All the other buildings were accompaniments preserved by the government to preserve this mansion. Most were shops, but they were basically built or renovated later.

The teahouse was just opposite the old mansion, a quiet retreat in a bustling area, quaint and antique.

Those who went to visit the old mansion were basically tourists, and the consumption on this old street was also mainly driven by tourists.

In comparison, the teahouse's business seemed a bit sluggish. Occasionally, some young people and locals would come for a short stay. Fortunately, the boss was wealthy and didn't expect to make a profit, so the two young employees could look after the teahouse with peace of mind, without having to worry about losing their jobs all day.

A roll-up banner stood at the entrance, stating that an Intangible Cultural Heritage exhibition was being held in the shop, welcoming visitors, and so on.

Qin Chuan thought for three or four seconds, unable to figure out how his little teahouse was hosting an Intangible Cultural Heritage exhibition.

He stepped inside.

As he walked into the teahouse, Qin Chuan was surprised to find that there were more customers here than the last time he came.

Although it still wasn't full, at least there was some life to the place.

The layout of the teahouse was also a bit different from his last visit.

The young female employees, who had been bored out of their minds last time, were now busy scurrying about. One was brewing tea for customers at the tea counter, and the other was carrying a wooden tray to serve tea. They didn't even notice their boss had come in.

It wasn't until Qin Chuan knocked on the tea counter that the young girl who was engrossed in brewing tea looked up.

"Boss!"

Her hand trembled, and she almost burned herself.

"Did you guys buy these new things?"

Qin Chuan asked, casually pointing to the small trinkets on the tea table, on the cabinets, and on the customers' tables.

Some were bought from the handicraft shops on the old street—Qin Chuan could recognize them. Some he had never seen before, whether wood carvings, fabric art, or stone carvings, showing various figures in different poses. There were young girls weaving and playing instruments, as well as figures dressed in ethnic minority costumes. On the side, there were also a few pieces of embroidery.

Qin Chuan didn't know much about embroidery, but he vaguely felt it should be Su embroidery.

Su Nannan hurriedly said, "Yes, some were purchased from the street, and some were ordered online. We only started decorating yesterday. There are still some on the way that haven't arrived. Doesn't the shop have an activity fund? You told us we could have free rein with the shop's decoration and activities, so we used it to buy these?"

Qin Chuan: "Is it effective?"

Su Nannan nodded repeatedly. "The roll-up banner at the entrance is just a gimmick. The exhibition is actually these small trinkets. You see, we've categorized them. On the windowsill over there, it's mainly wood carving decorations, like the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, the Generals of the Yang Family, and the Legend of the White Snake. This section is mainly based on folklore and legends. On the cabinet is a display of folk musical instruments, like the xiao flute and pipa, which can be bought at that craft shop at the end of the old street. On the customers' tables are fabric dolls in ethnic minority costumes. We saw a shop online that sells all kinds of cat-headed dolls dressed in ethnic costumes. They're quite exquisitely made. We ordered a batch of in-stock items, but some haven't arrived yet; they're on the way."

She peeked at Qin Chuan's expression, afraid the boss would get angry and scold them for spending money recklessly.

"These new trinkets are indeed all in line with the contents of the national intangible cultural heritage list. We're not bluffing people; we just wanted to bring some more business to the teahouse."

As she spoke, two young female customers came over to pay the bill, holding two cat-headed dolls. One was wearing a Dai-style skirt, and the other was wearing Manchu-style platform shoes with a large dalachi headdress between its two cat ears, looking both comical and cute.

"Miss, are these two dolls for sale?"

"Yes, they are," Su Nannan didn't have time to explain to Qin Chuan anymore. "The price is tagged inside their skirts."

The customer flipped it over and didn't haggle. "We'll take them both. How do we pay?"

Su Nannan: "You can just scan the code here. Are you paying by phone or with cash?"

Customer: "By phone. Is Alipay okay?"

Su Nannan: "That's fine."

Customer: "Miss, the trinkets here are so cute! Do you have an online shop?"

Su Nannan must not have been asked this question for the first time. She expertly took out a teahouse business card and handed it to them with both hands.

"We haven't opened an online shop yet. This is the teahouse's business card. How about you leave your WeChat on it? We can add each other as friends, and when the online shop opens, we will definitely let you know."

The two young women did as she said, wrote down their WeChat IDs, added each other as friends, and left happily with the dolls.

Su Nannan took out a stack of six or seven business cards and placed them on the tea counter.

"Boss, these are from customers who asked about an online shop in the past two days. Xiao Ning and I have written them all down. Should we open an online shop too?"

