Su Hong saw the continuous stream of customers at the Four Seasons Snack Shop and couldn't help but feel envious.

This was the kind of bustling scene she had envisioned for her own shop.

Unfortunately, she was one step too late.

While she was still looking for a suitable location, a similar snack shop had already opened.

She also joined the line and ordered some food.

She couldn’t deny it—their snacks were really well made.

Better than her own.

Aside from the few snacks she had the recipe for, everything else she made didn’t compare to the offerings at the Four Seasons Snack Shop.

This made Su Hong feel even more conflicted.

As she ate, she furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

If she opened a snack shop now, would she even have any customers?

Su Hong suddenly wondered if she had been too impulsive.

"Su Hong, what a coincidence."

Lost in her thoughts, she unexpectedly bumped into Huang Kaoyang, who was also here to buy snacks.

When he saw her, he pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.

"Mind if we share a table?"

"Of course not," Su Hong said, putting her bowl down.

"I heard you resigned," he continued.

"Mm."

Su Hong thought he was going to say that she shouldn't have resigned.

But to her surprise, Huang Kaoyang actually praised her, saying, "Su Hong, you have great foresight. I believe when you open your shop, your business will definitely be better than this place."

Su Hong was taken aback for a moment, then she smiled bitterly and shook her head.

She voiced her concerns.

When she was testing the snacks, Huang Kaoyang wasn’t there, so he didn’t know how her food tasted.

However, since she was confident about some of her dishes, it seemed that it would work out.

"Su Hong, I’m not an expert in business, but I know that if I want to buy braised food, and your shop’s tastes better, I’ll definitely go to your place."

After hearing Huang Kaoyang’s words, Su Hong felt a sudden spark of realization.

Yes, why should she compare her weaknesses to someone else’s strengths?

She could simply focus on perfecting the dishes she was good at!

"Thank you, Kaoyang. This meal is on me."

With that, Su Hong felt enlightened and smiled brightly at Huang Kaiyang.

Huang Kaoyang, a little embarrassed, scratched his head. "There's no need to thank me. I’m no expert, and I can’t offer any really useful advice."

"No, your words have helped me a lot," Su Hong said seriously.

———

As Su Hong walked out of the shop with Huang Kaoyang, she felt that the sunlight today was particularly bright.

She smiled and tightened the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

"I should have treated you to this meal, but you secretly paid first."

"Next time, I'll treat you," Huang Kaoyang said with a cheerful smile.

Su Hong saw him only as a younger brother from the neighborhood, not thinking much of it. She nodded.

"Alright, it's settled. Next time, don't try to pay before me."

"Definitely."

"I'm going to check out a few more shops that are up for rent," Su Hong said as she bid him goodbye.

"Okay."

Huang Kaoyang had wanted to offer to help her check out the shops since he had nothing else to do.

However, he was inexperienced in business matters. As he watched Su Hong’s strong, slender figure walk away, he swallowed the words he had intended to say.

After regaining her spirits, Su Hong’s luck also improved.

She quickly found a suitable storefront.

It was located at the intersection of two other alleys, in a good spot with a lot of foot traffic.

Although it wasn’t far from the Four Seasons Snack Shop, it was separated by a small bridge, so people traveling through the area were headed in different directions, which minimized the competition.

The rent was also affordable, fitting perfectly within Su Hong's budget.

The only downside was that it was a bit small.

The shop could only fit two tables inside.

If there were more customers, she would have to set up tables and chairs outside.

The kitchen for making the snacks was also compact, just big enough for her to turn around. There wouldn’t be space for anyone else to work alongside her.

After getting tired of searching for the perfect place, Su Hong understood that not everything would be perfect.

So, she decided to rent this one and paid a full quarter of the rent upfront.

When the landlord handed her the keys, he cupped his hands in greeting and said,

"Congratulations and wish you prosperity, Boss Su."

Su Hong was momentarily stunned. It was the first time she had ever heard that title.

After the landlord left, she couldn’t help but smile.

She really liked hearing that title.

Her heart was filled with a deep sense of hope. Now, she was a boss, and everything was going to get better from here on!

———

Su Hong worked quickly and efficiently.

After securing the shop, she took care of all the necessary procedures.

She hung up the sign for "Hongjie Snack Shop."

Once everything was in place, she picked an auspicious day, celebrated with gongs and drums, and officially opened her shop.

However, compared to the bustling success of Four Seasons Snack Shop, Su Hong’s grand opening was far less impressive.

On opening day, there were only two tables of customers—both of whom were familiar faces.

Jiang Yuwei, Liu Shoucheng, and Huang Kaoyang had come to support her.

Aside from them, no one else showed up.

Su Hong faced a significant setback.

The fresh ingredients she had prepared couldn’t last until the next day. Having made too much, she had to give some to Jiang Yuwei and the others to take home.

Running a business was nothing like Su Hong had imagined, it wasn’t as simple as she thought.

She spent the entire night awake, tossing and turning, trying to figure out the cause.

Little Su Yang, chattering away, joined her in analyzing the situation.

Gradually, Su Hong seemed to have figured out some of the key points.

In order to control costs and the initial investment, and because she didn’t have much confidence in other snacks, she only put up a few signs for select dishes.

As a result, her offerings seemed less diverse compared to the Four Seasons Snack Shop.

When people go out together for a meal, some may want this dish, and others may want that. At Four Seasons Snack Shop, they could satisfy everyone’s cravings with a wider variety.

Additionally, the prices at Su Hong's shop were higher.

She didn’t know how Four Seasons Snack Shop managed to keep costs so low.

But after crunching the numbers, she realized that in order to ensure fresh ingredients and maintain quality, she couldn’t lower her prices any further.

