Chapter 67
The owners of Good Grandma Food Store are a middle-aged couple. Their ancestors used to sell dried goods, and they learned from their grandmother to set up a large iron pot at the door so that customers can watch how chestnuts and melon seeds are fried.
This good old lady's price was a full dime per pound lower than Zhen Zhen's, and she even wrote it down on red cloth.
Some fellow villagers who thought that the price of Good Mother-in-law was too high, turned around and went to Good A Po when they saw that it was cheaper over there.
Zhen Zhen's sales were indeed affected this morning. The chestnuts that would usually be sold out in the morning were now sold out in the afternoon.
Zhen Zhen was not in a hurry. When there were no customers, she just sat in the store and knitted sweaters.
Tao Aihong pinched her waist and said angrily: "They poached all our regular customers. What a wicked guy!"
Meng Eryong frowned, "Mom, aren't you angry? They are clearly trying to steal our business. If this continues, our family will not make any money at all!"
After just a few days of good days at home, some people started to feel jealous. No matter if it was Meng Eryong or Tao Aihong, they were all unhappy!
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "As a small business, we don't have much capital. It's inevitable that we will encounter such things in the future. We just need to ensure the quality."
There are a lot of chestnuts on the market right now, and only good ladies can get them at low prices. Tomorrow, we won’t be able to get low-priced chestnuts, and we’ll have to buy them with receipts. Anything that involves receipts will have a higher price.
They lower prices to attract customers, and those customers they attract are all cost-conscious buyers. When these buyers see them raising prices, they feel like they have been tricked and it would be strange if they were not happy.
Zhen Zhen was not in a hurry, but in the afternoon, a customer came and said:
"Madam boss, the good old lady across the street is outrageous! A customer asked if he was a good old lady, and he actually agreed, and tricked the customer into buying several dollars worth of things as gifts!"
The lady who was speaking, Ms. Liao, is a loyal fan of the good mother-in-law.
During the summer, Sister Liao bought two sacks of grain from her mother's home and came to the county town. Unexpectedly, it started to rain heavily as soon as she arrived at Zhen Zhen's house. Zhen Zhen was afraid that her grain would be soaked by the rain, so she called people in to shelter from the rain.
Sister Liao was shivering after being caught in the rain, so Zhen Zhen poured her another cup of brown sugar ginger tea.
This was really nothing to Zhen Zhen. Who in the future would take a cup of brown sugar ginger seriously? But for people these days, brown sugar ginger was really a rare thing. The eldest sister was deeply moved. She went back and told the people in the factory about it, saying that the good mother-in-law and the boss lady were really good people.
A while ago, Zhen Zhen saw a little boy limping along the road. She stopped him and asked him about it, only to find out that he had been hit by someone. There was a ten-centimeter-long cut on the child's leg. Zhen Zhen took the boy to the hospital on her bicycle and sent him home after he had stitches.
Who knew that the little boy was actually Sister Liao's grandson? After a few interactions, Zhen Zhen and Sister Liao became familiar with each other.
Sister Liao said angrily: "People who use other people's names to make dirty money are so despicable! Madam boss, you have to take some action and don't let them succeed!"
Zhen Zhen asked Meng Eryong to find a piece of red cloth and wrote in white paint the following words in large letters: "A genuine good mother-in-law, the only one of its kind."
The banner is long and wide, and anyone with sufficient knowledge can see it. If those uninformed fellow villagers come here and see these words, they will know that they have been deceived.
Even if you are illiterate, when you see such a wide banner, you will ask passers-by what is written on it. Once passers-by know the answer, how can you not know it?
After the banner was hung, many people walked into Good Grandma's store. After finding out that they had been cheated, they came to Good Grandma's store with gloomy faces.
As time went by, Good Mother-in-law's business picked up again.
Pork heads have been selling well in the past few months, especially since the beginning of winter. More people eat meat than in the summer. The workers nearby are all paid, so they will engage in revenge consumption when their payday comes.
Zhen Zhen asked Meng Pandidi to keep an eye on it and make sure the service was improved.
She has been taking care of Meng Pandi for three months, and Meng Pandi is almost ready to learn. It can be said that Meng Pandi has undergone tremendous changes.
Three months ago, Meng Zhaodi smelled like a fool, spoke haltingly, got nervous when meeting strangers, and even had poor hygiene habits. Sometimes she didn't take a bath for several days, and when she was tired at night she would crawl into bed.
