Chapter 13: How About Opening a Supermarket?

From a distance, Li Dong saw Feng Jinsong sitting alone by the flagpole platform, his rolled-up sleeves giving him a princely appearance.

Li Dong curled his lips, glanced around, and saw no signs of hiding people.

With less caution, Li Dong adjusted the uncomfortable bench leg he had brought and walked straight toward Feng Jinsong.

"You're here."

Feng Jinsong's tone was indifferent.

Damn!

Li Dong felt irritated; the tone made it seem like he was begging to be here.

"If you have something to say, just say it. If not, go play by yourself. I don't have time for games."

Feng Jinsong's expression turned grim, feeling that his intimidating aura wasn't enough to suppress Li Dong. He composed himself and said, "Li Dong, I'm here to talk to you."

"What's there to talk about?"

Feng Jinsong, slightly adjusted to Li Dong's rude attitude, said coldly, "I'll get straight to the point. Don't blame me for being blunt."

"Your grades used to be good, but now they're just average. With some effort, you should be able to get into a second-tier university."

"Your family sells fish, and even if you count all your family's savings, it doesn't exceed a hundred thousand."

"Let's talk about appearance. It's not necessary for a man to be good-looking, but do you think you compare to me?"

"And…"

Li Dong found a spot to sit down, listening to Feng Jinsong prattle on. It was all about how he was rich, handsome, and successful, while Li Dong was poor and unattractive.

After a while, Li Dong yawned and interrupted, "That's enough. Is there anything else?"

Feng Jinsong was momentarily stunned, struggling to suppress his anger. "Don't you understand after all this? Knowing your place is important. Do you think you're worthy of Qin Yuhan?"

Li Dong stared directly at Feng Jinsong, and after a long while, he sneered, "Calling you childish would be a compliment."

"What do you mean?" Feng Jinsong ground his teeth and glared fiercely at Li Dong.

Li Dong stretched lazily, feeling bored.

He had initially hoped that Feng Jinsong might offer a surprise, but now it seemed he was just a spoiled fool.

If you're going to threaten or bribe someone, at least make it convincing. It's better than just spouting empty words.

But Feng Jinsong was making a serious issue out of it, merely comparing grades, family backgrounds, and looks. And there were no girls watching; it was the height of foolishness.

Li Dong couldn't be bothered to argue further. He wasn't a teenager in the throes of puberty; he had no interest in debating with someone so ridiculous.

With a wave of his sleeve and not even a hint of a response, Li Dong walked away.

Feng Jinsong stood there in silence, struggling to understand why Li Dong remained so calm. 

From his perspective, such words should have incited rage or at least made Li Dong feel inferior. Feng Jinsong expected Li Dong to avoid him in embarrassment.

Yet Li Dong seemed unaffected, showing no shame at all!

What a shameless guy!

Feng Jinsong ground his teeth, finally realizing what kind of person Li Dong was.

...

Although Li Dong pretended not to care, he couldn't ignore the scorn. 

It wasn't about being competitive with Feng Jinsong; he needed to consider his future.

Despite making some money recently from being a middleman, this wasn't a long-term business. As someone reborn into a higher class, making money by selling lobsters wasn't very prestigious.

Of course, if he could continue earning a substantial amount every day, he wouldn't mind sticking with selling lobsters.

But what would make money in the next decade?

The internet was growing rapidly, but companies like Baidu and Tencent had already established themselves, leaving no room for newcomers like him.

Even if he wanted to get involved, he lacked the opportunity and capital. At most, he could invest in some stocks.

Real estate was also a lucrative field, but it required connections and money. Securing land and permits alone was challenging.

He could consider buying a few properties and waiting for their value to increase, but developing real estate was out of the question.

So what else could he do?

Li Dong felt frustrated by his lack of skills. Despite working for years, he only knew sales and had no experience in other industries.

Even if he had some contact in the past, his understanding was limited. He couldn't think of a stable way to make money.

After walking for a while, Li Dong felt parched and bought a bottle of water from a small shop.

As he took a sip, an idea struck him, and he slapped his forehead!

