Chapter 32: Grand Opening
Li Dong spent the entire month of July in a whirlwind of activity.
The supermarket in the distance was set to officially open on August 1st. With the opening approaching, the preparations kept Li Dong so busy that he was overwhelmed, and he couldn't even focus on Qin Yuhan, who hadn't come back for a month.
During this period, Li Dong went to school to pick up Jiang University's admission notice. He glanced at it once and then handed it over to his parents without much thought.
Li Chengyuan and Cao Fang were overjoyed with the notice, their smiles never fading. They didn't even question Li Dong's constant early departures and late returns.
---
July 31st.
With so much to discuss, Li Dong didn't get home until late.
When he arrived, Li Chengyuan and Cao Fang were still awake.
They had been busy as well. Cao Fang had already scheduled a banquet for August 8th and was busy calling people to notify them, usually staying up past ten.
Seeing his parents enjoying their preparations, Li Dong didn't bother with the trivial matters and let them get on with it.
Noticing Li Dong's exhausted appearance, Cao Fang and Li Chengyuan were puzzled. It seemed their son was busier than they were, and they had no idea what he was up to.
However, since Li Dong was grown, some matters couldn't be overly scrutinized.
Cao Fang pushed aside her worries and brought the freshly heated dishes to the table.
Li Dong hadn't eaten anything since noon and was starving. He sat down and began devouring the food hungrily.
As he ate, Cao Fang asked, "Dongzi, do you know that a supermarket is opening on North Street tomorrow?"
Li Dong hadn't expected his mother to bring this up, but it wasn't surprising. He had done a thorough job with the promotional work this month.
The once-overused opening advertisements had spread all over Dongping, and the results were impressive.
After all, colorful promotional flyers were not very common at this time, especially in a small place like Dongping where people were reluctant to spend money on printing them.
Seeing his mother's interest, Li Dong nodded, "I've heard about it. Why?"
"Because I heard they have discounts for the opening. I also heard that the supermarket sells everything, including food and clothing. I'm thinking of going to check it out tomorrow. If you're free, come with me."
Li Dong thought about it. He would definitely need to keep an eye on things tomorrow, but accompanying his mother for a bit wasn't too bad. After all, Sun Tao and the others would be watching. So, he agreed.
Cao Fang began planning what to buy tomorrow, and Li Chengyuan assisted, thinking about what the family needed and offering suggestions from time to time.
Seeing his parents so excited, Li Dong had a bad feeling.
He hoped his mother wouldn't bring back several carts of stuff. Li Dong silently prayed.
Just as he was praying, Li Chengyuan suddenly exclaimed, "Rich people are really something! The supermarket owner is really greedy!"
Li Dong turned pale, clearing his throat and asking, "Dad, why are you upset with the supermarket owner?"
Li Chengyuan waved a promotional flyer and pointed to a section, saying indignantly, "What do you mean? They're competing with us small business owners! They're selling fish in such a huge supermarket. It's disgraceful!"
Li Dong almost spat out his food. Wasn't this like allowing only officials to set fires while forbidding common people from lighting lamps? He didn't know what to say.
Seeing his father still complaining about the supermarket owner, Cao Fang chimed in as well.
Li Dong had to interrupt, "Dad, the supermarket mainly sells frozen seafood. It doesn't really affect you."
"Oh, that's good then. Our small business isn't easy either. The supermarket owners don't need this money; they don't need to compete with us." Li Chengyuan said, somewhat relieved.
Li Dong was speechless. Who's competing with you?
A new supermarket opening would naturally have a significant impact on traditional retail industries, and the seafood market was the least affected.
---
August 1st.
The firecrackers crackled for over half an hour. People from most of Dongping's urban area knew that the first supermarket on North Street had opened.
When Li Dong accompanied Cao Fang to the supermarket, he was shocked by the crowd in front of the store.
Even though he had seen the bustling scene at the supermarket in his previous life, he still didn't expect Dongping to have so many people show up.
Whether they were genuinely shopping or just there to see the commotion, the supermarket's popularity was undeniable.
The Faraway Supermarket wasn't very large but wasn't small either, with three floors and nearly 2,500 square meters. It was already packed.
A few security guards were sweating profusely, trying to maintain order in the crowd. Their shouts couldn't be heard, soon drowned out by the cacophony of voices.
Although they had prepared for this situation, Li Dong couldn't help but worry.
Good business was one thing, but if an accident occurred, it would be disastrous. He didn't want the supermarket to close right after opening.
Fortunately, not long after, Li Dong saw Sun Tao squeezing through with a loudspeaker, directing the security personnel to maintain order and disperse the crowd. The crowd finally became less congested.
Cao Fang was also intimidated by the throng of people, exclaiming, "This business must be really good. The supermarket owner must be making a fortune."
Li Dong wasn't concerned about how much profit was made; he just hoped the opening would go smoothly without any accidents.
"Dongzi, let's go in. Don't let everything be gone when we get inside. They're offering 20% off for the first day. I heard it'll return to normal prices after three days. If you want to buy something, do it quickly."
Cao Fang was eager to go in, practically brimming with excitement, ready to raid the store.
Li Dong was amused and didn't want to squeeze into the crowd, but seeing his mother's enthusiasm, he decided to give in. After all, what's one more time to satisfy her?
The two of them pushed into the crowd. Cao Fang grabbed whatever she saw, disregarding the list of items they had planned at home.
Li Dong frequently heard people shouting, "Hey, where's that rice cooker that was here earlier? I want to buy one too!"
"Don't grab! I got it first. There are more in the back, so don't be so pushy!"
"Boss, give me a hundred of these. Why is there so little stuff?"
...
Li Dong was speechless. Did they think this was a wholesale market? Who buys a hundred of something at a supermarket?
Just as he finished complaining about others, he heard his mother shout, "Dongzi, get me five packs of big tissue paper quickly, or they'll be gone!"
Li Dong looked at the pack of tissues with twenty-four rolls, speechless. Five large packs? How long would it take to use that much? His mother was really ambitious!
Ignoring his mother's request, Li Dong grabbed one pack and left it at that. He didn't want to be the butt of jokes later.
---
An hour later, Li Dong squeezed out of the supermarket, drenched in sweat.
It was almost ten o'clock, and the supermarket wasn't less crowded; if anything, it seemed even busier.
Looking at the items in his cart, Li Dong was silent. Someone might think he was moving houses.
Pots, pans, plates, tissues, snacks, knives, cutting boards, underwear, socks…
Li Dong's lips twitched. Wasn't this like tying himself up?
Cao Fang came over after paying, panting and happily saying, "It's really cheap. This supermarket is great. No one's watching. You can get whatever you want. We bought so much stuff for only 980 yuan. It's a real bargain."
Li Dong's lips twitched even more. Getting whatever you want? Isn't there a price?
And 980 yuan is cheap?
Previously, his mother would fuss for days over spending a hundred yuan. Now, she spent almost a thousand and still called it cheap!
Aside from the rice cooker, the rest were mostly daily necessities. Isn't a thousand yuan still a lot?
Thinking that the greedy businessman was actually himself, Li Dong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Anyway, he felt somewhat numb.