Chapter 128 The invitation from Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau.
What's there to mind?
Gu Qingqiu chuckled and shook her head after reading it; the other person was now nothing more than an insignificant figure to her.
Yan Yanqiu was Gu Qingqiu's former colleague at the magazine, working as an art editor in the design department. The two had some overlap in their work, and because their names both contained the character "Qiu," they felt a bit closer. They also got along quite well and often ate lunch together like lunch buddies.
Since Gu Qingqiu resigned and returned to open the restaurant, Yan Yanqiu would still send messages to ask a few questions, but after a week, they stopped contacting each other.
It can only be said that the friendship that started as colleagues and then became friends is easily lost as the job ends and the colleague relationship dissolves.
Having traveled through the cultivation world for decades before returning, Gu Qingqiu felt unfamiliar with all her current relationships and naturally didn't pay much attention to them.
Even the original her, since her parents passed away, has become more detached from many things. The coming together and parting of relationships between people may be a little painful in the short term, but time will dilute all emotions, and she will soon adapt.
Gu Qingqiu had long known that as her restaurant became more and more popular, sooner or later people she knew would come to dine and recognize her.
It's really nothing, if they recognize it, they will, it's only a matter of time. It's just that I didn't expect to start operating in April, and only now in October am I receiving this kind of news.
Yan Yanqiu's message contained both greetings and probing, and Gu Qingqiu calmly typed a reply.
[Gu Qingqiu: Yes, Yanqiu, you're not mistaken, it's me wok-wielding and stir-frying in the kitchen (laughs)]
[Gu Qingqiu: My cooking skills have been honed over the past few years through cooking and eating on my own. I wanted to reopen the restaurant my parents left behind, and I'm so grateful for the customers' patronage and trust.]
[Gu Qingqiu: Business has been booming these past few days during the National Day holiday. I've been busy in the kitchen almost all day and haven't even noticed you've come to dine. I hope the restaurant's dishes suit your taste. We'll contact each other again next time you come.]
Gu Qingqiu replied politely, but she was usually busy in the kitchen during the restaurant's opening hours. If Yan Yanqiu came over again, she would just come out to say hello, and she couldn't possibly treat her as warmly as she did Lan Jingcheng.
At this time, the other person has probably finished their work in the morning and is preparing for lunch, so they reply to messages almost instantly.
[Yan Yanqiu: Wow, it really is you! You're amazing! Gu's Private Kitchen is super popular now. All of us colleagues have heard of this restaurant and have been saying we'd go sometime, but we've heard the lines are really long and there's no guarantee we'll get a table, so we haven't gone yet.]
[Yan Yanqiu: I happened to have some free time during the National Day holiday, so I went with my family to try it out. We arrived early, queued up, and got a number, which allowed us to finally taste Gu's Private Kitchen. The dishes were very much to our liking, and my family and I kept praising how delicious and worthwhile the lunch was!]
[Yan Yanqiu: We'd heard before that the owner of Gu's Private Kitchen personally cooked in the kitchen, and that his culinary skills were superb, with dishes that tasted exceptionally good, comparable to a five-star restaurant. We never imagined back then that the owner of Gu's Private Kitchen was you! Now everyone is so proud when they talk about you, hehe, we can tell others that we used to work with the owner of Gu's Private Kitchen (head held high)]
[Yan Yanqiu: Okay, we'll contact you again next time we dine together~]
After reading the message, Gu Qingqiu twitched the corner of her mouth, ignoring the deliberate intimacy and flattery in the other person's words. She simply read it and left it at that, replying with only two or three sentences, each no more than ten characters.
The other person probably sensed her coldness, and the chat ended after a few exchanges.
Gu Qingqiu then started scrolling through short videos to relax, casually passing the time with lunch, and then lazily took a nap.
In the afternoon, she received greetings from former colleagues and her direct supervisor. Gu Qingqiu replied to each one indifferently and quickly ended the conversation.
In the future, when these colleagues and leaders come to dine, they can be treated like normal customers. With Sister Zhou there, she can focus on cooking in the kitchen and keep the dishes delicious, which is her main task.
The day of rest passed in the blink of an eye. Around nine o'clock in the evening, Gu Qingqiu sat at her desk and admired the exquisite and beautiful yellow crystal money tree for a few moments before flipping through a health recipe book to make a menu for tomorrow.
