eurekapd Chapter 165 Sudden Blizzard
Chapter 165 Sudden Blizzard
At the shopkeeper's call, everyone quickly lined up. The first person in line was obviously from a wealthy family. He brought three children with him, the oldest was about ten years old, and the youngest was only about three years old.
He was the first to pay, so naturally he had to look at the price list. It listed not only the price for one person, but also the price for three or more people, and also the monthly subscription, but only for that month. The price list also stated that every customer who paid would receive a numbered wooden sign, corresponding to the amount they paid. The sign had to be kept safe and collected upon exiting, otherwise they would have to pay again.
The man thought about it and bought it for the day to let the child experience it first.
The shopkeeper's surname was Zou. He took the money and asked how many people there were. The man said four. He looked at the youngest child and asked, "How old is the child?"
The man said he was three years old, and then Manager Zou said, "Children under four years old need to be accompanied by an adult to enter, so you can just buy tickets for three people." He then gave him three wooden signs, and the young man next to him immediately came over to help tie the wooden signs to the child's wrists.
When the people behind heard this, they asked, "What about my six-year-old?"
"If you're worried, you can buy a ticket and go in, but we don't allow six-year-olds in for free. If you think it's okay for your child to play on their own, you can register their number plate here and then go to the second floor of our toy store. There are benches on the second floor where you can sit and rest. When your child comes out, we'll send someone to find you there."
The man thought, "Great! He doesn't have to look after the child, and he can find a place to sit and relax. Why not?" He quickly registered the child's number plate and strolled to the second floor of the toy store.
The people in the queue behind them all understood what was going on. Those who were worried about their children could go in and play with them, while those who were confident in their children could find a place to rest. So they quickly split into two groups: one group took the children in directly, while the other group waited for their numbers to be written down and then went to rest.
The first person to reach the second floor, guided by the shop assistant, found a row of small round stools near the wall and window near the ice rink. Sitting on them, one could see the ice rink below, and there was a long window sill next to the window, perfect for resting one's arms.
The shop assistant said, "If you find it boring to sit there, there are books on the bookshelf on the opposite wall. You can read them for free, but you can't take them away. If you're thirsty, we also provide hot tea, but you'll have to pay by the pot or cup."
Then, the waiter pointed to a few square tables in the middle and introduced, "We have another game here that you can try for free, but you need four people to play together. There are game rules next to the table, you can learn about them first."
The man was still worried about his own child, so he waved his hand and said, "I won't play anymore." Then he didn't even look for a book, but found a place with a good view by the window and sat down to watch his child play.
Many more parents came up later, some ordering a cup of hot tea, others picking up a book and finding a quiet corner to read alone. It wasn't until the old lady and her group, tired from playing, came up that the second floor began to see some changes.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Song Tingwan played mahjong in the Duke's Mansion for the entire afternoon. When she saw mahjong on the second floor, she immediately became excited. The old lady also loved playing mahjong, so she asked someone to open the private room on the second floor, and several female relatives went into the room. After a while, the sound of mahjong being rubbed could be heard from inside.
With Song Tingwan's explanation, Mrs. Qi and Mrs. Cui quickly mastered the rules of the game. After a while, everyone was having a great time, and cheers of "peng", "chi", and "hu le" could be heard from time to time.
The people outside heard the noises inside and thought they found it interesting, so they went to the table to learn how to play mahjong.
There was a waiter guarding the second floor. Upon seeing this, the waiter immediately came over to explain to him what "eating" meant, "touching" meant, and how to calculate.
Seeing someone explaining something, the others naturally joined in the fun. Soon, the first mahjong table was set up outside. The adults, who had been watching the children play, saw something exciting going on inside and started to watch from the back. The more they watched, the more they found it interesting, and the more they tried to play, the more they joined in. Soon, several people gathered around a table, filling up the entire second-floor table.
They ignored their children and were all focused on how to win with their own cards. It was not until a waiter came up to call out the number that they realized they had been playing for a long time and hurried down to get their children.
The child had been playing for so long that he was thirsty. When he heard the shopkeeper say that there was water for sale in the toy store, he asked his father to buy him some water, and then the father and son returned to the toy store.
In the toy store, a young man was introducing several new games.
"Sir, if you're giving a puzzle to a child, our new jigsaw puzzle is a great choice! You can see a puzzle pattern on the packaging, and inside are small wooden pieces painted with that pattern. Once all the pieces are put together, the pattern on the packaging will appear. This kind of game not only trains a child's memory but also develops their hands-on ability, and they can be played all afternoon. After the puzzle is put together, you can decorate it or break it apart and put it back together again. It's a great choice for a child, and we only have a few boxes now. Once they sell out, we don't know how long it will take for the next ones to be available. First come, first served."
The man who heard the introduction, upon hearing that the item was rare, didn't hesitate and immediately bought it! But that wasn't enough. The man continued to ask, "Do you also sell the mahjong I just saw on the second floor?"
"Yes, yes. This kind of mahjong is currently only sold in my shop. No other shop in the capital sells it. If you want it, I can pack it up for you."
The person asking was obviously a wealthy man, and nodded immediately, "Yes, yes, yes! Let's pack it all together. How much is it?"
A father and son came back to buy water. As soon as the son heard about the new toys, he asked his father to buy him one. The father thought he hadn't had enough mahjong, and since he had already bought the child's toys, he might as well buy himself a set. Soon, a craze for ice rinks and mahjong swept across the capital, with children and adults having a blast.
As a result, the old lady and Zhou Sisi made a lot of money before the spring thaw.
While we were having fun, time quickly entered February.
The Spring Examination was held on the ninth day of the second lunar month. As a result, on the first day of the second lunar month, the capital city was hit by a rare heavy snowstorm. The snow lasted for three days and the sky cleared up on the fourth day.