Chapter 29.

Chapter 29.

Wang's mother, father, and Daji were momentarily stunned at that instant.

Minghe, oblivious to anything amiss, continued, "Sir, come in for a meal!"

His brother's call was indeed different from everyone else's!

Danzi followed suit, "Sir, come in for a meal!"

The two children together used this method to attract customers.

Someone chuckled first, setting off a ripple of laughter among the customers.

Hearing this, Minghe and Danzi looked puzzled, not understanding what had happened.

"Minghe, Danzi, where did you learn that?" Xiao Yu asked, feeling awkward.

"I learned it from my brother," Danzi pointed at Minghe.

Minghe, pointing towards the market, said, "I learned it from the pretty brothers and sisters there."

What pretty brothers and sisters!

Those were people from pleasure quarters!

Xiao Yu often took Minghe and Danzi to buy groceries, pots, books, etc., and vaguely remembered passing by the Wanhuo Building a few times. He hadn't expected Minghe to remember and mimic the way they attracted customers. The child's learning ability was too strong.

"Uncle Xiao, did I not learn it well?" Minghe asked, tilting his head.

"...You learned it very well, but let's not do it next time," Xiao Yu said.

"But, but no customers have come yet. When the brothers and sisters over there call out, customers go into their shop. I want to call out and have customers come in to eat, too," Minghe hoped to draw customers in the same way.

This comment elicited another round of laughter from the customers.

Before Xiao Yu could respond, a passerby said, "Little kid, here I am, coming in!"

"Ah, a customer has come!" Minghe happily went to greet them.

Even though Minghe and Danzi's imitated calls of "Sir, come in for a meal" were techniques used in pleasure quarters, the customers and passersby didn't take it in a negative way. Instead, they found the innocence and charm of the two children quite endearing.

Some passersby, willing to pay for this "innocent and fun" experience, ignored Wang's mother's vigorous hawking and resolutely entered Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop.

Hearing other customers praise the eight-treasure porridge and sweet potato porridge, they ordered a bowl out of curiosity and fell in love at first taste, spontaneously recommending it to others.

Consequently, the number of customers at Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop kept increasing.

In the kitchen, the large pots of eight-treasure porridge and sweet potato porridge gradually emptied.

At Daji's Breakfast Shop across the way, only a few scattered customers were present. They only realized upon paying that the prices of buns, spicy soup, and porridge had quietly returned to the original rates, begrudgingly handing over their money while harboring some resentment towards Wang Daji.

Looking at Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop, bustling with people but leaving customers with satisfied smiles, they regretted not having breakfast there.

Tomorrow!

They resolved to eat at Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop the next morning.

With their departure, Daji's Breakfast Shop gradually quieted down, remaining sparse with customers until well into the morning.

Wang Daji, with a sour face, stared at the dozen or so baskets of buns, asking, "How much spicy soup, eight-treasure porridge, and pumpkin porridge is left?"

Wang's father turned to his wife and asked, "How much is left?"

Wang's mother, having been in the shop and unaware of the situation outside, called loudly towards the back, "Mrs. Ma! Mrs. Ma! Mrs. Ma!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Ma hurried out, "Father, mother, husband, what's the matter?"

"Are you deaf? I had to call you so many times!" Wang's mother snapped at Mrs. Ma.

Mrs. Ma remained silent, her head bowed.

"Playing the victim again, acting as if you're mistreated. How much spicy soup, eight-treasure porridge, and sweet potato porridge is left? Have you gone mute?" Wang's mother said harshly.

Had they asked?

When had they asked her?

Mrs. Ma, who usually faced scolding the moment she appeared, replied in a low voice, "We barely sold a few bowls, so there's still a whole pot left."

Hearing this, Wang Daji's mother was about to scold Mrs. Ma, "You—"

"Enough!" Wang Daji raised his voice.

Wang Daji's mother and Mrs. Ma were startled.

