There's a chat group for pets in my neighborhood.

The moment the event poster was released, it caused a huge stir in the Tiancheng community's group chat.

It's summer, and pets already need baths quite frequently. Small pets are fine, but large pets will cost at least 150 to 200 yuan per bath.

To save money, most people choose to have their pets washed at a pet store once a month and wash them themselves the rest of the time.

It saved money, but it was really tiring.

Now, Hello Pet Shop has directly lowered the price for our customers!

Up to 50% off!

Pets are the same price regardless of size!

Saving fifty yuan out of one hundred yuan, and even getting free Ark Select snacks – who wouldn't be envious?

Immediately, many pet owners in the group began to sign up and book time. In just ten minutes, a week's worth of bath time was fully booked, and the deposits alone amounted to over a thousand yuan.

Qin Zhuyan stared in disbelief at the scene and gave a thumbs up.

"That was a really ruthless move of yours."

Lu Fang smiled and said, "Why not use free labor? Oh, and remember to give Xiao Yi a commission; she put in a lot of effort on this."

"Absolutely!" Qin Zhuyan's spirits were noticeably lifted. "Once our business gets a bit better, I'd like to poach Xiaoyi. That girl works incredibly hard."

Xu Yi, who was busy at Meiji Pet Shop, sneezed, and then plunged back into the hectic work of making appointments and promoting the products.

There was nothing she could do; she was helping Lu Fang with his work.

My energy is instantly maxed out!

When the Hello Pet Shop's bathing promotion started, Cui Ding was the first to receive the news.

He's keeping a close eye on Hello Pet Shop; nothing can escape his notice.

"No way, has this guy gone mad? The bathhouse business is all hard-earned money, and he's launching a promotion at this crucial moment? Isn't he just blatantly sabotaging his business?"

"Now we're in a bind. Either everyone goes and haggles over the price with him, or we'll have to give him all the bathhouse bookings in the area!"

Cui Ding paced back and forth in his office. Across from him, Dr. Luo frowned and suggested, "How about we lower the price too?"

"Are you kidding me? Half price, even with labor costs, I can't even cover my expenses!" Cui Ding's steps became increasingly impatient. "I don't believe he can make money. What's the point of this losing-lose situation?"

"No way, does this guy not need to be paid for his work?" He got angrier and angrier the more he thought about it.

"So what do we do now?" Dr. Luo pressed.

"Let's wait and see. There are quite a few orders in Tiancheng Community. He can't handle them all by himself. This kind of event can't last long. It's purely a loss-making publicity stunt. Hello Pet Store isn't that big either. I don't believe we can't drag him down."

He slammed his hand on the table, a sound that even Xu Yi outside could hear.

If Lu Fang were standing here, he would surely say with a smile, "Dean Cui, you're a brilliant strategist! How did you know my salaries were truly free?"

Most importantly, this free labor was personally delivered by Cui Ding.

In the following period, Hello Pet Shop's business flourished, and they were extremely busy every day. In addition to the income from bathing, the income from Ark Selection and membership card sales also increased significantly.

Qin Zhuyan couldn't stop smiling.

It was just tough on Qin Sheng and Qin Zhiqiang.

They had thought about being tired, but they hadn't imagined it would be this tiring.

The following month was a long and unending nightmare for the two of them.

From morning till night, the line outside the pet store is filled with huge Alaskan Malamutes, Golden Retrievers, Samoyeds, and Labradors.

These large dogs are used to going through a tribulation every time they get a bath, so when they heard that they could get a bath at half price, they all rushed over without hesitation, afraid that they wouldn't be able to make an appointment.

Every day, Qin Sheng had to engage in more than a dozen rounds of hand-to-hand combat with these giant dogs in the dog-washing pool.

He was kicked in the chest by dog ​​paws and his arms were scratched by cats. Although he was wearing a waterproof apron, he was never dry all day. There was nothing he could do; the dogs could give him a full-on shower experience with just a few shakes.

Qin Zhiqiang wasn't much better off. His old bones were almost broken. Every day, just drying the dogs with a hairdryer made him dizzy, his wrists cramped, and his throat felt like it was stuffed with dog hair.

Back in the dilapidated storage room at night, the father and son were too exhausted to even take a shower. They went straight to sleep, let alone cause any damage. They were now disgusted at the sight of a dog.

Every time Qin Sheng wanted to give up, Qin Zhiqiang would persuade him: "If you quit now, all the hardship we've endured these past few days will have been for nothing."

Faced with enormous sunk costs, the two could only bury themselves in their work without complaint.

Lu Fang is different; these days, he's been grinning from ear to ear.

As the number of large dogs coming for baths increased, a significant amount of dog food and treats were also sold. There's no way around it; large dogs eat a lot anyway, and since they get a free bath, pet owners often feel a little embarrassed and end up buying the dog food and treats they needed at the same time.

With the tireless efforts of two unpaid laborers working day and night, Hello Pet Shop's turnover steadily increased. Looking at the numbers jumping on the account page, Lu Fang felt that he was one step closer to his dream of opening a pet hospital.

Thanks to the promotional bathing activities, Hello Pet Shop saw a record number of customers.

Several pet stores have been forced to close down due to the financial difficulties of the recent financial crisis.

There's no way around it; these days, who else doesn't charge for their employees? Only Hello Pet Shop does.

And so, Qin Sheng and his son Qin Zhiqiang endured a whole month of hardship.

That night, a light drizzle began to fall.

Qin Sheng collapsed onto the wooden bed, looking at his hands, which were white from being soaked in water and covered in scratches, and finally broke down completely.

"I quit! I'd rather die than do this again!" Qin Sheng jumped out of bed, roaring at Qin Zhiqiang in a suppressed voice, "Dad, if we keep washing like this, I'll be ruined! It's been a month, and that guy surnamed Lu has been treating us like animals! Do you even want to take the shop back?!"

Qin Zhiqiang was rubbing his aching lower back, his face so gloomy it could drip water. He thought he could get by by playing the subservient role, but who knew that Lu Fang was even more ruthless than the evil capitalism, treating them like dirt.

"Damn it, I've had enough too." Qin Zhiqiang gritted his teeth, a fierce glint flashing in his triangular eyes: "Tomorrow is my day off. I'll go find that girl surnamed Jian, get the stuff, and then teach that little brat a lesson."

"And that Lu Fang, I want him to kneel down in front of me and apologize, and then I want him to wash my dogs every day without sleep!" Qin Sheng was really somewhat mentally unstable, which showed how much he had suffered over the past month.

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll go find that guy surnamed Jian to join forces first thing tomorrow morning."