Chapter 001: The Shop Opens in a Flash

[China Construction Bank] Your account ending in 2042 completed a transaction of RMB 1,200.00 to xxx on October 17 at 11:45. Current balance: RMB 2,156.31.

After returning home from work and paying this month’s rent, Yu Zui couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at the money left in her account.

She then opened DouShi, intending to kill some time, only to have the striking title of the first video catch her eye immediately.

#Society’s Realities##Emotional Resonance##Savor Life##Redemption##Disabled Dad, Sick Mom, Younger Brother in School, Broken Me—If I Don’t Help Her, Who Will?#

Watching the video, Yu Zui paused. Others might joke about such things, but this was a real reflection of her family’s current situation!

Her father had accidentally broken his leg and was recovering at home after surgery.

Her mother not only had to work but also take care of her father, and had recently fallen ill from exhaustion.

Her younger brother, a freshman in college, was working a summer job.

And she herself, a recent university graduate, was currently interning with a monthly salary of three thousand yuan. All her savings from college part-time jobs had gone toward medical bills and helping support the family.

In short, her family was utterly destitute.

She truly wished for a sudden windfall to make her rich overnight.

Or at least, to stumble upon a lucky break!

Alas, such daydreams were just that—daydreams.

[Ping!] Yu Zui, direct descendant of Yu’s Grocery Store, your business system is rebooting...

[Reboot complete. Dear host, would you like to bind to the business system?]

Yu Zui froze.

Host? Business system?

“Yes, yes, yes.”

She hadn’t expected this lucky break to arrive so suddenly. Of course she would seize it!

[Ping!] Binding successful.

[This system has rented a grocery store for you and prepaid one month’s rent.]

[Details can be viewed on your phone.]

Yu Zui took out her phone and saw a new app called “Grocery Store” had appeared.

Opening it, a document popped up: the Lease Agreement.

Wait—if this was a lucky break, shouldn’t she have been gifted a grocery store outright? Why was she leasing one?

Yu Zui hurriedly skimmed the contract.

Address: No. 8, Wanning Ancient Street.

Her vision darkened. Wasn’t this the most prime tourist spot in S City? A historic mansion here was worth tens of millions, and even a tiny shop’s rent could easily be tens of thousands!

Flipping quickly, she checked the rent amount.

Rent: 100,000 yuan per month.

Lease term: 1 year.

Tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands... One hundred thousand yuan a month! One point two million a year!

“System, cancel the contract! Let’s find another location to open!” Yu Zui said without hesitation.

A shop with a monthly rent of one hundred thousand yuan? Why bother!

She needed to save that money as startup capital instead. Renting a cheaper place would save her a fortune!

[Contract signed; funds transferred; contract cannot be canceled.]

[Additionally, this shop is a system-designated location and cannot be changed.]

Seeing that no changes were allowed, Yu Zui glanced at the signer’s name and ID number—it was hers. She fell silent.

So before the store even opened, she was already burdened with a massive debt of 1.2 million yuan.

She wondered what kind of merchandise could bring in over 200,000 yuan profit in the first month?

If this was truly a lucky break, it shouldn’t be so punishing, right?

Unsure, Yu Zui skipped her nap and headed out, taking a bus to the ancient street.

S City’s Ancient Street was paved with stone slabs, lined with rustic, unified architecture. Large, elegant homes with blue bricks and green tiles evoked an old-world charm. It was a famous scenic spot, bustling with commerce along the main road, which housed many shops. Side alleys featured cafés, private kitchens, and inns.

Yu Zui followed the address until she found a roughly thirty-square-meter shop with two wooden floors. The rustic appearance carried a heavy historical aura, perfectly in tune with the street’s style.

Such a shop was truly a dream home.

But the monthly rent of 100,000 yuan still stung her heart.

[Password: 188988.] The system reminded her in her mind.

Though the street was ancient, the facilities were relatively modern.

After entering the password, the door opened.

Inside, the shop was empty—completely cleared out by the previous tenant.

As Yu Zui stepped in, the system’s voice sounded again in her mind.

[Congratulations, host, you have arrived at the shop. You have received a Decoration Gift Pack *1 and a Business Gift Pack *1.]

In the next moment, with a blink, the once worn-down grocery store was transformed. The surrounding wood gleamed as if freshly lacquered, shining brightly. The floor was neat and clean.

On a nearby wall, official business licenses and legal certificates were hung neatly. The wooden cash register and shelves were all in place, perfectly matching the style of the little building.

But... wouldn’t these items appearing out of thin air attract attention?

[All procedures are legal; there is a delivery video for the items. This is merely to speed up your business operations.]

This was black technology!

Yu Zui felt much more at ease.

[Please name your grocery store.]

“Yu’s Grocery Store,” she said. She didn’t know when her ancestors had acquired such a shop, but since it was inherited, she would keep the name. Besides, it sounded nice—like a century-old, time-honored brand.

[Name successfully set.]

[The shop is now preliminarily ready for business. Please prepare to open.]

“Open for business? There’s no stock yet! I need time to purchase goods!” Yu Zui protested.

[Please draw from the mall.]

Only now did Yu Zui notice a mall icon at the bottom of the app.

Clicking it brought up a large spinning wheel, showing one draw chance at the center. A form on the side listed product categories to choose from before drawing.

Food / Beverages / Daily Necessities / Household Items / Cosmetics / ...

After a moment’s thought, Yu Zui chose Beverages.

Summer and drinks were a perfect match.

After selecting, she drew, and a card appeared. The previously empty mall now had one product.

#Beverages — Yu’s Iced Black Tea#

[Product: Yu’s Iced Black Tea]

[Specification: 300ml]

[Function: Quenches thirst, cools body temperature]

[Wholesale Price: 168 yuan]

[Suggested Retail Price: 188 yuan]

Seeing the price, Yu Zui was stunned.

So expensive???

Ridiculous!

Who would pay 188 yuan for a 300ml drink?

“This price can’t be right,” she muttered.

[Please check the function.]

Yu Zui glanced again. She believed the function, but she still had a headache.

How could she convince customers the drink truly had these effects?

If she just displayed it, people would think she was trying to scam them!

Suddenly, the system announced a new task.

[Side Quest Activated]

[Side Quest 1: Sell one bottle of iced black tea within one day]

[Reward: Product Card *1]

[Countdown: 23 hours 55 seconds]

[Note: Purchases by the host do not count]

Yu Zui: “......”

—And it all starts so simply?

She glanced at the time.

The lucky break arrived at 12:30, she reached the shop by 1:00, and opened at 1:30?

This speed of opening a store? It was practically smoking!