I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

In the prosperous capital of Qing, Chen Jia and Chen Jue became the leaders of the craftsmanship world with their unique glazed woodcarving furniture. Their workshops were booming and they were overwhelmed with orders. Their works not only entered the mansions of dignitaries, adding a touch of elegance to the luxurious halls, but also became works of art that scholars and scholars talked about with great relish, exuding a unique charm in poetry and wine collections. However, a tall tree attracts the wind, and the undercurrents in the business world never stop.

One morning, the sun had just dispersed the mist in the workshop courtyard, and Chen Jia came to the workshop as usual to inspect. She keenly noticed that the craftsmen were gathered together, whispering to each other, with some worries in their faces. When she approached and listened, she learned that a large number of products imitating their glass and wood carving furniture appeared on the market, and the prices were low, and some customers who were unaware of the situation began to be diverted.

Chen Jia's heart tightened, and she immediately went to find Chen Jue and told him about this. Chen Jue frowned, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes: "My wife, these people are really shameless and stole the fruits of our hard work. What should we do? If we sit and wait for death, the foundation we have worked so hard to build will be destroyed in an instant."

Chen Jia bit her lip slightly, and after thinking for a moment, her eyes were filled with fighting spirit again. "Husband, we can't panic. There are many imitators, but they are just imitators. They only learn the superficial and have not grasped the essence. What we need to do is to use our technical advantages to create more differentiated furniture so that customers can tell the difference at a glance."

Chen Jue nodded in agreement and asked, "Madam, do you have an idea? Why not tell me about it?"

Chen Jia paced in the workshop, brushing his fingers gently over the unfinished wood carvings, and said slowly: "In the past, our colored glaze wood carvings focused more on the gorgeous appearance. Now, we might as well focus on the function and cultural connotation. For example, we can design a set of transformable screens. According to different occasions, they can be folded into small and exquisite partitions to facilitate the flexible layout of the interior space, and can also be unfolded into a large art display screen to show the taste of the owner; for example, we can incorporate mechanical ingenuity into tables and chairs, and the legs of the tables and chairs can be retracted to meet the needs of users of different heights. In addition, the vents can be hidden in the summer to make people sit cool and comfortable. As for the cultural connotation, we dig deep into ancient books, incorporate historical allusions and myths and legends into wood carvings in the form of micro-carvings, and then use colored glaze to highlight the key elements, so that it is not only furniture, but also a carrier of cultural heritage."

Chen Jue's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands in praise: "Madam, these few tricks are really great! They are both novel and practical, and will definitely attract customers. However, research and innovation takes time, and our rivals are being aggressive right now, so we have to think of a way to stabilize the situation."

Chen Jia thought for a moment and said, "Sir, we can hold a small furniture tasting meeting first, inviting some old customers, scholars and experts in the industry to view our new product prototypes and listen to their opinions. At the same time, it also shows the outside world our determination to continue to innovate. The crudely made imitations of rivals cannot withstand the tasting of experts, and customers will naturally make comparisons in their minds."

After the discussion, the two took quick action. Chen Jue was busy preparing for the tasting, selecting the venue, and sending out invitations, while Chen Jia led the craftsmen to devote themselves to the research and development of differentiated furniture.

In the workshop, Chen Jia worked day and night with woodcarvers and glass craftsmen. She held the design drawings and explained in detail to the craftsmen: "Master Zhang, the folding mechanism of this screen must be concealed and smooth. You can see the mortise and tenon structure here. It needs to be polished and debugged repeatedly. Craftsman Li, the expressions of the characters in this micro-carving part must be lifelike. Details determine success or failure..."

A young craftsman asked worriedly, "Madam, if we do this, won't the cost be too high? When the price goes up, will customers not buy it?"

Chen Jia smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, everyone. Although our initial investment is large, as long as we produce high quality products, increase added value, and customers recognize our products, we will have a good return. We cannot give up the pursuit of quality due to temporary cost considerations. This is the foundation of our workshop."

After several weeks of hard work, the prototypes of several differentiated glass wood carving furniture have emerged. At the same time, the furniture tasting meeting was held as scheduled.

On the day of the tasting, the workshop was decorated elegantly and exquisitely, with new furniture placed in an orderly manner. Guests arrived one after another, and their eyes were full of amazement when they saw those novel and unique furniture.

An experienced carpenter walked up and carefully examined the transformable screen. He slid his fingers along the folds and praised it highly: "Madam Chen, Duke Chen, the design of the mechanism of this screen is truly unique! I have been in this industry for decades and have never seen such an ingenious design. It is both practical and beautiful, which is really rare."

A scholar was attracted by the micro-carvings on the tables and chairs. He leaned over and savored the delicate carvings, and said with emotion: "These tables and chairs contain a profound cultural heritage! Each micro-carving tells a story. Sitting on them, it's as if you can talk to the ancients and feel the charm of history. Using furniture like this is called extraordinary style."

The guests' praises continued, and Chen Jia and Chen Jue were filled with satisfaction. However, they also knew that this was only the first step, and the real battlefield was still in the market.

Not long after, Chen Jia and Chen Jue officially launched their new products into the market and started direct competition with their rivals.

In the largest furniture market in Beijing, Chen Jia and Chen Jue's shop is located next to the knockoff shop of the rival store, which is a stark contrast. The rival store has a low-price promotion at the door, attracting some uninformed customers; Chen Jia, on the other hand, uses quality and innovation as selling points to invite customers to come in and experience the store.

A lady dressed in gorgeous clothes walked into Chen Jia's shop with her maid. As soon as she entered the door, she was attracted by the atmosphere of the store. Chen Jia personally came forward to greet her and introduced with a smile: "Madam, look at this screen. It is not only beautiful in appearance, but also can be changed according to the needs of your family's banquets or daily life. It is practical and unique; this table and chair is cool and pleasant to sit on in summer, and can be adjusted according to your height, so you won't feel tired after sitting for a long time."

The lady tried it out of curiosity, her eyes full of surprise: "This furniture is really great! It is completely different from those imitations I have seen before. It is a bit expensive, but it is worth it. I will buy it!"

As more and more customers come to the store to experience and compare, the difference is obvious. Chen Jia and Chen Jue's differentiated furniture gradually regained lost ground with excellent quality, unique functions and profound cultural connotations, and the order volume has steadily recovered.

As for the competitors, faced with the loss of customers and the overstock of imitation products, they were in a state of panic. Some tried to further reduce the price, but the quality became worse due to cost constraints; some wanted to imitate Chen Jia's new products, but due to the lack of technical accumulation, they failed to achieve the desired result.