The next day, just as Yu Yin had predicted, there were even more people, all there for the eggs.
"Are they still giving away eggs with today's purchases?"
As soon as the door opened, several elderly women came in.
"Free delivery, we'll give you a free gift if you spend over three yuan." Yu Yin invited the group in with a smile.
"Great! Let's go pick something out. I heard that rice noodles are delicious and convenient."
"I want to buy termite mushrooms. I've had them once before, but I don't know if they're expensive. I heard that these kinds of mushrooms are the rarest in the mountains."
"I want to buy tea. My neighbor bought some yesterday and said it tastes good and isn't expensive."
"Then I'll buy some too."
The older women were talking quite loudly, and those who had been watching from behind heard them and followed them inside.
Humans are inherently curious. When people gather, curiosity leads them to want to see what's going on. One by one, people are drawn in, and the crowd grows larger and larger.
Yu Yin and her colleagues were so busy they wished they had more hands. They restocked several times a day just to make ends meet.
This scene continued until the egg giveaway ended on the third day, when the flow of people gradually stabilized. Occasionally, someone would still come up to ask if they were still giving away eggs. When they found out they weren't, some turned around and left, while others thought, "Since I'm already here, I might as well go in and take a look."
Yu Yin and her classmates are about to start school. In these three days, they sold a total of about nine thousand yuan, which was a number that Yu Yin did not expect.
Fortunately, Ah Xiang and the others have almost finished preparing the second batch of goods, and they will be able to load them onto the truck in a few days. There is still half of the inventory in the warehouse, so there's no rush; it'll be enough to sell for a while.
During their free time, Yu Yin and Liang Chao picked two people from the list of interviewees and notified them to come for a trial period the next day.
Both of them were educated youth who had returned to the city, one male and one female. Their attitude was very clear: they wanted to work here.
Yu Yin didn't know if what they said was true or false, but Yu Yin and Liang Chao had their reasons for picking these two out of these people.
First, they both live in this district, not too far apart. Also, both of them have families; they got married in the countryside and haven't abandoned their spouses and children.
The man's name is He Dong, 28 years old. He spent eight years working in the countryside in Sichuan Province, married a local girl, and had three children. This time, he and his family came to the city and are temporarily renting a house to live in.
The woman's name is Lü Ping, 25 years old. She spent seven years in the countryside in Heilongjiang Province. She married a former educated youth from Suzhou and has two children. Because the man's parents were too biased, she returned to the city and came to live with her family.
The two went through hardships together. In 1978, Lü Ping's husband was admitted to a university in Shanghai. This was something they had agreed on beforehand: they would study in Shanghai and not return to his hometown. They would settle down in Shanghai and cut off all contact with his family.
Lu Ping has been back home for a year, but hasn't found a job. Life is difficult, and even living with her parents is a struggle. Lu Ping's husband receives a monthly allowance, and he tries to save as much as possible, choosing the cheapest meals possible.
Lu Ping came to the interview feeling nervous; this was one of her few opportunities. With her children starting school, expenses had increased, and if all else failed, she was considering becoming a nanny.
When Lü Ping received the trial job offer, she cried. She thought that if she didn't hear back soon, she would really have to become a nanny. Her heart was in turmoil; she couldn't bear to leave her child, and she felt so sad without her parents by her side.
The next day, the two of them tidied themselves up and went to the Green Sprouts dried goods store, eager to get to work immediately, as working made them feel at ease.
"These are the store's rules and regulations, as well as product instructions. You two should familiarize yourselves with them as soon as possible." Liang Chao handed each of them a copy.
"Understood, Manager Liang."
"Just call me Brother Liang, that's what everyone calls me."
Liang Chao arranged a counter for the two of them. Since Yu Yin had started school, there would be no separate collection of money anymore; they would each collect their own money and do the inventory in the evening.
With one store manager and four employees, Green Sprouts Dried Goods Store is currently fully equipped. Whether it can establish itself depends on everyone's efforts.
Yu Yin is now a junior in college, and she has more major courses to take. Lu Shurui is even busier; he's preparing for graduate school entrance exams, and the competition is even fiercer.
When Yu Yin returned to her dormitory at noon, she sensed that something was different.
Everyone greeted each other politely. Qi Wei, as the eldest sister and a fellow married woman with children, could exchange a few words with Yu Yin. Apart from Zheng Yue, she wasn't really familiar with the others.
"Yu Yin, what grade is your child in?"
"The older one is in fourth grade, the younger one is in first grade, what about yours?" Yu Yin asked Qi Wei in return, knowing only that she had children, but not really knowing how old they were.
“My children are all young, one is in second grade and the other two are still in daycare.”
When Qi Wei talked about her child, she felt a little bitter and a little nostalgic.
The children and their father live in their hometown. Her husband also has a demanding job, so the children are not well cared for.
When I went home for summer vacation, the older one was playing wildly and was never home, his clothes and shoes were all torn and tattered. The two younger ones were also filthy, with a layer of black paint on their necks.
Qi Wei spent the entire summer trying to improve her child's self-care skills, but with little success.
Before coming back, I asked my neighbor to help look after me, promising to give her five yuan a month. I don't know how effective it will be, but I'll write to her husband tomorrow to ask.
Chen Siting is from a local family, and her background is unknown. She lives alone and almost never returns to her dormitory. Even when she does return, she doesn't interact with others and maintains her aloof demeanor to the fullest.
The remaining girls, except for Zheng Yue and Yang Xiaomei, all seem to have boyfriends and are very busy every day.
Zheng Yue has a clear goal: to return to her hometown after graduation, as she cannot leave the grasslands. Dating now, only to go their separate ways after graduation, isn't worth it; she'd rather focus on her studies.
Yang Xiaomei's family was the poorest, and she studied hard every day to strive for scholarships.
Yu Yin wasn't very familiar with the people in her dormitory, and she knew even less about the people in her class. She left after class every day and didn't participate in many activities. She basically only knew their names and who was in her class.
On September 25th, another batch of goods arrived, this time including some fruit.
With National Day approaching and the Mid-Autumn Festival coinciding, Yu Yin sent a telegram asking someone to bring some pomelos to celebrate the festival.
Now, A Xiang's Dai village has become Yu Yin's and her friends' purchasing point. A Xiang and her father work together to buy dried goods from the surrounding area and then transport them to Kunming.
This was all thanks to Ah Xiang's husband, who helped contact the army for a vehicle. Otherwise, with such a long and dilapidated road, it wouldn't have been possible to get this done by oxcart alone.
Besides pomelos, Ah Xiang and her friends also tried bringing over some jackfruit, pineapple, and bananas, picking only the half-ripe ones to see how they would turn out.
This time there was more fruit than last time, mainly because fruit takes up a lot of space. They were packed in baskets and looked good, with no serious damage.
Yu Yin tallied up the accounts. Excluding the first three days after opening, the daily turnover thereafter was around seven or eight hundred, with little fluctuation. The previous payments had already been recouped, and with this latest transfer of a substantial amount, they were in a win-win situation for the time being.
With National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, Yu Yin needs to think about what kind of plan to come up with. She can't send eggs for the time being, otherwise it will lose its novelty.
Liang Chao and his four men worked overtime to sort the goods. Yu Yin promised overtime pay, which made them even more motivated.
If they succeed this Mid-Autumn Festival, their Green Sprouts dried goods store will be even more secure!
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