The next day, after dropping Panpan off at kindergarten, Zhang Xuemei rushed to the store, but Xu Mingwan had already gone to open the door before her.

Zhao Laifeng opened the shop at the usual time, but before she even reached her own shop, she saw that Zhang Xuemei's shop was already surrounded by people. Weren't they not allowed to sell anymore? Why are there still people here?

No, she had to find out what was going on, so she went into the store.

"Sister, now is the perfect time to buy! It's cheap and there are so many styles to choose from. You won't have this opportunity again later. Besides, it's almost May now, and it'll get hot in June. You'll be able to wear these clothes soon, so now is the perfect time to buy!"

Seeing the older woman hesitating between two pieces of clothing, Zhang Xuemei couldn't help but step forward and offer her some advice.

"Then if you give me a discount, I'll buy two more."

"That won't do. I'm selling at a loss. Everyone's buying like this, so it won't be cheaper."

"Give me a discount of one yuan, and I won't tell anyone." The woman thought she was speaking very quietly, but everyone around her heard her. As soon as Zhang Xuemei agreed to the discount, they immediately followed suit.

Zhang Xuemei would never do something so foolish, and firmly refused, saying, "No, our prices are already the lowest. If you really can't decide, you can go and look at other stores first. I guarantee that our store is the cheapest in the entire market."

"That's right, that's right, do you want the one you're holding? If not, give it to me, I can't find the same one." The helpful aunt next to her reached out to take the clothes from her hand.

The woman dodged it, saying unhappily, "I didn't say I didn't want it, why are you grabbing it? It's already in my hands, why are you still trying to take it? That doesn't make sense."

"Then why are you whining and not saying you want it? If you want it, just give me the money. Stop dawdling here."

"Fine, I'll go."

Standing on the periphery, Zhao Laifeng understood what was going on. They hadn't listened to Director Lu and were selling things again. No, she had to go and inform Director Lu.

Zhang Xuemei had already seen Zhao Laifeng and knew what she was secretly planning to do, but she didn't care, since she now had someone to rely on.

Thinking this made him even happier. He bent down, took out more clothes from the bag, put them on the cart, and shouted loudly, "Everyone, hurry up and buy! There aren't many left. We'll be leaving in the next couple of days after we sell them all. You won't have such a good opportunity again."

"Hey, all you sellers say that, I know your tricks all too well," a woman in a brown long-sleeved shirt said disdainfully. She'd seen plenty of self-praise from the vendors.

Zhang Xuemei didn't mind, and just said with a smile, "That's really true now. We'll sell until Sunday, and then we won't set up shop on Monday. We won't sell anymore, whether we've sold out or not."

"Really? It sounds pretty true."

Zhang Xuemei just smiled and didn't say anything. Everyone looked at each other and thought, "Well, whether it's true or not, let's buy a few more items while they're cheap!" And so, a new round of clothes-buying began.

"Hey, I saw this one first, how did you take it?"

"You're saying that whatever you like is yours? You didn't even pay for it."

"I was just thinking of paying the bill together later, why are you like this!"

"If you see something you like, you have to keep it; if you leave it aside, nobody wants it. I don't care about all that."

"Hey, you, boss..."

Unable to win an argument, she went to Zhang Xuemei to reason with her. Zhang Xuemei stepped away, pretending not to hear anything, and simply wouldn't respond. She wasn't that free.

Zhao Laifeng ran excitedly to the office, but soon returned looking dejected.

"Sister Zhao, where have you been? You look unhappy." Chen Yan took a small stool and sat down by the door, munching on a steamed bun. Since no one was around, she could have a good breakfast.

"Eat, eat, you still have the appetite? Didn't you see that other shops were packed with people early this morning? Look at us, how can we possibly make any business today?"

Zhao Laifeng was furious to see Chen Yan still having the mood to eat steamed buns. It seemed that only she was anxious!

Chen Yan was completely bewildered by the scolding. No, what did it have to do with Zhao Laifeng that she was eating breakfast? It wasn't like she was spending Zhao Laifeng's money. She was crazy.

If it weren't for the strong smell of steamed buns, she wouldn't want to see Zhao Laifeng's sour face at the door!

Zhao Laifeng didn't care that Chen Yan didn't respond and started talking on her own, "You know, yesterday Manager Lu clearly said that she wouldn't be allowed to sell like this today, but she changed her mind today. I don't believe there's nothing fishy going on in there!"

"So, what do you want?" Chen Yan asked listlessly. Actually, what was so strange about it? They must have given Lu Qiang a gift last night! It's that simple!

"What can I do? They have powerful backers, who knows what they might have betrayed, ha!" Zhao Laifeng speculated about Zhang Xuemei and the others with the utmost malice, thinking that the two women's biggest asset was themselves, so what good could come of it?

Chen Yan felt uncomfortable upon hearing this. Although she also felt that Zhang Xuemei's actions were affecting her business, she couldn't just make wild guesses and label people randomly!

"Sister Zhao, you should watch your mouth. We're all women, why are you being so prejudiced?"

"Ha, you think you're so great? Yesterday, someone's eyes were glued to their shop, making you so hungry!" Zhao Laifeng mocked Chen Yan before opening the door and going into her own shop.

"You, phew~"

Chen Yan was so angry she was practically bursting with rage. She looked down at the half-eaten bun in her hand, but in the end, she couldn't bear to throw it away. She just stuffed it into her mouth and went back to the shop.

Zhang Xuemei's shop was busy all morning, and the two of them didn't even have a chance to go to the toilet. Their lips were so dry that they were peeling.

It was finally 11:30 when the crowd thinned out, allowing them to catch their breath. They quickly filled their water bottles and took turns using the restroom.

"Sister-in-law, there are even more people today than yesterday. I wonder if any items have been stolen."

Zhang Xuemei waved her hand, too exhausted to even speak. "Fine, let them steal a few things. She only has one pair of eyes; she can keep a close eye on things as long as she can."

After calming down a bit, she stood up and went back to the counter to open the cash drawer. Looking at the box full of banknotes and coins, she instantly felt refreshed. Her feet no longer hurt, and her voice was no longer hoarse, as if she had taken a magic pill.

"Sister-in-law, what do you want to eat for lunch? I'll go buy it. Let's eat quickly while no one's around."

Xu Mingwan also stood up. She had reason to suspect that the crowd would increase again soon, and then they wouldn't be able to eat even if they wanted to.

"Okay, you can buy whatever you want!" Zhang Xuemei took a twenty-yuan note from the drawer and handed it over. She hadn't felt it before, but now that she had some free time, she felt hungry.

No sooner had Xu Mingwan left than Yang Sufeng arrived at the door. "Boss, are you free? I'd like to discuss a small business deal with you."