On the afternoon of the first day of business, Bai Ying put on the staff uniform prepared by Yuan Tiantian for him, a short-sleeved white shirt and black dress pants. It had to be said that with his Western - contoured face, Bai Ying looked like a handsome medieval European butler in this outfit. However, if it weren't for his unruly air, he might have looked even more like one.
After this dressing - up, Yuan Tiantian took Bai Ying and Xiuxiu to the town. What were they going to do? Hand out flyers!
"Your goal today is to bring back at least two customers by nightfall. Do you understand? Otherwise, no food for you!" Yuan Tiantian was like a cruel landlord as she stuffed a stack of flyers into Bai Ying's hand. This was the task assigned to him for the day. Since he had eaten so much of her ingredients at noon, he should do his part. Of course, Yuan Tiantian wasn't really that cruel. It was still the summer vacation, and the weather was sweltering. Yuan Tiantian also handed Bai Ying an insulated bag containing two large cups of iced lemonade.
"I'll take Xiuxiu to the Cultural Palace to hand out flyers. You hand them out in this residential area. Is that okay?"
Before coming, Yuan Tiantian had also given Bai Ying a brief on how to hand out flyers. Seeing her ask again, Bai Ying immediately showed his impatience: "Stop nagging and let's get going."
After saying that, he strode away, leaving only his tall back for Yuan Tiantian. Seeing this, she rode the electric scooter borrowed from Aunt Qianhua with Xiuxiu on it towards the Cultural Palace. On the way, Yuan Tiantian wondered if she should buy a means of transportation, like this electric scooter, which would make things much more convenient.
It was almost four o'clock when they arrived at the entrance of the Cultural Palace. Some cram schools were just getting out. Maybe because of cute little Xiuxiu, Yuan Tiantian was able to hand out flyers quite quickly. Especially those teenage girls, who exclaimed how cute Xiuxiu was when they saw her. Yuan Tiantian hardly had any flyers returned. After a group of people left, Yuan Tiantian gently pinched Xiuxiu's fair and tender cheeks.
"Xiuxiu is really my lucky star!"
Although Xiuxiu didn't fully understand what Yuan Tiantian meant, she knew it was a compliment and showed a sweet smile.
After handing out flyers to two more groups of people, some people wanted to take pictures with Xiuxiu, but Yuan Tiantian refused. Considering Xiuxiu's special identity, it was better to avoid such group photos. However, even so, quite a few photos of Xiuxiu were secretly taken. Yuan Tiantian was a bit relieved that she had dyed Xiuxiu's hair black with a physical hair dye a couple of days ago. Otherwise, that long green hair would probably have caused quite a stir.
"Sorry, kids don't take pictures. I'm really sorry."
After refusing another young lady, Yuan Tiantian watched the disappointed back of the girl walking away with the flyer in her hand. She let out a sigh, then took out a small box of lemonade from the insulated bag and handed it to Xiuxiu. She also took out a cup for herself. They were both at room temperature because she had to take care of the baby in her belly, so she should avoid iced drinks as much as possible.
The big and the small took a big gulp of the lemonade. The unique refreshing taste of lemon with a hint of sweet honey spread instantly in their mouths and went straight to their lungs. Even though it was at room temperature, it brought a special kind of comfort on this scorching summer day.
"Excuse me. Do you sell this lemonade?"
Just as Yuan Tiantian and Xiuxiu finished a big cup of lemonade and were about to put the things away and continue handing out the remaining flyers, a puzzled female voice came from beside them. While putting the lid on the lemonade cup, Yuan Tiantian looked at the person. It was a woman in her early thirties, wearing professional clothes with her hair pulled up and holding a bunch of documents in her hand. She might be a staff member of the Cultural Palace.
"Yes! Sister, do you want to buy some?"
While asking, Yuan Tiantian handed the woman a flyer and then explained, "We only brought two cups for our own use when we came out. But if you're interested in this lemonade, you can go to Tiantian's Gourmet Shop. It's already open, and this lemonade will be available recently. It tastes even better when it's iced."
"The address is on the flyer."
Who was this woman? Her name was Wu Qian, an English teacher in the Cultural Palace. It was quite a coincidence that she was related to Yuan Tiantian. One of the men from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau who had been reported by Liu Xiaoqing was her husband.
As a matter of fact, Wu Qian had just tasted this lemonade at noon today. Her husband, Li Ming, had brought it back in the morning, saying it was from the owner of a newly - opened shop. Li Ming didn't like this kind of drink, so he just put it in the fridge and didn't care about it. When Wu Qian came home from work at noon, she was sweating profusely after cooking lunch. Then she went to the fridge to find some cold drinks to cool off. Remembering the lemonade her husband had brought back, she decided to give it a try. Actually, Wu Qian didn't really like sour drinks like lemonade, but unexpectedly, one sip and she was completely conquered by the wonderful taste.
Different from the lemonade on the market, which was either too sour or overly sweetened with artificial sweeteners, this glass of lemonade was just perfect. It wasn't too sweet or cloying, but had the unique sour - sweet taste and fragrance of lemon. Coupled with the refreshing feeling after being iced, it was an absolute match. Even Wu Qian, who didn't like lemonade, finished the whole big glass in just a few minutes.
Of course, if it were just about the taste and how good it was, Wu Qian might not have asked Yuan Tiantian if they sold the lemonade just because it smelled similar. There was actually another important reason for her to pluck up the courage to ask.
After lunch, Wu Qian had some rest at home. She had classes at 1:30 pm. When she came back to the office in the Cultural Palace, two new girls in the same office stared at her in surprise.
"Wow, Sister Wu, did you go for a facial at noon?"
One of the lively girls blurted out. Hearing this question, Wu Qian frowned. What were they talking about? At first, she was a bit annoyed at their joking. You know, because of the upcoming inspection from above, she hadn't had a good sleep for several days. These days, her complexion hadn't been good, especially her face looked a bit dull.
However, when the girl handed her a small makeup mirror and Wu Qian saw herself in it, she was also shocked.
In the mirror, the dark circles under her eyes caused by staying up late in the past few days had faded a lot, and her skin had become fairer and more tender. It was no longer the dark and sallow complexion from the morning!
"Sister Wu, I'm not kidding, right? Your face looks just like you've just had a facial. Did you really go at noon?"
Wu Qian's mind was in a turmoil. She didn't answer the girl's question but thought about the glass of iced lemonade she had drunk at noon.
Wu Qian wondered if this glass of lemonade could have such a great effect. She didn't want to believe it, but she had to, because everything at noon was the same as usual, except that she had drunk this different drink. She really couldn't think of anything else that could have caused the changes on her face.
That's why there was this scene. When Wu Qian saw the similar lemonade that Yuan Tiantian and Xiuxiu had, she wanted to buy a cup to confirm it.
"Tiantian's Gourmet Shop?"
Wu Qian took the flyer, then walked to one side and called her husband. After that, she came back to Yuan Tiantian.
"Could you please take me there directly?"
It's time for the first official business deal!