Chapter 387: Chapter 374: Opening

“Oh?” Chu Yunzhao turned his head in surprise. “Why is that?”

Chu Jinnian turned his head, looked at Chu Yunzhao, and smirked, “What do

you think?”

Guess?

In a joke?!

How many people could guess what was going on in Chu Jinian s mind?

For a while, Chu Yunzhao really didn’t have an answer.

Especially when he saw the smug and sinister look in Chu Jinnian’s smile, Chu Yunzhao felt a shiver down his spine.

Why did he always feel like someone was about to fall on bad times?

After all, this man was as grim as a death god on normal days, so when he suddenly smiled, it definitely didn’t predict anything good!

Chu Yunzhao was certain of his hunch, quickly following Chu Jinnian to ask,

“Tell me, what’s going on?”

Even if someone were about to be unlucky, Chu Yunzhao wanted to know who would that be.

“Because I’m going to ask Concubine Hui for something,” said Chu Jinnian,

finally revealing his plan.

“Ask for something?”

Now Chu Yunzhao’s eyes widened even more.

What could his mother have that would bring misfortune to someone else?

The twelfth of August was the opening day for Cheng’s shop in the county

town.

On this day, Zhuang Qingning got out early and went to the county town with

Zhuang Yutian to Cheng’s shop.

The shop front already had the appearance of a newly opened business.

The red cloth hanging from the signboard, the strings of firecrackers hanging from the bamboo poles on either side of the entrance, and the beaming shop assistants waiting in full readiness by the entrance.

Yet, there were no typical opening festivities such as gongs and drums or lion

and dragon dances.

Instead, even before the shop’s official opening, a crowd gathered at the entrance, whispering and asking about the identity of the century eggs.

Cheng Ruize had said before that they would stimulate curiosity and interest towards the century eggs before the shop’s opening by asking “Do you know about century eggs, and where can they be bought?”

Considering the current situation, Cheng Ruize’s method seemed to be working quite well.

The opening of a new shop usually followed a common routine- -the shopkeeper would come out, chatter about good luck for the new business, fire some firecrackers, creating a bustling scene.

This was also the case now; however, after the fireworks and red cloths were taken down, the shop assistants did not go back into the shop but stood at the entrance, giving out free bamboo pieces to the passing people.

Those who received the bamboo pieces were delighted.

Watching this, Zhuang Qingning found it curious and took a piece for herself.

On the smoothly polished bamboo piece was the meticulously written character

“What is this…?” Zhuang Qingning asked in amazement.

“These are word puzzle pieces. Among the many bamboo pieces, three characters—”7^,”    and “I” are separately written in regular script. Those

who collect these three characters can form the character (Cheng), and they will be given a century egg.” Cheng Ruize explained,

“Anyone who passes by the shop can get a bamboo piece. They can also get one from other stalls selling century eggs around the city. However, each person can only get one free piece per day. Those who purchase a century egg can get an extra piece as a bonus—the more you buy, the more you get.”

“Those who collect the pieces can exchange them for century eggs based

on the number of pieces, but only for cents and not for silver. To prevent people from forging bamboo pieces for the century eggs, we have soaked all of these pieces in a special solution from the Cheng family. After drying, the bamboo pieces seem unchanged, but if soaked in another solution, the pieces turn blue.”

Is this a legendary card collection?

And it comes with an anti-counterfeiting mark, too.

Although Zhuang Qingning felt vexed each time she thought of her childhood fears of being dominated by the gimmicks of processed food noodles, from the perspective of promoting a product, Cheng Ruize’s idea was really ingenious. “Manager Cheng certainly has an eye for details,” Zhuang Qingning couldn t help but nod in appreciation.

“You flatter me, Manager Zhuang,” smiled Cheng Ruize, leading Zhuang Qingning into the shop for a look.

The shop was bustling with customers on its opening day. Century eggs and all sorts of products sold very well. Even the sweet potato glass noodles, which had just been transported over, were in high demand, with many wanting to buy some after tasting them.

Despite the bustling business, every shop assistant had obviously been well- trained-they worked methodically and were friendly to customers. They were quick and efficient with price calculations.

The shop was in perfect order despite the hustle and bustle, and Chu Yunzhao picked up on the rhythm with ease, never confusing one job with another.

Even with the buzz of activity, the shop maintained a sense of tranquility. The shop didn’t feel chaotic at all, and no one seemed to be aggravated by the noise. Zhuang Qingning liked the shopping atmosphere. She assumed it was also appealing to the customers.

“Please have a seat,” Cheng Ruize led Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Yutian into the backyard and ordered two cups of tea.

“Thankyou,” Zhuang Qingning sat down and smiled faintly. “With you in charge of the shop, business will definitely flourish. From now on, all I have to do is focus on the workshop.”

“Then you and I will each focus on our own responsibilities,” said Cheng Ruize, smiling. “The weather is getting colder and colder, and this batch of mosquito repellent herbs to the south will be the last one for this year, and I also want to reserve some for next year.”

“If Manager Zhuang could sell the mosquito repellent herb sachets only at Cheng’s in places outside the county while the cloth shop in the county would continue to be run by Manager Zhuang, I am willing to offer an additional 10% on the price.”

Zhuang Qingning was accustomed to Cheng Ruize’s eagerness to monopolize the business and found him to be a man of great ambition and foresight.

More importantly, the terms he proposed were not too harsh and the return he offered was within a reasonable range.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with Manager Cheng,” said Zhuang Qingning after thinking for a moment. “Please allow Uncle Yutian and me to discuss this further.”

Unlike the century eggs, which were not initially intended for widespread promotion, the mosquito-repellent sachets were already on the market with various clients in retail and wholesale. If they started deailing exclusively with Cheng’s, Cheng Ruize would become the principal agent, while Zhuang Yutian would only be left with retail in the county.

The risks and potential problems involved with such a move needed careful consideration.

“Alright. Once you’ve decided, let me know and we can further discuss the matter,” Cheng Ruize smiled. “There’s no need to rush. Even if we decide to proceed with the business, it won’t start until next year. As long as we reach an agreement before spring next year, that will be fine.”

“Indeed,” Zhuang Qingning nodded with a cheerful smile.

After chatting with Cheng Ruize for a while longer and seeing the booming business in the shop, the group had to excuse themselves to attend to a few matters. Once the crowd had dispersed slightly, they continued their conversation before Zhuang Qingning bid farewell and went to Zhuang’s fabric shop with Zhuang Yutian.

“Uncle Yutian, what do you think of Cheng’s desire to monopolize the mosquito-repellent herb sachets business?” Zhuang Qingning asked, taking a sip of tea.