Qian Feier bit into a hawthorn candy. The taste was sweet at first, but a sour note emerged at the end, not too strong, as if it had been balanced by the sweetness of the sugar.
For them, candy was no different from a luxury item. Chen Lishu’s bag contained about eight pieces, and this one bag was enough for Qian Feier to indulge in.
After finishing the bag, Qian Feier smacked her lips. Just as she was about to offer her opinion, Chen Lishu handed another bag of orange candies to her.
“Have some.”
“Oh, okay!” Qian Feier instinctively took the orange candy and, while preparing to take money from her wallet for Chen Lishu, she murmured, “Xiao Bai’s mom, you’re truly amazing. How can you do everything, and make it all so beautifully?”
Chen Lishu stopped her, saying, “No need for money. Consider these orange candies my treat, a token of my gratitude for your continued loyalty as a customer.”
Qian Feier blinked in surprise at Chen Lishu’s words, then frowned and refused, “That won’t do. I’m a loyal customer because your products are delicious and I love them. How can I eat something without paying?
Besides, this is made with real white sugar! That stuff is precious. If you give it to me for free, wouldn’t you be losing money? I can’t let you lose money, so you must take this money!”
With that, Qian Feier forcefully pressed two mao into Chen Lishu’s hand, then stared at her with a stern expression, conveying a clear message: if you dare return it, I won’t take these orange candies.
While white sugar was indeed expensive in this era, granulated sugar wasn't. A small amount of white sugar could be used to make a large pot of syrup.
Chen Lishu was momentarily unsure how to explain this to Qian Feier. Seeing her persistence in paying for food, she could only sigh helplessly and say, “Then I’ll give you another sausage. Don’t be so polite, or it makes us seem too distant.”
Before Qian Feier could refuse, Chen Lishu had already cooked the sausage and handed it to her.
Unable to refuse, Qian Feier accepted the sausage. Glancing at the two items in her hands, she couldn’t help but chuckle and tease, “People say that sugar is the most expensive thing in this world, only affordable for the rich.
I find you quite interesting. You’re generous enough to make snacks with sugar, but you’re firm about not lowering the price of the sausages. Your business approach feels rather peculiar.”
Chen Lishu smiled and shook her head, “The wholesale price of sausages is fixed. Even if I wanted to lower the price, there’s no room to do so. But white sugar is different. Making these few jars of orange and hawthorn candies didn’t even use half a jin of my sugar!”
Upon hearing Chen Lishu’s words, Qian Feier’s mouth dropped open in astonishment, “Not even half a jin? But I can taste the pure white sugar flavor. What’s going on? Did you add anything else to the white sugar?”
Chen Lishu lightly parted her lips and simply explained, “The longer it’s boiled, the less water there is. The sugar water becomes concentrated, making it sweeter when you eat it.”
“So that’s how it is!” Qian Feier clapped her hands in realization. She said, “Xiao Bai’s mom, selling these candies outside the school will definitely be more profitable than selling sausages!
After eating sausages for so many days, everyone’s gotten a bit tired of them. A new item, a snack made from sugar, will surely create a buzz at the school entrance.
I can’t keep such deliciousness to myself. I need to find some sisters to come and try it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Qian Feier suddenly moved beside Chen Lishu, placing her hands on the handlebars and then pushing the snack cart towards Li Na’s stall.
Chen Lishu, realizing what was happening, quickly followed and asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”
Qian Feier stated righteously, “Of course, I’m helping you sell the hawthorn candies. And this stall was originally yours, I’m just pushing it back to where you should be.”
Chen Lishu rubbed her forehead with a hint of helplessness, saying, “The sunlight here is too harsh. These candies aren’t suitable for being exposed to direct sunlight. You…”
Qian Feier had assumed Chen Lishu was being intimidated by Li Na, which was why she had moved the stall elsewhere. She hadn’t expected her good intentions to backfire.
Just as Qian Feier was blaming herself and preparing to push the cart somewhere else, a busy Li Na spotted them.
“Oh, Lishu, you’re here?” Li Na greeted her, then subtly glanced behind Chen Lishu, noticing she had brought that large pot. It seemed she was determined to compete with her.
Li Na licked her lips, then smiled meaningfully, “Dear parents, if you didn’t manage to buy fried sausages, you can take a look at the stall next to mine. Both of our families are doing the same business.”
As soon as she said this, the long queue instantly dispersed, with more than half of the people flocking to Chen Lishu’s stall.
Qian Feier was somewhat surprised. Was Li Na this considerate? It seemed she had wrongly accused a good person again!
Just as Qian Feier felt guilty and was about to apologize, a customer interrupted her train of thought, “How much is one of your sausages?”
Chen Lishu understood Li Na’s intentions upon hearing this, but calmly replied, “Two mao.”
“Two mao?” The customer who inquired was shocked. Their attitude suddenly soured as they berated, “The price difference between your two stalls is too great! Two mao?! What’s the difference between you and a black-hearted vendor?”
Facing the customer’s accusations, Chen Lishu gently appeased, “Our prices are different because the ingredients are different. If you feel the price is too high, you can try our other product.”
Another product? Li Na immediately retracted her schadenfreude expression. For some reason, an ominous premonition arose within her.
To dispel the bad feeling, Li Na chose to strike first.
She said, “Lishu, your sausages are already so expensive. Your new product won’t be even more expensive, will it? Why don’t you lower the price of your sausages, or else I won’t be able to handle so many customers alone.”
The first half of her sentence caused those who were full of anticipation to calm down immediately, and many even started whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
“What good stuff can this black-hearted vendor sell? Everyone, don’t fall for it and get ripped off!”
“Exactly. Earlier, this vendor sold me sausages for two mao, and I even bought so many from her. I’m already losing money. No, I want a refund!”
“Refund, refund!”
“……”
Facing the customers who were pressuring her, Chen Lishu coldly stated, “I have clear pricing and have never secretly increased prices. If you want a refund? Then you can. Come with me to the police station. If the police say you can get a refund, then I’ll refund you. Otherwise, I’ll sue you for disrupting the market!”
Although they didn’t see Chen Lishu angry, everyone felt a sense of pressure. Upon hearing that the matter might escalate to the police station, many abandoned their ulterior motives.