Although some old customers came to buy from Ye Mother, most people, including those unaware of the situation, flocked to Ye Xia’s booth. After all, his prices were a dime cheaper, and if the flavours were similar, it was hard to resist.
“Have you been here all along?”
“We’ve been here selling and haven’t changed locations at all!” Of course, on the first day of selling, there was no way to change locations.
“Why is your booth charging two cents when that one’s charging three? You’re not shortchanging people, are you?”
“Of course not! Look, we have eggs, fruits, pickles, soy sauce, and vegetables—everything fresh from this morning!” Ye Xia lifted the cover to reveal the ingredients, and they looked just as good as the other stall.
“Then I’ll take two!”
“Alright!” Zhou Caiyan happily took the four dimes.
Indeed, having a lower price worked wonders! This business would undoubtedly be theirs from now on!
With the first sale made, more people began to gather around.
“Three cents is great; I can eat them every day!”
Meanwhile, at Ye Mu’s stall.
“Boss, have you put up a sign?”
“Yes, another stall selling pancakes just opened up down the street, and I was worried customers craving our flavor wouldn’t find us!”
“Boss, why is yours a dime more expensive than others?”
“We’ve always been three cents.”
“Look, that stall only charges two; you should lower your price to match them. How can you sell at a higher price?”
“Our price has always been this way; we use high-quality eggs and flour. If we go cheaper, we won’t make any profit!” Ye Mu explained with a forced smile.
“Forget it; if you don’t want to listen to reason, it’s no wonder your business isn’t as good as theirs. We’ll go buy from that other stall!” Ye Mu could only watch as her customers left for the competition.
In contrast to Ye Mu’s poor sales, Ye Xia’s stall was bustling. Zhou Caiyan had sold all her pancakes and was lamenting about how they didn’t bring enough stock!
In just a short while, she made ten bucks, which was more than Ye Xia earned working on the side. And if they brought in two more baskets, they would surely sell out too!
Watching as everyone opted to wait for Ye Xia’s stall rather than come to her, Ye Oldest kept murmuring in her ear about how this wouldn’t work.
“No choice, I’ll go home; Ye Qiu must have a solution!”
“Mom, did you sell out this early?”
Ye Mu strode home angrily while scolding herself, causing Ye’s Oldest sister-in-law, at home washing clothes, to raise an eyebrow—why was Ye Mu back before noon?
“What did you sell? That Ye Xia is going to drive me crazy!”
Ye Oldest sister-in-law calmly advised, “Mom, since we’ve already split up, don’t worry about Oldest Brother’s business. Let them sort it out; they can do whatever they want.”
“What do you mean it’s none of our business? That Ye Xia opened a stall identical to ours!”
Hearing Ye Mu’s words made Ye Oldest sister-in-law anxious. Their family had only just found a source of income, and now someone was coming to snatch it away.
“What… what do we do? I’ll go find Little Brother!” Leaving no time to wash her hands, Ye Oldest sister-in-law hastily wiped them on her apron and hurried to the kitchen to call for Ye Qiu.
For the past few days, Ye Qiu had been experimenting in the kitchen, spending all day in there except for meals, keeping it mysterious.
Inside the kitchen, Ye Qiu watched as Ye Oldest sister-in-law rushed in with questions. She told him about Ye Xia’s stall.
Ye Qiu hadn’t expected a replica to appear so quickly, especially from Ye Xia. Following Ye Oldest sister-in-law, he saw an angry Ye Mu.
Ye Mu, suppressing her anger, explained the situation, “That heartless Ye Xia, earning a living as a worker and then coming here to steal our business!”
Upon understanding the situation, Ye Qiu casually reassured Ye Mu,
“Mom, you’re the one who makes pickles tastier than state-run restaurants. No matter how closely they imitate you, they can’t compare!”
“You child, just know how to flatter your mother!”
With Ye Qiu’s diversion, Ye Mu was not as worried. After all, she was a legitimate business while they were merely a counterfeit.
Her son was smart; he would definitely come up with a solution!
“Mom, don’t worry. He managed to make pancakes, but they definitely can’t match your flavour. Those who care about taste will still come to us. Besides, I found something interesting at home that I need your help with!”
“What is it?!”
Ye Qiu’s words caught everyone’s attention.
He left with a hint that they would find out tomorrow, pulling Ye Mu and Ye’s Oldest sister-in-law into the kitchen, leaving Ye Dashi alone in the room, scratching his head in confusion. Finally, he resigned himself to grab a hoe and headed out to find Ye Fu.
“Mom, look at how crispy this becomes after frying. If we add your and Oldest sister-in-law’s secret seasoning, it will sell like hotcakes!”
“What do you mean by different flavours?”
“Spicy chicken, sauerkraut chicken…”
Ye Mu was somewhat puzzled.
“And this one, I only discovered today!”
“My son is so smart; he can make things just by reading about them!”
At dinner time, Ye Fu, furious about Ye Xia’s nonsense, was upset that they worked hard to put him in a factory, and now he quietly set out to take away their family’s business. Watching Ye Mu, who only focused on serving food to Ye Qiu, he worried she might have lost her mind.
In the evening at the Ye household, Zhou Caiyan looked at an unusually cheerful Ye Mu and offered a sarcastic comment.
“Mom, if customers kindly advise you, how can you ignore them? In business, it’s all about thin profits for high sales. If you treat them like fools, they’ll just go buy from others!”
“Mom, I’m also giving good advice. Even if it isn’t us, there will be others imitating, so I provided you with some suggestions. Don’t be angry.”
Zhou Caiyan smiled smugly at Ye Qiu and the others as if mocking their underestimation of the competition.