After Zhen Zhen found out, he didn't beat around the bush and told her the story directly.
Girls have self-esteem. Meng Pandi felt embarrassed at first, but after wearing the new clothes made by Jiao Huilan, tying her modern wavy hair into a ponytail, and putting on some delicate light makeup, she really looked like a transformed person.
Meng Pandi was also amazed by her own transformation. Many customers praised her beauty and said she was the living signboard of Good Mother-in-law Food Store.
There was even someone rushing to arrange a marriage for her. Only then did Meng Pandi realize how much benefit she had gained.
Zhen Zhen discussed making nougat with Jiao Huilan that night.
It is not difficult to make nougat. Fry the peanuts in a pot until they are cooked into peanut crumbs. Then pour water, white sugar and maltose into the pot and cook while stirring. When the syrup changes from white to caramel color, pour it into the beaten meringue.
After quickly stirring, pour in the chopped peanuts, cover with wax paper, and flatten with a rolling pin. After cooling, cut and bag.
This was the first time Jiao Huilan did this, and she didn't expect to succeed at the first try.
She took a bite and her eyes lit up. "Mom, this nougat is really delicious. It's much better than the ones bought from the supply and marketing cooperative."
In the past few years, my mother-in-law has brought a lot of delicious food home. Jiao Huilan can be considered a worldly-wise person, but she says that the nougat sold at the supply and marketing cooperative is far inferior to what they make.
One bite and you’ll find it crispy, sweet and milky. Who can resist it?
Jiao Huilan ate several pieces, Tao Aihong also ate a lot. Even Meng Eryong and Meng Daguo, who didn't like candy, loved it, not to mention the children.
"Mom, this nougat will definitely be popular!" said Meng Daguo.
"It's just that sugar is hard to buy," Meng Eryong pondered.
There is still some white sugar left in Zhen Zhen's space, and with the help of Zhao Meilan, it should be enough to prepare New Year's goods. She plans to go to Guangzhou next year, and when she sees white sugar, she will buy it and store it in her space.
As the saying goes, let's take it one step at a time.
The family was getting increasingly busy, and there were clearly not enough people on hand, so Zhen Zhen wanted to hire two more people to specialize in making nougat and peach cakes.
When Sister Qian heard about this, she had a candidate in mind, "What do you think of the Qiao family's daughter-in-law?"
Zhen Zhen was stunned, and then she remembered the legendary disfigured daughter-in-law of the Qiao family. She had been here for nearly half a year, and she had only seen her from a distance twice so far. Each time, she didn't even have time to say hello because she had covered her face and ran away in a hurry.
"How's her job?"
"Don't worry about the work!"
Sister Qian can guarantee this.
"She used to work in a mine. There were no clerical workers in the factory, so she became a miner. It was a very hard job. She had to be lowered underground by a crane. There was a lack of oxygen and sunlight. The ground was pitch black from years of mining. How many newly married girls could endure such hardship? Later, when a mining accident occurred, she carried Qiao Dazhuang, who was buried inside, out. I have to say that Qiao Dazhuang was able to save his life thanks to his wife."
Sister Qian hesitated again: "There's nothing wrong with Qiao's wife's work, but her face... is really a bit scary. You have to be mentally prepared."
"Okay, I have an idea in mind, but do you think Mrs. Qiao will agree?"
"Why can't you agree? Your salary is higher than that of the cotton mill. Mrs. Qiao is so happy that the daughter-in-law of the Qiao family can come to work here. How can she not agree? You know how difficult her family's life is. But how many people do you want to recruit?"
"Two or three will do."
"Why not recruit Qiao Dazhuang as well? Qiao Dazhuang is a man, but you need strength to fry chestnuts or melon seeds."
Zhen Zhen was puzzled: "Isn't Qiao Dazhuang's leg unable to stand for a long time?"
"It's not that he can't stand, but he needs to rest after standing for a while. His legs are crippled, but his arms are much stronger than most people's. Give him a bench and let him sit, and he can do any job for you!"
Zhen Zhen originally didn't want to hire a family, fearing that it would be difficult to manage. But given the situation of Qiao Dazhuang and Qiao's wife, they had no other way out except with her. Zhen Zhen also offered a high salary, so they really had no reason to work anywhere else.
Zhen Zhen agreed, and Sister Qian went to knock on Mrs. Qiao's door.
When Mrs. Qiao heard that Zhen Zhen wanted to recruit her son and her son, she was so happy that she didn't know what to do.
