bestfiction Chapter 126 Changing the Signboard
Chapter 126 Changing the Signboard
Although it was only an egg as compensation.
But the atmosphere in the group chat instantly relaxed.
[Haha, the boss is so generous! There's no quantity limit, he's really going to bleed money away!]
My uncle's surgery is the most important thing, so I'm going to eat six steamed buns on Saturday to break my personal record!
Don't worry about staying with me at the hospital, Brother Chen. Contact me anytime if you need anything.
[Thanks for your hard work, boss!]
Chen Yuan replied with "thank you" to each message.
He knew these loyal customers weren't there for the free eggs, and their well wishes were heartfelt.
This genuine concern warmed Chen Yuan's heart.
Friday morning.
It was still dark.
Chen Yuan got out of bed as usual.
He entrusted the sleeping Youyou to Su Qingxue's care.
Su Qingxue is a very meticulous person; she will definitely be able to take good care of the child.
Chen Yuan didn't relax. Instead, he went to the breakfast shop and checked everything, including the water, electricity, and gas, before leaving with peace of mind.
This is the first time.
My breakfast shop was devoid of any lively atmosphere in the early hours of the morning.
On the other side...
Chen's Steamed Bun Shop.
These past few days, the shop owner, Zhao Dan, and her husband, Chen Hui, have watched helplessly as waves of people carrying thermos flasks and riding electric bikes hurried past their shop and headed into the residential area.
The steamed buns in the steamer went from being steaming hot to gradually cooling down, and the dough hardened.
The fried dough sticks also changed from being golden and crispy to becoming soft and mushy.
This week.
The couple went through a lot of trouble.
Price reduction and promotion.
Buy steamed buns and get free soy milk.
Buy 4 steamed buns and get 1 free.
They even spent a "huge sum" to hang up a red banner that read "Today's Special Offer".
In order to expand their influence, they even learned online sales.
They even come up with things like "check in and get a free tea egg" promotions.
My voice is hoarse from shouting, and my back aches, but people passing by don't even glance at me.
We finally welcomed back some of our old customers from the shop.
He was shy, but he couldn't resist the couple's persistent pleading, so he reluctantly bought two, and even muttered something half-jokingly before leaving.
"Don't bother, ma'am, we all go to that place now."
"Their steamed buns are really substantial, and most importantly, they're delicious and nutritious. Especially their porridge; I sleep so well after drinking it."
"Your shop is definitely in trouble."
I didn't close up shop until noon yesterday.
The shop was completely empty.
Zhao Dan slammed the rag down on the cutting board, her eyes red with anger.
"Old Chen, how are we supposed to make a living? We used to be the best in this neighborhood!"
"Now look what's happened! We're steaming a whole basket of buns all day long, and we can't even sell half of them. All these people have gone to support that kid!"
"We lowered the price and gave away freebies, but they don't even look at us. How are we supposed to survive? Will we even be able to pay the rent this month?!"
Chen Hui has been anxious and stressed these past few days; he has developed several blisters on his lips, and his brows are furrowed into a deep frown.
Hearing his wife complain like that, he also got angry.
"Alright, alright, are you never going to stop? What can I do?"
"There's nothing we can do. Are we just going to sit here and wait for him to kill us?"
"Why do you speak so rudely, you old woman?"
"Why did I sound bad again?"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Chen Hui quickly braked.
"They're internet celebrities now. How can we two lousy steamed bun makers compare? People these days only care about brands, not about principles."
"Do you recognize the brand?"
Zhao Dan sneered a few times, walked a few steps to the door, and looked into the residential area from a distance.
"I think it's all just hype!"
"If those people start praising us, the neighbors will join in the gossip. If we keep going like this, we'll be starving sooner or later!"
At this point, Zhao Dan suddenly seemed to remember something, and her eyes lit up.
"Old Chen, you know what, I actually came up with an idea just now."
"Huh?" Chen Hui didn't even lift his eyelids.
"Do you remember that since yesterday, a lot of people have been passing by our house asking where that kid's breakfast shop is? They're obviously out-of-town customers."
"That's true, so what happened?"
"Heh, you're really stupid. Don't you know how to snatch business from others?"
A confident smile appeared on Zhao Dan's lips.
"Those people who are here for the first time, who can tell which restaurant is which? They only recognize the signs, not the people. Why don't we just change the signs?!"
"Change what?"
"If you replaced it with one exactly like him, are you stupid? I've explained it to you this clearly, and you still don't understand. Are you a blockhead?!"
Zhao Dan spoke urgently, with a hint of exhilaration at having faced certain death.
"Go and make a sign tonight. Use the same words, layout, and background color. Just write 'Vegetarian Steamed Bun Shop'."
"Those new customers, even if they're just two streets away, will definitely head straight for us as soon as they see the sign."
"Once people come in, we can offer them discounts and gradually retain them. Even if we can't keep them, we can still sell dozens more baskets a day, which is better than us just sitting here doing nothing."
Chen Hui was stunned, then his brows furrowed.
"Wait a minute, this brand is the same. Isn't this blatant... What if people find out and come knocking on our door? And if we get into legal trouble, it'll be even more troublesome!"
"What are you afraid of?!"
Zhao Dan slammed her hand on the table, displaying the decisiveness befitting a business owner.
The flour on the cutting board was falling off in a flurry.
"Are you stupid? Just remove those quotation marks and it'll be fine. We'll just call it a vegan breakfast shop, exactly the same as that woman's old sign. Isn't that a difference?"
"Besides, he hasn't registered a trademark, so what's wrong with us putting it up?"
"Trying to talk to me about the law? We're just a small business, what's the point of discussing the law? Let's make money first!"
She became more and more agitated as she spoke.
At that moment, Chen Hui's phone rang.
After reading the message, he suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"It's like God won't let a blind sparrow starve! We have hope! That kid's closing down tomorrow, so he just notified everyone in the group chat, but he didn't notify the customers outside!"
"Let's get it done this afternoon, and strive for a great start tomorrow morning!"
"Okay! Pack your things and go right away. It has to be urgent, absolutely urgent!"
Zhao Dan put her hands on her hips and said happily.
"Tomorrow morning we'll open all the steamers and fry several batches of dough sticks. Once the signs are up, plenty of people won't be able to tell which is which."
"Okay, then should we buy more ground meat tonight?"
"Buy it! Tomorrow, stuff it with extra meat filling. People will definitely buy more because they see our wrappers are thin and the filling is generous."
The two hit it off immediately and split up to take action.
Chen Hui rode his electric bike straight to his destination, while Zhao Dan found someone to remove the old signboard from the shop.
Looking at the mottled marks on the wall.
Zhao Dan took a deep breath and nodded confidently.
Everything will be ready for tomorrow!