Chapter 26 The God-Making Plan
The owner, surnamed Wang, was prepared to see Song Sao's Fish Restaurant make a fool of itself. It wasn't that he had any deep-seated hatred for Song Wu Sao Zhao Feiyan; he was just a little embarrassed and angry after being humiliated last time. He trusted his experience and judgment and thought that the two of them were simply fooling around and wouldn't be able to achieve any results.
The first day at Song Sao Fish Restaurant went exactly as he expected, or even worse than he anticipated.
Mr. Wang was naturally pleased; he had said so long ago.
In his spare time, he even started a small betting game with the owners of several other small restaurants nearby, betting a few hundred yuan on when the newly opened shop would close. He bet on a month.
To his surprise, the next day there was a queue! Although there were only three or four people in line, it was completely different from the first day! Moreover, their prices were high, so just a few more people could easily make up for the day's expenses.
"They hired someone to do a live stream yesterday," a shop assistant whispered over.
Mr. Wang scoffed, "They're quite good at marketing. Hiring a livestreamer costs a lot of money. I hope they don't end up not even getting their advertising fees back."
After saying a few words, his expression was still not good. He suddenly felt that maybe he really had misjudged this time... No, no, no, maybe it was just that there were more people around during this day or two of popularity. After a couple of days, it would be deserted again.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed.
Song Sao Fish Restaurant has achieved a 60% return rate, and with repeat customers bringing in new ones, its reputation has spread to a small area. Furthermore, Qin Yue's live streams have been a great help; in the past few days, people who watched her streams have specifically sought her out. These aren't just people from Qinghe City, but also tourists and business travelers visiting Qinghe City.
Upon seeing this, Lu Xiaoqi immediately arranged for her alternate account to post two or three articles on Xiaodigua: "It turns out there really is delicious West Lake Vinegar Fish" and "Song Sao Fish Restaurant, a small restaurant that locals also love to eat at".
West Lake Vinegar Fish naturally attracts attention and generates arguments on Xiaodigua (a Chinese online forum), garnering over twenty comments in just one night, which is considered a very good start.
While acting as a PR agent, Lu Xiaoqi found a bittersweet sense of humor, thinking that her years of self-media work hadn't been in vain. If the ancient town didn't take off, she could apply for a self-media operations job.
Later, several customers who had visited the restaurant saw the post and shared their honest reviews, which actually attracted more people to come.
Gan Hao is one of them.
He's a fan of Qin Yue; he watched her livestream and even defended West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce. Yes, he's a big fan of this dish, but actually, he rarely eats it now, except when entertaining guests.
The food served at banquets... to be honest, I often end up with some disappointing dishes.
Gan Hao fondly remembers the vinegar fish his parents took him to eat by West Lake when he was a child. Back then, the pace of life was much slower. Restaurants would raise grass carp in net cages in West Lake for a period of time until they expelled the muddy smell and became thinner before cooking them. This was known as "slimming fish".
The sauce was also very well prepared; it was refreshing and not greasy, yet flavorful. It was said to be prepared by a master chef who cooks for state banquets.
He remembered that he licked the plate clean that time.
Later, the master chef retired, and society became fast-paced. No shop had the patience to raise a fish like that anymore, and he never tasted such delicious vinegar fish again. However, he still felt somewhat annoyed by the overwhelming criticism of vinegar fish online. Gan Hao felt that besides differences in personal taste, a very important point was that the dish's inheritance and development had encountered some problems.
But there is nothing wrong with it itself.
Gan Hao was quite surprised when he saw Qin Yue's visit to Song Sao Fish Restaurant in her live stream. This experience of licking the plate clean was so similar to his own childhood memories. This couldn't be faked.
Could it be that this little shop is really that good?
However, he didn't actually make a special trip to Qinghe City for this. It was only after checking Xiaodigua's blog again over the next two days and finding that others had already been there and were also giving it rave reviews that he became somewhat tempted.
