"Really? That's disgusting!"
"That's right! If it weren't for this being the only farmers' market around here, who would want to come here to buy groceries!"
"Exactly! The vegetables at this market are expensive and not fresh at all. They're not even as good as the fish from this small business owner!"
...
This sparked a huge wave of complaints, with everyone criticizing the vegetables in the market.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Xu Kuo cleared his throat and spoke again: "Fellow villagers, don't worry, I will start selling vegetables in a while! I guarantee they will be fresh, clean, and cheap!"
These words caused the crowd to erupt in excitement once again.
"Really? Boss, you're not kidding us!"
"If you were to sell vegetables, that would be wonderful!"
"Exactly, we've had enough of the food here!"
"Xu Kuo, you'd better keep your word!"
...
Everyone was overjoyed and expressed their support. Trust and expectations for Xu Kuo reached their peak.
"Don't worry, everyone, I, Xu Kuo, keep my word!" Xu Kuo assured them firmly, then began selling fish. "Today's fish, same as always, first come, first served, until sold out!"
"I want two!"
"Give me three!"
"I want five!"
...
The crowd surged forward, eager to buy Xu Kuo's fish. In no time, several large buckets of fish were sold out.
Niu Erbao watched in stunned silence. He never dreamed that Xu Kuo could still sell fish so well even without a stall! His admiration for Xu Kuo grew even stronger.
"Master, you're amazing!" After packing up and heading home, Niu Erbao couldn't help but exclaim, "I'm completely convinced!"
"What's so special about this?" Xu Kuo smiled confidently. "Just wait and see, the real show is yet to come!"
"By the way, Master, where do our vegetables come from?" Niu Erbao suddenly remembered this question and asked in confusion.
"You don't need to worry about that, I have my own way." Xu Kuo smiled mysteriously.
It turns out that since the system upgrade, the store has added many more crop seeds and high-grade fertilizers.
With these resources, Xu Kuo only needed one or two months to grow vegetables. He had already planned to first stabilize the market with fish, and then launch a counterattack once the vegetables were grown, completely crushing Shi Jixing and achieving anti-monopoly.
On the other side, the man who had taken Xu Kuo's stall and Tan Wang were happily waiting for the market to open, imagining a bustling market and a flood of customers bringing in a lot of money. They could almost see the banknotes falling into their pockets like snowflakes.
However, reality dealt them a heavy blow.
The market gates slowly opened, but the expected surge of people did not materialize; only a few scattered individuals entered.
"What happened? Where is everyone?" The man looked completely bewildered.
Tan Wang was also dumbfounded, scratching his head, "Maybe... it's still early, and everyone hasn't gotten up yet?"
Although the vendors were puzzled, they still mustered their spirits and began to hawk their wares. However, no matter how hard they tried, they attracted very few customers.
By noon, the market remained deserted, almost empty. The man's fish stall was completely deserted. The fish, which had been lively and energetic, now looked listless and droopy.
The man was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth. This was a stall he had bought from Shi Jixing at a high price! If he couldn't sell it, he would suffer a huge loss!
"No, I have to go and ask Shi Jixing!" The man could no longer sit still. He led a group of vendors and stormed toward Shi Jixing's office.
Shi Jixing was sitting in his office, leisurely sipping tea and daydreaming about his earnings for the day. Ever since he got rid of Xu Kuo, he felt he had everything under control; this vegetable market was his cash cow!
"Knock knock knock!" A series of urgent knocks on the door interrupted his sweet dream.
"Come in!" Shi Jixing called out impatiently.
The man pushed open the door and entered, followed by a group of dejected vendors.
"Secretary Shi, you have to help us!" The man cried as he entered the door, complaining, "There's not a single person in this market today, and we can't sell any of our vegetables!"
"What? Not a single person?" Upon hearing this, Shi Jixing jumped up from his chair, his face changing drastically. He knew that a large portion of his salary came from the market's commission. No business at the market meant his livelihood was cut off!
"Let's go take a look!" Shi Jixing didn't have time to ask any more questions and led a group of people to the vegetable market in a hurry.
When Shi Jixing arrived at the market, he was completely dumbfounded. The huge market was deserted and desolate; apart from the vendors and vegetables, there was hardly a customer in sight.
"What...what exactly is going on?" Shi Jixing roared in exasperation.
Just as everyone was puzzled, a customer walked in. She picked and chose a few dishes, looking dissatisfied.
"This vegetable is so stale! It's all wilted!" a customer complained.
"Buy it or don't, it's up to you! If you don't want to buy, get lost! We're the only market around here. If you don't buy, there are plenty of other people who will!" the vendor retorted irritably.
The customer was speechless, and had no choice but to pay. After all, it was the only market around there; she couldn't very well not eat vegetables, could she?
"Shut up, all of you!" Shi Jixing roared, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. "Look at the mess you've made! Huh? You've all driven all the customers away!"
The vendors trembled at the shout, lowering their heads and barely daring to breathe. They were wronged too; the vegetables weren't fresh, it wasn't their fault! But who dared to talk back to Shi Jixing, who was their superior?
"I...I'm sorry, Secretary Shi, we...we'll be more careful next time," a slightly bolder vendor stammered in apology.
"Next time? You want a next time?" Shi Jixing's eyes widened, and he almost spat in the vendor's face. "I'm telling you, if you keep going like this, you'd all pack your bags and get out of here!"
Shi Jixing was seething with anger. These idiots only knew how to collect money normally, but when it really mattered, not a single one of them was of any use! The most important thing right now was to get the business back as soon as possible, otherwise his source of income would be cut off!
Just then, a customer who had just finished buying groceries ran into an acquaintance, and the two started chatting.
"Hey, where did you buy these vegetables? They don't look very appetizing!"
"Hey, don't even mention it! There's only one farmers' market around here, and there's nothing to choose from!"
"Let me tell you, I saw someone setting up a stall outside the market this morning, and the fish there was so fresh! It's a pity I went too late and couldn't buy any."
"Really? That's great! I'll go check it out tomorrow!"
The conversation between the two customers reached Shi Jixing's ears word for word. His face darkened, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. So, someone dares to steal business from his turf!
"Hey you!" Shi Jixing pointed at the man who had led the group earlier, "You, tomorrow take a few tough guys and drive away all the vendors outside! Remember, teach them a lesson they won't dare to cause trouble here again!"
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