When Aunt Wang heard that Jiang Bai wanted to find a shop to start his own business, she gave him a thumbs up in admiration.
Jiang Bai looked at her with a smile and said, "It's still far from settled. We've been looking for a suitable shop these past few days, but we can't find one."
After pondering for a moment, Aunt Wang suggested, "Why don't I ask Zhongyi if he has any suitable shop locations to recommend?"
Jiang Bai was pleasantly surprised: "Is this appropriate?"
Wang Zhongyi has been running a restaurant in the county town for almost ten years. He's well-informed, so consulting him will probably save you a lot of trouble.
Aunt Wang smiled and said, "What's inappropriate about it? You've helped me so much, you're like my own daughter. Is it inconvenient for my sister to ask him a few questions?"
As she spoke, she led Jiang Bai toward Hongding Restaurant, which was owned by her son.
Wang Zhongyi is resourceful and has worked hard in the county town for more than ten years. He started as an apprentice to an accountant and gradually built his business up. He started by renting a stall to sell pancakes, then moved to a small shop of less than ten square meters, then to a small teahouse, and now to a three-story restaurant. The sweat and effort he has put in is beyond what outsiders can understand.
Jiang Bai followed behind Aunt Wang, looking at the grand scale of the Hongding Restaurant, and occasionally let out a sigh of admiration.
This is almost the largest and most luxurious restaurant in the entire county. The environment is beautiful, the dishes are diverse, and even the waiters are handsome and wear clean uniforms, which makes people feel happy. No wonder the second master of the Ren family is also a regular customer here.
This shows that Wang Zhongyi really has a knack for business.
Aunt Wang brought Jiang Bai to meet the people.
Wang Zhongyi was short and stout, with a face somewhat resembling that of Wang Da Niang. His features were so ordinary that he would disappear into a crowd, but his eyes were very shrewd.
As soon as Aunt Wang gave a rough outline, the man understood Jiang Bai's purpose. He smiled憨厚ly and said, "These days, all shops are in high demand. I can't guarantee that I can find a good location with a good price. I can only do my best to look."
"Thank you so much already." Jiang Bai smiled at the man.
The two talked briefly, and Jiang Bai explained his needs before taking his leave.
The next morning, Granny Wang moved back to the village and specially asked Jiang Bai to come and help her tidy up the house.
As Jiang Bai tidied up, he asked, "Why don't you stay at your son's house for a few more days?"
“I’ve had enough,” Aunt Wang paused, then forced a smile. “I always felt restricted over there; it’s much more free to live on my own.”
Jiang Bai nodded: "That's true. I'm used to living in the village, and it's really hard to get used to moving to the city all of a sudden."
"Besides, there's no one to chat with there. I was so bored that I quickly told Zhongyi I wanted to move back." Her close friends were all from the same village.
Jiang Bai patted the dusty mattress for her and heard her say behind him, "Jiang Bai, Zhongyi told me about your shop rental. He has an idea, but I don't know if you agree."
"What are your thoughts?" Jiang Bai asked.
“There’s a small, unused courtyard at home now. It has everything you need, and the kitchen is especially big,” Aunt Wang said after carefully choosing her words. “He suggested that you don’t rent a shop anymore, it’s a waste of money. You should just rent this small courtyard and receive customers there.”
Jiang Bai had also considered this idea. Excluding the medicinal effects of the food, wouldn't this be the kind of agritainment that would become commonplace in the future?
“This method does save money, but the residential area is so remote, I’m afraid we won’t be able to attract customers in the early stages,” Jiang Bai said with some difficulty.
“Zhongyi also thought of this. He said he could help promote Hongding Restaurant. For example, customers who have eaten there can get a 20% discount when they go to your restaurant for medicinal cuisine by showing their receipt, and vice versa,” Aunt Wang replied after thinking for a moment.
Her tone was flat and devoid of any emotion, suggesting that she had memorized it before coming, and asking her wouldn't yield any results.
Jiang Bai inquired about the location and rental price of the Wang family's courtyard. After weighing the options, he realized that although the price offered was slightly higher than the average, the advertising for Hongding Restaurant was very appealing to him.
She couldn't help but say, "Why don't we go take a look at that rented courtyard first?"
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Jiang Bai acted swiftly and decisively, going to the county town that very afternoon and, under Wang Zhongyi's guidance, inspecting the courtyard.
It wasn't too big or too small, with three bedrooms and two side rooms, enough to comfortably house two servants. The kitchen was enormous, probably three times the size of an average family's kitchen; Jiang Bai suspected it was a renovation done by Wang Zhongyi when he was doing business.
The courtyard is also quite beautiful, kept very clean, and planted with common flowers and plants, mostly gardenias and roses, which are hardy, have a long flowering period, and their fragrance can be smelled for miles when they bloom.
Jiang Bai measured the location; it was about two or three miles from the busiest street, not too far. As long as the reputation was established, it would be convenient for customers to come.
She made a special inquiry and found that the residents on this street were all honest people, with no scoundrels or rascals causing trouble, so it was safe for her and her two children to live there.
Jiang Bai pondered for about fifteen minutes, then nodded and asked Wang Zhongyi, "If we rent it, when is the earliest we can sign the contract, and what form will it take?"
Wang Zhongyi waved his hand: "You can move in right away, it's been empty anyway. As for signing a contract, what contract do we need? Just pay me the money on time."
Jiang Bai smiled and said, "Let's sign it anyway, keep it official, and avoid any misunderstandings over this little bit of money."
Wang Zhongyi pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's sign it. The rent will be fifteen taels of silver at the beginning of each month. The minimum rental period is one year. Since everyone knows each other, there will be no need for a deposit."
"Okay." Jiang Bai nodded.
After they signed the contract and completed the notarization, Jiang Bai began tidying up the yard.
There wasn't much to tidy up, probably because a tenant had just moved out. The house was spotless, even the floor was sparkling clean.
In Jiang Bai's opinion, she only needed to move her bedding over so she could move in immediately.
However, Wang Linlin needs to recuperate for a while longer, so the store won't be open for another two weeks. But we can design promotional brochures early and put them at Hongding Restaurant for advertising.
Paper was scarce in ancient times. If you painted a picture with both text and illustrations, everyone would want to take a sheet home. Even folding paper airplanes for children was a freebie.
She then thought of composing a few rhymes and songs that included the shop's opening date, so that Zhao Ping'an and Zhao Xile could recite a few lines when they played with the neighborhood children, which would also achieve the same promotional effect.
Modern marketing tactics that are commonplace, such as membership systems, buy-three-get-one-free offers, and holiday promotions, are all novel tricks here.
Jiang Bai was full of ideas, just waiting to find the time to put them into practice.
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