Jiang Yunzhu frowned. She didn't object to competition, but this store's practices were too despicable and disgusting!
There is no copyright protection and anti-unfair competition law in this era, otherwise they would definitely go to jail.
"How could they do this!" Li He and others also heard the news and came out to check. When they saw it, they were furious.
"Who is the owner of this store?" Xue Jing had an impatient temper to begin with, and upon seeing this, he went straight to the door and yelled.
"I'm the owner of this store, what's wrong?" Shopkeeper Meng, wearing a brown silk gown, walked out proudly and said.
"Aren't you decorating this restaurant like ours? And you still dare to call it Xishanju!" Xue Jing said with red eyes.
"Why don't I dare to call it Xishanju? Have the three words Xishanju been contracted by your family? Moreover, which eye of yours saw me decorate the restaurant according to yours? Everything in this store is my own idea." said the shopkeeper Meng.
"You!" Xue Jing raised his fist and was about to hit him. He was clearly making excuses.
Shopkeeper Meng, however, was not afraid at all. He just looked at him and beat him. After beating him, he sent him to jail and then saw what Qishanju would do!
"Xue Jing." At the critical moment, Jiang Yunzhu called out to Xue Jing, and then signaled Li He to stop him.
Li He was more rational than Xue Jing, and he quickly grabbed Xue Jing.
Shopkeeper Meng smiled and said to Jiang Yunzhu, "Hey, isn't this Boss Jiang? My new store will open in a few days, and I'll give you a 50% discount on drinks and food. You must come and show your support!"
Jiang Yunzhu looked at him and said, "Definitely."
Her reaction was beyond the expectations of Shopkeeper Meng. He thought she would either leave in anger or cry. After all, a girl would cry when she encountered trouble.
"Then we are waiting for you." said Manager Meng.
Jiang Yunzhu then turned around and went back to Qishanju.
In Qishanju, Xue Jing still felt indignant. He looked at Jiang Yunzhu and wanted to say something, but suddenly found that she was sitting there with her eyes downcast and not saying a word. He was shocked. He was only concerned about his own anger, but did not consider her feelings.
When the store was first being renovated, Jiang Yunzhu didn't have much money. Most of the things in the store were bought with great effort by her from all over the county, and then she renovated the store herself.
Now that this has happened, she should be the one who suffers the most!
Thinking of this, Xue Jing's heart burned like fire, and he wished he could kill the shopkeeper Meng.
The others felt similarly and stood there with their heads down.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled and said, "Why are you all standing here? It's almost noon, everyone should get busy."
"Boss." Xue Jing and others said in unison.
"Everyone needs to work harder in the future!" Jiang Yunzhu said.
"Yes." Everyone agreed immediately, and they all held their energy together, determined not to let the neighboring store steal their business.
"Then get busy." Jiang Yunzhu said.
Everyone dispersed.
Jiang Yunzhu was disgusted by what the neighbors did, but if that was all, Jiang Yunzhu would not care about it. Fake is always fake. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Jiang Yunzhu was confident that they would never be able to take away her business.
She lowered her eyes just now, just thinking about something else.
Is it that Manager Meng did this because he simply envied Qishanju's booming business, or is there some other reason
If Manager Meng has someone supporting him, such as Baofulou, then there will be trouble next.
Qishanju has a shallow foundation after all... She remembered that Shopkeeper Meng just said that they would offer a 50% discount on their opening day!
Who knows if this 50% discount will be for one day or for a long time.
Jiang Yunzhu actually guessed it right. The restaurant next door was opened jointly by Manager Meng and Manager Song from Baofulou.
What's going on? Recently, more and more young men and women in Wuling County like to go to Qishanju. It seems that eating there has become a fashion. The rest of the people have also gradually heard of the name of Qishanju and want to go there to take a look.
There are only so many people who go to restaurants in the county. These days, the turnover of Baofulou has dropped by 40%. Manager Song has seen it and is very worried.
That day, he wandered around and ended up near Qishanju, where he happened to meet Shopkeeper Meng.
Manager Meng's shop has not been rented out yet. Every day it is empty, he loses a lot of money. Jiang Yunzhu wanted to rent his shop but didn't. He has always been resentful. Now that he sees that Qishanju's business is so good, he is naturally angry.
When two people like this meet, they naturally have common topics.
Suddenly, Shopkeeper Song had an idea. He could rent Shopkeeper Meng's shop and build a Qishanju! He had to admit that Jiang Yunzhu was capable. Whether it was the decoration of her shop, her way of depositing money and becoming a member, or the dishes she cooked, they were all refreshing.
