Chapter 632 - 412: Problem 2

Black Hide had entered the orphanage the following year. As was tradition, he was given the surname Wang, and his given name was Wang Hua.

Feng Mountain was one of the lucky ones. He was sent to the orphanage as a baby with his name already chosen, so he didn't have to follow the naming tradition.

But within the big family of the orphanage, everyone preferred using affectionate nicknames for each other.

"That's alright," Feng Mountain said with a gentle smile, waving to the young girl to politely decline her kind offer.

Holding Coca-Cola and a bag with a fish, he walked toward the employee-only door.

Just as he reached the entrance, Hu Zi's slightly anxious voice drifted through the door.

"Brother Wang, didn't we agree on a two-month payment delay? Why is it suddenly just one?"

Hu Zi's voice was tinged with resignation. A brief silence followed as he seemed to wait for a response.

"My shop just opened. Business is good, yeah, but all my capital is tied up in inventory. Please, help me out. Just give me another month's extension," Hu Zi's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of desperation.

Then, another muffled voice responded, its words indistinct.

"One more week... Okay, fine. Thanks," Hu Zi replied, his voice strained.

Before Feng Mountain could react, the sound of another phone call came from inside.

"Hey, Brother Song? What, you want cash payment now too? No, no... It's just that Brother Wang also just asked for cash payment."

Hu Zi's voice was now clearly panicked. "It's fine. I get it. I'll figure something out."

After he spoke, the room fell silent.

When no more sound came from within, Feng Mountain reached out and pushed the door open.

Instantly, a thick cloud of white smoke billowed out like a tidal wave, carrying the acrid stench of cheap cigarettes that made his eyes burn and his nose itch.

Inside, Hu Zi was slumped in an office chair. A cigarette smoldered between the fingers of his right hand, its ash drifting down onto the desk. His left hand was anxiously running through his hair, turning his usually sharp crew cut into a disheveled mess.

The desk was piled high with ledgers and order forms, looking even more chaotic in the swirling smoke.

Hearing the door open, Hu Zi kept his eyes fixed on the messy ledgers, not looking up as he mumbled, "Xiaoxue, I'll handle the stock shortage. You can go for now."

"Handle it? How are you going to handle it? By smoking yourself into a stupor?" Feng Mountain frowned, stepping forward to flip a switch on the wall. The exhaust fan immediately whirred to life, churning the smoke-filled room.

The current of air rustled the papers on the desk, blowing a price tag to the floor.

The familiar voice made Hu Zi jerk his head up, the cigarette nearly falling from his hand onto his pants.

He shot to his feet, the office chair scraping harshly across the floor.

"Brother Shan!"

After calling out, Hu Zi hastily dropped his cigarette and wiped his fingers on his pants. A look of delight flashed across his face, only to be quickly replaced by embarrassment.

'The cigarette pack on the desk, the ash scattered on the ledgers, and his own disheveled hair... Brother Shan had seen it all.'

"Scoot over." Feng Mountain nudged Hu Zi aside with a familiar, affectionate push.

He then sat down unceremoniously at the desk and casually picked up an inventory report.

The paper was slightly yellowed from the smoke, and pencil markings recorded the daily sales data.

The sales column for drinks and snacks showed high numbers almost every day, but the restocking column was mostly blank.

Feng Mountain looked up at the fidgeting Hu Zi and brandished the paper. "Sales look pretty good. So why is restocking so slow? The shelves are more than half empty."

Sighing, Hu Zi pulled a chair over and plopped down, stirring up a small cloud of ash. He scratched his hair and gave a wry smile.

"Sales are good, but all my suppliers went back on their word. When I opened, we agreed on a two-month payment delay, but now they're demanding cash up front before they'll deliver. Last month's inventory is almost sold out. If I can't get new stock, the shelves will just be for show..."

His voice trailed off toward the end, and he stared at the papers on his desk, looking completely defeated.

Feng Mountain's brow furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the report.

'Although he'd never been in retail, he knew every industry had its own unwritten rules.'

'Back when I ran my own restaurant, my suppliers for basic ingredients always let me settle the bill periodically. Sometimes, to keep my business, they didn't even mind if I paid a little late. But Hu Zi's situation... this is clearly not normal.'

"Are you having cash flow problems?" Feng Mountain asked, looking up.

