Sweet Delights Shop

Lu Zheng pondered for two days, but ultimately did not bring anything else over from the modern world to sell.

After only a month, immediately producing another "family heirloom" would be far too conspicuous.

Compared to that, opening an ordinary sweet shop and selling granulated sugar that already existed in this era would draw far less attention.

Over the past few days, Lu Zheng had investigated thoroughly. The brown sugar and rock sugar sold in the county's sweet shops were exactly the same as their modern counterparts.

Since that was the case, things were simple.

First, buying a shop was out of the question. Lu Zheng went to the brokerages in the south of the city and rented a storefront for three strings of cash a month. He also hired two shop assistants to stay at the shop.

The furnishings and fixtures inside could still be used, so Lu Zheng did not renovate the place. He merely ordered a signboard from a lacquerware shop.

Sweet Delights Shop.

Then he returned to the modern world, bought a hundred jin of rock sugar online, and once the delivery arrived, removed the packaging and brought it loose to the Great Jing Dynasty to replenish the shop's stock.

"Boss, this is all top-grade Sugar Frost! Fine stuff!"

"Boss, is our shop only selling Sugar Frost? We're not selling Malt Sugar?"

Sugar Frost was made from sugarcane juice and was the finest among sugars. Malt Sugar was made by fermenting and saccharifying grain, and was comparatively cheap.

Thus, when ordinary commoners bought snacks for their children in ancient times, they generally bought Malt Sugar. As for Sugar Frost, they might not buy it even once a year.

But the Great Jing Dynasty was in the midst of a flourishing age. From what Lu Zheng had seen, the people of Tonglin County were living reasonably well, so their purchasing power should be somewhat stronger than that of the parallel world.

Even if it was not, there was nothing to be done. Lu Zheng could not open a sugar refinery yet, and modern Malt Sugar and barley malt syrup cost far more than rock sugar.

"Boss, how are we selling this Sugar Frost?"

The two shop assistants were both locals of Tonglin County, but their families were poor, so they had come out early to work and earn money.

One was surnamed Shi and was simply called Shitou. The other was surnamed Ma and ranked third among his brothers.

"The same as the other sweet shops. Fifty cash per liang," Lu Zheng said.

Measured by the purchasing power of grain, one cash in the Great Jing Dynasty was equivalent to one modern yuan. The rock sugar Lu Zheng brought from the modern world cost five yuan per jin, yet he was selling it in the Great Jing Dynasty for five hundred yuan per jin.

A hundredfold profit!

A capitalist blacker-hearted than the devil himself!

"Great! Our Sugar Frost is much better than the shops that mix granulated sugar into their sugarcane sugar. At the same price, business will definitely be good."

"Mm." Lu Zheng nodded. "Remember to tell me in advance when the stock runs low. I get the goods from another region, and it takes time."

Shitou and Ma San immediately nodded with knowing expressions. This was the boss's trade secret, so naturally they could not pry into it casually.

Lu Zheng did not pick some auspicious date. Once everything was ready, he hired a troupe of Entertainers the next day and opened for business amid gongs and drums.

"Sweet Delights Shop is open! We sell only Sugar Frost! The finest Sugar Frost!"

"For the first three days after opening! Sweet Delights Shop is offering huge discounts! Top-grade Sugar Frost, only forty cash per liang!"

It was, after all, a newly opened sweet shop. He needed to raise its profile and draw in customers to compete with the other sweet shops in the county.

Lu Zheng did not sell Malt Sugar, nor did he intend to wage a price war, lest he offend too many people.

But he could not open in such obscurity either. Otherwise, who knew how long it would take before customers came through the door and became repeat buyers?

So after some thought, Lu Zheng casually brought out the utterly commonplace grand opening sale.

No one could determine when grand opening sales had first begun. He had heard that they already existed in ancient times, but when Lu Zheng had seen a restaurant open in Tonglin County, he had not seen it offer discounted promotions.

In that case, let it begin with me.

