National Tide 1980.

May 17, 1993, was a Sunday.

The day began in the morning with a gloomy atmosphere. The sky over Beijing remained overcast all day, with layers of dark clouds pressing down on the city walls. A fine spring rain drizzled incessantly, wetting the bluestone pavement of Qianmen Street and enveloping the entire Qianmen commercial district. In terms of weather, it was definitely not auspicious; it was cold, damp, and shrouded in darkness.

But it must be said that this is indeed a good day.

This was because it was the day that the newly renovated "Hongxinglou", "Qingyunge" and "Quanyechang" reopened together.

Needless to say, these three stores certainly didn't hold back when it came to the opening ceremony.

On the opening day, the front of the three stores was neatly filled with layers of congratulatory flower baskets, a vibrant display of red and purple.

Professional lion dance troupes took turns performing, with golden lions leaping and drums beating loudly. The festive drumbeats pierced through the rain and resounded throughout Qianmen Street.

Fireworks and cannons burst in succession, exploding in the rain and mist, creating a magnificent and eye-catching spectacle.

The complete ribbon-cutting ceremony was well-organized and solemn, truly showcasing the prestige of a top-tier time-honored brand's comeback.

Daqianmen is a long-established core business district in Beijing, and its population density is naturally high.

The lively scene of gongs and drums, lion dances and cannon salutes instantly attracted a huge number of passersby.

The light rain couldn't dampen the bustling atmosphere of the city. The streets, intersections, and in front of shops were soon packed with onlookers, a sea of ​​people, a cacophony of voices, so crowded that it was impossible to move.

Due to the overwhelming number of people and the increased pressure on maintaining order, the local police station specially assigned four officers to take turns on duty and patrol to direct traffic. They were stationed at three stores to maintain order and manage the flow of vehicles and people throughout the event, demonstrating the immense scale of the reopening ceremony.

It's fair to say that the reopening of these old shops has generated considerable buzz.

But to be fair, this grand spectacle, seemingly a show for ordinary people, was actually aimed at all the media reporters in the city.

Ning Weimin saw things clearly; these three old shops had been declining for many years.

Hongxinglou recently suffered a collapse in reputation, lost customers, and had its name tarnished.

Qingyun Pavilion and Quanyechang have been closed for renovations for a long time and have completely faded from public view. There is a gap in understanding between the old and new generations of people, and many young people have never even heard of the former glory of these two famous old stores.

He wanted to revive the dilapidated old shop, bring it back to the top business district in Beijing, and regain the recognition and favor of the entire city. A lively scene alone was far from enough.

We must find a way to rebuild their reputation, refresh public perception, and make the people of Beijing rediscover the historical significance of these shops.

So he even privately promised these media outlets some compensation.

The standard is about 200 yuan per person for travel expenses, which is given to each person upon arrival.

If a related report appears the next day, there will be a reward ranging from one to two thousand yuan, depending on the importance of the media platform and the reporting method and content.

This is also a peculiar phenomenon that has become common in the media industry today: "money-driven news" has become popular.

Many companies have begun to pay attention to soft advertising in the media, and are willing to spend money to have the media embellish their image. Some entrepreneurs are even willing to spend money to create a biography for themselves and write documentary literature about their companies.

As a result, a consensus on pricing standards, or so-called unspoken rules, gradually emerged within the industry.

As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. In the business world where everyone knows how to spend money to buy publicity and create momentum to seize opportunities, regardless of whether this phenomenon is good or bad, this tactic is certainly effective.

With his lavish spending, Ning Weimin certainly didn't waste his money; the media and public opinion were completely swayed.

Starting the day after the opening, a massive wave of publicity and reports swept across the city.

Television broadcasts continuously announcing the grand reopening of the old shops, radio programs featured the century-old cultural heritage of the three shops, and major newspapers published in-depth articles covering the past commercial status and historical glory of Hongxinglou, Qingyunge, and Quanyechang, providing a comprehensive interpretation of the new upgrades, business format innovations, and service enhancements brought about by this renovation.

The former dilapidation and silence have been completely erased, replaced by a top-tier time-honored brand image that is rich in heritage, brand new, and in line with the new era.

The combination of established brand heritage and innovative business models instantly sparked a sense of novelty, curiosity, and anticipation among the city's residents.

The public outcry completely ignited offline customer traffic.

In just a few days, all three stores were packed with customers every day.

With its upgraded affordable home-style dishes and elegant dining environment, Hongxinglou has firmly captured the hearts of family gatherings and nearby residents, with long queues during mealtimes and private rooms fully booked every day.

Qingyun Pavilion focuses on a new type of cultural, commercial and tourism integration business model, but adopts the retro atmosphere of old Beijing. It combines exhibitions, folk arts, leisure, catering and cultural and creative experiences, attracting a large number of young people and tourists from other places.

Trendy, lively, stylish, and extremely popular.