Hu Zi first shook his head, then nodded. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "I shouldn't have. The supermarket's doing really well, and with the two-month payment delay, I could have kept things afloat. But now, not only do the suppliers want me to pay off my existing balance, they're saying all future orders have to be cash on delivery."

"The most ridiculous one is a beverage supplier. When they first stocked my shelves, they said there was no rush, that I could pay them as I sold the product. But they just called demanding immediate cash payment for the entire shipment, or they're coming to take it all back."

Feng Mountain's fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the desktop. TAP... TAP... TAP.

'Under normal circumstances, one supplier suddenly changing terms might be due to their own cash flow issues. It would be understandable. But for all of them to demand the same thing at the same time...'

'Someone has to be pulling the strings from behind the scenes.'

'This kind of dirty work... It had to be the competition.'

"Are there any new supermarkets that opened nearby?" Feng Mountain asked.

Hu Zi scratched the back of his head, looking baffled. "There is a new chain supermarket that opened, and it's pretty big. Brother Shan, are you saying they're the ones causing trouble? But their store is two bus stops away. We aren't stepping on each other's toes."

'This guy...'

Feng Mountain sighed to himself.

Looking at Hu Zi's anxious expression, his heart ached for him.

'In this world, kindness and hard work are often no match for a calculating heart.'

'Back in the day, Hu Zi dropped out of junior high to knock around with me. After I got into trouble, he ended up stuck as a security guard in a residential complex for a meager salary. Xiaohua had also been a cashier at a supermarket.'

'Neither of them knows the first thing about running a business, let alone the dirty, underhanded tactics of the industry.'

'Now, with my help, they've opened this supermarket. It's in a prime spot with heavy foot traffic from the docks, so of course someone got jealous of their success and is trying to squeeze them out.'

'Even if I give Hu Zi and Xiaohua more money to get through this crisis, it won't stop whoever is watching from the shadows. They'll just find another way to trip them up later.'

'My little brother and sister are being bullied. How can I, as their big brother, just stand by and watch?'

At this thought, Feng Mountain shot to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Let's go. We're going to check out that supermarket."

He was already striding toward the door before the words were fully out of his mouth. The sudden movement startled Coca-Cola in his arms, making its fur stand on end.

「After leaving Ando Supermarket, they walked for about the distance of two bus stops.」

In the distance, they saw the supermarket Hu Zi had mentioned.

A sign with large, gilded characters read: Meijia Chain Life Square.

Unlike the modest storefront of Ando Supermarket, this place had floor-to-ceiling windows plastered with promotional posters. Spotlights made the displayed products glitter, and the automatic glass doors played a cheerful welcome jingle as they slid open and closed.

As they entered, a blast of cold air carrying the faint scent of disinfectant washed over them.

The space was huge. The aisles were wide enough for two people to walk abreast, and the sections for imported snacks, fresh produce, and frozen goods were neatly organized. The decor was at least three times more upscale than Ando Supermarket's.

However, the aisles were mostly empty. A handful of customers were slowly picking through discounted vegetables, the cashier was listlessly scrolling through their phone, and some of the aisle clerks were even gathered together, chatting idly.

Compared to the bustling atmosphere at Ando Supermarket, business here was so bleak that a passing dog would have sighed in pity.

As Feng Mountain and Hu Zi were looking around the supermarket, a surprised voice suddenly called out from behind them.

"Manager Zheng?"

Hu Zi turned at the sound, his brow instantly knitting together.

He instinctively shifted half a step closer to Feng Mountain and, after a moment's hesitation, said nothing.

Feng Mountain looked in the direction of the voice.

A refined-looking, middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was walking briskly toward them.

His white shirt was crisply starched, his black trousers were ironed with a sharp crease, and his leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine. His every gesture carried an air of carefully cultivated importance.

When the man saw Hu Zi, a look of confusion on his face quickly morphed into surprise, his eyes glinting with a calculating light.

He took two quick steps forward, a wide grin stretching his lips to reveal a set of porcelain veneers. "Manager Zheng! Have you finally come to your senses? Are you ready to sell your store to the Meijia Supermarket Chain?"

He paused for a few seconds, then held up three fingers and wiggled them. "You have to understand, Mei Jia Chain has foreign backing. The big boss is from Singapore! Mei Jia Chain has already acquired more than thirty supermarkets in Hai City. Just sell your store to us. The price is negotiable."

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