An instant hit

"Are you here to eat snails?"

"Yes, we are. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not. Welcome, please have a seat."

"Let's not rush to sit down. Let's make sure - is your snail really free?"

"Of course, it's definitely free. We've advertised it, and if it's not free, you'll all criticize us."

"Wow, it seems to be true."

Initially, some diners were skeptical, given the prevalence of dishonest businesses. But after confirming, they all took their seats.

"Madam, you're offering it for free like this, aren't you afraid we'll eat you out of business?" one of them asked.

"Ha-ha, there's only one condition for the free offer: you can't take the food home. However, drinks and alcoholic beverages are not included. If those were free too, we'd surely go out of business."

"I understand."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Offering free snails was already generous, and if drinks were included, it would be a significant loss.

"Since that's the case, Madam, bring us a plate of snails."

"Sure. What flavor would you like?"

"What? Are there different flavors? Isn't there only one?"

"No, we have garlic, spicy, five-spice, numbing spicy, and thirteen-spice snails. It depends on your preference."

"Wow, you're really a professional snail vendor. We'll start with a plate of thirteen-spice snails."

"Just a moment."

The snails were ready, and the diners each ordered their preferred flavor. The snails were promptly served.

"Come on, give it a try."

"We're really lucky today; it's actually free."

"Hehe, today we'll definitely eat until we're full."

Everyone wore joyful expressions, some even skipped wearing gloves and dug in directly.

"Wow, this tastes amazing."

"It's both fragrant and spicy; delicious!"

"Is it really that good?"

"Of course, you'll know once you taste it."

"I see, let me try."

Once they tasted the snails, they realized what genuine professional snails tasted like.

"The flavor is really strong."

"Not bad at all. It looks like Xinfeng has a genuine snail restaurant."

"The name is clever too - Snail Beauty, it has character."

"It's much better than the snails at some of the other late-night eateries."

"We should all come here for snails whenever we have the chance."

"Absolutely, we've enjoyed their free snails today, and they're so delicious. If we don't return next time, it's a disservice to our own consciences."

Initially, everyone loved the snails. The five different flavors quickly captured their taste buds, making them extremely happy.

However, with so many customers, Chen Simian and his wife were kept busy. Even though the snails were already cooked, they had to clear tables and serve dishes, making the couple run around.

Fortunately, Chen Yu returned from the parade and joined the team to help.

Even so, they remained busy from morning until midnight, serving the influx of customers.

If it weren't for all the snails being completely consumed, even after midnight, there would still have been countless people waiting in line.

"Rest, everyone, take a break."

"So tired."

"Little Aunt, have a drink."

"Thank you, Xiaoyu, today was really busy."

"Who knows what tomorrow will be like."

"No need to say it; it's definitely going to be busy."

"Little Aunt, you're so sure about that."

"Of course, when I was clearing the tables just now, I overheard what they were saying. They said that from now on, whenever they want to eat snails, they'll come here, and nowhere else."

After closing shop, the family sat in the restaurant, exhausted. Despite the fatigue, they felt gratified when they thought about the day's success.

In any case, although tomorrow had not yet arrived, today's grand opening was undoubtedly a resounding success.

"Sister-in-law, how many pounds of snails did we sell today?"

"Seems like about 300 pounds."

"My goodness, 300 pounds, all sold out?"

"Yes."

Zhang Wenxiu nodded and said, "But today was the grand opening, so even though we say 'sold', everything was given away for free."

"Doesn't that mean we made a huge loss?"

"Not really, not really. It's not much of a loss."

"No loss? Sister-in-law, how could there be no loss? The wholesale price of snails now is 1 yuan per pound. The cost of 300 pounds is already 300 yuan, and you have to add the cost of oil, salt, and gas. It's at least four hundred."

However, as she finished speaking, Chen Meihua looked at the hundreds of bottles of drinks and liquor on display in the restaurant and suddenly understood.

"I get it now."

Chen Meihua gave Chen Yu a big thumbs-up and said, "Nephew, you're amazing."

"Little Aunt, don't praise me too much. I was worried they wouldn't drink the beverages and alcohol."

"Exactly, Xiaoyu, at first, you didn't know, and I thought we were going to suffer a big loss today."

Thinking back to the large crowd at the beginning, Zhang Wenxiu couldn't help but shudder.

If they had only eaten the snails and nothing else, it would indeed have been a significant loss.

However, luckily, even though most people initially intended to eat the snails for free and not buy any beverages or alcohol, as they ate, they couldn't help but purchase drinks and liquor. After finishing one bottle, they found it unsatisfying and bought more. In the end, they figured that even if they drank more beverages and alcohol, they were still coming out ahead since the snails were free.

As a result, all the beverages and liquor in the restaurant were consumed by the customers, and they had to rush to a wholesale supermarket to buy several dozen more cases.

"Alright, everyone, it's late, and you've all worked hard. Let's go back and rest. Little sis, you've also had a tough day. Here, it's for the grand opening."

Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Simian stood up and took out a red envelope, handing it to Chen Meihua.

"Brother, what's this?"

"Sis, you've worked hard all day, and I have nothing to thank you for. Take this red envelope back and buy something for my little nephew to eat."

"No, brother, take it back. We're family; there's no need to accept a red envelope."

Chen Meihua was quite upset and pushed the red envelope back into Chen Simian's hands.

"Sis, you..."

"Don't 'sis' me, brother. If you keep doing this, I'll get angry."

With a tug, Chen Yu reached forward and took the red envelope from his father. "Dad, give me the red envelope. I'll go find our little cousins when I have time and buy them some treats."

Chen Yu was also helpless.

His old man was so single-minded.

Even though his aunt's family was not well off, what's the big deal about giving a red envelope in person? Even if he wanted to help his aunt, it didn't have to be this way.

Couldn't there be another way to go about it?

Of course, to be honest, even if they tried to help behind the scenes, it wouldn't make much of a difference. Improving their living conditions required a different approach.

Just as they were talking, a phone call came in.

"Hello, is this Mr. Chen, the owner of Snail Beauty?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm Li Xiang from Da Dong Fashion."

"Oh, so you're Mr. Li. Are you looking to eat snails? I'm sorry, but all the snails here were sold out today."

"Hehe, congratulations, Mr. Chen. Your snails were incredibly popular today. Some of my employees were drooling just talking about your snails. We'll come over to your place to eat snails another day."

"Thank you, Mr. Li, for your support."

"You're welcome, you're welcome. Mr. Chen, I called today to ask for a favor."

"What's the matter? Please, go ahead."

"Well, can you tell me which advertising team you hired today? We're planning an event tomorrow and would like to hire them too."

"We..."

At this moment, Chen's phone was on silent mode, so even without using speakerphone, people nearby could hear the conversation.

Chen Simian was about to say it was an event organized by his son for fun, but Chen Yu, who was next to him, was quick-witted. He gestured to his father, pointing at his aunt, and said, "Little Aunt, it's for my aunt."

"Oh, Mr. Li, the advertising team you're looking for is Chen Meihua. She's right here at my place. I'll have her call you in a moment."

"Great, thank you."

Li Xiang hung up the phone.