There is a happy inn in the capital.

Li Lingxiao: "Sister, look, I've brought my best friend to support the opening!"

Li Shuchen replied with a smile, "Okay."

Then he looked at Xiao'er's friend

Young Master Xiao nodded to Li Shuchen, then looked at Gu Ziying with eyes full of doting affection.

Gu Ziying and Xiao Xiuyuan went to the side to talk.

Stone obediently greeted, "Hello, Sister Li."

This is all normal.

When it was the man in pink's turn, he said, "Brother Li, you're being too polite with us. Why didn't you introduce me to such a beautiful woman sooner?"

She then bowed to Li Shuchen and said in a sweet voice, "Hello, Shuchen. My name is Xu Shaobao. You can also call me by my childhood name, Bao'er."

Li Shuchen frowned. This man didn't seem like a good person. He used the word "Bao'er" in an extremely ambiguous way. Who taught him to call someone that? Couldn't Miss Li use that? And how dare he call Shuchen that?

Screw him, Bao'er, he seems to be seriously ill.

Li Shuchen then replied calmly, "Young Master Xu, please have some self-respect. I am not your mother; please call me Miss Li."

Xu Shaobao choked for a moment. He never expected Li Shuchen to answer like that. Why didn't she play by the rules? Shouldn't she be shy, coquettish, and secretly in love?

Seeing that his older sister looked unhappy, Li Lingxiao quickly pulled Xu Shaobao aside and said, "Brother Xu, be serious and show some respect to my sister. Didn't we agree on something?"

Li Shuchen didn't give him a friendly look, and took the opportunity to back down the way Li Lingxiao had offered.

Xu Shaobao smiled calmly and replied, "Okay."

Then he stood obediently beside Li Lingxiao, watching Li Shuchen smile.

Li Shuchen felt uneasy at the sight of his laughter.

Li Lingxiao: "Sister, we're pulling people in at the door for you. What's with these eggs and candy?"

Li Shuchen: "The first 100 customers who purchase more than one jin of fruits will receive two eggs and five pieces of candy as a gift."

Li Lingxiao nodded: "Okay."

The three then arrived at the shop entrance, stood on either side, and began to hawk their wares.

Come and see!

"We're giving away eggs and candy with every fruit sale!"

Only 100 servings available, first come, first served.

"........................"

Li Shuchen originally didn't want them to solicit customers at the door, since the sun was so hot and it was scorching. But that man named Xu Shaobao was too arrogant and couldn't stand it. Let him suffer a bit.

Because Li Lingxiao and his group were calling out enthusiastically, many new customers entered the shop, coming in a steady stream until it was completely full.

The gifts were almost all gone, and the sun was getting stronger.

Li Shuchen carried a chilled watermelon upstairs, cut it open, and took three large slices to the shop entrance.

Li Shuchen: "Everyone has worked hard. Have a piece of watermelon to quench your thirst."

Li Lingxiao accepted it with both hands: "Thank you, sister."

Shi Tou smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Sister Li."

Xu Shaobao looked at Li Shuchen with affection in her eyes and a slight shyness, saying, "Shuchen is so good to me. You were willing to give me such an expensive watermelon. You are the first girl to be so good to me. I will remember you for the rest of my life."

He then slowly took the watermelon.

Li Lingxiao said solemnly, "Brother Xu!"

Xu Shaobao: "Brother Li, please don't be angry. I truly couldn't help myself."

Li Shuchen was speechless. If there weren't so many people around, she really wanted to roll her eyes at him. Everyone got a slice of watermelon, and she gave them all out, it wasn't just for him. What a narcissist!

Xu Shaobao took a bite of watermelon and began to mutter, "This watermelon is so sweet! It's the sweetest watermelon I've ever eaten. I'll never forget it for the rest of my life."

Li Shuchen scoffed and said, "You should spend your life with watermelon. Watermelon can help cool you down, otherwise..."

It's too hot.

Perhaps Li Lingxiao and his friends were too tempted by the food, because many more passersby came in and headed straight to the back of the shop to buy watermelons.

Passerby B: "These watermelons are a bit expensive, almost a tael of silver per pound."

Passerby C: "It's much more expensive than on North Street, but all the watermelons on the entire North Street combined don't equal the number of watermelons in this shop."

And this one smells even better! We could smell its sweet aroma on the way here.

Passerby B: "Yeah, it's just that one is too big and expensive. How about we buy one together and each take half?"

Passerby C: "Okay, such a big watermelon, half of it is enough to eat."

The two of them happily bought a watermelon and left.

Li Shuchen overheard their conversation, pondered for a moment, and then went upstairs. Before going up, he told Xiao'er and the others that they didn't need to shout anymore and could go inside to cool off.

Li Shuchen sat down at the table, and Gu Ziying returned as well.

He said, "The watermelons are too big; not many people can afford to buy a whole one. Why don't we cut them up and sell them?"

In this way, many guests can enjoy the taste of watermelon without feeling too pressured.

Gu Ziying: "This method is feasible, but given the current hot weather, it might become stale after a while."

Liang Yuying: "We can cut and sell them at the same time, keeping them chilled in ice, but it uses up a lot of ice."

Princess Changning: "Ice is not a problem, there's no need to worry."

Li Shuchen nodded: "A watermelon weighs about ten pounds and can be cut into forty pieces. How about 300 coins per piece?"

"Yes" *3

Li Shuchen: "Alright, you guys keep an eye on the shop for now. I'll go check out the inn; they have some new seasonal items today."

Princess Changning: "Go ahead, there won't be any problems."

Li Shuchen returned to the inn and entered the main hall, just in time to see a man drawing 'blind boxes'. There were only eight mahogany boxes left, arranged in four rows of five.

Man: "Which one should I choose? Help me pick one!"

Spectator A: "Third in the first row!"

Spectator B: "Hey, no way, choose the fifth one in the second row."

C, who was watching the commotion, said: "Listen to me, choose the fifth one in the fourth row."

Li Shuchen also wanted to choose the fifth seat in the fourth row.

The man said, "I want the fifth seat in the second row."

Xiao Feng took the fifth mahogany box from the second row and carried it to the guest.

The man's eyes were full of anticipation: "Open!"

A gentle breeze lifted the lid.

The man glanced at it, frowned, and said with a pout, "Why is it a sweet pear? I want a watermelon."

After saying that, he picked up the small bowl, swallowed half of it in one gulp, chewed it, and relaxed his brow.

"It even smells of wine, and tastes better than I expected. The sweet pear is also good."

Li Shuchen asked Manager Xu in a low voice, "How much seasonal food do you have left at the inn?"

Shopkeeper Xu: "We only have six watermelons left in season; the rest are all sold out."

Li Shuchen nodded, agreeing with her assessment. After all, ten taels of silver could buy a large watermelon, and while the watermelon in the glass bowl was plentiful, it was far less than a whole watermelon.

Just then, another guest arrived to draw lots; it was the girl in the yellow dress from Ziying's birthday banquet.

Li Shuchen greeted her: "Long time no see."

The girl in the yellow dress said happily, "It's Miss Li! Long time no see! Tell me, which one should I choose?"

Li Shuchen: "If you're not satisfied with my choice, don't blame me."

The girl in the yellow dress: "Don't worry, it won't happen."

Li Shuchen: "Then, the fifth one in the fourth row."

The girl in the yellow dress: "Okay, then I'll take the fifth one in the fourth row."