BXBX NOVEL Chapter 483: Abundance of Customers
Chapter 483: Abundance of Customers
The man who spotted the signboard turned to his companions and said, “This is the place, hurry up, my stomach is growling with hunger.”
The woman with glasses adjusted her frames, showing no signs of impatience. “We’re here now, there’s no need to rush. Patience is a virtue, after all. We’ve come here specifically because we’ve heard about this newly opened breakfast and braised meat shop. They say the taste is top-notch. They even had a tasting event in the city before, and we were there. We’ve been looking forward to this day,” she said, her companions behind her sharing her excitement.
After finishing her speech, the woman led her group inside. The locals, who had been asked for directions, were left dumbfounded. Were these guests from the city? Would city dwellers travel all this way just to eat here? Could it be that Gu Zi had paid them to put on a show?
As the bespectacled woman entered the shop, she immediately recognized Gu Zi. “So, it’s a beauty running the shop. I was wondering why you didn’t advertise more. Now I see that the shop’s promotion is lacking. If it were called ‘The Beauty’s Gourmet Food Shop’, wouldn’t that be more fitting?”
Gu Zi recognized these refined-looking individuals. She had an impression of them from a promotional event she had held outside the youth palace. They were likely staff members from there. Gu Zi responded, “I’ll discuss it with my sister-in-law and see if we should change the name. Please, come in, everyone!”
Gu Zi handled the situation with ease, welcoming the first wave of customers into the shop. Glancing at her watch, she felt a surge of joy. As she had planned, the city dwellers began to arrive at half-past seven.
She had anticipated that the initial reception would be lukewarm. She could gauge the attitudes of the villagers and townsfolk with just a glance, so she hadn’t planned on attracting local customers at the opening.
Instead, Gu Zi chose a different approach. She targeted the city dwellers, who had come from afar, for her grand opening. Her strategy was to use the arrival of these city folks to attract the surrounding clientele. This way, she could convince the envious and unsatisfied locals to willingly patronize her shop.
The initial stages of this plan were somewhat troublesome, requiring her to travel to the city for promotion and devise ways to capture the attention of the city dwellers. She had to ensure that their curiosity was piqued enough to support their decision to travel all this way to patronize her shop on New Year’s Day.
However, in the long run, this was actually the most convenient method. Once successful, it would allow her to quickly convert the surrounding population into a steady customer base for her shop.
Gu Zi observed that city dwellers generally rose later than their rural counterparts. Therefore, at this moment, when the majority of the guests were from the city, the influx of people was just beginning.
Sure enough, not long after, a group of eight people, young and old, male and female, all dressed in fine clothes, arrived. They looked like a large family. Gu Zi welcomed them in and poured them tea.
The matriarch of the family engaged Gu Zi in conversation. Gu Zi, unhurried, exchanged pleasantries with her, finding the conversation quite enjoyable.
It was then that Gu Zi realized that this woman was the same lady who had encouraged her to open a shop in the city during her last promotional event. She had even mentioned how sad she would be if she couldn’t eat the braised pork from here.
After these two encounters, Gu Zi felt that this matriarch was indeed a person who knew how to enjoy life, had a sense of humor, and was quite charming.
The matriarch said, “We originally planned to come in the afternoon to buy braised pork, but then I remembered your poster mentioning a breakfast special of hot and spicy soup. I thought it was interesting, so I convinced my husband and family to drive over.”
“You’re right, the scenery along the way is indeed beautiful. We’ve planned to stroll around the town after breakfast, and come back in the afternoon to buy the braised pork.”
Having seen the promotional poster, the matriarch knew that although braised pork was available in the morning, it was only served in the shop in limited quantities. Larger purchases could only be made in the afternoon. She found this rule quite unique and far from off-putting; in fact, she found it rather interesting.
Perhaps this was the true essence of the saying, “People regard food as their prime want.”
Gu Zi stayed inside for quite a while. The villagers who had been waiting outside the shop craned their necks to peek inside. After a few glances, they started chatting among themselves, “It really is a city family, and they even drove a car. They must be quite wealthy! Those who can afford a car in the city must be richer than Su Shen, right?”