Wang Daji's father, with his eyebrows furrowed deeply, said, "It's already late in the morning. If we can't sell breakfast now, no one will buy it for lunch or dinner."

Wang Daji's mother asked anxiously, "What do we do then? We made a lot today, hoping to earn more money." They had offered big discounts for the first three days, almost selling at a loss, to attract customers, expecting to make more once the prices went back to normal.

Unexpectedly!

They hadn't anticipated that as soon as they returned to regular pricing, Xiaoyu would introduce new items - the same Eight Treasures Porridge and Sweet Potato Porridge they offered.

She also overheard customers saying it tasted better than Daji Breakfast Shop.

This left them in a dilemma.

"We'll continue the discount today!" Wang Daji suddenly decided.

Mrs. Ma looked at Wang Daji in surprise, disagreeing in her heart, but dared not voice it.

Wang Daji's parents were also puzzled: "Another discount?"

Wang Daji retorted, "What else can we do without a discount? The porridge will spoil if left too long, and we'll end up feeding it to pigs!"

Wang Daji's father then said, "Let's do the discount."

Wang Daji said resentfully, "Mother, start calling out for customers." The goal was to sell out today's breakfast.

Wang Daji's mother shouted towards Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop, "Discount! Discount! Buns for two coins each, everything for two coins, spicy soup, Eight Treasures Porridge, sweet potato thin porridge, three coins a bowl, everything for three coins!"

Customers at Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop savored their aromatic breakfast, unmoved, but many passersby were drawn into Daji Breakfast Shop by the low prices.

Zhang Wu craned his neck to look across the street.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry."

Zhang Wu, once again witnessing Xiao Yu's capabilities, was genuinely not worried this time. Wang Daji's family, seeing the steady stream of customers, felt somewhat comforted.

However, with only so many customers around and Xiao Yu attracting a large portion of them, despite their discounts, they couldn't sell all their breakfast items - half the buns and spicy soup remained, and half the eight-treasure porridge and sweet potato porridge spoiled over time.

Wang Daji became angry once more.

Wang's mother hurriedly consoled him, "It's just because Xiao is new to making porridge. Customers want to try something new. Once they do, they'll realize our porridge is better."

"Exactly, we've been selling porridge for years, not something a young upstart like him can compare with!" Wang's father confidently added.

Mrs. Ma remained silent beside them.

Determined, Wang Daji decided to make porridge the next day, confident that his years of experience would outdo Xiao Yu.

So, the next morning, he and his family prepared invigorating yam porridge and nourishing pumpkin porridge, hoping to win back customers. However, the customers still preferred the eight-treasure porridge and sweet potato porridge at Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop.

On the third day, they made century egg and lean pork porridge and black rice, black bean, and black sesame porridge, yet customers still chose Xiao Yu's offerings.

On the fourth day...

On the fifth day...

On the sixth day... No matter how they varied their menu, Xiao Yu's customer base remained steady as a rock, while their business declined day by day. They didn't make any profit and actually lost several silver taels due to expenses for vegetables, pots, steamers, flour, discounts, and leftover food.

They went from initial pride to anger, then to panic, and now they were at a loss about what to do with Xiao Yu.

"Husband, I've heard that Xiao Yu's eight-treasure porridge and sweet potato porridge are sweet, thick, and smooth, and they don't thin out no matter how much they're stirred. Some customers even take it home in small wooden barrels. When reheated the next day, it tastes just as good," Mrs. Ma analyzed seriously. "We shouldn't be working in isolation; we ought to at least try a bowl ourselves."

"You want to give him our money, is that it?" Wang Daji suddenly yelled at Mrs. Ma.

Mrs. Ma cried out in fright.

Wang's father and mother both accused Mrs. Ma of being disloyal.

Knowing that arguing was futile, Mrs. Ma silently teared up and lowered her head.

Damn it!

The more Wang Daji thought, the angrier he became. He used to live comfortably in Shuiqing Lane, selling porridge at the market every day with the neighbors, making a modest income and enjoying a better life than others in the lane.