After quickly completing the task, Gu Qingqiu also categorized and wrote down the ingredients she needed to order by phone and buy at the market the next morning on a sticky notepad, taking photos as a record. She then leaned against the bed and played on her phone for a while before finally turning off the light and lying down to sleep, completely satisfied.
The next morning, under bright sunshine, Gu Qingqiu and Wang Meiyu went to the market to shop after breakfast.
They purchased about the same amount as before National Day, estimating they could serve about twenty tables of customers each for lunch and dinner.
This number of guests is just right for the restaurant. Gu Qingqiu and Sister Zhou can handle it without getting too tired, and the customers will be more comfortable while dining, unlike the seven-day National Day holiday which was like a war.
Tang Jie and Zhou Jie arrived at work at 10 o'clock.
When Gu Qingqiu paid the three of them at the end of September, she informed Tang Jie that she would be converted to a full-time employee, with the same working hours as Zhou Jie and Wang Meiyu, including lunch and evening, and receiving the same salary, benefits and social security. She would no longer be an hourly worker.
Tang Jie was naturally happy and very pleased. Working full-time at the restaurant would earn her more money, provide better benefits, and even have her social security contributions paid. Although she would be able to retire in a few years, having the restaurant help her pay most of the contributions would save her a lot of money.
Moreover, the work at the restaurant is relatively easy, the boss and colleagues are all very nice, and it's a harmonious and relaxed environment. Most importantly, the lunch and dinner every day are really delicious.
Especially compared to those customers who travel from afar just for a bite to eat at the restaurant, Sister Tang felt incredibly fortunate to have this job.
She was determined to work even better to repay her boss.
Seeing that the three of them were full of energy and had rosy complexions after a day's rest, Gu Qingqiu smiled and offered a few words of encouragement before they each got busy with their assigned tasks.
At 11 a.m., the restaurant's wooden doors opened to welcome customers, and a long queue formed at the entrance. Sister Zhou greeted the first seven groups of customers with a smile and handed out slips of paper with numbers to the customers behind.
The dining area became lively as order slips were placed against the glass window. Meanwhile, the stoves in the kitchen were burning brightly, with soups and some dishes already cooked and kept warm. Wang Meiyu plated the food according to the orders, while Gu Qingqiu focused on stir-frying meat and vegetables in front of the stove.
Soon, an enticing aroma wafted from the dining area, and customers were enjoying their meals. Those queuing at the door couldn't help but swallow hard, looking at their number slips and comforting themselves that they would be able to eat soon.
As for those customers who queued up but couldn't get a number, they had already left with regret.
The peak passenger flow in October was during the National Day holiday, after which it dropped slightly, but was still better than in September.
When Gu Qingqiu checked the accounts at the end of the month, she saw that the daily turnover fluctuated around two hundred yuan. This was because the prices of the dishes sometimes varied. With twenty tables each for lunch and dinner, there was no shortage of customers.
She calculated the detailed pay for Zhou Jie and the other two and paid them their wages. The three days of the National Day holiday were paid at triple the normal rate, the remaining four days were paid at double the normal rate, and they also had one day off per week as usual.
In addition, there was a small bonus this month, and the monthly salaries of the other three people were all higher than before. Zhou Jie and the other two were very happy to receive their salaries, and said that the hard work this month was especially worthwhile.
Seeing their happiness, Gu Qingqiu smiled and said, "This is all you deserve for your hard work. I will give you bonuses every month depending on the situation. Let's all work hard and keep up the good work."
The three of them, including Sister Zhou, readily agreed and joyfully welcomed November.
The weather in November was clear and crisp. After a cold front arrived, the temperature dropped a bit. Sometimes it even felt a little chilly when it rained. Gu Qingqiu and Sister Zhou all put on long sleeves, but after a few days, the temperature rose again and they switched back to short sleeves.
Sleeping in this weather is so comfortable, and everything feels so pleasant. Unlike in the summer, I don't get all sweaty from the slightest movement.
The restaurant's business is stable and improving, and it's bustling every day. The reputation of Gu's Private Kitchen on Suli Street is becoming known to more and more people.
