Chapter 30: It Seems… They’re People from Our Shop!
Chen Fangzhou covered his face with his hands—Jiang Xiaoyuan was really out of her mind. She only remembers food but not punishment.
It seemed she had forgotten the last time she had a falling out with Xiao K and others. Back then, with Boss Chen’s help, she had barely saved face but lost her dignity. Chen Fangzhou couldn’t understand why a month’s performance bonus wasn’t enough to teach her a lesson.
Why does she treat money like dirt?!
Lily wanted to pull her back but couldn’t, and even she began to doubt if Jiang Xiaoyuan had a box of fireworks in her head—one spark and she would explode, then immediately forget what her last name was.
If Lily was willing to read more books, she would have understood that her new friend was what people generally call “emotionally unintelligent.”
Emotionally unintelligent people aren’t necessarily mute or shy; some may even seem very outgoing and lively at first glance. But they share a common trait: their life’s focus can shift at any moment, never knowing what their priority is. No matter how dedicated they are to learning or making money, a slight external push can cause them to explode emotionally, veer off course, and stubbornly forge ahead.
How good is it to let Jiang Xiaoyuan be in charge of a new business? On one hand, she could earn a hairstylist’s salary and do double duty in her spare time, making extra money. Even if the business didn’t take off in two months, the extra income would still be hers.
Wasn’t Jiang Xiaoyuan’s goal to use her skills to earn some extra cash legitimately?
But now, not only would she not get a performance bonus in two months, but she might end up paying for it herself.
Lily was all anxious and worried, but it was like a eunuch being more anxious than the emperor himself—the original intent of earning extra money didn’t matter if someone else remembered it for Jiang Xiaoyuan, as she had already forgotten it herself.
Xiao K winked at Helen smugly—Jiang Xiaoyuan was the easiest fish to catch. She would jump up as soon as she was hooked.
After work, Lily caught up with Jiang Xiaoyuan in two steps, pulling her aside with urgency: “What if you really can’t promote it? What are you thinking! Letting people make a few snide comments won’t kill you. Just ignore them and focus on getting the benefits for yourself, can’t you? You… ugh, you’re worrying me to death!”
Actually, Jiang Xiaoyuan had become clear-headed after the cold wind, and though she regretted it, she would never admit to it. She could only force a brave face and say, “No problem, don’t worry.”
“What am I supposed to be reassured about?” Lily was almost ready to kneel before her, “Do you know how many new businesses the main store rolls out each year? It might take three to five years to get one right!”
Jiang Xiaoyuan stubbornly replied, “Why are you backing out before you’ve even started? I’ll write you a marketing plan tomorrow.”
The next day, the makeup and styling service officially launched, and for Jiang Xiaoyuan, the countdown for the two months began.
Despite her bold claims, she hadn’t written a single word of the marketing plan—if it were that easy, everyone would be rich, and there wouldn’t be poor people in the world.
On the first day, no one showed up.
Jiang Xiaoyuan remained calm because it was a weekday, and there weren’t many customers in the shop. However, by evening, she couldn’t help but push the large advertisement for “Styling and Makeup Design” further out into the store’s entrance—it was in a poor spot and obstructed the path, causing a hasty customer to trip. As a result, she spent the whole day doing nothing and received a scolding from Boss Chen.
On the second and third days, still no customers.
Jiang Xiaoyuan felt like a wallflower as the “chief” stylist, barely managing to avoid spending the day sweeping the floor. She felt as if she had gone back to being an apprentice before she became a formal shampoo girl.
On the fourth day, the weekend, and the makeup and styling services were still ignored, Jiang Xiaoyuan was finally anxious.
She couldn’t resist becoming a salesperson and approached customers.
In fact, it is also the job of the employees in the hair salon to sell hairdressing packages and membership cards when receiving customers. Whoever sells them will get commissions. Helen became the first senior technician by relying on this eloquent tongue, but Jiang Xiaoyuan had never done this.
She couldn’t let go of her face. She always felt that selling something to others was like asking for something from others. She didn’t need others to show her any attitude. She felt inferior first, and Jiang Xiaoyuan didn’t know how to deal with being rejected.
The hardest thing in the world is asking for something; even harder is being told to get lost after asking.
However, to avoid the inexplicable debt, Jiang Xiaoyuan decided to give it her all.
She spotted a middle-aged woman getting her hair steamed and mustered her courage to approach: “Ma’am, you’re not wearing any makeup today?”
