The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 117 Opening Business

Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, Peach Blossom Dessert Shop grandly opened for business.

Thanks to Tong Huaqiong's promotion, everyone in the surrounding area of ​​Yanguan Town knew that Peach Blossom Dessert Shop would offer buy-one-get-one-free deals on its opening day.

The store attracted a lot of customers on its opening day just because of the "free" gimmick.

Tong Huaqiong and her entourage were on high alert and gave a warm welcome.

The shop has been renovated and is spacious with a clean counter displaying rows of pastries that look incredibly appetizing.

To enhance the store's appearance, Tong Huaqiong even asked her stepdaughter, Gu Baishuang, to get some glass as a cover.

Goodness, it's practically indistinguishable from a modern pastry shop.

Various kinds of pastries are displayed in the counter, and can be seen clearly through the glass.

Tong Huaqiong, as the shopkeeper, led the shop's employees to be on high alert.

"Peach Blossom, you're in charge of receiving guests today. Yue'e, Xiaocao, and Qiaoyun are all under your supervision," Tong Huaqiong instructed.

"Mom, don't worry."

Gu Taohua looked confident; she was very experienced in serving customers.

She was extremely excited. Although the shop was registered under her mother's name, it was still named after her daughter, Tao Hua.

Peach Blossom Desserts finally has a shop.

No more standing on the roadside soliciting customers.

Now that it's hot, Tong Huaqiong has placed ice basins in the shop to enhance the customer experience, making the whole place feel cool and comfortable. This not only makes the customers feel comfortable, but also puts Gu Taohua, who is sensitive to heat, in a great mood.

"Yue'e, Xiaocao, Qiaoyun, the three of you better be quick-witted and enthusiastic. Remember, under no circumstances should you get into arguments with customers." Tong Huaqiong gave a speech to the first batch of female waitresses at Peach Blossom Dessert.

Gu Xiaocao nodded; her job mainly involved packing pastries.

Gu Xiaocao originally came to Taohua Dessert Shop to cook, but Tong Huaqiong thought she was quite qualified. In addition, the shop was in dire need of a helper than a kitchen helper, so she gave her an emergency training and put her on the job.

Liu Qiaoyun was pretty, cheerful, and gentle. Tong Huaqiong thought she could temper Liu Yue'e's excessive enthusiasm, so she also hired her as a waitress.

"Don't worry, Aunt Tong."

Gu Xiaocao and Liu Qiaoyun both gave their assurances.

"Ma Huateng, don't give me the wrong amount of money when you're handling the cash, or I'll deduct it from your wages," Tong Huaqiong instructed Ma Huateng, who was standing at the cashier's counter.

Ma Huateng nodded and said, "Understood."

Ma Huateng felt that Aunt Tong had broken her word. She had originally agreed that he would only be in charge of the accounts, but now she was asking him to collect money.

However, he didn't know why, but at the pre-opening mobilization meeting, he was inspired by Aunt Tong's passionate words, "You are not working for me, but fighting for your future and your dreams." He was filled with enthusiasm and would do anything asked of him at that moment.

It has to be said that Tong Huaqiong, who makes empty promises to her employees, does indeed have the air of a marketing guru.

"During the Great Heat and the Great Cold, you two keep order outside. Especially during the Great Heat, you need to keep a close eye on things to prevent anyone from disrupting our business opening," Tong Huaqiong instructed her two sons.

She has said this countless times, and both her sons can recite it by heart.

Who to guard against? Naturally, guard against Su Shi Yuan and Manager Feng.

"Jingzhe, you need to pull yourself together. You're in charge of entertaining the aunties and grandmas," Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Jingzhe.

Because of Gu Jingzhe's outstanding looks, Tong Huaqiong arranged for him to work as a waiter, mainly providing smiling service to older women.

Gu Jingzhe initially felt like dying. He was a scholar, not someone who relied on his looks for a living.

Besides, the students from the private school love to join in the fun. They'll definitely come here today because of the opening. They'll laugh at him for being a student who was praised by the education commissioner and selling jokes on the street.

