In the following days, Zhen Wanwan was busy researching lip balm.
She decided to add a lip balm and skincare section to the third floor of the department store in Fucheng.
Because the population flow in the prefectural city is greater than that in the county town, her department store is also larger in scale than the department store in Guangling County.
The interior design style of Zhen Wanwan still follows the style of Guangling County. The first floor is mostly occupied by ordinary people, and the decoration is relatively simple and plain.
The second floor is mostly frequented by book lovers, and the decor leans towards an artistic style, filled with the aroma of books.
The third floor is mostly occupied by women, and is decorated in a more exquisite and elegant style, while the children's area is decorated in a very childlike and cute way.
Tomorrow is the opening day of the department store branch. Zhen Wanwan is always cautious, so she came to inspect the store the day before the opening.
Inside the department store lobby, the housekeepers were all dressed in uniform, and Manager Zhang stood at the front giving a speech.
Zhen Wanwan, hidden behind, watched the scene before her and nodded in satisfaction.
She didn't say anything, and although the employees were curious, they didn't dare to look directly at her.
So after Manager Zhang finished explaining the precautions, Zhen Wanwan came out and said a few words of encouragement.
"From now on, I will definitely not treat you unfairly when you work here. If you do well, I will reward you separately. If you try to cheat or shirk your duties, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The crowd below replied in unison, "Yes! We understand!"
Whether these people are good or bad will become clear in time.
After checking everything and finding no major problems, Zhen Wanwan left the department store.
With the opening tomorrow in mind, she needs to find someone to help her save face.
I wonder if Zhu Yuan's influence will be of any use here.
Xiao Mei whispered a reminder: "Wife! We've arrived at the yamen!"
When Zhen Wanwan got off the car, she was immediately in front of the back gate of the yamen.
The rule of the yamen is that if you have a grievance, you enter through the front door; if you are looking for someone, you go directly to the back door.
Upon hearing the news, Zhu Yuan rushed out to pick up Zhen Wanwan.
Seeing that Zhen Wanwan had arrived, he exclaimed with delight, "Madam! You've arrived so quickly?"
The department store and the government office were not far apart; the servant had just finished reporting when she arrived.
Today, Guabao and Tianbao didn't come out with her. Zhang Mama was guarding the two of them, and that's when Zhen Wanwan noticed them coming out.
With Zhu Yuan's half-support, Zhen Wanwan followed him to the back hall of the yamen where government affairs were handled.
People came and went in the back hall one after another, including the prefect and several officials such as Yin Duwei.
Zhu Yuan led Zhen Wanwan into his private office, where there was a long table covered with letters.
Zhen Wanwan glanced at it briefly before looking away and sitting down on the stool.
Zhu Yuan poured her a cup of tea and then sat down beside her.
He reached out and took Zhen Wanwan's hand without a care for others, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness.
"Didn't you say you were going to look at the department store? What brings you here?"
Zhen Wanwan took a sip of tea; it was a bit bitter. Milk tea was much better.
Upon hearing this, she explained, "That's exactly why I came to see you! The department store is opening tomorrow, and I'd like to ask you to help out with the opening ceremony!"
After she finished speaking, she glanced cautiously at Zhu Yuan, worried that he might feel that she didn't have enough face to command respect and would be upset.
Zhu Yuan was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he just found it funny.
It was such a simple thing.
"It's a small matter, my wife. You can wait until I get back and then tell me about it."
Zhen Wanwan shrugged shyly and said with a hint of coquettishness, "It's not entirely about the department store. I just happened to have some free time today, so I thought I'd come and see you!"
In the past, she had to stay at home taking care of her children and preparing for the department store, so she never had a chance to come and see Zhuyuan's work.
Hearing this, Zhu Yuan felt a warmth in his heart and held her small hand even tighter.
“My dear wife, you are too kind. If you are not in a hurry, why don’t you wait for me for half an hour? After I have finished dealing with the matters at hand, I will accompany you to go out for a stroll.”
Zhen Wanwan readily agreed, as they had indeed never gone shopping together before.
Since she had some free time today, she wanted to take a walk around.
The prefectural city is much more bustling than the county town, so the department store's business is sure to be booming.
Half an hour later, Zhu Yuan, holding Zhen Wanwan's hand, strolled leisurely down the street, oblivious to everyone else.
From a distance, it's clear they are a very loving newlywed couple.
Zhu Yuan rarely appeared in the city, and the people didn't recognize him. The two of them were good-looking, and they were a beautiful sight when they walked on the street.
Upon seeing the two, the toy vendor hurriedly called out, "Madam and Gentleman! Come and take a look at the new toys from the department store! They're absolutely genuine!"
Zhen Wanwan was drawn to this sentence. She didn't expect that her department store hadn't even opened yet, but this place had already launched new products.
She picked up a roughly made dog toy and asked the vendor uncertainly, "Are you saying this is a new item from the department store?"
The vendor, unaware that the person in front of him was the decision-maker of the department store, said with a straight face, "Indeed! Madam has excellent taste! This toy was found by me all the way from the department store in Guangling County, it's absolutely genuine!"
Zhen Wanwan is ridiculous. Anyone with a brain knows this fake isn't real.
"Boss! How much do you sell this doll for?"
"Hmm! How about this? Since this is Madam's first time buying, I'll give you a discount. How about one string of copper coins?"
Seeing Zhen Wanwan's surprised expression, the vendor explained, "Madam, this is already very cheap! My purchase price is almost one string of cash... I'm just a small business, I only make a profit from your cost price..."
Zhen Wanwan was surprised because the counterfeit products were expensive; she thought these counterfeit products would only cost a few copper coins at most.
This price is outrageous! Even their department stores don't price their products this high!
"Boss! I'll take this one!"
Suddenly, a female voice interrupted Zhen Wanwan's thoughts. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes looking down at her with her chin raised high.
With a strange hostility in his eyes, Zhen Wanwan looked at him several times, but still couldn't remember who he was!
However, the other party had already pushed her aside, but Zhu Yuan, with sharp eyes and quick hands, stepped in to protect Zhen Wanwan.
"Hmph! Country bumpkin! You've been asking for so long and haven't bought anything, you probably can't afford it!"
The woman's maid looked Zhen Wanwan and her husband up and down, and when she saw the couple's faces clearly, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes.
However, in her eyes, all of this was nothing more than a nouveau riche!
Behind the maid, a young lady dressed in expensive fabrics slowly walked up to them.
She curtsied politely to them, then looked at Zhuyuan with delight and said, "When did you return, strategist? Why didn't you tell me?"
Zhen Wanwan's eyelids twitched. Oh dear! So this woman is her husband's unwanted romantic interest!
Faced with such blatant disregard, Zhen Wanwan directly wrapped her wrist around Zhu Yuan's arm, behaving very intimately.
"Husband! Who is this young lady? I've never seen her before."
The lady on the other end was so surprised by her address that her eyes nearly popped out!
"What did you say?"
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