MGASC -Chapter 218 Miss, Do You Have a Boyfriend?

Uncle Chen, the butler who had come with her, stood by the roadside beside her, watching as Gu Junye’s car drove away.

“Old Madam, it’s quite cold. You really have the leisure to stroll around the streets?” Old Chen tightened the sable coat around her shoulders.

“It’s because I don’t like listening to that brat nag. Every day he talks about his restaurant. Isn’t he just eyeing my bit of money?”

“Then where shall we go now…?”

“Old Chen, I’m hungry.”

“What would you like to eat, Old Madam?” Old Chen gave a wry smile. Having followed her for many years, one look at her expression told him exactly what to do next. “How about we check out that shop we just saw with the wintersweet blossoms?”

The old lady immediately beamed. “Old Chen, Old Chen, you understand me best!”

So the two of them walked briskly for another stop and finally found the quaint storefront on Jiu Ma Road.

Grandma Gu looked up at the plaque above the door. “‘Kemanlou’? The name’s a bit ordinary.”

“Yes, it’s rather common. But sometimes great vulgarity is great elegance. Madam, those plum blossoms are blooming beautifully. Would you like a photo?” Knowing her hobbies well, Old Chen always carried a camera.

“Is that appropriate?”

“As long as you like it.”

Sure enough, Grandma Gu childishly stood beneath the plum tree and struck a stylish pose.

Back in the day, she had even studied abroad. She had been one of the fashionable youths of her time!

As they reached the entrance, a waitress in a qipao stepped forward and opened the door for them. “Welcome to Kemanlou.”

Grandma Gu gave a slight nod, her gaze lingering briefly on the waitress’s qipao.

Not bad. Within her aesthetic standards.

Once inside the hall, a warm fragrance wafted toward them, followed by the gentle sound of silk-and-bamboo instruments—clear, tinkling notes like mountain spring water, refreshing to the heart.

Though upon closer look the décor wasn’t purely traditional, it blended perfectly with modern furnishings.

They found a seat behind a screen. A graceful waitress approached with the menu.

Grandma Gu flipped through it. The menu was exquisitely made, each dish accompanied by pictures and descriptions, clear at a glance.

“This pickled cabbage fish sounds novel. Shall we try it? Young lady, will it be very spicy?”

“Hello, Madam. We can make it non-spicy for you, or just mildly spicy.”

“Alright, mildly spicy then.”

She ordered four dishes. As the waitress was about to leave, the old lady suddenly grabbed her hand.

“Hey, young lady, you’re quite pretty. Do you have a boyfriend?”

Her grandson Gu Yu was still single, after all.

“Madam… I’m only 18.”

“Eighteen? That’s a bit young. My grandson is already 28.”

The waitress flushed red and hurried away, never imagining she had just missed a blind-date opportunity—with one of the restaurant’s shareholders.

Old Chen sighed. “Old Madam, please be a little low-key. Don’t try to introduce Ah Yu to every pretty girl you see. You’ll scare them.”

“Will I? Hah! It’s that little rascal who’s not living up to expectations.”

Soon, their dishes arrived. Listening to the guzheng music, the old lady happily devoured the pickled cabbage fish. Eating just the fish wasn’t enough—she ordered a bowl of handmade noodles, soaked them in the soup, and slurped them up without a shred of decorum, even letting out a satisfied burp.

“I must say, this pickled cabbage is crisp and appetizing—absolutely delicious! Just a bit spicy. I should’ve told them not to add chili. Still, the spice is quite flavorful. Old Chen, we must come again next time. It’s much tastier than those bland dishes Junye makes!”

Old Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They had only been in Jiangcheng a few days, and perhaps due to the change in environment, the old lady hadn’t eaten much. This meal had truly pleased her.

From the sound of it, she was planning to treat this place like her canteen!

When it was time to settle the bill, Grandma Gu stopped that pretty waitress again.

“Madam, I really am only 18…”

“No, no. I want to ask— is your boss here?”

The waitress let out a breath of relief and pointed toward the entrance. “Madam, the one doing customers’ hair by the door is our boss lady. Her name is Zhang Qiao.”

What?

Doing hair?

It turned out this was a new promotional tactic Zhang Qiao had come up with.

Recently, she had been racking her brains to win back the restaurant’s customer traffic. Hard work paid off—she finally thought of a solution.

At Su Yin’s place, under Zhang Qiao’s urging, hundreds of hair straighteners and curling irons had been produced at top speed.

As soon as the styling tools arrived, Zhang Qiao launched a “free hairstyling while waiting” promotion in the restaurant.

If it was peak dining time and customers had to wait for a table, they could enjoy a free hair straightening or curling during the wait.

Similarly, if a table spent over one hundred yuan, the women in the group could receive the same treatment. If they spent over two hundred yuan, they would receive a complimentary set of either a straightener or a curling iron.

Because of pressure from Yuehai Hui, the restaurant usually didn’t require customers to wait for tables. But today was the weekend, and customer traffic had picked up. At the lunch rush, there were once again people waiting.

Zhang Qiao hurried to the front with her newly arrived styling tools and began showing off her skills.

While straightening customers’ hair, she instructed the two waitresses beside her. In the future, they would become the main staff responsible for this task. At the same time, Zhang Qiao didn’t forget to eloquently promote her styling tools.

She told customers how easy they were to use, letting them witness firsthand how a straightener could create sleek, glossy long hair in less than ten minutes—saving both time and effort.

To avoid stray hairs everywhere, she had specially set up a glass room at the entrance for the activity, keeping everything clean and visually appealing.

Previously, she and Su Yin had been worried about how to sell the straighteners and curling irons. In this era, few households even had televisions. Advertising wasn’t realistic, and she couldn’t afford the fees anyway.

But backward times had their advantages. When something good appeared, word of mouth spread quickly—one person telling another. In less than half a year, news could spread across the whole country.

A styling tool set didn’t cost much—far cheaper than going to a salon.

By running the promotion in the restaurant, she boosted business while successfully selling her styling tools. Word spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred. Soon, she wouldn’t have to worry about unsold inventory.

Sure enough, once waiting customers heard that the styling tool set was only ten yuan and could let them create a hairstyle in just over ten minutes—much more convenient than going to a salon—they didn’t hesitate to buy a set.

When Grandma Gu came over, Zhang Qiao was happily busy collecting payments.

She wore that sapphire-blue qipao, her hair styled in natural large curls cascading over her shoulders. Already blessed with jade-like skin and striking beauty, Zhang Qiao looked even more radiant after dressing up—bright and captivating beyond compare.

Grandma Gu had seen plenty of beauties in her lifetime. Yet standing at the entrance, watching Zhang Qiao’s lively eyes and animated charm as she promoted her products, she couldn’t look away.

Even more astonishing was Zhang Qiao’s promotional strategy. The old lady muttered inwardly—

So this works too?!