"Aunt Zhang, you know my family's business depends entirely on these beans. You've always been a fair person, can't you make an exception for us?"

Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes and sneered, "Li girl, this price is already low enough. I'm in a difficult position. Why don't you go ask somewhere else?"

Before Su Li could reply, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Su Li frowned slightly; she felt that something was very wrong.

Soybeans aren't anything rare; almost every household in the village grows them. Aunt Zhang is so arrogant; isn't she afraid that I'll never buy soybeans from her again?

Sure enough, after asking around the village, she found that the price of soybeans had risen to twenty coins per pound, and some were even asking for thirty or forty coins.

It's obvious they've conspired together to deliberately trip each other up.

There are still a few bags of soybeans left at home. Although they can last for three or four days, this can't go on forever!

Upon hearing these things, Su Xiangyang's face was full of sorrow. He sat dejectedly in the corner, muttering to himself:

"This business is probably over. We have no power or influence, how can we fight against those people? Now the villagers won't even sell us soybeans anymore, sigh..."

Mrs. He was also wiping away tears. "The people at the dock are bullying us, and the villagers don't give us a friendly look either. What are we going to do? We just want to start a small business, why is it so difficult?"

Suddenly, Su Li found herself in an unprecedented predicament.

It seems that nowadays, there is no better option than to slink back home in disgrace.

Meanwhile, the Su family members watched the spectacle from the sidelines, finally feeling a bit better.

Zhou curled her lip, her eyes full of schadenfreude. She crossed her arms and said disdainfully:

"I told you long ago, what kind of behavior is it for a young lady to be out running around every day? Now look what happened, she's met with a setback, hasn't she? Doing business isn't that easy. She was thinking of showing off in the village, but she doesn't even know what she's capable of."

"I advise you not to mess around, lest you make a complete fool of the Su family!"

Su Li remained silent, only glancing indifferently at Zhou Shi before turning and leaving.

Feeling rebuffed, Zhou snorted and angrily lifted the curtain to go back inside, muttering as she went, "Hmph, still not convinced? I'll see what she gets into later..."

Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Su Zhen tiptoed to the window and looked at Su Li's somewhat forlorn back. A slight smile crept onto her lips, revealing a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

Back in her room, Su Li pondered all night.

Now that the villagers won't sell her beans, she'll have to pay a high price to buy them from the rice shop in town; otherwise, her bean curd rice business is probably going to collapse.

Right now, she doesn't want to delve into the reasons behind it. Since she can't continue doing this, she'll try a different approach. She never said she had to sell tofu rice.

Besides, grinding soybeans every morning is really tiring, and they deserve a good rest.

Su Li is a straightforward person; once she makes up her mind, she never looks back!

The next morning, she called over all the vendors at the dock and generously shared the recipe for tofu rice with them, without holding anything back.

Those who had previously coveted Su Li's tofu rice business were now somewhat timid and hesitant, wondering what Su Li was up to.

Who would be so foolish as to give away their own money-making methods to someone else for free? Who would complain about making too much money?

Su Li, however, did not think so.

Firstly, while making tofu doesn't involve any particularly difficult techniques, doing it well requires a great deal of mental fortitude. Even if you know their recipe, not everyone can do it well.

Secondly, there are many customers coming and going at this dock every day. If you observe carefully, you can always find new business opportunities.

Su Li pondered that Wuyang Town was located at the junction of the north and south, with many travelers coming and going, and their tastes were very different, with all kinds of people.

With the support of her brother, sister-in-law, and Tao Hua, Su Li slightly modified the cart, set up a large soup pot, and started a business selling hand-pulled noodles.

The difference is that, with He's help, Su Li carefully prepared more than ten toppings, which were sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and delicious, with all kinds of flavors, basically covering the needs of different customers from all over the country.

Su Li even gave their noodle stall a fitting name—

Hometown dishes!

The charcoal fire roared, and the soup made from pork bones bubbled and churned in the pot. He Shi's rolling pin was almost constantly in use.

Noodles of varying thicknesses were laid out to the side, and Tao Hua stood by the pot, her hands gently tossing clumps of noodles, some thick and some thin, into the pot.

In an instant, the noodles tumbled and danced in the boiling water.

Before long, Peach Blossom, holding a sieve, quickly scooped up the cooked noodles and drained them.

Whether it's soft and chewy or smooth and firm, it all depends on the different preferences of each customer.

Su Li acted as the shop assistant, keeping a close eye on everything around her. She greeted the customers warmly, asking them about their noodle preferences, while steadily serving bowls of noodles with toppings to each customer.

The three worked together seamlessly, creating a bustling and lively scene in front of their stall.

As expected, this hometown dish was well received as soon as it was launched.

As soon as he sat down in front of Su Li's stall, the old vendor smiled upon smelling the aroma and said:

"I've tried all sorts of flavors on my journey, but I've never come across a stall with such a complete range of options as this one. There are sweet, sour, numbing, and spicy flavors, as well as various savory and salty toppings. You can eat whatever you like; it really brings back the feeling of home."

The waiter standing nearby nodded in agreement.

"Yes, and look how fresh this method is! Freshly cooked noodles, topped with your choice of toppings, piping hot—it's so comforting! Unlike some places where the dishes are all fixed, there's no such flexibility."

A local regular next to me also struck up a conversation:

"This girl is really clever. She used to sell tofu rice, and business seemed pretty good. But then she suddenly switched to selling this hometown cuisine, and the business of the hometown cuisine is several times better than that of the tofu rice. She really is good at whatever she does!"

In just a few days, Su Li and her two friends' hometown noodle stall quickly accumulated a group of loyal customers.

Those in the same industry were initially envious and jealous.

But then I thought, Su Li is a young woman, so open and generous, even willing to share her family's recipes. No matter how good the business is, it's all thanks to her abilities.

If they continue to cause trouble, that would be really going too far. They should think about how to improve their own business...

And so, relying on their cleverness and indomitable spirit, Su Li and her two companions made their business at the docks increasingly prosperous.

Su Li understood that now that she had won over the customers and established a foothold at the docks based on her taste, it was time to assert her authority.

The two guys who used to bully my older brother, although they no longer lay a hand on him, still act all hostile towards him whenever they see him. She needs to teach them a lesson!

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