txolops Chapter 98: Plagiarism and Stealing Business?
Chapter 98: Plagiarism and Stealing Business?
5:20 PM.
The flowerbeds outside Yintai Plaza.
Lin Chen rode his electric tricycle and parked it in the usual spot.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Hai turned off his van next to him.
As soon as the car door opened, the crowd that had been eagerly waiting by the flower bed instantly erupted in excitement.
"Here he comes! Boss Lin is finally here!"
"Quick, quick, everyone line up! Don't push, I'm number four!"
"Brother Wang Hai, did you bring chilled radishes today?"
I couldn't concentrate at work all afternoon, all I could think about was this!
At the very front of the line were none other than Liu Wei, Li Na, and Zhao Qiang, their three most frequent customers.
The three of them didn't even take off their work badges today, clearly indicating that they rushed downstairs to reserve seats as soon as it was time to leave work.
"Boss Lin, you've finally arrived!"
Liu Wei rubbed his hands excitedly and joked with a smile, "Our department set alarms today, and we're going to clock in and go downstairs at 5 o'clock sharp."
"Just to grab the fried rice and radishes from this pot!"
"Yeah, Boss Lin, you have no idea how lively the group chat was today. Everyone's guessing how many radishes you brought."
Li Na also laughed.
Wang Hai opened the trunk of the bread truck, unloading folding tables as he replied, "My dear customers, please rest assured!"
Today, Brother Chen specially prepared a full 30 kilograms of chilled, sweet and sour crisp radishes!
There's definitely enough for everyone to share!
"Only thirty pounds?"
A customer behind him in line couldn't help but shout, "Brother Wang Hai, your business is so good, why don't you just order a hundred or two hundred catties?"
They don't even cook more rice! They only make 150 servings each time, it's never enough!
Upon hearing this, Wang Hai slammed the folding table he was holding onto the ground with a bang, straightened his back, and said, "Brother, you just don't understand!"
To ensure the quality of each and every fried rice, Brother Chen has to be extremely focused on controlling the heat and maintaining his energy!
If it were like those roadside stalls, where they just stir-fry everything in a big pot to make a few more bucks, the taste would have been completely ruined!
We prioritize quality; we absolutely will not compromise on quantity!
Upon hearing Wang Hai's words, Liu Wei and the others immediately gave him a thumbs up.
"Well said! We trust Boss Lin's craftsmanship; the limited production shows his responsibility!"
Zhao Qiang nodded repeatedly.
Lin Chen didn't join in their banter. He took the iron pot off the tricycle and placed it on the stove.
At this moment, the back door of the van was pushed open.
Tangtang, carrying her little schoolbag, jumped off the bus with a clattering sound.
The little girl kept her two little hands protectively in front of her schoolbag all day, and her big eyes darted around in the queue.
Tangtang's eyes dimmed slightly when she didn't see that familiar tall figure.
"Daddy..."
Tangtang toddled over to Lin Chen and gently tugged at his sleeve. "Hasn't the pretty auntie arrived yet?"
Lin Chen stopped what he was doing, looked down at his daughter, and comforted her, "The pretty auntie has to work in the building, and she probably still has work to finish."
"Tangtang, go set up your little stool first, and wait patiently for a while. She'll come after get off work."
"Okay! I understand!"
Tangtang nodded obediently, immediately perked up, ran to the tricycle, unfolded her little stool, and sat down.
She held the small plastic basket full of disposable spoons in her arms, staring longingly at the exit of the Yintai Building like a dutiful little sentinel.
"Brother Chen, I've brought down the broth and chilled radishes. We'll be open for business soon!"
Wang Hai moved the large stainless steel bucket, which was emitting cold air, to the side of the stall, and was about to take a rag to wipe the table again.
Suddenly, Zhao Qiang, who was third in line, frowned, pointed to the other end of the square, and spoke with some doubt.
"Hey? Hai-ge, look over there, what's that for?"
Upon hearing Zhao Qiang's words, Wang Hai, Liu Wei, and the others all looked in the direction he was pointing.
