Chapter 49 (Update 1)
Although she had bought the shop herself, An Rou was clear-headed. If she had to distinguish, the bun shop belonged to An Younian. But An Younian, feeling that he was not very articulate, refused to give a speech at the opening ceremony.
An Rou originally planned to give up, but then she thought, why waste an opportunity for publicity.
"Everyone, Nianfeng Baozi Shop was closed for a few days due to renovations. Now that it's finished and open, we hope you'll come and support us in the future.
"To thank everyone for their support over the years, we're having a grand opening today! 20% off for all meals!"
The crowd suddenly exclaimed.
According to the custom in Zhongsu Town, most stores give out red envelopes on the opening day, so many of these people just plan to watch the fun, collect the red envelopes and leave.
When Qiaojie mentioned this custom, An Rou sneered, "You wish."
She could spend money, but not waste it. An Rou reasoned that the "opening discount" method in real life would work wonders in the game.
Sure enough, the townspeople, upon hearing there was a bargain to be had, were eager to take advantage, and began whispering among themselves. The red envelopes were free, and the discounts were free, too; since they were already here, of course they had to take advantage of both.
An Rou saw all these reactions. She smiled secretly, and then she got to the point.
"I'm sure everyone knows the Fuxiang Restaurant on Wangliu Third Street. Starting today, it's officially renamed Nianfeng Restaurant. Just like the steamed bun shop, all orders are 20% off! And not just for one day, but for the next month!"
Strangely, the whispering stopped for a moment, and then broke out.
"Fuxiang? Is this the Fuxiang I know?"
"That should be right. There's only one Fuxiang on Wangliu Third Street. It was originally opened by the mayor, so who doesn't know it?"
"It's expensive and the food is terrible, who would go there? When I passed by yesterday, there was no one inside. I thought it was closed!"
"Come on, where are the guests coming to clean up..."
"Hey, a good restaurant has to imitate a pawnshop. Do you really think you can make money if you close for three years and then reopen for three years? Pah!"
…
In short, there is not a single good word.
Everyone spoke with contempt and looked at An Rou with such eyes that if NPCs also had favorable impressions of each other, there would probably be a lot of notifications of declining favorable impressions.
An Rou's heart, which had just calmed down, was lifted up again.
Fuxiang is really a big scam! It is worse than I imagined. It is true that cheap products are not good.
While no one was leaving yet, An Rou had to stop talking and nodded at Paopao who looked confused.
Paopao lit firecrackers, the crackling sound drowning out the chatter. People stepped back, their attention focused on the firecrackers, temporarily forgetting what had just happened.
An Rou breathed a sigh of relief, thank goodness she bought firecrackers.
In Lengbing City, firecrackers are a rare commodity. Trade exists between the four major factions in the game, and Lengbing City, as its name suggests, is particularly well-developed in weapon forging, specializing in a wide variety of cold weapons. On the other hand, on Ghost Island, firearms are rampant. It's said that the muskets and firecrackers used by the guards at the mayor's residence are imported from Ghost Island.
After all, the bun shop had been closed for a few days, and An Rou was afraid that if she reopened it quietly, business would be bad and An Younian would be upset, so she wanted to come up with a gimmick. It was Qiaojie who was familiar with the business of Zhongsu Town and came up with this idea.
Apart from being expensive—a two-meter-long string of firecrackers cost 2,000 gold, and buying 10 strings cost 20,000 gold—An Rou was very satisfied with the results.
An Younian didn't know the price of this thing, otherwise he wouldn't be as happy as he is now. The sound of firecrackers attracted more pedestrians nearby, and the number of people doubled in an instant, crowding Wuyan Alley to the point where no one could get through.
“An Rou, An Rou!”
The crowded crowd was separated by brute force by the black-clad soldiers. Heng Bobao came running over, put his arm around An Rou, and greeted An Younian in a very familiar manner.
“Uncle An!”
