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

Chapter 118 Victory in the first battle
Peach Blossom Dessert Shop's first day of opening was a perfect success.

Many pastry and food stalls that started as roadside vendors have seen their reputations collapse once they open a shop.

Tong Huaqiong summarized the reasons: either the shop owners didn't understand marketing, or they couldn't guarantee a stable output of products, thus losing old customers and failing to attract new customers.

Thus, it was short-lived.

Therefore, when Tong Huaqiong decided to move the roadside stall into the shop, she started to create hype, emphasizing to customers that Peach Blossom Desserts was going to open a shop, that the price and taste would not change, and that more new product lines would be added.

Opening a shop will inevitably increase operating costs, and sometimes prices will have to be set high. But old customers don't care. If you raise prices, you will lose old customers, especially for peach blossom desserts that started as roadside stalls, which will fall into this unfavorable situation.

Therefore, Tong Huaqiong maintained the original prices of the old products while adding many new ones, the pricing of which was naturally under her control. Since the new products had no comparable prices, customer acceptance was high; moreover, the deliciousness of the new products might make some customers overlook the price.

In short, Tong Huaqiong came up with many methods to ensure that Peach Blossom Dessert Shop achieved both a good reputation and high sales volume as soon as it opened.

The success of Peach Blossom Desserts on its first day was due not only to its quality and activities, but also to its refreshing service approach.

What made Tong Huaqiong feel gratified was that from Gu Taohua to Liu Yue'e, and even Ma Huateng, who was not good at dealing with people, none of them let her down.

Due to its overwhelming popularity, Peach Blossom Dessert Shop sold out of all its pastries by mid-afternoon and had to close early.

Even though it was closed, Tong Huaqiong didn't shut down the shop, afraid that late-arriving customers would be disappointed to see the closed doors.

Although latecomers didn't get to buy any pastries, they still received excellent service, including tea, fans, and a promise to enjoy free gifts with purchase on their next visit.

By the time Peach Blossom Desserts saw off its last customers, it was already sunset.

Tong Huaqiong took Ma Huateng's ledger, quickly calculated the profits in her mind, and beamed with joy.

Peach Blossom Desserts has won its first battle!
Not only was Tong Huaqiong happy, but every employee at Peach Blossom Dessert had a satisfied and proud smile on their face. Even though they had been busy all day and their voices were hoarse, they were bursting with a sense of accomplishment.

Take Liu Qiaoyun for example. She finally understood why Tong Huaqiong Valley Peach Blossoms had braved the gossip of the villagers to set up a stall in town. It was because the sense of accomplishment from selling a single order of pastries was greater than that from growing crops in the fields or making shoe soles at home.

Gu Xiaocao was just as excited as Liu Qiaoyun.

Ever since Xu Si ruined her reputation, her whole family was forced to move to a place outside the village, leaving her with no way out.

Her father was too worried about her safety to go out and work, so the family struggled to make ends meet. Now she can earn money with her own hands.

Taking advantage of everyone's good mood, Tong Huaqiong called everyone to the backyard for a meeting.

Even Liu Yue'e's sister-in-law, Hu, who cooked and did odd jobs, and Liu Yue'e's elder brother, Liu Shan, who was responsible for tying up donkeys and horses outside, were all present.

"Everyone did a great job today. Everyone contributed to their own position. The smooth opening and booming business today are all thanks to everyone's hard work. You all did a better job than I expected. Everyone completed their tasks perfectly, and I, as the manager, am very pleased."

Tong Huaqiong smiled, and her words were full of encouragement and gratitude.

"I want to give special praise to two people, Qiaoyun and Xiaocao." Tong Huaqiong looked at Liu Qiaoyun and Gu Xiaocao.

Liu Qiaoyun and Gu Xiaocao were suddenly called out, and they were so excited that they forgot what expression to show.

"Qiaoyun did a great job calming down an elderly lady who was about to curse after waiting in line for so long, ensuring that there were no disputes on our store's first day of business," Tong Huaqiong said.