Those who come from far and wide praise the dishes after tasting them. Regular customers are experts in queuing, striving to compete with new customers for one of the twenty tables of dining spots. Successfully dining there is a sure way to feel happy all day long, and it would be a shame not to post it on social media to show off.
After finishing her busy work and having lunch that noon, Gu Qingqiu picked up her phone, opened Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), interacted with netizens in the comments section of today's menu notes, and then subconsciously checked the message section.
The restaurant's official account receives numerous private messages from strangers every day, mostly from fans praising the food. Gu Qingqiu usually doesn't reply to these messages, but she selectively responds to suggestions from netizens for improvement.
Gu Qingqiu was surprised to see a message from the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau. She clicked on it with some confusion.
[Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau: Dear owner of Gu's Private Kitchen, We are currently launching a food recommendation column for Jiangshi tourism and plan to feature Gu's Private Kitchen in a special interview segment. The finished product will be showcased on the Jiangshi Culture and Tourism WeChat official account and Weibo, and may even be featured on Jiangshi TV's "Taste Journey" program at 6:30 PM. Further details can be discussed. If you are interested, please reply to this message directly or call Ms. Chen at 13537606688. We look forward to your reply!]
After reading it, Gu Qingqiu's lips curled up slightly. She clicked on the other party's profile picture in the chat box to enter the homepage. Sure enough, it was an officially verified account of the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau, which meant that the content of this message was trustworthy!
Although our restaurant is quite well-known in Jiang City and online, and business is very good, with a capacity of 20 tables for lunch and dinner, who can resist official recognition?
The promotion on the Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau's official WeChat account is aimed at all people who intend to travel to Jiangshi. This issue of the Jiangshi Tourism Food Recommendation column naturally selects restaurants with Jiangshi specialties or famous restaurants to recommend, so that tourists can choose and taste local delicacies when they visit the area.
The fact that my restaurant was selected by the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau for an interview feature and official promotion represents official recognition—Gu's Private Kitchen is a major culinary specialty of Jiang City and is worth trying!
To both tourists and locals, this is like a stamp of approval for their restaurant, confirming its trustworthiness and worthiness of dining.
Furthermore, if the interview special of her restaurant had the opportunity to be broadcast on Jiang Province TV, it would further expand the restaurant's popularity, and Gu Qingqiu herself would feel a sense of accomplishment.
Her thoughts raced, but instead of immediately replying to messages or calling the staff of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, she first went to Weibo to open the comment section of the post she had published that day and interacted with netizens.
After completing today's online interactive tasks, Gu Qingqiu began to think about the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau's intention to promote her restaurant through a special interview feature.
She first searched for the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Culture and Tourism's official WeChat account, followed it, and then clicked on it to read related posts recommending food.
Ironically, Gu Qingqiu had never followed the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau's official WeChat account or Weibo account.
In the internet age, well-managed official media accounts can indeed play a role in promoting and recommending content to netizens. She recalled that a certain city's cultural and tourism bureau was very good at creating engaging content, and after several viral videos, it amassed a million followers and attracted many tourists to the city.
However, it is clear that the Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau does not have this capability. The recent readership of its official WeChat account ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand, while its Weibo account has more than 5,000 followers, but the number of likes on its posts ranges from a few dozen to a few hundred, and the number of comments is only a few scattered, all relying on luck.
Gu Qingqiu returned to the official WeChat account and directly browsed the posts related to Jiang City's cuisine. Judging from the titles, there were four food recommendations so far, including classic morning tea restaurants, time-honored pastry shops, century-old rice noodle roll shops, and Jiang City roast meat shops.
I don't know if these food stalls have their own built-in traffic, or if people who follow the Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau's official WeChat account are fond of food, but these four posts have all been read by several thousand people, and there are also a few comments from netizens saying that they are delicious.
Gu Qingqiu took a closer look. The four posts were well-formatted, combining text and images, with standard writing style and occasional playful interactions. They first introduced the shop's history and recommended classic dishes, and then included interviews with longtime neighbors who gave their opinions on the shop.
The article is concise and to the point, covering everything that needs to be introduced, and can be read by the average reader in three or four minutes.
