Chapter 2
They purchased the store location themselves, so they wouldn’t have to pay rent. That also meant that they would be able to price their items reasonably and just suitable for school girls in their teens.
Su Tian even did some market research and noticed that there weren’t any other dessert places around except for the store across the street that specialized in traditional desserts such as walnut cookies. They were not anticipating a lot of competitions.
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Picture: almond walnut cookies
Source: klintanian.com
Su Tian was also a student of Luo Cheng High School, which was the main reason He Qingwan decided to pick this location for her house and her store.
Right now, it was summer vacation, but school was about to start in the next few days along with the grand opening of the store. Su Tian would be going to school while her mother would be home watching the store; everything would be perfect.
Right when she was thinking about that, Uncle Wang contradicted her right away.
“Young lady, Lui’s Walnut Cookies across the street just launched their new products, crème puffs and dirty pastry buns. On top of that, the Lui’s are a bit...”
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Picture: Dirty pastry (we have these in the US too, but don’t ask me what’s in them or why they are called “dirty”...)
Source: cw.com.tw
Perhaps he didn’t feel comfortable gossiping behind others back, Uncle Wang finally resorted to only saying, “Anyhow, you two don’t know many people around here, just be mindful of what’s going on. If you run into any trouble, you let me know. I do have a little pull in this surrounding area,” promised Uncle Wang as he smacked his chest.
The mother and daughter got his subtle message – if they became the Lui’s business competition, it’d be like taking money from them. There might be some conflicts in the future.
Naturally there would be obstacles in any tasks one tries to achieve. If one backed off when encountering any obstacles, then one might as well just stay home and do nothing; that would be the only obstacle-free path.
The two of them quickly put their worries aside.
The three of them chatted for a while longer – with Uncle Wang doing most of the talking and Su Tian and He Qingwan doing most of the listening. Mainly, he talked about the neighbors in the surrounding areas as well as the facilities available nearby.
Figured that he had covered enough of the introductions, Uncle Wang stood up and took off.
When the mother and daughter saw him to the door, He Qingwan presented to him a box of homemade tiramisu to take home to his daughter.
Tiramisu was quite a hot commodity in a small town like Luo Cheng. Uncle Wang wanted to decline, but remembering how much his daughter liked these little snacks, he finally accepted the gift with a little uneasiness.
Right when he was about to be on his way, they heard a loud thud from upstairs followed by a vicious shout, “You little brat! I feed you and cloth you and you dare ask me for money when I ask you to go get me a pack of cigarettes? What happened to the money you have been hiding from me?”
They then heard a hoarse voice belonging to a little boy, “I spent them on my books.”
The man shouted some more before he went back inside the house and came back out. Following the clinking sounds of loose change, Su Tian saw a coin falling down the stairs and bounced over to a corner by the staircase.
“You better come back with my cigarettes if you know what’s good for you!” After more threatening words, there was the sound of the door being slammed shut.
The three of them looked at each other and saw a skinny little boy coming down the stairs. He didn’t even look at them. He just bent over looking for that coin.
The coin fell into the muddy area by the staircase and it was not easy to find. The little boy had been at it for a while and still wasn’t able to find it.
He Qingwan’s heart ached from watching him. She opened up her own purse and was about to give him her own money before Su Tian stopped her.
The kid was young, but he looked to be the prideful type. She didn’t think he would just take their money.
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