Chapter 30: Money Doesn’t Last

As June approached its end, the weather in Dongping became unbearably hot. 

With the heat, more and more people began eating crayfish.

The crayfish market in Pingchuan exploded with astonishing speed, creating a crayfish craze throughout Jiangbei.

...

Yanghe Internet Cafe.

Li Dong hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

Although he had long told himself that this business wouldn't last, the sight of money flying out of his hands still left him feeling inexplicably disappointed.

While others began to profit, he had to end the crayfish business.

In Dongping and neighboring counties, he could no longer get supplies. Even if he could, the prices had become outrageously high, with fish vendors raising prices crazily.

In Pingchuan, the wholesale price was only 8 yuan, but in Dongping, it was being raised to 7 yuan. There was simply no room for him to survive.

Calming down, Li Dong calculated his total expenses: 1.5 million for the down payment on the building, 400,000 for the initial renovation payment, and about 100,000 for various initial expenses and permits for the supermarket.

Adding it all up, his total expenditure was around 2 million yuan. He currently had about 1.8 million yuan in savings.

In other words, in just two months, he had made nearly 4 million yuan from the crayfish business.

"Four million—should be enough to be content. Contentment brings happiness," Li Dong muttered to himself. Four million yuan in 2004 was still quite valuable, enough to cover the cost of the building.

"Dongzi, what four million? Is it Qin Yuhan's call?"

Wei Yuan, who had come out to the internet cafe with Li Dong, removed his headphones and asked with some confusion.

Li Dong rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "No! I'm telling you, stop thinking about Yuhan. Be careful or I'll take care of you!"

"Cut it out!"

Wei Yuan grumbled, "Am I that kind of person? Qin Yuhan is practically blind; I wouldn't like her even if I tried."

Since learning that Li Dong and Qin Yuhan were together, Wei Yuan had always thought Qin Yuhan was blind. He couldn't see anything about Li Dong that was better than him, so he couldn't understand why Qin Yuhan would like Li Dong. To him, it was like blindness.

"Why are you talking nonsense?"

"Nothing!"

Wei Yuan laughed awkwardly and continued, "By the way, Dongzi, what was that you said about four million or five million?"

"Did I say that? You must have misheard." Li Dong brushed it off and changed the subject, "Did you ask about what I needed you to?"

"What was it…"

Wei Yuan's words were interrupted by Li Dong's intense gaze, and he quickly chuckled nervously, "I asked. I was just about to tell you. If you hadn't asked, I might have forgotten."

"Feng Jinsong hasn't been home since the college entrance exams. I heard from his classmates that he went on a trip. I'm not sure when he'll be back."

Wei Yuan then began to deviate from the topic, curiously asking, "Why are you looking for Feng Jinsong? Does he still have feelings for Qin Yuhan, and are you planning to deal with him?"

Li Dong couldn't be bothered to explain and just sighed, thinking Feng Jinsong had good luck.

Whether Feng Jinsong was truly traveling or deliberately avoiding him, Li Dong hadn't encountered him since the exam incident.

Without encountering him, Li Dong had no chance to seek revenge.

Well, this time Feng Jinsong was lucky.

Opportunities would come sooner or later. Li Dong wasn't in a hurry; he held grudges, and did Feng Jinsong think that avoiding him now meant everything was fine? He was dreaming!

With no mood to continue surfing the internet, Li Dong said, "I'm heading back. You stay and enjoy yourself."

"Don't go! The college entrance exams are over, and now that we finally have some time, stay and play with me a little longer!"

"I have other things to do. You enjoy yourself." Li Dong patted Wei Yuan on the shoulder and said with a hint of nostalgia, "Cherish this opportunity. Take care of yourself after tomorrow."

After Li Dong left, Wei Yuan was left in a daze for a while, muttering, "What does that mean?"

Li Dong naturally wouldn't tell him. Once the college entrance exam scores were released tomorrow, Wei Yuan's good times would come to an end.

Wei Yuan's estimated scores were puzzling. While most people estimated with a margin of ten or twenty points, Wei Yuan had overestimated by fifty or sixty points, barely reaching the previous year's second-tier university line.

Wei Yuan's parents truly believed this, and they had been bragging about their son's second-tier university score in the neighborhood. Even Li Dong's parents had heard about it.

Given Wei Yuan's usual performance, if he really could get into a second-tier university, it would indeed be a cause for celebration. It wasn't surprising that his parents were so pleased.