Meanwhile, there was a four-minute interview video before the main text appeared below the article title. Gu Qingqiu clicked on it and found that the article recommendation she had just seen was a text version of this interview video.
Given the choice, watching videos is definitely more vivid and engaging if convenient, allowing you to see the real state of the restaurant and the beauty of the flowing dishes. Articles, on the other hand, are suitable for quickly skimming through or when watching videos is inconvenient, such as when you're taking a break at work.
The video starts at the store entrance, with staff members appearing to introduce the store's history and overview, then showing the environment inside. Watching the staff enjoy the food is quite tempting.
Gu Qingqiu guessed that if staff from the Culture and Tourism Bureau came to conduct interviews and recordings, it would probably be in the same format.
Many food bloggers on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Weibo use this script structure when creating their vlogs. This is currently the mainstream approach to food review videos. Well-made ones do generate impressive data and can attract viewers, while poorly made ones tend to be boring and tedious.
Fortunately, the filming equipment used by the Culture and Tourism Bureau was quite good, and the cameraman was professional enough. The interview video was clear and highly saturated, and the dishes captured looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
The photos accompanying each dish in the tweets are also very vivid, showing careful composition and highlighting the key points. The photos are so clear that every texture of the food and the glistening oil on the sauce are clearly visible. There are no food filters added; they are all original photos of the dishes.
This reassures readers and makes them feel confident that the food they eat at these restaurants will be similar to what they see online, unlike some restaurants where the online and offline versions of the dishes are completely different.
Gu Qingqiu then searched for the "Taste of Jiang Province" program on the Jiangxi TV website in her browser.
"A Taste of Jiangxi" is a program launched by Jiangxi Satellite TV that explores the delicacies of the thirteen cities in Jiangxi Province. It is created and recorded by Zeng Cenyan, the director who has filmed many national food documentaries, and her team. It airs every Tuesday and Friday at 6:30 pm on Jiangxi Satellite TV, which is the time slot before the news broadcast.
Although it's not prime time, airing in this time slot gives it a slight advantage.
At 6:30 pm, countless families are cooking and preparing dinner. People who have gone to work have returned home, and students have also returned home. They will turn on the TV to watch the 7 pm news broadcast and catch up on "A Bite of China" before the news broadcast.
Especially for the older generation, the news broadcast and the weather forecast a little later are must-watches every day. When they have nothing to do, they will turn on the TV to make the house lively, so they will have a certain chance to see "A Bite of China".
Not to mention that some viewers of "A Bite of China" regularly sit in front of the TV to watch each episode, or watch the live stream online, and can watch the replay if they miss the broadcast.
The introduction also showed the ratings for "A Taste of China" after one week, one month, and the latest episode, as well as its ranking in ratings among all programs on Jiangxi Satellite TV.
Although it can't be compared to the news broadcast, weather forecast, or prime-time slot, "A Bite of China" still has pretty good ratings, consistently ranking in the top three compared to other time slots, with only minor fluctuations.
Since the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau dared to mention "the opportunity to appear on Jiang Province Satellite TV's 'Taste of the World' program at 6:30 pm" when extending the invitation, perhaps the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau and "Taste of the World" have a cooperation, such as giving priority to submissions for publication.
After all, both of them are food recommendation columns.
From the perspective of the Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau, if their own Jiangshi food interviews have the opportunity to be broadcast on Jiangshi TV's "Taste of Jiangshi," it would be a unique form of recognition, further expanding the influence of the cuisine, letting more people know about it, and attracting many customers to try it. It would be a very successful recommendation.
Gu Qingqiu roughly guessed the cause and effect, and casually clicked to watch the latest episode of "A Taste of Food".
Because she needed to take a lunch break later to have enough energy to prepare and cook for the afternoon session, she watched the video at the fastest speed of three times because time was limited.
The half-hour food exploration episode was quickly watched at three times the speed, and Gu Qingqiu made a decision.
Whether it was because of the special interview episodes on the Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau's official WeChat account and Weibo, or because of the possibility of being featured on Jiangshi TV's "Taste of Jiangshi" program, she wanted to give it a try.
Anyway, this is just a special interview with the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau. With communication and cooperation, it doesn't require too much effort or time. If everything goes in the best direction, the gains will be huge!
