Chapter 44.2

The next day, Li Xiao came back with the sales figures—just over sixty yuan. It was even less than the profit he used to make from his braised meat business in the county.

Seeing his silence, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but ask, “Was it the placement in the supermarket that was problematic?”

Li Xiao shook his head. “I checked today. At the same spot where people are all buying imported snacks.”

Even though their packaging was more attractive, once people realized the snacks were domestically produced, they hesitated and rejected them—believing they were overpriced, despite the imported snacks being more expensive.

He suddenly understood why domestic snacks were cheaper; they had to target the lower-end market.

“Zhou Jian wants to lower the price,” Li Xiao continued: “But I didn’t agree. I’m considering whether to give the snacks an English name.”

“No,” Jiang Rou firmly rejected. “The name ‘Twelve Zodiac Animals’ is great and meaningful. There’s no such thing as immediate success in business. You’re simply used to things being easy, so a little setback made you anxious. This is normal. People need time to accept new things. Look at your breakfast shop. You said the business is good now, but wasn’t it tough at the beginning?”

“And you wanted to sell domestic snacks abroad, didn’t you? Giving them a foreign name would just strip them of their unique character.”

Even twenty years later, the tendency to favor foreign brands existed, but by then, most people were confident and increasingly annoyed by domestic products with foreign names—they just seemed out of place.

“How about this? Since I’m at home with nothing much to do, I’ll take An An to the supermarket tomorrow and help with a sampling event.”

Her sister-in-law had mentioned that during her freshman year, she worked as a chocolate promoter. Despite the chocolate’s average taste, a small supermarket managed to sell over a thousand yuan’s worth from two in the afternoon to nine in the evening. Her performance had been the worst; large supermarkets could sell tens of thousands. Her sister-in-law thought that business was indeed profitable.

Li Xiao’s current performance was indeed lacking. At this rate, they wouldn’t even cover the rent.

However, Jiang Rou didn’t say this directly but comforted him instead. “Take it slow; you’re just getting started.”

“Mm.”

But Li Xiao still had trouble sleeping that night.

Jiang Rou hugged Li Xiao from the side, “Go to sleep. Worry about the rest tomorrow.”

Li Xiao paused for a moment, then turned over and pulled her into his arms—as if drawing warmth from her.

—o—o—

The next morning, Jiang Rou got up early to design signs and two small badges, instructing Li Xiao to have them made, saying they were necessary for her “task” later.

After breakfast, she packed up a thermos of hot water, diapers, a small stool, and the snacks Li Xiao had brought home a few days ago, and set off to the supermarket in Li Xiao’s van.

Li Xiao still had other matters to attend to and was about to leave after dropping them off. Before he left, he said, “Don’t rush it. If they don’t sell, it’s fine. We can always work with Chang Yong.”

He had a fallback plan and didn’t want to put pressure on her.

Jiang Rou waved him off, “Go ahead, don’t worry about us.”

An An, nestled in Jiang Rou’s arms, imitated her and waved goodbye. “Go~”

She seemed eager for her father to leave.

Li Xiao found their synchronized gestures both funny and frustrating. “Alright, I’ll come pick you up at noon.”

Jiang Rou carried An An into the supermarket and first approached an employee. She introduced herself as a sales promoter for the Twelve Zodiac Animals company, and explained that she was there to sell their products on behalf of her boss, Li Xiao, and Zhou Jian.

She also showed the employee the bags of snacks she had brought.

The employee cast a skeptical glance at Jiang Rou and the child in her arms.

Jiang Rou added, “My child is too young, so I brought her along. Could you give a call and check?”

The employee shook her head, said nothing, and led Jiang Rou to the Twelve Zodiac Animals sales area.

The supermarket wasn’t very large. Li Xiao’s products were placed in two locations: one was in the bulk section with other snacks, and the other was on the shelves. The shelf items were large bags containing twelve smaller packages. The price was one yuan fifty for the nuts and three yuan for the pork jerky.

The bulk section was cheaper, priced at three yuan per pound and six yuan per pound.

Jiang Rou set down the pork jerky and nuts she had brought from home, then placed An An on a small stool, where the little girl sat quietly with her hands resting on her knees, looking up at Jiang Rou without crying or fussing.

Jiang Rou patted her little head, “Just sit here, okay? Mommy will play with you later.”

An An gave her a sweet smile.

Jiang Rou’s heart melted. She took out the plates from her bag, opened the sample packs of nuts and pork jerky, and placed them on the plates, adding a few unopened packages as well.

Since no one was approaching yet, Jiang Rou set the plates on the snack display and sat down on the small stool with An An. She pulled out a yarn ring from her pocket and began playing with it.