But he also has advantages. Baofulou has been open for so many years, and his wealth cannot be compared to that of Qishanju, which has just opened.
He could drag her to death.
By then, his Xishanju will be the authentic one in Wuling County.
Moreover, he had a selfish motive. Baofulou was left to his two brothers by his father. Song Laoer did nothing but could take a large sum of money from him every month. Why? If he took the opportunity to move all the money to Xindian and leave an empty shell for Song Laoer, wouldn't he be able to get rid of him in the future
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was a good idea to kill two birds with one stone, so he immediately told Manager Meng that he wanted to rent a shop.
Shopkeeper Meng is also very shrewd. After listening to what he said, I thought of a lot of things.
Renting a shop was a good thing for him. But how much did it cost to rent a shop for a year? He looked at the people coming and going in Qishanju every day, and roughly estimated that it could earn him two to three years' rent in one month, which was a big piece of fat meat.
So he proposed that he and Shopkeeper Song go into partnership, with one of them providing the shop and the other providing the money and people, and they would share the profits.
Shopkeeper Song disagreed at first, thinking that he was dreaming about something good, but Shopkeeper Meng refused to give in.
Later, Shopkeeper Song figured it out. At the beginning, Xishanju would definitely not make money. Wouldn't it be a good thing to have someone to help him fill the hole? When Shopkeeper Meng couldn't hold on any longer, he would kick him away. That was just right.
Besides, it was not appropriate for him to show up at the beginning.
So the two of them signed a contract. Manager Meng would run Xishanju as the manager, and Manager Song would support him from behind. After they made money, they would split the profits 30% to 70%.
The two of them were determined to bring down Qishanju and take its place.
Because of what happened next door, Qishanju was a little quiet today. Everyone was busy working and there was no laughter and joking like before.
At night, when everyone was asleep, Jiang Yunzhu stood alone in the kitchen, looking at the pots and pans and thinking about something.
"Do you need my help?" Shen Fengming came in and asked.
He seemed to have just taken a shower, with a light moisture on his skin, which glowed slightly under the warm yellow candlelight.
On a night like this, he suddenly appeared like this and asked such a question. Jiang Yunzhu's expression unconsciously softened a lot.
She looked at him. He wanted to help her? Yes, with his status, he could easily help her solve the current problem, but he couldn't help her all the time.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled and said, "Probably not." She already had a plan.
Shen Fengming looked at her, her eyes were sparkling, as if there were stars flowing, making people want to immerse themselves in them.
The next day, before dinner time, the place next door was already bustling with activity. The lion dance team took up half the street. The scene was much bigger than when Qishanju opened.
In particular, the lion dance teams blocked the entrance of Qishanju, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Many people came. Some of them were eating at Qishanju. They saw that Xishanju had opened next door and its decoration was almost the same as Qishanju. They were pointing and talking. Some people were attracted by the lion dance team. They saw that the two restaurants were very similar and thought it was fun to watch, so they gathered there.
Shopkeeper Meng stood in front of the store, looking very happy. He glanced at Qishanju from time to time, his eyes full of pride.
In Qishanju Village, everyone was angry.
"I'll ask them to block the door." Xue Jing brought out a basin of blood from the kitchen and prepared to pour it on the lion dance team. One, to vent his anger, and two, to get rid of the bad luck.
Li He looked at Jiang Yunzhu, she had to make the decision on this matter.
"Stop." Jiang Yunzhu called Xue Jing. There were so many people outside, and if he threw the basin of blood out, it would be a loss of face for Shopkeeper Meng, but he would also be in a bad position.
"Boss." Xue Jing said anxiously.
Jiang Yunzhu looked around the store and saw that there was no one there. "Come with me to take a look," she said.
After saying that, she walked out the door.
Xue Jing and others followed immediately.
As soon as she came out, Shopkeeper Meng saw her, but he didn't look at her directly.
Jiang Yunzhu didn't get angry, she just stood there and watched.
The lion dance team danced for a quarter of an hour, and it was already time for dinner. The streets were full of people. Some people were complaining that the lion dance team was blocking the door of Qishanju and they couldn't go in to eat. Others were waiting for Xishanju to open. I heard that they were offering half-price drinks and meals today!
Feeling that it was about time, Shopkeeper Meng stretched out his hand and the lion dance team stopped.
