Chapter 42: Chapter 042: Promoting in the Cafeteria
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qi Lei walked up to the sisters’ stall, his eyes subtly scanning the bean sprouts. “Hello, are these what you’re selling?”
“Yes!” Sheng An quickly replied. “Are you here to buy some vegetables? How is Xiao Hong?”
“Xiao Hong is doing well. She even said she misses you!” Qi Lei had a good impression of the sisters. “These bean sprouts look nice, can you weigh out two pounds for me?”
“Sure!” Sheng An worked swiftly, quickly weighing out two pounds of bean sprouts and handing them to Qi Lei. “That’ll be forty cents, but since you’re our first customer, I’ll charge you thirty cents.”
“Alright, thanks!” Qi Lei, being a man, didn’t want to talk too much with the two young girls. After paying, he took his things and left.
Since he made a purchase, other people who had been watching started to gather around.
“Hey girl, how much for these bean sprouts?”
“Give me one pound. Make sure to drain the water, I don’t want any water mixed in.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am, you’ll definitely get the full weight,” Sheng Ning greeted the customers with a smile while Sheng An focused on weighing the bean sprouts and collecting the money. The sisters worked in perfect harmony.
Additionally, one was fair and beautiful while the other was cheerful, making them a striking presence among the many vendors.
After Qi Lei’s purchase, there was a small rush of customers, and they sold about three-quarters of their stock. The remaining bit didn’t sell even until nearly noon.
Sheng An, feeling dejected, rubbed her stomach. Standing all morning and then pushing the cart had left her hungry.
“An’an, why don’t you buy a piece of bread to fill your stomach? I’ll take the bean sprouts to the township government cafeteria to see if anyone wants them,” Sheng Ning suggested, putting the remaining bean sprouts into a basket and covering them with a clean, damp cloth.
“Do you think the cafeteria will want them? We’ve already made back our cost. How about we just go home?” Sheng An seemed a bit discouraged.
“They’ll definitely want them. Our products are good and cheap. I’ll give it a try.”
“Alright then, you go and come back quickly.”
The township government was not far from the market. Sheng Ning walked there in about ten minutes with the basket. After registering with the doorman, she asked around to find the cafeteria.
“Hello, do you need bean sprouts in bulk?” Sheng Ning asked confidently, not at all shy. She approached the cafeteria manager with a beaming smile and said, “Take a look at our bean sprouts. They are all homemade, harvested and sold on the same day, very fresh.”
The person in charge was a man in his forties. He was momentarily stunned by Sheng Ning’s smile, but being a simple man of this era, after recovering, he looked embarrassed and cleared his throat before saying, “How much per pound?”
“Twenty cents a pound.”
“They look pretty good.” The man reached out to examine the bean sprouts. They were plump and tender, and most importantly, none of them were discolored. They were indeed better than what he usually bought at the market.
“Can you supply them regularly?”
Sheng Ning’s eyes lit up. “Yes, we can.”
“Alright then, I’ll keep today’s batch. From now on, deliver ten pounds once a week. This stuff is good for making one dish a week—any more and people will get tired of it.”
“Alright, thank you so much! You can trust our bean sprouts; they’ll definitely be fresh, and I’m sure everyone will be satisfied,” Sheng Ning responded with just the right amount of enthusiasm, neither overly flattering nor seeming too eager.
After all, she had decades of survival experience, and selling goods came naturally to her. At the market, she controlled herself, not wanting to reveal too much too quickly, especially since An’an was already suspicious of her sudden change.
Here, she could fully showcase her skills.