Chapter 394: Corny Slogans

Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Corny Slogans

The carriage reached the north gate of the county town, where they ran right into Xu Laifu.

He had brought Xu Laiyun along to help, but Xu Laiyun could only stay for a few days. Afterward, he would be starting an apprenticeship at the ceramics workshop, taking up his father’s trade.

The Xu brothers had borrowed a neighbor’s mule to pull a cart full of narrow-mouthed, wide-bellied pottery bottles. Mr. Xu had personally bought them from the ceramics workshop at an insider’s price—they were very cheap and perfect for bottling soy sauce and vinegar.

When they arrived on East Street, they spotted someone squatting by the shop’s entrance from a distance. As they got closer, they saw it was indeed Zhou.

He clutched a limp bundle wrapped in cloth, which seemed to be all his worldly possessions.

Seeing the carriage approach, Zhou scrambled to his feet and bowed in greeting.

Ji Huan asked, "When did you get here? You must have been waiting for a while."

Of course, Zhou wouldn’t tell the truth. He just said he hadn’t arrived too early and hadn’t been waiting long.

Ji Huan then introduced him to Xu Laifu.

"This is our Manager Xu. From now on, you’ll be learning from him. Manager Xu, this is the young assistant I found for you. He’s bright, reliable, and a hard worker. Train him well, and don’t hold anything back."

Zhou blushed, a little embarrassed by the sudden praise.

Xu Laifu also turned bright red. After all, this was the first time anyone had ever called him a manager.

"I won’t, I won’t. I definitely won’t hold anything back."

’It’s just... isn’t this assistant a little young?’

’But since Ji Huan hired him, he must have his own merits. I’d better keep my mouth shut.’

Once inside the shop, they unloaded everything. Xu Laifu took a look around and saw that the preparations were nearly complete.

"Our main tasks today are to package the finished products, stock the shelves, and hand out flyers. Then we can open for business tomorrow."

Guan Shan placed a few bundles on the table and untied them, revealing several thick stacks of paper.

While the shop was being renovated, Ji Huan hadn’t been idle. She’d asked the owner of the town’s pastry shop to act as a go-between and connect her with a workshop in Yeyang that specialized in producing wrapping paper for confectionaries. She had ordered a batch of oiled paper from them.

The "packaging" was simple: place an equal portion of spices in the center of a sheet of oiled paper, fold and seal it with a special technique, then affix an outer label.

The label was Ji Huan’s own design. It featured a blooming crabapple flower with the words "Ji’s Flavor Industry" written below it. At the bottom, a line of small text read: "Every dish you make will be infinitely more delicious."

A decorative border was added around the edges to finish it off.

Based on her requirements, the paper workshop had created a custom printing block and then started mass production.

It was a little crude, but they had to make do for now. Creating modern packaging wasn’t feasible yet, but the workshop had already agreed to try producing the kind of paper boxes she had requested.

"Do the soy sauce and vinegar bottles need labels too?" Xu Laifu asked.

"Of course." Ji Huan picked up a vinegar bottle to demonstrate. "The label is a perfect square, not too big and not too small. It’s just right to serve as our shop’s trademark."

Xu Laifu nodded again and again.

’That way, people will see the label and know the product is from our shop.’

Ji Huan had also printed a huge stack of flyers at the same workshop.

The flyer’s design was also quite simple.

On the front, running vertically down the right side, were the words "New Shop Opening." On the left, also written vertically, were the words "Grand Opening Sale." Across the top, a horizontal banner read: "Ji’s Flavor Industry."

In the center was a drawing of a dish with steam lines rising from it to indicate a fragrant aroma. The opening date was in the bottom-left corner, and a round smiley face was in the bottom-right.

The back gave a general introduction to the uses of the spices, with a special focus on extolling their seemingly magical ability to transform ordinary stir-fries and soups. As a result, this side was much more wordy.

’Xu Laifu had never seen this kind of advertising method before.’

