The middle-aged woman was initially delighted to hear that the cloth wasn’t charged, but when Gu Ruinian mentioned his request, she looked nervous and said, "What’s the matter? If you want me to do something bad, then I won’t buy it."

It seems one shouldn’t be greedy for small gains; a huge pit might be waiting ahead.

She was just here to buy a sieve for steaming buns, not to do anything bad.

Gu Ruinian said, "Big sister, am I such a person? It’s just that when you go out, help us promote that our prices at Wu Ji are cheaper than Jufu Supermarket."

So it’s about promoting.

The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment, thinking she planned to go to Jufu Supermarket to buy thread when she repaired her pot. If Jufu Supermarket found out she bought things at Wu Ji, they might not repair her pot, and she’d spend more money fixing it.

Seeing the woman’s hesitation, Gu Ruinian felt resentment. He thought to himself, these people have no shame; they want to run after benefiting, deserving to be taken advantage of.

Gu Ruinian smiled kindly and said, "Big sister, we are not asking you to lie. Our stuff is indeed cheaper than Jufu Supermarket’s. By promoting us, you’re helping others save money, which is doing a good deed. Think about it, money doesn’t come from the wind, saving a bit should count. Don’t you agree?"

The middle-aged woman, swayed by Gu Ruinian, thought it made sense and said, "Alright, I’ll help you promote."

The clerk was right; the sieve and cloth at Wu Ji are truly cheaper than those at Jufu Supermarket.

Besides, considering the vast number of shops in Pingchuan County, people compare prices before buying. If Wu Ji is cheaper, they’ll come to Wu Ji. Perhaps Jufu Supermarket might lower their prices too, benefiting everyone.

The middle-aged woman took the sieve and two pieces of cloth and walked out of Wu Ji, then joined a crowd of waiting customers, greeting her old neighbors and starting to chat.

"Look at this, I bought this sieve from Wu Ji next door, cheaper than Jufu Supermarket, and got two pieces of cloth along with it."

"Wu Ji? Which Wu Ji?" someone asked.

"It’s the old Liu’s Furniture store. Liu’s Furniture closed down and became Wuji Department Store," the middle-aged woman explained.

"Are all the things cheaper than Jufu Supermarket?"

"Well, let me tell you, for anything Wu Ji has that Jufu Supermarket also has, Wu Ji is cheaper," she said with a smile and added, "But it doesn’t have as many things as Jufu Supermarket."

Several women nearby picked up the sieve and cloth from the woman, recognizing their quality which seemed decent.

Who doesn’t love things that are cheap? If the quality is comparable, naturally, the cheaper, the better.

So, with the middle-aged woman’s promotion, quite a few people headed to Wu Ji.

Yesterday’s grand opening at Wu Ji was as cold as an ice pit, but today it’s lively, with customers filling the small shop.

The Gu Family and Wu Family, led by Gu Youtian, were busily attending to customers.

Wu Ren’s face was blooming with a smile, constantly giving Gu Ruinian a thumbs-up; the two younger sons of the Wu Family were really something, attracting people to Wu Ji with just a few tricks.

Compared to Jufu Supermarket, Wu Ji’s shop is too small, and it’s limited in merchandise.

If it were in the past, people wouldn’t have been picky, as most shops had similar setups and sizes.

But for those who’ve experienced Jufu Supermarket, Wu Ji is somewhat shabby.

Jufu Supermarket has an entire shelf filled with all kinds of needle sizes and types; as for threads, silk, cotton, and hemp threads are all categorized neatly according to size and color.

Some people shook their heads after looking and walked out; Wu Ji is cheaper, but lacks options.

Some are selective, while others are not. Those who aren’t picky find something they want at Wu Ji, compare prices and find they’re cheaper than Jufu Supermarket, and make a purchase.

This way, Wu Ji’s business seems quite prosperous.

"Ma’am, looking for something in particular? Please come in."

"Sir, if you want a smoking pipe, we have it."

"Rest assured, feel free to compare prices; ours are certainly cheaper than Jufu Supermarket."

Customers choose Wu Ji because of his efforts, and Gu Ruinian was very happy, eager to continue showing off in front of Wu Ren, so he enthusiastically welcomed customers.

Wu Ren watched and glanced at Wu Musheng, who was managing accounts at the counter, feeling disheartened.

Wu Musheng wasn’t as capable as Gu Ruinian.

At night, Wu Ren reminded Wu Musheng to keep a close eye on the account books, seeing as business was good today, letting Wu Musheng handle bookkeeping and payments.

Wu Musheng was already bad at accounting; combined with being lost in thoughts about Tong Pandi’s beauty, he made several calculation errors, either collecting too much or giving too much change.

Customers who received too much change wouldn’t volunteer to return it.

But those who overpaid would rush over to cause trouble.

Fortunately, thanks to Gu Ruinian’s adept handling, several customer complaints were resolved without causing a stir.

Thus, Gu Ruinian replaced Wu Musheng in accounting and payments, smoothly seizing the account books. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Gu Youtian looked at Gu Ruinian with slightly softened eyes.

Even though he currently dislikes this son, the account books are better in his hands than in the hands of the Wu Family.

"Jufu Supermarket is open."

Someone shouted, causing many customers to flock to Jufu Supermarket.

"I’ll go check out Jufu Supermarket; if their prices are higher, I’ll come back," an old lady said, putting down a roll of thread.

The other customers, hearing her words, began putting down their things.

After all, comparing prices is no loss, let’s go take a look at Jufu Supermarket.

Wu Ren panicked.

Gu Ruinian remained calm, leisurely saying, "It’s right to compare prices when shopping. Whether you compare with Jufu Supermarket or other shops, it’s fine. Right now, those going to Jufu Supermarket aren’t there to shop; didn’t you notice they’re all there for repairs? With such hot weather, so many people going to Jufu Supermarket, what if they get heatstroke?"

"Why not wait until there are fewer people to go to Jufu Supermarket? Wu Ji knows the weather is hot, and we’ve prepared cool boiled water for everyone. Ladies and sisters, feel free to browse around our shop a bit longer."

While speaking, he asked Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wei as well as Xiao Xue to serve tea.

Somehow, today’s weather was indeed hotter than previous years.

Everyone was genuinely thirsty and accepted the tea offered by Mrs. Jia and others, drinking it.

Wu Ji’s service was respectable.

Since they drank Wu Ji’s water, naturally it wouldn’t feel right to leave without buying.

Thus, Wu Ji made a few more sales.

"Rui Nian, you’re really something."

Wu Na approached Gu Ruinian, full of admiration.

Gu Ruinian’s eyes sparkled and said, "Nothing worth mentioning."

Wu Na blushed slightly.

Gu Ruinian looked handsome, could study, and did business well, speaking softly with courtesy towards her, much better than those men discussing marriage with her.

She’s developed a substantial affection for Gu Ruinian.

Gu Ruinian immediately sensed Wu Na’s thoughts.

Filled with disdain, she was just a village chief’s daughter, unable to assist him.

If she were as beautiful as Lu Zhaozhao, he might consider it, but she’s dark and thin without an ounce of charm; not even comparable to his own sister Xiao Xue.

The likes of Lu Zhaozhao, he wouldn’t reach in Pingchuan County.

The Second Miss is possible; he plans to find a time to meet the Second Miss in the next few days.