Coincidentally, he was on a business trip to the city next to Qinghe that day, and the high-speed train journey only took twenty minutes. On a whim, he bought a ticket and came over to have dinner.
The must-order dish is West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce, and then we also ordered a Song Sister Fish Soup.
Gan Hao grew up by the water and loved eating fish.
The first dish served wasn't West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce, but Song Sao Fish Soup. Gan Hao only took one bite and knew he had come to the right place! This was a dish he often ate at home, but he had never tasted anything so delicious.
The fish soup is delicate and white, with the fish meat melting in your mouth. It also has the texture of shredded ham and bamboo shoots. The ham is salty and fragrant, and the bamboo shoots are crisp and tender, creating a rich flavor profile.
This broth is absolutely perfect! It's a genuine, high-quality broth made by simmering fish bones.
Gan Hao gave it a very high rating. He felt that after eating a bowl of fish soup, all the hard work and fatigue from his journey immediately disappeared. He felt comfortable from his throat to his stomach.
The West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce that followed gave him a great surprise—he finally found the taste that had haunted his childhood dreams.
Gan Hao eventually licked the plate clean, this time using a spoon, not his tongue.
"The food from this small restaurant is just as good as what I ate at state banquets when I was a child." On the way back to the hotel, Gan Hao couldn't help but post on Xiaodigua, writing, "Moreover, it only costs 98 yuan, which is just a fraction of the price of those high-end restaurants."
"Of those restaurants, only one or two still insist on using grass carp, letting their culinary skills enhance the already inexpensive fish. The rest have switched to more expensive fish like bamboo shoots and sea bass. The problem is, these two types of fish are delicious even when simply steamed, and they don't showcase the chef's skill or the unique characteristics of vinegar fish. Moreover, they are more expensive, so a single dish can easily cost four or five hundred yuan."
"But this Song Sao Fish Restaurant uses grass carp, which is more affordable. I specifically asked the chef, and she said that the grass carp needs to be kept alive for a few days using a special method after it is bought. This is indeed the way the lean fish I ate when I was a child was prepared. In addition, she also removed many small bones. Her knife skills are excellent and she is very attentive."
"What I want to ask is, why can a small restaurant that sells food for under 100 yuan put in so much effort and attention to detail beforehand, while many high-end restaurants that sell for several hundred yuan can't even do that? Not to mention some chefs whose skills aren't up to par, who can whip up a vinegar fish in five minutes with a few pre-made seasonings and then sell it to tourists at a high price..."
Gan Hao wrote a long and detailed post, and soon people were asking for the address in the comments section. While replying, he couldn't help but reminisce about the dinner he had just eaten. Suddenly, he remembered that there were many dishes on the blackboard that he really wanted to try. So... he decisively changed his high-speed rail ticket for the next morning to an afternoon one, planning to have another meal there at noon.
Besides people like Gan Hao, there are also regular customers like Xu Chen and Liao Yunyun who work around Wuliu Road and have been using Song Sao Fish Restaurant as their canteen for several days in a row, and they also recommend it to their colleagues. Because the restaurant is small, their queues attract new, curious customers.
In just five days, Lu Xiaoqi received more than eighty positive reviews from diners, and her weekly task was basically completed.
As the number of customers increased, Sister Song Wu, with limited energy, had to limit the set meals to thirty per meal, on a first-come, first-served basis. Rather than the fixed set meals, she preferred to visit the market weekly to see if there was any fresh seafood and then think about what new dishes could be made with it. This was a very interesting thing for her.
With more people than porridge, the thirty set meals always sell out, and sometimes if you come late, they're all gone.
Therefore, the quick-witted Xu Chen added Lu Xiaoqi as a WeChat friend, planning to make reservations in advance in the future. Liao Yunyun happened to see this and, surprisingly, even though she was socially awkward, she proactively came up to ask if she could add her as well.
Lu Xiaoqi heard her voice trembling slightly and felt great affection for her, so she immediately gave it to her.