Tong Huaqiong brought this up specifically because it was an experience she summarized from the operation of Su Shi Yuan.

The reason why Peach Blossom Dessert was able to steal some customers from Crispy Food Garden on its opening day was largely because Crispy Food Garden became arrogant after its expansion and started to disregard casual customers. When customers complained, they not only failed to appease them but also resorted to veiled sarcasm and open criticism. For example, wasn't Peach Blossom Dessert's accountant, Ma Huateng, connected to the restaurant precisely because of Crispy Food Garden's poor service?

Liu Qiaoyun was extremely excited.

She felt that comforting the old lady was her duty, but she didn't expect that Aunt Tong would notice it and praise her in public as if it were her achievement.

"I didn't do anything special, that's just my job." Liu Qiaoyun said modestly, pointing out the "job" that Tong Huaqiong kept emphasizing.

"That's not quite right," Tong Huaqiong said. "Although it's your job, being able to stand up in a crisis, withstand the old lady's aggressive attitude, skillfully resolve her dissatisfaction, and turn her into a loyal customer of our store—that's a great achievement." Tong Huaqiong continued to praise her.

Then, I took this opportunity to emphasize to everyone: "This is what I mean by 'the customer is king.' We must treat customers patiently, listen to their needs, and soothe their emotions. This is easier said than done. If you encounter a customer like the old lady today who is causing trouble, don't take it lightly; you must take it seriously."

Everyone nodded.

Tong Huaqiong plans to establish a customer dispute department once Peach Blossom Desserts has fully established itself, with dedicated personnel to handle customer complaints and disputes.

"And why did I specifically praise Xiaocao? Xiaocao brought us an order for a full moon birthday banquet pastries." Tong Huaqiong looked at Gu Xiaocao, her praise for Gu Xiaocao was even deeper than her praise for Liu Qiaoyun.

Tong Huaqiong's praise for this honest and thoughtful girl came from the bottom of her heart.

This order for pastries for a full-moon birthday banquet belongs to the Li family of Moon Bay, who have just had their first grandson.

"Xiaocao, tell everyone how you discovered this business opportunity."

Tong Huaqiong then asked Gu Xiaocao to share her success story.

Gu Xiaocao was suddenly called out and felt very embarrassed. Encouraged by Tong Huaqiong, she said softly, "When I was packing pastries for Master Li's wife, she was talking to the old lady next to her about her grandson's one-month celebration. I interjected that our shop accepts pastries for one-month celebrations. Seeing that she was interested, I showed her the booklet of birthday cakes, and she wanted to order them as soon as she saw them."

Tong Huaqiong's smile deepened.

"Gu Xiaocao is great! She can grasp the customer's needs from what they say and even knows to show them the brochure. She's really good!"

Gu Xiaocao blushed at Tong Huaqiong's praise and was very touched. Aunt Tong not only gave her the opportunity to help in the shop, but also praised her for being capable!
Gu Xiaocao's confidence rose.

Then Tong Huaqiong praised Ma Huateng for being quick and efficient in calculating accounts without making a single mistake.

Originally, Ma Huateng, a scholar, was quite embarrassed to be forced into the job of a cashier. Today, business was so booming that he was so busy with accounting and settling accounts that he didn't have time to feel sentimental. By the end of the day, he had the illusion that he was also very capable.

He perked up even more after Tong Huaqiong praised him.

Of course, in addition to praising the store's employees, she also praised Liu Yue'e and other family members.

She only slightly downplayed the praise, fearing that her own family members might become complacent and arrogant.

The debriefing meeting concluded successfully with a summary, praise, encouragement, and promises of future achievements.

"Everyone did a great job on the first day of business. It's been a long day, so I'd like to invite you all to the restaurant to celebrate."

We absolutely have to give everyone a reward.

Let's start by having a big meal at a restaurant.

(End of this chapter)