Chapter 495: Chapter 495: Nature’s Blind Box

"Items are precious when they’re rare. Only VIP customers of our pearl stall can reserve the Black Pearl."

Since Black Pearls are uncommon, we must employ scarcity marketing strategies.

Otherwise, with the Lian Family’s pearl shop being so famous, why would people come to Jufu to buy pearls?

Other essential items can win customers’ favor through low prices, but pearls cater to a spiritual need, making it difficult to engage in price wars, necessitating an unusual marketing approach.

Tong Huaqiong gave Lian Hengruo a lesson on what VIP and customization mean.

Lian Hengruo immediately understood and quickly suggested limited sales, requiring customers to buy a certain number of regular pearls to qualify for purchasing Black Pearls...

Goodness, under Tong Huaqiong’s guidance, Lian Hengruo has surpassed the master and learned hunger marketing.

Tong Huaqiong felt it still wasn’t enough, as prolonged hunger marketing might incite a rebellion in people’s minds.

Other marketing methods are needed to complement it.

Tong Huaqiong thought of the blind box from future generations, which exploits people’s gambling mentality, making them addicted to drawing blind boxes.

Pearl oysters are the most natural blind boxes.

Usually, customers buy pearls already taken out of oysters, but if they were allowed to pick and open oysters themselves, wouldn’t it create a strong sense of involvement?

If they mixed in oysters containing Black Pearls, making it all a matter of luck like a blind box, wouldn’t it further ignite everyone’s desire to purchase?

Tong Huaqiong explained the Black Pearl blind box in plain language to Lian Hengruo, whose eyes lit up.

Lian Hengruo clapped her hands in praise, acknowledging Aunt Tong’s ability to firmly establish Jufu in Pingchuan County with endless money-making ideas.

She was still too inexperienced, unable to think of varied business strategies like this.

Tong Huaqiong also suggested promoting pearl sales in Pingchuan marriages, emphasizing pearls as symbols of sincerity, with pearls chosen for weddings.

Lian Hengruo said, "I’m planning to open the pearl stall the day after tomorrow. Aunt Tong, I need to ponder over these business strategies you’ve mentioned and draft some rules."

The pearl stall had already been decorated according to Tong Huaqiong’s requirements, highlighting Jufu’s uniqueness without losing the style Lian Hengruo desired.

Both were very satisfied, so opening in two days was entirely feasible.

After discussing business, Tong Huaqiong hadn’t forgotten gossip, and asked, "Has Gu Ruinian troubled you these past two days?"

Lian Hengruo laughed scornfully, "He’s nothing more than a toad lusting for swan meat. I have someone watching him; these past few days, he’s been circling near my courtyard without doing anything outrageous."

Tong Huaqiong replied, "Even so, you mustn’t let your guard down."

Tong Huaqiong felt Gu Ruinian had more tricks up his sleeve, so she had Nie Xiaofeng keep a close eye on him, too.

The reason for not alerting him was to let Gu Ruinian reveal all his tricks completely.

Lian Hengruo said, "I’ll be careful. I don’t know how he set his sights on me, thinking I’m an easy-to-fool young lady."

Tong Huaqiong’s guess was correct; Lian Hengruo might have even forgotten about the marriage arrangement with Gu Ruinian.

Tong Huaqiong didn’t understand why the Lian family’s daughters, even those from secondary branches, didn’t worry about marriage, but she had to plan a match for a destitute child student from the countryside with uncertain prospects.

Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong wanted to know Lian Hengruo’s thoughts, so she asked directly, "I heard you arranged a marriage with Gu Ruinian? How can you, the cherished daughter of the Lian family, arrange a marriage with an unknown Gu Ruinian from the countryside?"

Lian Hengruo thought for a moment, her cheeks turning red as she replied, "To put it bluntly, my greatest contribution to the Lian family is to pave the way through marriage. Those I desire think less of me for being born of a secondary wife, and those who don’t mind, I can’t stand. Later, I realized that if I married into a family of equal standing, I’d merely follow the fate of the family’s elder aunt, tending to the husband and children, guarding against concubines, leading a tedious half-life in the inner residence. It would be better to choose a family with lesser standing, freeing myself from serving in-laws or interference within the inner residence."

