"Jingle bells, jingle bells... Jingle all the way..." Accompanied by the melodious tune, a chorus of children's voices echoed through the square.
Cheng Jemin's heart was now in his throat. The sky gradually darkened, and the city lights began to twinkle. The heavy traffic on the roads formed a sea of cars, carrying weary people home.
It was time to see the results. Although the diary had recorded that apples were particularly popular on Christmas Eve, the records were just records. Cheng Jemin had invested real money—20,000 yuan, plus the wages of these female students, which was no small amount!
Gripping his arm tightly, Cheng Jemin calmed himself down. In times of great importance, one must remain calm. As a leader, he needed to keep a clear head. If he faltered, how could he instill confidence in others?
"Brother Cheng, there's a problem with the electricity at one of the stalls; the lights won't turn on," Sun Xiaozhu quickly came to Cheng Jemin's side, anxious.
Cheng Jemin looked in the direction Sun Xiaozhu pointed and saw that the lights that should have been shining were still dark. He almost lost his temper, but reason kept him calm.
Impulsiveness is the devil. What good would it do to vent his anger? Cheng Jemin kept warning himself, smiling and saying, "Xiaozhu, don't worry. Check if there's a problem with the power source. If you can't find the issue, it's fine. We can spend a bit more and get it fixed elsewhere!"
Sun Xiaozhu nodded and left, while Cheng Jemin's gaze remained fixed on the spot where the lights should be.
Five minutes later, the lights came on, and the newly decorated Christmas tree, illuminated by the colorful lights, looked vibrant and festive.
"Jemin, have something to eat." Just as Cheng Jemin was starting to relax, Gu Xixi came over with a paper bag in her hand.
Cheng Jemin wasn't in the mood to eat, but he didn't want to disappoint Gu Xixi, so he took the bag.
Inside the bag were his favorite braised pig's trotters and two steaming hot meat buns. Cheng Jemin took a big bite, his hand around Gu Xixi's waist. "Only my wife understands me!"
Gu Xixi, hands in her pockets, quietly observed the stalls not far away. Under the colorful lights, a Christmas tree taller than a person stood there, its lights twinkling. The music in the square added to the festive atmosphere.
On the stalls, beautifully packaged Christmas apples were arranged in the shape of a heart. Around the stalls, four tall, fair-skinned girls wearing Santa hats stood with smiles on their faces. They looked like ballet dancers, forming a beautiful scene.
He had come up with this brilliant idea in just two days. He was truly impressive!
"Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng, we sold one, we sold one!" Sun Xiaozhu ran over, excitedly reporting the news.
Cheng Jemin, though eating, felt a bit distracted. Hearing Sun Xiaozhu's report, his anxious heart eased considerably.
He asked urgently, "What kind of apple did you sell?"
"Golden Christmas apple, twenty-one yuan. The customer didn't even blink, buying it without hesitation!" Sun Xiaozhu gestured animatedly, more excited than if he had found a treasure.
Cheng Jemin and Sun Xiaozhu high-fived, and he handed the paper bag to Sun Xiaozhu. "You eat first, I'll go check."
When Cheng Jemin reached the stall in the central square, a crowd had already gathered, commenting and discussing. Li Yijing and the others demonstrated excellent professionalism, explaining the significance of Christmas Eve and the Christmas apples as Cheng Jemin had instructed.
Although many people were surprised by the price of the apples and shook their heads, many still reached into their pockets to buy. Especially young couples, who left happily after purchasing the apples.
As Cheng Jemin watched, similar scenes were unfolding in different places...
"Hey, look, what's that?" On a university campus, a few male students, having just finished dinner, walked over to a crowd out of curiosity.
"Christmas apples, they're selling Christmas apples. It's Christmas Eve today!"
"Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas. Oh, I almost forgot. Xiaoting might be mad at me. Bro, I'll buy one first."
"Yeah, you buy one for me too. If you buy and I don't, that's just self-torture!"
As the male students spoke, more and more people gathered around the colorful stall. The school's broadcast system played "Jingle Bells" in the background.
At the entrance of a large mall, a middle-aged couple strolled hand in hand after dinner.
"Do you hear that? What's playing?" the husband suddenly asked his wife.
The wife paused, listening for a moment, then said, "It sounds like 'Jingle Bells.' Why is the mall playing this song today?"
"Oh, look at me, I forgot it's Christmas Eve." The man slapped his head, feeling guilty. "I've been so busy with work, I completely forgot. That's inexcusable."
"What's the big deal? You always overreact." The wife gently pulled his hand, smiling.
The man, looking at his gentle wife, felt even more guilty. He took her hand, about to speak, when he saw something that caught his eye. "Look at that! A Christmas tree!"
He pulled his wife to the Christmas tree. Seeing young people picking out uniquely packaged Christmas apples, he asked a tall girl in a Santa hat, "Miss, how much are these Christmas apples?"
"Merry Christmas, sir. Our Christmas apples are five yuan each. Sentiment and happiness are priceless." The girl pointed to the few remaining golden apples on the tree. "Those golden apples are twenty-one yuan each."
"That's too expensive. Let's go." The wife, hearing the price, tried to pull her husband away.
But the man took out his wallet, picked a golden apple, and handed it to his wife with a smile. "Merry Christmas!"
The wife, holding the apple, complained but clung to her husband's arm even tighter...
"Honey, I want a Christmas apple!" A seductive woman, her eyes twinkling, stared at the apples on the Christmas tree for a while before turning to the man beside her, who could be her father by age.
The man's eyes greedily lingered on the woman's attractive figure, but he sighed in satisfaction. Seeing her pout, he quickly took out a large bill and waved it. "Darling, go buy one."
The seductive woman, holding the money, confidently approached the Christmas tree and proudly picked five golden apples.
"Honey, this is for you. Merry Christmas!"
Seeing the woman's radiant expression, the man's heart melted. He imagined a sleepless night ahead, a delightful and tantalizing temptation. The thought of the indescribable feeling made him feel a surge of excitement, almost unable to resist. But then he thought about having to buy another gift for her because of this Christmas, and he felt a bit of pain.
But he couldn't show his pain here. He hugged the woman's seductive body and said confidently, "Let's go to the department store. We'll get you a nice gift before they close."
"You're so good!" The woman smiled seductively, leaning closer to him. Although the man smiled, he thought to himself, "Using a foreign holiday to make money. The person who came up with this idea must be rolling in cash!"
"Aunt Ping, didn't you say those girls wouldn't sell anything? Look, look, how many people are buying! I counted just now, and they sold fifty Christmas apples in just a short while!" At a street corner shop, a woman in her forties, holding a bowl of rice, told her neighbor.
Aunt Ping, who had lost her earlier festive mood, asked in surprise, "What? They sold fifty in a short while? At five yuan each, that's 250 yuan!"
"Not 250, it's 400! I saw ten people buy the golden apples, at twenty yuan each!" The first woman said, almost in pain.
"What?!" Aunt Ping was even more surprised. "Twenty yuan for an apple? Who would buy that? I can buy a whole bag of apples for twenty yuan."
The first woman looked at her neighbor, a bit smug. "You're so old-fashioned. Those aren't just apples; they're Christmas apples. On that tree, they're worth a hundred times more!"
"Aunt, do you have any red paper left?" Aunt Ping suddenly asked.
"What for? I have plenty. It's almost the New Year."
Aunt Ping straightened up. "Bring me the red paper. I bought a bag of apples a few days ago. We'll wrap them in red paper and sell them. Even if we can't sell them for their price, we can sell them for one yuan each, and someone will buy them!"