Chapter 24: Poverty Limited Her Imagination

Not long after, Bai Jingzhu, Bai Jinglan, and their younger friend Lin Chenlu arrived at Yu’s Grocery Store.

"That’s the one," Bai Jingzhu said, pointing toward the store ahead. "The decor here is quite exquisite. I observed the display cabinets yesterday; they are all solid wood and have a faint, woody fragrance. They must be made of high-quality timber."

It was because of these various signs that she felt this shop was relatively reliable. Now, with concrete evidence, Bai Jingzhu felt much more confident in her assessment.

"It’s actually quite busy, isn't it?" Lin Chenlu remarked in surprise, considering that, according to Bai Jingzhu, the store had been open for less than three days.

"There are a lot of repeat customers! Anyone who knows quality will come back for more, not to mention that the owner must have invested in promotion; she’s gained a lot of new followers on Weibo and Douyin," Bai Jingzhu said. "This owner must have some real resources."

"Come on, let’s go in and take a look," Lin Chenlu said, feeling impatient. Naturally, what she wanted were the beautiful, delicious-looking desserts.

"Okay."

The three of them entered the grocery store together. As they walked through the door, they were greeted by a loud, clear "Welcome." When they looked, they were surprised to find that the sound was coming from an automated checkout machine. Moreover, the machine could not only greet customers but also communicate with them and process payments intelligently.

"I agree with what you said earlier," Lin Chenlu remarked. The owner’s resources were definitely impressive. Smart robots had become quite common, but while many were rigid, they were very useful in certain fields. However, creating a smart machine specifically for a grocery store that could also engage in independent communication was no simple feat.

Bai Jingzhu felt as though she couldn't take it all in. The shop had changed so much in just a single day!

"I’m going to look at the desserts first," Lin Chenlu said, immediately pushing her way into the crowd gathered around the dessert display. She touched the wood of the cabinet right away. Upon contact, she felt a smooth, warm texture, and when she rubbed her fingers and held them to her nose, a fresh, natural fragrance lingered. Looking at the displays, which complemented the desserts perfectly, it was clear that the prices would certainly not be low. As Bai Jingzhu had said, this shop was pursuing a boutique route.

A moment later, Lin Chenlu’s gaze was completely captured by the desserts. Good heavens! The actual items were even more beautiful than the photos! She hurriedly pulled out her phone to take pictures.

As for the sisters, Bai Jingzhu and Bai Jinglan, they smiled at the scene but walked together toward the fresh milk display. Their main objective was the milk. There were twenty bottles neatly arranged on the shelf. Bai Jinglan reached out without hesitation, but Bai Jingzhu stopped her. "Sis, let’s ask the owner if we can buy them by the case."

"Oh, right," Bai Jinglan nodded.

The two went straight to the counter. Yu Zui had just finished her busy spell and was in the middle of claiming her rewards.

[Ding! Side Quest 3 (Enhanced Version) completed.]
[Reward: 100 bottles of Yu’s Chun Shui Sheng (50 boxes of single-bottle packs, 50 boxes of six-bottle packs), Product Card x1.]

Seeing this reward, Yu Zui was truly stunned. If she sold this batch, she would earn 33,000 yuan. The rewards for completing tasks were incredibly generous. Now that she thought about it, if she had chosen a more remote location, even with all the luck in the world, it would have been very difficult to sell 100 units of her first product in a single day. If the start hadn't gone well, subsequent development would surely have been hindered at every step. She had to admit, a good location was a real boost to sales.

After happily claiming the rewards, Yu Zui extracted the 50 single-bottle boxes and placed them in the warehouse. After all, hundreds of bottles of Chun Shui Sheng had already been sold in the last few hours, so there was no worry about the new stock not selling. The lotus seed ice cakes were also selling like hotcakes, thanks to their stunning appearance and refreshing taste. It could be said that desserts were even better at capturing customers' hearts than beverages, though the drinks had certainly left a deep impression on some.

