Chapter 338

One Hundred Forty-Seven Pages Attraction Showdown (Part One)

Regarding Senior Chāngpú’s proposal, Líng Xiǎoyè pondered.

“Are you saying that we should compete here on who can earn more money?”

Despite not having worked as a maid for some time, Senior Chāngpú quickly regained her composure. After relieving the heavy financial pressure, she was in better condition and even more adorable than before.

She waved her finger in front of Xiàlù’s nose and replied, “No! Even if I need money, I don’t plan on making money under the pretense of a competition.”

Líng Xiǎoyè asked, “Then what do you mean by sales volume?”

“We will help others sell their goods. This might require Sister Xiànà to mobilize everyone at the night market, okay?”

Xiàlù’s face turned red. Senior Chāngpú grabbed her arms, almost pressing her chest against hers. Xiàlù leaned back in panic, trying to distance herself from the angelic face inches away.

“Hold on! Wait! I understand! What do you need me to prepare?”

Caught off guard by Senior Chāngpú’s request, Xiàlù was immediately persuaded… Softness over hardness, that’s her kind of person.

“—’No, it still depends on the person, right? She doesn’t hate Senior Chāngpú that much. If you were to stick to her like that, even if you’re softer, you’d definitely get beaten up.’—”

Hey, I know this kind of thing doesn’t need to be said.

Releasing Xiàlù, Senior Chāngpú replied, “Thank you, Sister Xiànà~! I need some simple goods, preferably instant food!”

“Whatever the goods are, they cost money. Even I can’t ask merchants to give them away for free!”

“I didn’t say it would be free. All goods will be sold at their original price. Of course, if the store owner is willing to offer discounts as a promotion, that would be even better.”

Xiàlù shouted again, “Wait! Didn’t you say you weren’t going to make money?”

“Yes, I don’t intend to profit from this competition. The income from selling will go to the merchants. The guests coming to the Balance Night Market are already here to enjoy themselves. As long as the goods are good, it’s like a promotional event, which is a win-win for both the stall and the guests.”

Although somewhat unreasonable, according to Senior Chāngpú’s words, she indeed wasn’t profiting from it and even used her own manpower.

“I understand. I’ll arrange the staff to handle it…”

Xiàlù agreed, then added sarcastically, “…So after not being a maid, you decided to try the emerging live-streaming industry?”

“Live-streaming? No, I’m preparing to take the entrance exam for a prestigious university!”

—

Due to Senior Chāngpú’s proposal, my precious time was wasted for another twenty minutes. Lǐn Huā might押到外婆床前磕头道歉.

“The goods brought from the shopping street include various breads, cakes, pastries, and… teppanyaki.”

I frowned and asked, “Why is there teppanyaki?”

Xiàlù pointed to the strong, dark-skinned man beside her and introduced, “This is Manager Morishita. He has been running his teppanyaki stall in our night market for four years. He’s the big brother of this night market. After hearing our request, he closed his stall without hesitation and moved all the cooking equipment over, deciding to set up shop in this circular square.”

Although Xiàlù praised Manager Morishita’s high cooperation, the most time-consuming part was moving his deadly Japanese griddle. Ten people struggled for over ten minutes, and after the competition, they had to move it back to his stall.

I whispered, “Xiàlù, even if he is willing to cooperate with Senior Chāngpú’s plan, isn’t teppanyaki not a good choice? Why won’t other vendors provide goods?”

“It’s different. This Manager Morishita is a regular customer of ours… um, of ‘Kamehameha’. Xiao Saki was already a fan when she was still working there.”

Xiàlù’s answer was surprising. Could this Showa-era spirit man also be a long-time fan of Senior Chāngpú?

“Oh, Mr. Morishita! Long time no see!”

Senior Chāngpú greeted loudly.

No, loud is an understatement. She practically roared, but her voice was soft and sweet, not at all harsh.

Even though she roared so loudly, the man named Morishita did not find it noisy.

“Xiao Saki, have you returned to work in the store?” He even understood Chinese.