The woman looked up through the mirror, and Jiang Xiaoyuan quickly forced a smile, trying to maintain it under the woman’s indifferent and wary gaze. Her cheeks instantly stiffened.
The woman barely glanced at her before returning to her phone. Jiang Xiaoyuan awkwardly continued, “We’re offering makeup and styling services now, with a 30% discount. Would you like to try it?”
The woman ignored her completely, not even giving a glance.
Jiang Xiaoyuan stood there, unsure if she should say something like, “If you’re not interested, sorry for the bother,” to make her one-woman show have a proper ending.
As she turned to leave, Jiang Xiaoyuan thought she would never ignore street vendors or leaflet distributors again. It was too disheartening. It’s no wonder those who excel in sales earn high incomes; enduring this kind of direct disregard and rejection is incredibly difficult.
Jiang Xiaoyuan admitted she had no talent for sales. She tried it only once and wanted to give up while holding the broken glass.
The shop was bustling on the weekend, but Jiang Xiaoyuan was left alone, holding a cup of water and staring into space, reflecting on the consequences of her quick mouth.
After an indeterminate period of dejection, she suddenly saw Helen enthusiastically leading a customer to the checkout counter, sweetly saying to the receptionist, “Give this beautiful lady a 50% off card, calculated at the promotional price—darling, add me on WeChat, and let me know before you come next time so I can reserve a time for you, okay?”
It was obvious Helen had just secured another card.
A 50% off card earned her 200 yuan in commission. She had earned this much in just one morning. Plus, once customers added her on WeChat, they were unlikely to find others, becoming her long-term clients.
Lily appeared next to Jiang Xiaoyuan, drying her hands, and said, “Who are you looking at? Helen?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan responded with a “Mm.”
Lily: “Don’t look. She earns four to five thousand a month in bonuses, plus her base salary. With that, she earns more than a white-collar worker in the building across. Every time she goes shopping, she buys whatever she likes. She’s particularly wealthy.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan glanced at Lily. She genuinely liked this straightforward girl from the bottom of her heart, but for some reason, but she didn’t know why Jiang Xiaoyuan felt upset as long as Lily opened her mouth.
Unaware of her own tendency to bring up uncomfortable topics, Lily sighed deeply, “Have you noticed? Nowadays, the less of a person someone is, the wealthier they are. Good people are poor, huh!”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”
She suddenly jumped up like a corpse, and Lily was stunned: “Where are you going?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “To do some sales.”
Helen was like a dose of super 502 glue, perfectly mending Jiang Xiaoyuan’s shattered confidence. She boldly revived herself in the face of a powerful opponent.
This time, Jiang Xiaoyuan didn’t act rashly. She quietly observed Helen’s tactics and hid in an unnoticed corner, watching how Helen handled customers.
Helen’s voice was so sweet that it was sickening. Jiang Xiaoyuan quickly noticed that no matter how simple a customer’s needs were, Helen would go through the motions of discussing and providing thoughtful service.
Of course, even when communication is necessary, some customers are still very sparing with their words. These are usually the ones who truly dislike engaging in conversation. In such cases, Helen would stop talking and focus on her work, not saying anything more to avoid being annoying. However, most customers are open to chatting, and once a conversation starts, she wouldn’t ease up. The key is to keep the conversation going, like unraveling a ball of yarn, until she fully understands why the customer came to the salon. Then, whether it’s recommending products or selling a membership card, she can easily offer just what the customer needs.
For younger customers, Helen would use sympathy, while for older ones, she’d appeal to their vanity. Jiang Xiaoyuan observed that Helen’s lips seemed chapped from constant talking, showing that reaching her current position was not easy.
Jiang Xiaoyuan spent half the day learning from others and applied the newly acquired skills on customers in the evening. Due to the heavy foot traffic, each stylist had to handle several clients, and when there were gaps, Jiang Xiaoyuan would step in, asking customers if the temperature was too high or if they wanted water. She also racked her brain, trying to imitate Helen in building rapport and making connections.
However, the process wasn’t as smooth as she had imagined. Jiang Xiaoyuan quickly discovered that conversations between two strangers could easily fall into awkward silence or veer off course. As a newcomer to this, she wasn’t adept at managing and guiding topics, stumbling through her words. Only now did she realize how much harder this job was than it sounded.
Exhausted and mentally drained, Jiang Xiaoyuan wasted an entire precious weekend, yet still didn’t manage to land a single sale.
