Chapter 273: I’m Not Your Lackey
Yvonne Shelby was pleasantly surprised to see customers so early in the morning.
’She had been wondering if yesterday’s crowd was just a fluke, and whether they’d have any business at all today.’
Now that customers had arrived, Yvonne Shelby could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t about how many Contribution Points she could earn; what mattered more to her was seeing if she could make a success of something she started herself.
"We’re open!" Yvonne Shelby said with a smile, walking up to greet them. "What can I get for you?"
The group looked at Yvonne Shelby, a hesitant expression on their faces.
’Yvonne Shelby said they were open and asked what they wanted, but the shelves inside were completely bare!’
Seeing their expressions, Yvonne Shelby guessed what they were thinking. "We have everything you’re looking for, we just haven’t put it on display yet."
Hearing Yvonne Shelby’s words, they subconsciously assumed there was a Space Ability User in the room with the goods stored away. No longer hesitant, they began listing what they wanted to buy.
Before Yvonne Shelby could even look toward Jayce and Candice Tate, the two of them had already taken out seeds and, right in front of everyone, instantly grew them into fresh vegetables and fruits.
The customers standing at the entrance stared, their eyes wide with disbelief at the scene unfolding before them.
’They thought having one Space Ability User was already incredible.’
’They never imagined there would be a Wood Ability User!’
’And not just one, but two of them!’
’No wonder they could open a shop like this!’
’No wonder their prices are cheaper than everyone else’s!’
’So that was the reason!’
Realizing this, and confirming that the shop had everything they wanted at cheaper prices, the customers made up their minds. From now on, they would only buy their fruits and vegetables here!
Not only did they decide this for themselves, but after they returned, they also told all their friends and family about it.
Even without internet in Subterra, one should never underestimate the speed of word-of-mouth.
Within a few days, practically everyone in Subterra knew about The Little Green Shop.
The other shops selling fruits and vegetables, which had been doing decent business, saw their sales plummet due to the sudden rise of The Little Green Shop.
If not for The Little Green Shop’s limited hours and the fact that they closed up once they sold out, the other stores would likely have no business at all.
Earning Contribution Points wasn’t easy, so everyone naturally wanted to save wherever they could, making them more than willing to shop at The Little Green Shop.
Yvonne Shelby was, of course, delighted that The Little Green Shop was doing so well.
But along with her happiness, she couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
Seeing Yvonne Shelby frowning again, Jayce walked over. "Mom, haven’t I told you? No matter what happens, Sierra and I are here! You don’t need to worry. Just focus on running your business!"
Sierra Sullivan nodded in agreement. "That’s right, Aunt Shelby. You really don’t need to worry. Even if Jayce and I can’t handle it, we still have Captain Grant, don’t we? After eating so much of our produce, he won’t just stand by and do nothing if someone comes looking for trouble."
Yvonne Shelby sighed. "That may be true, but I’d still rather avoid conflict if we can."
Sierra Sullivan didn’t reply to that.
’Many things in this world don’t just go the way you want them to!’
’Yvonne Shelby didn’t want trouble, but that didn’t mean the others were willing to coexist peacefully.’
’Especially when their profits were at stake. They would never just let it go.’
Sierra Sullivan was just waiting to see what they would do.
To her surprise, however, several days passed without any movement from them.
’Could it be they really aren’t planning to do anything?’
’Impossible!’
’Sierra Sullivan could believe it if the others did nothing, but two of the shops belonged to the Hughes Family and the Vance Family.’
’Simon Hughes and Claire Vance had already dropped all pretenses with her. Now that they were losing out, could they really just stomach it?’
No matter how she looked at it, Sierra Sullivan didn’t believe for a second that those two would let it go so easily.
’She just didn’t know when they would finally make their move.’
Sierra Sullivan almost wished they would act sooner, just to get it over with.
But since they hadn’t made a move, she couldn’t strike first. Although frustrated, all she could do was wait.
At the same time, Claire Vance and Simon Hughes were sitting opposite each other.
The two had never gotten along and had sabotaged each other more than a few times in the past.
The only reason they were sitting together now was their shared desire to deal with Sierra Sullivan and her group.
Even so, neither of them looked particularly pleased to be in the other’s company.
After waiting for a while for Simon Hughes to speak, Claire Vance grew impatient.
"Simon Hughes, you had me brought here to discuss something, but now that I’m here, you’re not talking. What’s the meaning of this? If you have nothing to say, I’m leaving!"
"Tsk!" Simon Hughes raised an eyebrow. "Still so impatient. When are you ever going to learn to control that temper?"
"I don’t need you to lecture me! Just say what you came to say!"
Seeing that Claire Vance was about to fly off the handle, Simon Hughes decided not to test her patience any further.
"About The Little Green Shop... what’s your plan?"
Claire Vance didn’t answer. Instead, she looked at Simon Hughes with amusement. "You call me over here just to ask me what my plan is? How interesting. Since you’re the one who called this meeting, you must already have an idea. Spit it out."
"I have a few ideas, but I don’t think we should act rashly. If our first move fails, it’ll be much harder to do anything else. That’s why I wanted to talk it over with you. If you have any thoughts, you should share them now. Let’s coordinate and not do things behind each other’s backs."
Claire Vance’s expression soured at Simon Hughes’s words. "What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not one of your lackeys. Why should I have to discuss my plans with you? Or get your approval? And what’s this about doing things ’behind your back’? I do what I want, when I want, right out in the open. I don’t need to consult with you."
"You really do have a short fuse." Simon Hughes shook his head. "That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying that Sierra Sullivan and her crew aren’t easy to deal with. We’ll have a better chance if we team up. It would be best if we didn’t backstab each other. Don’t you agree?"
Simon Hughes’s voice was gentle, and the smile on his face turned a bit more earnest.
This managed to quell some of Claire Vance’s anger, and she calmed down slightly.
Claire Vance thought for a moment before revealing her plan. "They’re selling cheap, right? I’ll just sell even cheaper and take the business back."
Simon Hughes sighed. "I knew you’d think of that. But we can’t do it that way."
"Why not?"
"If this were before the apocalypse, in a society governed by the rule of law, your plan would be fine. But what time is it now? It’s the apocalypse! If you sell cheaper than them, all you’ll do is let those lowlifes reap all the benefits. Besides, Jayce and that little girl are both Wood Ability Users. Do you really think you can win a war of attrition against them?"