Ye Zhinan sized him up and, feeling a bit embarrassed, took off the rope for him.
Indeed, pushing from behind would have the same effect. Hard on him for acting as a "bull" for a while.
"Your modification is quite good. I can..."
"No way!"
Before Qin Yihuai could finish, Ye Zhinan immediately refused.
Qin Yihuai's face changed slightly. His long, slender eyelashes briefly hid the trace of loneliness in his eyes.
He thought it was because of the previous incident.
Ye Zhinan noticed the expression he tried so hard to conceal and quickly explained.
"I'm still in the experimental stage with this..."
It wasn't really an experiment. The process of making the wheels was rather complicated. She hadn't even learned it yet. How could she pass it on to others?
Hearing this, Qin Yihuai heaved a sigh of relief.
"Take your time with the experiment. There's no hurry."
With that, he said his goodbyes and left to continue his patrol.
Amid their busyness, they didn't notice a pair of deep-set eyes glaring at them from not far away.
Wei Shishi clenched her fists. Just looking at Ye Zhinan's beaming face made her feel uncomfortable all over.
"Why does she still get to be so happy?!"
She had caused trouble for Ye Zhinan time and time again, but not only had it had no effect, it had even made the other woman more resilient.
Wei Shishi didn't understand Ye Zhinan's beliefs, so she couldn't find the source of her own happiness. Looking at the seed drills rolling across the fields, it was as if her heart was being crushed again and again.
"Ye Zhinan, I will never let you live a comfortable life."
The sowing was proceeding as planned. Ye Zhinan had distributed the seeds, and Qin Yihuai had also distributed them according to each family's actual situation.
Life seemed to be going too smoothly. Ye Zhinan always felt a sense of unease in her heart.
Sure enough, Lu Yanlai came running towards her out of breath.
"Is there something wrong with the stall?"
Lu Yanlai plopped down and took the teacup, gulping down the tea.
"It's all my fault. There's a new stall selling marinated duck necks across the street."
"It's not that fast, actually."
A look of surprise flashed across Lu Yanlai's eyes.
"You saw this coming?"
Ye Zhinan nodded calmly.
Anything that sells well will eventually be copied. In this era, the speed of replication was not that fast, but it didn't mean it wouldn't happen.
"What should we do then? They've taken away most of our customers in the past few days."
"Are their prices much cheaper?"
Lu Yanlai was surprised again. "You even guessed that! Their prices are more than half lower! But if we lower our prices, we'll be making a loss!"
Through Ye Zhinan's training, she had gradually understood the cost of making duck necks, so she always strictly controlled the cost when making them.
"Lowering the price is like hurting yourself as much as you hurt your enemy. It's meaningless. In the long run, it will also damage our reputation."
"Then what should we do?"
The more Lu Yanlai listened, the more anxious and confused she became.
Ye Zhinan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do it like this!"
She leaned over and whispered in Lu Yanlai's ear.
The next day, a new snack - marinated duck feet - appeared on the stall. Moreover, a new marinated dish would be introduced every other day, and after that, mixed packages would be sold according to different customers' needs.
Ye Zhinan had long planned to make a full range of marinated duck dishes. She had just used the duck necks to test the waters first. When a competitor appeared, it was time for her to introduce new products.
Copied things can never catch up with the original. So as long as there is an innovative spirit, one will never be eliminated.
Ye Zhinan wouldn't let the copycat keep following in her footsteps. So she went to Sister Hong's place to ask for help again.
Sister Hong was already used to it. Every time she went to the town, she would reserve a seat on the oxcart for Ye Zhinan.
When Ye Zhinan arrived in the town, she noticed the competitor's stall across the street. Except for the name, everything was a perfect copy of their stall.
The same pot, three people - the boss, the boss's wife, and an assistant.
"Sister Yanlai, that boss's wife isn't as pretty as you!"
Lu Yanlai rolled her eyes at Ye Zhinan, who was dressed up as a man. She was munching on a duck neck with a big grin, not looking like a noble lady at all.
"Good timing that you're here. They've copied our new product again. I've checked the cook several times, but I can't figure out who leaked our recipe."
Once, Lu Yanlai had someone buy the marinated dishes from the stall across the street and found that the taste was almost the same as theirs. Coupled with the lower price, once they lowered the price, many customers would be attracted over.
"If it's not someone on our side, it must be someone else."
Ye Zhinan pouted in the direction of the opposite street. "Their chef is really good!"
Lu Yanlai looked at the stall across the street in confusion and saw the male stall owner munching on the marinated dishes. He was eating very carefully, not just to fill his stomach.
"Is he the chef?"
Lu Yanlai had always thought the chef was the woman, but upon closer inspection, she found it was actually the male stall owner who had been standing silently beside the stall.
Previously, she had just thought he was greedy. Now it seemed he had been studying all along.
"Our marinated dish recipe isn't anything rare. Any chef with a bit of skill can make it."
There was a hint of appreciation in Ye Zhinan's eyes as she looked at the man.
If they could get him on their side, it would be twice as effective with half the effort.
Thinking this, she took a whole set of marinated dishes and walked towards the stall across the street.
Lu Yanlai didn't have time to stop her. She glanced at Li Feilong and motioned for him to go and protect Ye Zhinan.
"Boss, this is for you."
The male stall owner across the street looked nervous when he saw Ye Zhinan coming. He tightly held the spatula in his hand, but was stunned when he saw the whole set of marinated dishes.
"Don't be afraid. It's not poisoned. I'd like the boss to taste it. Please give us some advice on any shortcomings."
As Ye Zhinan said this, she opened the package, and the smell of the marinated dishes immediately wafted out.
The male stall owner swallowed his saliva but still didn't reach out.
"If you still don't trust me, I'll taste it first."
With that, she picked up a duck foot and started eating.
She ate with such gusto that the onlookers were suffering and swallowing their saliva one by one.
"Then I'll have a taste!"
The male stall owner couldn't resist anymore. He picked up a small piece of duck neck and started munching on it, sighing as he ate.
"You've added a lot of new ingredients, haven't you?!"
"Sure enough, you're an expert. You can tell just by one bite. I've also added some chili. Does it make the taste more prominent?"
The male stall owner nodded repeatedly. His hands couldn't help but reach into the bag again.
The two of them took turns eating, and soon the whole set of marinated dishes was finished.
"I know you're the real boss. Come on, tell me what you want."
The male stall owner wiped his hands and then handed Ye Zhinan a handkerchief. The little daisies on the handkerchief were delicate and very pretty.
"Boss, you're really straightforward. I was thinking that if we keep competing like this, it will only end up hurting both of us. How about we work together?"
"Work together?"
The male stall owner showed a look of disdain. "Why should I work with you?"