Then Xiao Yu arrived, opening a breakfast shop and bringing vitality to the lane.

The blacksmith, tofu seller, and other merchants all benefited, but his porridge business didn't gain anything.

Fine!

If Xiao Yu wouldn't bring him customers, he would find his own. He had secretly observed Xiao Yu making buns and spicy soup and tried to replicate them.

Things were supposed to get better.

But!

Yet Xiao Yu had imitated his porridge, causing him to continuously lose money.

How would he manage his days ahead?

Unable to contain himself any longer, Wang Daji fiercely threw the cloth in his hand onto the table and strode towards the door.

Wang's mother quickly asked, "Daji, where are you going?"

"I'm going to settle the score with Xiao!" Wang Daji declared righteously.

"Settle what score?" Mrs. Ma asked, puzzled.

"He's just a country bumpkin daring to compete with me for business!" Wang Daji headed out.

"But wasn't it you who copied his business first?" Mrs. Ma said softly.

Wang's mother, hearing this, pointed at Mrs. Ma and scolded, "What are you saying? Why are you always against us? We didn't steal his business. We were making buns and spicy soup when he was still playing in the mud!"

"Exactly!" Wang's father agreed.

"Let's go, let's confront him!" Wang's mother said, pulling Wang's father out of the shop.

Mrs. Ma watched the trio leave, feeling increasingly that they were unreasonable.

At Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop, breakfast had already been sold out, and they were cleaning up. Danzi, seeing a half-eaten bun on the table, exclaimed, "Oh no!"

"What's wrong, brother?" Minghe asked.

"A customer wasted food! Look!" Danzi pointed at the table.

Minghe ran up, indignantly saying, "Don't they know about the hard work under the scorching sun?"

Danzi reminded him, "Brother, it should be 'every grain is the result of hard work.'"

"Whether it's 'hard work under the scorching sun' or 'every grain is the result of hard work,' it's all the same thing. They both won't mind!" Minghe explained logically.

"Are they the same thing?" Danzi asked, confused.

Minghe firmly said, "Yes, their mother is called 'Compassion for the Farmer'!"

"And their father is Li Kun!" Danzi added.

"Exactly, so a family, a family..." Minghe scratched his head, searching for the right words, "In a family, we don’t contradict each other!"

Danzi, convinced by Minghe’s logic, nodded, "Brother, you are right!"

"Alright, then let's put the leftover food in the swill bucket and later take it to Hong San Niang to feed the pigs." Whether it's a breakfast shop or a restaurant, leftover food is inevitable. Xiao Yu always collected the leftovers to feed Hong San Niang's pigs, as Minghe clearly remembered.

Danzi nodded vigorously, "We'll feed the pigs together, make them nice and plump, and then eat them!"

"We'll eat the pig together!"

"I'll eat the pig trotters!"

"I'll eat pork dumplings!"

"Me too, me too!"

"We'll all eat together!"

"And bring Uncle Xiao along!"

"And Da Bao, Tian Liu, Grandpa, and Xiao Fang!"

"And Uncle Zhang too!"

“……”

Xiao Yu and Zhang Wu couldn't help but laugh at the children's innocent chatter.

"Xiao Yu!" Suddenly, an angry voice resounded.

Xiao Yu and the others turned to see Wang Daji, his father, and mother storming in with a menacing air.

Wang Daji kicked a stool out of his way with a loud bang and pointed at Xiao Yu, demanding, "Xiao, explain yourself! What do you mean by this?!"

Minghe and Danzi shivered in fright.

Ignoring Wang Daji and his family, Xiao Yu turned to the children and said, "Don’t be afraid, your Uncle Xiao is here."

Minghe and Danzi quickly dropped what they were holding and ran to Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu wrapped his arms around the children like an eagle protecting its young, gently patting their heads to comfort them, and then looked calmly at Wang Daji, "Whatever you mean, that's what I mean."