"Thank you, Xiao Qian," Mrs. Qiao grabbed Sister Qian's hand, her eyes full of gratitude.
"You can't thank me. If you want to thank me, just thank Guizhi. She also intends to help you. The salary given is twenty yuan per person. Your son and daughter-in-law may not have been able to get twenty yuan when they worked in the mine, right? As long as they work hard, they will earn forty yuan a month, and your family will not have to worry about life in the future!" Sister Qian is also really happy for them.
Old Mrs. Qiao and Old Man Qiao are nice people, but they have bad luck. Such a big thing happened to their son and daughter-in-law, and the neighbors are all very sad.
Before Zhen Zhen came to open the store, the Qiao family often had no food to eat. Later, the food store often had unsold braised vegetables and asked Mrs. Qiao to take them home to eat. Anyone with a discerning eye would know that she was doing a favor to the Qiao family.
This is also the reason why, even though Good Mother-in-law Food Store has grown so big, Sister Qian and several of the neighbors are not jealous, because they know that the person has a good heart and deserves to make money.
Mrs. Qiao went directly to the store to thank Zhen Zhen. She was about to bow, but was stopped by Zhen Zhen.
"It's nothing. If you really want to thank me, just let your son and daughter-in-law work hard. That's how you repay me."
Mrs. Qiao agreed repeatedly, "That's for sure! They will definitely cherish this opportunity!"
When Mrs. Qiao got home, she told this story to Old Man Qiao, who was so frightened.
"Is this true? Did Boss Zhen really ask Da Zhuang and Sun Ying to go?"
Sun Ying was the disgraced daughter-in-law of the Qiao family. After hearing this, she wiped her hands and put down her kitchen work and came over.
"Mom, what did you just say? Sister Zhen asked me to go to work?"
"That's right!" Old Lady Qiao sat on the edge of the bed with great joy. "Not only you, Da Zhuang also wants it! Boss Zhen wants you and Da Zhuang to make food for her together. It's not that difficult. Just make some peach cakes, nougat, fried chestnuts, melon seeds and the like."
Sun Ying was very happy. Her face was not suitable for being seen by others, but she would not have to worry about scaring the guests when working in the kitchen.
Qiao Dazhuang was surprised, but he was a little worried while holding his disabled leg. "My legs can't stand for long. I have to rest after working for an hour. Does Boss Zhen know about this?"
"Yes! She said she'll put a plank bed for you in the factory. You can lie down for a while if you get tired of standing. Just finish the work."
Qiao Dazhuang and Sun Ying looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes. Then they were led by Old Lady Qiao to meet the boss.
It was the first time Zhen Zhen saw Sun Ying. Her face was indeed a little scary, especially because her eyelids were swollen so badly that she couldn't lift them up. But it wasn't to the extent of scaring a child to tears.
Sun Ying was a little nervous, "Sister Zhen, you have seen my face..."
"It's okay. Sister Qian has told me all this." Zhen Zhen wiped her hands and told her about hygiene. "I'll say this in advance. It doesn't matter if you don't look good. You need to have good hygiene habits. You have to wear work clothes, tie a headscarf, and wash your hands frequently. As long as you work under me for a day, you will abide by my rules and can't be lazy at all."
Sun Ying is a bit of a germaphobe and agrees with what Zhen Zhen said.
These two people are really hardworking and they got the hang of it quickly. With these two helpers, Zhen Zhen has a lot of chestnuts, peanuts, melon seeds, and nougat in stock. If they continue like this, they will be able to stock up a considerable amount of New Year's goods before the New Year.
After getting workers, Zhen Zhen planned to register a food factory and make food in a formal and proper manner.
However, registering a factory is not an easy matter. You need to choose a name, register a trademark, etc. These days, I really don’t know which department to go to.
Zhen Zhen handed the matter over to Meng Daguo.
Meng Daguo did not dare to delay and rode his bicycle around to ask around that afternoon. However, since there was no precedent for this matter, it could not be done in a short time and he could only take his time.
As soon as Meng Daguo came out, he met Qin Xue who was carrying a bag.
Qin Xue's eyes lit up when she saw him. She ran up to him and shouted in admiration, "Brother Meng, I finally see you."
Everyone in the street heard her shout, and the look in their eyes when they looked at Meng Daguo was not normal.
Meng Daguo was embarrassed, "Comrade Qin, is there anything I can help you with?"