An An, who was sitting on Jiang Rou’s lap, swung her little legs happily, watching the yarn twist into various shapes in her mother’s hands. She laughed joyfully and reached out to play along.

Jiang Rou let her play with the yarn, then picked up the thermos from the floor, poured a cup of water, checked the temperature to ensure it was just right, and held it to An An’s lips. “Good girl, have a sip of water.”

An An seemed not too thirsty, so she took a sip obediently, then turned her head away after drinking.

Jiang Rou smiled, patted her little face, and put the cup away.

It wasn’t long before customers started coming into the supermarket. Jiang Rou placed An An back on the small stool, then stood up with the plates, ready to approach the customers.

“Would you like to try some? It tastes really good.”

“Yes, it’s a new brand this year. These nuts are nutritious and come in several varieties, clean and convenient. Feel free to try a sample. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it.”

“And this is our company’s new pork jerky, very chewy.”

Some people took samples and found the taste quite good.

Taking advantage of the tasting opportunity, Jiang Rou interacted with about thirty or forty customers throughout the morning. Many were preparing to buy local specialties for the New Year, so Jiang Rou would say, “Then you should buy this! Look, Twelve Zodiac Animals is only sold here. You won’t find it anywhere else.”

“These snacks are loved by both kids and adults, and they’re healthy. Doctors recommend eating nuts for good health. And this pork jerky, try it out. Isn’t it delicious? It’s great for snacking while watching TV or when guests come over. It’s tasty and doesn’t get your hands dirty…”

She went on and on, but in the end, An An’s “buy” was more effective.

The little girl had learned to say “buy” at some point, and every time Jiang Rou finished her pitch, An An would cheerfully shout “buy,” making the customers laugh heartily.

A middle-aged man in a suit, apparently charmed by An An, decided to buy five pounds of nuts and five pounds of pork jerky, all packed into four bags.

After weighing the items, Jiang Rou handed the bags to him. The man asked, “How old is your daughter? She looks about the same age as my son.”

Jiang Rou handed him the bags, “She’s almost fifteen months old, just started talking not long ago.”

The customer smiled, “My son is half a year older than her. You’re raising her well.”

Jiang Rou smiled back, “She eats quite a lot.”

After the customer left, Jiang Rou picked up An An and gave her a loud kiss: “You’re really smart.”

An An beamed with a sweet smile.

As more people came by, An An grew braver and even started walking a bit, though she didn’t wander far.

—o—o—

In the morning, she had seen a child eating strawberries and had looked at them longingly.

Jiang Rou gently patted her little head and asked, “Do you want some?”

An An didn’t say anything—she only shyly buried her face in Jiang Rou’s arms.

Jiang Rou chuckled, “Alright, I’ll ask your dad to buy some when he comes over.”

Around eleven-thirty in the morning, Li Xiao and Zhou Jian arrived together. Li Xiao was carrying the standing sign Jiang Rou had requested. Jiang Rou directed him to place it by the aisle, “Just put it here, where it’s noticeable.”

The sign featured a cartoon background of the Twelve Zodiac Animals. At the top, it had the eye-catching words “New Products, Excellent Taste” and included descriptions like “Nut snacks, three packs daily, healthy for your body,” “Eat pork jerky when you’re hungry,” “Clean, hygienic, and delicious,” and “Even foreigners find it good”…

Jiang Rou set up the sign and asked, “How did you get it done so quickly?”

Zhou Jian smiled and said, “I went personally.”

Jiang Rou gave him a thumbs up.

Zhou Jian had other matters to attend to, so he left after briefly chatting with Jiang Rou. Before he left, he said, “Sister-in-law, you’ve worked hard. It’s better than yesterday’s sales.”

He had seen the situation yesterday and knew what it was like.

Jiang Rou smiled.

After Zhou Jian left, Jiang Rou shared the morning’s progress with Li Xiao and showed him a hand gesture, “I roughly calculated it; we sold about a hundred yuan this morning.”

She then patted An An’s little head, “It was all thanks to your daughter, she’s a big contributor.”

Jiang Rou also mentioned An An’s performance.

Li Xiao laughed, “Is she that amazing?”

An An, completely ignoring what Li Xiao said, tugged anxiously at her father’s hand, pulling him toward the stall selling strawberries.

Jiang Rou was surprised at how well An An remembered the strawberries, still thinking about them. She told Li Xiao about the morning’s events, “You don’t know how she was eyeing those strawberries. You have to buy her some today.”

Li Xiao, in a good mood, bent down and picked her up, “It’s just strawberries. Daddy will buy them for you.”

In the end, Li Xiao bought a bag of strawberries. At that time, strawberries were very expensive, costing fifteen yuan per pound, and he picked out two pounds of the biggest ones.

