Chapter 141: Outdoor Movie
Xiao Lang shook his head forcefully. "I don’t need to look, I already saw it."
"I wanted to ask, can we set up a stall to sell things tonight?"
Hearing this, Shen Lu’s knife paused. "Set up a stall to sell things?"
"Mhm." Xiao Lang stared at Shen Lu with puppy-dog eyes. "Every time they show an open-air movie, lots and lots of people come to watch. There are also a bunch of stalls selling things. They sell snacks for the movie, like roasted Sky Armor Beetles, stir-fried Sunflower Seed Worms, and homemade cigarettes and stuff."
Every open-air movie showing was a nighttime festival for the Lower City District. A large crowd meant business opportunities, and those with sharp minds would naturally seize the chance.
Sky Armor Beetles and Sunflower Seed Worms were edible insects that had been newly cultivated in recent years. Sky Armor Beetles were about the size of a thumb, with thick flesh. Eating them roasted felt a lot like eating beef jerky.
The Sunflower Seed Worm, true to its name, was the size of a sunflower seed. It was eaten the same way, too: crack open the shell and eat the tender meat inside.
These two types of insects were on the cheaper side and not very nutritious, so people in the Lower City District often ate them as snacks.
Shen Lu wasn’t particularly interested. Sure, setting up a stall tonight would definitely earn a lot of popularity value, but it would be exhausting.
She would much rather get a good rest.
But seeing how motivated Xiao Lang was, she thought of a compromise.
"Sister Cai, what do you think?" Shen Lu asked.
"I... I think Xiao Lang’s idea is pretty good. Our shop is right next to where the movie is showing. We don’t have to sell full meals, but selling some snacks would be perfect," Cai Su said cautiously.
Wang Daguo leaned in. "What are we selling? I can hawk the goods!"
He was tall, so he could sell things and watch the movie at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.
’Her employees are much more ambitious than she is.’
Shen Lu sighed to herself, thought for a moment, and said, "How about this: you guys will be in charge of the stall tonight. I won’t participate. You can split whatever money you make amongst yourselves as a bonus. How does that sound?"
Wang Daguo and Cai Su looked at each other and nodded without hesitation. "Okay!"
"You can discuss what you want to sell. Make a list of everything you need and give it to me, and I’ll go prepare it for you."
Cai Su, Wang Daguo, and Xiao Lang huddled together, whispering for a while. In the end, Cai Su explained the results of their discussion to Shen Lu.
"Boss Shen, we’d like to borrow your food cart. We plan to sell just three things: grilled sausages, mint water, and Sunflower Seed Worms."
Shen Lu nodded. "Your product selection is spot on."
She had no idea what Sunflower Seed Worms were, but there was nothing wrong with mint water and grilled sausages. Especially since it was still the tail end of summer and the evening breeze was still hot and humid, a cup of ice-cold mint water would be very refreshing.
"Boss Shen, Wang Daguo and I have discussed it. We can’t just split tonight’s earnings between the two of us. No matter what, we have to give you a thirty-percent cut," Cai Su said with sincerity and determination. "Please don’t refuse, okay?"
A wave of warmth washed over Shen Lu. She was willing to give her employees some perks, but if they knew how to show gratitude, she would graciously accept it.
"Alright, then I won’t be polite."
After getting Shen Lu’s permission, Wang Daguo brought his family to the shop ahead of time and told them about selling things at the open-air movie that night.
"Grandma, you and Mom just sit back and enjoy the movie. Xiao Hui, Xiao Ci, and I will go sell things."
"How can we do that? You’ll all be busy, and as a mother..." Mrs. Wang immediately objected.
Wang Daguo put a hand on her shoulder. "Mom, just relax and watch the movie."
Grandma Wang chuckled and pulled her daughter-in-law’s arm. "This is the kids’ way of being filial. We should just accept it."
Mrs. Wang had no choice but to give in.
Since everyone was there, they naturally all ate the staff meal together that evening. Wang Daguo took the initiative to tell Shen Lu that his family should be charged extra for eating the staff meal.
Wang Daguo scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Can you deduct it from my salary this month?"
He didn’t have enough money on him and didn’t want his family to know they had to pay for the meal. Otherwise, knowing his grandmother’s and mother’s frugal nature, they would definitely choose to go home and gnaw on some reheated Insect Cakes.
"Okay." Shen Lu didn’t say, "No need," or offer to treat the Wang Family.
Business was business, and personal was personal. It was good to keep them separate. She also didn’t like it when employees took advantage of her generosity.
However, Shen Lu had her own way of showing her appreciation. She made two extra-special dishes that evening, and everyone ate until their mouths were filled with a lingering fragrance.
After dinner, Shen Lu went to the backyard to check on her potted scallions.
’Hmm... all I can say is that they’re still alive and continuing to grow.’
"I wonder if I’ll be able to eat my own homegrown scallions in three months."
Shen Lu mused to herself.
Heaven knew she had even imagined getting a plot of land to grow her own vegetables after she succeeded with the scallions.
Now the scallions were growing, and she had the land, but who knew when this vegetable garden would actually come to be.
’Judging by the current growth rate... okay, I admit there’s a reason vegetables are so expensive in the Imperial City. Look at this pathetic growth rate. Of course it’s only reasonable to charge a high price.’
She buried some food scraps for the scallions as fertilizer, gave them some water, and then walked a lap around the electric wire fence in her backyard.
’Good. The electric wire fence isn’t damaged and is running properly.’
Through the fence, she could clearly see the crowd gathering not far away.
"Why don’t I see one of those giant white screens for open-air movies?" The original owner of her body had never seen an open-air movie, and Shen Lu’s concept was still stuck in her past world. She had assumed they would need a huge white screen here, too.
Wang Daguo, Cai Su, and the others were all ready. They packed up their things and set out.
"There are a ton of people, so don’t run too far. Stay near the food cart, and if you run into any trouble, just shout for me, got it?" Wang Daguo anxiously instructed the children.
"We know, big brother," the Wang sisters and Xiao Lang replied in unison.
Wang Daguo pushed the food cart to a spot he thought was good, turned on the lights, and began to get ready before starting to hawk his wares.
Back at the shop, they had already clearly divided the labor: Cai Su was in charge of grilling the sausages, Wang Daguo would sell mint water, and the three children would sell Sunflower Seed Worms.
Cai Su originally wanted Xiao Lang to just watch the movie. After all, her son had just recovered from a serious illness, and his body hadn’t fully healed yet, so the work of selling Sunflower Seed Worms wasn’t suitable for him.
But Xiao Lang insisted, saying he wouldn’t run around peddling like the two Wang sisters. He would just sell right next to the food cart, so it wouldn’t be too tiring.
Seeing her son be so sensible made Cai Su feel both touched and guilty.
As soon as the aroma of the grilled sausages wafted out, customers, drawn by the scent, arrived without Wang Daguo even needing to call out to them.
"One grilled sausage is 10 Star Coins, and the mint water is the same," Wang Daguo said, pointing to the writing on the small blackboard as he introduced the items to the approaching customers. "Sunflower Seed Worms are 2 Star Coins a bag. It’s all a fair price, no cheating young or old!"
"The sausages are that expensive? Can’t you sell them a little cheaper? There’s not much meat in these things," someone said. They wanted one but were hesitant to spend the money. One sausage for 10 Star Coins was enough to buy five bags of Sunflower Seed Worms.
Wang Daguo didn’t bother arguing with him. If the man thought it was expensive, he didn’t have to buy it. He wasn’t going to force him.
Suddenly, someone squeezed through the crowd and asked, "Hey, is there a discount if I buy a lot?"