Many young girls immediately came over and lined up in front of Ou Minglang!
By the time the movie theater closed at nine o'clock, Ning Yuan had sold a total of 275 cups, amounting to a whopping 16.5 yuan!
Ou Minglang was exhausted. While pushing the tricycle, he glanced sideways at Ning Yuan, who was counting money and grinning like a mouse that had fallen into an oil vat: "It's just a dozen yuan, how can you be so vulgar!"
They even forced him to smile! Dealing with those girls is so annoying!
Ning Yuan glanced at him sideways, a forced smile on her face: "Cousin, as a successor to socialism, how can we build our great country without money? I'm just revitalizing the economy and responding to the call of the 13th National Congress!"
Ou Minglang laughed angrily: "Who's your cousin? You're greedy, so what? You're quite the fabricator!"
Ning Yuan smiled insincerely as she carefully put away her small handbag containing a little money: "Hmph, you're just a young master from a diplomat's family who doesn't know the value of daily necessities!"
Earning 16.5 yuan a day is a lot, isn't it!
White sugar costs 0.55 yuan per jin (500g), and she bought 20 jin with sugar coupons, which cost 11 yuan, making it the main cost. However, she only used 7 jin today. Baking soda costs 3 cents per jin, and cochineal pigment is more expensive at 1.2 yuan per jin, but even a little bit turned the whole tank of water red, so it can be used many times.
Local lemons cost 5 cents a pound, plus vinegar cost 0.25 cents a pound. Two pounds of each were used, and the rest was boiled water. The cost of firewood was only 3 cents at most.
That means she broke even in one day and even made a profit of about two yuan. If the cost is spread out, she would make even more than that!
And this is just a trial run. Once she goes to college, she'll expand her business selling sparkling water!
Why would other novels feature milk tea? Milk is expensive to store and transport, and it spoils overnight. Milk tea made from milk powder is also unpalatable.
If the price is too low, it will result in a loss; if the price is too high, no one will buy it.
Otherwise, why would the milk tea economy only become popular 30 years later when people's economy has improved and they have more money?
She thinks it's pure nonsense to think that people can make a fortune selling milk tea in the 1980s. Now, after the reform and opening up, the most popular drinks are Coca-Cola, Beibingyang soda, and Dabaili, and later Jianlibao.
Whatever consumer spending power becomes popular, cheap soda is a hit—this is all based on economic laws!
However, she didn't intend to tell Ou Minglang these words, and only continued to glance at him sideways—
"It's settled then, unless you beat me in the second mock exam at the end of next month, you'll have to come with me to sell soda every weekend from now on!"
Ou Minglang froze, then gritted his teeth: "Fine!"
After a day of humiliation, he really wanted to go home, so he hopped on a tricycle and said, "Let's go, I'll take you home. I'm exhausted, and I have to go to school tomorrow morning!"
It's nine o'clock. He can't even be a gentleman if he lets Ning Yuan, a girl, go home by herself!
Ning Yuan climbed onto the tricycle with a smile and sat down: "Giddy up! Let's go!"
Ou Minglang was furious and finally couldn't help but curse: "What the hell are you driving? I'm not a horse!"
The two bantered and laughed all the way through the early April night, a cool breeze blowing, the young girl and boy a striking sight.
As Ou Minglang pedaled the tricycle—a vehicle he would never ride in his life—he thought to himself, "This little money-grubber isn't so bad after all!"
Grandma Xia stood at the door, pacing back and forth, worried that Ning Yuan hadn't arrived home yet, until she saw the young man riding a tricycle with her little girl all the way there.
Her expression was complex and hard to describe, to be honest.
Compared to Xiao Nan, who is aloof, scheming, ruthless, and awkward, Ou Xiaozi and Ning Yatou are actually more like childhood sweethearts and a perfect match.
But what can she do when Nan is one of her own?
Grandma Xia called out, "Xiaoyuan, why are you back so late? Your boyfriend must be worried."
Ou Minglang, who had just gotten out of the car, paused for a moment and looked at Ning Yuan: "You have a boyfriend?"
Ning Yuan nodded readily: "Yes, we have it now."
Her casual answer, however, was met with a subtle shift in Ou Minglang's perception—that if it exists now, it might not exist in the future?
His eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything. He handed the car back to Ning Yuan: "I'll pick you up next Sunday morning."
Ning Yuan nodded: "Okay!"
Ou Minglang waved and left.
Ning Yuan happily went home to do the accounts again, and gave the remaining sweet water to Grandma Xia and Grandpa Tang.
This cycle repeated itself, and more than a month passed quickly.
The news of a brother and sister selling trendy sparkling sweet drinks outside the movie theater spread like wildfire, mainly because the younger brother was strikingly handsome and dressed—
Although he doesn't have the currently popular tough guy face, he's still refined and not effeminate. The key is that the Shanghainese people's attire makes people want to take a second look.