“Nope! I’m still studying. I’m just helping out today!”

Senior Chāngpú roared again, almost shouting into Morishita’s ear. I don’t know if Morishita heard her, but half of the circular square certainly did. This naturally attracted a lot of attention.

I asked, “Is Manager Morishita from a naval background?”

Xiàlù dug her ears and explained, “Manager Morishita suffered an explosion accident in his early years, so he’s a bit hard of hearing now. He can’t hear unless you speak loudly.”

I knew this. It’s called blast-induced deafness.

Senior Chāngpú continued to roar, “Thank you very much for your willingness to help today!”

“It’s nothing. I’ve always wanted to try selling teppanyaki on the street!”

This teppanyaki manager really seemed to like Senior Chāngpú. Just from these few words, he looked like he was pumped up.

Senior Chāngpú used her sweet, seductive voice to shout a few times, attracting many curious glances. The hostess, dressed as a maid, seized the opportunity, picked up the microphone, and started calling, “Since all preparations are done, let’s not waste any more time! Let’s start the third round of the final match!”

Líng Xiǎoyè and Xiàlù returned to the judging area. Naturally, Senior Chāngpú and Sister Qiūluó sat behind the manager.

As for Abo… Sister Fēi hesitated. She theoretically belonged to neither side, but she had just helped “Peach Cat” score a point, so she didn’t know where to sit. In the end, the maid dressed as a hostess pressed her back into the “Peach Cat” team.

“Cough~ Since the rules of the third round were updated based on the contestants’ suggestions, let me explain again! Everyone, first look at the delicious mountain on this table! Smells good, doesn’t it?”

The maid dressed as a hostess placed several large picnic tables around her, piled high with goods collected from the night market.

Of course, prices were marked.

“We’ve collected a series of delicacies from the Balance Night Market, but they’re not free for you! Two lovely maids will sell them in the circular square for half an hour! Both sides will sell the same items at the same prices, and no private discounts are allowed. Under completely identical conditions, the one who decides the sales volume… is the charm of the two maids! That is, the attraction!”

Employees from the Balance Night Market will calculate the total sales of the two maids. Basically, Senior Chāngpú and Líng Xiǎoyè only need to sell, without worrying about anything else.

—”It seems that Senior Chāngpú’s suggestion gave Líng Xiǎoyè an advantage. Even if he is not like Lín Zǐyè, they are still the same person, businessmen. How to sell things, he knows best.”—

Sales strategy is also a key factor in sales volume. Compared to a mere personality comparison, this type of competition is more favorable to Líng Xiǎoyè.

—”There’s no need to worry too much. The person who suggested changing the rules is Senior Chāngpú herself. She must have her own thoughts. And since Brother Lin hasn’t been a frontline salesperson, he might lose due to lack of experience.”—

But this teppanyaki…

I couldn’t help but complain to Xiàlù, “Xiàlù, whether in terms of type or price, teppanyaki is way different from the previous three. Is it okay?”

Japanese teppanyaki isn’t cheap. It’s high-end.

If teppanyaki is included in the sales competition, Líng Xiǎoyè and Senior Chāngpú could completely abandon other goods and focus on getting customers for Manager Morishita.

“Please, if I thought of it, wouldn’t you have thought of it too?”

But instead, Xiàlù rolled her eyes at me.

“I’ve already talked to Manager Morishita. He only makes okonomiyaki, which is reasonably priced, similar to the price of bread and pastries.”

Okonomiyaki is a popular, affordable vegetable pancake, akin to China’s jianbing in Japan. It’s a common national dish.

“I think this new thing will sell better than bread…”

Xiàlù shrugged, “Their conditions are the same.”

I asked again, “So, who do you think will win between Senior Chāngpú and Xiǎoyè?”

This time, Xiàlù frowned and turned away without responding.

From the first two rounds, if Xiàlù thought Líng Xiǎoyè had a better chance, given her transparent nature, she would have said so directly. Since she ignored me, it means she doesn’t think highly of Líng Xiǎoyè.