As they left, An An insisted on walking on her own, holding one hand of her mother and one of her father.

She kept repeating, “Strawberries.”

Jiang Rou shook the bag in her hand, “Yes, strawberries.”

“Mommy eats, Daddy eats, An An eats.”

“Okay, we’ll go home and eat them together.”

An An beamed with happiness.

Holding a small stool, a thermos of hot water, and a bag of sample snacks, Li Xiao looked at his daughter’s innocent and contented smile and felt a profound sense of fulfillment.

He suddenly felt that no amount of money could compare to the joy of this moment.

—o—o—o—

In the following days, Jiang Rou made time every morning to visit the supermarket. Whether it was her efforts as a salesperson or simply the approaching New Year, the number of customers gradually increased.

Meanwhile, the snack store next to the breakfast shop on the pedestrian street had also opened. A few days earlier, Zhou Jian had gone to check on the store, and after ensuring Cao Wang could handle things, he left it to him and went on to focus on other tasks.

Li Xiao, feeling bold, decided to lease another large supermarket as soon as the business at the smaller supermarket showed some improvement. He not only replicated the exact same signage but also advertised a New Year’s discount, though the price remained the same. He just labeled it as 20% off.

The signs at the small supermarket were also updated.

Jiang Rou hadn’t discussed this strategy with Li Xiao, but he had come up with it on his own. People in that era were still quite naive, and Jiang Rou noticed that Li Xiao’s demeanor had clearly changed whenever he did the accounts in the evening.

He had been anxious earlier, but now he seemed more relaxed.

Jiang Rou couldn’t focus on him at the moment as Li Xin was coming over.

Li Xin’s vacation started later, and she had come without even picking up her final grades—bringing many packages. Half of them were for Zhou Jian and the other half were gifts from Aunt Wang.

Jiang Rou had sent a large package of snacks back home a few days ago and wasn’t sure if Aunt Wang had received it.

Aunt Wang had sent Jiang Rou a large string of preserved sausages and meats, as well as tea leaves she had roasted herself.

Jiang Rou was very grateful and planned to call Aunt Wang using Li Xiao’s phone when he came back.

In just a few months, Li Xin had grown quite a bit, now reaching Jiang Rou’s eye level.

She had also gained some weight, her face rounder, and her hair, which seemed a bit longer, was tied into a small ponytail.

Her features were more striking and radiant, her eyes sparkling with life.

Jiang Rou looked at her with satisfaction and said, “Your clothes are a bit small now. I’ll take you shopping for new ones this afternoon.”

Li Xin tugged at her clothes, “They’re still okay, I can keep wearing them. I’ve put on some weight lately.”

“Aunt Wang has been feeding me a lot of meat.”

Jiang Rou was surprised she had arrived so early, thinking she would only get there in the afternoon. She had planned to take An An to the supermarket for a promotional event and was going to pick her up from the station at noon.

Li Xin explained, “I was supposed to arrive in the afternoon, but I swapped tickets with someone during the transfer and ended up on an earlier train.”

Jiang Rou looked at her in confusion.

Li Xin quickly clarified, “The person wasn’t a bad person. There were staff from the train station present, and it seemed like an operational error. I happened to want to arrive earlier, so I agreed in swapping tickets.”

Others even wanted to switch too, but there was only one ticket available.

Jiang Rou nodded, “Next time, don’t switch with strangers if it’s not necessary. It’s safer to come later if needed.”

“Got it.”

Jiang Rou laughed and said, “Come on, let’s get you started as a sales assistant.”

Li Xin immediately brightened up, “What’s a sales assistant?”

Jiang Rou kept her guessing, “You’ll find out when we get there.”

So, Li Xin spent the whole morning with her sister and little niece at the supermarket.

At first, she was a bit shy when Jiang Rou interacted with strangers. But later, when Jiang Rou took An An to the restroom and left Li Xin alone by the snacks, she decided to step up and try talking to customers, even though she was blushing.

When Jiang Rou returned, she saw Li Xin, still a bit awkward, trying to weigh snacks for a customer named Zhao Yun. A tall, slender, and refined young man was standing beside her, gently guiding her on how to do it.

Li Xin clumsily weighed the snacks, handed them to Zhao Yun, and tried to mimic Jiang Rou’s sweet tone, “Sister, here are your items.”

Zhao Yun laughed, “You’re younger than my nephew. Why are you calling me sister?”

Li Xin couldn’t come up with an answer, her face turning even redder.

The young man next to her also chuckled.

Jiang Rou walked over to help her sister, “Sister Zhao, what a coincidence.”

“Jiang Rou?” Zhao Yun looked at her with surprise and delight, “I was just thinking of finding you to hang out.”