Plagiarism
September 1st, 6:00 AM.
Wang Yao pressed the alarm clock on her bedside table, and instead of staying in bed, she immediately got up to wash and get ready.
6:30.
Decades later, Wang Yao began her first morning self-study session.
The adults, busy with their lives, also began a new day.
As soon as Liu Xiangmei opened the restaurant door, Chen Hai arrived on his tricycle. What caught Liu Xiangmei's eye most on the tricycle was a bag of bright red tomatoes.
"The tomatoes are great today, they look like they're about to burst with juice."
Chen Hai said it was indeed delicious, as it was grown from new seeds, but unfortunately, not many were planted this year.
An elderly woman who had gotten up early for a walk walked by and saw the tomato that Liu Xiangmei had broken open. Even without cooking it, she could tell that the flesh inside was grainy.
She called out, "Wow, these tomatoes are so beautiful! How much are they?"
After she called out, her old friends who were taking a walk with her all came over. When they heard Chen Hai say that the tomatoes were for Liu Xiangmei and there weren't many of them, they found out.
Seeing such beautiful tomatoes, but not getting any for myself, that won't do.
The elderly women used their persuasive skills to negotiate with Liu Xiangmei, hoping to at least share some of the money with them. Some even asked Chen Hai to send them some tomorrow.
Liu Xiangmei was initially reluctant because Chen Hai had only delivered a small amount of tomatoes today, probably just enough for her shop.
However, there was one elderly person whom Liu Xiangmei was somewhat familiar with. During the summer vacation, she often bought boxed lunches from Liu Xiangmei to feed her grandson.
This person told Liu Xiangmei that even if each elderly person could share one or two tomatoes, it would be good enough for everyone to have enough for a dish when they got home, so that everyone wouldn't be so anxious about not being able to eat such good tomatoes.
Alright, we're neighbors, and they've said so, so Liu Xiangmei couldn't bear to refuse anymore. "Okay, I'll listen to you, but one person can only have two, more than that really won't do."
Grandma Fang was a little smug because she didn't expect Liu Xiangmei to give her so much face. "Alright, alright, you all heard that, right? Two for each of you, no more."
After the elderly people happily left with their bags, Liu Xiangmei looked at the few tomatoes left and was a little worried. This amount was definitely not enough for a dish.
Chen Hai helped Liu Xiangmei move the vegetables to the back kitchen, took the money, and left. Liu Xiangmei set aside the portion she needed, and put the rest in a basket at the restaurant entrance, waiting for people to come and buy it.
Just as she was about to return to the kitchen, she heard someone calling her. Liu Xiangmei turned around and saw the old man who had advised her to sell one or two each.
Liu Xiangmei thought for a moment before she remembered hearing a child call her Grandma Fang.
"Aunt Fang, what's wrong?"
Grandma Fang pulled Liu Xiangmei aside and whispered, "I just walked up ahead and saw a banner hanging above the entrance of Yu's Sichuan Restaurant saying they're going to sell buffets, did you know?"
Liu Xiangmei looked blank. "I don't know. Doesn't his family sell stir-fries?"
Grandma Fang lowered her voice even further, "Don't you understand? It's obvious they're trying to compete with your family. You'd better be careful."
Seeing Liu Xiangmei's bewildered expression, Grandma Fang sighed inwardly. It wasn't easy for this widow and her child to make a living in the county town without any worries.
Grandma Fang originally wanted to say a few words of comfort to Liu Xiangmei, but unexpectedly Liu Xiangmei comforted her instead: "It's okay. There's no such thing as a unique business in this world. If I can do it, others can do it too. It all depends on one's ability."
These words sounded really grand. Grandma Fang gave Liu Xiangmei a thumbs up, "With your spirit, you'll definitely do better than the Yu family."
Liu Xiangmei suppressed her anger and said to Grandma Fang with a hearty laugh, "Then I'll take your kind words, Aunt Fang. It's kind of you to come all the way here to tell me. Oh, by the way, I still have some vegetables here. Let me pack some for you."
With that, he went back inside to get a bag.
Grandma Fang saw the small green vegetables in the basket by the door and fell in love with them at first sight. How come she hadn't seen them before? They looked so fresh and delicious.
Grandma Fang took the bag from Liu Xiangmei and took out some change. Liu Xiangmei quickly said she didn't need the money, but Grandma Fang wasn't one to take advantage of others, so she just threw the money into the basket and left.
Grandma Fang quickly caught up with her friends and started telling them what had just happened. Everyone was unanimously complaining about Yu Daqiang's family.
But no matter how much they complain, it doesn't seem to have any impact on Yu Daqiang's family.
When Liu Xiangmei went to the vegetable market, she passed by the entrance of Yu's Sichuan Restaurant and saw a large red banner with the three big characters "Buffet" written on it, simple and straightforward.
Ma Zhen, who was sweeping the floor at the door, looked up and saw Liu Xiangmei staring at her banner. Instead of being embarrassed, she took the initiative to greet Liu Xiangmei, "Oh, isn't this Boss Liu?" with a smug look on her face that said, "What can you do to me?"
Liu Xiangmei was so angry that her nostrils flared up, but she was helpless. She could only glare at Ma Zhen and ride away on her tricycle.
In Ma Zhen's eyes, Liu Xiangmei was running away in a panic. She put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly at Liu Xiangmei's back.
Liu Xiangmei gripped the handlebars tightly, muttering to herself, "I'll make you laugh to death, I'll make you laugh to death..."
Coincidentally, Ma Zhen caught a stitch after laughing for only a short while and started coughing loudly and uncontrollably.
