Chapter 29: Grand Opening

Su Ai first went to the movie theater; the ticket seller was a tall, thin man.

Su Ai approached him with two packs of cigarettes, smiling and calling out, “Big Brother.”

The man turned around and saw Su Ai, a beautiful woman.  His impatience faded.

“Little Sister, what’s up?”

“Something.”

“Big Brother, you’re so young and working at a movie theater.  High pay and easy work; you’re amazing!” Su Ai flattered him.

The young man blushed but boasted, “It’s nothing. My uncle owns the theater; I’m just helping out.”

“Wow, Big Brother, you’re amazing! To have such an amazing uncle!”

The man was flattered by Su Ai’s admiring gaze.

“Of course, my uncle spoils me. I’m in charge of everything here.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

“Little Sister, what’s up? You’ve come to the right person.”

Su Ai said expectantly, “Big Brother, I actually do have something to ask.”

“Seeing your imposing demeanor, I knew I came to the right person.”

“Big Brother, please take these cigarettes. I wanted to ask if I could set up a stall outside. I want to sell some food and drinks.”

“Your theater does good business; I want to take advantage of that.  Do you think it’s possible?”

The ticket seller thought, Such a small thing?

He waved his hand: “No problem!”

“Easy peasy.  Little Sister, go ahead. Need tables? I have two spare ones for you to use.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, Big Brother.”

“Big Brother, you’re such a good person.”

“Big Brother, you’re so handsome! How can someone be so handsome and kind?”

Su Ai continued praising him, flattering him until he was dizzy.

He dazedly accepted the cigarettes and allowed Su Ai to set up a stall.

After Su Ai left, he slapped his forehead. He forgot to ask her name!

She was pretty.

She had a good figure.

She was also very good at talking.

Dating her would be nice.

No worries; he could ask her when she set up her stall.

Su Ai went home and took out the large thermos she’d bought. She stir-fried tea leaves, added milk powder and sugar, and boiled the milk tea.

It tasted sweet, milky, and tea-flavored.

Su Ai strained the tea leaves and poured the milk tea into the thermos.

She tasted it; it was delicious.

Compared to the additive-laden drinks of the future, her milk tea was much cleaner.

She made milk tea and popcorn simultaneously.

She popped the popcorn and put it in cups.

Then she made candied hawthorn balls; the red and white balls were eye-catching.

She poured some onto newspaper and folded other newspapers into small bags.

She filled the bags.

Everything was ready. Su Ai hailed a three-wheeled bicycle, loaded her goods, sat on it, and rode to the movie theater.

Chen Jianguo was waiting.  His eyes lit up when he saw Su Ai.

“Little Sister! You’re here.”

“I’ve set up the tables for you; they’re clean.”

Su Ai saw two neatly arranged tables in front of the movie theater.

“Thank you, Big Brother.”

“Little Sister, I’m Chen Jianguo. I forgot to ask earlier; what’s your name?”

“Big Brother, my name is Su Ai.  Ai as in mugwort.”

Su Ai replied while arranging her goods on the table.

She then took out a red banner that read “Sweet Sweet Milk Tea.”

Su Ai placed the banner in front of the table, making it clear what she was selling.

With everything arranged, the cups on the table contained milk tea, popcorn, and red and white hawthorn balls a delightful sight.

“Big Brother, you’ve worked hard. Try my milk tea.”

“This is popcorn, and these are candied hawthorn balls.”

“Try them all, Big Brother.” Su Ai generously offered Chen Jianguo a sample of each.

Chen Jianguo happily accepted.  This little sister must be interested in him; look, she’s offering him food and drinks.

“Okay then, Big Brother won’t be polite.”

“Wow, Little Sister, what’s in this milk tea? It’s so sweet and delicious!”

“This popcorn is also sweet; it’s different from what I usually buy.”

Machine-made popcorn is plain.

Su Ai’s popcorn is sweet and caramel-flavored.

The caramel popcorn, with its corn, milk, and caramel flavors, was irresistible.

“These candied hawthorn balls are sweet and sour; they’re better than candied haws.”

With each bite, Chen Jianguo praised the unique flavors. Su Ai seized the opportunity to call out:

“Don’t miss out! Sweet Sweet Milk Tea.  Drink it for a sweet life, sweet love, and sweet days!”

It was peak time at the movie theater.  People usually watched movies during the day.

They ate breakfast, watched a movie, and then had lunch.

Or they had lunch and watched an afternoon show.

Su Ai arrived mid-morning, the busiest time.

Someone immediately noticed the Sweet Sweet stall a young couple, clearly dating.

They stood side-by-side, not even holding hands, very shy.

The man asked, “Comrade, how much is the Sweet Sweet?”

Su Ai pointed to the milk tea: “Sweet Sweet Milk Tea, one yuan per cup.”

“It’s made with milk, sugar, and high-quality pre-Qingming Longjing tea.”

“Real ingredients.”

“Guaranteed to make your love and life sweet.”

“This is caramel popcorn. Watching movies can be boring; have a snack.  I added sugar and milk to this popcorn; it’s milky and fragrant. Try it.”

“No refund if you don’t like it.”

“Comrade, what’s this?” The woman curiously looked at the red and white balls.

“Candied hawthorn balls.”

“See the white sugar coating?  It’s real sugar.”

“One yuan per bag.”

“The colors are festive.  Eating these will bring you good luck!”

Su Ai finished her introduction, and Chen Jianguo continued praising the food.

“Comrade, it’s delicious, really delicious.”

“See my uniform? I’m not a shill; I work here. I bought some because of the smell. One yuan is worth it; it’s so delicious.”

Chen Jianguo enthusiastically promoted Su Ai’s products.

“Milk tea, popcorn, and a movie perfect!”

The man looked at his girlfriend, who clearly wanted some.

He immediately paid: “Two cups of Sweet Sweet Milk Tea, one popcorn, and one bag of candied hawthorn balls.”

“Okay, that’s four yuan.”

“Thank you for your patronage. The candied hawthorn balls are packed full.”