Chapter 23: A Small Surge of Popularity

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When Ji Daizhen found out that the San San Express her mother had ordered for her would deliver straight to her door, she was ecstatic. She had just been watching the live stream of “Lightning Slim,” who had lost another four pounds today, with a flood of comments from viewers sharing their feedback. Knowing the effects firsthand, Ji Daizhen couldn’t wait any longer. She was done with being called “fatty” and “chubby” by her classmates.

Soon, she received the delivery and without hesitation tore it open. Four different drinks came into view immediately. Since she had followed Lightning Slim’s recommendations about Yu Ji Grocery, Ji Daizhen knew what effects each drink promised. Excitedly, she placed them all in the fridge. Finally, she took out the oolong tea and fresh milk and mixed them together.

The moment the taste hit her tongue, Ji Daizhen was conquered by the flavor. It was delicious! She made up her mind—no more ordering desserts. Instantly, she sent a photo of the new milk tea to her best friend.

“My mom bought me oolong tea from Yu Ji Grocery; I’m mixing it with fresh milk, hoping to lose weight.”

“Good luck!” her friend replied.

Ji Daizhen smiled. Today, she wouldn’t eat anything else—just drink this. And for the next few days, she planned to keep fasting. After all, her mother was away and wouldn’t know if she ate or not. This time, she was determined to slim down!

Just then, her mother called.

“Sweetheart, did your package arrive?”

“It did!” Ji Daizhen replied quickly.

“They’ve launched new products,” her mother said, rambling on at the other end. “I also bought some desserts said to detoxify and beautify the skin. You can eat those instead of randomly taking detox capsules from outside.”

Ji Daizhen listened and hurriedly replied, “Got it, Mom! Have fun!”

She only took those detox capsules hoping they would flush out everything she ate! After getting scolded by her mother once she found out, she never dared to take them again. But as for Yu Ji Grocery’s desserts... looking at the beautiful pictures on her phone, she felt a spark of anticipation.

***

Today, Bai Jinglan was out with her close friend, sipping coffee and enjoying a dessert. While chatting, they also scrolled through their phones. Her friend suddenly handed her the phone.

“I keep seeing Yu Ji Grocery pop up today. I looked them up; their milk is said to boost immunity. Want to check it out?”

Clearly, the friend knew about Bai Jinglan’s daughter’s health issues.

Hearing the name Yu Ji Grocery, Bai Jinglan paused, then promptly searched for it. She watched several videos in a row. She was impressed by the looks of the lotus seed popsicles and Chun Shui Sheng’s products, but her attention settled on the fresh milk from Yu Ji Grocery.

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[Product: Yu Ji Fresh Milk]
[Function: Regulates immunity, improves sleep]
[Price: 200ml / 188 yuan]

Bai Jinglan clicked into the milk’s review section.

“This milk is so expensive!”
“Is it really that good?”
“You get what you pay for; it should be worth it!”
“I trust other brands more, but I bought this milk too.”
“This shop just popped up recently, looks like it’s backed by some big investors trying to cash in.”
“They have a physical store, so what? It’s the age of transparency; nowhere to run now.”
“...”

Bai Jinglan watched and thought of how her daughter had slept soundly without coughing last night and how this morning she willingly drank this milk without any discomfort. Her friend noticed her expression and asked, “What’s up? Any concerns?”

“No, my sister already bought several bottles for my daughter.”

“How’s it working?”

“So far, so good. My sister has even taken their products for testing,” Bai Jinglan said.

“Then hurry and ask about the results! If it’s good, we’ll buy some later! Their desserts look amazing and claim to beautify and detoxify. If the other products work, those desserts must be effective too. That’s a steal!” her friend said excitedly.

In truth, she was already prepared to buy. A few hundred yuan wasn’t much for her; she often spent a thousand on snacks anyway. If it truly worked, this wouldn’t be a one-off purchase—she’d buy regularly.

“I’ll ask,” Bai Jinglan nodded and called Bai Jingzhu.

On the other end, Bai Jingzhu had just received all the inspection reports for the samples from her friend.

“This drink is buy-worthy,” the friend said without hesitation. “The product is very clean. The ingredients are all natural herbs, though I’m not sure what techniques they used to maximize the herbal effects. As for the fresh milk, the source cows are definitely healthy and fed special nutrients. Besides being rich in nutrition, there are some unknown components, but rest assured, it’s very healthy. Which brand is this? I’ll have my family buy it too.”

People in their line of work often struggled to find trustworthy products. Many items they tested were disqualified for consumption. But what could they do? If it met standards, they had to set aside their doubts. At least it wouldn’t kill anyone.

Unexpectedly, their longtime friend’s test results were a pleasant surprise. Before testing, Bai Jingzhu had thought it was just clever marketing and technology. But the results smashed those doubts—this product was outstanding.

“Yu Ji Grocery has online stores on Douyin and Taobao, and a physical store on Wanning Ancient Street. The prices are a bit steep,” Bai Jingzhu said.

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She felt like the apps were watching her; ever since buying from Yu Ji Grocery, she kept seeing more of their ads. She learned about their online shops and was ready to share this with her friends. Deep down, she was happy to have found a good store.

“Alright! Good stuff is always a bit pricey,” her friend said, immediately searching.

After saying goodbye, Bai Jingzhu had just gotten into her car when she received a call from her sister.

“Are the test results out?” Bai Jinglan asked quietly.

“Yes, and they’re excellent, especially the milk—no extra additives and rich in nutrients. You can confidently buy it for Xiaoxin,” Bai Jingzhu said excitedly. “I’m heading to the store now to stock up.”

“I’m going too. Let’s meet there,” Bai Jinglan replied, her voice brightening.

After hanging up, Bai Jinglan looked at her friend and smiled. “My sister said the results are great.”

“Then let’s head to the store now!” her friend said enthusiastically.

They called the driver and headed straight to Wanning Ancient Street.

***

Meanwhile, Yu Zui was overwhelmed by the sudden surge of followers. Posts on Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaochengshu were getting an astonishing number of likes, with many comments pouring in. Though she knew the system’s targeted advertising would bring results, she hadn’t expected such a dramatic impact. Her public accounts had been dormant for years, barely attracting any followers. Now, numbers were soaring into the thousands, even tens of thousands, and still growing.

Yu Zui was thrilled. Most importantly, orders kept coming in nonstop through both the online shop and Douyin store.

[You have a new order!]

Just as she glanced at Douyin, she received notifications from both the online store and the grocery app. She had to quickly switch between pages to handle them all. At times like this, she was grateful the system had installed a mini-program to manage customer replies; otherwise, she’d be swamped. Though Xiao Ka helped in the store, she still had to step in occasionally.

The store was bustling, with the system pushing promotions to locals and tourists visiting S City. Both online and offline, business was booming. Yu Zui realized she might actually need to hire staff. Luckily, Yu Ze had come to help.

Just as Yu Zui was dizzy with busyness, Bai Jingzhu and her sister, accompanied by their friend, arrived at Wanning Ancient Street. After parking, they headed straight to Yu Ji Grocery.