Chapter 176: Explosive Hit

Early September.

Baichuan Hypermarket’s gold counter introduced a new batch of jewelry. At the most prominent position was a display piece inside a glass cover. On a thin piece of gold crafted with a water-ripple pattern, 500 small golden beads were neatly placed.

The most magical thing was that under the illumination of lights, different patterns could be seen from specific angles. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] From the front, it looked like a beautiful golden horse, while from the sides, it looked like a herd of horses galloping, with the leading horse in front full of momentum, vividly leaping off!

Although this golden “Steed” had simple lines, it was full of spatial dimension, carrying a unique beauty, as if one could see these fine horses galloping horizontally and vertically, about to trample forward in the next moment.

Inside the gold counter.

Different from the past, this new batch of small golden beads was round, cute, and sparkling. They carried auspicious patterns and the characters for “Succeed in the Imperial Examination”. One golden bead braided together with a red string made an innovatively styled bracelet.

Some customers were curious and stood there asking.

The shopping guide at the gold counter said enthusiastically:

“This is called a Lucky Transfer Bead, the whole piece is real gold, would you like to try it?”

She took out seven or eight styles of braided bracelet knots for the customer to choose from, then nimbly braided it on the spot. Because the knot was tied by looping it onto the customer’s wrist, it was both lightweight and perfectly fitted.

The customer thought it looked quite nice, but was afraid such a precious item would be expensive, and asked:

“Is this expensive?”

The shopping guide: “Based on today’s gold price, just add a few yuan for the crafting fee. The one on your hand only costs 103 yuan! If you don’t like wearing it next year, you can still come to the store and exchange it for other styles. It’s an old rule of our Baohua Silver Building, so rest assured.”

After looking at it and wearing it on her hand, the customer didn’t let the shopping guide take it off, immediately purchasing that Lucky Transfer Bead.

Every summer in the north, there were some traditions about giving fruits. Initially, it might have been news released by some unsellable canned fruit processing factory, saying that eating canned “peaches” (tao) could help one “escape” (tao) a disaster, requiring relatives to help each other buy them. With such sayings around, the auspicious meaning of Baichuan’s small golden bead was even better, directly bringing good luck.

A bag of canned peaches also cost twenty or thirty yuan. Comparing the two, such a small golden Lucky Transfer Bead around a hundred yuan was extremely cost-effective!

Buying a piece of gold jewelry was expensive, but a small golden Lucky Transfer Bead around a hundred yuan was something everyone could afford. Strung on the simplest red string and worn on the wrist, it was both beautiful and held good fortune.

Coupled with the momentum built up, for a time many people flocked to buy them. Some were bought for elders, some were bought by mothers-in-law for daughters-in-law, and even more people bought them for the children at home. Whenever there was any occasion, they would buy one.

Many young girls, after getting their salaries, would also come to Baichuan for a stroll. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] They would buy a few more, and the strings were braided into fancy patterns. Such shiny small golden beads worn on the hand were not tacky; unintentionally displayed between movements, they looked extremely beautiful.

In just a few days, the Lucky Transfer Bead became a hot topic of discussion in Dongchang small city.

Commercial housing in this era was not yet as prevalent as in later generations. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Most people were still waiting for housing allocation from their work units, and very few people would take money to invest in real estate.

For most people, if they had money and didn’t deposit it in the bank, they would buy gold. Driven by the Lucky Transfer Beads, business had been booming recently. With many people coming, Baichuan also took the opportunity to run promotions, with all kinds of discount coupons and cash coupons dazzling the eyes. Dongchang small city hadn’t been this lively for a long time!

Baichuan’s small golden Lucky Transfer Bead became an explosive hit, winning universal acclaim!

Master He had dealt with the jewelry industry all these years and knew such small trinkets had the ability to generate cash, but he also hadn’t expected the effect to be this good; it was simply a pleasant surprise.

Even people from Yasong Jewelry in the far south called to inquire about this “Lucky Transfer Bead” released by Baohua Silver Building, asking if they could co-brand and sell it together.

Yasong Jewelry was also a famous major brand in the industry, mainly dealing in colored gemstones, and this was the first time they took an interest in gold jewelry. The boss of this jewelry company, He Junhua, was an extremely astute businessman who saw the immense potential contained within this small golden bead at a glance.