There was a ladder next to it. According to the procedure, he should tear off the red cloth on the shop sign and announce that Xishanju officially opened for business.
His hand had already grabbed the red silk.
At this moment, a clear voice said, "Shopkeeper Meng, I would like to compete with the chef of your Xishanju. I wonder if you dare to accept it."
Jiang Yunzhu's words sounded light, but to everyone's ears, it was like a thunderclap. She was going to challenge the other party!
Everyone looked at her. She was wearing a satin dress with a light grass pattern and a waist. She had a slim figure and seemed to be just a little girl. However, the calmness in her eyes and the expression on her face made people dare not underestimate her.
Shopkeeper Meng was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. He held the red silk and looked at Jiang Yunzhu viciously. How dare she!
Jiang Yunzhu looked at him with a smile. She didn't want to do that either, but they were so shameless. After thinking about it, she felt that if she wanted to continue running Qishanju, it would be best to cut the Gordian knot.
"Why, you don't dare?" Xue Jing asked fiercely. He just wanted to yell twice to express his excitement. As expected, the boss is the boss. It's right for him to follow her.
As soon as he said this, the crowd went wild.
"Shopkeeper Meng, let's compete!" Some people just want to watch the fun.
"Shopkeeper Meng, you dared to decorate your house the same way as others and even gave it such a name. You have done everything you should and shouldn't do. Why, are you scared now?" This is someone who can't stand Shopkeeper Meng and wants to say something fair.
"Manager Meng, you don't even dare to compete with me. I think you don't need to open a restaurant anymore. You'd better close it as soon as possible." Someone sighed.
"That's right. I can see that the chef's cooking skills are not that good. They still open a restaurant."
…
Everyone was arguing and making a lot of noise, as if they were putting Manager Meng on the fire.
It was a cold day, but Shopkeeper Meng was sweating profusely, with beads of sweat running down his back. Would he accept Jiang Yunzhu's challenge? He knew that Jiang Yunzhu's cooking was delicious. If he accepted, it would be great if he won, but what if he lost? He wouldn't have to open his shop anymore.
The loss is huge. At least he feels that the chef of Baofulou is not as good as Jiang Yunzhu, otherwise she would not have snatched away his customers.
But if he doesn't answer, will he be able to open his shop today
He subconsciously looked at the crowd and finally found the figure of Shopkeeper Song in a corner of the crowd.
What to do? He looked at him inquiringly.
Shopkeeper Song had never expected that Jiang Yunzhu, a girl, would be so bold. Of course, he didn't want to accept the offer, because he had already asked someone to buy dishes from Qishanju and let the chef in the restaurant taste them, trying to get him to imitate the same dishes.
But after eating the dish, the chef just said, "I'm not as good as her." Then he admitted his defeat. This...
His plan was to use money to bring down Qishanju.
But don’t answer…
Suddenly, he thought of someone and nodded to Shopkeeper Meng.
Shopkeeper Meng wondered if he was dazzled as he continued to stare at Shopkeeper Song.
Shopkeeper Song nodded twice more before turning around and leaving with some disgust. After Jiang Yunzhu's disturbance at the opening ceremony today, there was nothing to see at all.
It actually helped Jiang Yunzhu.
But it doesn’t matter. Once he brings that person over and defeats Jiang Yunzhu, everything will be solved naturally.
Shopkeeper Meng accepted Jiang Yunzhu's challenge, but just as Shopkeeper Song guessed, he took so long to accept it, which obviously showed that he lacked confidence in himself, so it was estimated that their chef's cooking skills were not that good. In that case, who would go to their house for dinner
Half price? Are they bargain hunters? Well, some of them are. But if everyone else doesn't go to Xishanju, and they go, wouldn't it be embarrassing for them
Xishanju had been a busy business for quite some time, but after it actually opened, there were few customers.
The Qishanju next door was overcrowded, and Shopkeeper Meng was so angry that his teeth itched. He immediately went to find Shopkeeper Song to discuss it. When he came back, he had a clear idea in his mind. When he looked at Qishanju again, he found that he had returned to his previous arrogance.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yunzhu sat down with Manager Meng and formally discussed the cooking competition.
"Boss Jiang, since it's a competition, there has to be some prizes!" Shopkeeper Meng started talking about this, sounding quite aggressive.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled, "What prize does Shopkeeper Meng want?"
Shopkeeper Meng's eyes moved around her, "If Boss Jiang loses, you will work for me for three years."
