The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 282: Building Momentum

Upon mentioning this, He Chao laughed.

He truly admired Tong Huaqiong.

Originally, he was pondering in the city on how to make Taohua Dessert famous with a bang.

He thought back to when Taohua Dessert gained fame in Yan Guan Town, largely due to the influence of the town’s trendsetter, Huang Yuanwai.

The city had even more influential figures like Huang Yuanwai.

Just gaining favor with one could replicate the success in Yan Guan Town.

He planned to introduce Taohua Dessert’s cakes to the influential families before the grand opening. If they were willing to try, Taohua Dessert would surely become their top choice for desserts.

He was confident. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Everyone had a tendency to follow trends.

If the influential families accepted Taohua Dessert, there would be no worry about sales.

He Chao confidently approached the doorkeepers, the purchasers, and the stewards of wealthy families, trying to build connections, but got nowhere.

When Tong Huaqiong learned of this, she thought He Chao’s idea was good but misapplied.

Influential families had strict requirements for eating and living, especially for food. What if someone got poisoned?

A newcomer trying to infiltrate a big family through doorkeepers and purchasers could make them suspicious.

If anything went wrong, none of the stewards, purchasers, or doorkeepers would be spared.

It was easy to penetrate Huang Yuanwai’s household because he took the initiative to visit Tong Huaqiong’s shop, not because she orchestrated it.

There was an element of luck, but Tong Huaqiong seized that chance firmly.

In the city, things were different; wealthy households were cautious and rarely took the initiative to visit dessert shops.

Tong Huaqiong pondered and came up with an idea.

Why not start with the students of influential families?

Where are the students of such families concentrated? Of course, at Wanliu Academy.

Ning City had a rich academic atmosphere, and children from wealthy families all studied there.

Wanliu Academy was the best in the area, with students desperate to get in.

To infiltrate Wanliu Academy and have them taste Taohua Dessert, there was an obvious choice—Lu Zhaoyang.

As a top scholar at Wanliu Academy, Lu Zhaoyang could rally others easily and was admired by fellow students.

So, Tong Huaqiong wrote a letter that night to He Chao and Lu Zhaoyang.

The next day, four baskets of desserts and various flavored mooncakes were sent to Wanliu Academy.

Lu Zhaoyang, being gluten intolerant, couldn’t eat the desserts. He gave them to his teacher and fellow students.

Just as He Chao believed, once someone tasted Taohua Dessert, they became loyal fans.

Soon, students at Wanliu Academy asked Lu Zhaoyang where he got the desserts. Upon learning it was Taohua Dessert, they flocked to Pearl Alley.

Lu Zhaoyang deliberately didn’t disclose the exact shop location in Pearl Alley, so students asked around, quickly spreading the word about Taohua Dessert.

When the students arrived, they found the shop hadn’t opened yet, which left them disappointed.

Master Song was inside, teaching bakers, and the aroma wafted out, tantalizing the students.

They pestered He Chao to sell to them.

Eventually, He Chao sold the freshly baked mooncakes to the students.

The next day, students returned, and He Chao took the opportunity to announce the opening date and promised to send desserts to Wanliu Academy before then.

Thus, without any marketing costs, Taohua Dessert had already gained fame in the city.

Now, at least half the city knew a dessert shop opening in Pearl Alley was imminent.

There was even a tasting session on opening day.

Everyone was eager to try, curious about what kind of dessert captivated Wanliu Academy students.

What were the family backgrounds of those students?

They were scions of the city’s affluent households, wealthy families, even Shengjing families—how delicious must the desserts be to leave such an impression?

Some were even prepared to criticize if Taohua Dessert didn’t live up to its reputation.

"...It was a brilliant idea from the owner; many people are now focusing on our opening," He Chao said to Tong Huaqiong.

The initial buzz was a success.

It all depended on the opening two days later.

Tong Huaqiong felt confident.

"Manager He, are there more meat-stuffed mooncakes?"

Someone was calling from the entrance.

Tong Huaqiong thought, the shop hasn’t even opened, and already there’s business.

He Chao stood up, smiling, and said to Tong Huaqiong, "It’s Lord Yao’s steward."

Tong Huaqiong was surprised; even Ning City’s Magistrate Yao was fuelling the hype.

He Chao warmly welcomed Housekeeper Zhu from Lord Yao’s household into the shop, saying, "Yes! It’s tough for Lord Yao to favor meat-filled mooncakes."

Housekeeper Zhu explained, "He used to eat sweet ones, but your shop’s savory ones suit Lord Yao’s taste. After inspecting the autumn harvest, he wanted your meat-filled mooncakes upon return."

These mooncakes weren’t sent by He Chao.

He didn’t have the influence to reach the city’s top official.

They were a gift from Lu Zhaoyang, who found them delicious. When Lord Yao asked, Lu Zhaoyang mentioned they were from Taohua Dessert.

Knowing about the shop in Pearl Alley, Lord Yao sent his steward to purchase more.

Even before opening, He Chao aimed to seize this chance.

This was already the second purchase.

For the opening’s hype, Taohua Dessert didn’t sell retail except to Wanliu Academy students, wanting to whet everyone’s appetites for the opening day.

Yet, with Lord Yao buying, He Chao made an exception.

He Chao personally packaged the freshly baked meat-stuffed mooncakes for Housekeeper Zhu, stating it was a gift for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

Housekeeper Zhu said if he took the shop’s items for free, Lord Yao would break his legs.

They haggled, and He Chao accepted the silver, while Housekeeper Zhu left with the mooncakes.

"Not bad, even the magistrate loves our cakes," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile.

This was perfect promotional material!

If it were modern times, Tong Huaqiong would have posted a poster of the magistrate enjoying Taohua Dessert’s mooncakes in the store.

Even without tools for recording, Tong Huaqiong wouldn’t miss out on leveraging the magistrate’s endorsement.

The magistrate favoring meat-filled mooncakes was incredibly enticing.

This era’s mooncakes were all sweet, so introducing savory ones piqued curiosity.

Adding a magistrate who loved them made it even more appealing.

What could the taste be, making the magistrate yearn for more, but to buy one and try!

With the magistrate offering promotional material, Tong Huaqiong decided not to waste it.

Furthermore, she hadn’t compromised the magistrate’s reputation, hadn’t bribed, nor profited off his name, only used it for marketing.

Tong Huaqiong felt no guilt in doing so.