On the other side of Yintai Plaza, less than fifty meters from Lin Chen's stall, a fairly large mobile stall had been set up at some point.
The stall was decorated in a flashy way, with two huge red parasols and a striking red banner in front of it.
Although there was some distance between them, the large yellow characters on the banner were still clearly visible: Authentic Gold Medal Fried Rice!
Special offer: only 50 yuan per serving!
Buy now and get a free exclusive sweet and sour chilled radish!
Not only that, but there were also two men dressed in white chef's uniforms standing behind that stall.
One of them was frantically stirring the pot with a large iron shovel, while the other was shouting through a megaphone: "Don't miss out!"
Authentic Golden Fried Rice with Broken Gold!
Not 99! Only 50! Generous portions, delicious taste! Buy now and get a free chilled crispy radish!
Unlimited giveaways!
The sound of loudspeakers echoed across the square.
Upon seeing this, the regular customers who were still queuing up immediately started discussing among themselves.
"Wow, is this a direct, face-to-face ultimate move?"
Even the delivery of sweet and sour chilled radishes is copied?
"Fifty yuan a serving, half the price of what Boss Lin charges."
And there's no limit; they're clearly trying to steal our business.
"They learned that fast!"
"Boss Lin just made chilled radishes yesterday, and someone's already copying it today?"
Hearing the discussions around him, Wang Hai's face instantly darkened.
He put down the rag in his hand, took a few steps forward, squinted at the banner across the street, and was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode.
"Holy crap! Don't they have any shame?!"
Wang Hai cursed, "Where did these bastards come from?"
What is authentic Gold Medal Fried Rice?
They copied everything from us, from the name and side dishes to even the location of their stall!
That's absolutely shameless!
Wang Hai grew angrier the more he thought about it, and turned to shout at Lin Chen, "Brother Chen!"
Look over there! It's obvious they're here to harass us because they see how popular our business is lately!
They not only copied our chilled radishes, but also deliberately lowered the price to fifty yuan, and even used a broken megaphone to shout it out!
Who could tolerate this?!
Compared to Wang Hai's exasperation, Liu Wei appeared much more rational.
"Brother Hai, don't get so agitated."
These copycats are everywhere; they see others making money and get envious, so they want a piece of the pie.
However, in the food and beverage industry, in the end, it all comes down to taste.
"Even if they only sell their shoddy, assembly-line cooking for ten yuan, they can't recreate the soul of Boss Lin's style."
"that is!"
Li Na chimed in, "Do they really think they can steal customers away by giving away a radish?"
"Do they think they can just copy the taste of Boss Lin's fried rice?"
Despite Liu Wei and Li Na's words, Wang Hai still couldn't suppress his anger.
He looked at the stall across the street and saw that several unsuspecting passersby were actually attracted by the loudspeaker and low prices, and started scanning the QR code to pay. Wang Hai was so anxious that he kept pacing around.
"No way! Brother Liu Wei, while that's true, they're using our name to deceive people, ruining the reputation of Suijin Fried Rice!"
"Brother Chen, you wait here, I'm going over to confront them face to face!"
I absolutely have to expose these plagiarists in public!
After saying that, Wang Hai charged aggressively toward the other side of the square.
"stop."
Wang Hai suddenly stopped and turned around.
All I could see was the stove on the tricycle.
Lin Chen remained standing there and called out.
"Brother Chen! They're all stepping on our heads!"
Wang Hai was so anxious that he stamped his feet and pointed to the opposite side.
Lin Chen glanced at the stalls across the street from afar before looking away.
"His fire was too high, and the rice was overcooked."
Radishes that haven't been refrigerated for a long time will not only lose their crispness at room temperature, but will also turn sour and bitter.
"Names can be copied, and so can shop signs."
Lin Chen reached out and turned on the valve of the gas cylinder, and spoke.
"But when it comes to taste, they don't even qualify as beginners."
Lin Chen stood in front of the stove, not glancing at the other side again.
"Wang Hai, get ready to start work."