there was no space for them to walk. Then, they saw the customers frantically fighting for the vegetables on the shelves.

“What the? This is just a vegetable store? There’s a store just to sell vegetables? Shouldn’t these be sold at the market?”

“Isn’t it too wasteful to open a shop to sell vegetables? Is the owner crazy? I doubt the profit is enough to cover the rent!”

“But look at the business. The owner should be able to earn money from the good sales.”

“Even so, how much can they earn from selling vegetables? Plus, this is their first-day opening, so there is a discount. Many shops have good business on their grand opening. Then, they will lose business.”

When these people entered the shop and saw the prices, they were shocked again.

“Oh my God, look, isn’t the vegetables too expensive? The cabbage sells for 2 RMB per catty, and you can get the same amount for 70 cents at the market! And the eggplant is 3 RMB per catty! They only go for 80 cents per catty at the market.

“There are spinach and garlic sprouts. Goodness, everything is so expensive! But so many people are fighting for them. Are they actors to drive up the hype?”

The others got suspicious too. But could the boss hire actors every day?

Xiao Lingyu sat at the cashier’s seat. On her right, Mother Xiao and Xiao Mingyang were manning the weighs.

Liu Chunhua walked around the shop, attending to the customers. She noticed the new customers standing at the entrance and immediately carried a tray with sliced tomatoes over. She said to these customers, “Welcome to Taoyuan Village Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Our crops are natural, organic, and pollution-free. Please have a taste!”

They saw the sliced tomatoes and were curious. They took a slice and tasted it. Immediately, their eyes widened, and they said in disbelief, “This… this tomato is too delicious. There’s a fragrance, and it’s very sweet.”

Some customers were not satisfied with one slice. They took another slice and then another. Soon, they realized they had cleaned the tray. They were embarrassed, and their faces were red.

Someone spotted, from the corner of his eyes, a few scattered tomatoes on the shelves. He immediately ran in towards the tomatoes. He didn’t care about the price anymore.

However, as his hand reached forward, a chubby hand smacked him back. A middle-aged woman told him through gritted teeth. “I’m sorry, young man. I need these tomatoes. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.” Then she spoke as if to the tomatoes. “My eldest grandson loves Boss Xiao’s tomatoes. I’ve waited for a month for the boss to come back.”

The young man, An Ming, asked curiously, “Auntie, don’t you think the prices here are too high?”

The Auntie glanced at him and said, “Expensive? What do you know? Have you seen the high-grade shelves over there? Those are the truly expensive ones. But there is a reason for the price. And people are still fighting for them.”

An Ming asked, “Auntie, what is the reason behind the high price?”

The vegetables were fresh and watery. It was understandable if they were slightly more expensive than the market. However, the prices here were pretty much double the outside price.

The Auntie said, “Young man, you haven’t tasted Boss Xiao’s vegetables before, right? If you have, you wouldn’t be asking that question. The vegetables sold here are very delicious. They taste fragrant and sweet. Even for someone like Auntie, who is a bad cook, my family still fights for the dishes after I cook them. I don’t have time to talk to you anymore, or the vegetables might get sold out!”

An Ming, “…”

This was the first time he saw people fight over expensive vegetables.

“An Ming!” A girl came over with two cucumbers. “An Ming, I managed to snatch these two cucumbers. Let’s go up the mountains and share the cucumbers.” The girl, Sun Li, liked raw cucumbers. They were sweet and crisp. Sun Li added regretfully, “It’s a pity that the tomatoes that we tasted just now are gone. Otherwise, we can buy a few tomatoes. Wait, is someone eating raw radishes over there?”

An Ming looked over and saw someone take out the raw radish to eat after paying for them. “Yes, that seems to be the case.”

Sun Li asked in surprise. “Can radish be eaten raw?”

An Ming saw that there were still two radishes left on the shelf, so he asked, “Why don’t we buy and try them?”

Sun Li looked around and said, “Does this shop have anything to try other than tomatoes?” Then she said, “Okay, let’s buy a white radish to try. If it’s not delicious, we can just throw it away!”

Since his girlfriend said that, An Ming quickly picked up the remaining two radishes and queued up to pay the bill.

“Don’t rush! Please queue up!” Mother Xiao said she saw someone cutting the line.

Previously, Xiao Mingyang and Liu Chunhua were worried that the expensive vegetables wouldn’t sell, but they were worried for nothing. The shop was filled with customers, and they were fighting like crazy. The 1000 catties of vegetables flew off the shelves despite their prices.

Liu Chunhua sighed. There were so many rich people in the county town.

Many people put the vegetables in the basket and then queued up to pay.

Gu Ziye and his friends walked around and then walked out. They didn’t want to disturb the other customers. Zheng Haiyang was shocked when he saw the crowded shop. “When did Lingyu make the advertisement? How did she get the words out?”

