Zhou Quan didn't want to beat around the bush anymore, so he repeated exactly what Li Mai had said before.
“We, the Li family, have no grudges against you. The only possible enmity is in business, because we chose to enter the same business as you and settled in this town.”
"This is neither your fault nor our fault. In the business world, there are only so many industries, nothing more than the five necessities of life: food, clothing, housing, transportation, and entertainment. Since we are in the business world, it is inevitable that we will compete with each other. In a town, the business district is only so big, and the same business will definitely rise in one direction and fall in another."
"For us in the same industry, what we need to do is not to kill our competitors so that we can all benefit, but to help each other grow and use that as motivation to encourage our factory managers to work harder and surpass our competitors. That is what a healthy business environment is all about."
"After all, even without our Red Pomegranate, other garment businesses would have moved to this town. Even if they went outside this town and into Xiabei Town or Yongzhou City, could you still maintain your position as number one in the industry? Wouldn't you eventually fall behind?"
Finally, Zhou Quan added a sentence, and after speaking, he looked calmly at the four people opposite him.
Lu Qian and Xu Chong huddled together, whispering to each other. They felt that Zhou Quan's words were absolutely right. The two of them were discussing how their two families could help each other with their restaurant businesses in the future!
After Zhou Quan finished speaking, the Pei family head and the Yue family head exchanged a glance, but since they were elders, they did not speak immediately.
Pei Jing and Yue Xiu, however, had the intention of befriending the couple, so they cautiously asked, "How can we help each other?"
"Yes, our Caiyi Pavilion was originally known in town for its bright and varied colors and diverse styles of clothing. However, since your Red Pomegranate came, we have lost more than half of our customers in less than half a year."
"Yes, it's the same with Yueji Clothing Workshop. We originally made a good reputation in the town for our embroidery skills, but ever since your pomegranates bloomed, people say that your clothes are much better embroidered than ours."
Yue Xiu also said quietly.
Li Mai raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "So how did you do it?"
Pei Jing and Yue Xiu lowered their heads in shame.
Lu Qian then chimed in with a smile, "It's quite obvious that instead of working hard to develop their own business and surpass their competitors in the market, they want to use underhanded tactics to bring down their rivals."
Then the waiters started serving the dishes: a large plate of stewed mutton, a plate of stewed mutton ribs, a bowl of milky white mutton soup, four stir-fried dishes, two cold dishes, a jar of wine, and a plate of millet cake.
"Come on, let's eat and chat. The mutton can't wait to get cold. These vegetarian cakes are cut into pieces, and they taste good soaked in the mutton soup."
"After Koizumi made the decision yesterday, I had them prepare a lamb especially for you this morning," Xu Chong said as he served everyone the food.
"Thank you. I must say, your mutton is truly exceptional." Li Mai praised, washed her hands with the water basin brought by the waiter, and began to eat.
The Pei family head and the Yue family head, however, did not eat comfortably. Li Mai had only said half of what she wanted to say, and they did not know how she would deal with them. They were uneasy.
"Eat up, we'll talk after we finish eating." Li Mai also invited the two family heads to eat together.
They stopped talking and started eating with their heads down.
Li Mai looked at the meat with longing, but she didn't have a big appetite and ate very little. She ate two pieces of lamb ribs, a few pieces of meat, half a bowl of lamb soup, a piece of vegetarian cake, and a few bites of cold vegetables, and then she was full.
After they finished eating, everything on the table was cleared away and replaced with a pot of tea. But Li Mai said that it was best not to drink tea after eating mutton, and that water would be fine.
Xu Chong had never heard of this before, so he asked Li Mai what the explanation was. Li Mai said that mutton is considered a "hot" food, and that one can drink flower tea or green tea an hour after eating mutton, but it is not advisable to drink black tea.
Li Mai didn't say the reason, only that drinking tea after eating mutton would slow down intestinal peristalsis and cause a series of symptoms such as constipation.
Data from Li Mai's brain indicates that tea contains tannic acid, an organic compound with the chemical formula C76H52O46. When tannic acid combines with protein in mutton, it forms tannic acid protein, a substance that is poorly absorbed and utilized by the body and may slow intestinal motility, leading to dry stools or difficulty in defecation, causing constipation. Drinking tea two hours after eating mutton allows for better absorption of the nutrients from both the mutton and tea.
But these people wouldn't understand if she explained the chemical formulas or the composition of the substances, so Li Mai chose not to.
Li Mai was knowledgeable in medicine, so since she said so, everyone stopped drinking tea and continued their previous conversation.
Li Mai stopped teasing them and directly stated her intentions.
"When I first entered this industry, I also investigated both of your shops. Naturally, I knew where your strengths and weaknesses lay. That's why I paid attention to your weaknesses and worked harder on your strengths. That's probably why you said that I surpassed you after only six months and affected your business."
"That's how business works. You work hard, and I have to work even harder to gain a foothold and secure a place in this fixed business environment. As seniors, what you need to do is not to kill someone who has surpassed you to solve the fundamental problem."
"If you succeed that day, you may gain a temporary victory, but you will lose the basic morality of being a human being and the bottom line of being a person."
"In the beginning of humankind, wild beasts roamed everywhere. How did humans survive? They lived in groups, banded together, and unity was strength. Only by coming together could they defeat wild beasts and overcome the harsh natural environment."
"Do you know about the four famous incense-making families that are now known throughout the world?" Li Mai suddenly changed the subject and started talking about the Xu family.
Everyone nodded, indicating they understood.
Li Mai continued, "Back then, the four major incense makers were famous throughout the world, occupying all four corners of the Song Kingdom. Our Song Kingdom's incense-making industry was also thriving and renowned throughout the world. Other countries were proud to buy incense from our four major Song Kingdom manufacturers."
"But you all know what happened more than 30 years ago. The Xu family got involved in a case, which ultimately led to the destruction of the family and the death of its members. The Xu family's incense-making business plummeted. In the past, Tianxiang Pavilion was a place where many people were proud to own Tianxiang Pavilion's finished incense. But the Xu family declined, and the four families became three."
“Those three companies only lasted for thirty years, and they've all fallen by the wayside this year. Do you know why?” Li Mai asked again.
Pei Jing nodded, "I've heard about that. Back then, the three families conspired to frame the Xu family and even used the Tian family to bring them down. Now that the Tian family knows, they're bound to suffer a terrible fate."
“Yes, that’s the truth. Do you know what caused it?” Li Mai asked again.
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