The fate of online trolls
Three months have passed since the drinking challenge, and the popularity of Taibaijiu has declined significantly.
With the liquor store about to open, she needs to add fuel to the fire.
How can we get more people to pay attention to Taibai liquor in the shortest amount of time?
Fu Zhiqiao spread out paper and pen and wrote down the plan. She was not a reckless person. Before deciding to do something, she would think carefully, make a plan, and then carry it out to the end.
"With so many restaurants and inns in the city, our next goal is to sell Taibai wine to them."
"But how can we sell the wine to them?" Defu was a little worried. In Qingzhou, they had no power or influence, and no way to directly contact restaurants. If they went to talk business rashly, they wouldn't even let them in the door.
"Don't worry about that, I have everything arranged. Have you already asked them to find the right people?"
"Found it."
Fu Zhi Qiao's lips curled up: "The show is about to begin!"
She waved her hand, and Defu respectfully accepted the order and left.
If you want to make money, you need guts! Fu Zhi Qiao is ready to go all out.
Penglai Residence has its eye on her brewing recipe, so it's only fair to return the favor. Since Penglai Residence wants her recipe, then she'll just steal their customer.
Inside Penglai Residence, Fu Zhiqiao, dressed in men's clothing, sat in a corner, slowly eating some of the restaurant's specialty dishes.
Not long after, two men dressed as merchants entered the shop. They ordered a table full of food and drinks, muttering, "It's so cold outside, why don't we have some drinks to warm ourselves up!"
The man in the blue shirt picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and immediately spat it out, frowning as he shouted, "Waiter!"
The waiter hurried over: "Sir, what can I do for you?"
The man in the blue shirt pointed at the wine glass and slammed his hand on the table angrily. "Is this the kind of wine you serve me in your restaurant? Do you think I can't afford to pay?"
"Quickly bring me the best wine! I want your finest wine!" With that, he pulled out a hundred-tael silver note from his chest and slammed it on the table.
Another man in a gray robe chimed in, "Brother Tian, don't be angry! Today, we brothers are going to have a good drink!" He then glared at the waiter and demanded, "Aren't you going to bring us some wine?"
The waiter thought to himself: Fine! Two more troublesome customers. He'll put up with it for the sake of the money.
Before long, the waiter brought over a pot of new wine and poured it for him with great enthusiasm: "Sir, this is the most famous Qingzhai wine in Qingzhou City. Please have a taste."
"Really?" the man in the blue shirt asked doubtfully, then drank it down.
The waiter eagerly awaited his reaction, hoping the customer would be satisfied this time!
The man in the blue shirt took a sip of his drink, smacked his lips, and looked at the waiter with a puzzled expression: "Are you kidding me? This is your best wine?"
Qingzhai wine is a genuine brewed wine with a slightly sour and sweet taste, and a hint of bitterness.
The gray-robed man on the side also gave his opinion: "This wine is so-so! It's not even as good as Tianlu wine from Youzhou."
It was lunchtime, and Penglaiju was packed with diners. The commotion they caused quickly sparked discussion among the other diners.
The waiter glanced around and noticed many diners watching the commotion while eating. His smile froze, and he awkwardly chuckled, "Is...is that so?"
The man in blue said regretfully to the man in gray, "It's a pity we can't drink Tianlu wine here; we can only make do with other wines."
Ha! By belittling Qingzhou's wine and praising their own hometown's wine, the waiter had reason to suspect that these two were here to cause trouble.
The man in the gray robe asked, "Brother Tian, have you ever heard of Taibai Wine?"
"What Taibai wine?"
“A few months ago, I passed through Qingzhou and tasted Taibai wine at the market. Its liquid was as clear as water, and its taste was as spicy as fire.” The man in the gray robe said, revealing an intoxicated expression.
"Oh! Such a magical wine?"
“That’s right, Brother Tian, have you ever heard the saying that’s circulating in Qingzhou City, ‘One bowl of wine can make a big man drunk’? The bowl of wine in question is Taibai wine!”
The two of them were talking to themselves, and their voices were loud enough for the people sitting next to them to hear.
Their conversation brought back memories of a few months ago. They all remembered this phrase, which was being said everywhere back then. Some people even said that if you wanted to prove you could drink a lot, you should challenge yourself to drink Taibai liquor!
If you can't even handle a bowl of Taibai wine, you don't deserve to say you have a high alcohol tolerance.
After hearing what he said, the man in the blue shirt turned to the waiter and said, "Hey! Doesn't Qingzhou have that Taibai wine? Bring it up quickly so I can try it."
What is Taibai wine? The waiter felt bitter and immediately cast a pleading look at Xu Shangqiang behind the counter. He was just a waiter working in the restaurant, so what was the point of these customers making things difficult for him?
Xu Shangqiang approached the two men with a smile, but his tone was firm: "Gentlemen, what advice do you have for our Penglai Residence?"
The man in the blue shirt was initially a little nervous when he saw that someone in charge had arrived, but he immediately became more assertive when he thought of the hundred taels of silver in his hand.
"Shopkeeper, you flatter me. I dare not offer any advice." Meeting Xu Shangqiang's gaze, "My brother and I came from Youzhou. We had heard that the wine and dishes at Penglaiju were exceptional, but after trying them ourselves today, we realized that Penglaiju is nothing special."
