Lin Momo didn’t know that her Doudou brand of chips had already become popular online before they even began selling it. She and Lin Cheng packed all the remaining chips into bags and sealed them. They went to the same pedestrian street at roughly the same hour as yesterday.

At this time, there were still not many people on the pedestrian street.

But what surprised Lin Momo was that she actually met several customers who had bought soya dregs cakes from them yesterday.

“Are you going to buy soya dregs cakes today too?” Lin Momo asked in surprise when she saw those familiar-looking people approaching her.

“Yes, I came here today just to buy soya dregs cakes,” one of them said, and after a pause, she continued, “I bought two yesterday. My kids really liked them, and they kept asking for more today.”

However, there were not many shops or stalls that sell soya dregs cakes, and it was too troublesome for her to prepare the ingredients and make them herself, so she could only come here again to buy.

“Luckily, you’re here. I was worried that you wouldn’t sell them here today. Just give me six today, three big bags and three small.”

“Okay,” Lin Momo said then added, ”We have a new product today, would you like to try it?” Lin Momo recommended their soya dregs chips to the other party.

“Are these potato chips?” the other party asked when she saw the crispy chips that Lin Momo took out.

“No, these are soya dregs crispy chips. They are also made from soya dregs as the main ingredient,” Lin Momo explained.

Thinking of something, Lin Momo added, “Although this tastes a little bit like potato chips, the main ingredient is soya dregs, which only contains a small amount of carbohydrates.”

Lin Momo had first heard the word ‘carbohydrate’ when she was in the entertainment company with Lin Cheng, Zhou Qi, Wang Xi and others.

Every time Wang Xi ordered takeout, she liked to order New Orleans-style¹ chicken burgers and chicken wings. When Zhou Qi asked her why she didn’t order fried chicken burgers or fried chicken wings, Wang Xi’s answer was: New Orleans-style ones are not coated with flour, have less carbohydrates, and are healthier…

Who knew if this magical theory also applied to this woman in her early thirties, but after hearing what Lin Momo said, she was obviously interested in the snacks in front of her.

The woman tried a piece of the crispy chip, “It tastes good.”

“That one you’re eating is pepper and salt flavored. In addition, we also have plum flavor, spicy flavor, tomato flavor…”

“Really? How much is it?”

“The small pouch bag is 3 yuan, and the large pouch bag is 5 yuan.”

“Then give me a small pouch of each flavor.”

“OK.”

After the first business deal was completed, the second and third business deals came along.

Soon, many people have gathered in front of Lin Cheng and Lin Momo, wanting to join in the fun and buy their own soya dregs cakes or crispy chips. There was even a vague queue forming.

Lin Momo and her dad were doing very good business. In just one afternoon, all the soya dregs cakes, vegetarian meatballs, and crispy chips they brought were sold out.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

In the evening, Lin Cheng, Lin Momo, and the Hu Mao family sat by the doorway next door and ate dinner together.

Because the tofu business had been good these past two days, Hu Mao was obviously in a good mood. He talked about some interesting things he had seen when selling tofu and steamed dumplings these past few days.

“How much is the profit in selling tofu?” Lin Cheng asked during the chat.

Hu Mao waved his hand and said, “Tofu is something that most people buy as an extra dish for dinner. If it’s sold at a high price, no one will buy it.

“In the beginning, we mainly sold dumplings and soy milk for breakfast. We thought that since we made soy milk, then we may as well sell some tofu—it would be good to make a little more money. However, in terms of profit, the profit from tofu is probably just this much.”

Hu Mao made a gesture to Lin Cheng with his fingers.

“That’s all. The profit is much lower than that of dumplings. The only good thing is it’s easier to make. It’s not as troublesome as dumplings.”

“The price is actually little higher if we sell at the vegetable market, but then we’d have to pay the stall entrance fee,” Yan Fang added. “We thought that since we were only selling a few things on the side, then there’s no need to go to the market, so we just sell them near the market area every day and come back home after we finished selling.”

Lin Cheng nodded, then turned to look at the two and asked, “Have you ever considered opening a store to do business?”

“Are you talking about renting a shop to sell tofu? I would guess you can’t even make back the cost of rent. Or maybe you can also sell breakfast dumplings or something like that?” Hu Mao asked.

Lin Cheng shook his head and said, “Tofu is one aspect. What I mean is to open a specialty store to sell all kinds of soy products, including primary processed soy products like tofu and soy milk, as well as other soya by-products like snacks, desserts, and so on.”

