"Refund! Refund!"

"Give me my money back, or I'll report you to the authorities!"

"....."

Originally, only three men were arguing for a refund, but this commotion caused a stir.

Residents living nearby also followed suit and demanded refunds.

Two of them were not even tasted, and the bags were not even opened.

"Gentlemen, please stop arguing. It's the first day of our new shop's opening. Please give us a break. I'll refund your money and give you free flower cakes. Just please stop making trouble."

It has to be said that Zhao Daniu truly lived up to his reputation as a small business owner; he silenced the troublemakers outside with just a few words.

They took the silver and the flower cakes and went home.

Although the flower cakes aren't very tasty, it would be foolish not to take something for free.

Well, now the money that just went into my pocket is almost half gone.

Not only will the money be refunded, but the costs will also be charged to me.

We've lost a fortune.

The couple didn't even smile when they were counting the money.

"Honey, this is good. We refunded so much money and even gave them the flower cakes. After deducting costs, we only made one tael of silver today. We have to split it with my brother, so we'll only have half a tael left."

Humans are greedy.

Back when they were selling baked cakes, if Zhao Daniu and Chen Shouzhu could earn half an ounce a day, they would be so happy that they would want to kill a chicken to celebrate.

Now they look down on it.

It's utterly ridiculous.

"Half a tael! My God! If this continues, I'll be able to get more than ten taels a month! I'm rolling in money! No wonder Madam Yan is buying mountains and carriages. She must be making even more money, right?"

Compared to the two men's distress, Chen Shoujia was absolutely ecstatic.

“They sell a bag for half an ounce, and they don’t have to share the money with anyone. They can easily earn 100 ounces a month.”

"What? One hundred taels? That's a thousand taels of silver a year? Good heavens, that's terrifying."

Chen Shoujia was stunned by his sister's words.

His two sons were also dumbfounded.

Earn one thousand taels a year.

Did they drive away the God of Wealth?

The three of them felt a mix of emotions.

"Alright, I've had a long day. Brother, let's split the money once a month, it'll be easier to keep accounts."

"No, one point a day, that's what you agreed on with your parents before."

Chen Shouzhu's expression changed.

Worried that her husband would be angry, she quickly gave him half a tael of silver.

The two returned to the house.

Zhao Daniu slammed the door shut.

"Look at the kind of people your family has! Are they in such a hurry? One cent a day, are they afraid we'll run away? Let me tell you, I can only tolerate them for a month at most. If they don't find a way to get rid of them, we're getting a divorce!"

Zhao Daniu already knew the secret recipe for flower cakes, and he was incredibly confident.

His children are all grown up. At worst, he can just take them to another place to open a new shop and marry a younger, unmarried woman. Why should he put up with this old, haggard wife's temper?

“Honey, calm down. Nian’er is getting married in a few days. Once she’s married off, I’ll find a way to get rid of my older brother.”

"Hmm, how much of Nian Di's betrothal money is left?"

"The Zhang family only gave us three taels in total. We added some money to rent the shop and made a new winter coat for our precious son. We only have a little over one tael left."

Chen Shouzhu answered truthfully.

“Go buy a cheap piece of cloth as part of Niandi’s dowry, so the Zhang family won’t say we’re stingy.”

Zhao Daniu values ​​face the most.

But they were unwilling to spend more money.

"Okay, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

Her two children have already gone back; the backyard of the shop is too small, with only two rooms.

They lived in one room, and the eldest brother and his two sons slept together in the other.

The children live with their parents-in-law.

The small courtyard where my in-laws live is also rented.

They've been renting for years, and the price keeps going up. Once they've made some money, Chen Shouzhu plans to buy a big house and move his whole family in.

The group was exhausted after a long day and slept soundly that night.

I slept without any dreams.

The next day, Zhao Daniu continued selling flower cakes, having learned his lesson, and added more filling.

It's a pity those people caused a scene yesterday.

Business was terrible today.

I only sold five bags all morning.

I don't even dare to rest at noon.

The flower cakes, once cooled, were reheated several times until they darkened in color and could only be sold at a low price.

One hundred coins per bag.

Many people who can't afford flower cakes but crave them will buy a bag to take home and share.

"Shouzhu, is there anything wrong with the secret recipe your nephew brought? Quite a few people have already said that our flower cakes are not as good as those from Yan's Pastry Shop. We're clearly making them according to the secret recipe, unless the recipe is fake!"

Zhao Daniu began to have doubts.

"Brother-in-law, if you ask me, the secret recipe must be real. You couldn't make it if it were fake. I guess it's because your skills aren't good enough. Otherwise, how could the products be so different? You've only ever sold baked cakes before. How can such cheap things compare to flower cakes?"

Chen Shoujia spoke in a sarcastic and unsettling tone.

There were seven or eight plates of unsold flower cakes on the counter, no wonder he was anxious.

After all, the sugar-oil noodles were all made by the Chen family.

"What do you mean? If you're so capable, do it yourself!"

Zhao Daniu was so angry that he suddenly stood up.

The stool beneath him instantly collapsed to the ground.

It made a 'bang' sound.

"Honey, don't be angry. That's just how my brother talks. Brother, Da Niu works so hard baking these flower cakes, what does it have to do with him? I think those people are just deliberately causing trouble. They probably just want to eat the flower cakes for free. Here's what we'll do: this afternoon I'll take my two nephews to the door and hawk them. We have to sell these flower cakes. I guarantee we won't lose money. Don't worry, don't rush."

After calming the two down, Chen Shouzhu breathed a sigh of relief.

They started arguing on only the second day of business; she had to quickly find a way to get rid of the older brother.

It's completely useless, yet you still point fingers and criticize.

She couldn't stand it when people said her man was angry.

The scene changes.

Yan's Pastry Shop in Shuangqiao Town.

At this time, customers came in droves.

Lunar New Year's Eve is just around the corner, and many people from other places will return home early to give fresh flower cakes as New Year's gifts to their relatives and friends.

The shop was packed with people.

Everyone is waiting for the flower cakes to come out of the oven.

"Ah, a thief!"

Suddenly, a loud shout came from the backyard.

Yan Xia rushed to the front of the shop in a panic.

"Son, stop selling! Go report to the authorities! Go find the constable Zuo and tell him our shop has been burglarized! The secret recipe for our flower cakes has been stolen! Hurry, hurry!"

Yan Xia was almost in tears.

She clenched her fists and gripped her son's sleeves tightly.

"What?! Is that so? Mother, I'll go right away!"

Jin Fu was startled and hurriedly ran towards the county government office.

The mother and son acted superbly.

The customers in the shop were all comforting Yan Xia.

"Manager Yan, don't panic. Think carefully, has anyone entered your backyard?"

"Yes, is there a door to the backyard? Is it open? Did the thief enter through the backyard?"

"These people are despicable. They're probably just jealous of your shop's good business, Manager Yan. If you ask me, you should report them to the authorities. Anyone who sells flower cakes is a thief!"