I run a convenience store in the Empire

[edited] Chapter 13

Sister Zhao smiled, "I could eat twenty of these little ice creams with no problem. Goodbye, Tang Candy! Visit me when you have time!"

"Goodbye, Sister Zhao!" Tang Tang waved.

After a short while, Tang Tang heard a commotion outside the store.

"Sister Tang Sugar, I'm bringing customers to buy something!" Yuanbao announced, running in, followed by a large group of about 200 elementary school students, along with many parents.

The children ranged from about 6 to 10 years old, from first and second grades to fourth and fifth grades.

"Wow, grandma, what kind of tree is this? It's so big."

"So beautiful, like snow."

"Is this where they sell the braised beef noodles?"

The children chattered excitedly, and Tang Tang was momentarily overwhelmed. She quickly realized that Yuanbao must have shared the instant noodles at school, attracting his classmates.

Grandma Zhang emerged from the crowd, organizing the children. "Everyone, don't argue. The snack seller is in this store. Follow me in to buy."

The crowd quieted down and lined up to enter the store with Grandma Zhang leading them. Once inside, the children eagerly picked out their snacks. Grandma Zhang sat on a bar stool in front of the cash register.

"How about it, Tang Sugar? Can you handle it?" Grandma Zhang asked.

Tang Tang nodded gratefully, "I'm fine, thank you, Grandma Zhang."

Grandma Zhang waved it off, "I didn't do anything. It's your snacks that are so good. Otherwise, I couldn't have attracted so many customers. In fact, I should thank you. Since Yuanbao started eating your snacks, he no longer needs daily infusions to maintain his nutrition." She glanced at the milk tea at the cash register and asked, "Is this new? Do you have any other new products?"

Tang Tang smiled, "Yes, this is caramel milk tea. We also have new milk fruit and apple milk leaf candy in the cold fresh cabinet."

Grandma Zhang bought four cups of milk tea, four milk fruits, and fifty pieces of apple milk leaf candy. Other parents and children eagerly bought the braised beef instant noodles Yuanbao had brought to school, along with various other snacks.

Suddenly, Tang Tang's light brain beeped with a notification:

[Ding, congratulations on completing mission one. New items have been unlocked.]

Tang Candy slightly hooked the corners of her mouth, her daily turnover reaching 10,000 credits. Through the vitrine window, she watched a group of older children under the cherry blossom trees, sitting on the grass, eating snacks, and playing happily.

"Yiyi, you actually bought meat floss bread, that's so cool."

"Yueyue, you're amazing too, buying a cutter cake."

"How about we share?"

"Okay."

"The bread and cake are delicious. If only the beautiful owner sister could make more."

Their voices drifted into Tang Tang's ears, and she smiled softly, deciding to make two hundred portions of bread and cake for tomorrow.

In just two days, the "Tang Tang Convenience Store" had become familiar to the students from the first to sixth grades of Xingxing Elementary School. If a student hadn't eaten the snacks from there, they had nothing to discuss with their friends. The cherry blossom tree in front of Tang Tang's shop had become a popular meeting spot for children after school.

The store was busiest from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when it opened and closed.

The weather forecast announced, "Expect a rare heavy rain at 7 p.m. tonight in Homesick City. Residents are advised to take precautions..."

Tang Tang listened to the forecast and decided to prepare. She took out the salted cherry blossoms that had been soaking for two days, removed the heavy bowl, tore off the plastic wrap, carefully shook off the excess salt, and laid the cherry blossoms out to dry on clean white cotton tissue in a cool, ventilated place.

Worried about the upcoming rain, Tang Tang thought of a solution to protect the cherry blossom trees and the small gardens in front of her shop, as well as the backyard plants. She remembered an interstellar weather cover—a transparent shield that blocks rain, snow, hail, and maintains the temperature inside.

She opened her light brain and bought two smaller weather covers. One covered the area surrounded by the iron gates and cement walls in front of the store, and the other covered the backyard, costing a total of 20,000 credits. Thankfully, her earnings from the past few days left her with more than 10,000 credits.

After the cherry blossoms were dried, Tang Tang put the dried cherry blossoms into a clean glass jar, sprinkled a little salt, and sealed the jar for storage in the refrigerator. She didn't plan to make water letter cakes today as school was almost over.

At almost six o'clock, Tang Tang saw a group of children still playing under the cherry blossom tree. She walked over and said, "It's going to rain heavily at seven o'clock. My sister will close at half past six, so you should go home early."

"Thank you, Sister Tang Candy, we'll go back soon."

After half-past six, the children had left, and Tang Tang closed the store on time. She had completed task two in the past two days, so she entered the game.

The new items unlocked were:

Snacks:

BBQ-flavored potato chipsSpicy duck neck

Convenient quick food:

Shiitake mushroom stew chicken instant noodles (available in bags or cups)

Cold drink:

Chocolate ice cream

Drink:

Orange juice (available in cans or bottles)

Grain, oil, and rice noodles: unlocked

The previously unlocked braised beef instant noodles and cola were now available in cups and bottles. The quantity of instant noodles in bags and cups was the same, but Tang Tang priced the cups higher at three credits. Bottled drinks were priced five credits higher than canned ones.

Tang Tang felt a sense of accomplishment. With new products and steady customers, her store was flourishing. She looked forward to the next day, eager to see how the new items would be received.