Li Sha sighed and said, "My dad suddenly had a stomachache last night and went to the hospital in the middle of the night for an IV drip. The doctor said to observe him for three days."

"Ah! The old man is sick? Then... then I have to go and visit him."

Ma Yunfei told the abbot to go back to the sales station first, while he hurriedly ran to the store to buy some fruit and snacks, and then went to the health center.

Li Sha's father is sleeping in the observation room, receiving an IV drip.

Ma Yunfei asked with concern, "Grandpa, are you feeling any better?"

The old man opened his eyes, glanced at Ma Yunfei, and said angrily, "What are you doing here, kid?"

"Grandpa, I heard from Li Sha that you have a stomachache and are being observed at the health center. I came to see you and hope you recover soon."

"You brat, you have a wife and you still want to seduce my daughter. I warned you long ago to stay away from my daughter."

"Grandpa, please don't be angry. Li Sha and I are just friends. There's no seduction involved. Please don't misunderstand me anymore."

The old man grabbed a cup from the bedside table and threw it at Ma Yunfei.

Ma Yunfei tilted his head, and the cup flew past his ear.

Although the cup didn't hit Ma Yunfei, the water inside splashed all over him.

Li Sha said unhappily, "Dad, what's wrong with you? Brother Ma came to visit you out of kindness, and you didn't appreciate it, but why did you smash things up?"

"I can't stand this brat. Just seeing him makes me furious."

“Dad, Ma Yunfei and I are just ordinary friends. He is a married man, and there is no way I could marry him. Please stop being so suspicious.”

The old man, panting, said, "My dear daughter, this rascal is very cunning. On the surface, he seems quite honest, but I have a keen eye. I think he has the air of a city person deep down."

The old man's words surprised Ma Yunfei. In his previous life, Ma Yunfei was not only a city dweller but also a famous economist.

Li Sha chuckled and said, "Dad, Ma Yunfei is a native of Majiawan. He only recently started doing business in town. However, the people in town are practically city dwellers."

“Daughter, listen to your father, stay away from Ma Yunfei. That kid is cunning and not a good person. Look at him, he even made the town mayor his godfather. It shows how scheming he is.”

Li Sha said dismissively, "Dad, what godfather? He just makes Brother Ma do chores for his family. Ever since Ma Yunfei became the mayor's godfather, he hasn't gotten any benefits and has taken on all the hard and tiring work for the mayor's family."

“Girl, I heard that this brat got a godfather in the town mayor, so he set up a yam sales station. This sales station is a free lunch; he cheated the farmers out of their yams without spending a single penny.”

Ma Yunfei quickly explained, "Grandpa, I'm a distributor, which means I help farmers sell their products. Once the yams are sold, I'll give them the money. It's not like I'm making money out of thin air, and I'm not cheating anyone. Ask around: I don't owe those yam growers a single penny, and I'm even helping them make money."

The old man snorted and said, "You're quite cunning, kid. You're using the guise of a distributor to do business without spending a single penny. That's really clever."

Ma Yunfei smiled and said, "Grandpa, since you say I'm smart, I'd like to give you a suggestion. Recently, a new barbershop opened at the south end of town. I reckon that more new barbershops will open in the future, so it seems you'll be facing fierce competition."

The old man asked, "What is competition?"

"Old man, to give you an example, there was a pot of rice that was originally meant for one person to eat. But as more and more people came, they started fighting over the pot of rice."

The old man turned to Li Sha and asked, "Has another barbershop opened at the south end of town?"

"Yes, it's under renovation."

Ma Yunfei said, "Grandpa, you used to be the only barber shop in Qinglong Town. Actually, there were quite a few people competing with you. They just didn't open shops. Instead, they carried a barber's tool and walked through the streets and alleys shouting: 'Haircuts available!' These people were cheaper than you and were also your competitors. It's just that people of status generally preferred to sit in a barber shop to get their hair cut."

Ma Yunfei mentioned the barber business, which piqued the old man's interest. He asked, "You rascal, what brilliant idea do you have for me?"

"Grandpa, if I give you this brilliant idea, you'll think I'm even more cunning. It'll just be a thankless task for me."

"You brat, spit it out if you have something to say, or get lost."

Ma Yunfei shamelessly said, "Grandpa, I'm only giving you this brilliant advice because Li Sha gave me 400cc of blood and saved my life. Otherwise, I'd probably have to run to that new barbershop at the south end of town and give them this advice."

"You brat, you think you can ruin my barbershop? No way! Let me tell you: I make my living by barbering. I've been learning from my dad since I was ten, almost fifty years now. My barbering skills are the best in Qinglong Town. Nobody can compete with me for a living."

Ma Yunfei said with a smile, "Grandpa, don't forget that many new hairdressing techniques and tools have been developed. Perhaps you will gradually become outdated."

Li Sha interjected, "Dad, Brother Ma is right. Last time I went to the city, I saw a lot of new things in the barbershops that we'd never seen before. I also think that we're going to fall further and further behind."

The old man was a smart man. He had long realized that although his hairdressing skills were very good, he was becoming less and less accepting of new things as he got older.

"You brat, what's your brilliant plan?"

Ma Yunfei said quietly, "Old man, you can issue discount cards. I suggest you issue three types of cards: a ten-yuan card, a twenty-yuan card, and a thirty-yuan card. That is to say, people pay for the card first, but the discount is different depending on the type of card they buy. The ten-yuan card gives a 10% discount, the twenty-yuan card gives a 20% discount, and the thirty-yuan card gives a 30% discount."

The old man asked, puzzled, "Why should I give them a discount?"

“Old man, the reason you issued these cards is to retain these customers. On the one hand, they can enjoy preferential treatment, and on the other hand, they can get their hair cut by you for a long time, so that they won’t go to other barbershops.”

The old man thought for a moment and asked, "If I implement this preferential system, won't I earn a lot less money?"

"Old man, don't forget, customers are like water, they come and go. If you issue these discount cards, you'll keep customers in your store and prevent them from leaving. Every extra customer means more money."