"Son, your mother has brewed the medicine. Drink it quickly while it’s hot!" Zhang Yunzhu’s wife entered, holding the bowl.

Instead, a loud crash echoed as Zhang Wenbing knocked the medicine right out of his mother's hands.

"Take it away! Didn't you hear me? I won't drink this blasted medicine anymore! After all this time, it hasn't done a bit of good!" Zhang Wenbing roared.

This scene had become a daily occurrence at Zhang Yunzhu’s house recently. The reason was simple: after drinking the medicine for days, Zhang Wenbing still couldn't see a thing—not even a vague shadow; his world remained pitch black. This had made his temper increasingly volatile, leaving him wanting to smash everything within reach, especially this medicine that seemed utterly useless.

"My son, how could you knock the medicine over? The doctor clearly said this remedy would heal your eyes, it just takes time," Zhang Yunzhu’s wife said, a mixture of heartache and anxiety in her voice as she hurried to pick up the shards of the broken bowl, terrified her son might step on them when he got off the kang and cut his feet.

"Don't mention that quack to me! He can't even fix my eyes. All he knows is to make me drink this garbage daily, and after all these days, I still see nothing! Don't ever make me drink it again," Zhang Wenbing snapped.

Hearing this, Zhang Yunzhu’s wife grew anxious. "Son, how can you refuse the medicine? Listen to your mother, the doctor your father found is highly skilled. He has cured many people in the town. Just obediently follow the doctor’s instructions and drink the medicine, and you’ll see again very soon."

"Hmph! See again soon? It’s been so long, and I can’t even see a shadow. What good is a skilled doctor? I think he’s just a fraud, a complete fraud!" Zhang Wenbing looked as if he was about to lose control again.

Seeing this, Zhang Yunzhu’s wife rushed forward and hugged her son tightly. "My dear, if you don't want to drink it, then don't. Just calm down first. We won't drink it today, okay?"

Her actions were rooted in recent history. A few days prior, because the family had insisted Zhang Wenbing comply with something, he flew into a rage, jumped off the kang, and smashed everything he could grab, terrifying Zhang Yunzhu and his wife. Worse still, the broken pieces were stepped on by Zhang Wenbing, slicing open several cuts on the soles of his feet and causing profuse bleeding. It was precisely because his feet were still injured that he had been staying quietly on the kang these past few days.

Yet, even with this precaution, the couple dared not let down their guard. Who knew when their son might erupt again, lose all reason, and jump off the kang to start smashing things anew? Therefore, Zhang Yunzhu and his wife now tried their best not to provoke him, accommodating whatever they could to keep him calm.

However, as far as the parents were concerned, their son absolutely had to drink the medicine; otherwise, how would his eyes ever recover? So, when Zhang Yunzhu’s wife had urged him a few extra times, the result was that her son showed signs of another tantrum, forcing her to immediately yield to his wishes and dare not persuade him further.

Unable to break free, Zhang Wenbing gradually calmed down. Once quiet, Zhang Yunzhu’s wife didn't dare bring up the medicine again. Instead, she went to the kitchen and brought a bowl of chicken soup for her son. Upon realizing it was chicken soup, Zhang Wenbing stopped himself from throwing another bowl.

After returning to the kitchen, Zhang Yunzhu’s wife secretly grieved for the wasted medicine. It wasn't cheap; one dose cost five hundred wen. To have her son smash a whole bowl of it—how could that not sting her heart?

While the Zhang Yunzhu household was in turmoil over the medicine, Wang Youliang on the other side was becoming more driven and energetic every day, radiating vitality.

If one were to ask who was the most self-satisfied person in Wang Family Village recently, it would undoubtedly be Wang Youliang. After all, in a short span, he had successfully transformed his image in the old man's eyes—from being idle and taking advantage of others to that of a hardworking, striving, and capable individual. This was not just something his own family discussed; people from the entire Wang Family Village and several neighboring villages frequently spoke of him, even holding him up as a living example to educate their own descendants.

Wang Youliang wasn't fully aware of the extent of this buzz, as he didn't return to Wang Family Village often. However, every brief homecoming allowed him to perceive the shift in attitude through the way the villagers looked at him—a change distinctly for the better—which gave him an immense feeling of vindication.

Wang Youliang was filled daily with a sense of satisfaction and pride. The satisfaction came from earning money every day, and the pride stemmed from his current success, feeling that he could finally stand tall before others.

