Chapter 29 Preparing for the Banquet
While waiting for the busy passersby to arrive, Jiang Zhi simply took out a piece of pastry from the jar and fed it to Xiao Mahua, watching her eat it!
Little Twist is wearing the clothes her brother brought back today. I have to say, clothes that cost money really do look beautiful.
The red skirt and pale yellow top, two seemingly mismatched colors, now appeared remarkably harmonious. And, before leaving, Jiang Zhi had specially tied her hair into a little bun; now, as she shook her head, she clearly resembled a child, rather than the little adult she had been before!
Jiang Zhi's actions truly exemplify overflowing maternal love.
When Jiang Zhi fed Xiao Mahua, Xiao Mahua was stunned for a moment, and then obediently snuggled up to her as usual.
They ate in small bites, their cheeks gradually puffing out.
Like a focused and attentive mouse?
Jiang Zhi watched the little girl taking small bites and couldn't help but come up with this analogy, then she laughed to herself.
*
But to Jiang Zhi's surprise, this move by Xiao Mahua actually brought her a lot of business.
Elderly women and men passing by were smiling as they watched the heartwarming scene of the feeding.
These elderly people have a lot of spare money, and their children and grandchildren are used to not liking to eat. Seeing other children eating so happily, they naturally felt a little tempted to buy some.
Not to mention the children brought out by adults, each one clinging tightly to their parents' sleeves, practically unable to move, each one pitifully holding onto their parents, wishing they could just stand in line in front of Jiang Zhi's stall!
Naturally, adults can never get away with blaming children, so—
After Jiang Zhi picked up the small towel placed aside and wiped Xiao Mahua's mouth, in the blink of an eye, the queue stretched out again, seemingly endless.
However, this time Jiang Zhi was well prepared.
She took out a piece of Xuan paper that she had written at home, on which were written several large characters in a flamboyant style: "Ginger candy cake 2 coins each, limit of 3 pieces per person!"
Unfortunately, her production capacity is not yet sufficient for her alone, but she wants to expand the market, so she really has no choice but to sell more and build a reputation!
Once production capacity catches up, we can leverage this already established product to further expand the market.
While thinking this to herself, Jiang Zhi smiled and introduced the product to the customer.
"Yes, the ginger candy cake my little girl is eating is the one I'm holding! It's made with the best ingredients, and it not only warms the body and lungs but also strengthens the body..."
As Jiang Zhi explained, she noticed the increasingly satisfied looks on the faces of the adults gathered around, and she had a good idea of what was going on. She then squatted down and gently poured a bowl of tea that she had bought while watching the commotion earlier, to calm the little girl down. After that, she patted the little girl on the shoulder.
"Hey little twister, tell all the uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, do you think this stuff is delicious?"
Little Twist then raised her head, looked around shyly, nodded hurriedly, and then quickly lowered her head again.
This drew good-natured laughter from those around him.
Jiang Zhi just smiled and didn't say anything. She gently patted Xiao Mahua's shoulder and handed her a handful of copper coins when she looked up in surprise, then let her continue counting money.
She casually took out a piece of ginger candy cake, broke it into small pieces, and distributed some to everyone in the front of the line so that they could have a taste.
As she expected, the children grabbed the candy cakes and stuffed them into their mouths in no time. The adults, on the other hand, were more reserved. They would sniff them first, and only after confirming that there was only a hint of ginger could be detected, would they feel comfortable putting them in their mouths.
Without exception, before they had even chewed a few times, everyone's eyes lit up.
While children may simply be attracted by the novel sweetness, adults have much more to think about.
Most of the people queuing in front of the ginger stall were not young wives who had just entered the world, but rather older people who were quite experienced in life and could easily tell the difference between ginger and other ingredients.
But Jiang Zhi simply faced the conflicted and suspicious looks in everyone's eyes, smiling slightly as she quickly handed the items to the bright-eyed children.
With a crisp "snap!" sound, the adults who were still hesitating and trying to bargain suddenly realized that their children's cheeks were stuffed full like a mouse, with bits of food stuck to their lips, and they were looking at their parents innocently.
"Mom, I'll eat first..."
With a timid voice, the little girl being led by her mother gave an innocent smile.
The simply dressed woman's haggling abruptly stopped. She took a deep breath, pulled out a copper coin from her purse, and slammed it heavily onto Jiang Zhi's table, accompanied by a cold snort.
Jiang Zhi, however, did not care at all. She still smiled and with a slight movement of her left hand, she swept the copper coin in front of Xiao Mahua.
Then Little Twist immediately started counting and collecting them like a little guinea pig...
*
Jiang Zhi, of course, didn't care at all. She glanced at the endless queue and knew exactly what was going on:
The people at the front of her stall are all new customers; her attitude is to hire them if she can, but it's okay if she can't.