As soon as he said this, Xue Jing and others' eyes were blazing with anger. How dare he say that
Jiang Yunzhu didn't react. She just asked, "What if Manager Meng loses?"
"Here... I'll give you one hundred taels of silver."
"I worked for Manager Meng for three years, and I'm only worth one hundred taels of silver? It's only two months' turnover of my Qishanju. Manager Meng should know that if I work for you, I won't be able to open Qishanju.
The difference in the prizes is too big!
If it were me, Manager Meng, would I agree?" Jiang Yunzhu asked calmly, pressing forward step by step.
Shopkeeper Meng has been doing business for many years and has met all kinds of people, but when facing Jiang Yunzhu, he always feels suppressed. He doesn't know where this feeling comes from, but he can't get rid of it.
"What does Boss Jiang mean?" he asked.
"If I lose, I will work for you for a year. If I win, I will take this Xishanju." Jiang Yunzhu said. This way, the conditions are reasonable.
"Impossible!" Shopkeeper Meng almost jumped up.
Jiang Yunzhu said, "The total value of the property and land deeds of Xishanju is only about 500 taels. Oh, with the renovations, it could be a little more, but it's only the profit of Xishanju for less than a year. I didn't ask for any more, and I even lost money."
Indeed, in terms of money, Jiang Yunzhu suffered a loss, but Shopkeeper Meng had never thought of selling the shop. The shops on this street were all hens that laid golden eggs, and normally no one sold them.
"This condition is not acceptable." said Shopkeeper Meng.
Jiang Yunzhu stopped talking and just sat there, looking as if she would not discuss anything else except this condition.
Shopkeeper Meng gritted his teeth and suddenly heard a cough outside. He said, "I'm going to go out for a while." Then he went out.
The person coughing outside was naturally Shopkeeper Song.
The two men had a heated argument, and finally Shopkeeper Song patted his chest and said that he would definitely not lose, and if he really lost, he would compensate him with silver. Only then did Shopkeeper Meng finally agree.
When Manager Meng came back, he discussed the prizes for the competition with Jiang Yunzhu, and then the question of how to compete and who to invite as judges.
The two of them talked for half an hour before they finalized everything, wrote the contract, and put their fingerprints on it. All they had to do was wait for the competition to start in five days, and then the contract would take effect.
The two men dispersed, and Jiang Yunzhu led people back to Qishanju.
At this time, the enthusiasm subsided, and Xue Jing and others began to worry again. What if Jiang Yunzhu lost... Losing their jobs was nothing, but Jiang Yunzhu had to work for Manager Meng for a year? Who knew how he would embarrass her.
"Boss, this..." This is no joke. Xue Jing wanted to persuade Jiang Yunzhu not to compete.
The others were in a similar mood, full of worry.
"Go and do your work. I know what's going on," said Jiang Yunzhu. She believed that there was no chef in Luzhou who could be better than her.
Out of Luzhou? Five days might not be enough to bring in a chef from another place. Besides, even if she was a famous chef from another place, she wouldn't necessarily lose, so they didn't need to worry so much.
Everyone dispersed, not daring to disturb her.
Only Shen Fengming was left, and he had been watching from the side today.
At this moment, he looked at her, frowning slightly.
Is he worried about her? Jiang Yunzhu thought, but he is in Qilin Guard, isn't it also full of dangers? He could even lose his life if he is not careful. But even so, he didn't retreat. He should be able to understand her!
As a chef, if she doesn't even dare to participate in this kind of competition, then she has lost her enterprising spirit. It would be better for her to close the shop and do something else.
Shen Fengming's brows slowly relaxed.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled.
Here, Shopkeeper Meng was asking Shopkeeper Song about the competition. He had promised him that he would win.
"I will go and ask the old man to invite that person over. If you try to stop me, you won't be able to catch up." Shopkeeper Song said.
Shopkeeper Meng quickly stepped aside and asked him to go and invite the guests. Then he asked, "Who do you want to invite?"
Shopkeeper Song smiled slightly, "Have you heard of the Anping Marquis Mansion in Luzhou? There is a chef named Gao in the mansion. My father was kind to him in his early years!"
Manager Meng had been to Luzhou several times, so he knew the Anping Marquis's Mansion, which was truly a distinguished family. The chefs in their mansion were among the best in Luzhou and even in Central and South China.
If they could really hire the chef from their house, they would definitely win!
Thinking of this, Shopkeeper Meng finally smiled. He couldn't wait to start the game.