Chapter 1590 - 1565: Crushing Defeat from an Amateur Aesthetic Designer (Part 3)

Not only did Marcus Quinn and Ah Tan come to sell ugly tangerines, but five or six other families from the village also came. Some sold tea leaves, some had a big pot of boiled tea eggs for sale, while others were offering tangerines, late-ripening red dates, loquats, dried mushrooms, and other goods. The agricultural specialties were exceptionally abundant, making the place lively like a small market.

Seeing someone selling tea eggs, Ah Tan instantly thought the elderly lady selling them was clever. It never occurred to her that tea eggs could be sold too.

Most visitors to this scenic area are locals, rarely venturing out of the city. The temple on the mountain is said to be very effective, so the incense offerings are thriving every year. Once people’s wishes are fulfilled, they return to repay their vows, often for three consecutive years.

Some people climb the mountain early, while others come later. This group had already arrived early in the morning, so by the time Ah Tan had set up her stall, she saw the early risers descending. Having climbed for two or three hours, they were famished, delighted to find food being sold at the foot of the mountain this year.

"Give me a bottle of water, also some pig’s trotter, and how come there’s fruit?" an out-of-breath elderly man asked, fanning himself.

"The fruit is freshly picked from our Holiday Village’s orchard. Sir, you should try it; the taste of these ugly tangerines is sweet, but you shouldn’t eat too many, one a day is enough," Ah Tan said with a sweet smile.

"This young lady is as sweet as she looks, and if she hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known not to eat too many," laughed a lady among a group of people descending the mountain with the old man. There were both men and women, young and old among them.

The group of people sampled the ugly tangerines and were immediately captivated by their sweet flavor. They were starving enough to believe anything would taste heavenly at this point, especially since the fruit was genuinely sweet and juicy.

"How much per pound? This tastes amazing."

"Give me five pounds."

"The pig’s trotter tastes great too, you should try it. It’s not greasy at all and has a refreshing aroma."

Suddenly, Ah Tan’s stall was surrounded by people, with some sampling and others eagerly buying.

Marcus Quinn hung up a wooden sign: Ugly Tangerines 10 Yuan per pound, can be ordered online for home delivery; Large Pig’s Trotters 20 Yuan, Small 10 Yuan, Limited Offer; Pure Water 5 Yuan per bottle.

This way, prices were clearly marked, preventing Ah Tan from exhausting herself by constantly repeating them.

"Our fruit and pig’s trotters are limited supplies from the Holiday Village, so once this batch is sold out, there won’t be more," Ah Tan said, handling promotions and payments while Marcus Quinn focused on sales. The two helpers were students, one named Wang Gang and the other Calvin Zamora, both very sharp and energetic as they shouted out the offerings. After all, earning 100 Yuan a day amounts to 700 Yuan in a week, a huge sum for students, especially village kids.

"A Holiday Village, is there really one nearby?" Hearing Ah Tan’s promotion, people realized there was a Holiday Village here, and upon looking, indeed saw an idyllically charming sign for it.

"The Holiday Village has its trial opening today, and everyone can visit for a free tour," Ah Tan somewhat underestimated the level of enthusiasm, as well as the popularity of this scenic area and the temple on the mountain. Despite it being so early, plenty of people had already arrived; she should have made wooden signs ahead to draw people to the Holiday Village.

With Wang Gang and Calvin Zamora vigorously promoting, this group of people who had descended the mountain heard that the Holiday Village had places to rest and dine. Noticing how pretty Ah Tan was, they concluded the Holiday Village must be up to standard, so they eagerly followed little Wang Gang to the Holiday Village.

Due to buses running between the county and Suton every half hour, once this group dispersed, the flow of people reduced, leaving Ah Tan tiredly seated on a chair.

Marcus Quinn brought out the specially brewed morning caramel citrus tea for her, fanning her lightly to keep her cool. He actually wanted to massage her shoulders but restrained himself.

"Is this a new tea drink you’ve made?" Ah Tan exclaimed excitedly after a refreshing sip that instantly dispelled her fatigue, "It’s so good! Marcus Quinn, we should sell this fruit tea too."

"Yes, it’s made with caramel citrus and green tea." Marcus Quinn noticed her eyes curving with joy and his lips curled slightly. He knew her taste, fond of sweet and sour fruit drinks, so he concocted a new fruit tea just for her.

After a sip, Ah Tan eagerly asked, "How many portions of pig’s trotter and ugly tangerines did we sell today?"

Marcus Quinn, seeing no customers at the moment, did some calculations. Of the tourists going up and down the mountain earlier, they sold 50 portions of pig’s trotters, 120 pounds of loose ugly tangerines, and 12 cases of pure water. Not to mention, because the taste of the ugly tangerines was too good, tourists bought more online fearing they couldn’t carry them. Nearly every customer ordered at least a box, with some ordering three or four to gift friends and family, resulting in 280 online orders.

Adding it all up, they made 800 Yuan from selling pig’s trotters with 75 pounds left, 4000 Yuan from ugly tangerines, and 600 Yuan from pure water. In just 20 minutes, they earned 5400 Yuan, which Ah Tan thought was a nice revenue.

"Marcus Quinn, call to order some more pig’s trotters; I think we don’t have enough in stock," Ah Tan brightly suggested, eyes twinkling.

Marcus Quinn nodded and was about to make a call for more stock when Water Uncle from the Holiday Village called instead. He informed him that many tourists planned to have lunch and spend half a day at the Holiday Village, meaning they were short-handed and overwhelmingly busy.

(Eight thousand updates today, requesting monthly tickets~)