Chapter 22: Dad's Secret Stash

After much hesitation, Sun Tao ultimately agreed to Li Dong's offer. It wasn't just the promise of shares that motivated him but also Li Dong's ambition.

If Li Dong were content with just Dongping, honestly, even with the shares, Sun Tao wouldn't have agreed.

A county-level supermarket, no matter how profitable, wouldn't satisfy Sun Tao, who was still young and didn't want to spend his life retiring in Dongping.

Even if he could make three to five million a year, Sun Tao would only take home three to five hundred thousand. It would be better to try his luck elsewhere.

The key was Li Dong's vision for the future: first, establish a strong foothold in Dongping, then expand into neighboring counties and cities, build a reputation, and finally move into the provincial capital, encircling the city with rural expansion...

It sounded like a grandiose pitch, but when Sun Tao learned that Li Dong was still a high school senior and that all the funds for Dongping's supermarket came from Li Dong's own earnings, he immediately believed in Li Dong's potential.

There was no way around it; he didn't understand the world of high achievers.

At eighteen, he was still a good student, while at that age, others had already started multimillion-dollar businesses. That was the difference.

Although Sun Tao wasn't fully impressed by Li Dong, he felt that working for Li Dong wouldn't be beneath him.

...

When Li Dong returned to Dongping, he felt a great sense of relief.

Sun Tao had agreed and would need some time to wrap up his affairs in Pingchuan. He would be in Dongping in about a week to take charge of the situation.

Li Dong had faith in Sun Tao's abilities. If Sun Tao couldn't handle a supermarket of under 3,000 square meters, it would be better for him to leave quietly and not damage Carrefour's reputation.

With the incentive of profit sharing and Sun Tao's 800,000 yuan debt, Li Dong wasn't worried about Sun Tao not putting in his best effort.

Having resolved the biggest problem, Li Dong now faced the looming challenge of the college entrance exams.

It was already May 8, with only a month left until the exams. Time was tight, and Li Dong had taken a few more days off, almost facing Chen Guohua's wrath.

If Li Dong hadn't performed well in the mock exams, rising eight to nine places in the ranking, Chen Guohua would not have allowed him to take additional leave.

Even so, Chen Guohua's expression was still not pleasant.

By the time Li Dong got home, it was already 3:30 PM. He quickly made a simple meal and prepared to visit the vegetable market.

Before he could leave, his phone rang urgently.

Glancing at the number, Li Dong frowned slightly, answered the call, and said with a gentle smile, "Hello, Brother Xu!"

...

After a seven to eight-minute conversation, Li Dong hung up the phone, his brows furrowed.

The call was from one of the three crayfish suppliers in Dongping, informing him that the crayfish purchase price had increased as of May.

With the weather warming up and more people eating crayfish, the price had risen from two yuan per pound to three yuan. They wanted to know if Li Dong still wanted to continue purchasing.

Although Li Dong had anticipated this day, seeing the immediate drop in income was still painful.

Li Dong knew that this price increase was just the beginning. By June, the price differences between Pingchuan and Dongping would level out, leaving little room for his survival.

In the next hour, Li Dong received calls from several suppliers, all reporting price hikes. The surrounding counties had similar trends, so the price increase wasn't limited to just one supplier.

He instructed all the suppliers to continue providing the crayfish and made several calls to Pingchuan.

The results were not very promising. Although the crayfish market in Pingchuan was booming, the price had not changed significantly, and wholesale prices had yet to rise.

Sitting on the sofa, Li Dong pondered for a while and finally adjusted his mindset.

"After all, this isn't a serious business. I've already made over two million yuan. What's there to be dissatisfied about?" Li Dong murmured, trying to comfort himself.

Besides, it wasn't as if the business was completely over. It was just less profitable. With the current profit margins, he was still making about 50,000 to 60,000 a day.

With around twenty days left in the month, the price shouldn't change drastically. This meant there should be at least another million in revenue.

Adding to the 600,000 to 700,000 in his card, reaching two million should be manageable.

