Ever since she learned that the shop next door had been leased out, Hu Meifeng has been paying close attention to the progress of the renovation.
I thought it would take at least ten days to half a month to renovate, but I didn't expect that the shop would change at a rate of one thing a day starting from the second day after it was rented out.
On the first day, the workers came in and scraped off the old, gray walls, dug up the broken and rotten old floor tiles, applied putty to the walls and sanded them smooth, and leveled the floor as well.
The next day, all the water and electricity lines were installed, the walls were painted white, and new tiles were laid on the floor.
There was no movement on the third day after resting for a day.
On the fourth day, a large truck arrived, loaded with various sheet metal materials. Several workers took these materials and quickly installed them, and an exquisite and eye-catching storefront was completed.
On the fifth day, two large trucks arrived, and refrigerated display cases, freezers, cash registers and other equipment were all arranged properly. The whole store was brand new, and it was only missing merchandise and staff before it could open for business.
On the morning of the sixth day, at seven o'clock, when Hu Meifeng came to open her shop as usual, she saw that the shop sign next door had been covered with a red cloth tied with a flower knot, and there were rows of bright red opening flower baskets in front of the shop. Inside the shop, there were two young people wearing aprons printed with the words "Xu's Braised Food".
As the two young people busied themselves inside and out, they placed bowls of tempting braised dishes on the empty refrigerated display case.
"It's been less than a week since I rented this shop, and it's already open for business so quickly! That's fast!" Hu Meifeng muttered with admiration as she took out her keys and opened her shop to begin business.
Amidst everyone's busy work, time passed by second by second, and soon it was nine o'clock, the time for the opening ceremony to begin.
For five or six days in a row, unfamiliar faces and large trucks came and went every day. With the overwhelming number of flyers, the residents of the town basically knew that there was a shop under renovation. It was a food shop, and on the opening day, there would be not only opening discounts but also a prize quiz.
Therefore, as soon as the two lion dance teams got off the vehicle at 8:30, the surrounding residents gathered around and soon the braised food shop was completely packed.
The two lion dance troupes moved nimbly, laughed and cursed, or played around, each move drawing cheers from the onlookers.
The enthusiastic atmosphere reached its climax when one of the lion dance troupes leaped up and bit off the prize hanging below the entrance, amidst thunderous cheers.
As the crowd grew larger and the atmosphere became more and more enthusiastic, the host picked up the microphone and walked to the store entrance to begin the opening ceremony.
"Xu's Braised Food Shop is a local business. The first store opened at the end of August this year, and in less than two months, today, Xu's Braised Food will open three branches in Shanghai."
"Xu's Braised Food Shop has won over the vast majority of consumers with its low prices, good quality, and superior taste."
"Alright, that concludes the introduction. Now we'll move on to the second part of the opening ceremony: a quiz with prizes. The questions I'm about to ask aren't difficult; you can find the answers to all of them in the introduction."
"Since it's a quiz with prizes, there are definitely rewards. See this stack of red envelopes in my hand? Ten yuan, twenty yuan, fifty yuan, even a hundred yuan—it's all there!"
"Alright, let's start with the first question: Where is Xu's Braised Food a company located?"
Before the host's voice had even faded, the word "Mirage" began to echo throughout the venue, the overlapping sounds resembling a large ensemble performing multiple ensemble pieces.
"Many people know the answer, so I'll just pick one randomly, okay? Yes, brother, yes, it's you. Your voice is the loudest in the whole place. Yes, Xu's Braised Food is a local Shanghai business. Here are three red envelopes on my right. You can pick one. The one on the left, right? Okay, here's your red envelope."
The burly man stretched out his long arm and snatched the red envelope from the host's hand. He pinched the sides of the envelope with his thumb and forefinger and applied slight pressure, causing the seal to open and revealing a large pink banknote to the surrounding crowd.
"One hundred yuan! There's one hundred yuan in the red envelope!" a man next to the burly man shouted in a shrill voice.
This shout sparked another wave of excitement, and spurred by the promise of a 100-yuan red envelope, the onlookers became increasingly involved.
The event included a prize-winning quiz, a food tasting session, and the distribution of coupons. Opening specials were also announced.
One step after another proceeded in an orderly manner, and before we knew it, more than an hour had passed, and it was exactly 10:00 a.m., the auspicious time for the opening of the day.
"The auspicious time has arrived! I hereby announce the grand opening of Xu's Braised Food Yuanshan Town Branch!"
As the host's loud and clear voice rang out, two shop assistants who had been waiting on either side of the store pulled down the ropes in unison, and the red cloth fluttered down, revealing the gold-plated character "Xu" to everyone's eyes. The opening ceremony was successfully completed!
As the excitement subsided, the crowd began to leave in twos and threes, but many others, clutching the coupons they had just received, walked up to the counter.
"Vegetables are five yuan a pound, right? Pick a little of each, I'll take two pounds."
"My coupon is 20% off all meat dishes. Which meat dish is the most expensive in your store? Beef shank, right? Give me a pound."
"Give me half a jin of this, this, that, and that too."
“.”
Hu Meifeng, the owner of the shop next door, had long wanted to try the braised dishes. After getting a 40% off coupon, she squeezed into the crowd without hesitation and came out carrying a large bag full of braised food.
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