Qin Xue was lost for a moment, then cheered up again, "Meng Daguo, what are you doing here at the Industry and Commerce Bureau? If you need any help, just ask."
Meng Daguo shook his head. His mother said that wild flowers on the roadside should not be picked. He got on his bike and left.
Qin Xue returned home, dropped her bag, and sat in front of the dressing mirror in a daze. When her mother saw her distraught look, she knew it was related to Meng Daguo.
Last time, Meng Daguo heroically saved the beauty and sent Qin Xue home. Qin's mother took one look at her from a distance and fell in love with this young man, Meng Daguo.
Who knew Meng Daguo was actually married.
But it's normal. Meng Daguo is not young anymore. Uneducated men in the countryside usually get married and have children early.
"Since you're married, you can stop thinking about it! I'll ask your Aunt Zhou to introduce you to a few more people," said Qin's mother.
Qin Xue shook her head. Ever since the last time, her mind was filled with the image of Meng Daguo. This man was tall and had strong arms. Qin Xue was almost dizzy by his masculinity.
She had never been attracted to a man before, but this time she fell headfirst into it.
I wish I could be held tightly in Meng Daguo’s arms.
"So what if he has a wife? His wife is just a country woman, she has no knowledge and doesn't know how to dress up, and she gave birth to three daughters in a row," Qin Xue looked at her mother and said as a matter of course, "Mom, how many mothers-in-law don't favor boys over girls these days? Daguo brother is a good man, he shouldn't have such a vulgar wife. As long as I have a relationship with Daguo brother and get pregnant with Daguo brother's son, his mother will definitely support me."
Even though Qin Xue kept calling her sister-in-law, she looked down on women like Jiao Huilan from the bottom of her heart.
Jiao Huilan is not very pretty, has no formal job, and has given birth to three daughters. Such a woman is not worthy of such an outstanding man as Meng Daguo.
Mother Qin frowned, thinking that this was too risky. A woman's reputation was the most important thing these days.
It’s true that Qin’s mother used to look down on country men like Meng Daguo.
But her best friend Zhou's mother had a relative who made a living in the black market. He had seen Qin Xue and Meng Daguo together and told Zhou's mother that although this man was a country boy, he should have a small farm.
A lot of pork is exported every year, and I earn thousands just from selling pork.
At this time, the Meng family opened another shop in the city. This shop is amazing and the business has been booming since it opened.
A colleague of Qin's mother had been there and said that the food bought in this store was delicious. The chestnuts, potato chips, and melon seeds were all good, but the most fragrant were the special candied dates, which were so sweet that one bite of them could make your heart feel sweet.
This colleague used to be prejudiced against this shop, thinking that self-employed people were not respectable, but now he has become a loyal customer.
According to her colleagues, this grocery store can sell one or two hundred dollars a day.
There are more and more customers visiting recently. There are queues for checkout. I earn much more than working.
Qin's mother then retracted her prejudice and told her daughter to hurry up and capture Meng Daguo.
But there is a problem, Meng Daguo is married.
But as Qin Xue said, which mother-in-law doesn't want to hold her grandson? As long as Qin Xue has a relationship with Meng Daguo and gives birth to a son, she won't be afraid that Meng Daguo will not recognize him!
"Mom, isn't this how you got your uncle?"
Qin Xue's biological father was a country man who would beat his wife. When Qin's mother was in confinement after giving birth, she was beaten black and blue, so she ran to her best friend's house in the city to hide. Qin's mother's best friend married a good man, who was already a deputy factory director at the age of 30. Seeing how badly Qin's mother was beaten, he agreed to let his wife take her in.
Qin's mother had no other thoughts at first. She just thought that since she lived in someone else's house, ate and drank their food, she should at least do more work for them. But who knew that something was wrong as she worked.
She first washed the underwear of her best friend's man under the pretext of doing a job. She pretended not to be uncomfortable and said that she served men in the same way at home. The best friend's man did not think much of it, but the relationship between the two became more and more ambiguous.
Such things as hooking a man's toes while eating, deliberately letting a man see her changing clothes, and screaming when she sees a mouse hiding in a man's arms.
Women these days are all capable of working. This was the first time the man had met someone so weak, and he began to take care of her. He treated Qin's mother better and better.
When he bought clothes for his wife, he would definitely buy some for Qin's mother as well. He also brought lipstick and perfume for Qin's mother when he was on business trips.
