The third prize winner being surrounded with increasing offers for their Wenquxing electronic dictionary was just a small episode that sparked enthusiasm.

It proved people could win something besides laundry detergent. With third prizes being won, perhaps the second prize motorcycle and first prize car weren’t so unattainable after all?

Anyway, customers who had been hesitating became more willing to make purchases.

This was partly due to the excitement of the lottery, and partly because the plaza’s electronic products weren’t particularly expensive.

With complete inventory and acceptable prices, why not buy?

Before the first batch of customers had fully left, new customers kept arriving, attracted by the cars with loudspeakers traveling throughout the city.

Even if they weren’t buying, wouldn’t it be fun to watch the excitement?

Heh, those who came just to watch usually ended up falling into the trap of shopping for lottery tickets!

By 12:30 PM, over 3,600 lottery tickets had been issued, indicating that in four hours of operation, the plaza’s sales had exceeded 360,000 yuan!

They had completed one-fifth of their first-day sales target of 1.5 million.

The plaza would close at 9:30 PM, with nine hours remaining. Could they achieve the sales figures that Xia Xiaolan and Du Zhaohui hoped for?

They had done everything humanly possible; the rest was up to fate.

By just before 1 PM, three Wenquxing electronic dictionaries had been won, and minutes before 1 o’clock, someone scratched off a second-prize motorcycle!

This sent the plaza’s atmosphere soaring.

The lucky customer who went on stage to claim their prize was so excited their face and neck turned red. When the host put the microphone to their mouth, they couldn’t form a complete sentence for quite a while.

Ah, such a person winning the motorcycle – it was truly speechless!

But it was precisely this kind of reaction that made the random nature of the prizes so believable. This couldn’t be a plaza plant – who would choose such a person as a plant?

Some customers who had already used their lottery tickets lingered in the plaza with their purchases, unwilling to leave. They hadn’t won themselves but wanted to see who would win the car.

The morning had seen just a few hundred people.

By noon, at least two to three thousand people had gathered in the plaza.

Fortunately, Chengrong Plaza was particularly spacious, with some areas still under construction. The place was so vast it could accommodate not just two or three thousand, but even twenty or thirty thousand people.

The gathering crowd attracted small vendors doing business.

Chengrong Plaza’s planning included restaurants, but they weren’t open yet. With thousands of people unwilling to leave, they needed to eat, right?

Various snack and drink vendors appeared, and some people even set up temporary bicycle parking with red ropes along the roadside.

Bicycles could be parked in the underground parking lot, which had opened one level.

But most people weren’t used to going underground, preferring to pay twenty fens to park on the street.

Hearing about Chengrong Plaza’s opening day, Xia Hongxia decided early to sell boxed meals here. She had already secured a small storefront at the People’s Bridge Small Goods Market, but it needed time to prepare and would open in a few days.

For a mobile stall, earn what you can each day – why sleep in when there’s money to be made?

On the third day of the New Year, Xia Hongxia dragged her reluctant mother to set up their stall at Chengrong Plaza – Xia Hongbing wouldn’t possibly come. Playing the role of head of household, with no temporary work during the New Year, it was convenient for him to gamble.

He gambled day and night, only staying away from the tables on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. By the morning of the second day, he had lost all his money and finally went home to collapse in bed, sleeping until the third day.

Groaning and whining, hoping Xia Hongxia would give him money to continue gambling.

How could Xia Hongxia possibly give him any?

Their father couldn’t be relied upon and was useless, and Wang Jingui was unwilling but had to listen to Xia Hongxia.

Then there were Xia Hongxia’s two younger brothers, Xia Junfeng and Xia Junshan, both on winter break and called by Xia Hongxia to help. Wang Jingui pitied her sons, saying they were too young and should rest during the holiday, but Xia Hongxia’s face darkened, and both brothers rushed to declare their willingness to help sell boxed meals.

The economic foundation determines the superstructure – how could they dare be unwilling?

Their tuition was paid by Xia Hongxia; they dared not go against their elder sister’s wishes.

Who says children can’t distinguish between benefit and harm?

Children are best at seeking advantage and avoiding disadvantage, knowing who calls the shots at home, especially in a messy family like the Xia household. Without some awareness, it would be impossible to live comfortably.

Xia Hongxia’s family arrived at Chengrong Plaza before 11 AM, finding it indeed packed with people, yet barely a restaurant in sight. Xia Hongxia couldn’t stop smiling.

Even Wang Jingui, who had wanted to slack off at home, perked up.

She had experience setting up stalls with Xia Hongxia and, while not understanding much else, knew where business could be found.

They set up their boxed meal stall across the street, and this time no one chased them away – people need to eat, after all.

Watching the exciting lottery draw at the plaza, Wang Jingui grew restless:

“Hongxia, the first prize is a car, why don’t we get a lottery ticket too?”

Xia Hongxia wanted to hit her with the large serving ladle.

“You need to buy 100 yuan worth of stuff to get a lottery ticket – 100 yuan! Do you want to buy things we don’t need? Do you know how many boxed meals we’d have to sell to earn 100 yuan? Don’t even think about it!”

Wang Jingui was very disappointed.

While Xia Hongxia could stop her from spending money, she couldn’t stop her from watching the excitement.

She abandoned the stall and squeezed into the crowd to watch people scratch tickets and claim prizes.

Xia Hongxia was about to explode with anger.

Her younger brother Xia Junshan, being older, quickly tried to comfort his sister:

“Sis, Junfeng and I definitely won’t run off – we’ll help you sell boxed meals!”

Xia Hongxia rolled her eyes, “What can you do? Can you even count money correctly?”

Xia Junshan was almost crying from the insult.

He had learned addition and subtraction, hadn’t he?

After noon, the boxed meal business picked up as people watching the excitement refused to leave despite their growling stomachs. Looking around and finding boxed meals for sale at reasonable prices, they quickly bought portions to eat so they could continue waiting.

Xia Hongxia had brought about 500 portions, but they sold out quickly.

She had her two brothers watch the stall while she went to grab Wang Jingui.

“Mom, everything’s sold out. Let’s go back and cook more to bring here – I think we can sell over a thousand portions today!”

Wang Jingui didn’t believe it.

But looking at the dense crowd, she had to believe.

Even if they missed the lunch rush, there was still dinner time!

They weren’t the only ones selling food at the plaza. If people couldn’t get boxed meals, they’d go to other stalls. Wang Jingui beat her chest in regret, watching money slip away because they hadn’t brought enough to sell, letting others profit instead – it truly pained her.

Xia Hongxia also regretted it.

They could only hurry home and work efficiently to bring back more food quickly.

She left her two brothers on the spot, forbidding them to go anywhere.

She wasn’t worried about losing them in the crowd – she was worried they’d give up their golden stall position!