This gave her a new idea, so she created a WeChat group for her regular customers, adding some of the more frequent diners, as well as Sister-in-law Song and Zhao Feiyan. This way, they could be notified promptly of any new dishes or developments at the restaurant.
She hadn't forgotten that the store was only going to operate for three months.
"Wow, the total income is 23,438 yuan!" Lu Xiaoqi was sitting in the store checking the accounts when she was surprised. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked up. This income was much higher than she had expected.
Sister-in-law Song smiled broadly: "Nowadays, people have a few coins in their pockets, so they are more willing to spend money on food."
This situation was better than she had expected. Even in the Song Dynasty, the restaurant business wasn't that easy. She calculated the costs, and the net profit was almost half.
She looked at Lu Xiaoqi, a little embarrassed: "Actually, we owe a lot to you for making things so good. How about we change the profit sharing? I'll give you an extra 20%."
When they opened the shop, they had already agreed that Lu Xiaoqi would fully fund it and the profits would be split 50/50. But Sister Song knew that if it weren't for Lu Xiaoqi's good promotion and the use of her connections, Song Sao Fish Restaurant wouldn't have achieved such success in such a short time.
She wanted to change it to a 30/70 split.
Lu Xiaoqi, of course, disagreed. In her opinion, the soul of such a small shop must be the chef, not the so-called operations manager.
Watching them push and shove each other, Zhao Feiyan, who only received a fixed salary, remained calm on the sidelines.
She worked as a waitress in the shop, greeting customers and serving dishes; she didn't have to do anything else. When the shop got busy, Lu Xiaoqi quickly found a dishwasher, recommended by He Guihua.
How could she let her dancer hurt her hand while washing dishes! These were Lu Xiaoqi's exact words, filled with indignation.
Zhao Feiyan didn't care; she was a woman who could be an empress but also sleep on the streets.
“We still need to hire someone. I have some new ideas about Sister Zhao.” She immediately snapped out of her reverie upon hearing Lu Xiaoqi’s words and looked intently at her.
"What are you thinking? Is it the one you mentioned last time?"
"Yes, but there are some differences in the details." Lu Xiaoqi took out her phone and opened the WeChat group for her regular customers. The group name had been changed to "What delicious food is Chef Song making today?"
The group is discussing a news story related to Zhao Feiyan.
Chef Song, wise and brilliant: [Quick, look! The goddess has been posted online!]
Loves pickled fish: [Where? Send it to me.]
...As everyone knows, in this group, the goddess refers to Zhao Feiyan. In the eyes of the diners, although she is aloof and never takes off her mask, and always wears a cheap advertising T-shirt, it still cannot shake the goddess impression she has left on everyone.
People would often secretly take out their phones to take pictures of Zhao Feiyan.
The photo being shared in the group is actually saved from another app—it's from a post on Xiaodigua titled "Has anyone ever seen a woman more beautiful than a celebrity in real life?"
I've seen her; she works as a waitress in a small restaurant in Qinghe City. She's beautiful down to the last strand of her hair.
Then, this comment went viral, receiving 12,000 likes.
You are truly beautiful.
[Man of the Match]
So beautiful! Why do we have to put up with average-looking girls in the Chinese entertainment industry, while truly stunning beauties are working as waitresses?
Of course, some people have a different opinion: "She doesn't even dare to show her face, yet she dares to say she's prettier than celebrities? She'll probably lose all hope once she takes off her mask."
I also think that those who don't show their full face don't count.
Someone replied to her post: "[I know which little restaurant it is! Seriously, you won't doubt it once you see her in person; she's absolutely stunning. And I feel like she must have studied dance; her walk and posture are so graceful and elegant, and her speech is so refined—it's indescribable, her aura is incredible. But I don't know why she's working as a waitress in a restaurant; it's such a waste of her beauty.]"
