CH 67

Aug 01 2023

Proud Old Wang Next Door

In the backyard of the snack shop, under the osmanthus tree, Madam Zhao and Old Madam Cai were sitting at a stone table, enjoying their snacks. Madam Zhao took a sip of porridge and casually mentioned, “I heard that there’s a new dessert called White Fungus Sweet Soup on Beida Street. I thought it was from Yu’s, so I wanted to invite you over to taste it together. But it turns out it’s not from your place.”

Yu Qingze helplessly replied, “I was actually planning to introduce it in a few days, but someone beat me to it.”

This move by Wang’s made Yu Qingze feel frustrated. He had already made plans to introduce it himself, but someone stole the thunder. It felt like he had eaten a fly, and to make matters worse, it was happening right next door. He could see it every day, which was really annoying.

Old Madam Cai frowned and said, “It’s my fault. I suspect it was the people at the flower appreciation event who spread the news. Sigh, I should have reminded them.”

Yu Qingze shook his head and comforted Old Madam, “Old Madam, you can’t blame yourself for this. Don’t overthink it. Everyone makes these kinds of things. And to be honest, I also wanted to take advantage of everyone being at the flower appreciation event to promote it a bit. It would have been easier when I released it later. Now, it’s just that someone else beat me to it, and it had some impact.”

“That impact is not insignificant. When you make it later, people will say you’re just following the trend and stealing customers,” Old Madam Cai frowned and said.

At that moment, Mi Ge’er came in with a bowl of White Fungus Sweet Soup. “Old Madam, I bought the White Fungus Sweet Soup from the neighboring Wang’s.”

Mi Ge’er placed the bowl of White Fungus Sweet Soup on the stone table, and everyone looked at it.

Red dates, lotus seeds, silver ear mushrooms, and a few goji berries.

As soon as they saw it, everyone understood.

Old Madam Cai held a spoon and scooped a spoonful of White fungus from the bowl. He looked at it and said to Yu Qingze, “Indeed, it’s the same as the ingredients at the flower appreciation gathering, just not as visually appealing. Look at this White fungus, in large pieces, unlike what you make. The taste must not be as good as yours.”

The White fungus soup made by Yu Qingze had the White fungus torn into small pieces, and it was cooked for a long time until the White fungus became soft, resulting in a thick and creamy soup, like a pudding. On the other hand, this dish from Wang’s had large pieces of White fungus that were still crispy. It seemed apparent that it was not cooked for a long time, so it could only be considered White fungus soup.

Madam Zhao pondered for a moment and said, “In that case, this Wang’s must have heard about this dessert from somewhere but didn’t know the exact details, so they made it like this?”

Yu Qingze understood after listening and said, “Madam Zhao is right. Cooking the White fungus until it becomes soft requires some techniques.”

Old Madam Cai put down the spoon and said, “I’ll have someone investigate and find out where it came from.”

Madam Zhao replied, “Old Madam, it might not be convenient for Cai’s Mansion to handle this matter. I think I should take care of it from my side.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then.”

“No problem.”

Once everything was settled, Old Madam Cai said to Mi Ge’er, “Mi Ge’er, pour out this White fungus soup.”

Mi Ge’er was surprised and said, “Old Madam, you’re not drinking it?”

“It’s not made by Xiao Yu, so I’m not confident in it.” Old Madam Cai shook his head and then reminded Mi Ge’er, “And don’t you dare sneak a taste either.”

Mi Ge’er stuck out his tongue and replied, “Understood, Old Madam.” With that, he carried the bowl away to pour it out.

After Mi Ge’er left, Yu Qingze said, “Old Madam, Madam Zhao, thank you both.”

Old Madam Cai waved his hand and said, “No problem. In the first place, you were helping me, but it ended up causing you a loss. Since it originated from me, it’s only right that I give you an explanation.”

After Yu Qingze came back from the mansion, Brother Le asked Yu Qingze if they still planned to introduce the White fungus soup. They had originally planned to launch it in two days, but now Wang’s had unexpectedly taken the lead.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “Let’s see how things unfold first.”

Let’s wait for news from Madam Zhao before making a decision. If we decide to launch it later, we need to be prepared so that Wang’s doesn’t steal the recipe. We should be fully prepared.

In the afternoon, the village chief came to find Yu Qingze. They had finished their harvesting work and had some free time. They wanted to ask Yu Qingze what he planned to do next. They were curious if he could still make the baby carriages he mentioned before.

The previous rice beds had earned the village chief’s family a good amount of money. Now, they were hoping to make something new quickly to earn more money. They thought that after the New Year, they might even be able to build a new house.

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Sure. I will find time in the next two days to draw the blueprints for you. You and Dajian can come to see me the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, and I will explain everything to you. If you have any questions during the construction, come and find me.”

To get married as soon as possible, the sideline business also needed to develop quickly.

That evening, while teaching Brother Le and the others arithmetic, Yu Qingze started drawing the blueprints when they were doing their exercises.

In the span of two days, he not only drew blueprints for two types of baby carriages and two types of walking aids, but also for a handcart used at construction sites, both with single and double wheels. He also drew another type of hand-pulled cart, the kind commonly used for carrying groceries and goods. It may not have an extendable handle, but it was fixed and much more convenient and lightweight than carrying heavy loads by hand.