“The profit of primary processed soy products may not be high, but the profit from the by-products is not low.” This was a fact that Lin Cheng discovered while selling soya dregs cakes in the past two days.

“From primary processing to using the by-products, this can make the entire business process a closed loop. Overall, the profit would not be too low…”

Hu Mao’s family finally understood what Lin Cheng was saying, and so did the audience in the livestream channel.

… …

[I see now! No wonder Lin Cheng asked the merchants for those official certifications when he went shopping earlier today. Is Lin Cheng planning to open a store? ]

[That’s good, they can open a store in a proper way.]

[I also think Lin Cheng’s idea is a good one. If he succeeds, opening a store will definitely be more stable than being an unlicensed small vendor.]

[It seems that Lin Cheng actually wants to help the family next door. If they can build up their business in the next few days, even if Lin Cheng and his team leave after finishing this week’s filming, this family can still continue to run the business.]

[There is also free advertising on the show, so I think it can be done.]

… …

“Is this really feasible?” Hu Mao asked uncertainly.

Seeing the curiosity and anticipation on the other party’s face, Lin Cheng once again explained his plan and ideas to the Hu Mao family in the simplest terms possible.

Lin Cheng’s consideration was to turn such a store into a formal and branded store.

“For the same price, customers who buy primary processed products will naturally choose a more convenient and cleaner place to purchase. As for the by-products, the on-site primary processed products would have a kind of publicity and branding effect.

“The key point is that the cost of such a store is not high,” said Lin Cheng.

He had suddenly gotten this idea, inspired from Lin Momo saying ‘Momo Brand’ of soya dregs chips this morning.

The Hu Mao family was persuaded by Lin Cheng and showed a look of surprise on their faces.

“This idea is quite novel,” the couple exclaimed.

“It’s just that these things are not difficult to do. When we do it, won’t someone else soon do it too?” Hu Mao expressed his concerns.

“This……”

Lin Cheng didn’t directly answer and said instead, “When it comes to food, diners tend to have preconceived notions about brands. As long as you do a good job and maintain the quality, you won’t be surpassed or replaced by newcomers.

“What’s more, the products themselves do not provide high profits. Such an industry is not suitable for capital to invest in or engage in price wars. Ordinary retail investors cannot imitate it for long, and big capital will not choose such an industry for investment.”

“How do you know all this?” Hu Mao asked in surprise.

… Because I am such a capitalist, Lin Cheng muttered to himself silently in his heart but did not say it out loud.

“From the perspective of the value of the product itself and the manpower invested, this is just the case,” Lin Cheng said simply.

“Moreover, the goal of such a store is not to become an Internet celebrity store, but to make it a distinctive, old store through persistence and hard work, which can be maintained for many years.”

… …

[Lin Cheng, why don’t you just go do business.]

[He’s really a businessman who was delayed by his career in the entertainment industry.]

[Lin Cheng’s idea is quite good.]

[The family next door is not very educated, but they are all hardworking. Although opening a store like this won’t make them rich overnight, at least they can have a stable income every day.]

[Indeed, there are many such old shops outside our old neighborhood. They sell very common food, but they do a good job and have many repeat customers. They have been open for more than ten or twenty years, and their business is still good. Compared with ordinary jobs, although it is a bit harder, the income is very good. The boss who lives downstairs from us does nothing but make fried potato chips. He has been doing it for eight or nine years and has already bought his own house.]

… …

After listening to Lin Cheng’s words, Hu Mao was still a little unsure. But then, thinking of the decision he and his wife had made earlier—how they wanted the family to settle down here and let the two children study in the future with peace of mind—Hu Mao made up his mind and nodded in agreement.

Serve as Contrast Team in a ‘Dad with Baby’ Show translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

---

If you’re enjoying my translations, do consider buying me ko-fi and get access to advance chapters as reward. Thank you for your support! ☺️
Chapter 89.1 — No Money
Chapter 89.2 — No Money
Chapter 89.3 — No Money
Chapter 90.1 — Bargaining
Chapter 90.2 — Bargaining
Chapter 90.3 — Bargaining

　　

1. From the description, I thought this would be a breaded kind of chicken but it seems to be a ‘barbecue’ style with a sauce. Apparently KFC offered this in the 90’s as part of their ‘Western’ menu, and other restaurants copied it, so now it’s one of those dishes that seem to be of a certain cuisine but doesn’t actually exist in the ‘original’ country—like orange chicken in the US or Hawaiian pizza everywhere else. ↩︎