“Miss Zhou, this old man is too stubborn. I’m afraid we won’t be able to reach an agreement. Why don’t we try asking other families?” Li Jinchao suggested.
That's how people are; the more someone rejects you, the more you think they're good.
The old man ignored her and wouldn't give her the recipe no matter how much money Chu Yu offered. Chu Yu, on the contrary, felt that the old man had the spirit of a craftsman and regarded money as dirt.
Moreover, Want Want Cafe is the most popular cafe in Hong Kong.
Not to mention far away, none of the snack shops nearby are doing well. After the Want Want Ice Room is full, there are still seven or eight tables set up outside, and people are still queuing up.
Only this kind of formula has value.
Chu Yu smiled, not discouraged at all. "Everyone has weaknesses, and this old man has weaknesses too. As long as we can find his weaknesses, we will definitely be able to defeat him."
Chu Yu walked a few steps into the alley and saw a dilapidated and dimly lit general store in the distance.
She went inside, bought some daily necessities, and chatted with the shop owner. When the shop owner heard that she was from the mainland, she showed a curious expression. When she heard that Chu Yu wanted to buy the formula, she shook her head.
"You can't buy it. That old man has a bad temper. People come to his door to buy the formula, but he chases them away. He won't even talk to them. He doesn't give them any face. No amount of money will help."
Having experienced the old man's temper firsthand, Chu Yu pondered and said:
"Is there really no other way? I really want to bring the delicious food of Hong Kong to the mainland. If I can't bring anything back, then this trip will have been in vain."
The proprietress also felt sorry for her. She was very friendly to people from the mainland. Chu Yu was pretty and had a sweet tongue, and she had bought quite a few things from her. So the proprietress simply told her the truth:
“Someone offered a high price to buy his egg tart recipe before, but the old man refused to sell it. He thought the person was annoying and chased them out with a broom. I think he probably wanted to leave this shop to his descendants.”
Chu Yu had no idea that Want Want Cafe also served egg tarts.
"Does the old man have children?"
"He has a son, the son of the old man and his ex-wife. When the old man was young, he was addicted to gambling. He sold his house and all his belongings to gamble. His wife cried and made a fuss many times, but she couldn't change his mind. People were always coming to collect debts, so his wife took the child and went back to her parents' home, refusing to let the old man see his son. Later, the old man came to his senses and opened an ice cream parlor with his family's traditional skills. That's when he met his current wife. He made money and wanted to get closer to his son, and his grandmother supported him. But his son refused to see him no matter what, and even after his grandson was born, he wouldn't let the old man see him. The old man was heartbroken and mentioned it to us old neighbors many times, but nothing came of it."
It turns out that the old man had such a past.
Chu Yu wasn't some kind of moral judge; she came to Hong Kong for the formula.
She couldn't judge who was right and who was wrong, but if she could help the old man with this matter, he would definitely agree.
Chu Yu asked Li Jinchao and Chen Shunan to investigate the old man's son.
The two replied the next day.
The old man's son is named Cai Jinquan, nicknamed Aquan, and his grandson is called Xiajiaozai, who is five years old and just started kindergarten.
Cai Jinquan's wife is a housewife who stays at home taking care of the children.
Unfortunately, Cai Jinquan was recently laid off by his company.
Shrimp Dumpling Boy is in poor health and needs a lot of medical expenses every month, making life very difficult for Cai Jinquan.
"Layoffs? When did that happen?" Chu Yu asked.
Li Jinchao said, "Last month, the company compensated him with a sum of money, but it wasn't much. Xiajiaozi was hospitalized last month, and Cai Jinquan spent all of his compensation on the child. He can't afford to buy a house, and the landlord wants to sell the house and is urging him to move out, but he can't afford the moving expenses."
It's like someone handing you a pillow when you're about to fall asleep.
Cai Jinquan's layoffs are certainly not a good thing, but people only find loopholes when they are in trouble. If Chu Yu can ease the tension between father and son, the old man will definitely agree to sell the formula.
Li Jinchao found out that Xiajiaozi was undergoing rehabilitation treatment at a shop near her hotel.
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