“For this baby carriage, make two versions. One is like this for urban dwellers, where the roads are flat. The other version should have larger wheels and a higher base, suitable for rural dirt roads,” Yu Qingze pointed to the blueprints of the baby carriage and explained to the village chief and Dajian.

The village chief looked at the blueprints and nodded, saying, “Okay, it doesn’t seem too difficult.”

“The most important thing for this handcart is balance. When it’s placed flat, the rear bucket should not tip backward; otherwise, the supporting poles won’t serve their purpose. You can start by making a smaller one as a trial.”

Dajian suggested, “Can’t we just move the bucket forward a bit?”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “If you move it too far forward, it will be difficult to push. I roughly calculated the proportions. Try the position indicated on the blueprint when you make it. We can adjust it further when it’s time to build. In any case, follow the blueprint for now, and we’ll make specific adjustments during the construction.”

“Okay,” nodded the village chief.

Dajian then asked, “Brother Yu, what about the foot-operated threshing machine and the wind-driven winnowing machine? I’m particularly interested in those two.”

Yu Qingze replied, “Those two are more complicated. I need to think about them carefully. Once I have finished drawing them, I will have someone inform you.”

“Okay,” Dajian replied.

While drawing the blueprint for the handcart, Yu Qingze also thought of the flatbed cart. However, if the flatbed cart is intended to carry heavy loads, it would need to be made of iron instead of wood. He could collaborate with the local blacksmith for that. Many business owners in the city often need to move a lot of goods, and this type of handcart would be quite convenient.

With the idea in mind, after seeing off the village chief and Dajian, Yu Qingze put on another blueprint and headed to the blacksmith’s shop where he frequently ordered customized items to discuss the matter.

The owner of the blacksmith’s shop was also a clever person. Upon hearing Yu Qingze’s purpose, he specifically called him to the backyard, and the two of them had a lengthy discussion, eventually reaching a cooperation agreement.

The next morning, Boss Liu came to the snack shop. As he passed by Wang’s, he noticed Fatty Wang smirking at him with a smug expression. Boss Liu gave him a disdainful glance.

“Just look at his face. It annoys me just to see him,” Boss Liu angrily exclaimed, his eyes glaring, feeling quite frustrated.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “Brother, getting angry won’t help. It’s already like this, we have to accept it.”

Boss Liu glared at him and said, “Don’t you think we should find a solution?”

Yu Qingze replied, “I’m waiting for news.”

“What kind of news?” Boss Liu asked, leaning closer.

Yu Qingze was about to answer when Steward Zhao approached them.

“Steward Zhao, any news?” Yu Qingze greeted him and immediately asked.

Steward Zhao nodded, glancing at Boss Liu.

“It’s Madam Huang from the eastern part of the city,” Steward Zhao said.

Yu Qingze looked puzzled and asked, “Madam Huang? Does Boss Wang know him?”

Steward Zhao shook his head and said, “No. This Madam Huang is close friends with the son of the county registrar. And you may not know this, but the registrar is Boss Wang’s brother-in-law.”

Upon hearing the connection to the registrar’s son, Yu Qingze and Boss Liu understood.

“So, that’s how it is,” Yu Qingze said suddenly realizing.

Steward Zhao nodded and continued, “It is said that when Madam Huang was casually chatting with the registrar’s son at their house, coincidentally, Boss Wang’s son overheard their conversation.”

Yu Qingze and Boss Liu: …

Although there was a certain level of connection, it was only a matter of time before Boss Wang found out. But it was too coincidental. If they had introduced the White fungus soup a few days later and he found out afterward, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Yu Qingze sighed helplessly and said, “Sigh, my luck couldn’t get any worse.”

Boss Liu comforted him, “It’s okay. Whatever he does, it won’t be as good as yours. You can still launch it, and when people compare, customers will naturally come back.”

“Let’s hope so,” Yu Qingze sighed and replied.

And so, two more days passed.

Yu Qingze was busy managing the snack shop and drawing blueprints, keeping himself occupied.

He decided to replace the White fungus soup he originally planned with stir-fried rice noodles—egg stir-fried rice noodles, pork stir-fried rice noodles, vegetable stir-fried rice noodles—and a few other varieties. They were all well received, especially during lunchtime when these filling dishes sold particularly well.

Moreover, stir-fried rice noodles could be prepared in large quantities at once and then sold, which was more convenient.

On the other side, Boss Wang had been in high spirits recently, smiling all the time.

Liangpi attracted a group of customers who used to go to Yu’s food stall. In addition, the White fungus soup introduced in the past few days was also popular, especially among the children.

Due to these two dishes, the noodle shop’s seating rate finally increased from 30% to 60%.

Seeing the noodle shop gradually improving, Boss Wang felt very pleased. Even when his arch-nemesis, Boss Liu, glared at him as he passed by, Boss Wang was in such a good mood that he didn’t bother to argue.

“Father, we’re running out of white fungus,” Boss Wang’s son said as he entered the kitchen.

“Do we have enough for today?” Boss Wang asked.

Boss Wang’s son looked at the soaking white fungus in the basin and nodded, “It’s barely enough.”

Upon hearing this, Boss Wang said, “No problem, Tugen will deliver it tomorrow morning, we’ll make it in time.”

“That’s good then.”