Although this method was intended to attract more people to the shop and create a bustling atmosphere, it was also important not to affect other customers' shopping. Meng Zhao specially set up an elegant red silk tent outside the shop to distribute gifts, and only sent one assistant to avoid leaving too quickly.

Because many people are illiterate, they would throw away the envelopes after finding them. Passersby saw a group of children looking for something along the street and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. As a result, word spread quickly, and more and more people learned that two new shops had opened on Changhe Street: a women's teahouse and a cosmetics shop.

Inside the Treasure Pavilion, Su Meng organized five makeup artists to hold a small competition in the lobby. Each of them invited one customer who came into the store that day to be their model for makeup. All the makeup artists and customers who participated in the competition received a gift box of toiletries from the Treasure Pavilion.

Once the makeup is complete, customers who come to watch will vote, and the makeup artist and model with the highest score will each receive a bonus of one or two taels of silver.

At the same time, all the tools used in the dressing process must be products of Zhenbaoge. Meng Zhao did this to attract customers to come and watch the fun in the form of a competition, and at the same time let customers see the effects of their products while watching the fun.

The five ladies chosen for dressing up were all well-known in the area and had used Zhenbaoge products before. Upon hearing about this, they naturally accepted the invitation with pleasure.

A few days in advance, Meng Zhao had Su Meng explain to them how to use the products in the shop. They were already experts in this field and learned very quickly.

These women originally intended to come and look at the treasures in the Treasure Pavilion and see if they could make some money. However, when they actually arrived at the competition venue and saw so many people watching, their competitive spirit was ignited, and they all showed off their best skills. The customers watching the models' transformations were all very surprised.

At this point, the quick-witted shop assistants would step forward and introduce, "Please look, Madam Li is now using our Treasure Pavilion's Summer Lotus Pure Dew. Before applying makeup, gently pat it onto your face. It will not only make your skin moisturized and radiant, but also make your subsequent makeup more adherent and natural."

"The lip rouge that Lady Shen is using is a new product from our Treasure Pavilion, called 'Twelve Hours'." Another shop assistant held up a sample to show the audience. Inside an exquisite flip-top box, twelve squares were neatly arranged, each containing a different color.

The salesman continued, "One box contains twelve colors, representing the twelve two-hour periods of the day. For everyday life at home, you can use the peach pink color of the Yin hour, which is elegant and natural and enhances your complexion. When going out shopping, you can use the coral red color of the Chen hour, which is bright, beautiful, and eye-catching. If you are entertaining friends at a banquet, you can also use the pomegranate crimson color of the Xu hour, which is dignified, grand, and luxurious."

This introduction immediately sparked a lively response from the crowd: "Wow, this is great! I bought a bottle of Hibiscus Drunk lip balm last time. It was pretty, but I used up the whole bottle in half a year and still hadn't finished it. I was tired of wearing the same color every day. Buying a new lip balm is expensive. Now this box of lip balm has so many colors. Doesn't that mean I can have a new one every day?"

The salesman quickly added, "Of course, and today is our grand opening. If you buy 'Twelve Hours' lip balm, you'll also get a free lip balm brush. This will not only make applying the lip balm more accurate and prevent your hands from getting dirty, but you can also use different lip balms to mix and match colors to create a lip color that suits you better."

The more they talked, the more tempted they became, and the onlookers all took out their wallets.

"Give me a box!"

"I want one too! I want one too!"

Watching the shop assistants busily performing their duties in an orderly manner, Meng Zhao nodded with satisfaction and turned to go to the Mingxianglou restaurant next door.

Today is the first day of business. In addition to the sign that says "Women Only" is allowed to enter, there is also a life-size portrait of a woman at the entrance of the shop. The woman in the painting is dressed in a black outfit, holding a three-foot-long sword. A breeze blows, and her long black hair and crimson hair ribbon flutter behind her. A silver mask covers half of her face, adding to her mystery.

Passersby stopped to admire the mysterious woman in the painting. One person in the crowd exclaimed, "In black, with a sword, a red scarf, and a silver mask, isn't that the Jade Rakshasa from 'The Detective's Chronicle'?"

The welcoming waiter immediately stepped forward with a smile and explained, "This lady has a good eye! Today is the opening day of Mingxiang Pavilion, and we have specially invited a storyteller to tell the story of 'The Ghost Manor'. Not only is the storytelling free, but there is also free tea. If you have time, would you like to come in and have a look?"

"Free?" Passersby immediately became interested. Some came because of the fame of "Detective Records", while others were attracted by the gimmick of listening to audiobooks and drinking tea for free. Before long, Mingxianglou was packed with people.

If a male customer accidentally wanders in, the staff will gently persuade him: "Sir, we are very sorry, but our restaurant only serves female customers." If someone refuses to listen, Huang Cui will appear at the right time, and a sharp look from her will scare him away.

When Meng Zhao entered Mingxianglou, the storyteller Dieyi was preparing on stage. Dieyi was originally a leading actress in a theatrical troupe in the capital. She was very popular when she was young, but later, due to her age and overuse of her voice, her voice was no longer clear and she could no longer sing. Without a way to make a living, she really didn't know what to do.

Later, she met a kind storyteller who said that her hoarse voice was perfect for storytelling, so Dieyi switched careers and began to tell stories.

However, the storytelling profession is mostly male, so she could only perform when other storytellers were resting. Moreover, when a woman goes on stage, there are bound to be a lot of teasing and joking from the audience. Fortunately, she had sung in operas before and had suffered a lot of grievances, so she could just endure it.

Later, when Meng Zhao was looking for a storyteller, he heard about her and went to listen to her story. He found her voice to be loud and clear, and coupled with her expressive eyes honed from years of opera singing, she was able to draw people into the story. So he invited her to be his storyteller.

Outside the shop, the young shop assistant was doing his best to lure passersby into the shop with various activities. Seeing that there were almost enough people in the shop, "Bang!" The gavel struck, and Dieyi began to vividly tell the story of Yu Luosha's nighttime raid on the Ghost Manor.

Meng Zhao had heard this story many times, but when told by different people, with different timbres, tones, and rhythms, she could hear a different feeling each time. Unconsciously, she became engrossed. Standing by the door, she could neither obstruct customers from entering or leaving nor miss the shop.

Suddenly, a commotion could be faintly heard outside: "Pay up! That heartless merchant ruined my daughter!" "If you don't give us an explanation, we'll take you to the authorities!"

Meng Zhao frowned and was about to go out to check when Huang Cui rushed over and whispered, "Manager, something bad has happened! A group of people have come outside, saying that their faces were ruined by our products and they're demanding compensation!"