Chapter 484: Gu Zi’s Capability
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The townsfolk, both consciously and unconsciously, kept their eyes on the shop, whispering amongst themselves with a hint of sourness, “It must be a gimmick. We can’t fall for it. How could it be possible? People coming from far away to eat here, they must be hired actors.”
One of them chimed in, “Exactly, I heard that the shop is opened by the wife of the wealthiest man in our area. They don’t lack money, so they must have created this illusion by spending their own. They just want to earn money from us ordinary folks. That’s how the rich are, they can never have enough money. They wish all the money would go into their pockets.”
“Indeed, it feels that way. I used to have a good impression of the boss, Su. I heard he even gives discounts to the locals who sell pork at his pig farm. But his wife, why is she ? Instead of sharing her good recipes to help the locals out of poverty, she chooses to open a shop to make money for herself. She’s so selfish, a despicable opportunist.”
Regardless of what these people said, the number of city folks coming to the shop was increasing. Although they would quickly vacate their seats after eating, the shop was still packed to the brim. Seeing this, Mother Lin and Aunt Yang brought out spare tables and chairs to set up outside the shop, adding eight more tables, which barely met the demand.
Mother Lin and the others were sweating from the hard work, but it was a joyful kind of exhaustion. Mother Lin had always believed in her daughter Gu Zi’s capabilities. She had said that the opening would be a success, but she never imagined it would be this successful.
Mother Lin whispered, “I’ve never seen the town this lively, even during the big market days. And now, it’s happening right in our shop. It’s truly amazing.”
Aunt Yang nodded, her hands busy cracking eggs into the hot and spicy soup. She suddenly felt a wave of emotion, “Indeed, your daughter is really capable. As for my daughter Zhen Zhen, I don’t wish for her to be particularly talented. I just hope to see her return home safe and sound one day.”
However, she had no idea where her daughter Zhen Zhen was or what she was doing.
Mother Lin knew Aunt Yang was worried. She patted Aunt Yang’s shoulder, comforting her, “Zhen Zhen is a good girl, and a smart one at that. She’ll be fine.” Then they both plunged back into their busy work, not having time to think about anything else.
Soon, only half a plate of the three plates of braised pork was left, and the fried dough sticks and pancakes were also running low. Only then did the crowd in the shop start to thin out.
As Gu Zi was sweeping the area in front of the shop, a woman approached her and said sarcastically, “You must have spent quite a bit of money hiring all these people to create a buzz, right?”
This woman, Gui Hua, owned a convenience store across the street. Gu Zi had noticed her on her previous visits.
Without stopping her work, Gu Zi calmly replied, “Do you know that convenience stores and restaurants can coexist and benefit each other? If I were you, I would be very happy to see the breakfast shop across the street making money.”
For a moment, Gui Hua was at a loss for words. Did this woman even listen to her? The woman hadn’t answered any of her questions, instead, she had rambled on in a way that was hard to comprehend.
How could she possibly be happy watching them make money? She had been running her own shop for over half a year now, and business had always been lukewarm. Why should she applaud them?
Just as Gui Hua was about to say something, a group of outsiders appeared on the street. They looked like they were from the city, especially the man leading them. Despite his age, he didn’t look old and carried an air of authority. His mere presence felt like that of a superior leader.
Before Gui Hua could react, she heard a customer who had just left her shop exclaim, “Oh, isn’t that Boss Huo? Are you here for breakfast too?”
The presence of Boss Huo was indeed overwhelming. Even seeing him walking towards the shop, it was hard to imagine that he would come here for breakfast.
Boss Huo had initially planned to greet Gu Zi. He had brought his management team from his department store to show support. He was a generous man, even planning to pass a message to Gu Zi for Su Shen.
However, his plans were interrupted. He wasn’t angry, instead, he said warmly, “Yes, I have some free time today, so I came to support my younger sister.”
At these words, everyone inside and outside the shop was taken aback. They hadn’t expected the shopkeeper to be acquainted with Boss Huo, the owner of Xinghua Department Store. Many of the city’s customers knew Boss Huo and thought they should patronize the shop more in the future. Of course, the main reason was that the food tasted really good.