The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

The middle-aged woman was initially delighted to hear that the cloth was free, but when Gu Ruinian made his request, she became nervous and said, "What is it? If you want me to do something bad, then I won't buy it."

It seems we shouldn't be greedy for cheap deals; there's a huge pitfall waiting ahead.

She only bought a steamer basket to steam buns; she wasn't there to do anything bad.

Gu Ruinian said, "Sister-in-law, do you think I'm that kind of person? It's just that you should go out and help promote Wu Ji more, saying that our prices are cheaper than Jufulai."

It turns out she was asked to do publicity.

The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment. She had another pot at home that she planned to repair when she went to Jufulai to buy thread. What if Jufulai knew she had come to Wuji to buy something and refused to repair it for her? Wouldn't she have to spend more money to repair the pot?

Seeing the middle-aged woman hesitate, Gu Ruinian felt resentful. He thought to himself, "These people are shameless. They take advantage of others and then try to run away. They deserve to be fleeced."

Gu Ruinian smiled gently and said, "Sister-in-law, I didn't ask you to lie. Our products are indeed cheaper than Jufulai's. If you spread the word and help more people save money, it's like doing a good deed. Think about it, nobody's money grows on trees. Every little bit saved counts. Don't you agree?"

After being persuaded by Gu Ruinian, the middle-aged woman thought it made sense and said, "Okay, then I'll help you spread the word."

The guy in front of me is right, Wu Ji's steamer cloth is indeed cheaper than Ju Fu Lai's.

Besides, there are so many shops in Pingchuan County. People usually compare prices at different shops when buying things. If Wu Ji is cheaper, then go to Wu Ji. Maybe Jufulai will also lower its prices because of this, which will only benefit everyone.

The middle-aged woman took a comb and two cloths and walked out of Wu Kee. She then joined the queue of customers and started chatting with her old neighbors and acquaintances.

“Look, I bought this comb from Wu Ji next door. It was cheaper than Jufulai, and it even came with two extra cloths.”

"Martial Arts Chronicles? Which Martial Arts Chronicles?" someone asked.

"It used to be Liu's Furniture store. Liu's Furniture closed down and became Wu's Department Store," the middle-aged woman said.

"Everything is cheaper than at Jufulai?"

"Well, you know what? Anything that Wu Ji has, Jufulai also has, is cheaper at Wu Ji than at Jufulai," the middle-aged woman said with a smile. After thinking for a moment, she added, "It's just that Jufulai doesn't have as many items."

Several women nearby took the comb and cloth from the middle-aged woman's hands. They all knew their stuff, and the quality seemed quite good.

Who doesn't love cheap things? When the quality is similar, the cheaper the better.

So, after the middle-aged woman spread the word, many people went to Wu Ji.

Yesterday, Wu Kee was deserted, like an ice cave, but today it's bustling with customers.

The Gu and Wu families, led by Gu Youtian, were busy serving customers.

Wu Ren's face beamed with joy, and he kept giving Gu Ruinian a thumbs up. "The second young master of the Wu family is really good. He attracted everyone's attention to Wu Ji in just a few moves."

Compared to Jufulai, Wuji's shop is too small and doesn't have many products.

In the past, people wouldn't have been so picky, since most shops were laid out and scaled like that anyway.

However, for those who have already experienced Jufulai, Wuji seems rather shabby.

Jufulai had an entire shelf of needles and thread, with needles of all thicknesses, sizes, types, and patterns; as for thread, they had silk, cotton, and linen thread, all neatly categorized by thickness and color.

Some people looked around, shook their heads, and walked away. Wu Ji was cheap, but there weren't many options to choose from.

Some people are picky, while others are not. Customers who are not picky see that Wu Ji has the items they want to buy, compare prices and find that they are indeed cheaper than Jufulai, so they buy them.

This made Wu Ji's business seem quite prosperous.

"Auntie, what would you like to buy? Please come in."

"Uncle, do you want a pipe? We have one."

"Don't worry, you can compare prices with us. Our prices are definitely cheaper than Jufulai's."

Gu Ruinian was very happy that customers chose Wu Ji because of him, and he wanted to continue to make his presence felt in front of Wu Ren, so he enthusiastically and proactively attracted customers.

Wu Ren watched this unfold, glanced at Wu Musheng collecting payments behind the counter, and sighed inwardly.

Wu Musheng was no match for Gu Ruinian. That night, Wu Ren instructed Wu Musheng to keep a close eye on the accounts. Seeing that business was doing very well that day, he pushed Wu Musheng over to do the bookkeeping and collect the money.

Wu Musheng was already bad at accounting, and with his mind preoccupied with Tong Pandi's beauty, he made several mistakes in calculating the bills, either overcharging or giving too much change.

Customers who receive too much change will naturally not voluntarily return the money.

Customers who are overcharged may then come over and cause trouble.

Fortunately, thanks to Gu Ruinian's skillful handling of the situation, several customer complaints were resolved without causing any major incidents.

Thus, Gu Ruinian replaced Wu Musheng in accounting and collecting money, successfully taking control of the account books.

Gu Youtian's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Gu Ruinian.

Although he doesn't like this son now, it's better for the account books to be in his hands than in the hands of the Wu family.

"Jufulai is open."

Someone shouted, and many customers rushed towards Jufulai.

"I'll go check out Jufulai. If their prices are higher than yours, I'll come back," an elderly woman said, putting down a spool of thread.

When the old lady said this, the other customers put down what they were holding.

Anyway, comparing prices from different vendors never hurts, so why not check out Jufu?

Wu Ren became anxious.

Gu Ruinian remained calm and said unhurriedly, "It's right for us to compare prices before buying anything. Whether you compare prices at Jufulai or other shops, it's fine. The people going to Jufulai now aren't buying anything. Don't you see they're all repairing pots and pans? It's hot today, and with so many people going to Jufulai, what if they get heatstroke?"

"Why don't we wait until there are fewer people before going to Jufulai? Wuji knows it's hot and has prepared some cool boiled water for everyone. Ladies and sisters-in-law, please take a look around our shop for now."

While speaking, he asked Jia, his sister-in-law Wei, and Xiaoxue to serve tea.

For some reason, today's weather is definitely hotter than in previous years.

Everyone was indeed thirsty, so they accepted the tea offered by Jia and the others and drank it.

Wu Ji's service is good.

Since we've already drunk Wu Ji's water, it's only natural we shouldn't not buy some.

As a result, Wu Ji sold a few more units.

"Ruinian, you're really amazing."

Wu Na came to Gu Ruinian's side, her face full of admiration.

Gu Ruinian's eyes were piercing as he said, "It's nothing to mention."

Wu Na blushed slightly.

Gu Rui is a good-looking man, well-educated, and good at business. He speaks softly and is very polite to her, much better than the men she's been asked to marry.

She developed a great liking for Gu Ruinian.

Gu Ruinian saw through Wu Na's thoughts at a glance.

He was filled with disdain; she was just the daughter of a village head, and she couldn't offer him any help.

He might consider her if she were as pretty as Lu Zhaozhao, but she was dark-skinned, thin, and not pretty at all. She couldn't even compare to his own sister, Xiaoxue, let alone Lu Zhaozhao.

He couldn't possibly date a girl like Lu Zhaozhao in Pingchuan County.

It's possible he'll visit Miss Lian; he'll need to find some time to see her in the next few days. (End of Chapter)