Thirty Days to Hoard: Reborn into the Frost

Chapter 105 -104: Ultimate PK 2

With things as they were, the ultimate winner would undoubtedly be none other than her, Zhang Wanwan!

Today was the ultimate showdown between the pickled fish and Japanese ramen stalls. As mealtime approached, the number of diners gradually increased, but the pickled fish window remained completely empty.

Liu Xiuxiu looked at the deserted pickled fish stall diagonally across from them and said smugly, “Boss Zhang, just as expected, no one showed up for them today. We’ve definitely won!”

A victorious smile touched the corners of Zhang Wanwan’s lips.

Several diners who hadn’t managed to buy pickled fish yesterday kept glancing toward the stall today.

“Why isn’t the pickled fish stall open yet?”

“Don’t tell me they’re not selling today either?”

“I’ve been waiting for two days.”

The diners gossiped among themselves as they peered at the window. There were also those who had bought from other stalls yesterday and wanted a change of pace today, hoping to have pickled fish instead.

The four youths—Yi Ronghao, Ouyang Feng, Jiang Yunhai, and Song Chuhuan—had also arrived at the cafeteria.

Just when everyone thought the pickled fish stall would remain closed, its lights suddenly flicked on. The familiar, mouthwatering aroma of pickled fish wafted out from the window. Chen Momo, the stall owner with her hair tied in a neat bun, and her assistant Xu Xiaoka were working busily yet methodically behind the counter.

Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “The pickled fish stall is open!”

Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka.

“Great! We can finally have pickled fish today!”

Diners flocked to the window to line up. Those who had missed out the day before rushed over without a moment’s hesitation the second they saw it open. Even those who had originally been queuing at other stalls had their interest piqued by the shout, abandoning their spots to join the line for pickled fish.

Soon, a massive, snaking queue formed in front of the newly opened stall, stretching all the way to the back of the cafeteria.

“I didn’t get any yesterday, so I absolutely have to line up for it today!”

“I’m not eating anything else; it’s pickled fish or bust! If they don’t open tomorrow, who knows how long we’ll have to wait to eat it again!”

“Since everyone else is lining up for it, we might as well join them!”

Among the crowd were people making up for missing out yesterday, those afraid the stall might close again tomorrow, and others who simply didn’t know what to eat and were blindly following the trend. Regardless of their reasons, as soon as Chen Momo’s stall opened today, the queue was three times longer than usual!

Even seven or eight diners who had initially been waiting for Japanese ramen defected one after another to line up for pickled fish instead.

Seeing that the line was longer than ever, Xu Xiaoka couldn’t help but say cheerfully, “Sister Momo, you really have great foresight! It seems suspending business for a day before the official showdown actually resulted in an excellent marketing effect!”

It turned out that Chen Momo’s deliberate decision not to open yesterday was a subtle marketing tactic.

In the business world, there was a strategy known as “scarcity marketing.” The method involved making consumers believe a product was limited in availability, creating a fear of missing out that triggered panic buying. Chen Momo had utilized this exact strategy, intentionally closing shop the day before the ultimate showdown. That way, when she reopened the next day, both new and returning customers would scramble to line up at her window.

The long queue subsequently triggered a “herd effect,” prompting indecisive diners to follow the crowd, which only brought in even more customers! To all the diners, the sudden opening of the pickled fish stall felt like a surprise, and everyone wanted to line up to claim their piece of it.

Diagonally across the hall, Zhang Wanwan flew into a rage when she saw the customers at her Japanese ramen stall being lured away by Chen Momo’s pickled fish.

“Did you give those cookies to her son or not? Why is she still able to operate normally today?” Looking at her completely empty storefront, Zhang Wanwan couldn’t help lashing out at Liu Xiuxiu.

Liu Xiuxiu jumped in fright, her voice dropping to a mosquito-like hum. “I definitely gave the cookies to her son… but as for whether he ate them or not, I really don’t know…”

Hearing this, Zhang Wanwan trembled with fury. “You unreliable fool! Just look at how happily Chen Momo’s assistant is smiling. That tells you Chen Xiaobao didn’t eat those poisoned cookies at all! Today is the final day of the showdown, and you just had to drop the ball on me!”

However, no matter how angry Zhang Wanwan got, it was useless. Nearly all the diners had gone to queue up for pickled fish. Throughout the entire lunch period, Zhang Wanwan’s Japanese ramen stall only sold five bowls. In stark contrast, Chen Momo’s pickled fish window maintained a long, bustling line the whole time.

Jiang Yunhai lined up and bought two portions of pickled fish in one go.

“Man, I have to support my Pickled Fish Goddess,” Jiang Yunhai said smugly to Song Chuhuan and Yi Ronghao. “What did I tell you? My Pickled Fish Goddess would never chicken out at the last minute! Look at how booming her business is today! Rong Hao and I have definitely won this bet, so you guys better obediently prepare a hundred thousand yuan for each of us! HAHAHAHA.”

Huang Yuqing was also completely dumbfounded. She had never seen such an explosive turnout for pickled fish before. With her food selling so well, Chen Momo was bound to become a star figure at the base this time. Unable to contain her frustration, Huang Yuqing took her anger out on her husband, Yang Shunsheng.

“Yang Shunsheng, you must buy Japanese ramen today! If you dare support Chen Momo’s pickled fish, I’ll divorce you!”

Although Yang Shunsheng didn’t dare defy Huang Yuqing and bought the Japanese ramen, he was already looking at his ex-wife, Chen Momo, in a completely new light. He wondered why he had never realized what an outstanding woman his ex-wife was. If he were given another chance, he would definitely cherish her properly and never let her go so easily again!

By evening, the showdown between Chen Momo’s pickled fish and Zhang Wanwan’s Japanese ramen officially came to an end.

The base’s massive conference hall was packed to the brim with department heads and key representatives. Seated right in the center were Chen Momo and Zhang Wanwan.

Zhang Wanwan’s face looked exceptionally grim. She shot Chen Momo a glare, her eyes brimming with sheer rage. Even though the results hadn’t been announced yet, an ominous premonition was already weighing heavily on Zhang Wanwan’s mind. After all, several of the base’s supervisors had just taken the initiative to walk over and shake hands with Chen Momo, yet not a single person had paid any attention to her.

Gu Rongjin stepped up to the podium, his unfathomable gaze calmly sweeping across the packed crowd below. In a deep, powerful voice, he announced, “After this period of assessment, taking into account sales volume, hygiene, customer reviews, and various other metrics, I will now announce the final scores for the pickled fish stall and the Japanese ramen stall.”

The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew tense.