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All the time-honored shops on both sides of Zhongshan Road were closed.

Only Xiushan Industrial's new store removed the thick windproof wooden planks from the front door, one by one.

Monkey Three breathed out warm air and rubbed his fingers, which were almost frozen.

He stood on a high stool and hung a solid wood sign with black background and gold lettering on the lintel.

The signboard with its large red silk ribbon swayed in the cold wind.

The shop was brightly lit.

Chen Meili led two newly recruited employees, each holding a dry rag.

Several people polished the large, rough porcelain vats in the lobby until they shone.

The jar was filled with wild mountain delicacies that had been rushed in during the heavy snow the night before last.

On the pine wood counter next to it, brown paper bags were stacked like a brick wall.

Each paper bag was stamped with a red inkpad to indicate that it was a product of Xiushan Mountain.

Everything is ready.

But there wasn't a soul in sight on the street outside the door.

The heavy snow kept everyone in the provincial capital indoors.

The workers' movements became slower and slower.

No one spoke in the spacious shop.

All that remained was the dull thud of a rag wiping across the wooden countertop.

Chen Meili walked up to the abacus and fiddled with the beads a couple of times.

The crisp sound of the abacus seemed particularly jarring in the room.

She looked at the room full of rare and expensive items, then at the snow wall piled up outside the door, her palms sweating.

Rent, labor costs, and water/transportation fees.

Every second is a money-burning ordeal.

Suddenly, a shrill laugh came from across the street.

Wu Dafa, who runs a dry goods store, was wearing a faded yellow military overcoat.

Holding a chipped purple clay teapot in her hands, she wobbled as she squeezed out through the crack of her half-closed door.

Several business owners who usually make a living on Zhongshan Road were also gathered around him.

Wu Dafa took two steps forward and precisely spat a mouthful of sunflower seed shells onto the snow wall.

"Oh, so you're really planning to open your doors to customers?"

"Look at Xiao Si, look at that style."

Xiao Si quickly stepped forward to continue the conversation.

"Boss, what good is being impressive?"

"Look at this street, it's so cold that even stray dogs don't want to come out to poop."

"Who are they going to sell to with all this fanfare?"

Several colleagues immediately joined in the commotion.

"Outsiders are stubborn."

"Opening a business in this snow-covered landscape—isn't that just throwing money away?"

Another skinny man wearing a leather hat curled his lip.

"Looking at those vats of fresh goods they've been keeping for three or four days, they're probably already rotten and sour."

"Even if it were given away for free today, people in the provincial capital would still consider it bad luck!"

Lin Xiulan stopped the angry waiter and gradually calmed down.

"Gentlemen, we welcome you as guests. Why don't you come in and have some tea?"

Seeing Lin Xiulan's unyielding attitude, the group realized they had no fun, and after a few more words, they separated and stood apart.

……

The crunching sound of footsteps on the snow came from around the street corner.

The two groups of people stumbled and trudged toward the shop.

Leading the group was Master Zhao from the Chengnan Lion Dance Team.

Old Li from the firecracker shop followed behind.

Old Li, carrying two thick rolls of firecrackers on his back, panted heavily as he threw them onto the steps.

Master Zhao scanned the shop.

"Boss Lin."

Master Zhao lowered his voice, his tone full of regret.

"I've been performing lion dances for thirty years, and I've never seen such terrible weather for a business opening."

"The snow is too heavy; everyone, young and old, is staying home. Who would come out to see what's going on?"

"How about we just go through the motions with this ceremony today?"

He reached into his cotton-padded coat pocket and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a crumpled wad of ten-yuan notes.

The old man counted out half of them and pushed them onto the counter.

"This is the deposit you gave me before; I'll refund half of it."

"It's not easy for anyone to make money in this snowy weather, so we should try to minimize our losses."

Hearing this, Old Li, who was outside the door, also leaned half his body in.

"Boss Lin, I'll only set off 50,000 firecrackers as a token gesture."

"I'll take the rest of the goods back as is, and I'll refund your money."

"These days, you have to be careful with your money when doing business; don't fight against fate."

The two men meant well, but Lin Xiulan felt it was even more upsetting than Wu Laosi's gloating.

Because they genuinely believed that the business would not succeed.

The hour hand of the wall clock was about to point to ten o'clock.