Ignoring the curious stares of others, Li Dong rushed back to the small shop where he had bought the water, surveyed the surroundings, and then started wandering the streets.

He spent over an hour wandering and completely forgot about his plans to attend the evening self-study session.

"Right, there's no supermarket. Dongping City still doesn't have a large supermarket…"

Li Dong muttered to himself. If he hadn't subconsciously looked for a supermarket when buying water, he wouldn't have realized this.

Used to seeing supermarkets every few hundred meters in modern times, he suddenly remembered that it was 2004, and Dongping was just a small underdeveloped county.

Would opening a supermarket be profitable?

Absolutely!

Memories flooded back. Li Dong remembered that the first supermarket in Dongping opened during the National Day holiday when he was home. It was packed with people, creating a huge stir in the city, and even his mother bought a truckload of goods.

Li Dong was astonished at how energetic the housewives in Dongping were, almost clearing out the supermarket in just a few days.

Within a few years, when Li Dong returned home in his third year of college, he heard that Dongping had its first Lamborghini, bought by the son of that supermarket owner.

This showed how much they made in just a few years. If not for the arrival of well-known brands like China Resources, Carrefour, and RT-Mart, which quickly dominated the market with their strong finances and excellent service, a single supermarket could have made someone the richest person in Dongping.

Unfortunately, due to poor management, outdated environment, and small space, that supermarket faltered and eventually closed when chain supermarkets became widespread.

Li Dong was inspired. The original supermarket owner hadn't started yet.

It was April now, and the supermarket officially opened in October, giving a six-month window.

Maybe someone was already taking action, but Li Dong wasn't worried. Even if others opened supermarkets, he believed they wouldn't be his competitors.

Not because he was better, but because if he replicated the successful models of large supermarkets, there was no reason he wouldn't succeed.

If others could expand supermarkets nationwide and succeed, he could replicate that success in this small county.

He began contemplating whether to join a chain supermarket or start his own brand.

Franchising had its advantages, such as guidance and no need to find suppliers, saving a lot of trouble.

But franchising also had its drawbacks. First, there were strict requirements for location and funding. Second, there were annual franchise fees and management fees, which were not insignificant.

Li Dong considered carefully. If it were a few years later, he would choose franchising because small independent supermarkets had little survival space.

But given the current market in Dongping, where both independent and chain brands were similar, why spend extra money on a franchise?

Li Dong made up his mind. The first supermarket owner in his previous life hadn't chosen a franchise, and their business was still booming.

As long as he continued investing in expansion and renovation, even if chain supermarkets entered the market, he wasn't afraid. People's habits are hard to change.

Another benefit was that he hadn't yet figured out what his parents should do after leaving the fish business. They were still young and couldn't sit idle forever.

Busy people who suddenly become idle are prone to illness. Managing a supermarket would be easy and lively for his parents, giving him peace of mind.

Once he went to college, he planned to focus on Pingchuan and leave the supermarket to his parents.

With so many reasons, there was no reason to hesitate!

Even though he had decided, he still had to get busy.

Funding was an issue. Ideally, he wanted to buy a location for the supermarket, but rental fees in busy areas were staggering.

Adding staff, sourcing goods, and handling paperwork would require at least a million yuan.

Even if he chose to rent due to insufficient funds, he would still need several hundred thousand. Currently, he only had around 80,000, leaving a significant gap.

Pingchuan earned over 20,000 daily, but even if Li Dong wanted to supply more lobsters, Dongping was limited. Ten thousand jin a day was almost the limit; more would attract competitors, reducing profits.

However, Dongping wasn't the only option. Nearby counties had similar geographic conditions with abundant lobsters.

If he could tap into those areas, increasing daily lobster consumption by tens of thousands of jin wouldn't be difficult.

Li Dong had never felt a pressing need for money before. Now, with plans to open a supermarket, he needed more funds and had to think hard about how to raise money.

And since Dongping lacked large supermarkets, did neighboring counties have any?

Before well-known brands entered county-level cities, he needed to seize the market early. Not just Jiangbei, but at least the Qingyang area.

The more Li Dong thought about it, the more motivated he became. Time waits for no one; this was the perfect opportunity!