Gu Qingqiu went back to Xiaohongshu and found the message. She replied that she was willing to be interviewed about her restaurant and that the specific process and details could be discussed at any time.
After sending the message, she didn't look at any other content. She simply exited the app, put down her phone, and lay down on the bed for a nap.
When Gu Qingqiu woke up, she checked the Jiang City Culture and Tourism Bureau and saw that they hadn't replied yet. She got up, changed her clothes, went to the bathroom, and then took a washcloth, wrung it out, and wiped her face. She instantly felt refreshed.
After leisurely drinking a glass of water and scrolling through her phone in the living room, Gu Qingqiu decided to go downstairs to the kitchen to get busy.
Wang Meiyu came to work at four o'clock and went into the kitchen to prepare food. Gu Qingqiu was instantly relieved and was able to concentrate on standing in front of the stove to stir-fry meat and vegetables.
After the restaurant closed for the evening, Gu Qingqiu and Sister Zhou had lunch in the dining area. She picked up her phone, opened Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and saw the other party's reply in the message bar.
[Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau: We are very pleased to receive your reply of agreement. We will do a good job in producing this special interview feature to showcase the deliciousness of Gu's Private Kitchen dishes! If convenient, please call Ms. Chen at 13537606688 to discuss the details and procedures. Thank you (rose)]
The message arrived at 3:50 PM. By then, Gu Qingqiu was already busy preparing ingredients in the kitchen, and she was even busier cooking at the stove afterwards.
She had her phone with her, so she could answer calls anytime, but not text messages. Gu Qingqiu hadn't looked at her phone the whole time, only taking it out now.
She thought for a moment and replied to the message.
[Gu's Private Kitchen: Hello, I'm so sorry I was busy in the kitchen this afternoon and only just saw your message. Is it convenient for us to talk now? Or can we schedule a time to contact each other tomorrow?]
Official staff usually have regular working hours, so it should be time for them to leave work by now.
Gu Qingqiu didn't expect to receive a reply so quickly after sending the message.
[Jiangshi Culture and Tourism Bureau: It's convenient, you can just call us directly.]
[Gu's Private Kitchen: Okay!]
After replying, Gu Qingqiu immediately copied the phone number from the message the other party had sent earlier, pasted it into the dial pad, and dialed it.
The call was quickly answered, and a crisp, efficient female voice came through: "Hello, is this Mr. Gu, the owner of Gu's Private Kitchen?"
Gu Qingqiu: "Hello Ms. Chen, I am Gu Qingqiu, the owner of Gu's Private Kitchen."
Ms. Chen: "Hello, thank you so much for agreeing to our invitation to participate in a special interview. Here's our initial plan..."
Gu Qingqiu listened attentively as she explained the interview details, including how the topic selection team chose her restaurant, the preliminary plan that the interview and filming team had prepared that afternoon, and the specific process details.
She got up and walked from the dining area to the restaurant entrance to answer the phone, so as not to disturb Sister Zhou's cleaning of the dining area, and it would be quieter for the two of them to communicate.
After Ms. Chen finished explaining the details of the entire process and said that she would add her on WeChat later to send over the interview and video recording plan document and ask for any suggestions or areas for improvement, Gu Qingqiu also shared some of her own thoughts and small suggestions for improvement that had come to mind while listening.
Ms. Chen was very easy to communicate with, without the domineering and arrogant attitude often associated with public officials. She discussed the matter with Gu Qingqiu in a back-and-forth manner and said that she had recorded all of Gu Qingqiu's thoughts and suggestions. She would meet with relevant personnel the next morning to discuss them and then communicate again to finalize the plan.
Gu Qingqiu smiled and nodded in agreement. After ending the call, she immediately received a WeChat friend request from the other party, which she accepted.
Ms. Chen sent her greetings immediately, along with the preliminary plan document and a record of the ideas and suggestions put forward by Gu's Private Kitchen. They agreed to contact each other again as soon as possible after they discussed and revised the plan internally.
Gu Qingqiu replied with an "OK" emoji, ending the conversation. Looking at the time displayed in the upper right corner of her phone, she realized that more than half an hour had passed.
After Zhou Jie and Tang Jie finished their get off work, they said goodbye and left. She followed them upstairs to wash up and begin her evening relaxation.
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