booktalesy Chapter 99 Grand Opening
Chapter 99 Grand Opening
Chapter 99 Grand Opening
Xu's father asked someone to calculate the opening dates for two wineries, and after discussion among the family, Xu Chunsheng chose the day of the market.
Because market days are often the busiest days in town, almost every household will send someone to the market on those days.
Some people come to sell vegetables and grains to supplement their household income, while others come to buy necessities such as lamp oil and salt that they cannot live without.
"Bang""
With a burst of firecrackers, Xu Family Winery officially opened for business!
The regular customers who had been waiting for the opening had already lined up at the entrance. When they saw Xu Chunsheng light the firecrackers, they all raised their hands to cover their ears, and the Xu family members were no exception.
The whole family looked exceptionally smart today. The eldest sister and Cheng Runshu stood behind the counter, and the two girls looked particularly pleasing to the eye.
Cheng Runshu wore a light pink chiffon floral short-sleeved top paired with a knee-length skirt, her outfit simple and elegant.
The eldest sister was wearing a light yellow, side-fastening, short-sleeved polyester blouse, paired with navy blue straight-leg trousers, looking both elegant and neat.
Looking at Mr. and Mrs. Xu, they were also dressed in new clothes, both wearing short-sleeved polyester jackets and loose, breathable dark trousers, their faces full of smiles.
Among the family, Xu Yaomei was the most eye-catching. The seven or eight-year-old girl was wearing a red floral shirt, paired with white overalls and brand-new sandals. She had two pigtails in her hair, and her bright and playful appearance made her stand out among the plain clothes in the room.
Xu Chunsheng and Xu Sandi's clothing was much simpler.
Xu Chunsheng simply felt that he had "lived for so many years" and that it was rare for his family to be able to live a peaceful life, so there was no need to pursue fashion anymore.
Xu San Di, on the other hand, disliked flashy clothes. He felt that he was old enough to understand things and should learn to be as steady as his second brother.
Firecrackers exploded, red paper scraps flew everywhere, and the smell of gunpowder mixed with the rich aroma of liquor permeated the surroundings.
The deafening sound of firecrackers drowned out the shouts in the street, drawing frequent glances from passersby on their way to the market.
"clang"
Xu Chunsheng struck the gong, and the sound attracted everyone's attention, and everyone looked at him.
Xu Chunsheng held up a tin megaphone and shouted, "Xu Family Distillery is newly opened today! Pure grain liquor, including sorghum liquor and corn liquor."
"Today's wine is even more special! Buy one jin (500ml) and get one liang (50ml) free! Fellow villagers, come in and try it! If you like it, then buy more!"
Mr. and Mrs. Xu each carried a basket filled with melon seeds and peanuts as they weaved through the crowd. They would grab a handful of each from the villagers who came to watch the spectacle.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu wore gentle smiles on their faces. Regardless of whether the visitors bought wine or not, they would offer them some and exchange a few polite words.
Many villagers who were originally just passing by on their way to the market stopped in their tracks and instead stopped to watch the excitement outside Xu's winery.
After Xu Chunsheng finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd: "Boss Xu, congratulations on your fortune!"
"Congratulations on your grand opening!"
Some impatient regulars were asking, "Boss Xu, when is the lucky draw?"
Someone was joking, "I'm going to pull your bedside table away later, don't be sad about it!"
Hearing this, the people around laughed and said, "We'll talk about it when you win. I'll just draw the first prize and the boss will give me ten catties of wine. I'll be satisfied."
17
Some people jeered, "Don't go and smoke for ages and end up with nothing but a handful of candy to take home!"
The crowd was buzzing with chatter, discussing what prizes they wanted to win and when the draw would start.
Xu Chunsheng struck the gong twice more, pointed at the lottery box at the entrance with the mallet in his hand, and shouted through the megaphone: "Everyone who has a lottery ticket can draw a prize now. One ticket allows one draw, and each person can draw a maximum of three times!"
"There are no empty prizes! Everyone who comes to draw a prize will receive one! First come, first served. If you're late, the grand prize will be taken by someone else!"
As soon as Xu Chunsheng finished speaking, someone came over with a raffle ticket to draw a prize: "Boss Xu, to collect three raffle tickets, I've been coming to you every market day to buy a pound of stuff ever since you started issuing them. My arms are practically being pinched raw by my wife. You have to let me win something good!"
Xu Chunsheng took the raffle ticket, tore off a corner, and put it in the basket next to him. He smiled and said, "Thank you for patronizing my business, brother. Just keep drawing; you're sure to win something good."
The man opened his right hand, blew two breaths into his palm, and reached into the lottery box with anticipation, rummaging through it to select items.
He quickly pulled out a red slip of paper, but instead of handing it to Xu Chunsheng, he opened it himself and read it: Half a jin of corn liquor.
Although it's not the best prize, it's still much better than the participation prize of "two boxes of matches".
People around him watched him draw the prize, but he didn't say anything for a long time. They urged him, "What did you draw? You haven't said anything for so long, it's driving me crazy!"
The man then handed the note to Xu Chunsheng, wiped his hands on his clothes, and said, "Half a jin of corn liquor, this time I'm definitely going to go big."
Unfortunately, the eldest brother drew a participation prize this time. He turned around and shouted to the crowd, "Fangfang, come here, you draw one. I'm getting more and more unlucky."
"7
Xu Chunsheng, standing to the side, said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, come and try your luck too. Maybe the big prize will fall into your family's lap."
The woman named Fangfang stepped forward, carefully wiped her palms on her clothes, then put her hands together, blew on them twice, and then reached into the lottery box to draw a prize.
She couldn't read, so after taking it out, she handed it to her husband: "Quick, take a look, what does it say?"
The man unfolded the red paper strip, which clearly read: 20% off!
He excitedly showed the note to those around him: "20% off! It's a second prize!"
Exclamations arose from the crowd. Although it was a discount coupon, the more you bought, the more worthwhile it became.
Xu Chunsheng clapped his hands to congratulate her, and pointed to Xu Sandi sitting by the counter, saying, "Congratulations, elder brother and sister-in-law, you can redeem your prize over there."
11
Inside the house were the family and Cheng Runshu, who had been prepared all along. Today, everyone had their own task.
Xu Chunsheng mainly oversaw the situation from the outside, occasionally mobilizing the enthusiasm of those present and enlivening the atmosphere.
Xu San Di is responsible for registering which prizes have been claimed and tallying the remaining prize pool.
The eldest sister then distributed the prepared prizes.
Cheng Runshu was responsible for serving drinks to the people who came in and collecting payments and keeping accounts.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu were still scattering peanuts and melon seeds among the crowd, and if they encountered children, they would give the children a few pieces of candy.
Xu Yaomei also received an important task today, which was to help Cheng Runshu fetch wine.
After the first person won the second prize, the distillery seemed to press the start button, and everyone who had brought a lottery ticket gathered around, waiting to draw a prize.
The scene instantly became lively, with many people winning third and fourth prizes.
It wasn't that there weren't people who only got a participation prize after three draws. For those who were really unlucky, Xu Chunsheng would give them an extra two ounces of wine. In this way, even though they didn't win any good prizes, these people felt comfortable and thought that the Xu family was honest and straightforward.
"Boss! No one has ever won the grand prize or the first prize! You're probably just writing this to fool people!"