With two million, subtracting the 1.1 million for renovations, the remaining funds should cover the supermarket's subsequent financial needs.

Once the supermarket officially opened, there would be incoming revenue, making it sufficient to cover loan repayments and employee wages.

With a sigh of relief, Li Dong looked at the time and realized it was already 7:30 PM. He hadn't expected to lose track of time like this.

His parents would be back soon, and Qin Yuhan wouldn't be able to come out tonight. With nothing else to do, he decided to review his studies.

...

When Li Chengyuan and Cao Fang returned home, they saw Li Dong studying diligently in his room, both of them smiling.

Calling Li Dong out for dinner, Cao Fang asked with concern, "Son, the exams are coming up. Are you confident?"

Li Chengyuan shot her a look and nonchalantly said, "Don't listen to your mother. Just do your best in the exams. We don't mind which school you get into."

Li Dong ignored the look exchanged between his parents and casually replied, "There shouldn't be a big problem. I'm fairly confident about getting into a good college."

"So confident? Is it a top-tier or a second-tier university?"

Cao Fang continued to question him, as there was a difference between top-tier and second-tier universities.

"Probably a top-tier university. It should be about right." Li Dong finished his soup, patted his belly, and felt satisfied.

Cao Fang was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly said, "Good son! Let's go out to the market for lunch tomorrow. I'll buy you some good food to help boost your brainpower."

"No!"

Li Dong's face turned pale, and he苦笑 said, "Mom, who told you that eating specific foods helps with brainpower? Are pig brains even suitable for humans?"

Last time, his mom suggested something similar and ended up serving him a dish of Tianma stewed pig brains, which almost made him vomit.

"Who says it can't boost brainpower? Children don't understand. I asked many people, and they all said so."

Cao Fang grumbled, and seeing her son's displeased expression, she reluctantly gave up the idea.

Li Chengyuan silently listened to the conversation between his wife and son. Though he didn't say anything, he was quite happy inside.

If his son could really get into a top university, it would be a huge accomplishment for the Li family.

The Li family had been poor farmers for three generations until Li Chengyuan's generation started working in the city. Both of his brothers were uneducated laborers.

If he could raise a college graduate, it would be something to be proud of when visiting the family tombs.

Li Chengyuan was overjoyed and was so exhausted from the day that he didn't even feel like going to bed. He was eager to chat with his son.

Seeing Cao Fang cleaning up the dishes and heading to the kitchen, Li Chengyuan leaned in and said in a low voice, "Dongzi, when you get into college, I'll buy you a computer!"

Li Dong was startled and turned to look at the kitchen. He also lowered his voice and asked, "Dad, are you using your secret stash of money?"

Computers weren't cheap these days, and given that Li Dong used to enjoy playing games online, Cao Fang would never agree to buy him one.

So, if Li Chengyuan was offering this, it must be from his own secret savings, not the family funds.

Li Chengyuan grinned, somewhat smug, and wiggled his eyebrows, "I've been saving this money for several years, originally planning to use it to upgrade to a bigger house and for your future marriage."

"But if you can get into a good university and will eventually move to a big city, this money won't be enough anyway. It's better to buy you a computer now."

Li Chengyuan's words seemed simple, but Li Dong felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

His father had worked hard all his life, and the little bit of secret money he had saved was still meant for him, never thinking about himself.

In his previous life, his father didn't buy him a computer, probably thinking that since his university choice wasn't great, he might need the money later to buy a house.

Unfortunately, that money was eventually spent on medical bills, all given to the hospital after a lifetime of savings.

Seeing Li Dong silent, Li Chengyuan thought he was touched and cheerfully said, "Kid, don't tell your mother. I'll secretly buy it for you after the exams."

"Okay, I won't tell. Dad, you should keep the money for yourself. I have…"

"You don't have much money. Don't be stingy with your pocket money. I promised you a computer, so I'll get it for you. I don't need it anyway," Li Chengyuan interrupted Li Dong firmly.

Li Dong was at a loss for words, wanting to say something but hesitating. Finally, he chose not to speak.