Ning Yuan's business is booming; she sells an average of three hundred to four hundred cups a week, and her signboard has changed to—
A sweet sparkling water that's a must-have before watching a movie! I only drink it with my loved ones!
Ou Minglang became quite adept at being a human signboard, and Ning Yuan would give him two yuan as payment every time she finished work. Seeing her pained expression, he couldn't help but laugh.
At the end of April, a Jeep drove past the movie theater.
The people on the bus immediately spotted the petite figure wearing a mask and hat: "Ning Yuan?"
Old Xu coughed lightly: "Ahem, this is my sister-in-law. She and her classmate have been selling sparkling water here every weekend lately, and they call each other brother and sister."
His wife even pressured him to buy it a few times; it really does taste good.
"Did you drive through here on purpose?" Rong Zhaonan glanced at Lao Xu coldly.
Old Xu shook his head: "No, no."
Sigh, I'm just worried that my sister-in-law will be snatched away by her classmate. My captain has been married for a year and hasn't even touched his sister-in-law yet.
They start working early and come home late, and one day they're gone for a month straight. If the team leader doesn't get more alert, someone will poach their talent!
Back then, the captain and his wife's marriage wasn't considered a military marriage!
Don't wait until we get home, or your sister-in-law will drag the captain off to get a divorce!
If the captain's actions were merely a temporary measure, like when they got their marriage certificate, then it would be one thing. But it's obvious he still has designs on his sister-in-law!
How could he, as a subordinate, not lend a hand!
Rong Zhaonan watched Ning Yuan selling sparkling water with a blank expression. Occasionally, for some reason, he seemed to get into an argument with Ou Minglang, and even kicked Ou Minglang when he got angry.
That arrogant young man, Ou Minglang, wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, his lips clearly forming the words "Sister."
elder sister?
Hehe... This little brother is quite wild. Ning Yuan only shook off his arm and didn't slap him.
The two are a perfect match, like a youthful poem written by Xu Zhimo.
Rong Zhaonan lowered his eyes, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and the smoke blurred his cold, deep eyes.
He really spoiled Ning Yuan too much. He originally planned to wait until after her college entrance exam to discuss this further.
But she really has absolutely no self-awareness!
"Captain, are we going home?" Old Xu asked calmly.
The captain rarely smokes; he dislikes anything that could be addictive and considers it a weakness.
Once it's lit, you hold it in your hand and watch the smoke burn out.
But he only smoked half a cigarette today. The last time I saw the captain smoke half a cigarette, he still managed to burn an enemy battalion of more than 500 people to ashes.
Rong Zhaonan, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said casually, "Help me take my luggage home first."
He then pushed open the car door and got out.
Watching his captain walk directly towards Ning Yuan, Lao Xu chuckled and drove his Jeep home.
In this small county town, there aren't many cars these days, and even the county head commutes to get off work by bicycle.
Only the military has vehicles. Rong Zhaonan got out of the vehicle, and although he wasn't wearing a military uniform, he was still quite conspicuous.
Coupled with his cold demeanor and tall stature, his face was so delicately sculpted that it lacked masculinity. However, his overall aura of coldness prevented him from appearing effeminate.
Everyone was a little curious about what the ice queen was going to do after getting out of the military vehicle.
Then I saw him swagger over to the sweet water stand and "cut in line".
Everyone: "..."
The girl with two braids behind him was a little angry: "Hey, why are you cutting in line? Go to the back of the line, can't you see how many people there are!"
Rong Zhaonan turned around and gave her a cold look: "Excuse me, this is my boyfriend's stall. I'll only take a minute."
The young girl blushed inexplicably when she met Rong Zhaonan's long, narrow, and cold phoenix eyes: "Ah... then you... go ahead and insert it."
Strange, this guy has red lips and white teeth and is clearly prettier than the girl, so why does he make people blush and their hearts race?
Ning Yuan was stunned. Looking at the tall figure in front of her, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You're back?"
Rong Zhaonan said calmly, "If I hadn't come back, dogs would have been able to sneak in through that hole in the corner of our yard to steal food."
Ning Yuan was puzzled: "Huh? When did we get a dog hole in our yard?"
Aren't Ahei and Ahbai well-behaved? They didn't dig any holes!
Ou Minglang, standing on one side, narrowed his eyes: "The wall can't be breached by outsiders. As we learned in political class, internal factors determine external factors. If it collapsed, it must be because the wall was never good to begin with."
Sarcastic remarks? This must be Ning Yuan's current boyfriend, right?
Ning Yuan didn't understand what "hole" or "wall" meant, but just chuckled and nudged Ou Minglang with her elbow: "You're pretty good at memorizing political lessons, kid. You might surpass me in the second mock exam this time. You won't need to come here to sell your smiles then!"
Ou Minglang: "..."
Rong Zhaonan: "Heh..."
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