Lin Wan doesn’t mind spending money, as long as it can resolve matters. They’re in business, but there’s no guarantee. Although policies have changed, they’re not clear in recent years. If they accidentally offend someone, it’s still them, the ordinary folks, who suffer. They’re from out of town, after all.
The cold winter weather is really unbearable. Going out in the morning, even your hands can freeze stiff.
Lin Wan knitted herself a thick scarf and made gloves with cotton overnight.
Liang Hongmei thought these two items were good. The scarf was simple to knit, and she knew how to make gloves. In the evening, when she had free time, she made a few pairs and put them outside the shop to sell.
On a day off, when Lin Wan came to help Mom, Zhang Shuhua brought over more than two hundred yuan and gave it to Lin Wan.
All the sweaters outside sold out, leaving only the knit scarves and thick cotton gloves left outside.
Selling for more than two hundred yuan wasn’t too bad for those few months of late-night work.
The next day, early in the morning, Lin Yinghui rushed to the bus to go to school. Lin Wan didn’t head straight to the hotpot restaurant but first helped Mom buy groceries, took them to the shop, and then went to the market to buy supplies for the hotpot restaurant.
This delayed her by half an hour, but it didn’t matter much.
As the weather got colder, customers were not much interested in drinks, but yogurt sold well. Lin Wan specifically set up a small stove with a pot on top and put yogurt and drinks inside, even placing a few bottles of wine.
During meals, Lin Wan asked several waiters to introduce to customers their warm drinks and alcoholic offerings.
Sure enough, the drinks that had declined were doing well again these past two days.
"Lin Meimei, I didn’t expect your place to sell drinks so well in the cold weather. In previous years, at this season, our family would have already stopped production. Thanks to your shop, my mom still opens production for your shop every day," Li Congnan was feeling happy. Lin Wan’s single shop alone can earn over thirty yuan a month, rivaling a factory worker’s salary. Their family does beverage business only in spring and summer, to the point that winter is almost half idle. Few want drinks in winter, the beverage business only started in the past two years, and their family is only slightly better off than a regular household.
Moreover, the money earned is his personal savings, so of course, he’s happy.
"Brother Li..., does your family only sell drinks in summer?"
"Isn’t that obvious? Who would drink icy drinks in the dead of winter?" Li Congnan gave her a sideways glance but then glanced at the dining hall and noticed someone ordering drinks. He then felt a bit disdainful towards his own words.
Lin Wan covered her mouth and laughed secretly on the side.
Li Congnan grew up in a business environment, so he has a business mind. With this insight, he realized that if drinks sell in Lin Meimei’s store, they can certainly sell in other restaurants. This thought made him delighted as he slapped the table and said, "Lin Meimei, you really are my lucky star. Thank you for the reminder today. By the way, a childhood friend of mine is having a get-together, asked me to help reserve a private room. For tomorrow noon, please show some favor, and waive the deposit."
"Sure, Brother Li’s friend should be treated specially. Leave it, I’ll reserve it for you." These days, there have been quite a few bookings for private rooms, even two government officials came yesterday.
This good trend seems promising. People who come to discuss matters like to visit our hotpot restaurant, proving the high status of our shop.
That day, it suddenly started snowing heavily. The weather had already dropped quite a bit, and Lin Wan knew winter had arrived. Inside, she layered sweaters and pants, outside, she wore padded jackets and trousers, dressing like a big bear. Since winter arrived, several bouts of snow had already fallen.
Whenever it snowed, Lin Wan couldn’t ride her tricycle, so she simply took a thick quilt Mom made and stayed at the shop overnight.