This is the auspicious time set for the opening.

There wasn't even a single idler outside to join the fun.

Wu Dafa, who was across the street, laughed even more unrestrainedly.

"See? Even the lion dancers know there's no show going on today!"

"Let's call it a day, let's call it a day. Save your energy for closing down and settling accounts tomorrow!"

Chen Meili's lips trembled twice.

She didn't even dare to turn her head to look at Lin Xiulan's face.

The two young waiters in the lobby kept their heads down, not daring to even breathe loudly.

All the pressure fell on Lin Xiulan's shoulders.

Everyone was secretly watching her reaction.

Lin Xiulan remained calm and composed, and after composing herself, she insisted on her choice.

"Master Zhao, take the money back."

Lin Xiulan turned and walked out of the store.

"Old Li, get all 200,000 of those Earth Red clappers out of the water."

"Put everything out? This... Boss Lin, who are you trying to impress with this explosion?"

Lin Xiulan glanced at him.

"According to the rules, we must hear the sound when the auspicious time arrives."

Old Li gritted his teeth and pulled out the fuse.

A match is struck.

The fuse hissed and sparked as it shot upwards rapidly.

"Boom—crackle and pop!"

Two hundred thousand earth-red explosions erupted in the empty sky.

Clusters of blinding flames stretched endlessly.

The deafening noise echoed through Zhongshan Road, causing the snow on the eaves of the houses on both sides to fall down in a flurry.

Red scraps of paper mixed with choking gunpowder smoke covered most of the gray-white street.

The firecrackers lasted for a good five or six minutes before finally stopping.

Master Zhao and his apprentice symbolically danced with the lion's head twice and struck the gong a few times.

The smoke slowly dissipated, and the streets remained deserted.

The overwhelming layer of red confetti only made the opening ceremony seem like a ridiculous joke.

It's like a play without an audience.

Wu Dafa could no longer hold back.

"Hahaha! Everyone, look!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs at the surrounding shops.

"This display is truly intimidating!"

"Two hundred thousand firecrackers went off for half a day, but they didn't even attract a single stray dog!"

Several colleagues nearby burst into laughter.

The fat boss was clutching his stomach and rubbing it.

"Has Mr. Lin's brain been damaged by the heavy snow?"

"That much money spent on firecrackers could buy a hundred pounds of cornmeal, and it's just going down the drain."

Monkey Three's eyes were bloodshot, and he grabbed a broom, ready to charge at the other side.

Chen Meili quietly turned her back, her eyes slightly red.

The two men began to tidy up the cardboard boxes on the steps.

Lin Xiulan remained standing at the top of the steps.

Just as Wu Dafa's laughter pierced the entire street.

A series of extremely loud noises came from around the corner of the street, starting with just a few muffled thuds of thick-soled leather shoes stepping on the snow.

Then the sounds became increasingly dense.

Wu Dafa's laughter sounded stuck in his throat as he turned to look at the street.

Around the corner, a few middle-aged men wearing sheepskin hats came out first.

Following them was a group of family members dressed in military overcoats and high-top leather boots.

More and more people.

A dense mass of people poured out from around the corner.

It directly filled the road surface that had just been cleaned by the municipal authorities.

Each of these people was holding a small, bright red card in their hand.

The men at the head of the group were talking as they walked.

"Old Zhang, are you here to order that annual subscription package too?"

"Nonsense! My old lady had a sip of that delicious soup yesterday, and she insisted I come out to queue up despite the wind today!"

This group of people usually live a secluded life in the compound.

Pick any one of them, and you'll find someone the department store manager has to fawn over.

At this moment, it is like an unstoppable torrent.

It broke straight through the snow wall.

They completely ignored the dry goods shops peeking out from the roadside.

A middle-aged woman with short hair was walking at the very front.

It was Liu, the nanny from the provincial party committee compound.

Before Wu Dafa could react, Liu, the nanny, bumped into him and made him stumble.

"Get out of the way! I was here first!"

The purple clay teapot in Wu Dafa's hand fell to the ground with a "clang" and shattered into pieces.

Nanny Liu pushed open the mahogany door.

She pulled out several brand-new ten-yuan bills from her pocket and slapped them on the counter.

"Boss Lin! Give me one of those 99-yuan annual packages!"