Rebirth of a Farmer's Dad

Without further ado, Luo Feng and Shunzi started work early the next day. Although the repackaging work wasn't particularly difficult, and theoretically, more people would make it faster, Luo Feng had no choice; the shop simply couldn't spare any more manpower. It was all the village chief's fault, really; the old man, whether on purpose or not, had taken everyone back to the village, leaving Luo Feng with no help whatsoever.

To Luo Feng's relief, Shunzi was full of enthusiasm. Well, he couldn't help it; he wanted to get married as soon as possible, because being single was tough.

And so, the Luo brothers worked all day, finally finishing all the packaging work by dinnertime. The day had left them exhausted. They had gone to the pottery market in the county early that morning, bringing back a truckload of small earthenware jars of various styles. Due to the time constraints, Luo Feng couldn't order standardized jars and had to make do with what they had. After bringing the jars home, they began cleaning them, a task that kept them busy all morning. Bao'er spent the entire afternoon doing the tedious packaging work, either packing the dried fruit into small bags or pouring jam into small earthenware jars and covering them with cloth. The Luo brothers persevered through this extremely boring work for the entire afternoon; one wonders what they were doing it for?

Fortunately, all the efforts paid off, and we can officially start delivering the free gifts tomorrow. I believe that once everyone has tasted the deliciousness of this stuff, they will take the initiative to come and buy the products they have.

The next morning, Luo Feng put up a sign at the store entrance. It read, "To thank our new and old customers, for the next three days, all customers who make a purchase at our store will receive a beautiful gift. Limited quantities available, while supplies last."

"Shunzi, set off a string of firecrackers at the shop entrance in a bit." Luo Feng felt that just that wasn't enough; they needed to make a bigger commotion.

"Okay, I'll be right there." Shunzi said as she went upstairs to get the firecrackers.

"Crackling and popping!" Around noon, just as diners were preparing to have lunch at Luo's Restaurant, firecrackers suddenly went off in front of the restaurant. The sound of firecrackers filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

Merchants always go to great lengths to promote their products. Having lived through the era of information overload, Luo Feng naturally understood this. Since there was no ban on fireworks, meaning no one would fine or detain him, how could Luo Feng, who deeply resented the future ban on fireworks, possibly let such a huge loophole pass him by? Although the New Year was still a long way off, he couldn't resist the urge to make a sound, just to satisfy his craving.

"Boss, what day is it today? I didn't see you this happy even during National Day." A group of diners, looking at Luo Feng standing at the door with a beaming expression, couldn't help but ask.

"Look, it says so here, it's to thank our new and old customers!" Luo Feng said, first pointing to the sign next to him, and then gesturing for the diners to come in.

"Oh, there's even a nice gift to give away! Can you tell me what it is?" The speaker was a regular customer of the store. He had been a regular customer since the store opened and was quite familiar with Luo Feng.

"Haha. Let me keep you in suspense for now, you'll find out soon enough." Luo Feng deliberately kept him in suspense.

"You're acting all mysterious, fine, I'll wait and see what you've got up your sleeve," the diner said before walking into the shop.

"Boss, didn't you say there would be exquisite gifts? We didn't see any." The one who asked the question was an impatient person, who thought Luo Feng was lying to him.

"Hey brothers, you came to my restaurant to eat and fill your stomachs, right? Or did you come specifically for these gifts?" Luo Feng said with a smile, which immediately made the other diners in the restaurant burst into laughter.

"Don't worry, when have I, Luo Feng, ever lied to anyone? When you finish your meal, I'll let you take the gifts with you when you pay the bill."

There's nothing wrong with what they said. After all, people come to a restaurant primarily to eat. Even if they have ulterior motives, they wouldn't say it in public; that would be too embarrassing.

Moreover, having learned from that fellow's experience, everyone decided to temporarily forget about the gifts and focus solely on the meal. Nobody wanted to embarrass themselves in public.

"Boss, please come and settle the bill." Everyone has different eating habits, so the speed of eating varies. At this moment, the first table of customers who had finished eating called out to Luo Feng.

"Your total is five yuan and thirty cents. I'll round it down to five yuan." Luo Feng said, beckoning to Shunzi who was standing to the side. Shunzi, carrying several jars, came over to Luo Feng.

"This is something I made at home. I'm taking it back for my wife and kids to enjoy." Luo Feng said, taking the jar from Shunzi and gesturing for him to get a few packets of dried fruit.

"What is this?" A diner asked, holding the small jar in a daze.

"Open it and take a look, and while you're at it, try it out and see how it tastes," Luo Feng said.

Seeing that the owner had spoken, everyone naturally didn't stand on ceremony and ripped off the cloth covering the stall. Instantly, a sweet aroma wafted out.

"Huh, isn't this jam?" Shi Ke said with a hint of disappointment, thinking it was something good.

"That's right, this is homemade jam, and there are some dried fruits too, you can take them with you." As he spoke, Luo Feng grinned and took a few paper bags from Shunzi, who had just run back.

"There's nothing special about this thing," Shi Shi said dismissively, pursing his lips.

"This is food. It looks ordinary on the surface, but its special feature is its taste. You can try it."

Upon hearing Luo Feng say this, that person immediately put the spot on their index finger into their mouth and tasted it.

"How does it taste?" Luo Feng asked without waiting for a response, as someone nearby asked him a question out of curiosity.

"Hmm, this tastes pretty good. Could you give me a few more cans? I have several children at home." The customer was satisfied with the taste and accepted Luo Feng's request for more cans.

"Sorry, we only give one gift per person." Luo Feng said, scratching his head with an embarrassed expression, which made everyone burst into laughter.

"Boss, with your skills, why aren't you in a circus troupe? It's a waste of your talent to be running a restaurant here." Someone joked with Luo Feng, looking at his comical appearance.

"I'd like to, but I'm afraid people would look down on someone like me." Knowing it was a joke, Luo Feng wasn't angry and responded with a smile.

Everything went smoothly after that. When the diners finished their meals and paid their bills, without exception, each person received a small jar of jam and a bag of dried fruit as a gift. Perhaps because of the free gifts, the restaurant's business was incredibly good for the next three days.

"It seems that no matter when, Chinese people can't shake their habit of trying to take advantage of others!" Seeing this, Luo Feng couldn't help but sigh. He suddenly thought of the behavior of those older folks in later generations, which was exactly the same as people today. He wondered if this could be considered a kind of heredity.