Chapter 1034 - 1036: Fascinating Novelty Attracts Love_1
The most realistic competition of educational toys began with unlocking the Luban Lock. Whoever disassembled it fastest within the allotted time would be the winner, and if no one could completely disassemble it, the person who disassembled the most parts would be victorious.
After Bai Ruozhu transmigrated, she also observed for a while that in Danliang Country there were none of these intellectual toys, such as Luban Locks and Nine Linked Rings, which were unheard of, so when one was brought out today, it immediately caught the attention of all the onlookers.
According to Bai Ruozhu, she didn’t just sell toys to children. Those rare educational toys could also be played with by adults.
"How could this wooden lump possibly be taken apart? Isn’t the boss just toying with us, wanting to laugh at our expense?" a young nobleman in the crowd called out.
Now, Zhang Liliang was the shopkeeper of the toy store, and he smiled and bowed to the crowd, saying, "How dare we deceive our customers when we open our doors for business. Our Dong Family believes that there is definitely someone smart enough to find the trick. If any customers are willing to participate in the competition, just come up and try and you will find out. There are gifts for every participant!"
Upon hearing this, everyone became interested, as there would be benefits just for participating, regardless of whether they could disassemble it or not, it was completely a no-lose situation.
The first wave of twenty people registered, and some who were late to decide didn’t get to register, much to their annoyance. Seeing this, Zhang Liliang, with a smile on his face, said, "Gentlemen, don’t worry, there will be second and third rounds of the competition. There are three rounds in total, and then the top three from each round will participate in the final competition. The first place in the final competition will be rewarded with ten pieces of silver!"
After hearing this, everyone was determined to register more quickly the next time so as not to miss the competition.
At this time, in front of the twenty competitors were placed two Luban Locks, one a relatively simple exposed Luban Ball and the other a more complex Plum Blossom Lock. Someone looked closely and saw that both were made of wood, with edges and corners polished very meticulously, without a single splinter. In one corner of the object was carved a small emblem, beneath which were inscribed the two characters for "Bai Family."
Bai Ruozhu had already registered brands like Hua Xiangrong and Bai Family Toy House at the Commerce Association. She didn’t care about paying a bit more in taxes each year because she had a longer-term vision.
The competition soon began, with contestants studying the Luban Locks in front of them. Many chose the Luban Ball, which looked simpler, but since it was the first time people from Danliang Country encountered such things and the first group was completely unprepared, only two managed to unlock the simplest exposed Luban Ball by the end of the time limit.
During the second group’s competition, someone sharp-eyed figured out how the front group had done it and quickly unlocked the exposed Luban Ball. However, the difficulty increased with the Plum Blossom Lock, and by the time limit, no one had managed to completely unlock it.
The third group did even better, with many discussing how those in the third group had a major advantage.
In her heart, Bai Ruozhu chuckled to herself. After all, there would be a final round, where everyone had watched others unlock the locks, so there would be no unfairness in the final.
And the final was between eight people, as only two from the first group barely managed to unlock the Luban Ball, making it hard to select a third person.
This time, each person had in front of them an even more complex Twenty-Four Lock. Zhang Liliang explained the rules with a smile: "The spherical one is called the Luban Ball, and unlocking it will yield three points. The second one is called the Plum Blossom Lock, which counts for five points when unlocked. The last added item is called the Twenty-Four Lock, and unlocking it is worth eight points. The final ranking will be determined by the scores!"
The eyes of the eight competitors lit up. If they could unlock the last Twenty-Four Lock, wouldn’t that be eight points? That was as much as the first two items combined.
Sure enough, when the competition started, some, fearing there wasn’t enough time, gave up on the first two items straight away and worked on the Twenty-Four Lock. But others took a more steady approach, starting with the first item and working their way through.
In the end, when the time was up, the winner turned out to be a frail-looking young man with slender fingers, almost resembling a woman’s hands, except his complexion was a bit off, his body seemingly lacking in Qi and Blood.
Bai Ruozhu spoke to her maid, instructing her to deliver a message to Zhang Liliang and inquire whether that man would be interested in seeking a job at the Bai Family Toy Store.
The maid promptly relayed the message to Zhang Liliang, who upon hearing it, nodded slightly towards Bai Ruozhu positioned behind him.
The competition proceeded, with the second round being the Nine Linked Rings, and the third round, the Rubik’s Cube assembly. Through this contest, everyone in attendance witnessed the novelty of the toys in the Bai Family Toy Store.
Zhang Liliang also distributed prize money to the top three winners of each round; surprisingly, the same frail man managed to place in all three rounds, leading Zhang Liliang to believe even more in Bai Ruozhu’s shrewd judgment.
After the competition ended, there was a rush of people eager to enter the store to purchase toys, especially those who were unconvinced by their earlier defeat, wanting to buy the toys from the competition to thoroughly study at home. However, Zhang Liliang stopped them, saying, "There’s still a children’s competition to be held, please everyone, stay calm and patient."
Many who had benefited earlier brought their own children, all thinking that even if they couldn’t win any prizes, it would be good for the children to have fun and gain some experience.
Naturally, Little Dengdeng of the Bai Family also participated in the competition. Despite his young age, he was notably agile and quick-handed.
The first event for the children was a basketball shoot, where they had to stand behind a line and each child would shoot five balls, with the most baskets made determining the winner.
The slight advantage naturally went to the older children, but Dengdeng, who had played at home, was familiar with the game. He scored three baskets on his first turn, earning applause from the spectators, who remarked that although the baby looked small, he was quite impressive.
"He is the young master of the Dong Family, mainly here to set an example for everyone; his performance won’t count towards the rankings," Zhang Liliang explained to the crowd.
A woman, observing Dengdeng’s sturdy little arms and legs, asked enviously, "How old is your young master? How is he raised so well?"
Zhang Liliang’s eyes crinkled with prideful laughter, as if his own child had been complimented, "Our young master just celebrated his first birthday a few days ago."
There were gasps of amazement from the crowd, and the inquiring woman thought to herself that she must buy this basketball game for her own son to ensure he grows up just as well!
Many children participated in the basketball shooting. Fortunately, the pace was swift, with each child who scored receiving a rattan ball to take home and play with. In the end, an older child made three baskets to claim first place.
The subsequent competitions brought joy to the children participating and provided great entertainment for the adults watching. As the event concluded, the children were unwilling to leave, insisting on entering the Bai Family Toy House’s play area.
Thankfully, Bai Ruozhu had planned ahead and had maids at the door who explained to the guests that for the children’s safety, only ten children were allowed in at a time, and as one came out, another could enter, without exceeding the limit.
Many parents were left with no choice but to wait in line with their children, while those with more money outright bought several toys for their children to enjoy at home to their hearts’ content.
Quite a few adults also purchased Luban Locks, Nine Linked Rings, Rubik’s Cubes, and other toys, including one generous young man who bought an ultra-luxurious Rubik’s Cube on display. This cube was distinguished by the use of Jade, Shanhu, Tortoiseshell, and Yellow Jade to differentiate colors, the cost of materials alone being significant.
There was also a Luban Lock made of gold-threaded Qinan wood that was sold for a high price, causing Bai Ruozhu to glance over and involuntarily twitch at the corner of her eye.