Siheyuan: Buyers get rich from hunting

Chapter 782 Young People's Ambition 7

However, in that quiet yet turbulent night, Xu Damao, like a cunning and resentful mouse, quietly hid under He Yuzhu's slightly old window. He crouched, hiding his whole body in the shadow as much as possible, staring closely at the faint light coming through the window, and his ears, like sensitive radars, took in everything that happened in the house.

At this moment, Xu Damao's face was as livid as the sky before a storm, so gloomy that water could drip out of it. The flesh on his cheeks kept trembling violently, as if there was an unknown anger raging wildly in his body, making him unable to control his facial muscles at all. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his knuckles turned white due to excessive force, his nails dug deeply into his palms, and even pinched out a few bloody marks, but he didn't feel any pain at all, as if the pain had been completely covered by the rage burning in his heart.

He clenched his teeth tightly, making a clattering sound, as if he wanted to vent all his anger through the sound. Finally, he squeezed out a few words with strong hatred from between his tightly clenched teeth: "Humph, these guys actually made such a thing, and even asked He Yuzhu, a fool, to support them. Isn't this obviously trying to show off and steal my limelight!" The voice was low and full of resentment, as if it was a curse from hell.

The flame of jealousy in Xu Damao's heart was like being poured with gasoline, burning more and more fiercely, almost completely devouring his reason. He remembered that he had always claimed to be a capable person in the courtyard, and he often showed off in front of everyone and boasted about his so-called small achievements. He always liked to tell about his "glorious deeds" outside in a vivid way after dinner, as if he was the most remarkable person in this courtyard.

But now, Liu Guangqi and his three friends have come up with such a novel and practical set of kitchen utensils, and they have also been recognized and praised by He Yuzhu, a prestigious person in the neighborhood. He Yuzhu is a person respected by everyone in the courtyard, and his good words are very important. This made Xu Damao feel that his status was greatly threatened, as if the stage he had carefully built was suddenly taken over by others, and he became the supporting role that no one cared about.

"No, I can't let them succeed so easily." Xu Damao swore secretly in his heart, his eyes rolling around, revealing a hint of cunning and sinisterness, like a fox plotting a conspiracy. He began to quickly think of all kinds of bad ideas in his mind, and each idea was like a sharp dagger, ready to stab Liu Guangqi and his team's plan.

He thought that if he could sabotage their kitchenware promotion, such as secretly throwing away their promotional materials, or deliberately creating some chaos at their demonstration site to ruin their plans, he would be able to dominate the courtyard again and continue to enjoy the envy and admiration of everyone. Thinking of this, Xu Damao unconsciously revealed a smug smile, which was full of evil and greed, as if he had seen the beautiful scene after he successfully destroyed Liu Guangqi's plan.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the room was becoming more and more heated due to the discussion about kitchen utensils. He Yuzhu narrowed his eyes slightly and carefully looked at the kitchen utensils carefully made by Liu Guangqi and the other two. His slightly rough but very dexterous hands gently stroked each utensil, as if he was having a silent conversation with them. After a moment, he slowly raised his head and spoke again, his voice steady and pertinent: "Your kitchen utensils are really good. From the overall design concept to the actual use function, it can be seen that you have put a lot of effort into it. There are many commendable points. However, if you can improve on some small details, it will be more perfect. After all, details determine success or failure. Sometimes a small inconvenience may affect the user's experience of the entire kitchen utensils."

As he spoke, he picked up the spatula, waved it gently in the air, and continued, "Take the handle of this spatula for example. You see, with this length now, when you stir-fry some large dishes, your hand has to be closer to the pot, which is not only easy to burn your hands, but also a bit cramped to operate. If it could be longer, about five centimeters, it would be more convenient to use, and the range of stir-frying would be larger, and the efficiency would naturally increase." After speaking, he put the spatula down again, picked up the kitchen knife, touched the handle carefully, and continued, "And the handle of this kitchen knife, although the current design is relatively conventional, it can be designed to fit the palm more closely. You see, everyone's palm shape and size are different. If the handle can be processed with some curvature and texture according to the principles of ergonomics, it can better fit the curve of the palm when it is held, so that it will be more comfortable to hold, and it will not be easy to get sore hands after long-term use. It can also be more stable and accurate when cutting vegetables."