Quanyechang replicates the old-fashioned commercial style, bringing together various overstock items from brands under Yunshang Clothing Company, as well as unique Japanese goods and department store items he brought back from Japan, and all kinds of trendy items.

To put it simply, this place has become Ning Weimin's largest store for dumping secondhand Japanese goods.

It attracted a constant stream of customers.

The chill of rain on the opening day of these three shops in the Qianmen business district has long been dispelled. They have created a new atmosphere of bustling activity and daily prosperity by relying on publicity, scene innovation, and brand reshaping, and have become the hottest topic of conversation in Beijing's business community recently.

Any businessman in Beijing who has made a fortune in the catering, clothing, and retail industries would be drawn to and disturbed by the news of these stores.

Mi Xiaoran, who had just returned from her trip to Hong Kong and Macau, was filled with disdain and contempt, and did not believe for a second that the prosperity and excitement were real.

Although the neighbors of Courtyard No. 2 were all invited and made a special trip to join in the opening festivities.

After her parents returned home, they kept praising Ning Weimin's three new stores, describing them as incredibly unique and impressive, and convinced that Ning Weimin had made several big deals again.

The more her family praised her, the more Mi Xiaoran scoffed and felt nothing at all.

This stemmed from both her blind self-confidence and arrogance, as well as from preconceived notions.

After all, she also spent money on media reporters for the opening of her new store, just not as much as Ning Weimin.

In her eyes, Ning Weimin was nothing more than someone who spent money to create hype, bought excitement, and built up a false popularity through the media.

The so-called widespread praise, unprecedented success, and rave reviews are not genuine market achievements at all; they are all media press releases bought with money and a deliberately created false prosperity.

It may be a temporary frenzy, but it will eventually be exposed for what it truly is within ten days to half a month.

She herself has experienced this firsthand.

While her invested restaurant brands initially enjoy a surge in popularity thanks to similar marketing strategies, the difference between new and established stores becomes apparent once the media hype fades. Currently, her best-performing restaurants are Alan Restaurant in Dongsi and Xin Ajing Cantonese Cuisine in Xidan.

Other new stores are also doing very well, but they can't compare to the popularity of these two stores.

The daily revenue can differ by ten to twenty thousand.

Therefore, she simply did not believe that the sudden popularity of Ning Weimin's stores could last.

Her evaluation was only one sentence.

"It's all fake. Don't be fooled by the current hype; it'll definitely cool down soon. If you don't believe me, let's go to his shop again at the end of the month. I guarantee it'll be a completely different story. It's all just business tactics. You don't understand, and you're too easy to fool."

In fact, in order to prove that his judgment was correct, and also to wake his family from their superstition about Ning Weimin.

And that's exactly what she did.

On May 30th, the last Sunday of May, the sky was clear and the rain of the past few days had long since dissipated.

Mi Xiaoran deliberately chose noon, the prime time for dining, and drove her black BMW, carrying her parents and family, straight to Hongxinglou on Beiwei Road.

Her purpose today was extremely pure; it wasn't for food at all, but to "verify its authenticity."

It was to show his family that Ning Weimin's whole affair was just hype, a charade, and a flashy but ultimately empty gimmick.

As soon as the car turned onto Qianmen Street, about a hundred meters away from Hongxinglou, Mi Xiaoran's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed through her mind.

As far as the eye could see, the area in front of Hongxinglou was teeming with people. A dense crowd of people lined up along the street, with a constant flow of people, showing no signs of the crowds waning or the business slowing down.

This scene was completely beyond her expectations.

She was certain that after half a month, the media hype surrounding the opening would have been exhausted, and the artificial popularity created would inevitably collapse. She thought that Hongxinglou should be deserted and sparsely populated at this moment, but she never expected to see such a scene.

However, as the car slowly approached, when Mi Xiaoran took a closer look, she found that most of the people queuing at the entrance of Hongxinglou were carrying plastic bags, enamel basins, and insulated containers, and none of them looked like they were dressed up for a banquet and preparing to dine in.

The queue was surrounding a newly opened takeout convenience store window of Hongxinglou on the street.

The main products are affordable everyday foods such as steamed buns, twisted rolls, braised meat, marinated food, cooked food, and semi-finished home-style dishes.

A disdainful sneer curled at the corner of Mi Xiaoran's lips as she instantly regained her composure from her earlier panic.

The initial surprise in her heart vanished instantly, replaced by an even stronger sense of contempt and sarcasm.

That's what happened.

As she slowly maneuvered the car to find a parking space, she turned her head to look at her family in the car, her tone full of superiority and sarcasm as she leisurely began to comment.

"See? What did I tell you? It's all an illusion, all fake. There are hardly any actual customers eating in the restaurant. The only ones making it look good are the locals buying cooked food and staple foods."

Before her family could speak, she continued to speak to herself, her words clear and logical, displaying the air of an expert who had seen through the essence of business.