An Younian was flattered when he learned her identity. He also remembered that it was she who had helped him escape death from the hands of the security guards the day before, so he smiled with gratitude.
"Ms. Heng, please sit down quickly. I'll serve you some buns!"
Before the firecrackers were finished, An Younian hurried to the kitchen.
Heng Bobao had no interest in firecrackers, and there were plenty of them at home; even some of the fireworks her father had bought to cheer her up were sitting there gathering dust. The sound of string after string of firecrackers made her squirm impatiently.
Those with bad complexions also run.
Because ever since Heng Bobao walked in, she didn't even look at him the whole time - the sad man who had just been hurt by her yesterday.
Doesn’t her conscience hurt?! Paopao thought angrily.
The firecrackers were finally over, and An Younian also served the steamed buns and porridge, as well as a plate of stir-fried pork with sauerkraut that An Rou had requested.
Heng Bobao pulled her to sit down and chirped, "An Rou, this pickled cabbage is delicious!"
An Rou was absent-minded.
Paopao and Qiaojie stood on both sides of the gate, giving a red envelope of 5 gold coins to every customer who came in, in exchange for a message "business is booming".
Just as An Rou expected, most of the customers who received the red envelopes did not leave. Instead, they sat down and placed their orders, and the store was soon crowded.
A meat bun alone costs 5 gold, and even with a 20% discount it still costs 4 gold - since people are sitting down to eat, few would order just one bun, so in the end, they still have to pay for it themselves.
But the guests' faces were full of smugness as if they had gotten a double advantage.
It's a pity that An Rou appreciates it.
She suddenly stood up and pulled Heng Bobao towards the door: "Paopao, come with me."
"Ah? But the red envelopes haven't been distributed yet..." Paopao was confused, but that didn't stop him from deliberately turning his eyes away, as if Miss Heng was air.
But An Rou pushed Heng Bobao next to him, right next to him.
After running, his body stiffened.
An Rou asked, "Bo Bao, can you help give a red envelope to the guests?"
Heng Bobao, still chewing a bun, wrinkled his nose when he heard this: "I don't like doing work that requires me to give money to others."
"Your father is the mayor. The townspeople are thinking well of you because they are thinking well of your father." An Rou said, "It doesn't cost you any money, so why not?"
Heng Bobao opened his mouth wide, and half of the bun fell out: "That's right! Okay, okay... um..."
Paopao subconsciously picked up the half bun and stuffed it back into her mouth.
I can't choke you to death! Paopao is upset that his hands are faster than his brain.
Unfortunately, the other party did not choke to death. Instead, his favorability increased by 2% - 52%, which is still in the range of indifference.
Paopao: ...Thank you.
After following An Rou out of the bun shop for a while, he could still hear Heng Bobao's clear and powerful voice: "I am Heng Bobao, and my father is the mayor! I am Heng Bobao, and my father is the mayor..."
Paopao was speechless: Is this girl crazy? The boss just wanted to hire a free laborer, and she actually believed it?
"That's perfect, isn't it?" An Rou saw his expression and guessed what he was thinking. "Heng Bobao personally distributed the red envelopes. This news will spread throughout the town very quickly. Whether it's the security guards or the hooligans, who would dare to cause trouble for the bun shop in the future?"
Paopao was full of admiration: "So this is what the boss meant."
An Rou shook her head: "Just kidding, I just want to find some free labor."
"Uh... Boss, where are we going?"
"You saw how those people reacted just now. Of course, we're going to Fuxiang Restaurant..."
An Rou's voice suddenly paused, and her gaze fell on the dimly lit street corner.
There sat a person, her cheongsam stained, her legs bent, her face buried in her knees. Her hair was disheveled, and the part of her forearm exposed by her sleeve was marked with fresh bruises.
Sister Hong.
Just one night has passed and we have fallen to this point.
An Rou glanced around her and saw no broken bowls, so she didn't look like a beggar.
