Chapter 171 - Watermelon Shop (1/2)

Madam Hu didn’t say anything at this time. She was somewhat interested in the idea until she heard that a cart of watermelons cost over fifty taels. If they couldn’t sell them, how many years would it take for them to repay the debt?

“Second Maternal Uncle, don’t worry about the cart! We’re going to buy a horse carriage, so you can borrow our donkey cart! It just depends on whether you guys have the courage to do this!” Yu Xiaocao also wanted to help her maternal grandmother’s family. She had already made herself very clear. If her maternal uncles couldn’t make up their minds, then there’s nothing that she could do.

While Liu Han was still hesitating, Madam Hu’s eyes shifted around and she whispered, “Husband, should we… work together with Eldest Brother-in-law?” In this way, they could share the risk with someone. If they needed to repay the money, there would be less pressure with two branches of the family.

Liu Han, who couldn’t make a decision, also felt that he should ask for his eldest brother’s opinion. ‘It just so happens that Eldest Brother took Zhiwei to work at the docks today. I can discuss this matter with him when I see him later!’

“Miss Yu, I brought you the horse carriage!!” Qian Xiaoduo drove a horse carriage over with an unfamiliar worker. Seeing that everyone was busy in the watermelon fields, he didn’t treat himself as an outsider and helped them load the watermelons onto the carriage.

They had already signed a supply contract with Zhenxiu Restaurant. Madam Liu saw that Qian Xiaoduo and other staff had come over on two carriages. The brand-new one was for their family, while the other one was for buying watermelons!

“Little brother Qian, how many watermelons do you guys want?” Madam Liu took the scale and asked Qian Xiaoduo with a kind smile.

Qian Xiaoduo said sweetly, “Auntie, just leave it! How can I bother you to weigh such heavy watermelons ah?! Little Haozi, you go help Auntie carry the scale!”

Little Haozi? Yu Xiaocao looked at the thin and small teenager and had a hard time suppressing her laughter. Little Haozi’s face flushed and muttered, “My name is Niu Hao. It’s the hao from the word vast, not the hao from the word mouse!”

Qian Xiaoduo snickered and said, “Haha! Stop explaining and get to work. After weighing the watermelons, we still need to gather the vegetables!”

It was the first day of Zhenxiu Restaurant’s free fruit tray event. They weren’t sure if the reactions would be good, so they only bought two hundred catties of watermelons. They still purchased the usual amount of vegetables, filling the carriage to the brim.

Yu Hai picked out all the ripe watermelons in the fields and filled a horse carriage and donkey cart with them. Xiaocao drove the donkey cart, while he steered the horse carriage. The father-daughter pair followed Zhenxiu Restaurant’s carriage and headed to town unhurriedly.

Fang Zizhen was currently in the store in town and preparing for the grand opening tomorrow. In fact, Yu Xiaocao didn’t plan to operate this store for a long time. Thus, it was furnished very simply. The signboard of ‘Tanggu Watermelon Shop’ had already been hung above the entrance of the store, but it was covered by a red cloth at this time. Inside the shop, there were custom-made wooden shelves with wooden planks nailed all around the racks to ensure that the watermelons wouldn’t fall off the shelves.

The storefront next door had already been rented out. ‘Splendid Brocades Manor’ was a store that sold high quality fabrics such as silks and satins. At this time, the owner of Splendid Brocades Manor and several noble customers looked at the shop next door from time to time.

“Shopkeeper Feng, do you know who rented the shop next door? What kind of business are they doing? The interior looks so shabby. It won’t be a general store, right? If they put a bunch of sundries at the entrance, it will affect your business!” The eldest young miss of the town’s Zhuang Family pursed her lips in disdain and shook her handkerchief as she spoke.

Shopkeeper Feng was a woman under the age of thirty, with a fair complexion and a slightly plump figure. She beamed with joy and said, “No, I don’t think so! How much money can a general store make? The rent here isn’t cheap. Do you guys see? That man, who is busily working, is a government official! He was dressed in an official’s robe last time he came here!”

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang’s bosom friend, Miss Wang, revealed a curious expression and looked at the layers of shelves next door again. She asked, “Weren’t they going to start business tomorrow? Why isn’t there any goods in the store today? How weird!”

Shopkeeper Feng was about to say something when she saw a carriage packed with watermelons in front of her store. She was stunned for a moment. Watermelons weren’t popularized at this time. She was born and raised in the little town of Tanggu, so she had never seen a watermelon before.

“Aiya! It’s here, it’s here!!” Miss Wang put down the cloth in her hands and took two steps towards the door. Sure enough, the carriage stopped in front of the shop next door.

Eldest Young Miss Zhuang was holding a brocade embroidered with lotus flowers against her body and examining it. When she heard her words, she said, “What’s coming? Can you stop making a fuss! So embarrassing!”

Regardless of their foundations in Tanggu Town or family background, the Zhuang Family was stronger than the Wang Family. As a result, Eldest Young Miss Zhuang would always unconsciously display a sense of superiority.

Miss Wang didn’t take it to heart and said, “The goods for next door has arrived! Hey, it looks like the watermelon that I ate at your house!”

“Watermelon? How can there be people selling watermelons in our Tanggu Town? The watermelon from last time was brought back by my older brother, who went on a study trip to the capital!” With a face of disbelief, Eldest Young Miss Zhuang continued to look at the fabrics.

Miss Wang looked at the big and round watermelons being moved into the store next door and said with slight uncertainty, “Maybe it’s not? The watermelon that I ate last time at your house wasn’t as big and fresh!”