Master He sent Lu Ping to negotiate, only saying this was Baohua Silver Building’s business.

Lu Ping bowed deeply to the old man, and only then got up and went to discuss.

……

The small golden Lucky Transfer Beads costing a hundred yuan each sold like hotcakes in Dongchang.

Baichuan Hypermarket also became famous because of this, appearing all over newspapers and television, its momentum like a rainbow.

Compared to Baichuan, the popularity of He Jiale Hypermarket next door was increasingly sluggish.

Boss He looked at the data on the report sheets every day, feeling extremely depressed.

Relying on just this tiny golden bead, Baichuan had visibly pulled ahead of the He family. Boss He couldn’t figure it out, so he changed his clothes and went downstairs for a walk, wanting to find the reason.

In the plaza, the shopping guides of the two hypermarkets were both desperately handing out flyers to solicit customers.

Boss He saw that theirs were no worse than Baichuan’s, so he deliberately took a promotional brochure, stood behind a few customers and listened in.

Many people came shopping on weekends, mostly the whole family turning out together. One person took a flyer, looked at today’s special promotional items, and said:

“This is the same stuff as Baichuan!”

A person next to them took a look and said with certainty:

“The vegetables and meat at Baichuan are fresher, and the prices are a few cents lower than this!”

“Right, right, Baichuan’s service attitude is good. Last time I forgot to take my receipt, and the shopping guide even reminded me to take it to enter the lottery!”

“These fish aren’t even gutted for you, but Baichuan handles it right in front of you every time.”

……

Not far away, a family came to buy large home appliances. After a brief look, they went to Baichuan without any hesitation.

While they were lining up to get discount coupons, Boss He asked:

“Is this an air conditioner discount coupon? The He family also has air conditioners, and they are the latest models too, why not buy over there?”

The other party said: “Baichuan sells Gemini brand air conditioners, this is our local brand. It comes with a three-year warranty, and the maintenance master personally provides on-site service, it’s much better than Southern customs air conditioners.”

Boss He was temporarily speechless, not knowing what to say.

The He family hypermarket cooperated with high-end brands nationwide. Although the air conditioners transported here were also famous brands, compared to the reputation Gemini Electrical Appliance Factory had built up in Shandong Province over these past few years, they fell far short. At the very least, they couldn’t compete at all locally.

Boss He walked a small half-circle around the plaza under the scorching sun. Listening until he was physically and mentally exhausted, he returned on his own.

He hadn’t been this overwhelmed even when he opened a large chain supermarket in Wanzhou previously. What was going on? Wasn’t Dongchang a small place? If he hadn’t taken a fancy to its superior geographical location, capable of serving as a transit station, he wouldn’t have come personally at all!

Originally, he thought that as long as there was a high-end supermarket, customers would come like clouds, but why was gnawing on this bone of Dongchang harder than the three to five years he spent gaining a firm foothold in Wanzhou?!

Boss He didn’t understand.

He was even somewhat on the verge of a breakdown.

But regretting it now was already too late. For a hypermarket to succeed, it relied on a sudden burst of energy; whoever seized the initiative in this matter was of vital importance, deciding the ultimate outcome.

Since Baichuan had already taken the lead, Boss He could only consider himself unlucky. However, he had sufficient funds on hand. As long as he held on for a year or two, he should still be able to get a share of the meat.

Although Dongchang small city was small, the location was good, connecting north and south, and traversing east and west. There were railways and canals north and south, and it was affiliated with Qindao City to the east. Those doing import and export trade were all at the port over there, getting a few containers of goods was no problem. Land prices in Qindao were expensive, but Dongchang was different. This small place of Dongchang hadn’t fully developed yet, but it had already been designated on a circular economic development line by the higher-ups, undoubtedly the best transit station.

While feeling heartache, Boss He allocated money from elsewhere, trying his best to hold on.

Baichuan Hypermarket.

October, the weather remained scorching hot. Baichuan brought in a batch of electric fans from Qindao City. Although not of the Gemini brand, the price was cheap and the quality was good. Furthermore, with the mall allowing returns and exchanges within seven days with a receipt, many people bought the electric fans due to Baichuan’s reputation.