Liu Xiangmei slowed down and looked back, only to see that Ma Zhen was coughing so hard her face was red and she couldn't even straighten up.
Good heavens, is she really going to die laughing? She was so scared that she quickly sped away.
After returning to the hotel from shopping, Liu Xiangmei saw Chen Xiu standing at the door looking worried.
As soon as Chen Xiu saw Liu Xiangmei return, she immediately went up to her, "Auntie, do you know, that Yu family..."
Liu Xiangmei interrupted her, saying, "Pick up your things and we'll talk when we get back."
After entering the room, Chen Xiu was about to ask more questions when she saw Liu Xiangmei slam her things down on the table with a "bang" and begin to berate her: "Pah! Tadpoles, copycats, imitators! They do whatever I do, even a coffin shop wouldn't be this unlucky! With such dirty hearts, the things they make can't be any cleaner either. Just wait, they'll go out of business sooner or later..."
Chen Xiu tried to speak but couldn't get a word in edgewise.
After spraying the water in the direction of Yu's Sichuan restaurant for about ten minutes, Liu Xiangmei finally stopped to catch her breath.
He said to Chen Xiu, who was listening in a daze, "It's okay, let them learn. If they learn our model, can they really learn our techniques? Only by comparing them can we show how good our dishes are. Stay calm, don't panic."
After saying that, he went back to the kitchen.
At this time, Liu Xiangmei still felt that after being taught by her daughter, her cooking skills were far superior to those of ordinary people. Even if Yu Daqiang's family had the same business model as hers, she was only a little angry, but still not afraid.
But by noon, Liu Xiangmei had witnessed what it meant to be shameless and invincible.
Most people would keep quiet if they stole something from someone else, afraid that others would find out they were a thief, but Ma Zhen was different.
She copied Liu Xiangmei's business model without the slightest embarrassment; on the contrary, she was extremely proud of it and couldn't wait to announce it to the world.
Starting at 11 o'clock, Ma Zhen put a loudspeaker in front of her restaurant, playing her restaurant's promotional slogans on a loop. Passersby were attracted by the loudspeaker's announcements such as "Unlimited food, you can't leave until you're full."
Liu Xiangmei, who was busy in the kitchen, was called out by Chen Xiu to listen. Seeing passersby walking into Yu's Sichuan Restaurant, Liu Xiangmei wished she could swing the cleaver in her hand at Ma Zhen's face.
This shameless woman not only copied her food, but also dared to try and suppress her. Her family only had rice to eat as much as they wanted, but this damned woman Ma Zhen actually said that all the food was available. What is she trying to do? Did she copy her food and then try to drive her out of the family?
Isn't that cheap?
These are the words Liu Xiangmei most wanted to say to Ma Zhen.
Although she was angry, Liu Xiangmei had no choice but to return to the kitchen and do her best to make the food even tastier.
After a morning of studying, Wang Yao was already feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
It wasn't that the knowledge the teacher was teaching was particularly difficult; it was the first day of school, and what the teacher was teaching was fairly basic. Rather, the sudden and frequent exposure to four different new subjects overwhelmed Wang Yao's brain.
During the last ten minutes of the last class in the morning, the math teacher was still lecturing on the podium, while Wang Yao's mind went blank.
Niu Ling was completely lost in thought. It wasn't that she had forgotten how to study; in fact, she hadn't studied at all. Her stomach was rumbling, and all she could think about was what she would eat later, and whether she would get to eat the braised pork that Wang Yao had mentioned last night.
Stealing a glance at Wang Yao, she saw that the person who had been sitting upright and taking notes attentively all morning was now spacing out. She nudged Wang Yao.
Wang Yao turned her head and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Niu Ling asked in a low voice, "Is your mom making braised pork today?"
Wang Yao shook her head and said, "No."
Niu Ling was a little disappointed. "Oh? I've been thinking about it all night. What is your mom making for lunch today? I'll see if we should still go eat there."
Wang Yao recalled the results of her discussion with her mother last night and said, "Today's menu is..."
"Wang Yao, Niu Ling."
Oh no! I never expected the math teacher to have such sharp eyes. Niu Ling closed her eyes, wishing she could bury her head in the desk drawer.
Wang Yao was also a little unsure of what to do. She tugged at Niu Ling, wanting to ask if they should stand up now.
But Niu Ling wanted to disappear immediately so that no one could see her, so why would she pay attention to Wang Yao right now?
The math teacher's voice rang out again: "What are you two saying? Tell us so we can hear it together, huh? Wang Yao, you go first."
Wang Yao felt a little embarrassed, but she tried to look on the bright side. She coughed lightly and said, "My mom is a very good cook. She runs a restaurant called 'Come Back to School' behind the school. Niu Ling just asked me what my mom would be cooking for lunch today. I wanted to tell her that the meat dishes are spicy chicken, sweet and sour pork, and stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts..."
"Alright, we're still in class. We can discuss these things after class. Sit down."
Then he said to everyone, "Hang in there, everyone, there are only a few minutes left before get out of class ends. Let's finish explaining the last bit..."
After Wang Yao sat down, she continued to listen attentively to the lesson as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Niu Ling, who was standing to the side, really wanted to give her surname to Wang Yao. Wang Yao should have the surname Niu. How could she dare to recite the names of dishes to the teacher at a time like this?
Niu Ling was unaware that Wang Yao's palms were sweaty, not from the heat, but from nervousness. She also felt that she must have been crazy just now, thinking that it was a good opportunity to promote her restaurant.
Sigh, that's just how the adult soul is—seizing every opportunity to promote themselves or their products.
"Ring ring~"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com