Chapter 108: I Invested a Little Money... (Please Vote!)

Su Mu was pulled over by Mr. Han to cut the ribbon, leaving his father, Su Dingcai, completely bewildered. Su Dingcai, assuming Mr. Han simply favored his son because Su Mu had helped out at the convenience store during summer break, beamed with pride.

A red ribbon adorned with a beautiful silk ball blocked the main entrance of the supermarket. As Su Mu’s identity wasn’t announced, many onlookers assumed he was Mr. Han’s son. Mr. Han wanted to say a few words, but the crowd of impatient middle-aged men and women—some anxious to get home to finish chores—chattered loudly, urging him to get on with it, forcing him to swallow his speech.

Facing hundreds of customers, Su Mu felt a bit nervous, primarily because his parents were nearby, and he worried about their reaction once they learned the truth. Just then, Mr. Han handed him the scissors and said with a smile, "You do the honors today. Once this ribbon is cut, we are officially open."

"I don't think that's appropriate," Su Mu said, pushing the scissors back. "You should do it; my hands are shaking."

"Nonsense, just do it. It’s all in good fun..."

A man standing at the front of the crowd, leaning forward in his eagerness to snag discounted goods, shouted impatiently, "Are you going to cut it or not? If not, let me do it!"

Well, that settled that.

Su Mu took the scissors and snipped the ribbon in two. Mr. Han clapped and shouted, "Wishing us great success!"

Firecrackers popped loudly outside, but no one paid any attention to Su Mu or Mr. Han. Customers rushed to grab the hundred available shopping carts, and once those were gone, others scrambled for baskets. The turnout was larger than Su Mu had imagined; over three hundred people swarmed into the store, creating a din like a bustling wet market.

The lockers provided for storage quickly filled up. When the security guard reported this to Mr. Han, he waved his hand dismissively: "Backpacks are fine, purses are fine. There are so many neighbors here; who would dare steal? If they get caught, how could they ever show their faces in this neighborhood again?"

Seeing the customers frantically piling goods into their carts and baskets, Su Mu was so happy he didn't know what to say. With a silly grin, he muttered, "We're going to be rich!"

Hearing this, Mr. Han turned back and laughed. "It’s opening day, what with the discounts and the raffle, it’s hard to tell. We won't know the real performance until a week or two from now."

"I understand that... look over there, a white man is waving to you."

"Hey, the people who helped me approve this factory are here; they work for the city government." Mr. Han’s face lit up with a grin. "Su Mu, walk around and take a look. If there’s a problem, let me know. I’m going to go greet them."

"Alright, go ahead..."

Su Dingcai, who hadn't left, stepped up to his son and clicked his tongue in wonder. "Mr. Han is going to make a fortune again. Look at this business—people are grabbing things like crazy!"

Su Mu grinned. "If it stays like this, we really will get rich."

"Son, why did he let you cut the ribbon? You had some nerve, just doing it when he asked. On such a grand occasion, you..."

"Don't worry about it, I own half the shares."

"That's not r—wait, what did you say?"

Interrupted by his son, Su Dingcai had started to object, but as the realization hit him, his eyes went wide, and his voice rose an octave.

Su Mu took a deep breath. With his worries eased, and seeing the day’s turnout, he knew the business was unlikely to fail. People kept pouring in, many caught up in the frenzy, throwing anything that looked useful into their baskets as if it were free.

"I invested some money," Su Mu explained. "I have shares in this supermarket. Why else would he let me cut the ribbon?"

For a moment, his father’s mind went blank. He looked completely stunned. After a few seconds, he asked, "How much did you invest?"

"...We'll talk about that at home. Just know that I own half of it. The contract is already signed and sitting in my room." With the dam broken, Su Mu spoke freely. His manager, Qian Helberg, was already at the entrance, having agreed the night before to come by and inspect the work environment.

His father’s legs went weak. Having lived a modest life, the news that half of such a massive store belonged to his family was a tremendous shock. Staring into Su Mu’s eyes, he asked uncertainly, "You’re not running a fever and talking nonsense, are you? You really invested? Here!?"

"Of course, I know where I invested," Su Mu said, rolling his eyes at his father. "Didn't Mr. Han come to our house twice during the summer break? That was to discuss the renovation."

A smile began to spread across Su Dingcai's face. Whatever pleasant thoughts he was having, his eyes crinkled until they were nearly closed. Turning toward the customers, his attitude shifted instantly. Thinking like a shop owner, he said happily, "They’re all here to bring us money..."

"Come on! Let’s go look at the store. You kid, keeping such a big thing from us! If we knew business was this good, wouldn't your grandfather and I have encouraged you to invest?"

Su Mu could only offer a look of disdain. Just yesterday, his father had demanded he hand over his earnings, and now that he saw how profitable the business was, he had changed his tune entirely.

"Where did you get the money? You didn't do anything illegal, did you?" Suddenly struck by a crucial thought, his father’s expression changed again. He leaned in and whispered, "Drugs? You better not be doing that!" Su Dingcai had heard of teenagers selling such things to friends and assumed his son had done the same, otherwise he couldn't imagine where the capital came from.

Truly a father's heart.

"Stop guessing. Didn't I give you over seven thousand dollars during the summer?" Su Mu leaned in and whispered, "Actually, I won the lottery twice. The second time I made over a hundred thousand dollars..."

Once he finished bragging, the repercussions arrived. His father began a long, earnest lecture on not getting addicted to gambling and being too reckless for his age, which gave Su Mu a massive headache. He couldn't exactly tell his father that he had known the results in advance, so he just had to take it. He figured he could handle his father, and his mother wouldn't be a problem, but he was certain he’d be getting an earful from his grandfather that evening.

Walking through the supermarket, it was no different from a Walmart. Goods were neatly categorized on shelves. The residents of Chinatown had never seen so many products in one store, and shoppers were everywhere. Some of the elderly, not knowing how to check out, tried to hand cash to the cleaning lady, while families with children would grab candy and tear it open right in the aisles.

Su Mu saw it, but chose to ignore it rather than cause a scene. The supermarket was a new business model, and it would take time to cultivate the shopping habits of the customers. He had already told Mr. Han they should arrange for food samples and demonstrations so customers could get used to the process.

A while later, long lines formed at the registers. The real money-making had begun. From the looks of it, the supermarket was a resounding success.