Chapter 122 First Day of Business After the Holidays

Chapter 122: The First Day of Business After the Holidays

The relaxing holiday flew by, and it was now the first official day of business after the holidays.

“Those picking up app orders, line up on the left. For on-site purchases, line up on the right.”

Customers arriving at the stall naturally split into two lines.

“Good afternoon, boss!”

“Did you have a good break, boss?”

“I haven’t had Xuehe Gourmet all holiday—I’ve been dying for it!”

“Ha! I stocked up before the holiday. Pretty clever of me, huh, Boss Jiang?”

Jiang Yingxue smiled back. “Good afternoon, everyone.”

“Hope you enjoy!”

“Good planning!”

The customers and the stall owner bantered good-naturedly, creating a very harmonious scene.

“Boss, good afternoon.” Customer Liu Wanqing took out her purple membership card. She was there to pick up an app order: a set of Spirit Flower Cookies and a box of Soothing Tea.

Liu Wanqing’s daughter, Yan Yuman, was a student at J City’s No. 2 Middle School. She had originally wanted to buy her daughter a box of Xia Yu Flower Candy, but since the school had started buying it in bulk at a price lower than retail, she simply had her daughter obtain it through the school.

“Ms. Liu, good afternoon.” Jiang Yingxue took the membership card Liu Wanqing handed over, inserted it into the card slot, and the customer’s photo, other personal information, and order appeared on the computer screen.

Once everything checked out, she handed the card and the goods to the customer.

Next customer.

The next customer was Min Junru, who held a Rainbow Membership Card. “Sister.”

Jiang Yingxue took her membership card and asked curiously, “Junru, don’t you have class today? Or did you skip?”

Min Junru smiled shyly. “Not exactly skipping—I’m excused. I was so excited last night thinking about picking up my clothes today that I couldn’t sleep—and couldn’t get up this morning.”

She’d redeemed her points on the Xuehe Gourmet app for a Starlight Dress and a set of pearl jewelry. She’d collaborated with Ji Fu on the design of the Starlight Dress—it was the princess-style dress she loved.

Jiang Yingxue tossed a pack of Good Dream Incense Sticks into her bag and said with a smile, “If you have trouble sleeping again, light one of these.”

Min Junru happily took her bag. “Thank you, Sister!”

“You’re welcome.”

Some customers in line behind her noticed that Min Junru’s membership card was a different color from theirs. A customer piped up, curious: “Boss, why is that girl’s membership card a different color from ours? Hers looks so special.”

Jiang Yingxue explained, “That’s our Rainbow Membership Card. We issued only a few of those. That girl is a longtime customer from my old stall in town—she was one of the few who still trusted me when my stall was caught up in the ‘drug crisis.’”

The customer looked confused. “Food crisis?”

Jiang Yingxue smiled. “The taste was so good some people thought addictive drugs had been added. That’s why all our products have undergone food safety testing. The reports came back clean—so everyone can buy with confidence.”

The customer laughed. “Hah! If you’re ‘addicted,’ it’s because it’s delicious and healthy—your body knows what it needs! Boss, you’re the best!” He gave her a thumbs-up.

So that girl was a loyal customer from the time the boss faced the drug crisis.

Honestly, if they’d been in her shoes back then—without test results or any official clearance—they wouldn’t have been able to trust the boss completely either.

Perched on a tree trunk not far from the stall, Lu Taifeng—wearing sunglasses—silently observed the bustling scene. High customer traffic, profitable goods, short operating hours.

These were all advantages—more comfortable than his current job, and the money came quickly.

Moreover, besides Jiang Yingxue, there was just one woman working the register.

“Hah! So much for hiring all those people—probably a lie!”

He’d made up his mind: he would resign from the company this afternoon.

*

At the stall, a young man arrived with five buddies around his age.

The leader was named Zeng Zule. He swaggered up to the stall with his crew, wearing a proud expression.

First, he went to the self-service machine to check the card balance. Finding over 30,000 yuan still on the card, he returned to the ordering area and scanned the posted price list.

Zeng Zule lit a cigarette and boomed, “My treat today!”

The men behind him cheered, “Brother Le is awesome!”

Zeng Zule gave a smug smile. “Hey, beautiful—I’ll take a bottle of Grade B Spirit Flower Wine—the 5,000-yuan one. Also, six nutritional lunch boxes, six roast chickens, and… six cups of Immortal Brew Honey Water.”

Ji Fu first rang up his order, then asked for his membership card.

Taking the purple membership card and placing it in the slot, the photo and other information of the cardholder instantly appeared on the screen.

The photo showed a young woman with a beaming smile—named Zhi Aomei—who clearly wasn’t the man standing there.

Ji Fu promptly confiscated the membership card the man had brought, then asked the customer, “What’s your name?”

Zeng Zule shot what he thought was a handsome—but was in fact lewd—glance at the stall employee and gave a slimy grin. “Oh, beauty—asking for my name means you want to ask me out? Perfect—I was thinking of asking you out too…”

The others joined in the teasing; some even whistled, acting like hooligans.

Ji Fu’s icy, emotionless gaze swept over them for a second—and a realistic illusion spell descended upon them.

The next moment, they looked horrified, their limbs flailing uncontrollably, and their entire bodies crashed onto the cement ground with a loud *thud*.

“Cough… ah, hel…” Their limbs continued thrashing, water spurted from their mouths, their clothes soaked through, and puddles formed beneath them.

Nearby customers quickly cleared a wide space.

Customer A asked worriedly, “What’s wrong with them?”

Customer B replied, “A bunch of hooligans. Could they be on drugs?” She’d just heard them verbally harassing the young woman at the stall.

Regarding their current pitiful state on the ground, Customer B felt no sympathy whatsoever—only schadenfreude.

“They look scary—should we call the police?” Customer A, ever kind-hearted, suggested.

Just as these hooligans on the ground were nearing their breaking point, Ji Fu dispelled the spell.

As long as no lives were lost on her premises due to troublemaking, Jiang Yingxue permitted such non-lethal lessons.

Losing an arm or leg didn’t matter—as long as they remained alive.

Ji Fu dialed the phone number displayed on the computer for Zhi Aomei.

“Hello, is this Ms. Zhi Aomei? This is Ms. Ji from the Xuehe stall… Are you aware that the membership card is for personal use only? … Oh, so it was stolen. The thief is currently at the Xuehe stall’s address. Your card is here—you can come pick it up within the next couple of days.”

After hanging up, Ji Fu turned to Customer A and said, “Calling the police is fine, too. These people are thieves.”

Hearing this, Customer A decisively dialed 110. “Hello…”