Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 510: Chapter 500 Change of Identity (Extra for rhn)

As soon as Shen Yunfang saw the first deal was about to come through, she quickly introduced her goods to the uncle.

"Uncle, these are all 100-count whips, and my asking price is only eighty-eight cents. If I sell them, it’s for a dollar, how can I not earn a bit for running around? If you want to buy, I’ll give you a discount, just ninety cents is fine, but you can’t tell others, okay? Otherwise, I won’t be able to do business."

Shen Yunfang went about it all secretive-like, as if she was running some underground operation.

"Alright, young miss, you’re straightforward. Okay, give me six strings," the uncle thought for a moment. The capital needed for firecracker business must be significant. After all, they are filled with gunpowder. The girl’s words made sense; she probably wasn’t making much from him. So the uncle calculated how many his family would need. His own home, his son’s home—a string for the 31st, one for the first, and another for the 15th. Either way, each family would need at least three strings of firecrackers.

"Okay, I’ll get you six strings," Shen Yunfang reached under the tricycle and pulled out six strings of firecrackers, handing them over. "Uncle, are you not buying some sparklers or ’bangers’ for the kids at home to play with? Sparklers are two dimes each, six for a dollar, but if you take them, I’ll throw in an extra one, seven for a dollar. Same with the other stuff—if you buy them, I’ll give you an extra."

The uncle thought the prices were really not expensive, the same as the cooperative society’s, but with added bonuses. There’s a saying, ’A fool doesn’t take what’s given,’ so in the end, the uncle alone bought eighty-four dollars worth of fireworks, and Shen Yunfang, knowing how to do business, even threw in two more ’double kickers’ for him, sending him off laughing happily.

Shen Yunfang’s small business began with this uncle, and of course, shouting was a must, "Look over here, everyone! Our country’s national treasure, special product, Five-Star Firecrackers. There’s a tradition among us folks called ’setting off firecrackers when opening the door,’ seeking a good omen for sweeping away the old and welcoming the new. There’s a poem that goes, ’With the fireworks’ roar, the old year is swept away, the spring breeze brings warmth with the toasting wine.’ This shows that even the ancients knew firecrackers were indispensable in our people’s New Year celebrations. Eating a bit more meat won’t make you fat, but if you set off my Five-Star Firecrackers for the New Year, you’ll have a smooth and lucky year with no evil or foul air touching you."

This kind of shouting from Shen Yunfang was quite effective. Mainly because our countryfolk believe in it. Even though the campaign against feudal superstitions had been fierce in the past few years, the deep-seated convictions of the people couldn’t just be eradicated by those campaigns.

After Shen Yunfang finished shouting and people learned that her prices were the same as those in the cooperative society, but with an extra item thrown in for bulk purchases, it actually worked out to be a bit cheaper than the cooperative society.

So the common folk coming to buy the little whips flocked to her continuously.

Shen Yunfang was unfazed by the emergency, taking money and handing out goods one after another. The uncle who was beside her saw that she was getting overwhelmed, so he stepped in to help, just keeping an eye out to make sure no one stole anything.

It’s a habit of our countryfolk to follow the crowd—if they see a gathering of people, they will all squeeze in that direction.

Within a little over an hour, Shen Yunfang’s cart of goods was nearly sold out.

The whips and double kickers had all sold, leaving only some sparklers and ’bangers.’

"Come, look, right here. This is where they sell ’bangers,’" Shuanzi and Shitou came running over with a group of kids. Of course, there were a few adults behind them, probably the kids’ parents.

"Auntie, these kids saw us playing with ’bangers’ and asked where we got them, so my brother and I brought them over," Shitou whispered.

Shen Yunfang gave him an approving look, not bad, the two kids had made good use of their playtime.

"How do you sell these ’bangers’?" asked one parent who couldn’t withstand their child’s nagging.

"Ten cents a box, ten in a box. If you can buy ten boxes at once, I’ll throw in another box for you. Sparklers are slightly more expensive, twenty cents each, but if you can buy five at once, I can throw in an extra one too," Shen Yunfang said cheerfully. "Come on, kids, try them out; see if Auntie’s ’bangers’ are loud enough." She opened a box of ’bangers’ on the spot to let the kids try a few.

"Oh, no need, no need, we don’t want it," said the parent of a child, afraid that if the child took something from Shen Yunfang, they would be obliged to buy it, hurriedly pulling the child back.

"Why are you backing away? I won’t eat you. This is a giveaway; it doesn’t cost a dime. If your kid wants to play with it, let them. But just so you know, deals like this don’t come around every day. If you don’t take it, you’ll miss out," Shen Yunfang said with a laugh as she stuffed a firecracker into the outstretched hand of a child. "If you like it, you buy; if not, you walk away. The money’s in your pocket, not like I can reach in and take it."

Several parents were made to feel a bit embarrassed by her words; ah, all of them were just simple, honest folks.

Soon, the sounds of firecrackers popping began, followed by the prime selling time for Shen Yunfang.

Shen Yunfang didn’t need to say anything else; the kids were all nagging their parents to buy.

Some parents willingly paid up immediately, while others hesitated, considering that firecrackers were not a necessity and would be gone with just a couple of throws—a waste indeed.

The intermittent bursts of firecrackers drew more people from afar, and before long, Shen Yunfang’s stall was surrounded by a crowd again.

Some of the uncertain parents simply dragged their children away, while others, seeing the rush, became anxious and pushed their way in, snatching up a few boxes for their kids.

And just like that, Shen Yunfang sold out almost every firecracker from her tricycle in less than three hours.

After tidying up, Shen Yunfang entrusted her tricycle to a nearby uncle to keep an eye on, then she took Shuanzi and Shitou to the market.

It was the perfect timing, and since she didn’t have anything to sell in the afternoon, she seamlessly switched roles, transforming from seller to buyer.

Because it was the final market day before the New Year, there was a full range of goods, mostly from individual vendors. There were already people selling steamed buns, wontons, and noodles.

Shen Yunfang first took the two kids to get some food, each of them getting a big bowl of wontons and two steamed buns. Whether it was the wontons or buns, the meat filling was genuine—bite into them and oil and broth would ooze out, the meat clumped together.

The three of them finished their meal with their bellies round, and the total cost was just over a yuan, without needing food coupons. Shen Yunfang thought it was incredibly cheap; by comparison, selling firecrackers was indeed a very profitable business.

After filling their stomachs, the trio continued their stroll. They saw an old farmer selling rabbits, which were already dead and prepared, skinned and frozen. Shen Yunfang thought they looked plump and bought two at the steep price of five yuan each.

There was also a person selling this year’s young roosters, all cleaned and ready; Shen Yunfang chose a few, as her family was large and they needed a lot of meat for the New Year.

After a complete round of the market, Shen Yunfang retrieved her tricycle and had the two children sit on it, pedaling towards home.

However, she hadn’t expected that on her way back from her very first market day, she’d encounter a robbery.