In short, Yu Zui was very happy and highly motivated. Apart from this reward, there were also online orders to process. She handled a batch and frantically messaged Tang Siyuan on Wechat, calling him over to pick them up. There had been over a hundred orders in the morning, and from noon until now, that number had jumped to over three hundred. It felt like a windfall. Looking at the total revenue on the store app, Yu Zui couldn't help but smile.

Immediately, she drew a new product card! Strike while the iron is hot! Launch it immediately!

#Food Category — Qiongye Cake#
[Product: Yu’s Qiongye Cake]
[Specs: 1 piece/box; 6 pieces/box]
[Function: Strengthens the spleen, nourishes the stomach, and removes dampness.]
[Wholesale Price: 38 yuan / 288 yuan]
[Suggested Retail Price: 88 yuan / 588 yuan]

"Boss, do you remember me?" Bai Jingzhu greeted Yu Zui. She had just noticed the owner looking like she was lost in a silly, happy daydream. Haha, she looked quite adorable like that. Come to think of it, the owner seemed quite young!

"I remember!" Yu Zui heard someone calling and snapped her attention back, smiling at Bai Jingzhu. "You bought the rest of my fresh milk that day." She was the one who had helped her complete her advancement task; how could she not have a deep impression of her?

"We’ve come to buy more fresh milk today," Bai Jingzhu said, her smile becoming more sincere when she realized Yu Zui really recognized her.

"How many do you need?" Yu Zui asked quickly. She guessed it was a significant amount; if they only wanted a few bottles, they would have just grabbed them from the shelf. Coming to find her specifically must mean a big deal. In reality, compared to the faster-acting beverages, the fresh milk was not as popular, though she was sure the effects were excellent.

"What is the shelf life of a bottle of milk?" Bai Jingzhu inquired. They were very willing to buy more, but they were worried about the expiration date.

"It can be stored for six months unopened," Yu Zui explained. "We use ultra-high temperature sterilization, so it can be stored at room temperature." She had already asked the system about this; of course, it was also written on the bottle, though the customer might not have looked closely.

"Do you have them by the case?" Bai Jingzhu asked.

Yu Zui hadn't expected someone to want to buy by the case, so she mentally pinged the system. After all, she usually extracted them one by one. As it happened, if there were cases, wouldn't it be easier to handle courier shipments later?

[50 bottles.]

"50 bottles to a case," Yu Zui replied simultaneously.

"Then give us two cases," Bai Jinglan said from the side without hesitation.

Yu Zui: "..."
100 bottles, 18,800 yuan??? Where did these wealthy patrons come from? Heavens! They were so generous? The surprise came so quickly that she was truly a bit skeptical.

[They went to a testing facility for analysis,] the system said in Yu Zui's mind.

Hearing the system, Yu Zui realized what was happening. So that was it! "Can they detect anything special?" Yu Zui asked.

[No, they are just the standard components that should be in any product. We simply maximize the product's effectiveness while adding a little something extra,] the system replied.

Yu Zui paused. The "something extra" was the important part! The internal conversation didn't stop her from attending to her customers. "100 bottles weigh 40 jin (20 kg). Is that convenient for you?"

"It's fine, we have a driver."

"All right." Yu Zui agreed and asked, "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes! Give us a case of everything else, plus 10 boxes of lotus seed ice cakes and 10 boxes of the six-pack Chun Shui Sheng," Bai Jinglan stated directly.

Yu Zui was stunned once again. That added up to over 50,000, nearly 60,000 yuan. Poverty had limited her imagination! She really hadn't expected anyone to buy so much!

"I'll arrange that for you right away. Also, today is the third day of our grand opening, so there is a 5 yuan discount on every item, totaling 1,350 yuan off. Now, the total is..." Yu Zui turned to the small machine, "Xiao Ka, what is the total?"

[The total is 57,410 yuan.] Xiao Ka’s voice boomed through the shop, followed by the sound of fireworks and celebratory cannons.

In an instant, every gaze in the shop turned their way!