To be honest, whether it was the teahouse on the old street or the shops selling various paintings and handicrafts, their business and customer base were far inferior to the shopping malls in the city center.

It was better on holidays, but during the off-season and rainy season, the number of tourists dropped sharply, and they were barely making ends meet.

The previous owner of this teahouse had sold it to Qin Chuan with a heavy heart precisely because he couldn't keep the business afloat.

When Qin Chuan took over the teahouse, he hadn't intended for it to be a big money-making venture. He only saw it as a long-term investment. Whether it made money or not was secondary; the main purpose was to have a place to roost in his leisure time, where he could think quietly, rest, and relax his mind.

Therefore, the two employees he hired, though young, were both calm, gentle-tempered, and patient. Otherwise, given the daily desolation, even if their salaries were paid on time, the two of them would have surely run off long ago.

Although Qin Chuan didn't expect the teahouse to make money, what boss wouldn't be happy to see his employees take the initiative and think of ways to attract customers?

"Did you two come up with this method?"

Based on Qin Chuan's understanding of them, the answer should be no.

Su Nannan didn't hide it.

"A young lady gave us the idea. She came to the teahouse for tea, saw that our place had an ancient style but not much business, and suggested we buy some trinkets to decorate, adding a theme like 'intangible cultural heritage' to enrich the content. She said that most of the people who come here for tea are tourists who came to visit the old mansion and are staying nearby, especially young independent travelers. If they like the old mansion, they'll also like these kinds of folk-style gifts. It's an opportunity to make a name for the teahouse."

Qin Chuan was noncommittal. "You both strongly agree?"

Seeing that he wasn't obviously displeased, Su Nannan nodded. "We just finished decorating yesterday, so the effect wasn't very obvious. Today is the weekend, and there are a lot of tourists. The old mansion across the street has been rented by a film crew, they say they're filming. A lot of tourists are gathered there to watch, and when they get tired, they come to our teahouse. Those cat-headed dolls from just now are the most popular with young girls. We stocked thirty, and we've already sold twenty today. Over a month, that's a small income."

Since she and Xiao Ning had started working at the teahouse, they had never experienced what it was like to have good business. Now that things were finally looking up, they were a bit busy, but very excited.

Qin Chuan quickly thought about giving them a commission to boost their morale, but this required thinking through a complete system. He didn't mention it rashly and instead asked another question.

"The person who gave you the idea, did you express your gratitude?"

Xiao Ning was quick-tongued. "That day, she ordered some tea and snacks for takeout, and we didn't charge her."

Qin Chuan: "How much did she order?"

Xiao Ning: "One hundred and seventy-six yuan, I think."

The final "I think" vanished under Qin Chuan's glare.

Qin Chuan: ...

"She gave you such a good idea, and you brushed her off with just over a hundred yuan?" He was a little speechless.

Su Nannan smoothed things over. "It's mainly because you weren't here, and we didn't know what would be appropriate to give. She wouldn't accept money either, so in the end, we could only waive the cost of the tea. But it seems that young lady is from the film crew across the street. Yesterday, I saw people from the crew talking to her. I can go look for her during the day. Do you want to meet her?"

Qin Chuan nodded. "How about this: find some time in the next two days to arrange a meeting with her. I want to talk to her. Also, I'll leave some money with you. If she absolutely refuses to take it, then just let her have afternoon tea at the teahouse for the next few days, all on the house. Afterwards, let her pick some trinkets to take with her as a gift."

Su Nannan was just about to agree when she let out a sound of surprise.

"Is that her outside?"

She was naturally asking Xiao Ning, not Qin Chuan.

Xiao Ning quickly looked outside too.

"That's right, that's right, it's her! I think she said her surname is Bo. I'll go invite her in!"

With that said, she was about to rush out excitedly, but her arm was grabbed by Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan's expression was strange, his mood complex.

A mix of feelings, hard to describe.

This really is—

What a small world!

Facing Xiao Ning's confusion, he gave a light cough.

"I just remembered, I have things to do these next two days, so I won't meet her. If she comes over, you two should entertain her."

Xiao Ning and Su Nannan nodded blankly.

Qin Chuan: "Remember, don't mention me to her. If she asks, just say the boss has gone on a long trip. As for the money, you must convince her to accept it. Since she gave a useful idea, this is what she deserves."

Xiao Ning: "What if she refuses to take it? That young lady is very nice. She probably didn't give us the idea for money. If we insist on forcing it on her, won't that spoil the gesture?"

Qin Chuan thought for a moment. "Then just pick out two high-quality tea cakes from the shop to give her."

They never expected that Boss Qin, who claimed to have "gone on a long trip," would start staying in a corner of the teahouse from the very next day, not going anywhere.