But Li Dong knew that once the scores were released tomorrow, Wei Yuan would be in trouble.

Wei Yuan's parents, having lost face and dignity, would make his life difficult. Li Dong could only wish him luck and hope the disastrous scenes from his memory wouldn't replay.

...

After leaving the internet cafe, Li Dong went to Blue Sea.

The supermarket's renovation was nearing completion, and it should be finished by early July.

When Li Dong arrived at the supermarket, Sun Tao wasn't there. Yang Yun, who had already started work, was discussing something with the site manager from Yangding.

Seeing Li Dong, Yang Yun left the person from Yangding and hurried over, saying, "Mr. Li, you arrived just in time. I was about to look for you."

"What's up?"

"Yangding is saying that the construction period is almost over and is asking when we can settle the payment for the second phase. I was just about to discuss it with you."

Yang Yun no longer doubted Li Dong's capability. The supermarket's renovation had already cost over a million, and it was evident that Li Dong was financially robust and would not be short of her few thousand yuan salary.

Li Dong pondered for a moment and said, "What did Manager Sun say?"

"Manager Sun said the quality should be fine. He's been supervising the site closely."

Li Dong nodded. As long as the quality was assured, that was fine.

However, thinking about the large sum of money needed, Li Dong felt a bit of pain.

"Alright, I'll transfer 500,000 to the company account. You can handle it with Yangding."

Aside from the discomfort of spending money, Li Dong asked, "Where is Manager Sun?"

"Someone from Pingchuan has arrived. Manager Sun is negotiating with them and should be back soon," Yang Yun glanced at the time, noting that the discussion should be almost over.

As soon as she finished speaking, Sun Tao arrived, sweating profusely.

Seeing Li Dong there, Sun Tao and Yang Yun greeted him before speaking, "I was just about to call you. Coming early is better than coming at the right time."

Seeing Sun Tao's sweat-drenched appearance, Li Dong didn't rush into business. He said, "Let's find a ventilated place and cool off first. We'll talk slowly."

Sun Tao didn't refuse, and the two of them went outside the supermarket together.

They found a shaded spot and sat down without regard for appearances. After catching his breath, Sun Tao said, "The main issue is with stocking the goods. I've negotiated with several suppliers over the past few days. Due to the small market in Dongping, some major manufacturers aren't interested, and the discount policies aren't very good. In the end, I chose a few agents from out-of-town manufacturers in Jiangbei and negotiated some terms. I was about to discuss it with you."

Li Dong didn't press for details. Sun Tao knew better than he did in this regard. If Sun Tao had chosen them, they must be suitable for Yuanfang Supermarket.

Li Dong was concerned about the payment. He didn't have much cash left; after subtracting the 500,000 he was about to transfer, there would be about 1.3 million yuan left.

The final payment to Yangding wasn't urgent yet; they had agreed to settle it three months after the official operation began, so he could save a few tens of thousands for now.

Li Dong believed that by then, paying the final amount wouldn't be a problem.

After thinking for a while, he asked, "How is the payment for the goods arranged?"

"A minimum of 30% of the payment is required upfront, with the remaining amount to be settled within three months. If the second shipment is made within three months of the first, the final payment for the first shipment must be settled in advance."

"Thirty percent…"

Li Dong calculated. This meant that even if he left himself with no money, he could only purchase goods worth up to four million yuan.

Four million should be enough, right?

Li Dong wasn't sure if it was too much or too little. Four million was the purchase price, and the supermarket's profit margin was about 20%, which meant the sales would be around five million yuan.

Five million yuan should be enough to sustain a month, given Dongping's consumption level.

Whether it was more or less, Li Dong felt it shouldn't be far off.

After a moment of contemplation, he nodded, "I can accept these terms. Please continue negotiating with them, and make sure the goods arrive in Dongping before the end of July. We can't afford any delays."

"No problem. As long as the contract is signed, they can ship within three days."

Sun Tao was now full of enthusiasm. Once the renovation was finished, staff were in place, and goods arrived, the supermarket could officially open.

Only after the supermarket opened would he get paid. If conditions allowed, he would have wanted it to open immediately.

Li Dong smiled at Sun Tao's eagerness. He was even more anxious.

He owed several million to the bank, and if the supermarket didn't open soon, he might not be able to repay the loan.

Money really doesn't last. Despite earning nearly four million yuan in two months, he was now deep in debt.