Chapter 395: A Better Bluffer Than Him

Chapter 395: Chapter 395: A Better Bluffer Than Him

Zhou hadn’t tried it himself, and it wasn’t in his nature to boast.

"Ma’am, we’re opening tomorrow. You can come buy a packet to try. Our boss would never cheat anyone."

Zhou bowed to her, then handed her a flyer and moved on.

Xu Laiyun saw that Zhou had already handed out several flyers while he hadn’t given out a single one. He grew a bit anxious, so he copied Zhou, worked up his nerve, and gave it a shot.

Surprisingly, it went quite smoothly.

Perhaps it was the first time passersby had encountered something like this, so they found it novel.

Of course, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. He was rejected quite a few times too.

Whenever that happened, Xu Laiyun couldn’t help but want to back down.

But seeing how Zhou didn’t get angry or discouraged after being rejected, he held back. ’I can’t lose to a kid, can I?’

So he would pull himself together.

But for some reason, even though they were both using the same method, Zhou’s efforts went incredibly smoothly, while he was always being turned down...

Zhou was perceptive and noticed his confusion. He shared a pattern he had figured out—it was easier to give flyers to women like madams, aunties, and older sisters than it was to men.

Xu Laiyun thought about it. ’That makes sense! Men don’t care about what goes on in the kitchen, so naturally, they wouldn’t be interested in seasonings and whatnot.’

After discovering the trick, his efficiency shot up.

Seeing the two of them become more and more comfortable, Ji Huan returned to the shop, relieved.

The spices had all been mixed and blended beforehand, so they just needed to be weighed and packaged.

Just then, Ping’an came over to visit, so Ji Huan immediately roped him into helping. With one of them weighing and the other packaging, their speed wasn’t slow at all.

Guan Shan and Xu Laifu finished their work before noon and came over to help pack the spices. Not long after, Zhou and Xu Laiyun returned with their empty baskets.

Before he even stepped inside, Xu Laiyun shouted excitedly, "We handed them all out!"

Ji Huan gave the two of them a thumbs-up, praising them for being so capable.

For lunch, they just ordered a few dishes from the restaurant diagonally across the street and made do.

When the waiter from that restaurant came over to deliver the food, he couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity what they were selling.

Before Ji Huan could say a word, Xu Laifu seized the opportunity to start his sales pitch.

He handed over a flyer and gave an explanation. After getting Ji Huan’s approval, he even gave the waiter a small complimentary packet of "Spicy and Savory."

"Listen, my friend, add a little of this when you’re stir-frying, and it’ll boost the flavor and aroma! If you keep using it, your restaurant’s business will definitely surpass every other one on this street. When the boss gets happy, he’s bound to give you a raise. Don’t believe me? Just take it back and try it. If you like it, we’ve got as much as you want right here. Oh, right, besides this ’Spicy and Savory,’ we have several other kinds too. Let me tell you about them..."

Xu Laifu already had experience, and with the honing from his previous "entrepreneurial period," his patter had become even smoother.

’When it comes to selling things, you really need a professional,’ Ji Huan thought, feeling inadequate in comparison.

Guan Shan suddenly glanced at her. "You’re a better bullshitter than he is."

Ji Huan was speechless. ’...So is that supposed to be a compliment?’

After lunch, Zhou and Xu Laiyun wanted to go out and hand out flyers again.

Ji Huan, worried they would exhaust themselves, told them they had done enough and could hand out more tomorrow morning.

But Zhou said there were still many bustling places in Yeyang they hadn’t been to yet, and then he and Xu Laiyun left with their baskets.

Xu Laifu remarked to Ji Huan, "Now I finally see why you hired him. He’s sharp-eyed and quick-handed, and he works his tail off."

’Isn’t that the truth?’ Ji Huan thought. ’But he’s almost *too* hardworking.’

It was as if he were someone who had nothing, and having finally grasped onto something, was clinging to it with all his might.

It was a little unsettling to watch.

"The two young ones have started working, so we should get a move on too."

Yide Hall got a bit busy in the afternoon, so Ping’an went back. Ji Huan and Guan Shan took over, one weighing and one packaging, while Xu Laifu was in charge of stocking the shelves.