After all, looking at the long queue behind her, Jiang Zhi smiled slyly:
In the restaurant business, you only need to remember one thing: attract new customers as much as possible, but most importantly, don't lose your core customer base...
In the middle of the queue that Jiang Zhi glanced at casually, there were quite a few people she knew.
For example, the carpenter's son, surnamed Yang, was holding hands with a pretty girl, laughing and talking, making the girl half-cover her mouth and burst into laughter.
For example, the old customer who bought lemonade for the first time wearing a veil has now changed his veil and is leisurely standing in the queue, holding a scroll in his hand. He occasionally glances at the front of the queue, and when he sees that the queue is still slowly inching forward, he simply turns his attention back to the scroll in his hand.
For example, the scholar surnamed Su who was the first to buy cold noodles last time was now standing at the front of the line, looking very serious. He was clearly not used to being squeezed in the crowd, his face was stiff and tense, and when he occasionally heard the little girl behind him making a ruckus, the tips of his ears would turn a little red with embarrassment.
...
In short, Jiang Zhi was extremely satisfied with the arrival of these regular customers, feeling as if she had overturned a honey pot.
Doesn't this mean that her skills can retain customers?
*
In short, putting everything else aside, Jiang Zhi finally brought enough this time.
In particular, the small sign she specially placed next to T also made a great contribution.
Without Jiang Zhi needing to rave about her wares, her reliable regular customers, one by one like an assembly line, picked up three pastries already wrapped in oil paper, took out the corresponding coins, and stuffed them into Jiang Zhi's hand.
Jiang Zhi, with a smile, kept repeating the following mechanical actions: while warmly greeting familiar customers, she handed over the pastries already wrapped in oil paper, and also casually handed the money given by the customers to the obedient little twisted dough stick next to her who was busy counting money.
*
By the time the young man surnamed Yang finally got to the front of the line, the queue was almost at its end.
After teasing the young couple who held hands even while queuing, Jiang Zhi quickly handed them each a packaged pastry.
Then she quietly told him to wait aside for a while, planning to go with them when the stall closed and pick up the food cart that Yang's father had already prepared.
Indeed, largely because Yang's son was a loyal customer of Jiang Zhi, the speed at which the food cart commissioned by Yang's father was prepared actually exceeded Jiang Zhi's expectations.
When the young man told her with a proud smile that she could pick it up that night, Jiang Zhi almost couldn't hide the surprise on her face.
In just one day, this speed...
Although that was what she was thinking, Jiang Zhi didn't show it on her face, maintaining her usual smile. While asking the two to wait a moment, she didn't forget to slip her young fiancée an extra piece of pastry.
This immediately made the pretty girl waiting on the side turn from pouting to being happy.
The young man who was accompanying her also breathed a sigh of relief, found a stool to sit down, nodded to Jiang Zhi, and then looked at his fiancée with a smile.
Every now and then, he would pick up a handkerchief from the side and wipe the corner of her mouth.
*
By the time Jiang Zhi had sold out all the pastries, the moon had already climbed to the treetops, and the lanterns hanging around the area had all lit up, with small moths fluttering around them.
Just like the idiom "moths to a flame" describes.
The young man surnamed Yang and his fiancée, who had just finished eating at the night market, were chatting casually nearby.
They would glance at each other every now and then, their expressions unusually ambiguous.
Jiang Zhi put all the things in the lobby of the house first, and then followed the young couple to get the food cart.
When Jiang Zhi saw the food cart that had been made at the carpenter's shop, her eyes lit up.
Yang, the young master standing to the side, caught a glimpse of Jiang Zhi's expression out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but feel a little proud. He then began to introduce the product to the client on behalf of his stubborn father.
"This is the food cart that my father built, just as you described, Miss Jiang."
"The wheels and frame are made of hardwood that I personally picked out this morning; they're absolutely sturdy." As he spoke, he patted the large, dark brown wheels, listening to the heavy "thump-thump" sound.
"And this cutting board, I smoothed it out bit by bit this afternoon, making sure it's flat. Mr. Jiang doesn't need to worry about selling anything..."
Under his guidance, Jiang Zhi began to touch and feel everything, her eyes shining like a curious and adorable calico bird, touching and pinching everything in sight...
*
In the end, Jiang Zhi paid with a smile in her eyes. She didn't give any extra tip, but only asked the young man surnamed Yang to bring his fiancée and the old man surnamed Yang to the address she had given her today at noon the next day.
Yes, Jiang Zhi plans to throw an "opening banquet" for her small eatery!
Firstly, to thank those who have helped her in any way during these past few days, and secondly, naturally...
—And by the way, let's use this opportunity to build some buzz and prepare for the daytime opening of her small eatery to attract customers!
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Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, everyone! Here I am! [cheering][cheering]
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