Jufu Supermarket is holding a grand opening promotion for three days.

As for what kind of grand promotion it was, Tong Huaqiong had already widely announced the content of the promotion on the opening day.

A 20% discount on everything, buy one get the second for half price on some goods, buy three get one free, and the shop even offered services like free letter writing and free repairs for pots, bowls, and plates for any purchases.

The free letter writing attracted some interest, but not too much, as most people at this time were rooted to their hometowns with not many family members outside needing letters to be written to friends and relatives.

Free repair of pots, bowls, and plates was a different story.

During this era, pots, bowls, and plates weren’t as easily or cheaply available as in later times. They were still considered precious, with many families treating them like family heirlooms.

Therefore, if they broke, they wouldn’t be thrown away but would be repaired.

Who doesn’t have a couple of broken bowls or pots that need repairing?

After the news got out, the next day many people lined up with their pots, bowls, and plates.

Jufu promised that it didn’t matter what you bought, as long as you made a purchase at their store, you could enjoy free repair services for pots, bowls, and plates.

Since people always need to buy needles and threads and use oil, salt, and sauces every day, why not buy some at Jufu and get their pots and bowls repaired while they’re at it? Isn’t that more cost-effective than paying specifically for repairs?

When it comes to living expenses, these calculations add up.

There were also rumors that the pawnshop at Jufu gave higher estimates than others, so those in urgent need of money brought their gold and jewelry to pawn there.

On Jufu’s first day, many people had already enjoyed their services and promises, which made them believe more in the grand opening promotion.

Word spread from one to ten to a hundred, and the next day there were even more people than on the first day.

People were already queuing with their pots and bowls before Jufu even opened.

Despite his reluctance, Gu Youtian followed Wu Ren’s instructions and opened the store an hour early.

Yesterday, their whole family and two clerks squeezed into the storage room of Wu Ji for a rest, and because it suddenly got very hot last night, Gu Youtian barely slept well.

He woke everyone up, feeling a little displeased. Although they were both partners, Wu Ren’s whole family lived in the courtyard at the back of the shop.

Even though the courtyard was small and only had two rooms, at least they didn’t have to squeeze together with so many people, and it was more comfortable than a warehouse.

Wu Ren really saw him as a subordinate clerk.

"Second brother, how long are we going to stay here?" Gu Honglian asked with a yawn.

She had come to the county to enjoy herself, but her second brother was treating her like a free clerk.

Gu Youtian impatiently said, "If you don’t want to stay here, you can go back today."

Upon hearing Gu Youtian’s unfriendly tone, the others all got up and started to busy themselves.

There was no other option; the family’s livelihood depended on this shop. Everyone worked together, hoping that once the store was profitable, they could hire people.

Mrs. Gu brought Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wei, along with Xiao Xue, to the kitchen to start a fire and cook, while Mr. Gu took Gu Fengnian and Gu Ruinian to clean the shop.

Gu Youtian and the two clerks opened the main door.

Oh my, there was a crowd outside.

On a closer look, most people were either holding bowls or carrying pots, and Gu Youtian couldn’t understand what they were up to.

He hadn’t heard of any disaster relief porridge stalls nearby.

However, looking at everyone’s attire, although simple, it was clean and didn’t resemble the look of disaster victims.

"May I ask, madam, what are you waiting for here? And why are you holding two bowls?" Gu Youtian asked the old lady sitting in front of the Wu Ji shop.

The old lady stood up, dusted off her clothes, and said loudly, "You don’t know, do you? If you buy something at Jufu Supermarket, they will repair your pots and bowls. These two bowls at my home are broken, so I thought I’d get them repaired while I’m at it."

Gu Youtian couldn’t believe it and said, "Madam, don’t be fooled by Jufu. They repair the bowls only if you buy something. The cost of your purchases will far exceed the cost of repairing how many bowls. They’re just tricking you into spending money."

The old lady gave Gu Youtian a sideways glance and said, "They repair regardless of what you buy, it’s absolutely true. Yesterday, my sister-in-law bought a spool of thread and got a big iron pot repaired. Today, I plan to buy two needles. You think about it, two needles cost how much, and these two bowls to repair would cost more than ten needles."

Gu Youtian’s face froze.

He had underestimated Tong Dajiao’s business acumen.

No, it couldn’t have been Tong Dajiao who came up with such an idea.

Gu Ruinian said that the business in the main house was all supported by Gu Taohua, and he had underestimated his niece.

"Do you sell bowls in your shop? I remember it used to be a furniture store," the old lady said, peering inside the Wu Ji shop.

Gu Youtian forced a smile and said, "It used to be Liu’s Furniture Store, but now it’s Wuji Department Store. We have pots, bowls, needles, and thread, all cheaper than Jufu. Madam, why not come inside and have a look?"

If he could make a sale early in the morning, it would be a good omen.

The old lady glanced at the store and held out the two bottomless broken bowls to Gu Youtian, saying, "Do you repair bowls if I buy your stuff?"

Gu Youtian looked embarrassed.

Wuji didn’t offer such services.

Hiring a few skilled craftsmen to repair pots and bowls would cost a lot.

In his view, Jufu’s success was temporary, and they would eventually close down.

With so many people carrying pots and bowls outside, how could Jufu handle it?

The old lady said, "You at Wuji don’t repair bowls, so why would I buy your stuff?"

The clerk beside Gu Youtian got annoyed and said to the old lady, "If you’re not buying anything, please don’t block our entrance and disrupt our business."

The old lady rolled her eyes and said, "Who cares?"

Saying this, she moved a bit towards Jufu.

This Wu Ji is so stingy. They wouldn’t even let people stand at the entrance if they don’t buy anything.

How can they do business like this?

She remembered this store and planned to spread the word later.

Since Wu Ji was open, they couldn’t just passively wait for customers to come in. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Gu Youtian instructed the two clerks to attract people.

To get people to come to Wu Ji, they needed to create opportunities for sales.

The two clerks tried to persuade people for a long time, but most only glanced inside the Wu Ji shop without stepping in.

Gu Youtian was so anxious he wanted to drag people into the shop.

Just as he was feeling frustrated, Wu Ren arrived, followed by Gu Ruinian.

"Youtian, there are quite a few people outside, we need to figure out how to get them inside," Wu Ren said to Gu Youtian.

Gu Youtian was increasingly frustrated. Did Wu Ren think he didn’t want people to come in?

All Wu Ren did was talk about finding a solution, but he didn’t come up with any good ideas himself.

If doing business was that easy, those people outside would be owners instead of customers.

But in front of Wu Ren, he couldn’t admit he had no better ideas.

Otherwise, if Wu Ren turned his back and refused to have him as a partner, it would be troublesome.

All these thoughts were visible to Gu Ruinian.

Wuji had been open for half an hour now, and with so many customers outside, not a single one was willing to come in.

It had to be said that his father’s business sense was not great.

Gu Ruinian’s eyes lit up and he said, "Dad, Uncle Wu, I have an idea to get people to come inside."