Once she left the residential complex, Zhang Wanwan didn't care what others thought of her. The thought of making money soon made her incredibly excited. It wasn't until nearly 9:30 AM that she arrived at Century Square. After riding her tricycle to the spot she had scouted earlier, Zhang Wanwan hurried to get everything ready. In truth, there wasn't much to prepare; she just had to hang up her sign and lay out her goods on the stall.
Because this location was right at the corner of the pedestrian street, with only three or four storefronts behind her and a dead end at the far end, there was a large banyan tree beside her and a ditch nearby. Currently, no one else was setting up a stall here. To get noticed while vending in a place like this, one could only use a megaphone. Her reason for choosing this spot, aside from not having to fight others for a space, was more importantly that there was a shop next to her selling bottled mineral water. Since she needed a large amount of mineral water to make milk tea, this location was perfect for her.
Zhang Wanwan turned the volume of the megaphone to the maximum, playing a looping recording: "A cup of milk tea, a touch of longing. Welcome to try Xiao Zhang's Milk Tea—made with real ingredients to keep you coming back for more!"
At this hour, it was definitely early for the pedestrian street; many shops had only just opened for business. Hearing this unfamiliar voice, several people stepped out of their shops, surprised by the source of the sound. Looking closely, they realized it was actually a young girl. Although she was wearing a mask, her temperament revealed that she wasn't very old.
A pretty, youthful saleswoman in her twenties walked out from the shop closest to Zhang Wanwan's stall and asked curiously, "Little sister, are you an adult? Why are you out here vending?"
In their eyes, if someone was out vending at such a young age these days, it must mean they came from a poor family and needed help.
Facing the enthusiastic older sister, Zhang Wanwan's eyes crinkled into a smile as she shook her head. "I'm not an adult yet. I'm working part-time during my summer break. Sister, do you want to buy some milk tea? I can give you a twenty percent discount."
Only then did the saleswoman look seriously at Zhang Wanwan's stall. Seeing that there was no price list posted, she asked jokingly, "Then how much is your milk tea, little sister?"
"Five yuan a cup. With the twenty percent discount, it's four yuan. In ten days, I'll be raising the price; then it will be seven yuan a cup, no bargaining. But my milk tea is truly delicious. Sister, do you want to try it?" At this time, milk tea was typically sold at this price point, but the shops usually used powders to brew it, which kept costs low. Zhang Wanwan's milk tea, however, used real ingredients; the cost of a single cup was nearly two yuan. Fortunately, since she was vending, she didn't have to pay rent or anything similar, so the profit was still decent.
The saleswoman hesitated for a moment before agreeing. It just so happened she hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so she figured she'd drink a cup of milk tea to support a young girl's business—a good deed for the day.
Zhang Wanwan was overjoyed. Selling her first cup of milk tea gave her a massive boost in confidence. After all, it was a good start, wasn't it?
As for the saleswoman who bought the tea, she took it back into her shop. When the other employees saw what she was carrying, they all shook their heads in disapproval. "Eating something so unnutritious so early in the morning!"
Being lectured by everyone, the saleswoman felt a bit of regret. But since she had spent four yuan on it, she couldn't exactly throw it away. Left with no choice, she gloomily poked in a straw and took a sip.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She looked at the milk tea in pleasant surprise and said, "It's so good! That little girl wasn't lying; the taste really is different! You guys should try it..."
The saleswoman handed the milk tea to a female colleague she was close with.
The woman took a sip to be polite, but her eyes also widened. She nodded vigorously and said exaggeratedly, "It really is delicious! Especially these pearls, the texture is amazing! Where did you buy this? I want some too!"
The saleswoman immediately felt incredibly refreshed and said proudly, "Right outside the shop! Listen, that megaphone is shouting right now! I just saw a young girl struggling and wanted to give her some support, but I didn't expect such a windfall! The milk tea we used to drink is practically poison compared to this! Whatever, I declare that from now on, Xiao Zhang's Milk Tea is my official go-to!"
Seeing their reaction, the others were also tempted. Around noon, when it was nearly twelve, some people went out to order food and asked the person to bring back milk tea as well.
After selling the first cup, Zhang Wanwan had no customers for a while. Business only picked up after eleven o'clock when the pedestrian street became crowded. Every extra cup sold was pure profit, so Zhang Wanwan didn't ask for much. To her surprise, around twelve o'clock, a big customer arrived and ordered six cups all at once, paying thirty yuan quite readily.
Seeing someone buy so many at once, bystanders followed suit. Zhang Wanwan was instantly delighted and began to get truly busy. Although the number of customers wasn't massive, they were constant.
In the sweltering heat, even though she was standing in a shaded area, she was sweating as if she had taken a bath, her whole body soaked. Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands appear beside her.
Zhang Wanwan turned her head in surprise and cried out, "Dad! Why are you here?"
Father Zhang didn't even look at her as he began helping her, casually replying, "I brought you food. Look at the time—you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
Zhang Wanwan nodded. She was truly so busy she was dizzy, and combined with the heat, she didn't feel hungry at all.
"Dad, what time is it?"
Only then did Father Zhang realize that Zhang Wanwan didn't even have a watch or a phone. He mused, "I'll buy you a watch tonight so you can check the time. Dad will handle things here; you go eat first."
After Zhang Wanwan showed Father Zhang how to operate the stall, she immediately ran to the motorcycle on the side to eat. It was a familiar thermos and a familiar taste.
Father Zhang looked back at her, and seeing her eating heartily, he smiled as well.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Wanwan returned to her post and urged Father Zhang to go back and rest, but he refused. Previously, he had only viewed the stall as Zhang Wanwan playing "house" and hadn't taken it seriously at all. He hadn't expected business to be this good; how could he go back to rest and leave his daughter to work hard here alone?
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Zhang Wanwan had no choice but to make Father Zhang a cup of milk tea to help him beat the heat.
Father Zhang didn't refuse and took a large gulp. Seeing the boss drinking his own milk tea, the customers felt even more reassured.
By around two in the afternoon, Father Zhang had to go to work. Before leaving, he urged Zhang Wanwan to go home early.
Zhang Wanwan checked the ingredients she had brought and nodded. "Dad, today is the first day, so I didn't prepare too many supplies. If business stays this good, I'll be able to get home before you finish work."
Father Zhang felt relieved. He stepped on the accelerator, and the motorcycle sped off, leaving a trail of dust.
Without Father Zhang by her side, Zhang Wanwan threw herself entirely into selling milk tea. Business got even better around three or four o'clock. Before it was even four, she had completely sold out of pearls. It should be noted that while the amount of pearls she prepared wasn't small, it wasn't massive either—the containers were slightly larger than the plastic buckets used for five pounds of vegetable oil. She had two containers in total, and now they were all gone, not a single pearl left. There was still some brewed black tea left because she had brewed it extra strong so she could use less during mixing; however, the mineral water used for dilution was consumed heavily. By the end of the day, she had used nearly eight buckets. This made the mineral water shop owner grin from ear to ear, and he even proactively offered to watch the stall for Zhang Wanwan so other vendors wouldn't take her spot.
Zhang Wanwan was incredibly grateful. Since she had run out of pearls, she could only give the owner a cup of milk tea without pearls as a thank you.
(End of Chapter)