country bumpkin

The city lights are dazzling at night. Although Yicheng is a small county town, its city center is just as brightly lit and bustling.

It's already past 8 p.m., and the city street is still packed with people.

Outside the shops, vendors selling snacks were busy working with both hands and feet. A dazzling array of snacks were on display.

The crowds were packed tightly together, young men and women were whispering sweet nothings to each other, their faces beaming with smiles, and they were all holding various snacks and delicacies, chatting as they strolled around.

Kong Xiufang's shop was a bit far from the city center, and most of the shops around her were closed, except for one shop selling snacks and fruits that was still open.

Lin Junhui walked out of the shop, looked around, and saw that there were hardly any people on the street. There was no need to wait any longer, so he decided to close up shop, go home, get some rest, and make sure to sell well again tomorrow.

Lin Junhui walked back to the shop and called to his wife to pack up and close the door. Kong Xiufang was also exhausted after a long day; her arms and legs ached, and her voice was hoarse from talking too much.

The two tidied up the shop, took their wallets, locked the door, and pushed their bicycles home.

On the way, the two analyzed the day's business situation again and made adjustments based on their strengths and weaknesses.

When they got home, Song Shiyue, the mother-in-law, had already put her eldest grandson to sleep. She sat in the living room waiting for her son and daughter-in-law to come home.

After returning home, Kong Xiufang quickly washed up and went to her mother-in-law's bedroom. She checked on her son, who was sleeping soundly.

Kong Xiufang missed her son terribly after not seeing him for a day. She bent down and kissed her precious son by the bedside, then pulled the thin blanket up a little more before turning back to the living room.

After Lin Junhui finished washing up and eating something, they prepared to go back to their room.

Seeing that they were exhausted after a long day, Song Shiyue urged them to go and rest.

Kong Xiufang stopped and turned around to pull her mother-in-law to sit on the sofa in the living room, and together they checked the money.

Kong Xiufang looked at the ledger and calculated today's turnover. Lin Junhui and Song Shiyue divided the work of checking the money.

The mother and daughter checked the money, staring at each other in disbelief. Good heavens, the daily turnover was 4000 yuan! The speed at which they were making money was incredible.

Kong Xiufang then picked up the ledger to calculate the purchase price and profit of the sold goods. The final calculation showed a daily profit of 30%, which was 1200 yuan.

The money he earned in one day was equivalent to half a month's wages for an average worker in a garment factory.

The family members quickly recovered from their surprise, looked at each other and laughed, and their drowsiness lessened considerably.

Kong Xiufang carefully put the money away, leaving 200 yuan in change, and placed it in the handbag she carried every day.

She then took out another 300 yuan and gave it to her mother-in-law, saying, "Mom, take this money and buy some snacks for Nuanyang. I'll keep the rest for purchasing goods. Once we pay off the loan, all the money we earn at home will be yours to manage."

Song Shiyue was both happy and gratified. Her daughter-in-law and son were filial. No matter who controlled the family money in the future, as long as the family was happy and harmonious, that was better than anything else.

Kong Xiufang was holding a large iron box in her arms, which contained the money she had earned this time. It was all in large bills, which she was saving for future purchases.

Kong Xiufang put the iron box back in the closet in her bedroom, yawned, and came out to call Lin Junhui to rest.

Song Shiyue was also yawning from sleepiness. She told her son and daughter-in-law and went back to her bedroom to sleep.

When Lin Junhui returned to the room, the two of them were so tired that they fell asleep immediately.

Silent all night.

The next day was another busy one. Their clothing store was still packed with people. The event was initially scheduled to last for three days, and the enthusiasm showed no signs of waning; there were even more people than yesterday.

I bet those old ladies have already put on the free short-sleeved shirts and are promoting the clothing store!

There was also an elderly lady who had come yesterday, wearing a long-sleeved jacket over a free short-sleeved shirt. She chatted with her friends, showing off that she had received a free short-sleeved jacket.

Today's turnover was about the same as yesterday, and I still made 1200 yuan.

Even as the event drew to a close on the third day, the store was still bustling with customers.

Kong Xiufang was so busy that she barely had time to breathe. Just then, an elderly woman with white hair walked into the shop with her daughter-in-law.

The old lady grabbed Kong Xiufang's hand and waved it, saying, "Girl, let my daughter-in-law pick whatever clothes she wants in this shop, I'll pay for them!"

Kong Xiufang was flattered and immediately invited the two women to make their selections.

The young woman browsed around the store and picked out several fashionable clothes. The old lady didn't hesitate and paid for them directly.

Seeing this, other customers also started making their own selections, making the store even more popular.

After the event, Kong Xiufang did the math and found that the profits from the three days were more than she had expected.

The whole family was overjoyed, and Lin Junhui suggested, "Let's organize another event next time; we're sure to make a fortune again."

Kong Xiufang nodded with a smile, and Song Shiyue also said cheerfully from the side, "I think it's a good idea. I'll go and help you greet the guests too."

Kong Xiufang's eyes lit up. "That's right, Mom. You go help out at the shop, and I'll take the child to my older sister's house so she can look after him."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law made the decision happily.

Seeing that the store was doing so well and that there were still more than 40 short-sleeved shirts left to give away, Kong Xiufang continued the activity.

On the fourth day, business at the store was not as booming as it had been; it was much quieter compared to the previous three days.

Song Shiyue went home to cook lunch and brought it over. After Kong Xiufang and Lin Junhui finished eating, Lin Junhui looked after the shop while Kong Xiufang picked up the child and took him home to be looked after by her mother-in-law.

Kong Xiujuan also blamed Kong Xiufang, saying, "Oh dear, you only remembered to send the child over now. It's too late. You should have sent him over on the first day of business. That way, your mother-in-law could have helped you sell goods and mind the shop. But your sister isn't as good with words as your mother-in-law; she can't help you sell clothes."

Kong Xiufang smiled and said, "Big sister, you've brought me lunch for three days straight, which has been a huge help. Otherwise, I would have been running the shop on an empty stomach."

Kong Xiujuan waved her hand: "I'm not capable enough, all I can do is deliver food, I can't help with anything else."

Kong Xiufang held her eldest sister's hand: "Eldest sister, don't say that. I know you love me the most. You are the best eldest sister."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two sisters took their son home.

After handing her son over to her mother-in-law, she returned to the shop. She couldn't let Lin Junhui mind the shop alone. Although there were fewer customers buying clothes than in the previous three days, there was still a steady flow of customers.

Starting from the fourth day, most people came to look but didn't buy much, which suggests that sales are about to return to normal levels.

Once the changing seasons are over, business will always be slow. In that case, one person can manage the business even if only one person stays in the shop.

Unless it's time to buy new stock, one person is needed to watch the store. Another person is needed to watch the store during lunchtime as well.

The event ended on the fifth day.