’Usually, people just shouted and hawked their wares. At most, they might build a colorful archway in front of their shop...’

’This novel way of promoting is pretty good!’

With the explanations out of the way, it was time to assign tasks.

Guan Shan and Xu Laifu were in charge of bottling the soy sauce and vinegar.

During the first few days of traveling back and forth to Yeyang to supervise the renovations, they had taken the opportunity to bring over the large vats of soy sauce and vinegar.

There were four vats of vinegar and three of soy sauce in total. Two rooms in the second courtyard had been cleared out to serve as storerooms: one for the vats of sauce and vinegar, and one for the spices. For now, Ji Huan was the only one with the keys.

Ji Huan handed the keys to Guan Shan. He and Xu Laifu then began unloading the pottery bottles from the cart, carrying them basket by basket into the back courtyard.

Ji Huan picked up two handled baskets, each filled with a thick stack of flyers.

"Laiyun, take Zhou with you. I need you two to go out on the streets and hand out these flyers. Can you do that?" She had already explained what flyers were and how they were used.

Laiyun, who rarely came to the city, was hesitant and looked a little intimidated.

Zhou, on the other hand, wasn’t fazed at all and took one of the baskets.

He had grown up in Yeyang and knew its streets and alleys like the back of his hand. Besides, having struggled at the bottom of society, he was used to the whims of human nature and wouldn’t feel the least bit embarrassed.

"Don’t worry, Boss. We’ll definitely have all these flyers handed out before noon."

Seeing that a mere child was bolder than he was, Laiyun stammered, "I... I’ll do my best too..."

"Then I’ll await your triumphant return."

Just as they were stepping over the threshold, Ji Huan suddenly called them back.

"When you’re handing out the flyers, don’t forget to shout a few ad slogans. You need to let customers know what we’re selling, and you also need to make it sound appealing."

As for what slogans to use... Ji Huan racked her brain, trying to recall the ubiquitous jingles from her previous life.

"Thirteen Spices, tastes so good, one family’s stew perfumes the whole neighborhood!"

"With Mala Xian, every day is a fresh delight!"

"Want a flavor new and bright? Chunxiao Vinegar whets the appetite!"

"Naturally brewed, with its original flavor and color! The perfect partner for delicious food: Chunxiao Soy Sauce!"

Naming the soy sauce and vinegar "Chunxiao" was a decision Ji Huan and Xu Laifu had made together.

For one thing, it would help differentiate them from future products. For another, it was easy to remember and share.

"A-Any more?" Xu Laiyun stammered.

Ji Huan thought for a moment.

"Deliciously flavorful, Ji’s Seasoning."

"One family’s choice seasoning, every family’s good living."

"Baiwei Square seasonings: The smart choice for every housewife."

"Baiwei Square seasonings: The delicious flavor you need for frying, stir-frying, stewing, and deep-frying..."

Zhou and Xu Laiyun were both stunned into silence.

Ji Huan coughed and quickly put a stop to her train of thought.

"Ahem, they’re a little corny, I know, but they’re perfect for mass appeal... Got all that? If you’ve memorized them, get going."

Zhou silently repeated the slogans to himself several times. There were a couple of lines he wasn’t sure about, so he asked Ji Huan again. Once he had them memorized, he led the still-dazed Xu Laiyun out onto the street.

Ji Huan still felt a little worried, so after they had gone some distance, she quietly followed, keeping a discreet distance behind them.

Xu Laiyun was still timid and hesitant, but Zhou quickly handed out his first flyer, reciting the slogan with earnest conviction.

The person who took it was an older woman with a basket of vegetables—a perfect target customer.

Most people her age were happy to take advantage of a freebie, so if someone was handing out paper for free, she would certainly take it.

Unfortunately, she was illiterate. She turned the flyer over and over but couldn’t make any sense of it.

But she understood what Zhou was saying about "fragrant stews" and "whetting the appetite."

"Let me ask you," she said, "this seasoning you’re selling... can it really make food more flavorful?"