Chapter 59 - 059: Ruthless Hand
“Even though I said earlier that I’ll help you sell your salted duck eggs, it doesn’t mean they can only be sold to me. If others want to, you can sell to them freely,” Zhang Yongchang said.
“I understand, thank you, Uncle Zhang.”
Zhuang Qingning cracks a smile, her teeth white and shiny like corn kernels.
Most people, upon seeing a good thing, wouldn’t hesitate to keep it all to themselves, mainly considering whether it would benefit them and disregarding whether you’d find it a struggle.
Ppi like Zhang Yongchang, who can think more liberally, are not many.
Zhuang Qingning suddenly feels that this Zhang Yongchang, who is known to be stubborn and hard to get along with, is actually a very good person.
“Alright, you can get back to your work.” Seeing Zhuang Qingning understood his intention, Zhang Yongchang can’t help but smile.
It’s easy to talk to a smart kid. Unlike those slow ones, they take forever to understand something, and you have to waste time explaining things to them, which is really frustrating.
The more Zhang Yongchang thinks, the more he feels that Zhuang Qingning is a great girl. Feeling happy with the salted duck eggs in his hand, he hums a tune as he enters the backyard.
Gosh.
Ma Tong is in the backyard, preparing to transfer the boiled water into a pot to make tea later. Seeing Zhang Yongchang’s triumphantly gleeful expression, he is surprised.
The way he’s carrying those salted duck eggs, it looks like he’s found a treasure.
It seems he’ll have to find Lian Rong later and see if he can get a salted duck egg to try. What could taste so good that it would make Zhang Yongchang act like this?
Outside, the street has returned to tranquility after Zhang Yongchang and the old man, the “instigators” of the commotion, left.
However, Zhuang Qingning’s stall remains busy.
Customers either come to buy tofu, or they are there to preorder salted duck eggs.
After all, everyone wants to taste the salted duck eggs that nearly caused a fight between Zhang Yongchang and someone else.
Zhuang Qingning tallyies the number of orders and roughly estimates how many duck eggs she needs to buy today and how much coarse salt she needs to prepare.
It seems that Zhuang Yuanhe will need to focus on buying both beans and duck eggs in the future.
In general, farmers usually raise chickens and ducks at home aside from farming. Everyone sees each other often in the village, so no one would dare to deceive others with low-quality goods, thus duck eggs are quite common.
Due to Zhuang Qingning’s busy stall, the areas around hers start to look deserted.
In particular, the stallholders who also sell vegetables and eggs look at Zhuang Qingning’s thriving business with envying and jealous eyes, their gazes constantly moving around her.
“Look at this, look at this. Look how good her business is! If you keep up like this, not only will your business be affected, but I think there won’t be a space for Changji Tofu Stall in this town in the future.”
In a corner, Chang Yuanda is standing, his eyebrows furrowed while he’s staring at Zhuang Qingning’s tofu stall seriously.
Next to him, the one who’s anxiously advising him and regretting is none other than Li Fang, the waiter who was just kicked out of Fushun Tower a few days ago.
“Uncle Chang, we really can’t delay this matter. If we continue to let this girl’s tofu stall flourish, I’m afraid no one will remember your Changji Tofu Shop.”
“Look at how she has fooled Chef Zhang into forgetting about your tofu. Now, in addition to wanting to help her sell salted duck eggs in the county town, if these eggs are sold there, they will definitely bring her tofu to the county too. Then Changji tofu shop will really go out of business.”
“Uncle Chang, Changji Tofu Shop has been a reputable name for many years. It used to have a booming business in town. If it falls apart under your management, it will be really embarrassing…”
Listening to this, Chang Yuanda frowns even tighter.
His business is being threatened, and he’s very anxious. Now, hearing Li Fang mention the possibility of closing his shop, his worries are growing.
“I’m also quite desperate now, but my brother-in-law is heartless and ruthless, and all the other restaurants, bakeries, and such are simply following trends, and 1 really don’t know what they are thinking.”
“I’ve thought about it, why don’t we lower the price of tofu for some time? She sells two and a half jins for two coins, so I’ll sell one and a half to two jins. I’ll offer an extra half-jin for two coins. I refuse to believe that people won’t come to buy my tofu!”
“Uncle Chang.”
Upon hearing this, Li Fang can’t help but curl his lips and roll his eyes at him. “Lowering the price can work, but it affects the profit. Even if we grab some business, we won’t make much money from all the hard work. Once you restore the price, these spectators will still run wherever they can buy things cheaper.”
“Besides, Uncle Chang, I’ve noticed that since Chef Zhang and others are willing to give up Changji Tofu Shop’s tofu and choose the girl’s tofu instead, it suggests that her tofu has some unique qualities. Even if the price is lowered, people who want to buy will still buy it. It’s not a long-term solution after all. The best way is to nip it in the bud and cut off the girl’s tofu business from its root.”
Chang Yuanda lowered his head to think, and said, “You do make some sense, but…”
But how to cut it off from the root?
You surely can’t say, ‘You’re not allowed to grind tofu anymore.’
Seeing Li Fang, Chang Yuanda looks puzzled, “Do you have an idea?”
“I indeed have an idea, it depends on whether you can make a tough decision…” Li Fang raises his hand, beckoning Chang Yuanda to lean closer, and whispers in his ear.
“Can this… really work?” After listening, Chang Yuanda frowns even tighter, and his expression becomes more serious.
“Why wouldn’t it work?”
Li Fang smirks and says: “I’ve checked these past few days. The girl’s parents died early, she has neither brothers nor a sister. Her only uncle doesn’t treat them well, he only berates and physically abuses them. The two girls have just established a female household.”
“Once the ‘female household’ approval is given, it’s equivalent to cutting off ties with the uncle’s family. In the future, if anything happens, there will be no one to stick up for the two of them. You’ve got nothing to worry about..”