Chapter 98: Granny Sun Selling Popcorn

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Granny Sun Selling Popcorn

Hearing the old woman’s words, Yun Zhen looked around. Sure enough, many vendors had signs with numbers on them, which were likely the prices of their goods. She had indeed overlooked this detail. The crocheted dolls were all one price, so when someone asked, she could just state it directly. It only took a second and didn’t waste the customer’s time. But today, she was selling wooden hairpins, fridge magnets, and jewelry boxes. If she didn’t write the prices clearly, she would have to repeat herself every time someone asked. Not only would it be a hassle for the customers, but it would also be a waste of her breath.

"Grandma, do you know where to get this kind of sign made?" she asked in frustration, pointing at the sign above the popcorn cart. It was already too late for today. If all these wooden crafts sold out, she would go make a sign tonight and write the prices clearly.

Assuming it was Yun Zhen’s first time running a stall, the old woman took out a large piece of cardboard and handed her a pen. "Tell you what, I have a piece of cardboard here, and I brought a marker. You can write your prices on it and place it in front of your goods."

Holding the cardboard and the marker, Yun Zhen was at a loss. Her handwriting was quite poor, and she had no idea how to format the text on the board. Mustering her courage, she asked the old woman, "Grandma, do you know how to read and write? I’m not very good at writing. Could you please help me?"

The old woman looked surprised. "Ah? You can’t write?" She looked Yun Zhen up and down, then asked with concern, "How old are you, girl?"

"Seventeen," Yun Zhen replied.

"Seventeen and you can’t write? Didn’t your parents send you to school?" The old woman frowned deeply.

"Grandma, do you know Sister Zhang’s Charity Foundation? I live there," Yun Zhen told her.

Hearing the name Sister Zhang’s Charity Foundation, the old woman’s heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t that a charitable organization? One that specifically took in vulnerable women and homeless children? It dawned on her that the girl in front of her was an orphan! She sighed, her heart swelling with pity. Running a stall alongside a bunch of adults at such a young age—she was just trying to survive. Overwhelmed with sympathy, she said, "I’ll help you write it. What goods are you selling, and what are their prices?"

Seeing that the old woman was willing to help, Yun Zhen was overjoyed. "Grandma, I’m selling wooden hairpins, wooden fridge magnets, and jewelry boxes. Three types of items in total. The wooden hairpins are one hundred yuan each. The large wooden fridge magnets are one hundred yuan, and the small ones are eighty yuan. As for the jewelry boxes, the butterfly-shaped one is one hundred and fifty yuan, and this double-layered one is two hundred yuan."

The old woman swiftly wrote down the item types and their corresponding prices. When she finished, she added, "I’ll include a key selling point for you—100% handmade!"

"Thank you, Grandma!" Yun Zhen said, propping the cardboard up on the ground. "Grandma, your handwriting is truly beautiful."

She couldn’t quite describe it. In short, it had great character!

The old woman burst into laughter. "I was a court clerk before I retired. I’ve been practicing for half my life." She then asked, "By the way, child, what’s your name?"

"My name is Yun Zhen!" Yun Zhen said with a smile. "Yun as in light clouds and gentle breeze, and Zhen as in rare treasures!"

The old woman praised her, "You don’t seem like someone who hasn’t been to school. You even know how to use idioms."

"I’ve actually learned a little. I recognize the simpler characters, but I’m just not very good at writing." Yun Zhen wasn’t very used to holding the pens of this world; they were too short and thin, making them difficult to grip. As a result, her handwriting was still quite poor. Mr. Gao had told her not to worry, saying that she would get the hang of it if she practiced when she had the time. He had even given her three calligraphy copybooks.

The old woman understood, thinking to herself what a poor, unfortunate child Yun Zhen was. Ordinary teenagers were still in school at seventeen, yet she was already out here running a stall to support herself. She casually grabbed a large bag of popcorn, a ten-yuan portion, and offered it. "Here, child. Have a bag of popcorn and taste Grandma’s cooking." She playfully boasted, "Not only is Grandma’s handwriting good, but my popcorn is delicious too."