However, perhaps Heaven felt Wang Youliang’s success had come too easily and wished to temper him further. Not long after, several food stalls appeared near the academy, and one even set up a proper eating establishment, just like Wang Youliang had done. This immediately siphoned off a considerable portion of his daily clientele, causing Wang Youliang's shop to earn significantly less each day, which greatly distressed him!

It was inevitable that food stalls or even proper eateries would pop up near the academy gates, as any profitable venture would never lack eager participants. When Wang Youliang first set up his stall at the academy entrance, others didn't think much of it because no one knew if it would actually turn a profit; many even suspected Wang Youliang might lose money. But things changed once Wang Youliang upgraded from a mere stall to an established shop. This made some people restless. It was clear Wang Youliang must have earned a substantial amount to invest so much money in setting up a shop! Consequently, imitators sprang up everywhere.

Wang Youliang’s recent days hadn't been easy. Though his shop was still making money, compared to before, he felt wretched. He was now earning less than a third of what he used to. If more competitors opened up, how much would be left for him to earn? Moreover, Wang Youliang harbored a simmering anger: he was the one who first discovered this lucrative method! Why should others jump in just because he started making money? This made Wang Youliang want to smash those other shops and stalls. Thankfully, his wife, Huang Shi, often stayed by his side to counsel him, allowing him to regain his composure and avoid doing anything irreversible.

Wang Youliang desperately tried to figure out how to restore his business to its former level, but racking his brain yielded no solutions. Yet, giving up entirely was something he couldn't stomach, especially after having earned so much daily before this steep decline.

After several fruitless days of contemplation, Wang Youliang suddenly recalled that when he was still running his stall, Wang Qingchen had offered him advice, all of which had been remarkably insightful. Should he go ask him for help? But then he immediately countered: if he, an adult, couldn't solve this problem, how could Wang Qingchen, just a child, possibly manage?

In the end, driven by the desperation of 'treating a dead horse as if it were still alive,' Wang Youliang sought out Wang Qingchen.

Wang Qingchen was momentarily stunned when he learned the purpose of Wang Youliang's visit. He had anticipated that after Wang Youliang, more eating establishments and stalls would open near the academy. However, knowing this would happen didn't mean he possessed a solution! Seeing an opportunity for profit and everyone rushing in to compete was, in Wang Qingchen’s view, completely normal. But the method to counteract this phenomenon? He genuinely didn't know. Yet, realizing Wang Youliang had finally changed his ways and feeling reluctant to refuse, he could only force himself to think hard, hoping to conjure up one or two constructive ideas.

Wang Qingchen truly understood very little about business matters. Even in his previous life, all he did was sell items from his spatial dimension; the specifics were completely beyond him—or rather, he never needed to grasp them, as having the space made such considerations redundant.

Wang Qingchen couldn't find an answer immediately, but he didn't give up. He diligently recalled why successful restaurants or snack shops in his past life attracted such huge crowds. Was it the décor? The price? The variety of goods?

Right! It must be uniqueness! Speaking of uniqueness, that seemed to be the key. In his past life, people often favored a particular establishment because it possessed a distinct characteristic—perhaps the decor was different, the product line unique, or the prices lower than competitors.

Applying this to the current situation, if Wang Youliang wanted to break the deadlock, he needed his own signature feature, something that would make customers choose his shop over others. Since Wang Youliang ran an eating establishment, the focus had to be on the food itself. Wang Qingchen’s suggestion was to develop signature products: either make the food demonstrably better than the competition or offer specialty items no one else had.

Wang Youliang listened, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Alas, how can we manage that? Whatever food we can make, others can too! Besides, even if we try to make ours taste better, the difference won't be substantial!"

Wang Qingchen conceded that this was indeed difficult. Although he knew of certain types of food from his previous life that hadn't appeared yet, he didn't know how to cook them!

Wang Qingchen pondered for a moment more. "Uncle, I did read about a few types of food uncommon in our area in a book, but I can't make them myself. We'd need to find someone skilled in cooking, and I could explain the concept to them; maybe they could figure it out."

"Really? That would be wonderful! Qingchen, you’re not deceiving your uncle, are you?" Wang Youliang became visibly excited.

Wang Qingchen shook his head. "I wouldn't lie to you about something like this, but I can only describe it verbally; I certainly can’t cook it myself."

Wang Youliang nodded upon hearing this. The first person who came to his mind was Huang Shi. But how could he arrange a meeting between Huang Shi and Wang Qingchen without Wang Qingchen discovering his relationship with her? Of course, Wang Youliang didn't know that Wang Qingchen was already aware of his affair.