This was quite in line with Tong Huaqiong’s thoughts.

Lian Hengruo’s ambition wasn’t confined to the inner residence; she didn’t wish to live a life centered on husband and children. In an era where marriage was inevitable, she thought of breaking the norm by selecting a husband from a less prestigious family.

Preferably someone educated, as educated people tend to be more rational.

"As for Gu Ruinian, honestly, he was found by Matchmaker Wang, not actively chosen by me, so he left no impression on me previously."

Even now, she barely had an impression of Gu Ruinian.

In Pingchuan County, any educated person from a humble background that could be named had been scouted by Matchmaker Wang.

After Gu Ruinian failed the Scholar exam, he was promptly dismissed by Matchmaker Wang.

Gu Ruinian wasn’t resigned, having Matchmaker Wang deliver a note to Lian Hengruo, seeking a meeting. For the sake of silver, Matchmaker Wang did deliver the note to Lian Hengruo.

But Lian Hengruo simply discarded it, not taking it seriously at all.

Tong Huaqiong remarked, "So that’s how it is."

Lian Hengruo fancied marrying into a lesser family, a notion quite beautiful, but reality often doesn’t follow suit.

A lesser family might impose harsher demands on women than letting them break societal norms, asking for sons, imposing the duty of serving in-laws, or even succumbing to husbands’ violent outbursts.

Some lesser families mix inferiority with pride when facing a higher status wife, fostering more malicious schemes.

Tong Huaqiong shared her understanding of lesser families.

She offered anecdotal evidence, citing a Qinghe Bay example where a daughter-in-law was tormented by her husband’s family.

Lian Hengruo replied, "Aunt Tong, I’ve thought over the past few days that marrying into a lesser family can’t resolve my predicament, so I should focus on my pearl business. Only by grasping the Lian family’s wealth and business can I carve my path."

This conclusion emerged after seriously considering Gu Ruinian’s appearance.

Gu Ruinian hadn’t harmed her, yet reminded her that seeking a lesser family’s husband might not be viable.

If someone like Gu Ruinian approached her with ulterior motives, exploiting and scheming against her, even taking her life for her dowry while she was weak from childbirth, how should she respond?

She would merely be gifting a bridal gown, akin to sewing bridal gowns for her brothers at home.

Hence, she ditched the idea of marriage altogether.

Despite needing to marry unless she became a nun, Lian Hengruo felt troubled, pacing herself step by step.

Tong Huaqiong observed Lian Hengruo’s clear insight into her matrimonial affairs and felt comforted yet melancholic, recognizing that under the Lian family’s pressure, the Second Miss couldn’t avoid marriage. Though engaged in the Lian family’s pearl business, she faced dual pressures.

Such a life, in her opinion, wasn’t as free as that of a country widow.

In the past, she lamented not transmigrating into a wealthy family’s daughter; if she had, the freedom wouldn’t exceed that of a humble country widow.

Suddenly, Lian Hengruo smiled sheepishly, "Matchmaker Wang once brought up your youngest son to me, saying you were a disagreeable mother-in-law but your nephew’s son made a good match..."

Lian Hengruo reminisced about this incident, chuckling.

Others indeed viewed Aunt Tong’s temperament as difficult, domineering, and obstinate, yet without such a demeanor, she’d be consumed entirely in business matters.

Her name as the Second Miss, akin to Tong Dajiao, didn’t bother her.

She didn’t mind; presumably, Aunt Tong didn’t either. It explained why she clicked with Aunt Tong and could partner in business.

Tong Huaqiong was surprised to hear Gu Jingzhe’s name landed in Lian Hengruo’s marriage list.

One couldn’t overlook how fate twisted and ultimately brought her and the Lian family’s Second Miss together.