It was not some high technology, after all—merely the most primitive idea for attracting foot traffic. No one would think highly of it.

Perhaps other places in the Great Jing Dynasty were already using it?

In Cong An Ward, Sweet Delights Shop opened amid great bustle and excitement, though there were still many more onlookers than buyers.

After all, Sweet Delights Shop sold only rock sugar and not Malt Sugar. At forty cash per liang, it was still far too expensive compared to Malt Sugar at ten cash per liang.

Still, Lu Zheng was satisfied. As long as it could make money and let him break even on this side, that was enough. He was not counting on Sweet Delights Shop to truly make him rich.

"Shopkeeper, weigh out two liang of sugar for me and wrap it up. Make it two packets!"

"Shop assistant, weigh out ten cash worth for me!"

"Mom, I want candy!"

As time passed, business began flowing steadily into the shop.

But with two shop assistants, one weighing and wrapping while the other collected money and handed over the goods, they could handle the work. Thus, Lu Zheng merely wandered around inside and outside the shop, watching without lending a hand.

"Big Sister, Big Sister, look! There's a newly opened sweet shop here. I want candy!"

"You just ate two rose pastries and a piece of nine-layer sugar cake. Why do you still want candy?"

"No, no! I want candy! Big Sister, buy me some! I haven't had candy in ages!"

As the voices drew closer, Lu Zheng saw two figures approaching.

Hand in hand, one was tall and slender, graceful and willowy; the other was petite and exquisite, skipping and hopping along.

Lu Zheng's eyes lit up. Two great beauties—no, one grown beauty and one little beauty.

The elder looked gentle and tranquil, with the air of an orchid in a secluded valley. The younger looked lively and adorable, brimming with youthful vitality. Their brows and eyes bore some resemblance, making it clear that they were a pair of lovely sisters.

When Lu Zheng saw them, naturally they saw him as well.

But although Lu Zheng stood inside the shop, he was clearly not doing any work. Thus, the elder beauty did not speak to him and merely said to Shitou, "Shopkeeper, weigh me out half a liang of sugar."

"Gulp... all right, all right."

When had Shitou ever spoken with a young lady from a distinguished family, beautiful enough to shame the moon and make flowers blush? His face reddened to the tips of his ears as he lowered his head and weighed the sugar.

The elder beauty smiled, counted out twenty copper coins from her purse, and placed them on the counter.

On the other side, Shitou finished weighing and wrapping the sugar. Before he could pass it to Ma San, the little beauty snatched it away and hugged it to her chest, refusing to let go.

The elder beauty gave Lu Zheng an embarrassed smile, then pulled the little beauty out of the crowd and headed off into the distance.

"Ah, this candy is so sweet! Big Sister, have some too."

"Mm, it is delicious. Let Father and Mother try some when we get back too."

Lu Zheng withdrew his gaze. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had seen such beautiful women from ancient times in Tonglin County.

Well, excluding Painted Skin. That was not human!...

A day passed, and Sweet Delights Shop sold seven jin of sugar, bringing in nearly three strings of cash. It had earned back the day's rent in a single day.

Of course, business would certainly not remain this booming afterward. But once its reputation spread, it would become a matter of a thin stream flowing on without end.

"After you finish work each day, round up the copper coins, exchange them for Treasure Notes at the money house, and take them to Tong Yi Alley to give to Uncle Li. Understood?"

"Understood, Boss!"

Lu Zheng nodded. He supplied all the goods himself, the prices were fixed, and the accounts could not have been clearer. He was not worried that Shitou and Ma San would steal from their own post.

Then, once Uncle Li had saved up ten strings of cash, he could hand them over to Lu Zheng. That way, Lu Zheng would not need to worry about this sweet shop every day.

At the end of the late afternoon, Lu Zheng closed the shop, tucked three Treasure Notes into his pocket, and happily headed back.

Just as he reached the entrance of Tong Yi Alley, he saw two figures walking toward him together from the opposite side—the very same elder and younger beauties he had encountered earlier that day.