Zhao Feiyan calmly finished reading. She was aware of her own beauty and didn't feel embarrassed or even emotionally affected. Compared to how many talented men had racked their brains to praise her beauty and dance back then, and how Liu Ao had spent lavishly to win her smile, all of that was child's play.
However, she now understands somewhat what those 12,000 likes represent, and then feels quite confused.
Why should I?!
The video of someone painstakingly recording their dance and even showing their face only gets a few dozen likes, while this person who just secretly took a picture of themselves gets over ten thousand likes?
What are these people thinking?
The Empress expressed her incomprehension.
"What is this that Xiaolu showed me?"
“I originally wanted to register a video account for you, but I’ve changed my mind now.” Lu Xiaoqi tapped the photo on her phone with her chin, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. “I think it would be more interesting to let everyone participate in creating their own idol. Moreover, the greater the contrast between the image you create and the environment you’re in, the more curious people will be.”
It's natural for a great beauty to be in the entertainment industry, but it's hard to understand why a great beauty would work as a waitress in a small restaurant. This immediately arouses curiosity and creates a hot topic.
Several beauties have become famous because of this. However, due to a lack of follow-up success, they have all disappeared from the public eye.
But Zhao Feiyan was different. Her dancing skills were almost as outstanding as her appearance.
A waitress in a small restaurant was a stunning beauty, and also an incredibly talented dancer. Netizens discovered her and made her famous—what a brilliant story!
If it weren't for that serendipitous coincidence, Lu Xiaoqi swore she would never have come up with such a wonderful story.
"So you'll have to stay at the restaurant for now, work as a cashier, and help out when things get busy. I'll find another waiter."
Sister-in-law Song Wu: "With Sister Zhao staying at the restaurant, the restaurant's business is doing much better."
Zhao Feiyan said with a sigh, "The good business has nothing to do with me; it's all thanks to Fifth Sister-in-law's excellent cooking skills."
She knew herself very well; she wasn't exactly enthusiastic when it came to guests, and when there were many people, she was somewhat perfunctory. In fact, she wasn't a very competent waitress.
Lu Xiaoqi smiled and shook her head: "They often fall for your tricks."
A great beauty would lack a certain aura if she weren't aloof. Indeed, some of the diners these past few days have come specifically to see Zhao Feiyan, including some women.
"The question now is," Lu Xiaoqi looked at her, "whether you'd like to become an internet celebrity."
Zhao Feiyan already understood what an internet celebrity meant, and she said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually... I have also filmed one or two videos myself in private."
She took out her phone and showed it to Lu Xiaoqi.
Her homepage only has two posts. Since not many people view them, and she's been busy helping Sister Song with her shop these past few days, she's simply left them aside. Now, when you open them, there are only a pitiful twenty-odd likes.
Zhao Feiyan pursed her lips, then looked at the 12,000 likes on that comment, feeling quite unconvinced.
How come you can't compare?
However, in the eyes of Lu Xiaoqi, a true semi-professional, Zhao Feiyan's self-made video was indeed quite poor—the background was cluttered, the lighting was dim, the focus wasn't on the main character, and the camera was shaky, making viewers dizzy, with even a three- or four-second gap before the person appeared. If she had come across such a video on the platform, she probably wouldn't have had the patience to wait for the person to appear and would have scrolled away immediately.
but......
"That's good, that's good." Lu Xiaoqi praised her with a smile, "Just keep it up like this, post one every two or three days."
Zhao Feiyan frowned: "Xiao Lu, I can handle it."
She thought Lu Xiaoqi was just too embarrassed to speak the truth and offer her opinions.
She said earnestly, "Xiao Lu, although I don't understand the so-called internet celebrities and all this messy data, I think they are probably no different from what I was back then. They just try to please people to survive. You don't have to worry that I will lower myself. Although I was once an empress, I was also a dancer for a long time. I am very familiar with these things."
She smiled again: "Besides, it's just jumping around in front of a phone now, and everyone is still good at comforting people, which is much better than before."