As the store was about to close, Jiang Xiaoyuan knew no more customers would come. She slumped into a corner, tired and clueless, trying to come up with a marketing plan. Finally, a customer noticed the promotional poster in the store.
“You guys do makeup too?” the customer asked casually.
Jiang Xiaoyuan perked up and quickly responded, “Yes! Are you interested in trying it out? We’re currently running a trial promotion, and participants can enjoy a 30%…”
“It’s so late. Why would I put on makeup just to go home and wash it off?” The customer laughed, “Young lady, your shop is trying to push makeup services at the wrong time of year. It’s the dead of winter; people wake up late, dress in layers, and head out when it’s still dark. With masks and scarves covering their faces, you can’t even tell the difference between men and women. Even those who usually wear makeup are slacking off, let alone those who aren’t interested at all. If you want to offer this service, you’d be better off waiting until next spring.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan was left speechless.
That night after work, Boss Chen had a brief talk with Jiang Xiaoyuan.
Cheng Fangzhou: “I think tomorrow you should just focus on your regular tasks. If you feel like your badge is too much to handle, you can switch back to the trainee one. And stop wandering around—you’re making me dizzy.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan didn’t respond. It was unclear whether she’d even heard it.
The hair salon opened at 10:30 each day, with staff arriving an hour earlier to prepare. Manager Chen typically arrived even earlier, sometimes as early as regular office workers.
The next morning, Chen Fangzhou, while digesting three large buns for breakfast, braved the cold on his electric scooter to the salon. When he reached the entrance, he was met with a jaw-dropping sight.
Right next to the dusty road, a group of women in bizarre outfits were walking a runway!
Chen Fangzhou rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he had come to the wrong place. But upon closer inspection, he realized that the women looked familiar…
They were…the staff from his salon!
Chen was on the verge of losing his mind. Trembling, he squeezed through the crowd and caught hold of the culprit, Jiang Xiaoyuan. “Ancestor[mfn]In a modern, informal context, 祖宗 (zǔ zōng), which literally means “ancestor,” is often used playfully or sarcastically to refer to someone who is being difficult, troublesome, or demanding. It’s like calling someone “boss” or “master” in a tongue-in-cheek way, acknowledging their authority or the trouble they cause.[/mfn], what are you up to this time?!”
Jiang Xiaoyuan, bundled up in a black down jacket with the hood pulled over her head, looked like a shadowy figure, with only her bright red nose sticking out.
The bizarre outfits were borrowed from the bridal studio across the street. The owner of the bridal shop was away, leaving behind a photographer who owed Jiang Xiaoyuan a favor and a multi-tasking cashier. Jiang Xiaoyuan had convinced the cashier to lend her several sets of outfits in exchange for a fancy nail design, and she recruited Lily and her friends as models.
The burly photographer from across the street had eagerly come to join the fun and even volunteered to direct the photoshoot.
To pull off this “show,” Jiang Xiaoyuan had fully leveraged her network.
It was rush hour for office workers, and quite a few passersby with some extra time had stopped to watch.
Anyone who stopped just had to scan a QR code and share the promotional poster to their social media moments to get a free makeup touch-up from Jiang Xiaoyuan. It was quite convenient—if someone came with a bare face, she would simply apply some foundation and a bit of loose powder. If someone had eyebrows drawn like Crayon Shin-chan[mfn]Crayon Shin-chan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui and is known for his thick eyebrows.[/mfn], she would wipe them off and redraw a few strokes…
It just required more cotton swabs and disposable sponges.
Chen Fangzhou stood with his hands behind his back, watching as the exhausted Jiang Xiaoyuan hurried about. He couldn’t help but think: “This girl really knows how to hustle.”
Amid the chaos, Jiang Xiaoyuan called out to him, “Don’t worry, boss. We’ll pack up before the shop opens. It won’t interfere with business!”
Boss Chen said nothing, merely frowning and glancing up at the big bear photographer. The photographer cheekily snapped a picture of Chen’s skeptical expression.
With a “click”, a slightly cynical posthumous photo was freshly baked.
Qi Lian was on his way to work and had intended to stop by the salon. But to his surprise, there was no place to park in front of the store. He parked across the street, watched the spectacle for a while, and—like Chen Fangzhou—was initially confused, then gradually intrigued.
Three minutes later, Qi Lian pulled out his phone, made a call, and reported his location to a colleague. “Guys, I’ve found some great material on my way. Come over and check it out.”
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