Their morning stall was as busy as usual, but recently a few more had opened in the village, one of which was right next to their house, also selling lotus leaf pancakes, which upset Granny Lu.
"Granny, it’s okay," Qin Xiangnuan comforted Granny Lu, "Our lotus leaf pancakes are unique. Just look at the food stalls near the station, why Aunt Hua’s sells the best. Besides having a knack for steaming pancakes, the most special thing is our sauce, which only our family knows how to make. No one else can replicate it."
Even though Qin Xiangnuan said this, Granny Lu still felt uneasy, worried that the business would suffer and they wouldn’t make money, especially since the stall across sold for less. Originally, Granny Lu thought about lowering her prices too, but Qin Xiangnuan disagreed.
Selling goods only ever increases in price, never decreases. Fluctuating prices this way isn’t good.
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu didn’t reduce her prices and went to set up the stall with Granny Hua first thing in the morning.
Having two stalls so close, the competition would surely have an impact.
"Junjun brother, do you want some milk?"
Qin Xiangnuan had already drunk a large bottle of milk and felt like vomiting; the system surely wouldn’t skimp on a single penny for her, so these milk bottles weighed a full pound—she really couldn’t finish it. Unfortunately, neither Granny Lu nor Qin Jiyang would drink any; every time she drank it, she wanted to vomit and couldn’t bear to waste it.
Hua Jun was Granny Hua’s simple-minded son with some intellectual disabilities. However, Qin Xiangnuan felt that he wasn’t stupid, just challenged. Nonetheless, villagers looked down on both Granny Hua and Hua Jun, often making insensitive remarks. Although Hua Jun was already in his twenties, he still behaved like a five-year-old child, and the village kids also liked to bully him.
But Qin Xiangnuan liked this simple brother. Though he was simple-minded, his thoughts were pure and he was industrious, often helping Granny Hua with many tasks. Compared to Qin Pengfei and Qin Xiangmei, Qin Xiangyang preferred this kind of simple brother.
She split her milk into two halves, one half for herself which was just the right amount, and the other half went into Hua Jun’s stomach. Hua Jun wasn’t picky, he would eat whatever was given to him, even dirt.
"Here you go, Junjun brother," Qin Xiangnuan handed the milk to Hua Jun.
"Thank you, Nuannuan," Hua Jun happily took the milk and started drinking.
Qin Xiangnuan squatted down, wiped the dirt from Hua Jun’s face with her sleeve, thinking he must have helped sweep the courtyard, such a good boy.
Yes, Hua Jun smiled foolishly, his eyes shining brightly.
Seeing him made Qin Xiangnuan feel particularly heartbroken. If it weren’t for Granny Hua, he might have died a long time ago; he was lucky to have such a good grandmother. If he were under Qin Guohua’s care, he might have already become a pile of bones by now.
Qin Xiangnuan stood up, ready to go help Granny Lu. Even though Hua Jun was simple-minded, he was good at cleaning. Granny Lu also felt sorry for him, so she let Granny Hua bring him along. Their family didn’t mind that Hua Jun was intellectually challenged, and Qin Xiangyang’s clothes, though a bit big for Hua Jun, were not very worn and suited him well.
These students saw a stall selling lotus leaf pancakes for five cents cheaper and went there to buy.
But upon seeing that the vendor’s clothes were dirty, possibly unwashed for days, his hair greasy sticking to his scalp, and his worn quilted jacket had quite a bit of dandruff on it,