Following An Rou's gaze, Paopao also recognized him and softened his heart. After all, he was the undisputed main force in the blood pit of Sister Hong.
Looking at the boss's expression, has he softened his heart as well?
Paopao spoke tentatively: "Boss..."
"Heh." An Rou suddenly smiled, "You're really flexible, aren't you?"
At the age of thirty, the body can be bent into three folds and stacked tightly together, which is usually only possible for young girls.
Paopao was speechless.
With a car and a businessman's identity as a cover, it was much more convenient to go anywhere. At least there was no need to hide anything. An Rou drove Pao Pao straight to Wangliu Third Street.
This street is located northwest of Zhongsu Town, and its distance to the town square is similar to that of the Baozi Shop. However, Wuyan Alley, extending northward all the way to Zhongsu Street, is dominated by small buildings with ground-floor shops and upper-floor living spaces. In other words, the dense commercial landscape attracts players, and the local population is also quite high.
Wangliu Third Street is surrounded by small Western-style buildings, mostly inhabited by local residents. There aren't many people walking around, and even fewer are gamblers. The advantage is that residents who can afford Western-style buildings generally have some money, and their spending power is higher than in Wuyan Alley.
I believe the mayor also noticed this and opened such a large restaurant in the most advantageous location on this street.
Yes, Fuxiang Restaurant was located at a crossroads, and it was even bigger than An Rou had imagined. The first floor alone was as big as a dozen or so steamed bun shops, and it had three floors, making it one floor taller than the surrounding buildings.
An Rou estimated that the three floors together covered an area of over a thousand square meters.
Looking at the decoration, it has the style of a 300-year-old store in reality.
As the townspeople had said, through a long row of open windows, there was no one in the restaurant. Several waiters were carrying brooms and buckets, cleaning.
An Rou looked at her watch. It was not yet nine o'clock, so it must not be opening time yet.
She simply drove around the relatively open streets nearby. Not to mention other places, Wangliusan Street alone had many breakfast shops. Although there weren't many customers, it wasn't deserted either.
She and Paopao got out of the car and visited several shops, including a noodle shop and a wonton shop. The residents there were obviously more elegantly dressed than those in Wuyan Alley. Even Paopao's brand new black cotton shirt looked shabby in comparison.
The prices at these shops are quite high. A bowl of seaweed wontons costs 15 gold, nearly half the price of those in Wuyan Alley. This shows the purchasing power of the residents.
After the trip, An Rou was not too pessimistic about the restaurant business.
When you hear others say good or bad things, they often exaggerate. You should break them down in half and take them to heart.
"Later... maybe half past ten, the restaurant should be open. You can pretend to be a customer and go in for a meal," An Rou thought. "The flow of people, the dishes, the taste, the service attitude... In short, pay attention to all the aspects that you would write an offline review about."
"Oh oh." Paopao took note and looked up in confusion, "Boss, why don't you go yourself?"
Everything else is fine, but taste is ultimately a subjective judgment, so it’s best to taste it yourself.
An Rou rolled her eyes at him. "After signing the contract, the restaurant staff automatically know me as the new boss. How can I conduct a secret visit?"
Paopao suddenly realized and stammered, "Boss, I haven't been offline for a whole day and a whole night..."
An Rou was stunned. She'd been busy remodeling the bun shop yesterday, remodeling the living props, and needed Paopao. She'd promised him the day off today. Her mind had been completely focused on Fuxiang Restaurant all morning, and she'd forgotten about this matter.
"After lunch, log off and rest. This morning's half day will be considered overtime, and I'll give you an extra... one thousand gold in overtime pay."
As An Rou spoke, she caught a glimpse of the waiters in the restaurant lying on the table to rest. She raised her chin and said, "Go ahead."
"Okay!" Paopao pushed open the car door and ran out excitedly, then turned back halfway. "Boss, what do I want to order?"
An Rou didn't hesitate: "Order all the signature dishes!"
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