Chapter 25: Southern Cake Shop

Cheng Yuan picked out a white shirt identical to the one she was wearing, then draped four or five pairs of jeans in different styles over her arm. She turned to Yu Qing beside her and said, “You’ll be in charge of collecting money later. Make sure you don’t shortchange anyone.”

“Okay,” Yu Qing nodded, glancing at the pile of clothes at their feet, then at Cheng Yuan, who looked refreshed and radiant. Can we really sell all these? How?

Before he could make sense of it, a clear, cheerful voice rang out beside him. “Everyone, come take a look! Clearance sale! Everything’s fifteen yuan! Don’t miss out!”

Cheng Yuan’s voice was crisp and pleasant, her peach blossom eyes brimming with laughter. Dressed in a youthful outfit, she naturally attracted attention.

“That white shirt you’re wearing is so cute!” a girl said, checking her out. The way Cheng Yuan had tucked in her shirt made her long legs look even longer. “Do you have any more like it?”

“Yes! Fifteen yuan each,” Cheng Yuan replied enthusiastically. “If you pair it with these flared jeans, you’ll look amazing!” She held the shirt up against the girl. “You’ve got perfect proportions—long, straight legs. This will look fantastic on you.”

“Could anyone be as pretty as you?” the girl asked, surprised by her excitement. She studied Cheng Yuan and realized their figures weren’t too different. If I wear it, maybe I’ll look just as good.

“A hundred times more beautiful,” Cheng Yuan said with a sincere blink.

The girl laughed softly. “Alright, I’ll take it.” She knew she wasn’t as striking as Cheng Yuan, but she really did like the outfit.

“Sister, I mean it! Your smile is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen today,” Cheng Yuan added sweetly.

Yu Qing, who had never heard Cheng Yuan praise anyone so warmly, gave the girl a once-over. She’s nowhere near Cheng Yuan’s level…

“You’re our first customer, so we’ll give you a one-yuan discount,” Cheng Yuan said, nudging Yu Qing. “What are you staring at? Ring her up!”

With their first sale done, everything else flowed smoothly.

“Sister, your skin is so fair! You have to try this light pink shirt—it’ll make you look like a fairy!”

“You’re really forty? You look like you’re in your thirties—so young!”

“My sister is so elegant.”

Cheng Yuan never repeated a compliment, always tailoring them to the customer. While Yu Qing handled the money, he noticed she always picked out each person’s best traits to highlight.

They ended up selling all thirty-five shirts and twenty-four pairs of pants. Yu Qing’s backpack was bulging with cash.

“I’m parched! Let’s get something to eat before we restock,” Cheng Yuan said. Her throat was sore from all the talking. She led the way into a restaurant and ordered a plate of chili-fried pork, then asked Yu Qing what he wanted.

“Anything’s fine,” he said.

“Then we’ll add Mapo tofu and three-treasure soup.” She was itching to count their profits, but it wasn’t the right place for it.

Yu Qing pulled out a notebook and pen from his backpack—he always carried them—and quickly wrote out some figures before handing it to her.

“What’s this?” Cheng Yuan asked as she sipped her tea. Her throat finally felt better. Looking at the notebook, she saw clearly written totals: shirt sales, pants sales, the overall total, and even the profit breakdown.

Thirty-five shirts and twenty-four pants sold at fifteen yuan each came to 885 yuan. After deducting the 360 yuan cost, their profit was 525 yuan—262.5 yuan each.

And it wasn’t even eleven o’clock yet!

Cheng Yuan beamed.”Even the heavens are smiling on us. The sun’s out, the weather’s perfect.”

Yu Qing gave her a thumbs-up. “You’re amazing.”

“You’re pretty good yourself,” she replied. “You’re quick with the money and even faster with change.” Even when someone handed over a hundred-yuan bill, Yu Qing handled it smoothly.

Since it wasn’t lunchtime yet, their food arrived quickly. As they ate, Cheng Yuan finally understood why Yu Qing was a bit stout.

His appetite was incredible. If she hadn’t ordered two dishes and a soup, his three large bowls of rice would’ve had nothing to go with them!

Three large bowls!

“I… I ate a bit too much,” Yu Qing said sheepishly, glancing at the empty plates. They’d been running around since morning—buying, selling, calculating—and even though he was just handling money, standing under the scorching sun worrying about fake bills had worn him out.

“Don’t worry,” Cheng Yuan said with a grin. “If you stick with me every day, you’ll burn it all off.”

After eating, they returned to the wholesale market.

Sister Li, the shirt vendor, was surprised to see them again. “Something wrong with the shirts?”

She saw countless customers every day, but Yu Qing and Cheng Yuan had left a deep impression—him in his school uniform, tall and solid; her petite, pretty, and full of energy, like a newly bloomed flower.

“Nope, the shirts are great,” Cheng Yuan said. “We’re back for more.” She immediately began picking out another seventy-five shirts. Afterward, they returned to the jeans vendor and bought fifty more pairs, then headed to the plaza on Jingxi Road, which Cheng Yuan remembered always being crowded.

Yu Qing lugged the heavy bag of clothes, sweat dripping from his face as he followed behind.

With experience under their belt, this round of selling went even smoother. By four in the afternoon, they were sold out. Cheng Yuan looked at Yu Qing’s notebook: 1,875 yuan in earnings. She was thrilled.

And this was just one day!

If only winter break wasn’t so short.

As they passed a shop, Cheng Yuan suddenly stopped. “Yu Qing, wait. Give me twenty yuan.”

She looked up at the sign: Southern Cake Shop. She recognized the name—in the future, it would become a well-known national bakery chain, famous for its outrageous prices. She wondered what the prices were like now.

Inside, she quickly realized it was already far more upscale than any bakery in their hometown.

A moment later, she dashed back out. “Give me another five yuan.”

Yu Qing silently handed over a five-yuan bill from his backpack.

Cheng Yuan went back in and soon came out grinning—she had ordered a birthday cake for pickup in an hour.

“Is it your birthday today?” Yu Qing asked. He remembered Uncle Cheng celebrating her birthday last year… but hadn’t that been earlier in the year? Did I get the date wrong?