The storefront had three sections: one for displaying the spices, and one for the soy sauce and vinegar.

First, they arranged the bottles of soy sauce and vinegar, then the seasoning packets.

The soy sauce and vinegar section was easy to organize; they just had to be placed separately on two wooden shelves against the wall.

The wooden shelf for the spices was the kind with compartments. A small wooden plaque was nailed above each compartment, onto which Ji Huan had pasted a handwritten label with the product name: "Thirteen-Spice," "Five-Spice Powder," "Spicy and Savory"...

It took them over a two-hour period, but they got everything set up properly.

Ji Huan looked at the fully stocked shelves and let out a long breath. ’Finally!’

By the time Zhou and Xu Laiyun returned with their empty baskets, the others had already finished cleaning the shop, inside and out.

Ji Huan took Zhou to the back courtyard and into a room on the west side.

"This room was where the shop hands used to sleep. There’s a kang bed. The room next door is the kitchen, where you can boil water and cook meals. We’ve also prepared rice, flour, and other things for you."

As for the bedding, she had brought it from home—the two sets Guan Shan had used back at the earthen house. After they got married, Widow Xie had taken them home to unstitch, wash, and resew them, and they had been in storage ever since.

"See if you’re missing anything?"

Zhou’s gaze lingered on the bedding spread out on the kang bed, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it. It was soft and fluffy; he knew how warm it would be without even lying down.

He could only shake his head, not knowing what to say.

"If you think of anything you need, just tell me."

Ji Huan then turned and asked Xu Laifu, "Will you be staying at the shop, or..."

Xu Laifu thought for a moment. His home wasn’t in Yeyang, and commuting back and forth every day would be too time-consuming.

"I’ll stay at the shop too, with Zhou."

Although the kang bed wasn’t huge, it was more than big enough for two people.

"You don’t need to prepare a quilt for me. I’ll bring one from home tomorrow."

Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Laifu left with Xu Laiyun.

Ji Huan asked Zhou if he knew how to cook.

Zhou said he did.

So Ji Huan told him to make himself something to eat that evening and reminded him several times to bolt the door properly before she and Guan Shan left in the carriage.

Zhou stood at the entrance, only turning back after the carriage had rounded the corner onto North Street.

Guan Shan had already put up the shop’s door boards. Zhou turned into the adjacent alley. There was a side gate in the east wall that led directly into the first courtyard.

Sitting on the kang bed, Zhou still felt a sense of unreality.

’I’m going to live here from now on? I have a place to stay?’

He reached out and touched the bedding again, then reluctantly stood up, went into the courtyard to get a broom, and swept all the nooks and crannies one more time.

Just as Guan Shan was driving the carriage out of the city gates, he ran into Xu Laifu, who was heading back on his mule cart.

When Xu Laifu saw them, he quickly waved them down. "I forgot something! The shop sign! Did we forget to get a shop sign?"

We’re opening tomorrow; it would be ridiculous to not have a sign.

People in town don’t care much about that, but every shop in Yeyang has one.

Ji Huan lifted the carriage curtain and said with a smile, "Don’t worry. There will definitely be a sign to hang up tomorrow."

Seeing how certain she sounded, Xu Laifu truly felt relieved.

"That’s good, then."

It was already dark when they got home. After washing up, they went to bed.

It felt like she had only just fallen asleep when there was a knock on the door.

Guan Shan was calling for her to get up.

Ji Huan opened her drowsy eyes and looked out the window. It was pitch-black. When she asked, she found it was just past the fifth watch.

She didn’t want to get up, but she had to.

Ji Huan deliberately changed into new clothes: a turquoise stand-collar jacket paired with a beige one-piece horse-face skirt. It was a refreshing sight in the dreary winter.

Dabao was also wearing new clothes and new shoes. For the sake of the grand opening, Ji Huan had lifted his punishment. She didn’t have much choice; he had been sulking for days.

Only Guan Shan looked the same. There was no difference between his new and old clothes—they were either pitch-black or dusty gray.

After the three of them washed up, they officially set off for Yeyang at the beginning of the Hour of the Rabbit.