Chapter 43 Brand Culture
After the name of the pastry stall was finalized, Gu Jingzhe took out his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, spread the paper on the table, ground the ink, and wrote the four big characters "Peach Blossom Desserts".
"Jingzhe's handwriting is pretty good?" Tong Huaqiong clapped his hands and sighed.
Gu Jingzhe said calmly, "Thanks to my mother who bought me tracing books and urged me to practice since I was a child. I remember that she taught me how to pick up a pen. She also taught me how to write the first character, gu."
Tong Huaqiong was shocked.
It turns out that Tong Da Jiao can read.
In the morning, housekeeper He came to the house and took out the contract. She took it and read it out loud without paying attention. She was thinking that Gu Dashu and others were so calm about her being able to read. It turned out that Tong Dashu himself was half a cultured person.
Out of curiosity, Tong Huaqiong searched for Tong Dajiao's early memories.
When Tong Da Jiao's brother was in school, she wanted to study with him. But the Tong family would not let girls study, so she imitated her brother in writing. When her brother was reading, she followed him to learn Chinese characters. In her free time, she practiced writing on the ground with branches.
Tong Da Jiao has been smart since she was young and she studies better than her brother.
Although I cannot say that I am proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, my cultural level is still enough to enlighten a child.
Before Gu Jingzhe started school, the Spring Festival couplets for the Gu family were all written by Tong Dajiao, and it was Tong Dajiao who taught Gu Jingzhe how to start his education.
No wonder the young genius is so filial to Tong Dajiao. It turns out that Tong Dajiao is not only his mother but also his master on the road to enlightenment.
Tong Huaqiong thought so and looked carefully at the four big words "Peach Blossom Desserts". She always felt that something was missing on the snow-white paper.
Since it is a signboard, it must be attractive to people.
Tong Huaqiong suddenly had an idea.
"If there is paint, it would be better to paint a peach blossom on it." Tong Huaqiong made a request to Gu Jingzhe.
"Mom, I have paints. I can also paint peach blossoms."
Gu Jingzhe got up and went to the room to get the paint.
Gu Jingzhe is a well-rounded person. Not only is he good at studying, he can also draw. In modern times, he is definitely a five-good student with all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics and labor.
Tong Huaqiong was very satisfied with this.
Gu Jingzhe called Gu Taohua to help pour a few bowls of water, and then started to mix the paint.
"This paint is very expensive. It was given to me by my teacher as a reward when I passed the examination to become a student." Gu Jingzhe spoke of the past with a hint of loneliness in his tone.
Tong Huaqiong understands Gu Jingzhe's psychology very well.
Whether he mentioned the past when his old mother enlightened him or mentioned the rewards for passing the examination, he wanted to remind Tong Huaqiong that his ambition to study remained unchanged.
Tong Huaqiong remained calm and did not respond. When the time was right, she would naturally let Gu Jingzhe return to the private school.
Gu Jingzhe concealed the turmoil in his eyes and mixed the paint carefully. After mixing it, he picked up the brush and dipped it to paint a peach blossom next to the "Peach Blossom Dessert".
Gu Jingzhe's paintings are as good as his calligraphy. The painting of a branch of peach blossoms is delicate and lifelike, and anyone who sees it feels as if they are in the brilliant spring sunshine.
Tong Huaqiong searched for fragments about Gu Jingzhe's paintings in Tong Dajiao's memory. Gu Jingzhe traveled to Shengjing to take part in the imperial examination. Just three days after arriving in the capital, he became famous for his calligraphy and painting.
After he was chosen as the third place in the imperial examination, people in Beijing began to pay high prices for his paintings.
After he became a second-rank official, those who flattered him catered to his tastes and hyped up his paintings. Those who gave him money to do things for him gave him huge bribes in the name of buying paintings.
Similarly, he was ultimately defeated by a painting.
Man'er tricked him into writing words of treason on the painting after he got drunk, which was the beginning of the process of destroying the Gu family.
Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong was a little dazed.
Gu Jingzhe is too destructive, so she can't easily let him go to school. His temper still needs to be tempered.
"It's a good painting." Tong Huaqiong praised calmly.
"Third brother's calligraphy and painting are both good." Gu Taohua said.
"Oh, this peach blossom is so beautiful, it looks like the real thing." Gu Dashu walked in and joked, "Everyone can tell at a glance that our peach blossoms are just that beautiful. Third brother's handwriting is also very good. You can tell whether a person is good at studying from his handwriting. My mother also taught me this when I was a child. My handwriting was like a dog crawling, so you can tell at a glance that I am not good at studying."
Gu Dashu admired and praised at the same time.
When Gu Jingzhe heard Gu Dashu mention his studies, his eyes dimmed.
He quickly covered up his sadness, raised his head and said, "Good handwriting has nothing to do with studying."
"Second brother, it's because you didn't study hard. My regular script is also good. I am a girl and cannot go to school, otherwise I would have gone to a private school with third brother." Gu Taohua followed.
"My mother once said that I was destined to marry into a wealthy family and become a wife, so she taught me to read so that I could manage the household in the future."
Tong Huaqiong was surprised that the three children of Tong Dajiao could all read.
Even Gu Taohua is no exception. So Tong Dajiao is not completely without any merits.
Tong Huaqiong felt a little regretful. If she had known that Gu Taohua could write, she would have asked Gu Taohua to write it herself. This way, the sign would have been a marketing gimmick.
But Gu Jingzhe has already written it, so Taohua can write the subsequent types of pastries and the poems on the wrapping paper.
Wouldn't those who are pretentious and elegant pursue it even more vigorously?
"Taohua, I have another job for you. Can't you write regular script? Come and write the words on the wrapping paper of our snacks." Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Taohua.
Gu Taohua looked surprised.
Writing on the wrapping paper? And letting her do it?
Seeing Taohua's doubts, Tong Huaqiong said, "We are a small stall and cannot compete with the big cake shops. We have to take a different route so that people can remember us. Other shops use the same wrapping paper, but we can't. We can write the names of various cakes on the wrapping paper, and use different wrapping paper for different cakes. This is our specialty, and customers will know what cake it is when they buy it and take it home without opening it."
A brand must stand out from the very beginning.
Wrapping paper is also part of brand culture.
Gu Jingzhe agreed with Tong Huaqiong's idea and said, "Mom, this is a good idea. Write the name of the cake on the wrapping paper, and even write the corresponding poem."
Tong Huaqiong sighed again, saying that Gu Jingzhe was quite good at learning from experience.
"Oh, my mother's brain is really full of all kinds of things. I think my third brother has the same brain as her. I can't think of these things."
It’s just selling pastries, but there are so many tricks involved.
Gu Dashu sincerely admires his mother.
No wonder my mother can earn fifty taels of silver in just a few days. If my mother keeps doing this, it will be no wonder that the Gu family will become the richest family in Qinghe Bay in no time.
"Since you can't think of these tricks, don't give me suggestions so easily in the future. Just listen to my instructions honestly." Tong Huaqiong said unhappily.
"Yes, yes, I will listen to mother. I will take care of our acres of wheat fields first." Gu Dashu said.
"Taohua, where did we put the wrapping paper we bought? Let's write it down together today." Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Taohua who was stunned.
"Mom really wanted me to write it?" Gu Taohua's voice trembled.
"If you are not allowed to write, should I do it? Do you want to tire me to death?" Tong Huaqiong said unhappily.
"I write, I write."
Gu Taohua jumped up excitedly, quickly took out a stack of wrapping paper she bought at the market the day before, and spread it on the table to discuss with Gu Jingzhe what else to write on it besides the name of the pastry to make it more attractive.
Tong Huaqiong felt very gratified to see that everyone was working together to live a better life.