When Liu Guangqi and the other two heard He Yuzhu's meticulous suggestions, their eyes lit up instantly, as if they had found a guiding light in the darkness. They nodded earnestly, their heads nodding like chickens pecking at rice, their eyes full of admiration and gratitude for He Yuzhu. As they nodded, they hurriedly took out a small notebook and a pen from their pockets and wrote down He Yuzhu's suggestions in detail, for fear of missing a single word. After recording, they said gratefully: "Brother Zhuzi, you are so right. If you hadn't reminded us, we really wouldn't have noticed these problems. You see, we are only busy pursuing the overall effect and major functions, but ignoring these seemingly insignificant but crucial details. Don't worry, we will go back and make improvements according to your suggestions, and we will make this set of kitchenware more perfect and live up to your expectations of us."

At this moment, Xu Damao, who was hiding in the dark outside the window and heard everything clearly, unconsciously revealed a sinister smile at the corner of his mouth. That smile was like the cold wind in winter, which made people shudder. He thought to himself, "Hmph, with these areas that need improvement, I have something to write about. Before they make the improvements, I can exaggerate the shortcomings of this set of kitchenware and publicize them everywhere. I can run to every corner of the courtyard and tell everyone I meet that this set of kitchenware looks fresh, but actually has a lot of problems. The handle of the spatula is pitifully short, and it won't take long for you to burn your hands. And the handle of the kitchen knife is not designed reasonably at all. It hurts your hand when you hold it, and you can't even cut vegetables steadily. I want everyone to think that this kitchenware is not very good and is not worth buying and using. By the time they have improved it with great effort, maybe everyone will have been affected by the dirty water I threw at them, and will no longer be interested in this kitchenware. By then, their efforts will have been in vain, and I can firmly maintain my position in the courtyard and continue to be my 'big shot'." Thinking of this, Xu Damao's eyes flashed with a hint of pride and cunning, as if he had already seen the scene after his conspiracy succeeded.

Thinking of this, Xu Damao felt that the excitement and calculation in his heart were surging like a raging tide, and he could no longer suppress his inner eagerness. He raised his head carefully, looked around vigilantly, and after confirming that no one around noticed him, he crouched down and quietly slipped away from He Yuzhu's slightly shabby window like a mouse that had stolen fish. His steps were hurried and flustered, and every step was accompanied by an impulse to implement his conspiracy, and he trotted all the way towards his home. Along the way, his mind kept emerging with the scene after his plan succeeded: Liu Guangqi and his kitchenware promotion plan fell through, and he became the focus of everyone's attention in the courtyard again, enjoying everyone's envy and admiration.

Soon, Xu Damao ran to the door of his house. He stopped panting, supported his knees with his hands, and gasped for air, but his face was filled with a smug and cunning smile. He didn't care about resting, and hurriedly took out the key from his pocket, opened the door, and rushed in. As soon as he entered the house, he couldn't wait to implement his plan, as if every second that passed, his conspiracy would have a less chance of success.

He first paced back and forth in the house, his eyes rolling around, thinking about who to start with to spread his "rumors". After some thought, he finally locked on the target - those people in the courtyard who were famous for gossiping and spreading news. These people were like the "small trumpets" in the courtyard. No matter what happened, as long as they told it, it would quickly spread throughout the courtyard. Xu Damao raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a sinister smile, and then strode out of the house and walked towards the residence of those people.

He knocked on the doors of those people one by one, with a fake smile on his face, and enthusiastically pulled them into his home. Those people were a little confused by Xu Damao's sudden enthusiasm, and looked at him in confusion, wondering what he was up to. Xu Damao let those people into the house, closed the door, and then pretended to be mysterious and lowered his voice and said: "You know, Liu Guangqi's new kitchen utensils look new, but actually have many problems. I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears today. There are so many problems that it can't be put in a basket."

When the others heard this, they immediately became interested, their eyes sparkling with curiosity, like a group of cats smelling blood. They all came forward and asked impatiently: "Hey, Xu Damao, tell us, what's the problem? We are all waiting to hear it."

Xu Damao cleared his throat, pretending to be serious and earnest, and then began to exaggerate: "You don't know, the heat conduction of that pot is very uneven. I saw with my own eyes that when Liu Guangqi and his friends were cooking, some places heated up quickly and the food in the pot was almost burnt, while other places were still cold and the food was not cooked. Do you think the food cooked in this way will be delicious? Moreover, this pot will not be used for long and will probably be scrapped. It's just a waste of money."

