flstandardbreds Chapter 112: Taking Over Zhang's Shop
Chapter 112: Taking Over Zhang's Shop
I don’t know when it started, but there have been more discussions about pearl rice in the city. The main idea can be summed up in one sentence: rich people eat pearl rice.
The example they brought up was what they had seen with their own eyes, the stewards from various prefectures who showed up at Chenji's store to buy pearl rice, which made their master's family famous in Lanzhou city.
They are all well-known figures in the city. How could they be willing to be outdone by others just for a few dozen taels of silver?
Therefore, many families who had never eaten pearl rice also sent their managers to Chenji to buy pearl rice, and they had to buy more than others.
After the meal made with pearl rice was served on the table, they found that this rice was indeed unique, and its appearance and taste were indeed worth the high price.
They had plenty of money and all they wanted was to enjoy themselves. Having eaten better food, they naturally did not want to suffer themselves to eat worse, so they replaced all the rice that the master of the house usually ate with pearl rice.
After this operation, not only did Pearl Rice have a stable customer base, but it also left an impression in everyone's mind that only those who eat Pearl Rice are truly rich people, successfully attracting a large number of new customers.
The manipulator behind all this is Qian Laiye, who used the high price of rice to create topics and hired people to talk in restaurants to attract public attention, thereby leading everyone to join the discussion and expand the influence of the matter, thus achieving the effect he wanted.
It turned out that Qian Laiye's marketing strategy was indeed effective, and things went even more smoothly than he had imagined.
Not only the rich people became loyal supporters of pearl rice, but even the high-end restaurants in the city placed new orders with Chen Ji.
The reason is simple. Rich people like to go to restaurants from time to time, and the restaurant business has always been very prosperous. However, recently the owner of Zuixianlou has often received complaints from customers, saying that their rice is not tasty.
Those who complained were all regular customers of the store. The shopkeeper naturally attached great importance to their opinions. After careful questioning, seven or eight out of ten of them recommended Chen's new rice.
The owner of Zuixianlou went to Chenji Grain Store for a visit and found out what was going on. He made a decision when he returned and placed an order with Chenji to buy new rice and pearl rice. He then divided the rice in the store into three grades and provided different varieties of rice according to the different needs of customers.
The customers are a mobile group, so Zuixianlou has made adjustments. When they go to other restaurants to eat, they will inevitably compare them with Zuixianlou.
The other restaurants naturally could not be outdone by this small matter and they also actively made changes. The one that benefited the most from these changes was naturally Chen's Grain Shop.
During this period, Chen Shundong was grinning so hard that his mouth almost broke. He never knew that money could be so easy to make. He felt so elated that he became more determined to curry favor with someone powerful.
Whenever he had free time, Chen Shundong would help Qian Laiye look for suitable shops. He had already helped Qian Laiye find five shops, and he also learned that Zhang's Grain Shop was going to close.
Zhangji's business has been sluggish recently, which has made Zhang Quansheng see the current situation clearly. Now the growth of Chenji is an inevitable trend.
If he continued to open a grain shop opposite Chen Ji, he would be completely suppressed by Chen Ji and would not make any profit at all.
The most crucial thing is that based on the methods he used before to deal with Chen Ji, Chen Shundong must have been holding a grudge and waiting for an opportunity to take revenge.
Instead of waiting for him to free up his hands to deal with him, he might as well cut his losses in time and leave here first to avoid the limelight.
Of course, Zhang Quansheng would never admit that he was afraid. He was a man of insight.
During this period, he adjusted the price of grain to the cost price and sold it at a low price, which attracted a large number of people to buy. He successfully cleared out the inventory in the shop and started to put the shop up for sale.
At the same time, he asked his family to pack up and prepare to take people away from Lanzhou City and live in the county town below.
He has made a lot of money over the years. After going to the county town, whether he becomes an idle rich man or goes back to his old job in the rice business, he doesn't have to worry about having no money to spend.
Chen Ji was just opposite Zhang Ji. As soon as they put up the sign, Chen Shundong got the news. He immediately went to find Qian Laiye and told him the good news.
While gloating, Chen Shundong asked Qian Laiye if he had any intention of buying.
You know, Zhang’s shops are all in prime locations, so there’s no worry about selling them. If you act too late, they’ll be gone.
If we can buy it with money, our two families can do business next door to each other in the future, making it convenient for us to take care of each other.
There was one thing that made Chen Shundong feel uncomfortable. Those shops all belonged to Zhang Quansheng. He asked Qian Lai to buy his shops, which was equivalent to giving money to Zhang Quansheng, which made him feel uncomfortable.
After Qian Lai knew Chen Shundong's idea, he just smiled and did not let Chen Shundong come forward. He went about purchasing Zhang's store on his own.
In less than three days, Qian Lai bought all eight of Zhang's stores and only paid two-thirds of the normal price.
Chen Shundong asked Qian Lai how he did it, but he refused to say.
The battle for rice came to an end, and Qian Lai began to carry out the tasks assigned to him by Lin Chuyi. He visited various trades, selected suitable candidates, brought them to the mansion for placement, and gave them rigorous training in preparation for the next store opening, while waiting for Lin Chuyi to return from Qingzhou.
After leaving Lanzhou City, Lin Chuyi hurried all the way back to Qingshan Village. When passing Yongning County on the way, he remembered that he wanted to bring someone who knew the technology of growing peppers back to teach them how to grow peppers.
So, Lin Chuyi stayed in Yongning County for a while. She went to Yahang in Yongning County and planned to pick someone to take away.
Speaking of it, pepper cultivation is not a difficult technique to learn. What's more, peppers produced in space are highly adaptable. As long as there are no natural disasters or man-made disasters, there will basically be no major problems.
Bringing people back is just to give the villagers some peace of mind, so Lin Chuyi's goal is very simple, to find someone who knows how to farm in the village, and he can get started after a few days of training.
This place is separated from Qingshan Village by a county, so Lin Chuyi is not afraid of exposing his tracks.
Lin Chuyi arrived at the shop, and the servant took her to see her grandmother. The grandmother was smoking a pipe in the house. When she saw that there was a customer coming, she squinted at Lin Chuyi a few times.
The old woman saw that although Lin Chuyi was not tall, she was well-dressed. Most importantly, she was a girl, but she came into their human trafficking business alone without any fear. This made her think highly of Lin Chuyi.
The old woman put down the pipe in her hand, stood up and walked to Lin Chuyi's side. When she got closer, she found that she was wearing the simplest cotton clothes, which made her a little unsure for a moment.