However, Gulba decided that more needed to be done, and she took things into her own hands. Normally she would transport the fur coats from Haining factory to her shop in Urumqi to sell. But it made little sense now when sales in the Grand Bazaar were so stagnant.

She flew to Shanghai taking Zulpi with her, and stayed in the factory. For the next two months she dressed up her brother and another beautiful young girl in gorgeous clothes and sent them in front of livestreaming smartphones.

In the end they sold stock worth nearly 300,000 yuan.

Back at restaurant the conversation briefly turns to COVID-19 vaccination. Zulpi has already had two shots and Gulba was about four days away from her second one.

"All our staff get tested regularly," Zulpi says.