The two of them started a love affair right under his wife's nose. During this period, Qin's mother kept teasing him and didn't let him succeed. Until one day when the man was taking a shower, Qin's mother sneaked into the shower room, which really broke the window paper.
The two of them had been dating for half a year, but were finally discovered by their best friend. Naturally, she was devastated. She never expected that she had let a wolf into the house and brought such a woman home.
Although she agreed to the divorce, she went to the factory and caused a commotion, which cost the man his job. After Qin's mother got married, she didn't have a comfortable life for many days.
Because of this, she had a bad reputation in the area. Any family with better conditions would not marry into her family after asking around. Qin Xue's marriage was delayed, and she was already 23 years old and still unmarried.
Mother Qin thought that Meng Daguo was also a good choice. No matter whether he was a formal worker or not, as long as he could make money, it was fine. Isn't money the basis of daily necessities?
Mother Qin agreed and said, "Invite him over later. I have a plan."
Qin Xue also believed in her mother's methods. Her mood became excited when she thought about being with Meng Daguo.
Zhen Zhen didn't know that someone was targeting her son.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year. After the beginning of the Ramadan, Zhao Meilan came and brought a sewing machine for Zhen Zhen.
Last month, she helped to get two old sewing machines. Today's one is a new one. Zhao Meilan collected a lot of coupons to send it to her, and she also wanted to consolidate this relationship.
Her husband said that Sister Zhen will have more tricks up her sleeve in the future.
Zhao Meilan thought that courtesy is always welcome, so she should be nice to Sister Zhen so that she would remember her when she had a big move in the future.
"Sister, take a look at the sewing machine I bought. To be honest, it took me more than a year to collect all the coupons."
Zhen Zhen understood what she meant. "What else is there to be dissatisfied about? If it weren't for your help, my daughter-in-law wouldn't have a sewing machine to use."
In the past, one sewing machine was definitely not enough, but now we have four, so we can recruit two more apprentices.
Zhen Zhen wanted to pay her more, but Zhao Meilan refused and only charged her the cost of 180 yuan. Zhen Zhen didn't bother to be polite with her and gave her a few bags of snacks to take with her.
At the end of the year, Zhen Zhen counted the inventory in the warehouse and space. She had a lot of inventory, which was stored according to the annual sales amount. It should be enough for the New Year.
After winter came, the business of the two stores opposite was not very good.
Although Good Grandma Food Store is cheaper than Zhen Zhen, the varieties are limited. The chestnuts and melon seeds are pretty good in the fall, but get worse and worse after winter. Customers often eat moldy chestnuts and melon seeds, and they will never buy them a second time after eating them once!
The halogen shop of Haoxifu was not very good either. Meng Daguo once asked Dachuan to buy halogen from that shop. To be honest, the halogen tasted good and did not drive away customers.
But the boss is too careless. He is making brine here and spitting there.
His wife could reach out to grab pickles right after getting her hair done. The hygiene in the store was poor, with flies and mosquitoes aplenty. It was said that they would pick up pig trotters that fell on the ground, wash them, and sell them to customers. There were even rats crawling around on the tables.
Although everyone is poor these days, the people living nearby are all formal workers who are very particular about their work. These people have high standards and have always looked down on people with poor hygiene habits.
The owner of the Good Daughter-in-law Halal Shop has hair oil all over his long nails, but the employees of Good Mother-in-law are wearing neat work clothes, their hair is tied up with scarves, they have special clips for picking up vegetables, and they wear cotton masks. They are really more particular than eating at home.
After a few visits, the good mother-in-law's customers started coming back.
However, Zhen Zhen felt that this was not enough, so on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, she asked Meng Eryong to post all the New Year promotional activities she had written.
This was the first time that Good Mother-in-law Food Store was holding a sales promotion. Zhen Zhen attached great importance to it and wrote down the sales promotion rules early on.
Buy five kilograms of food and get half a kilogram of melon seeds for free. Buy ten kilograms and get one kilogram of melon seeds for free. Spend over one hundred yuan and get five yuan off. Spend over two hundred yuan and get ten yuan off.
There are also Chinese New Year gift packages for sale!
The big gift pack includes the best-selling products of Good Mother-in-law Jewelry Store, including melon seeds, peanuts, and chestnuts. They are wrapped in wrapping paper with the Good Mother-in-law logo and then tied together. A big gift pack costs two yuan, which has more varieties than buying them individually, and it is cheaper and comes with a piece of nougat to try.
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