Chapter 397: A Cold Reception

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: A Cold Reception

Ji Huan had imagined many scenarios for opening day.

She wasn’t overly pessimistic, but she wasn’t particularly optimistic either.

After all, she was selling niche products. There was no established customer base, and the market would have to be developed bit by bit.

In other words, the shop would probably need some time to get off the ground.

She had expected business on the first day wouldn’t be great, but she hadn’t expected it to be *this* bad.

After two strings of firecrackers were set off, a sizable crowd gathered to watch.

A new shop opening certainly attracted attention. Passersby would, to varying degrees, cast a glance or two, or stop at a distance to whisper among themselves.

As the Shopkeeper, Xu Laifu suppressed his nervousness and stepped forward to say a few words along the lines of, "Our new shop is open, we hope for your patronage," and, "Our little store specializes in..."

Afterward, everyone stood in a neat line at the entrance, their faces beaming with enthusiastic smiles, ready to welcome the first customer.

However, as time ticked by, their faces grew stiff from smiling, and still not a single person had come forward to inquire.

Xu Laiyun muttered under his breath, "But when we were handing out flyers yesterday, so many people promised they’d come take a look..."

Zhou also looked uneasy, feeling like he hadn’t done his job properly.

"You can’t blame yourselves. Sometimes passersby agree just to be polite; you can’t take all of them at their word. But for every flyer we hand out, one more person learns about our products. They become potential customers for our shop. Who knows, one day, something might prompt them to come give us their business... Standing here isn’t going to solve anything. Let’s go inside."

Though Ji Huan told everyone to go in, she herself remained outside. After wandering around for a bit, she changed direction and walked toward a few middle-aged women, her gaze landing on one with a round face.

"Ma’am, you’ve bought so many vegetables. Are you expecting guests for lunch?"

Caught off guard by the sudden conversation, the woman was initially a bit wary.

Luckily, Ji Huan was blessed with good looks. It was hard to stay guarded when faced with such a fair, clean face that was charming whether it was smiling or pouting.

"Yes, I am. My daughter and son-in-law are coming home for a visit today."

"Then you’ll have to prepare a proper feast." Ji Huan smiled and glanced into her basket. "Chicken, fish, meat, eggs—you have everything. Ma’am, you must be an amazing cook."

"I’m... I’m alright, I suppose." Her voice lacked confidence.

One of her old friends next to her teased, "There you go again, being stubborn. Your second and third kids act like they’re starving every time they visit my place. They say your cooking is bland!"

The round-faced woman looked a little embarrassed.

To her, "tasty" just meant adding more oil and salt. But her husband and children clearly didn’t think so, always complaining about this and that at every meal.

"They’re just spoiled! I always make sure they have meat dishes. I buy them meat to feast on every few days. And they still say it’s not tasty? What more do they want!"

Ji Huan chimed in at the perfect moment. "You really can’t be blamed for that, Ma’am. Stewed meat and fish always have a certain gamy smell. If you can’t get rid of it, even the best cooking skills are wasted."

The round-faced woman instantly found a way to save face, slapping her thigh. "Exactly! That’s it! It’s not my cooking, it’s the meat’s fault! You’re so understanding, young lady!"

"That’s because I didn’t like it much at first either. But once I found a way to get rid of that gamy taste, I started to love it."

"How did you get rid of it?" the round-faced woman asked, her curiosity piqued.

"By adding my shop’s seasonings, of course."

The anticipation on the round-faced woman’s face vanished. She asked suspiciously, "You’re not trying to trick me, are you? Just trying to sweet-talk me into buying your products?"

Ji Huan just smiled. "Ma’am, I’m running a business. What would I gain from tricking you? Besides, my shop is right here. You can try it at home, and if it doesn’t work, you can come back and find me anytime."

"Really?" The round-faced woman was half-convinced, half-skeptical, but she was definitely tempted.

With her son-in-law coming over for dinner, she also wanted to show off her skills and make her daughter proud.