When people saw that her braised dishes were several cents more expensive, they would notice the price difference with the Four Seasons Snack Shop across the street. They weren’t willing to spend extra money, especially when they could just walk a few steps over the bridge to the other shop.

Moreover, Four Seasons Snack Shop had already built a strong reputation.

Many customers were coming simply because they had heard good things about it.

Even if it meant waiting in line, people preferred to stay outside Four Seasons Snack Shop rather than take a chance on her relatively unknown shop.

For various reasons, her business was not as good as the one across the street, and that was completely normal.

———

The next day, Su Hong got up early.

Even though her snack shop was empty, she rolled up her sleeves, full of energy, and cleaned the shop until it was spotless.

"Why is there not a single person in here?"

Shen Chun Jiao had a smug smile on her face. "Good thing the weather isn’t hot yet, or your tofu would have gone bad."

As she turned to leave, Shen Chun Jiao, who had been out buying groceries, intentionally passed by to check out the scene.

She snorted and, seeing Su Hong's poor business, felt a bit of relief from her frustration of being fired.

Su Hong didn’t respond to her, and Shen Chun Jiao didn’t care either.

She walked away, satisfied.

Later that day, Shen Chun Jiao went home and told Shen Hua about her visit to Su Hong's snack shop and how it was empty.

She continued to mock her.

"She had a good job as a manager at a state-run restaurant, but she chose to become a small business owner. I think she must have lost her mind. Ever since she married in, something must have been off with her. Fortunately, we divorced her."

Shen Hua didn’t believe Su Hong could make her snack shop successful either.

He agreed with his mother’s opinion.

“She’s changed, and I don’t know what she’s thinking. A small business owner is no match for a state-run job. She doesn’t have a man to support her through these things. Women are short-sighted, and she’s probably regretting it now. She might even be crying secretly every night.”

“Let her cry herself blind,” Shen Chun Jiao sneered. “I’ve always said once she left the Shen family, she wouldn’t be able to live well.”

———

Su Hong slowly made improvements based on the reasons she identified.

She changed the menu, making it much more diverse.

Knowing that her snacks were not as good as those from the Four Seasons Snack Shop, she decided to lower the prices.

For the few dishes she excelled at, she kept the prices high and even added a "Special Recommendation" label in large characters.

She didn’t dare to stock too many ingredients to avoid waste, so she built good relationships with a few local vendors at the market, buying small quantities at a time. If she needed more, she could call them for delivery.

As for fame, she didn’t worry about it. Four Seasons Snack Shop already had its reputation, and all Su Hong needed to do was take her time to steadily run her own shop.

Gradually, things started to improve.

After all, her braised dish was truly delicious.

Customers couldn’t help but ask about her recipe, saying they’d never tasted such good braised food anywhere in the city.

Her regular customers started to return more and more, and those who brought along family and friends would spread the word about the great food, leading to more recommendations and new customers.

Soon, "Hong Jie Snack Shop" gained its own reputation—known as the place with the exceptionally delicious braised dish.

Many customers came specifically for the braised food, but they wouldn't stop there, they'd also order other snacks on the menu.

As a result, Su Hong's business began to pick up.

———

Upon seeing Su Hong's business improve, some people were happy, while others were worried.

Ji Guangming, the owner of "Four Seasons Snack Shop," had originally thought that Su Hong's small snack shop would close in a few days, so he hadn't paid much attention to her. But now, he had no choice but to take her seriously.

The saying "One mountain can't accommodate two tigers" was true. He couldn’t allow his "Four Seasons Snack Shop" to be overshadowed.

Ji Guangming's culinary skills were inherited from his ancestors, and his snack shop had been making a lot of money recently, which made him very happy. However, there was a problem: customers only had one stomach, and once they filled up at Su Hong's shop, they wouldn’t come back to his.

In response, Ji Guangming decided to improve his braised dish recipe. In fact, he had a better recipe all along, but he had previously dismissed it because of high costs and low profits. Now, he decided to give it a try.

Although this new version wouldn't bring in a lot of money, he was confident that it would outperform Su Hong’s braised dish. After all, his family’s traditional recipe was a taste deeply embedded in the people of Sijiu City.

Sure enough...

After the change braised dish was relaunched at Four Seasons Snack Shop, it became extremely popular.

Although Su Hong's braised dish was also very delicious, people still preferred the one made by Ji Guangming.

As a result, Su Hong’s snack shop saw a sharp decline in business. Ji Guangming’s shop offered a cheaper, tastier option, while her shop had higher prices and the other snacks couldn’t compete with Four Seasons Snack Shop's variety and quality. Slowly, customers began leaving her store.

Seeing Su Hong's shop becoming desolate, Ji Guangming couldn't hide his smug smile.

Competing with him? She should just close her shop as soon as possible!

Su Hong, however, was determined to prove herself and didn't give up. She tried to keep adjusting her braised dish recipe. After all, her dish was still not perfect.

The recipe she had been following had proportions for two key ingredients that, no matter how she adjusted, never seemed quite right.

Now that there were fewer customers, Su Hong had time to focus on perfecting her recipe.

However, the braised dishes she made still couldn't sell.

She ended up wasting a lot of ingredients.

At that moment, her brother and sister-in-law came by to add insult to injury and immediately said:

"Su Hong, look at all this that you can’t finish. Why not let us take it home to eat?"

They had brought their own metal basin and were planning to take all the braised dishes.

Although they couldn’t finish it either, it didn’t matter.

Su Hong's braised dish was delicious, and it could be given to leaders or friends as a good favor.

To their surprise, Su Hong didn’t give them any face.

She coldly watched as they packed up all the braised dishes, then stopped them and directly said, "The total comes to 156.10 yuan. I’ll round it off for you, just give me 156 yuan."