Gu Jingzhe felt like crying but couldn't bring himself to do it. He had to maintain a forced, wide smile, mimicking his second sister-in-law's eight-tooth grin. He had no choice; his mother had worked so hard to build such a large shop, and as her son, he should share the burden.

It's just smiling at older women, isn't it?
He can just think of the older women as books filled with knowledge.

All of this was part of the store's personnel arrangements. For logistical support, she brought in Liu Yue'e's brother and sister-in-law, as well as Qin Qingyou, to help. Liu Yue'e's sister-in-law, Hu, cooked and boiled water for the store's employees, while Liu Shan and Qin Qingyou acted as security guards, helping customers who rode in carriages or sedan chairs to park and get off, tying up donkeys and harnessing horses, etc. They were all put to good use.

Man'er and Yaozu Tong Huaqiong were not spared either. The two dressed up like fairy boys and girls, and their main function was to hawk and praise their own pastries.

The oven was personally operated by her and Chen Su-fen.

The counter displays pre-baked pastries, while freshly baked pastries are also readily available in the oven.

After all, who can resist freshly baked, hot, and fragrant pastries?

Chen Sufen was busy in front of the oven.

As batches of pastries were baked, the entire Rouge Lane was enveloped in a rich aroma.

Gu Dahan lit the thousand firecrackers sent by Master Huang, signifying that Peach Blossom Dessert Shop was officially open for business.

Mr. Huang, who was invited by Tong Huaqiong to unveil the plaque, was dressed in a new outfit and came to the Peach Blossom Dessert plaque with an excited and proud expression. Surrounded by onlookers, he and Tong Huaqiong accepted the red silk cloth on the plaque.

"Peach Blossom Dessert Shop is officially open for business!" Master Huang's voice was exceptionally loud as he gave Tong Huaqiong a shout-out, "Wishing Peach Blossom Dessert Shop a prosperous business and abundant wealth!"

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Huang," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile.

Instantly, the peach blossom dessert shop was surrounded by customers.

Liu Yue'e's prepared calls to action were all wasted.

Putting everything else aside, the shopkeepers and employees of other shops in Rouge Lane all came to show their support. After all, when doing business, you see each other all the time, and everyone gives their neighbors some face.

Moreover, Peach Blossom Desserts doesn't consider them competitors; their real competitor is Crispy Food Garden.

Gu Dahan guided everyone to line up.

Gu Dashu then carried samples and tea to each person. His mother said that customers are like fathers and they must be served properly. It was not easy for everyone to queue up in this hot weather, and the samples and tea quickly attracted more people to queue up.

Gu Dashu's workload increased accordingly, as he also had to keep a close eye on suspicious individuals in the team to prevent anyone from causing trouble on the opening day.

People from the Su Shi Yuan (酥食园) especially need to be wary.

Surprisingly, Ma Ming, the owner of Su Shi Yuan, was quite generous and sent Tong Huaqiong a congratulatory gift.

Tong Huaqiong accepted it.

A steady stream of customers entered the shop, and the novel business model of Peach Blossom Dessert whetted everyone's appetite.

Holding a tray and selecting pastries by yourself, you can choose whichever you want to eat – this is an innovation first in Yanguan Town.

After they were scooped up, they were taken to the weighing station. Gu Taohua skillfully weighed them, Gu Xiaocao quickly packed them up, and Ma Huateng swiftly collected the money.

The entire process was completed smoothly.

On such a hot day, the store still had ice cubes on hand, which made the customer experience incredibly pleasant.

Customers who had already left the shop carried the complimentary snacks and acted as Tong Huaqiong's human megaphones, spreading the word along the street.

The older women who like to pursue cost-effectiveness were initially skeptical when they heard about the buy-one-get-one-free offer, but when they saw that Tong Huaqiong was serious, they all lined up at Peach Blossom Dessert Shop.

Even those queuing at Su Shi Yuan (酥食园) heard the news and rushed to Yan Zhi Xiang (胭脂巷).

On its first day of operation, Peach Blossom Dessert attracted three-quarters of the customers who bought pastries in Yanguan Town that day.

(End of this chapter)