He Chuwei had only been at the shop for a quarter of an hour when he had several pieces of silver in his hand. Looking at the shop full of customers, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
He even fantasized about earning a thousand taels a month in the future.
He would then spend his days embracing Lady Wan, his nights pampering Lady Liu, and taking in several beautiful concubines to bear him children.
Isn't that wonderful?
Once his grandparents pass away, he'll be the one in charge of the family.
After all, he had a useless father.
I don't care about anything.
Just give them some money and they'll be done with it.
Let him go out and have fun, and preferably never come back!
However, before he could finish his daydream, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the door.
This forced He Chuwei to come to his senses.
He wanted to send the waiter out to see what was happening, but then he remembered that the two waiters were still outside soliciting customers.
"Everyone, come and take a look! This wicked He family's incense and candle shop is selling inferior candles at exorbitant prices! A full two hundred coins each! I bought them yesterday and lit them as soon as it got dark, but these candles made my house stink! They even claim they burn for ten days without going out, what a lie! Even if they don't go out, what good is it if they stink like this? Who can stay in such a smelly house?"
"So you're all here to return goods? Me too! Last night, the stench almost made my son faint! My son is taking the imperial examination next year, if the smell causes him any health problems, your He Family Incense Shop will have to take full responsibility—"
"Get out of our way! What are you doing blocking our way? Where's your manager? Tell him to get out here!"
"Come out, come out-"
"Everyone, take a look at this sign and remember it. Never buy candles from this shop again. It's expensive, and it stinks terribly. Just thinking about the smell last night makes me want to vomit. It smelled like a fish that had been dead for seven or eight days. Ugh, it makes my stomach churn!"
"Look, these two candles are still at the door. Come closer and smell them, that's the stench! No wonder I vaguely smelled something outside this shop yesterday, I thought someone had farted in the crowd, it turns out it was the smell of candles!"
"It smells this bad even with the windows and doors closed. My God, I feel like throwing up again. What are these candles made of? They smell worse than a cesspool that's been rotting for ten days!"
The noise grew louder and louder, and He Chuwei came out of the shop with a frown.
As soon as I stepped across the threshold, I found that the doorway was crowded with people, each holding candles they had bought from He's incense and candle shop the day before, and a few people were gathered around the two candles at the doorway, smelling them.
I felt nauseous while smelling it.
"What are you doing?"
He Chuwei asked, his face full of doubt.
"You've finally come out! Hurry up and give us our money back! Don't think you can get away with this by having two waiters block our way. If you don't return these candles, I'm going to the county government to sue you. How dare you sell such cheap candles for so much? You're blatantly cheating us! Everyone in the shop, don't buy anything! Come out and smell those candles by the door, they stink! You can't use them at home, don't buy them!"
One woman, with the sharpest eyes, saw He Chuwei come out and immediately started shouting for him to return the money.
They even reminded the shop's customers not to buy candles.
Her voice was as loud as a loudspeaker.
The customers in the shop heard it clearly, and one by one they put down their candles and came out to see what was going on.
The crowd is growing.
It wasn't just people returning the goods; there were also passersby who came to join the fun, and new customers who smelled the candles.
He Chuwei's face darkened instantly.
"You wretched woman, are you deliberately causing trouble? My candle smells bad? Are you still asleep? How could a candle smell bad? I think you're just trying to extort money from me. Be careful, or I'll report you to the authorities and have you arrested!"
He Chuwei raised his thick eyebrows high and began to curse at the woman.
No wonder he got angry.
The shop's business had finally started to improve.
It's only the second day. If this woman causes trouble, who will dare to buy candles from He's incense and candle shop in the future?
The entrance was completely surrounded by a crowd.
He Chuwei broke out in a cold sweat.
He shouted curses, seemingly trying to subdue the woman.
Let's take the initiative and scare her a little.
Unexpectedly, the woman had a stubborn temper and threw the candle in her hand at He Chuwei.
Candles are, after all, hard objects.
He Chuwei's forehead was instantly smashed and turned red.
"You little beast! You cheated us out of our money and you dare to curse me? Go ahead and report me to the authorities if you dare! Do you think I'm afraid of you? So many people say your candles smell bad. Do you think I'm here to cause trouble on purpose? Give us our money back! Now! These broken candles stink like a latrine. I don't know what kind of rubbish they're made of. Ugh! And you're selling them for 200 coins each! If I'd known they were this smelly, I wouldn't have bought them for 20 coins!"
The woman spat at He Chuwei.
I found its appearance utterly repulsive.
He Chuwei's age is a factor.
Even if he was furious, he couldn't compare to a woman in her forties. He couldn't bring himself to spit at her. He could only take two steps back, his face pale, afraid that someone would throw things at him again.
The pain from his temple made him wince in pain.
"What are you doing! How dare you smash our shopkeeper's clothes! You old geezer, don't try to act tough just because you're old. If you lay a hand on me again, I'll send you to the authorities!"
"Exactly, how could a perfectly good candle smell bad? What nonsense are you talking about!"
The two waiters, having taken He Chuwei's money, couldn't just stand there idly.
They blocked He Chuwei's way.
He yelled at the woman.
Actually, when they lit the candles these past two days, they also smelled a foul odor, but at first they didn't dare to think about the candles.
After all, in their minds, how could a candle smell bad?
They assumed it was just a manure cart passing by the door.
Some feces and urine came down.
That's why it smelled bad.
"The candles you sell really stink! My son was studying last night and almost fainted from the stench. I thought it was the chamber pot in the room, but it turns out it was the candles! How dare you sell stinky candles for so much? No wonder you offer a buy-three-get-one-free deal! You bunch of liars, you're all in cahoots, a den of snakes! Give me my money back! You've ruined my son's exam, I'm not letting you get away with this!"
That's good now.
It wasn't just the woman who made a scene.
The customers waiting to return their goods also started arguing.
"I don't want this candle anymore, give me my money back! Last night I was thinking of making a bib for my grandson, but as soon as I lit this candle, the room started to smell worse and worse, so badly that I couldn't stand it anymore! The worst part is that at first I didn't even realize it was the candle that was smelling bad. I thought there was a dead rat hiding under the bed, so I searched everywhere, I almost turned the house upside down! Finally, my daughter-in-law sat at the table, smelled the candle, and vomited so badly, she almost threw up her gall bladder. That's when I realized the stench was coming from the candle!"
"I lit candles in my yard. Don't think that ventilation will prevent the smell. A gust of wind came by, and the candle smoke drifted onto my face. You have no idea, at that moment, I felt like I had fallen into a cesspool. My God, I don't even want to think about it. My chest felt so tight. I didn't buy candles; I was just asking for trouble!"
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