Gu Qingcheng's heart eased. It turned out that what had been hindering her from acknowledging her gender was her own inner demon, not public opinion.
Everyone valued her capabilities more than her gender.
Gu Qingcheng calmly addressed everyone, "I hope we can continue to cooperate in the future, and I will certainly ensure everyone earns more profit. Let Tea Boat Island become even more beautiful."
"Young Master Gu, oh, no, Miss Gu, will the plan you mentioned earlier to turn Tea Boat Island into a shopping paradise be further promoted?"
A merchant eagerly asked Gu Qingcheng.
Gu Qingcheng hadn't expected that the first thing people would ask wasn't about her gender transition, but rather focusing on business matters.
It was no wonder then, that in the end, everyone still cared most about whether they could profit, and this was precisely Gu Qingcheng's forte.
Gu Qingcheng laughed heartily, "Of course, it will continue. I've returned this time to implement this plan on Tea Boat Island.
I intend to build the largest supermarket you've ever seen on Tea Boat Island. The supermarket will offer affordable goods, and the products must be of excellent quality at a fair price, not substandard. Membership will also be implemented."
Gu Qingcheng explained one by one.
"Then, within this supermarket you mentioned, how can we secure a place?"
A businessman asked sensitively.
"Yes, it's fine to build an affordable supermarket, but what does this supermarket have to do with us?"
As one asked, the others followed suit.
They weren't fools; if they couldn't get a share of the pie, they certainly wouldn't agree.
"I will divide the supermarket into several zones, such as the food section, clothing section, grain section, and building materials section. You can then rent corresponding counters based on your business and display your goods to sell to customers."
As soon as Gu Qingcheng presented this plan, everyone applauded.
"The initial investment will be borne entirely by me. You won't need to invest a single cent; you only need to pay the rent for your counters later. And please believe me, I will not charge exorbitant rent."
Gu Qingcheng explained, this was still a preliminary plan, but it was time to act, and she had to say it.
"Excellent!"
Everyone applauded.
According to Gu Qingcheng's plan, the Mountain Cat Supermarket would cover an area of over 15 mu, essentially encompassing all the commercial sectors on Tea Boat Island. All businesses could find their corresponding trading areas here.
Du Lanyue sat below, filled with admiration.
This was Gu Qingcheng. She was right; as long as she could make everyone money, no one would care about her gender.
Perhaps at the beginning, before she had displayed her abilities, some might have cared about her gender, but now, even knowing her gender, no one would forgo making money because of it.
Even if there were such people, those hypocrites had already been eliminated by the natural disaster.
Du Lanyue smiled with relief.
After Gu Qingcheng finished speaking, the banquet began.
Steamed lobsters, shark fins... all sorts of delicacies were available, and the delicious food left everyone thoroughly satisfied.
Gu Qingcheng also provided a thoughtful packaging service.
Any guest present who needed it could have the servants help them pack it to take home.
Every dish provided by Gu Qingcheng was exquisite, but given the sheer quantity, it was normal to not be able to finish it all. People had learned frugality and the value of food from the lessons of the natural disaster, so no one felt embarrassed by Gu Qingcheng's offer.
Furthermore, the ingredients for every dish here were top-notch. While some had tasted many delicacies before, they were trying some dishes for the first time here, and naturally, they wanted their families to experience them too.
During the banquet, serving chopsticks were provided for every dish, ensuring cleanliness. For raw and cold items like sashimi, Gu Qingcheng thoughtfully prepared ice packs to prevent spoilage.
Other hot and cold dishes would also be packaged separately, demonstrating Gu Qingcheng's meticulous attention to detail in service.
She also intended to let everyone experience the thoughtfulness of such detailed service.
Because in the future supermarket, her requirement was to achieve service akin to that of Pang Donglai, the supermarket widely recognized in her modern society as the most attentive.
For example, within the supermarket, when customers were selecting clothing they liked, sales assistants were to help arrange the clothes for them. For pants and skirts, they could even help with zippers, then smile and offer to fetch shoes for the customers, and thoughtfully put them on their feet. For apparel, they could also offer free hemming and free ironing.
The pervasive details of attentive service inspired Gu Qingcheng.
Besides the material warehouse, her next step was to launch a new business model: these giant shopping supermarkets.
These giant shopping supermarkets could accommodate wealthy merchants like Du Lao Da, and also provide opportunities for small businesses to start.
For example, Du Lao Da could rent high-end commercial spaces and pay a substantial rent.
For small businesses, they could rent a small counter with rent that was affordable for them.
By summarizing successful business models from later generations and possessing a strong material foundation, this plan was quickly put into action.
The reborn supermarket was located on a meadow in the suburbs of Tea Boat Island.
The meadow was originally covered with lush green grass. The entire meadow was about 50 mu, and Gu Qingcheng decided to utilize 20 mu of it first. At that time, all commercial areas would be connected by courtyards, and between different courtyards, covered long corridors would be built for intercommunication.
By then, if customers wanted to purchase daily necessities, they could complete their shopping from one end to the other in one stop.
Gu Qingcheng spent another six months completing the initial construction of the supermarket site.
The supermarket, as a new business model, had been receiving considerable attention. Everyone knew it was the most profitable model going forward.
Therefore, as soon as the supermarket site was completed, Gu Qingcheng released the investment invitation, and all the spaces were snapped up.
Moreover, their speed of moving into the supermarket was also very fast, with most of the mall setup and product stocking completed within a month.
Du Lao Da's main business was still textiles. He occupied a 1,000-square-meter commercial space by himself, making it the most impressive.
Businesses dealing in fruits, seafood, and ingredients...
Du Lancheng, being very shrewd, secured a venue for himself to operate building materials.
Du Lao Da was extremely pleased with his son and daughter, often boasting to others that he was fortunate they had followed Miss Gu.
If they hadn't followed the right person, it would have taken him considerable effort to educate them into success, and he might not have succeeded!
Naturally, others fawned over him and praised Gu Qingcheng.
Of course, some listened and secretly schemed to find an opportunity to have their children be with Miss Gu, to receive her guidance and advice.
If they could also inherit Gu Qingcheng's business acumen like Du Lancheng and Du Lanyue, then their worries would be over.