Goldfield
Chapter 172: The Grand Opening

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang cynically rolled her eyes towards her close friend. If he could choose again, he would rather not know this person. He's really too embarrassing! Even his own class had been dragged away by him !! Yet — he really did not want to admit it, but he also slightly craved for watermelon in his heart.

Shopkeeper Feng had been in business for many years, so he could guess what his customers were thinking. Based on her observations, Miss Zhuang was a little quiet but she couldn't help but peek at a plate of fruit. Miss Wang, on the contrary, did not hide her interest in watermelon. He looked like he wanted to eat it but was too embarrassed to accept it.

He took the tray understandingly, smiled at the gentle and clever little girl in front of him, and said, “Thank you very much! May I ask for your last name? ”

“My family name is Yu. Sister, if you like the taste, remember to come support us tomorrow ah! ” Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly at the boss lady, waved her hand, and came back to tidy up her shop.

They were going to open early tomorrow, so today, he had asked his father's permission to stay at the store. Most of the shops on this Tanggu City street have a two-door entrance courtyard with wing rooms behind the shop.

Shopkeeper Feng watched the little girl return to the house next door, touched her own face, and said with a smile, “This little boy, I'm almost old enough to be her mother, he said, but he called me ‘kakak perempuan’? Do I really look that young? ”

Miss Wang asked excitedly, “Store Guard Feng, he allowed us to try this watermelon, right? How generous little girl ah! ”

“It was something that grew domestically and didn't need much money for him, so what was so generous about it? But, how could a farming family rent such an expensive shop? When did the farmers become so rich? ” Eldest Young Miss Zhuang looked at the watermelon, which was cut into small pieces and pierced by a toothpick, and spoke in a rather cruel manner.

Miss Wang knew her temperament, so she automatically sifted through the unpleasant parts of her words and said with a smile, “Maybe watermelons are grown on their own plantations? But, I have never heard of the Yu surnamed family among the rich families in Tanggu City! ”

Shopkeeper Feng furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, then said, “Named Yu? I think the owner of this shop I rented is surnamed Yu. But, the person who signed the contract with me was the official I mentioned earlier. ”

“This may be his family's shop ah! Just now, I heard a little girl calling the bearded guy ‘father baptis’! Let me try a taste of watermelon produced in our Tanggu City! ”

Miss Wang impatiently picked up the toothpick and stuffed the red watermelon into her mouth. His facial expression immediately relaxed. He choked on the sweet juice and wanted to cough but was unwilling to bring out the juice in his mouth. Thus, his face turned crimson due to restraining his cough.

“Just see you! Don't tell anyone else that you know me when you get out! ” Eldest Young Miss Zhuang moved aside for fear that the girl would spray her saliva onto herself.

Miss Wang finally swallowed the watermelon in her mouth and coughed a few times. He could not help himself and took another part. He put it in his mouth and muttered, “Sweet! Very sweet !! It's even sweeter than the watermelon I ate at your house. If you don't believe it, try it !! ”

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang finally stopped putting up the front and took a toothpick carefully with her fingers arranged in the shape of an orchid. He used the handkerchief in his other hand to cover the side of his mouth, then gently stuffed the watermelon piece into his mouth. The sweet and cool taste instantly exploded inside his mouth and the watermelon juice almost flowed along the side of his mouth. As she wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, she enjoyed the taste of the watermelon in her mouth.

It was a type of sweetness that was different from all other types of sweetness. Generally, something this sweet has an unpleasant taste. However, there is a refreshing taste to the sweetness of this watermelon. No matter how much he ate, he would not feel fed up with it. This kind of sweetness was exactly what Eldest Young Miss Zhuang liked !!

After savoring the sweet taste in her mouth, she looked up and saw Miss Wang eating nonstop, almost finishing up the entire watermelon plate. Eldest Young Miss Zhuang's heart exploded with rage, but she suppressed herself.

He took the fruit tray from Miss Wang somewhat unyieldingly, glared at her loudly, and said, “Like a cow chewing on a peony! You just wasted this plate of watermelon !! ”

Seeing the fruit tray slowly move away from her, Miss Wang reached out her hand and sadly said, “Don't! I haven't felt enough! ”

“How much should you eat until it's enough for you? Can you feel something when you eat so fast? ” Eldest Young Miss Zhuang slowly took a piece of watermelon from the plate and enjoyed it carefully. Beside her, Miss Wang drooled as she looked on with excited eyes.

There weren't many pieces of watermelon on the plate at first and Miss Wang had just eaten more than half the plate, so the rest was immediately eaten by Miss Zhuang. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and still wanted more. He lifted his leg and walked next to it unhurriedly.

“Kak Ah-mei, where are you going?” Tagalong, Miss Wang, followed behind him.

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang ignored him and arrived at the shop next door. He looked at the little girl, who had sent the fruit tray earlier, directing the three adult men to set up the shelf. He cleared his throat and when he saw the little girl turn her head, he said, “Thank you for the watermelon. It tastes so good! I came to return the tray! ”

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang walked into the shop like a willow tree blown by the breeze and saw the price on the shelf. What is ‘five taels,’ four taels ‘, and’ three taels ‘? Five taels per cat? Even watermelon in the capital is not too expensive !! But, the watermelon did look much tastier than the watermelon from the capital.