In the past, if they did anything wrong and offended those nobles, they would suffer the consequences. Their mistress, Princess Yang'a, was relatively protective of her own among these nobles, but once, one of her sisters accidentally knocked over a cup while dancing, spilling wine on a nobleman's new clothes. The nobleman was extremely displeased. Ultimately, the woman received twenty strokes of the cane and spent a full month in bed recovering.
Lu Xiaoqi listened intently, then pressed on, "And what happens after it's all better?"
Zhao Feiyan said calmly, "She made such a big mistake and was punished, so her legs are not as nimble as before, and the manager dares not use her anymore. Later, seeing that I danced well, he let me replace her and become the lead dancer. As for her... she disappeared from the princess's residence not long after, and has never been seen since."
She looked at Lu Xiaoqi's sighing expression and lowered her eyes.
In fact, she knew the whereabouts of that dancer.
Although the princess didn't pursue her mistake and didn't even remember her, the stewards, always eager to curry favor with the powerful, sold her off once she was no longer of value. It's said she went to a brothel in the city. One can imagine the treatment a dancer whose legs were no longer nimble would receive. Later, the stewards often used this incident to intimidate the singers and dancers, telling them to be more vigilant, practice their dance diligently, and be more discerning when serving nobles, lest they make any more mistakes.
This nightmare and sense of fear persisted even after she became empress.
So now she's just dancing in front of her phone, without even interacting with the other person or seeing their eyes or expressions, which is the easiest thing for her.
Zhao Feiyan did not object to this.
Lu Xiaoqi nodded happily: "That's good. But when I said you can continue filming like this, I really wasn't just saying it for show..."
She noticed long ago that netizens' tastes have changed. They no longer like things that are carefully packaged and presented to them from the beginning, but are more interested in anything wild and natural.
Finding a perfectly carved piece of jade is one thing, but finding a piece of jade with potential and then carefully carving it into a beautiful piece is another. Obviously, the latter will be more appealing and attract a greater level of loyalty.
Zhao Feiyan: "Is this what you call creating gods?"
Lu Xiaoqi pointed to the few comments under her video, one of which read: "Sister, here's a suggestion: you have a good natural look, but the filming is really dragging you down. Next time, try filming in a more spacious and clean environment; the results will be much better."
She said with a smile, "You should listen to netizens instead of me, but don't reveal your face too clearly yet."
Zhao Feiyan nodded thoughtfully.
Having spent many years in the palace, she was well-versed in human nature and quickly grasped Lu Xiaoqi's intentions. She couldn't help but sincerely praise, "Xiao Lu, you are truly a genius!"
Sister-in-law Song smiled and nodded from the side.
Lu Xiaoqi stood to the side, quite pleased with herself, and put her hands on her hips without any modesty: "To be honest, I think so too."
She's a surprisingly talented marketing prodigy.
That very night, this marketing prodigy registered new media accounts for "Qinghe Ancient Town" and "Song Sao Fish Restaurant" on various platforms. These official accounts, along with personal accounts, will form the town's future promotional matrix.
Lu Xiaoqi felt a bit tired after doing all this. Lately, she'd been running around, handling everything big and small, with almost no free time. Otherwise, she would have started working on social media much earlier.
"I need to hire someone..." A thought flashed through Lu Xiaoqi's mind.
Ideally, she should hire someone who can combine finance, assistant, and new media skills. After thinking it over, she shrank back, tsk tsk, if this were posted online, she'd definitely be ridiculed and hung on a lamppost.
Forget it, I guess I'll just have to do it myself until I run out of money.
Lu Xiaoqi drifted off to sleep while thinking. She was still having a sweet dream when the phone call woke her up. In her dream, the system sent her 50 million, cash scattered all over the place, and she laughed and jumped around like a silly little girl.
She only opened her eyes reluctantly when a phone call woke her from her sweet dream.
"Hello... Sister Zhang Jing!" Hearing her senior's voice, Lu Xiaoqi immediately woke up.
Is this a senior student? She's a real money goddess!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