Xu Shangqiang's face turned pale upon hearing this, and he retorted, "Oh? What makes you say that, sir? Has Penglai Residence failed to provide adequate hospitality in any way?"
The man in the blue shirt began to nitpick, "Are you the manager? Come and try these Osmanthus Fish Strips and Eight Treasure Rabbit Meat. These are supposed to be signature dishes, but this is the first time I've ever encountered such terrible signature dishes. The food is bland and tasteless, and the wine is so watery and weak."
Fu Zhiqiao chuckled to herself. The two of them were indeed quite good at acting. Although they were acting, they gradually developed a genuine sense of emotion in their words. Youzhou was a region that loved spicy food, so compared to it, the dishes in Qingzhou seemed bland and tasteless!
“We brothers have said that Penglaiju is the best restaurant in Qingzhou City.”
Xu Shangqiang's expression softened slightly upon hearing the praise, but before he could react, the man in blue continued to chatter on, "Shopkeeper, don't take advantage of us because we're from out of town and refuse to serve us good wine. Doesn't Qingzhou have Taibai wine? It's the kind of wine that can get a big man drunk. Bring it out and let me see it!"
The man in the gray robe: "Yes! Take it out quickly!"
Fu Zhi Qiao tapped the table, and De Fu understood what she meant. The main character had already taken the stage, and the online trolls hidden in the crowd began to stir things up.
"Shopkeeper, since this young master wants to drink Taibai wine, bring it out and let him taste it to see whether our Qingzhou wine is better or their Youzhou wine is better."
"That's right, why don't we just bring out our wines and compare them to see which one is better?"
"What makes them think that our Qingzhou wine is inferior?"
"Shopkeeper, bring it out quickly, so they'll be convinced!"
"Let's compare!"
At this moment, the emotions of the diners in the restaurant were stirred up.
As a bustling commercial metropolis, Qingzhou City attracted many merchants and tourists, who also watched the spectacle with great interest.
Local diners in Qingzhou were furious and voiced their support for Qingzhai wine, feeling it had been belittled.
What do you mean it's inferior to Tianlu wine from Youzhou? Where do you get the audacity to look down on their Qingzhai wine? Do you even know your stuff, kid?
"Yes, let's compare it to Taibaijiu."
"I know Taibai wine, it's the wine they were talking about at the market, it's said to be very strong!"
"That's right! My uncle went to challenge himself to drink a bowl of Taibai wine, and he came back drunk for a whole day."
"Is Taibai wine really that powerful?"
"Their liquor store is opening in a few days, I definitely have to go and try it!"
The diners started talking amongst themselves.
*
Taibai liquor! Taibai liquor! It's Taibai liquor again!
Xu Shang suppressed his anger. The waiter might not know about Taibai wine, but how could he not?
He was so angry he was cursing under his breath. The thought that the people he had sent to find out the brewing recipe had not only returned empty-handed but had also been beaten up was like a slap in the face.
And these two inexplicable diners were clearly there to cause trouble. They kept talking about Taibai liquor, and I would never believe there was nothing fishy going on.
Now in a difficult situation, Xu Shangqiang glanced at the diners, suppressed his anger, forced a stiff smile to appease them, and said that they would soon be able to drink Taibai wine at Penglaiju.
He couldn't just kick these two out in front of so many customers; otherwise, Penglaiju would have a bad reputation for turning away customers, and he'd be ruined.
Xu Shangqiang gritted his teeth, convinced that the two men were sent by Taibai Wine Shop to cause trouble, and that the people he had sent to inquire about the recipe had probably been thoroughly investigated by Taibai Wine Shop.
He thought the Taibai Wine Shop had been quiet for the past few months and had simply disappeared, but little did he expect it to be waiting for him here.
I'm definitely taking the recipe for Taibai wine!
Xu Shangqiang immediately sent someone to find Xu Wu: "How are the arrangements going?"
"Uncle, don't worry, I've arranged everything. Just wait and see!"
Xu Shangqiang revealed a ferocious smile. "Old Gao, Taibaijiu, no matter who's behind you, let's wait and see!"
The performance at Penglaijuli was indeed very effective; people's enthusiasm for Taibai wine has returned, and the number of people inquiring at the store has surged in the past two days.
To create buzz beforehand, marketing prowess is truly key!
Those two nitpicking guests were indeed arranged by Fu Zhiqiao. She specially hired some "online trolls" to promote the product in major restaurants in Qingzhou and put a lot of thought into designing their sales pitch.
She had her online trolls pretend to go out for a meal, but actually discuss Taibai wine, wondering why such a good wine couldn't be found in restaurants. As more people talked about it, it naturally aroused other people's curiosity.
Those who can afford to dine at Penglaiju are all well-off families and are the customers who can afford Taibai wine. Now that these two have caused trouble, they all know that the Taibai wine shop is about to open. They will be curious about what Taibai wine is and why so many people want to drink it.
With Fu Zhiqiao's people intentionally guiding the way, curious individuals only need to send someone to inquire to find out where Taibai wine can be bought.
In Fu Zhiqiao's plan, Penglaiju was the first to be included, and the rest of the restaurants in Qingzhou would follow suit. However, they would not use the same methods as Penglaiju, since using the same tricks too much would cause people to feel disgusted.
Defu was full of admiration for this, thinking that his daughter was simply a business genius. She arranged for a few people to mingle in the crowd and shout a few words, which made Taibai wine spread throughout Qingzhou City again in just a few days.
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