"Then... then I’ll buy a packet to try. But let me tell you, I don’t live far from here. If you dare lie to me, I’ll be right back to settle the score!"

Ji Huan wasn’t annoyed at all. She told the woman not to worry and led her into the shop.

As she turned, she saw that Xu Laifu had also brought a customer into the store.

It turned out he had used the same method as Ji Huan: approaching potential customers directly.

"Ma’am, you see, this packet is thirteen-spice, and this one is five-spice powder. Both are used to remove gaminess, enhance savoriness, and add fragrance. The thirteen-spice contains more herbs and spices, so it’s better at removing unwanted smells. For meats with a particularly strong gamy or fishy taste, this will remove it completely. If you’re cooking dishes with a milder taste, then a little five-spice powder is enough."

The round-faced woman took the spice packets, looked them over, then brought them to her nose and sniffed, frowning. "Why does it smell so strange? Will this really work for cooking?"

Ji Huan guaranteed it. "If it doesn’t work, bring it back, and I’ll give you a full refund."

Hearing this, the round-faced woman was reassured and asked for the price.

Ji Huan stated calmly, without missing a beat, "The thirteen-spice is forty cents a packet, and the five-spice powder is thirty-five cents a packet."

As expected, the round-faced woman cried out in shock. "This packet isn’t even three liang, and it costs that much? Do you take me for a sucker!"

The friends who had followed her in chimed in, "Exactly, that’s way too expensive."

Good-naturedly, Ji Huan explained to them how difficult it was to transport these spices all the way from the Southern regions.

She also suggested that if they didn’t believe her, they could ask at the local apothecaries. Some also sold them, and never for cheap.

"Besides," she added, "this is our own special blend from a secret recipe. You absolutely get what you pay for."

"What’s more, you only need to use a tiny bit for each meal, so one packet will last you a long time. Forty cents for one meal might seem expensive, but if you spread that cost over ten or twenty meals, it’s not that much, is it? Oil and salt aren’t cheap either, right? It’s the same principle."

The reason Ji Huan had chosen the round-faced woman out of the group as her target was because she seemed easy to talk to.

To put it bluntly, she was gullible.

Sure enough, when the round-faced woman heard that one packet would last a long time, her raised eyebrows settled back down.

"Well... give me one packet to try then."

Ji Huan’s face lit up with a smile. "Ma’am, would you like the five-spice powder or the thirteen-spice?"

The round-faced woman’s finger tapped on the packet of thirteen-spice, paused, moved to the five-spice powder, then went back to the thirteen-spice. She couldn’t make up her mind.

’A classic case of decision paralysis.’

"How about this? I see you’ve bought both meat and vegetables, so why not try both packets? Today is our grand opening, so I’ll also give you a small, complimentary packet of our Spicy & Savory blend."

Ji Huan took a packet of the Spicy & Savory blend down from the shelf. It was a specially prepared sample, only one-third the size of the regular product.

"This Spicy & Savory blend is perfect for all kinds of home-style stir-fries. If we were selling it, a large packet would also cost over thirty cents."

When the round-faced woman heard there was a free gift, her eyes lit up. "Oh, wonderful, wonderful! I’ll take both packets then."

"You got it!" Ji Huan had wanted to recommend the soy sauce and vinegar as well, but she held back, fearing it would be overkill and backfire.

The round-faced woman gleefully asked her companions, "She’s even throwing in a freebie! Aren’t you going to buy some?"

Her friends all thought the round-faced woman was being duped, but this wasn’t the first or second time she’d fallen for something like this, so they couldn’t be bothered to talk her out of it.

Some were just looking forward to the show. They exchanged knowing glances, not saying they wouldn’t buy any, but only that they would wait and see how it worked for her before deciding.

Ji Huan didn’t press them. She briskly took the money, packed the goods, and politely saw the women out.

When she turned back, Ping’an was the first to start clapping. "A grand opening indeed, Miss Ji!"