"Ning Weimin just can't change his old ways. He used the same trick when he opened the Tan Gong Restaurant, ignoring the high-end fine dining and insisting on catering to the common people. Now that he's reopened Hongxinglou, he's doing the exact same thing. It's ridiculously naive."

"The restaurant business is about class, profit, and social circles. But he ignores the high profits of high-end formal dining and instead focuses on small-profit, high-volume steamed buns and twisted rolls. This kind of petty business can't make much money even if you work yourself to death. Does he deserve to be called a booming business? This is called a confused customer positioning."

In Mi Xiaoran's business acumen, truly high-end catering relies on private rooms, upscale banquets, and expensive dishes to generate premium pricing.

Relying on local street food to attract customers is simply lowering one's standards and wasting the value of the store's location.

She continued to argue eloquently, her tone full of certainty.

"Moreover, this is not a plus at all; it's a complete loss and a drag on the main business. Ordinary people buy ready-made food and staples outside for a few dollars and simply take them home for a meal, which directly eliminates their idea of ​​going into the restaurant to order a proper meal. Although the entrance is bustling and crowded, it actually diverts customers from high-end restaurants, which is putting the cart before the horse. The better he makes his steamed buns, silver thread rolls, fried dumplings, and the like, the more it affects the income from the stir-fried dishes in the restaurant."

Finally, she added a very direct complaint, accurately pointing out what bothered her the most.

"Besides, this street is already crowded and parking is scarce. He deliberately set up this convenience window at the entrance, which attracted a bunch of neighbors to line up and blocked the road in front of the store. Customers who actually drive here to eat will turn around and leave as soon as they see how crowded and chaotic it is. It looks popular on the surface, but in reality, it's all ineffective traffic and a complete waste of effort."

The parents and relatives in the car, who didn't understand the logic of new business models and couldn't comprehend concepts like traffic, lead generation, or business model matching, were completely intimidated by her clear and seemingly logical analysis.

Even Mi Xiaohui, who had initially been full of praise and certain that Ning Weimin's business was booming, suddenly felt uneasy and began to have doubts.

Looking at the chaotic queue outside the window, I subconsciously felt that Mi Xiaoran made a good point.

The Mi family couldn't help but worry about Ning Weimin, and their initial enthusiasm for him cooled down considerably.

Amidst the silence, Mi Xiaoran finally found an empty spot to park the car. The family got out and followed the flow of people toward the main entrance of Hongxinglou.

Looking up, the newly renovated entrance of Hongxinglou is simple, elegant, and full of texture. The old and faded signs have all been removed and replaced with exquisite and neat white three-dimensional lettering, which is simple, sophisticated, and unconventional.

Below the text, a line of slender English letters is clearly visible—SINCE 1822.

The short line of dates silently reveals the rich history and heritage of this century-old shop. The retro style combined with the modern three-dimensional lettering creates a unique blend of the old and the new, making it more sophisticated, timeless, and easily recognizable than any other shop sign on the street.

Mi Xiaoran's gaze swept over the storefront, and a slight tremor ran through her heart. She had to admit to herself that, in terms of the quality and design aesthetics of the storefront, Ning Weimin's renovation was indeed outstanding and eye-catching, more stylish and sophisticated than the storefronts of her own Cantonese restaurants.

But she refused to show any of this fleeting recognition; her inherent pride and prejudice made her absolutely unwilling to admit Ning Weimin's brilliance.

She composed herself and instead began to criticize and mock, her words sharp and sarcastic.

"Look at his signboard, it's neither fish nor fowl, neither Chinese nor Western, it's just inexplicable."

"A perfectly good restaurant doesn't focus on making good food and improving service; instead, it does these meaningless things. Look at its signboard; it insists on adding a year below the restaurant's name, clearly trying to flaunt its history and sell nostalgia to attract attention. Unfortunately, young people and tourists these days are looking for new flavors and trendy experiences when they eat out, while ordinary people are looking for affordable and delicious food. Who's going to pay for your two-hundred-year-old history? Outdated nostalgia is long gone."

The more she looked at him, the more displeased she became, and her words grew increasingly extreme and excessive. She completely ignored the advice of her family members and continued to make sarcastic remarks.

"Besides, when it comes to restaurant signs, what matters is that they are eye-catching, lively, and festive. Every restaurant on the street uses red lettering and neon lights to grab the attention of passersby from afar. Only Ning Weimin is being deliberately mysterious, hanging a pale white three-dimensional sign above his door, which looks cold, solemn, and lifeless. People who don't know better might think that a funeral or mourning hall is being held here, which is extremely unlucky."

These words were indeed too harsh and full of hostility. Master Mi, who was standing to the side, tensed up and quickly spoke up to stop her, fearing that she would speak recklessly and go too far.

"Xiaoran! Don't talk nonsense! They just opened for business. How can you say such unlucky things? That's too much!"

Interrupted by her father's stern voice, Mi Xiaoran pouted, her resentment growing stronger. (End of Chapter)