He paused for a moment, looked at the people who were listening intently, and continued with a sense of pride in his heart, "And the spatula, the handle is so short, it's awkward to use. I tried to use it, and it felt like stirring the pot with a small stick, and I couldn't use any strength at all. Also, when cooking, the hot steam rises up, and it's easy to burn your hands if you're not careful. I heard that Liu Guangqi and his friends were burned several times when they used it, and they had several big blisters on their hands."

At this point, Xu Damao deliberately shook his head, revealing a regretful expression, and then changed the subject and began to talk about the problem of the kitchen knife: "Not to mention the kitchen knife, the handle design is not reasonable at all. Just think about it, when we cut vegetables normally, if the handle is uncomfortable, it will be very difficult to cut vegetables. The handle is hard and it feels uncomfortable to hold it in your hand, just like holding a stone. When cutting vegetables, after a while, my hands are so sore that I don't have the strength to continue cutting. I dare say that the efficiency of cutting vegetables with that kitchen knife must be pitifully low."

As Xu Damao spoke, he gestured from time to time, as if he had really witnessed the various problems with the kitchen utensils. The people were stunned and nodded to show that they believed what Xu Damao said, with doubts and disdain for the kitchen utensils on their faces. Xu Damao was very happy to see his "conspiracy" succeed, but his face still maintained a serious expression, and he was thinking about how to continue to expand the "results" in his heart.

After hearing Xu Damao's vivid and exaggerated words, those people seemed to be struck by thunder, and their faces instantly showed extremely surprised expressions. Their eyes were as big as copper bells, and their mouths were slightly open, and they couldn't close them for a long time, as if they had seen something incredible. After a short shock, they were like ants in a pot, whispering and talking at once.

One of them was a plain-dressed, wrinkled old lady. She slapped her thigh and said in a hoarse voice, "Oh, I never thought that this kitchenware, which looks good, would have so many problems. I was thinking that I would buy a set after Liu Guangqi and his team promoted the kitchenware. Now it seems that it's a good thing that I didn't make a decision in a hurry, otherwise I would have lost a lot."

Another thin, middle-aged man with a sly look in his eyes also echoed, "That's right, it seems that this new thing is not necessarily reliable. In today's world, many things are bright and beautiful on the surface, but in fact they are full of problems. Just like that embroidered pillow, it looks good but is useless. We can't be fooled by their sweet words."

A young wife nearby also frowned and said with a worried look on her face, "Yes, my family is still in need of a good set of kitchenware. I had high hopes for Liu Guangqi's set, but now it's all gone. I don't know if I can buy the kitchenware I want in the future."

Xu Damao saw that his plan had worked and those people had been successfully fooled by him. He was secretly proud of himself and his vanity was greatly satisfied. He suppressed his inner joy and pretended to be worried and caring for everyone. He continued, "Don't tell others that I told you. I just don't want you to be fooled by them because we are neighbors. If this gets out, Liu Guangqi and others will definitely blame me, and then I won't be able to live in the courtyard anymore."

After hearing what Xu Damao said, those people nodded their heads quickly and said with a solemn oath: "Don't worry, we will definitely not tell anyone. Xu Damao, you are a sincere person who always thinks of us. We can't thank you enough, so how could we betray you?"

Xu Damao looked at their sincere expressions and almost laughed out loud in his heart, but on the surface he pretended to be very serious and said: "Thank you very much, I will believe you this time."

However, although these people promised well, as soon as they walked out of Xu Damao's house, they could no longer restrain their love for gossip and spreading news. They were like a group of sharks that smelled blood, and they couldn't wait to share what Xu Damao said with more people.

As soon as the old lady went out, she met Grandma Wang next door. She quickly grabbed Grandma Wang's hand and said mysteriously: "Grandma Wang, I want to tell you something, you must not tell anyone else. Liu Guangqi and his family have a lot of problems with their new kitchen utensils..." Then, she repeated what Xu Damao said with exaggeration.

Grandma Wang was also surprised when she heard this, and then she told the news to another neighbor. In this way, one person spread the news to ten people, and ten people spread the news to a hundred people. Those people spread Xu Damao's words quickly in the courtyard like a relay race. In a short while, everyone in the courtyard knew that Liu Guangqi's new kitchenware had various problems. Everyone talked about it, and their impression of the kitchenware plummeted. Xu Damao, on the other hand, hid in his house, listening to the discussions coming from outside, with a smug smile on his face, as if he had won a great victory.