“Help me weigh some of the biggest watermelon. I'll send someone to pick it up tomorrow when you guys open a business! This is the deposit !! ” Eldest Young Miss Zhuang picked up a gold bar worth five taels of gold and handed it to Yu Xiaocao.

Ingot gold? Yu Xiaocao had dealt with silver money and paper money, but he had never seen this golden thing! Based on its size, it should be at least five taels, which means five taels of silver! To be so generous, she must be a young miss from a noble family !!

“This female brother, watermelon in our store is sold per unit. All the watermelons on this shelf cost about twenty catties, and they cost five taels of silver each. With your deposit amount, you can buy ten watermelons of this size !! If the number of people in your family is not that much, you can buy two of them to eat again. In the future, we will transport fresh watermelons here every day. It is better to buy fresh ones to eat every day, and they taste better too! ” Yu Xiaocao holds on to the true meaning of ‘first customer’ and sincerely advises Eldest Young Miss Zhuang.

Although Eldest Young Miss Zhuang had an overbearing temper, she was not someone who could not distinguish good from bad. He felt a little better about the little girl after he heard her words. He smiled faintly and said, “So five taels for one ah! The price is much cheaper than the one in the capital! Really good and cheap !! Then I'll order ten first. They are not just for my family. Since it would not be considered unsightly to send it as a gift, I can also send it to friends and relatives! ”

“Good!” He was rich and imposing, and Yu Xiaocao naturally did not mind making more money. So, she took a small golden lump with a bright smile on her face and said, “This female brother, I will give you a receipt ..”

“No need, not much money! Tomorrow, you can give watermelon to the servant sent from the Zhuang Family! ” Eldest Young Miss Zhuang doesn't really care about only fifty taels of silver, so it doesn't matter if there's a receipt or not.

Miss Wang went around the store a few times and was overjoyed after she heard the price. He initially thought such a delicious watermelon would definitely be expensive. She had heard from Eldest Young Miss Zhuang that the watermelon her elder brother had bought from the capital cost two taels per catty! A small watermelon costs a few dozen taels. She was the daughter of a merchant, but even with an allowance all year, she still would not be able to buy a watermelon.

He had not expected to be able to buy a watermelon for five taels of silver in this watermelon shop. This way, he could buy watermelon every month with his monthly allowance!

“I want to order one too. I will come to pick it up myself tomorrow !! ” Miss Wang took out a five-tael silver bar from her embroidery bag and smiled like a little hamster receiving peanuts.

Yu Xiaocao quickly wrote two receipts and handed them to the two girls like flowers. He smiled and explained to Miss Zhuang, “When we open business tomorrow, there will be many people and we will be very busy. I was worried that we would make a mistake back then, so it was better to pick up a watermelon with a receipt! ”

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang hesitated for a moment before she picked up the receipt with an ugly handwriting, and then looked at Xiaocao anxiously. But, when she considered her age and clothes, she felt she was too demanding. Most girls from ordinary families in the city did not know how to read and write. It was good enough that this little girl could write a few words!

Miss Wang already picked the biggest watermelon in the store and giggled, “Little girl, I want this one. Help me keep it first. I'll take it tomorrow! ”

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang was not happy with Miss Wang's bargain anymore, but Yu Xiaocao continued to smile and said, “No problem! Uncle Li, take out the watermelon that this young lady chose from the shelf and put it in the corner of the shop alone. This sister, take a good look. I'll mark it for you, so remember to check it out tomorrow. ”

Miss Wang looked at the watermelon with satisfaction. Seeing Yu Xiaocao tying him with a straw rope and inserting a piece of paper with a strange symbol (Author note: Arabic numerals) between the ropes, he nodded incessantly.

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang was already speechless by Miss Wang. Ignoring him, he exited the shop first and headed to his own carriage.

The next day, with the sound of firecrackers, Yu Xiaocao's watermelon shop finally opened! Originally, he wanted to light a series of firecrackers in a simple way, unveil a plaque, and officially start a business! But he had not expected to see so many familiar faces despite not telling anyone.

District Judge Wu, who was wearing ordinary clothes, came with his son and precious servant carrying gifts behind them. With both hands clenched, he waved towards godfather Yu Xiaocao and said, “Congratulations, congratulations! Official Fang, why didn't you tell this subordinate official about the opening of your store? ”

Fang Zizhen laughed out loud, “This is my daughter's shop. He wanted to keep a low profile, so we didn't tell anyone! ”

Zhou Zixu also came with a gift. He snorted unsatisfied, “It's okay for others! But Xiaocao, how can you treat me like this! What's our relationship? Even though you didn't invite anyone else, could you not invite me to come celebrate the opening of your store? ”

The head of the Yao family also personally came up with a gift, and behind him was the newly promoted butler — an old acquaintance of Xiaocao. Had he not earned the reward by buying vegetables from the Yu Family and getting good graces from his master, it would have been impossible for him to obtain the position of a butler.