"Dad, I'm thirsty. I want coconut juice."
A little girl with two pigtails, wearing a yellow travel hat with "Ctrip" printed on it, tugged at the man's hand. Her big eyes welled up with tears as she spoke pitifully.
"Be good, Lian'er. There's a coconut shop a few hundred meters ahead, and it's cheaper," the man said. He glanced at the price tag, grumbled "ridiculously expensive," and pulled the child away.
"No, no, I just want to drink... boohoo..."
The little girl perfectly showcased her acting talent. With a wail and a roll on the ground, parents lose all their temper. After all, they have to maintain their image as good parents on the street. If this were at home, there would have been plenty of opportunities for the switch to be used.
The man winced, waved his big hand, and pulled out thirty yuan. As if afraid no one around was listening, he craned his neck and shouted, "Boss, two young coconuts, please!"
After speaking, he couldn't help but look around, as if to display his supreme fatherly love.
The little girl, a professional actress, stopped crying and wiped away her tears as soon as she heard her dad bought coconuts. She playfully pouted next to her dad, her face beaming with a smile.
"Here you go, little one. This is for you," Liang Minfeng, a shrewd businessman, said as he produced a macaron from somewhere and gave it to the little girl.
She was so delighted that she couldn't close her mouth, her eyes narrowing into happy slits. She looked incredibly cute.
The girl's innocent and radiant expression touched a soft spot in the man's heart. He scratched her little head, and the daily worries melted away with her laughter. He thought, "These thirty yuan were worth it!"
Opening day is always exciting. Seeing Li Haochen and the other three jumping for joy and grinning from ear to ear was enough to tell. Although only two were sold, it was a good start. The opening also relieved those who were helping, showing that things weren't too bad.
A flicker of excitement made the seven or eight young men and women restless. Although the morning's results were mediocre, they were within acceptable limits.
Under the scorching sun, three hours of standing and shouting left them all drenched. Ruan Shanshan and Zhang Qianqian, who came to support, had their light, white shirts completely soaked, revealing their curves in the black fabric.
Chen He and Liu Dehui couldn't help but cast glances their way, but they felt a pang of jealousy. They inwardly cursed the "beasts" who were shamelessly staring at the women's chests, wishing they could go over and slap them.
The thought made them angry, turning them into indignant figures, as if the two women were their girlfriends.
The single duo, increasingly frustrated, turned and ran off. Soon, they returned with aprons, awkwardly handing them over with embarrassed smiles. "Uh... this is for you..."
The two women exchanged confused glances. "Why would we need aprons?" But they soon understood, their faces flushing red.
"Thank you...!"
They quickly put on the aprons and gave a grateful look to Chen He and Liu Dehui, who were diligently promoting nearby. They thought they were quite thoughtful and their good impression of them increased significantly.
...
"What are you guys doing? Selling eight is not bad, that's nearly a hundred yuan. Maybe it will explode in the afternoon."
"Haochen is right, we have to have confidence. Those who have tasted our young coconuts will surely be amazed," Chen He encouraged them.
"Come on, everyone, you've worked hard. Let's eat something first."
Murong Yanran, the future proprietress, naturally had to do something. While she couldn't offer much help in terms of sales, her logistical support was excellent. A table full of a sumptuous lunch and refreshing, tempting "Xi Cha" (a popular milk tea brand) greatly lifted everyone's spirits.
Why not drink the young coconuts? It was like buying salt and liking bland soup, or sellers of straw mats sleeping on dirt floors. Occasionally trying one for a change was good.
Famished, everyone dug in without any regard for their image, even the girls. A spoonful of rice followed by a bite of iced mango sticky rice – the feeling couldn't be better.
Suddenly, shouts erupted from outside the shop.
"Boss, give me two young coconuts!"
"Me too! Make sure they're extra cold, otherwise, don't bother!"
"I want one..."
"..."
The sudden influx of customers startled everyone who was eating.
Good heavens, old and young, tall and thin, they crowded the coconut shop so tightly that it was almost impossible to move. All they could see were Ctrip's yellow travel hats.
Li Haochen quickly finished a few bites, wiped his mouth, and rushed over to greet them.
Had they managed to charm the entire tour group?
What's being hungry compared to money? Chen He and the others, grinning widely, forgot about eating and quickly ran over to help.
Although a bit hungry, seeing this scene, the girls felt embarrassed to eat alone and also came out to help.
"Miss, here's your young coconut, hold it tight!"
"Auntie, here's yours!"
"Careful, child..."
What advertising could be more impactful than a frantic rush of purchases?
The benefits of this unexpected surge of traffic were evident. With their efforts, tourists strolling by also joined the buying spree. Regardless of price or quality, they didn't even know what was being sold. They only had one thought: "Losing out is worse than ruining oneself."
Some even with business acumen inquired about franchising opportunities, which Li Haochen politely declined.
Large, flavorful, and delicious – how could it not be popular?
Following this wave of traffic, countless social media posts praised the product, and customers continued to pour in. "Mishi Yeqinxiang" (Lost Coconut Fragrance) had officially established its footing.
One young coconut after another was served, and bills piled up. This was what it felt like to be flush with cash.
Before they knew it, it was already 4:30 PM. Seeing that the young coconuts were almost sold out, Li Haochen finally breathed a sigh of relief, clenched his fist, and his smile never faded.
Chen He, Liu Dehui, and Liang Minfeng all came over. The four of them clasped their hands together.
"Yeah..."
"Hahaha, we did it, we really succeeded!"
"I promised to grant you wealth and honor for life. This is just the beginning," Li Haochen said, looking at Chen He and the other two who were still lost in excitement, feeling even more determined.
"Gulp... Gulp!"
After the busy period, hunger struck ferociously. Everyone's stomach grumbled uncontrollably, but the now-cold takeout was no longer appealing.
Murong Yanran, the diligent future proprietress, had already prepared hot pizzas for the famished group.
Everyone abandoned their decorum and grabbed the pizzas, stuffing them into their mouths without even tasting them.
"Yanran, you're a great proprietress! Your logistical support is outstanding, hehe!" Ruan Shanshan mumbled with her mouth full of pizza.
"Can't you even fit one slice in your mouth?" Murong Yanran shot Ruan Shanshan a look, her face blushing slightly.