When this batch of electric fans first hit the shelves, Mother Lei personally came to watch over them for several consecutive days, being extremely concerned about them.

Lei Dongchuan and Bai Zimu would also come over after school. Lei Dongchuan went to help with the work. Bai Zimu had just followed for two steps before he was picked up by him and placed on an empty shelf, sitting up straight.

Bai Zimu: “?”

Lei Dongchuan took a bag of fish fillets from his schoolbag, handed it to him and said:

“Don’t go anywhere, just wait here. Your task is to finish eating this bag of fish fillets.”

Lei Dongchuan went back and forth, and every time he came over, he would specifically take a look at Bai Zimu.

Bai Zimu sat on the shelf, hugging both their schoolbags, his cheeks puffed out as he seriously gnawed on the fish fillets.

When Lei Dongchuan finished his work and came over, Bai Zimu coincidentally had exactly the last piece left, and raised his hand to stuff it into his mouth:

“Brother, specially saved for you.”

Lei Dongchuan knew he definitely couldn’t finish it, and didn’t stop him, helping to eat the last bite.

He took the schoolbags and reached out wanting to support Bai Zimu, but saw his brother jump down himself, his movements quite nimble.

Bai Zimu followed him to look at those electric fans, and incidentally helped Mother Lei calculate the data sheets.

Mother Lei was also proud in her heart.

This batch of electric fans held significant meaning for Baichuan. If this batch of small appliances successfully sold out, it meant Baichuan had established its own signboard, and product selection became freer, no longer needing to rely on other scarce goods to build momentum. Instead, other goods would line up wanting to enter Baichuan’s venue; the initiative was completely in their own hands.

After Bai Zimu calculated the sheets and handed them to Mother Lei, he smiled and congratulated her.

Seeing him, Mother Lei was happy, pinched his fair little face, and teased him:

“Must be tired from helping, I’ll give you a red envelope in a couple days…”

Bai Zimu said: “I want two.”

Mother Lei said: “Sure! I’ll give you two, and give your brother one too!”

The one Bai Zimu originally asked for was for Lei Dongchuan, but this way they had one more red envelope, so he obediently nodded and took this advantage.

Mother Lei kept them here for dinner, then urged them to go home and study, saying to them:

“Dongchuan, keep an eye on your brother, be careful when crossing the road, and don’t eat anything cold after getting home. Set the alarm clock at night, don’t wake up late since school has started…”

Lei Dongchuan was amused: “Mom, we’re in the third year of high school now, we know.”

Mother Lei patted the dust that had just fallen on his body, and instructed:

“Focus more on studying in your senior year, sprint for a year, there will be more to keep busy with at home later. Alright, study hard these few days, no need to come over for now, wait until the weekend to come.”

Lei Dongchuan said: “Mom, Small Bowl isn’t coming this weekend.”

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s going back to Pingjiang City with Grandpa He, it was agreed before, going back for a trip during Mid-Autumn.”

Mother Lei patted her forehead, and said:

“Right, right, there is such a thing, look at me forgetting it when I get busy.”

She then had someone pick some dried sea cucumber gift boxes from the gift section and bring them over, telling Lei Dongchuan to carry them, “Take these back first, bring them along the day you send your brother to Master He’s side, we can’t be short on etiquette for the first time.”

Lei Dongchuan agreed, took the things and led Bai Zimu home first.

Perhaps because Bai Zimu was leaving for a period, Lei Dongchuan felt reluctant in his heart. Passing a stall selling sugar-roasted chestnuts, Bai Zimu just took an extra glance, and Lei Dongchuan bought him two large bags.

Just along this road, Lei Dongchuan bought a whole bunch of odds and ends.

Bai Zimu only realized as an afterthought that this was bought for him, and immediately distanced himself:

“Brother, I’m full.”

Lei Dongchuan said: “Keep it, eat a couple bites if you get hungry at night.”

Bai Zimu slept at the Lei family’s house that night. From the time he started doing his homework, he stayed far away from those snacks, not even casting half a glance over there. He hadn’t been interested in snacks since he was little, truly because he was fed too much; sometimes Eldest Brother and Second Brother would even chase him to the school gate to feed him.

Lei Dongchuan uncharacteristically had no appetite either. While sitting there eating, he was zoning out, not knowing what he was thinking about.