Chapter 132 Food and Advertising

Chapter 132 Food and Advertising

The scene begins in slow motion: autumn sunlight streams through a carved wooden window, casting slanted rays onto a seven- or eight-year-old red lacquered wooden table. The table corners have developed a warm patina, and the window frame is tinged with a pale yellow from years of warmth. An elderly man in a dark blue Zhongshan suit slowly pushes open the door, his dark blue cloth shoes making soft thuds on the floor. He walks straight to the third table by the window, takes out his reading glasses from his pocket, and pours a small cup of goji berry tea from a thermos.

"Grandpa Chen!" The proprietress's voice came from the kitchen, warm and familiar. "I've saved the medicinal mutton soup base for you today; it's a clear broth, not spicy."

The camera followed the old man's steps, zooming in on his wrinkled yet radiant face. He smiled and nodded, "The same as always." Then he took a piece of fruit candy from his pocket and placed it on the table—it was a gift his grandson had given to the shop assistant last week when he visited.

Long Meng's eyebrows twitched slightly. This was the third time he had seen Grandpa Chen—the first time was in Tengyue's project proposal, the second time was in Su Yingxue's report, but the old man on the screen now inexplicably brought tears to his eyes. The old man scooped up a spoonful of soup, gently blew on it, and squinted in the rising steam: "This soup base...it's even more fragrant than what my wife makes."

The scene shifts to dusk. A delivery driver, wrapped in a yellow raincoat, rushes into the store on his electric scooter, water droplets still dripping from his helmet. He takes off his helmet, revealing a young, slightly tired face, but unable to hide his excitement: "Boss lady! I'm working overtime today, and I'm craving your lamb trotters!"

"Xiao Zhou!" The proprietress smiled and brought out a bowl of steaming mutton soup. "You've worked hard overtime. Have a bowl of soup to warm yourself up." Xiao Zhou took the bowl of soup, and his fingers accidentally touched the proprietress's hand. The two smiled at each other.

"Wait!" Cheers suddenly came from off-camera. Three young men, all wearing delivery uniforms, pushed open the door and entered. The one in the lead was A-Qiang—the rider who always loved to joke around.

His companions produced small cakes from behind their backs and shouted in unison, "Brother Qiang! Happy Birthday!"

Ah Qiang paused for a moment, then his eyes reddened. He took the cake, his voice choked with emotion, "Thank you... thank you everyone." The proprietress brought over a bowl of special longevity noodles. As the noodles steamed, Ah Qiang suddenly raised his glass, "A toast to Long Wu! A toast to this bowl of hot soup!"

Long Meng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He recalled the early days of his business, when he and a few brothers shared a bowl of noodles in a small shop like this. Back then, their dreams were as simple as a hot meal and a group of friends.

The scene shifts again, and a romantic piano melody begins to play softly. A young couple dressed in matching outfits sits by the window, a steaming hot pot on the table. The girl carefully eats a delicious spicy lamb trotter, dips it in a special sauce, and feeds it to the boy: "Try it, it's a new dish."

The boy took a bite, and his eyes lit up instantly: "Delicious! This lamb trotter is soft, tender, and flavorful, with a spicy and savory taste!" The girl smiled and poked his forehead: "You said last time you wanted to eat braised pork intestines, try this."

The boy picked up a piece of braised pork intestine, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture made him nod in agreement: "Mmm! Fatty but not greasy, spicy and addictive!"

The camera zooms in on the new dishes on the table—spicy lamb trotters, glistening reddish-brown, and braised pork intestines, gleaming with tempting oil. Next to them is a bowl of steaming medicinal lamb soup, with a few goji berries and angelica root floating on the surface. The proprietress walks over and says softly, "Is today your anniversary? This soup is our restaurant's nourishing broth, good for the stomach."

The couple smiled at each other, and the boy secretly hid the ring under the sheep's hoof. When the girl found it, her surprised scream drew good-natured laughter from the surrounding customers.

The scene gradually zooms out, showing people of different ages gathering at Longwu Hot Pot Restaurant, from young couples to middle-aged couples and then to elderly couples: there are young parents with children, old friends meeting after retirement, and wanderers returning from afar... What remains unchanged are the smiling faces flushed red by the hot pot's heat, and the pots of broth bubbling with warmth and aroma.

Finally, the camera focuses on a pot of boiling medicinal mutton soup—the broth is milky white, with a few pieces of mutton bones faintly visible, and goji berries and angelica root bubbling in the soup, emitting a faint aroma of herbs and meat. The camera slowly pans up, passing over the bright red color of spicy lamb trotters, the oily sheen of braised pork intestines, and finally settling on the rustic signboard of Longwu Hot Pot.

"The essence of everyday life is right here at Longwu." The voice-over is gentle yet firm. "Longwu Hot Pot welcomes you."

The screen gradually dimmed, and finally a line of text appeared: "Wherever there are people, there is the warmth of Longwu. Welcome to Longwu for a delicious gathering."

Long Meng's remote control fell onto the leather sofa with a "thud." He stared blankly at the screen, which had returned to its blue-black standby screen, but the images were etched into his mind like a brand: the smile lines at the corners of Grandpa Chen's eyes, Xiao Zhou's trembling fingers as she took the soup bowl, the starlight in the eyes of couples exchanging rings, and the pot of ever-bubbling medicinal mutton soup—he suddenly remembered that Su Yingxue had insisted on adding the soup base video, saying that she wanted "everyone who walks in can taste the flavor of home."

The office phone rang abruptly, but Long Meng didn't answer it. He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the city lights. In the distance, the sign of a Longwu Hot Pot restaurant stood out brightly in the night, and through the large glass windows, he could see the bustling atmosphere inside, with people talking and steaming.

"So that's how it is..." he murmured to himself, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.

The most touching advertisements are never the glamorous special effects or exaggerated promises, but the warm moments in ordinary life; the most precious brand value is not a lofty positioning, but that everyone who walks into the store can find their own bowl of hot soup and that human touch.

He pulled out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen as he dialed Su Yingxue's number: "President Su, the promotional video... is excellent. I'll be playing it at the group-wide conference next Monday. Also, I'd like to add your company logo at the end of the video; you did a fantastic job."

A slightly surprised voice came from the other end of the phone: "President Long, you mean...?"

“I said,” Long Meng gazed at the myriad lights outside the window, his voice gentle yet firm, “Longwu Hotpot not only wants to sell good hotpot, but also to sell this warmth and comfort of everyday life.”

Hanging up the phone, Long Meng returned to his desk, picked up a pen, and signed his name on the document. This time, he didn't hesitate or make any changes—because some answers are hidden in a pot of boiling soup, hidden in ordinary yet heartwarming stories.

Su Yingxue smiled and hung up the phone. This time, their promotional video was approved.

"Happy times must be accompanied by delicious food. Everyone has worked hard these past few days. What would you like to eat? Name your dishes!"

"Cola chicken wings!"

"Nourishing Pork Tripe Soup!"

"I want to eat more spinach!"