My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

Lin Xiulan rubbed her red eyes. She had been staying up for three nights in a row, and the abacus beads were almost sparking from her movements.

Three new stalls are still not open, and a new store is about to open, so all the pressure is on her shoulders.

A cup of hot tea was placed beside him, and Lu Qingshan sat down next to it.

"Take a break. If you keep going like this, the shop won't even open before you, the head manager, collapse."

Lin Xiulan picked up her teacup, took a big gulp, and let out a long sigh.

"How can we not be anxious? Zhongshan Road is a prime location, and we can't afford for our first shot in Xiushan Industry to be a dud."

"Scared already?" Lu Qingshan picked up the old military overcoat draped over the back of the chair and put it on his shoulders.

"Fear? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary, Lin Xiulan. I'll make the decisions about this shop. You, this big shot, will just be my manual laborer."

Lu Qingshan readily nodded: "Okay, I'll do whatever Boss Lin tells me to do."

The next morning, at the new store on Zhongshan Road.

The house was filled with the smell of wood shavings and fresh wood.

The old carpenter was carrying a bucket of dark red paint and was about to apply it to the door frame with a brush.

"Master! Stop!"

Lin Xiulan strode over.

The old carpenter looked puzzled.

"Boss, what's wrong? This is the most fashionable red glossy paint on the market!"

He gestured towards the name, "Go outside and take a look. The counters in department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives are all painted this color! It's bright and impressive, it makes you look good!"

Lin Xiulan pondered for a while.

Pick up a piece of unpainted scrap wood from the ground.

"The department store sells sewing machines and bicycles, so it's only natural that it's brightly painted."

"What do we sell? Locally grown mountain products from Changbai Mountain! Mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and wild ginseng!"

Lin Xiulan pointed to the small mountain of birch bark in the corner of the wall, her voice clear and bright.

"City people are tired of seeing those glass counters every day. They come to buy mountain products precisely because they want that authentic, rustic charm!"

"It's like a city dweller eating rich, meaty meals every day, suddenly craving some wild vegetables to cleanse their palate. If you insist on serving them a plate of braised pork, do you think they'll be happy?"

The old carpenter listened in stunned silence, then shook his head and sighed.

"Oh dear, wouldn't that turn it into a dilapidated mud house in a remote mountain village? Those rich people in the city, with their pockets full of cash, would they even look at this kind of broken tree bark?"

"Just trust me." Lin Xiulan walked to the central pine wood shelf.

"Remove all the red paint, and cover the entire first-floor wall with pieces of birch bark!"

"And these shelves, all of them have their corners tightly bound with thick hemp rope."

"The plastic bags that were originally ordered have all been returned, and they have been replaced with the cheapest coarse cloth bags."

The old carpenter grumbled as he carried the paint bucket outside.

"He's gone mad, absolutely mad! Why does he have to act like a country bumpkin when he could be so sophisticated?"

Lin Xiulan smiled and didn't explain further; this was something he had discussed with Lu Qingshan the night before.

During the inspection, a black Jeep was parked at the entrance.

The license plate number is a domineering leopard number.

Qian Shouyi pushed open the door and walked in.

"Achoo! Sister-in-law, what's that smell in your house? The red pine smell is so strong!"

Qian Shouyi rubbed his nose as he looked around at the birch bark walls that had been pasted on.

He strode to the rough wooden frame, picked up a jar of premium linden honey tied with hemp rope, and brought it close to his nose to smell it.

"Incredible! Sister-in-law, this is absolutely brilliant!"

Qian Shouyi turned his head, his eyes lighting up.

"I was thinking, if you also set up a big glass display case to show off your wealth, then you'd be falling into the trap of clichés! That kind of overused trick won't fool these people in the provincial capital."

Lin Xiulan brought over a cup of hot tea.

"Mr. Qian, do you think our old-fashioned style will work?"

"That's amazing!"

Qian Shouyi took the enamel mug and slapped his thigh excitedly.

"Those wealthy people in the provincial capital who have spare cash go to department stores more often than they go to their own toilets; they're already sick of seeing them!"

"Your move is called 'returning to simplicity'! It's absolutely brilliant!"

Qian Shouyi took a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat and patted his chest to assure him.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry! On opening day, I practically dragged all of our most discerning, tea-loving regulars from the bureau over!"

"I specifically chose to buy the most expensive wild ginseng from your stall!"

"I guarantee that within a day, your Xiushan Industrial's prestigious brand will be prominently displayed in the provincial capital!"

Lin Xiulan thanked her with a smile.

With the honest words of the deputy general manager of the provincial pharmaceutical company, the high-end sales of the new store are now secure.

Before the two could say more words...

Monkey Three burst through the gate, his dog-skin hat covered in snowflakes.

"Sister-in-law!" he shouted in a hoarse voice.

"The radio station just issued a red alert! A major cold wave has arrived ahead of schedule! The weather station says that our provincial capital will experience a once-in-a-century blizzard in the next two days!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the old-fashioned black telephone on the table rang sharply.

Lin Xiulan quickly walked over and picked up the receiver.

On the other end of the phone came the anxious voice of Master Zhao from the Chengnan Lion Dance Team.

"Mr. Lin! I'm so sorry! The wind outside is like a knife, it's impossible to go out! We can't attend the opening ceremony tomorrow, but I'll refund your deposit this afternoon!"

"Master Zhao, please listen to me..."

"Click." Before Lin Xiulan could speak, the other party had already hung up.

Immediately afterwards, the phone rang again.

This time it was the firecracker shop in the north of the city that I ordered: "Boss Lin, let's cancel the firecrackers for tomorrow! The fuses got chilled and are so damp they won't light at all; even if they do, they'll just be duds!"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned cold, and the carpenters stopped what they were doing and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chen Meili came out of the back warehouse, her fingers clicking and clattering on the abacus beads.

"The rent for this shop on Zhongshan Road is ten yuan a day!"

"The eight workers' wages combined are almost twenty! The worst part is the two hundred catties of fresh monkey head mushrooms and other offal that just arrived in the back warehouse!"

Chen Meili slammed the account book onto the counter with a "thud".

"If this batch of goods stays in the warehouse unsold, it will rot into a black rot if it gets damp for just three days! Delaying the opening by even one day is like throwing tens of dollars into a water tank!"

Just as he was pacing anxiously inside, a few sarcastic laughs came from outside the door.

Wu Dafa, the owner of the dry goods store across the street, stood under the eaves with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey guys! Come out and take a look! This country bumpkin from out of town just doesn't understand the proper customs of our provincial capital!"

"Opening a business in the dead of winter, you probably wouldn't even be willing to buy a traditional Chinese almanac to flip through, would you?"

Wu Dafa exhaled a puff of smoke and shouted gleefully.

"With this heavy snow blocking the roads, there won't even be a soul scavenging for scraps on the streets! Who are you going to sell to if you open your doors?"

"Sell it to the snowman? Take my advice, you should board up the door and go back to your mountain village! Don't embarrass yourself in the provincial capital!"