"Grandma, this is too precious." Since it was their first time meeting and the old woman was already enthusiastically giving her food, Yun Zhen hurriedly declined. She couldn’t take advantage of others.

"How is it precious? Just take it." The old woman insisted on shoving the popcorn into her hands, and Yun Zhen was no match for her warm-heartedness.

Holding the large bag, she said, "Thank you, Grandma."

The old woman praised her again. "What a good girl. My surname is Sun. The younger generation calls me Grandma Sun, while my peers call me Granny Sun." Full of curiosity, Granny Sun asked, "Did you say you made these wooden hairpins yourself? Where did you learn such an incredible skill? These look even more exquisite than the ones sold in stores."

"When I was wandering on the streets, I learned the craft from an old lady who was homeless with me." Yun Zhen almost bit her tongue telling such a blatant lie.

"Eager to learn and hardworking. If you were in school, you’d be an excellent student," Granny Sun nodded approvingly.

While the two were talking, a customer approached. The young woman first bought ten yuan’s worth of popcorn, then noticed the stall selling handmade wooden hairpins right next to it. Her eyes lit up. Crouching down, she examined and touched the items. "Boss, your wooden hairpins have such a lovely nature-inspired vibe."

Yun Zhen smiled. "The prices are all written on the cardboard. Feel free to take a look."

The young woman glanced at the prices and shook her head. "One hundred yuan? That’s a bit expensive. The wooden hairpins in the stores only sell for sixty."

Granny Sun craned her neck and chimed in, "Miss, this is 100% handmade. Look, you can still see the carving marks, and the wood’s natural grain is completely intact. Pick it up and feel the weight—it’s made of genuine solid wood. Store-bought hairpins are delicate too, but they’re too rigid and lifeless. This hairpin even features a hollowed-out butterfly carving. Look how lively it is! Compared to the mass-produced hairpins in stores, it might be slightly less flashy, but it possesses a much stronger natural beauty. It would look incredibly rustic and elegant paired with Hanfu!"

The young woman was swayed.

Yun Zhen silently noted down the sales pitches she had just learned from Grandma Sun. Slightly less flashy, but possessing a much stronger natural beauty. Grandma Sun really had a way with words!

"One hundred yuan isn’t expensive. It’s just the price of five or six cups of milk tea. Buy a hairpin to dress yourself up beautifully, and skipping a few cups of milk tea can even help you lose weight," Granny Sun emphasized again.

The young woman made up her mind.

"I’ll buy one." She picked out one with a butterfly head. "Can I pay by scanning a code?" She looked around for a while but couldn’t find a QR code sign.

Softening her tone, terrified of ruining the sale, Yun Zhen asked, "Do you have cash? I only accept cash."

"Only cash?" The young woman frowned.

"I’m a minor, so I don’t have a bank card," Yun Zhen explained.

The young woman suddenly understood. She took off her phone case and pulled out a hundred-yuan bill from inside. "Good thing I tucked some emergency cash in my phone case." After paying, she left.

"Thank you! Take care!" Yun Zhen said, happily holding the cash.

Worried that Yun Zhen might be too overjoyed to notice a counterfeit bill, Granny Sun asked, "Yun Zhen, let me see. Is it real?"

She took the bill, examined it, and confirmed it was genuine.

"You must always keep your guard up. From now on, you need to learn how to identify fake cash. If you accept a counterfeit bill, half a day’s hard work goes down the drain." Granny Sun began teaching Yun Zhen how to spot fake hundred-yuan bills. On a genuine bill, the number "100" on the front would change color when tilted at an angle; a fake bill wouldn’t. A real bill had a rough, textured feel to it, whereas a fake one was smooth. When flicked, a real bill produced a crisp sound, while a fake sounded somewhat muffled and soft.

...

Yun Zhen felt her horizons had been broadened tremendously. "Grandma, how do you distinguish between real and fake one, five, ten, twenty, and fifty-yuan bills?"

"You only need to verify the hundred-yuan bills. The probability of counterfeit bills in other denominations is low in most cases, so you don’t need to check them," Granny Sun explained.