Old Xu has been really happy lately, he's practically walking on air. This morning, he got up early and went to the market to inspect the shop renovations.

"Hey, boss, you'd better do a good job of decorating, and use the best materials." Old Xu wandered around the shop with his hands behind his back, occasionally pointing and giving instructions.

Xu Mingri jumped down from the shelf and assured him with a smile, "Dad, don't worry, I'll do all the renovations myself. What are you afraid of? By the way, I'll find someone to do the carpentry for you. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Okay, Dad is entrusting all of this to you. Xuemei and Minghan will pay for the rent, you will pay for the renovation, and the second, fourth, and fifth brothers will each pay for a freezer. As for the cost of purchasing goods, I've thought it through. You five brothers will split the cost equally for me first, and I'll pay you back once I break even. Is that alright with you?"

Old Xu thought he had done a fair job, as he hadn't neglected any of his five sons.

"Dad, what do you mean by 'pay back'? We've already discussed the cost of the goods; it'll be split equally among the five of us. You don't need to pay it back..."

He Guixiang had just walked up when she heard Xu Mingri's words and couldn't help but sneer, "I knew it! You even need your sons to scrape together the money for buying goods. Old man, take my advice, you shouldn't be out working anymore. It would be better if you stayed home and rested."

"Who do you think you are, minding your own business? Didn't your parents teach you to mind your own business?" Old Xu glared at her, then rolled his eyes at He Guixiang.

"Hey, grandpa, I'm just trying to be helpful. Business isn't as easy as you think. I came here to give you a hand. Look, you can rent this shop to me. I'll give you five hundred a month in rent, which is six thousand a year. It's much easier than running your own business."

Even after learning that the shop had been sold, He Guixiang was still unwilling to give up. She also heard that an old man was running it, so she came up with an idea.

Thinking that if she couldn't buy it, she could at least rent it. The rent for a shop here was only 450 or 460 yuan a month, and she offered 500 yuan a month. She didn't believe that the old man wouldn't be tempted.

"Tch, your five hundred is a lot. Why should I rent you the shop I bought for over ten thousand? Go away, go cool off somewhere else and stop bothering me."

Old Xu wasn't buying it. Xuemei had already said that there were only two grocery stores in this market, including his, so this must be the one.

He doesn't need the five hundred, so why should she get it for free? Seeing how anxious she is, it seems this food business must be profitable, so he can't let go of it.

Thinking this, he turned around and saw his eldest son sitting in a chair resting. He frowned and shouted, "Eldest son, what are you doing sitting there? Get up and get to work! I'm waiting for the opening. Every day we're late means we'll earn less money. You'd better hurry up!"

"Dad, you have to let me rest for a while," Xu Mingri said, his father urging him to get up again before he could even sit down properly. He was being treated like a mule, with no regard for his well-being at all.

After rushing around for about half a month, Lao Xu's grocery store was finally ready to open. But before that, Zhang Xuemei had come up with a few good ways to attract customers.

"Dad, Mom, I've come up with a few ideas for you. Listen to them first. The first one is that we'll do some promotions for the first three days after opening. For example, if you spend ten yuan, you'll get two eggs; if you spend twenty yuan, you'll get four eggs; and so on, up to a maximum of one hundred yuan. I reckon that will definitely tempt those middle-aged women who come here."

Upon hearing this, Granny Liu laughed, "Don't even mention that the old lady can't sit still; even I would be restless if I heard that. I'd definitely want to take advantage of this."

But Old Xu's stinginess kicked in again. He grumbled reluctantly, "Wouldn't this be a huge loss? Eggs cost money too. I don't think we need to make such a fuss. People who want to buy them will come naturally."

"Dad, listen to me first. Your store is newly opened, but other stores have been open for a long time and have accumulated a group of regular customers."

Your most important task right now is to attract customers. The people who come to this market every day are the same few people; they either come to your shop or go to someone else's. If you want good business, you need to make a good start.

“That’s right, old man, if you don’t understand, don’t ask questions. Just listen to Xuemei. Xuemei, please continue.” Granny Liu pulled her husband back, who was about to say something, and told him to be quiet for a while.

Zhang Xuemei smiled and continued, "Besides giving away eggs, we can also lower the prices of some high-profit items slightly as a benefit for the new store opening. Of course, this discount will only be available for the first three days, after which the prices will return to normal. I think no one would want to miss out on these bargains."

Those who usually come to the market to buy groceries are either housewives or elderly women, and they are very good at saving money. They certainly won't miss out on these discounts.

“I think it’s a good idea. Xuemei, why don’t you print it out for us? I’ll just stick it up at the store entrance so everyone can see it.”

Grandma Liu really approved of her third daughter-in-law's idea. "You see, she thinks things through. It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but for now, their grocery store business should be pretty good. Even though the prices are lower, they can make more money by selling more at a lower profit margin."

"Mom, just putting them on isn't enough. You need to be able to talk things out. Here's what we'll do: I'll look at the accounts and pick out the high-profit items to lower the prices. Minghan and I will also go and help out when we open tomorrow."

Zhang Xuemei was still worried about her parents-in-law, fearing that they would become flustered and unaware if their belongings were taken by others when there were many people around.

"Okay, you guys can help out for a couple of days. Once things are on track, we won't need you anymore."

The next day, just as dawn broke, Zhang Xuemei and her husband were woken up by the noise.

"Minghan, Xuemei, it's time to get up, or it will be too late." Granny Liu stood at the door of the room and knocked softly. Only after hearing movement inside did she leave with peace of mind.

Zhang Xuemei rubbed her eyes and came out, mumbling, "Mom, why are you here so early? It's only five o'clock."

"It's getting late. People who go to the market get up early. You guys hurry up and wash up. I've already cooked the porridge and some steamed buns I just bought. Let's eat quickly and then go to the market."

Granny Liu and her husband had already eaten, and now she was sitting at the table fanning the bowl of porridge she had just served.

After washing up, Zhang Xuemei sat down at the table and glanced around casually, only to realize that her father-in-law didn't seem to be home.

"Mom, where's Dad? Isn't he up yet?"

Granny Liu put down her fan and laughed, "How could that be? Your dad couldn't wait and went ahead. We'll leave after we finish eating. Leave a note for Panpan and Linlin so they can go downstairs to the breakfast shop to eat."

After hearing that her father-in-law had already left, Zhang Xuemei didn't linger any longer. She quickly finished her breakfast and rode her bicycle to the market.

"Dad, is it open yet?" Zhang Xuemei had just arrived at the store entrance when she saw her father-in-law sitting seriously at the cashier's position, staring intently outside.