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Chu Xuhua gestured to his siblings with a nod, “Let’s go help out.”

Chu Qingning tilted her head, “Let’s go.”

In the general store, Li Qingyu was in charge.

Four graduated children, Xu Dafei, Li Hemei, Li Jianyong, and Zhou Anlan, were the helpers.

Xu Dafei was responsible for stocking and updating the merchandise.

Li Hemei took care of the accounts.

The other two were in charge of sales, weighing items for customers or informing them of prices.

Additionally, there was a boy from the same village with six fingers on each hand. Teased and feeling inferior because of his extra digit, his mother pleaded with Li Qingyu, who, taking pity on him, gave him a job.

He was tasked with cleaning and, when not busy, helped with restocking and other miscellaneous tasks.

Though shy and reticent, his diligent work quickly made him a favorite of Li Qingyu’s.

The store’s opening day attracted a crowd, at least a thousand strong. With only a hundred square meters of space, including shelves and stock, the store was packed as soon as it opened.

Unexpectedly, everyone rushed for salt.

“I want five pounds of salt.”

“I’ll take ten pounds.”

“Three pounds for me, please.”

With the New Year approaching, salt prices had skyrocketed. The store’s ten percent discount made a significant difference, especially for such an essential commodity, naturally attracting a large number of buyers.

Two of the kids were quickly enlisted to help weigh salt.

Customers queued at the counter to pay, with Li Hemei’s mental arithmetic skills making her the perfect fit for the job.

The first to pay was Chu Grandma’s brother, “Little girl, let’s see how much I owe.”

Li Hemei tallied the costs, “Dry tobacco, one pound for fifty copper coins; distilled liquor, one pound for a hundred copper coins; rheumatism plaster, thirty copper coins each. Total, one hundred and eighty copper coins. With a ten percent discount, that’s eighteen copper coins off, so one hundred and sixty-two copper coins in total.”

As she calculated, she removed the price tags from the items, which would be reused on new stock.

After the transaction, the uncle cheerfully paid, “I’ll come back when it’s less crowded.”

Li Hemei smiled, “You’re welcome anytime. Take care.”

Gradually, more people came to pay. Chu Qingzhi joined in to help, speeding up the process significantly.

“Qingzhi, could you total this up for Third Granny?” Third Granny placed her basket in front of Chu Qingzhi, who also provided baskets for shoppers to use. Third Granny’s basket was filled to the brim.

“Sure.” Chu Qingzhi began tallying the items and their prices, “Five pounds of salt for three hundred and fifty copper coins, two pounds of cookies for a hundred copper coins, a bottle of bamboo shoot and soybean sauce for fifty copper coins,… Third Granny, that comes to two silver taels. For every tael spent, you get a basket for free.”

Baskets came in three sizes, with wholesale prices of ten copper coins, seven copper coins, and four copper coins, respectively. They were quite affordable.

Third Granny was delighted, “Thank you, Qingzhi.”

“No problem, Third Granny. Take care.”

Hearing about the free basket promotion, those in line quickly did the math, and anyone short of a tael left the queue to grab additional items.

Two women who had finished their shopping walked home together…

“I never expected Qingzhi’s store to have everything – food, clothing, essentials. Shopping will be much more convenient now.”

“The key is it’s cheaper than in the county town, truly a benefit to our community.”

“Salt is selling for eighty copper coins a pound in the county town, but here it’s only seventy copper coins, and there’s even a discount. The more I think about it, the better it sounds.”

…

Du Qiaolan arrived in Chu’s village with her two sisters-in-law, intending to buy some salt.

Ten-year-old Wang Lingling pointed at the bustling store, “Sister-in-law, look at the crowd!”

Six-year-old Wang Qiaoqiao, holding Du Qiaolan’s hand, nodded, “Sister-in-law, we might not be able to squeeze in.”

Du Qiaolan, managing the two kids, said, “Let’s visit your brother first and shop later when it’s less crowded.”

Wang Qiaoqiao worried, “What if they sell out?”

Du Qiaolan reassured her with a smile, “Don’t worry. If they run out, they’ll restock.”

Relieved, Wang Qiaoqiao agreed, “Then let’s go find big brother.”

“Let’s go.”

Next to the duty booth at the village entrance stood a large wooden sign.

This sign was crafted beautifully, with a red paper attached to it announcing, “Celebrating the Grand Opening of Chu’s Village General Store.”

Below that, in smaller letters, it read, “Grand opening on the 7th of the twelfth lunar month, everything 10% off. Welcome!”

Further down, a simple map of the general store was drawn, easily understandable by anyone.

At this moment, a few merchants gathered around the sign.

“I never expected Chu Qingzhi to actually open a general store in the village.”

“Chu Qingzhi is someone who creates miracles. I wouldn’t be surprised even if she opened a restaurant. A general store is nothing for her.”

“Ha ha, let’s go have a look at the general store and perhaps talk some business.”

“Let’s go.”

The merchants made their way to the general store, browsed around for a bit, bought some bread to eat, and then went to the small square to wait for Chu Qingzhi, their eyes filled with astonishment.

The fact that the general store was doing so well in a village was nothing short of a miracle.

This was undoubtedly due to Chu Qingzhi’s reputation and the fact that the items were genuinely cheaper, selling things that everyone needed. All these factors combined naturally resulted in good business.

The general store remained crowded until noon when it started to get a little less busy.

Chu Qingzhi came out to the small square, intending to take a breather. She wanted to take it easy, but ended up being busy every day.

Several small merchants approached her upon seeing her emerge and respectfully greeted, “Miss Chu.”

Chu Qingzhi assessed them, “What can I do for you?”

One of the merchants said somewhat eagerly, “We’ve come to discuss business with you.”

Chu Qingzhi didn’t immediately dismiss them. The general store could always use more stock, “What kind of business?”

“I sell shoes. The shoes my family makes are of good quality and not expensive. Please, take a look.” With that, he opened his bundle and presented two pairs of shoes, one for women and one for men.

The general store didn’t sell shoes at the moment. Shoes are a necessity with no expiration date, so Chu Qingzhi considered it. She took the shoes in her hands to examine them.

The shoes were made of sturdy fabric with neat stitches and embroidery. The women’s shoes were blue, and the men’s black, both looking quite nice.

“How much for a pair?”

Seeing Chu Qingzhi’s interest, the merchant’s enthusiasm grew, “If bought in bulk, they’re just seventy copper coins per pair. You could sell them for one silver tael per pair and still make a profit.”

Chu Qingzhi proposed, “Sixty copper coins. Bring me a thousand pairs, five hundred for women and five hundred for men. Is that alright?”

The merchant was overjoyed and quickly agreed, “Yes, yes, yes, we’ll do as Miss Chu says.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, “Then go bring them over now.”

“Thank you, Miss Chu.” The merchant left, elated.