“She didn’t!” Qian Yifan said, “I helped her post the info about her shop on the local forum. However, I didn’t think so many people would see it. My little aunt told me that Lingyu actually had a solid customer base from her previous ventures in the city.”

Zheng Haiyang nodded. “No wonder business is so good.”

“Come on, let’s get back to work!” Gu Ziye said. The four of them left.

Grandma Song and Grandpa Song were surprised to see their old acquaintance, Uncle Li, and Uncle Yuan in the crowd.

“Ol Li, you come vegetable shopping too?” Grandpa Song was surprised to see Uncle Li carrying a full plastic bag.

Uncle Li said, “Is there a problem with that? Why can’t I buy vegetables?” Then, Uncle Li said with dissatisfaction. “The girl always told us she had a limited supply, so she couldn’t provide us with much. So where did these vegetables come from?”

Grandma Song laughed. “Ol Li, you mustn’t fault Lingyu. The girl indeed didn’t have much supply at first. Apart from providing them to the Gu Family Hotel, she had to reserve them for her friends. She told me that she would have extra after a month when her farm could be harvested. Plus, this is her first day of business. Naturally, she has to reserve some for sale.”

Uncle Qian nodded. “Ol Li, we can come here to buy the vegetables in the future. But don’t you think this shop is a bit too small?”

Uncle Li nodded. “You’re right. It’s her first day of business, and there are already so many customers. With her vegetables, she’ll get a lot of return customers.”

The vegetables were a little expensive, but they tasted so good. Plus, the vegetables could help with sleep and spirits. Even the elders didn’t feel the pain of rheumatism anymore. Even though they suspected vegetables could have such a miraculous effect, they couldn’t argue with the results.

Grandma Song was speechless when she heard them say that the shop was too small. “The place is not small. The market at Xing Yin County is only so big. There are not that many people who could afford the expensive vegetables. If this place was bigger, it would be redundant!”

“But can’t you see the crowd around us? We can barely find a space to stand!” Uncle Yuan still thought the shop was too small.

“That’s because we’re here during peak period!” Grandma Song said with a smile, “That girl has her own plans.” Xiao Lingyu wasn’t a big boss like these elders.

Grandma Song walked to the cash register and said with a smile, “Girl, you stay here and do your work. Grandpa Song and I will leave first.”

Xiao Lingyu said with a smile, “Okay, Grandma Song. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to entertain you this time. I’ll make up for it next time.”

After a while, Grandma Song and the others left.

“10 RMB for the white radish, 8 RMB for the eggplant, 12 RMB for the spinach, a total of 30 RMB. After the discount, it’ll be 24 RMB.”

“Yours is 80.6 RMB. After the discount, it’ll be 64.48 RMB. I’ll take 64 RMB!”

Xiao Lingyu glanced at the vegetables and calculated immediately. She was faster than a calculator.

At first, these customers did not believe her. They took out the calculator and calculated one by one. They checked and realized Xiao Lingyu was right every time.

“Boss Xiao, your arithmetic is amazing!” Someone praised. “I’ve never seen someone who can calculate so fast.”

“Boss Xiao, how did you do it? You just took a glance and knew the final price. Do you have any tips? Can you teach us? We can go back and teach my children.”

“Yes, yes, boss Xiao, do you have any tips?”

Xiao Lingyu shook her head and said with a smile, “There are no tips. I’m just good at math.” She really didn’t know any tricks. She just took a glance at the numbers, and the result was in her mind.

Xiao Lingyu calculated the bill very quickly. Even though there were two people at the weighing station, they weren’t familiar with the machines yet, so they were slow. Thankfully, the customers were very patient.

When Chu Mingjiao came back from the market and passed by Taoyuan Village Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, she was suspicious. She didn’t believe the business would be so good. ‘These people are probably actors hired by the boss. When I was here earlier, there was no one around.’ That’s right. Chu Mingjiao was the first customer from earlier.

With this suspicion, she entered the shop. She looked around and realized more than half of the vegetables were gone. Some of the shelves were even empty.

At the checkout line, there were two long lines. Everyone had a full bag of vegetables in their hands, waiting to pay the bill.

This made Chu Mingjiao even more suspicious.

She walked over and saw a woman who was about her age. She asked, “Did you buy these vegetables to eat?”

The woman said, “Of course. Would I buy them to look?”

“But they are so expensive. Can you finish so many of them?” Chu Mingjiao asked.

“It’s clear that you haven’t tasted Miss Xiao’s crops before.” The woman said with a smile. “If you have, you wouldn’t be asking this question.”

“No, you have to be an actor!” Chu Mingjiao ‘exposed’ the woman. “A normal person won’t be buying such expensive vegetables!”

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