Chapter 78: A Bit Fierce
Su Muyao realized that most people had probably never seen melon seeds before and wouldn’t know how to eat them. So, she picked one up and cracked it open with her teeth.
Crack. She ate the kernel. Her speed was fast.
“Look, you eat them like this. Everyone can give it a try.”
“Or you can peel them with your hands. Either way works.”
“Free samples.”
Su Muyao believed that when it came to unfamiliar food, people would only buy it if they could try it for free first. Furthermore, she had observed the market earlier and noticed that sales tactics here weren’t very competitive. Most vendors just yelled a few times or sat silently waiting for customers.
Her “free tasting” strategy was already considered highly advanced.
Hearing “free,” many people crowded around.
“Really free to taste?”
“Do we have to buy if we taste?”
“Yeah, if we eat your stuff, won’t you force us to buy it?”
Su Muyao explained with a warm, sincere smile, “Rest assured, everyone. Free tasting means exactly thatāyou try it for free. If you like it, you buy it. If you don’t like it or don’t want to buy it, that’s perfectly fine.”
Although Su Muyao had a scar on half her face, her smile was genuine and welcoming, and her voice was pleasant, making people feel comfortable.
Moreover, after tasting the melon seeds, people found them surprisingly good and quite novel. They decided to buy some.
Since she didn’t have a scale, Su Muyao used a large bowl to measure. One large bowl of melon seeds for five bronze Crystal Coins.
“I’ll take a bowl to bring back for my Wife Master to try.”
“I’ll take two pieces of brown sugar…”
“I’ll take one sugar block and a bowl of melon seeds…”
After the free samples proved there were no issues, and seeing that the prices were reasonableācheaper than the shops for sugar, and the melon seeds were a unique, addictive snackābusiness picked up rapidly.
Most of the customers were locals of Yunxiao City with decent means. Spending a few coins on snacks wasn’t a burden for them.
Su Muyao accepted the coins and began packing sugar and melon seeds.
Wen Nanxi, Hua Linye, and Xiao Jihan all scrambled to help.
“Wife Master, let us do this!”
They felt a bit helpless. While she was greeting customers, she seemed to have forgotten their existence. And that bright smile… she was treating these strangers with more enthusiasm than she showed them.
Su Muyao was just happy to be making money and had indeed momentarily forgotten about her husbands.
“Alright, you guys hand the goods to the customers.”
She would handle the money. They would handle the goods. She insisted on collecting the money herselfānot out of distrust, but because the feeling of earning money was incredible. It gave her a sense of security and peace of mind.
The sugar and melon seeds were selling well, but when Su Muyao tried to promote the insect repellent and hemostatic packets, people were skeptical.
“Does this stuff actually work?”
“Exactly, and it’s so expensive!”
Hearing this, Hua Linyeās temper flared. He couldn’t stand anyone questioning his Wife Master.
“Why are you speaking like that?” he snapped. “Go ask around! The medical halls sell repellent and hemostatic packets for one hundred bronze Crystal Coins. My Wife Master set the price at fifty for a large packet. That is already cheap!”
Su Muyao quickly grabbed Hua Linye, stopping him from saying more. She didn’t want him scaring away the customers.
She smiled and said, “I have small sample packets here. You can take them home and try them for free. If they work, you can come back and buy the regular size.”
She planned to come to the market regularly, perhaps even set up a stall every day. Once people realized the efficacy of the free samples, they would return to buy. And her price was competitive. Since she gathered the herbs and made them herself, the cost was low. Selling them for fifty coins was still pure profit.
However, someone voiced a doubt: “You aren’t doctors. Don’t try to scam us with these packets. What if the free sample works but the big packet is useless?”
Su Muyao smiled and prepared to explain, but her husbands couldn’t bear to see her suffer any suspicion or grievance.
Hua Linye suddenly drew a knife and slashed his own arm. “We’ll test the packet right now. Then you’ll know the effect.”
Su Muyao was stunned. She hadn’t expected Hua Linye to slice his arm open without a second thought. Seeing the blood gush out, her scalp went numb.
“You… what are you doing!”
It was just business; there was no need for self-harm.
“Wife Master, it’s fine. Let them see the effect of the hemostatic packet.”
As he spoke, behaving as if he couldn’t feel pain, Hua Linye grabbed a packet and poured the powder onto his wound.
The customers gathered around watched as the bleeding stopped almost instantly.
“Heavens, that packet really works!”
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.”
“It stopped the bleeding so fast!”
“It’s better than the ones from the medical hall! Theirs aren’t nearly this fast.”
“Quick, give me three packets! My older brother was badly hurt hunting two days ago and his wound is still oozing. I need this for him.”
“Right, right, I’ll take one… no, two packets.”
“I’ll buy one to try as well.”
“Since the hemostatic packet works so well, the insect repellent must be good too. I’ll take one of each for when I go into the mountains…”
Buying enthusiasm surged through the crowd.
Su Muyao glanced at Hua Linye. Regardless of his methods, he had certainly helped.
Hua Linye looked down and met his Wife Master’s gaze. Suddenly, he felt as if he had received her praise, as if he were useful to her. It filled him with energy. He could do it again!
Wen Nanxi and Xiao Jihan looked at Hua Linye and sighed helplessly. Only he would come up with such a method. But the Wife Masterās expression towards him had definitely changed.
While collecting money, Su Muyao explained, “The insect repellent isn’t just for the mountains. You can hang it by your bed at home to keep mosquitoes away while you sleep.”
“That’s great! There are still mosquitoes at night. My son got bitten on the arm last night. If this works, we can finally get a good night’s sleep.”
“I’ll take four packets, one for each room.”
Su Muyao collected the money, while Wen Nanxi and Xiao Jihan handed out the goods.
Hua Linye, despite his injury, wanted to help. Su Muyao looked at him again, her expression serious. “You are not allowed to work today.”
Hua Linye’s face fell. Confused, his fox eyes took on a pitiful look. “Wife Master?”
Su Muyao looked at Wen Nanxi and Xiao Jihan as well, her tone serious. “I want to do business, but not at the cost of you hurting yourselves.”
It reminded her of the abuse her predecessor had inflicted on them, and it made her uncomfortable. While she appreciated Hua Linye’s help, she absolutely could not encourage this behavior.
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