The March morning light, like a thin veil, gently covered the asphalt pavement of the city's commercial street. New buds unfurled their tender green leaves among the branches of newly planted sycamore trees, and the occasional birdsong drifted down from the branches, adding a touch of life to this street soon to be bustling with activity. Lin Wanqiu stood at the shop's entrance, watching the workers nail the final signboard to the lintel—the five large vermilion characters "Wanqiu Food Shop" stood out prominently in the morning light, their edges adorned with sesame and peanut patterns drawn by Shen Nian'an, exuding a touch of liveliness.
Shen Tingzhou walked over from the alley entrance carrying soy milk and fried dough sticks. He paused when he saw the sign, his eyes filled with relief: "I didn't expect it to be installed so quickly. In another two days, we can start our trial operation." He walked to Lin Wanqiu's side and handed her the hot soy milk. "Yesterday, Wang Fugui sent someone to inquire again, saying he wanted to talk to us. What are you planning to do?"
Lin Wanqiu took the soy milk, feeling its warmth on her fingertips, but remained calm: "We can talk, but we have to see what his sincerity is. He was unconvinced by his loss at the last tasting event, and if he tries to pull any tricks this time, we're not afraid." Since winning the shop at the tasting event, Wang Fugui hadn't caused any more trouble, but he hadn't completely given up either, sending people to inquire from time to time, clearly still eyeing "Wanqiu Food Shop."
As they were talking, a bicycle stopped in front of the shop. Wang Fugui got off the bicycle, wearing a brand-new Zhongshan suit and carrying a cloth bag. His expression was much more amiable than when they last met: "Boss Lin, Comrade Shen, good morning." His tone was no longer arrogant, but rather polite, completely different from before.
Lin Wanqiu was somewhat surprised, but still politely asked, "Mr. Wang, is there something you need?"
Wang Fugui opened the cloth bag, inside were several beautifully packaged pastries: "I'm here to apologize. I was rude last time and even tried to forcibly take over the shop. I hope you won't take it to heart. These are our shop's signature pastries. Please try them; consider it a small token of my appreciation."
Shen Tingzhou glanced at Lin Wanqiu, and only after seeing her nod did he take the cloth bag: "Mr. Wang, you're too kind. Friction is inevitable in business. Let's not talk about the past."
Wang Fugui sighed and said sincerely, "To be honest, after the last tasting event, our store's business has declined a lot. Many of our regular customers have gone to your store in the county to buy pastries. That's when I realized that your products are really good. I'm here today to apologize and to ask you how to make such good pastries."
Lin Wanqiu hadn't expected Wang Fugui to be so direct, and her guard lowered a bit: "Actually, there's no secret. It's just about using genuine ingredients and meticulous workmanship. Our sesame brittle uses this year's fresh sesame seeds, hand-roasted until golden brown, then mixed with maltose, without adding any artificial flavorings; the red date paste uses Xinjiang grey dates, which are pitted, peeled, and steamed for three hours to ensure a delicate texture." She paused, then added, "In business, integrity is paramount. You can't cut corners to save money, or you'll lose customers sooner or later."
Wang Fugui nodded, a look of admiration on his face: "Boss Lin is right. I used to always think about how to make money, but I neglected product quality. No wonder business has declined. I have a favor to ask of you. I would like to cooperate with you and get some raw materials from your workshop, or ask your master craftsmen to come to our shop for guidance. I wonder if you would be willing?"
Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. They had assumed Wang Fugui had come to provoke them, but it turned out he was seeking cooperation. Lin Wanqiu thought for a moment and said, "Cooperation is possible, but we have conditions. First, you must guarantee to use the raw materials we provide and follow our processes, without cutting corners; second, we will send a master craftsman to provide guidance, but you will have to pay the corresponding guidance fee; third, during the cooperation period, you cannot use unfair competition methods, and if any are found, the cooperation will be terminated."
Wang Fugui immediately agreed: "No problem! I agree to all these conditions! I'm willing to do anything as long as we can make the business successful." He took out a piece of paper from his pocket, "This is the cooperation agreement I've drafted. Take a look, and if there are no problems, we'll sign it today."
Lin Wanqiu took the agreement and read it carefully. The terms were all reasonable and there were no traps. She handed it to Shen Tingzhou, who nodded after reading it. The two signed the agreement, and Wang Fugui, holding Lin Wanqiu's hand, said excitedly, "Boss Lin, thank you! I will definitely learn from you and do business properly from now on, and I will never do anything crooked again."
After seeing Wang Fugui off, Shen Tingzhou said with a smile, "I didn't expect him to take the initiative to cooperate. Now our business in the city has another guarantee."
Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "Actually, he's a smart man. He knows that a head-on confrontation won't work, so he chooses to cooperate, which is good for both of us. We can not only earn more money for raw materials and guidance fees, but we can also reduce a competitor. Why not?"
Over the next few days, Lin Wanqiu sent Sister Liu to "Fugui Food Shop" to guide the process. Sister Liu was very experienced and taught Wang Fugui's employees how to select ingredients and control the heat, and also told them some simple recipes. Wang Fugui cooperated well and made pastries with the ingredients they provided according to Lin Wanqiu's requirements, and business indeed improved a lot.
The day before the soft opening, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou were busy tidying up the shop. The shelves were filled with all kinds of snacks and baby food. Sesame brittle gleamed with an oily sheen, red date paste was placed in an exquisite ceramic jar, and purple sweet potato cake was cut into small pieces and placed on a white porcelain plate, looking particularly tempting. Shen Nian'an was also busy, helping to arrange the price list behind the counter, and even sticking her own cartoon drawings on the shelves to attract the children's attention.
As evening fell, Old Yang from the supply and marketing cooperative and the commune secretary suddenly arrived. Old Yang held a banner that read "Honest Business, Quality First," and said with a smile, "Wanqiu, Tingzhou, this banner is from the commune to commend you for your contributions to the commercial development of the city. The secretary heard that you will be opening for trial operation tomorrow, so he came to see you."
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