Chapter 127: Grand Opening, Liu Qicheng’s Fear

After the truck driver left, Lin Heng turned around and went back inside, ignoring the onlookers outside. It wasn’t time to publicize anything yet.

Inside the house, everyone rearranged the goods once more.

“It’s getting late. Let’s head back. We can finish the rest tomorrow,” Lin Heng said to the others.

“Alright.” Father Lin nodded, still glancing back at the goods, not entirely at ease.

As they walked out, Lin Heng saw Xiongba playing around with a little white dog. He called out, and Xiongba came trotting back, tongue lolling.

“Time to go home,” Lin Heng said, rubbing his dog’s head.

Everyone hitched the ox to the cart that had been left nearby, and the whole family climbed onto the cart for the ride home.

“Woof woof~~”

Xiongba chased after the ox cart, clearly wanting to get on too.

“Running a bit is good for you. Helps you stay fit,” Lin Heng said with a laugh.

“Woof woof~~”

Xiongba suddenly sprinted and leapt precisely next to Lin Heng, sitting down proudly at the same height as him, panting happily.

“Silly dog.” Lin Heng rubbed his head affectionately.

By the time they got home, it was completely dark. Xiongba followed Lin Heng’s steps cheerfully.

“Daddy, tell me a story!”

As soon as they walked in, Xiaoxia tugged at her father’s hand.

Lin Heng had been so busy running around these past few days that he hadn’t had time to read to her. Mom’s storytelling was too choppy—Xiaoxia still preferred it when Dad read.

“I’ll read you a story after dinner,” Lin Heng said softly, despite how exhausted he was from all the travel.

“I’ll go make dinner.”

Xiulan lit the kerosene lamp with a lighter from the cabinet, then headed into the kitchen.

“Just make something simple—pickled cabbage with soup is fine. I’m a bit tired tonight,” Lin Heng called out.

He pulled Xiaoxia into his lap and sat down heavily in the chair. These past few days had worn him out. The bumpy dirt roads were like riding a trampoline—utterly exhausting.

Outside, Xiongba and Jinbao lay on the ground staring each other down. It looked like a standoff, but really, Xiongba just didn’t want to deal with Jinbao.

After finishing a big bowl of mixed soup, Lin Heng let Xiulan clean up while he went to read a story and coax Xiaoxia to sleep.

Kids aren’t always cute—sometimes, no matter how much you want them to fall asleep quickly, they’re bursting with energy and just won’t.

Lin Heng was helpless. He couldn’t scold her—it wasn’t her fault. So he patiently read to her for over half an hour before she finally drifted off.

Once his daughter was asleep, Lin Heng went out to rinse off with a quick shower. When he came back, he collapsed into bed and was out like a light within seconds.

Xiulan gently touched Lin Heng’s face and adjusted the arm he’d been sleeping on before settling in herself.

The next morning, Lin Heng didn’t wake up until after eight.

“I actually slept for ten hours?” he exclaimed, startled as he checked his watch.

Even sitting up, he still felt a bit sleepy.

He got dressed and went outside. Xiulan was picking vegetables, while their daughter played on a mat with the cloth doll and roly-poly toy he had bought her.

“Wife, why didn’t you wake me up?” Lin Heng asked.

Xiulan looked at him and said, “Dad and Big Brother said to let you rest properly. They already walked down to the store. Just take the ox cart when you’re ready.”

“Alright then.” Lin Heng couldn’t say anything to that—his wife was just looking out for him.

“You wait right there, I’ll get your food.”

Xiulan wiped her hands and brought out a bowl of rice and two dishes: pickled long beans stir-fried with cured pork and garlicky loofah.

One was spicy and appetizing, the other fresh and sweet—perfect with rice.

Even though he was still tired, seeing this home-cooked meal made Lin Heng feel like it was all worth it.

Just as he sat down to eat, Xiaoxia ran over wanting to eat too, so he fed her loofah while taking bites himself.

After eating, Lin Heng looked at Xiulan and said, “Honey, I’m not coming back tonight. I’ll rest in town and come back tomorrow afternoon. Once the store opens tomorrow, I won’t need to worry about it much anymore. Then I can take a few days off and we’ll go on a picnic.”

“Okay. Be safe on the road,” Xiulan nodded.

Lin Heng comforted Xiaoxia a bit, promising to bring her shrimp chips the next day, before he finally got away.

He leisurely rode the ox cart toward town, the copper bells clinking along the way.

In these past two days, all the rice in town had been harvested. Every household was threshing grain, and laughter from the rice fields carried far on the breeze.

Lin Heng unhitched the cart, tied the big yellow ox under the tree beside Uncle Gao’s house, and then went to the fields to buy straw for feed.

“Take as much as you want—no need to pay. There’s more straw than we can use,” the field owner waved him off.

“Thank you,” Lin Heng said gratefully, grabbing two bundles to feed the ox.

Back at the store, Father Lin and Big Brother had already assembled the shelves and were organizing the goods.

“Little bro, you’re here—come check if this arrangement works,” Lin Yue called out.

“Sure.” Lin Heng nodded. He already had a plan in mind for the shelf layout.

Uncle Lin’s main room was spacious—about eighty to ninety square meters. Half of it had three walls, and the other half led into the backyard corridor.

Naturally, the best place for shelves was the three-walled section. That was also where they had previously put them.

Once the shelves were in place, a rectangular writing desk was set at the front, leaving an entrance of over two meters wide.

After everything was arranged, Lin Heng said to the others, “Start stocking the shelves—just put a bit of everything. I’ll make the labels.”

“Got it!” Wang Zhou responded and the three of them headed to the warehouse to bring out the goods.

Lin Heng began writing price tags according to the product list. His stock was quite diverse, a bit of everything. After selling for a month or two, he’d be able to see which items were the most popular.

Prices were the same as other stores in town, with an average profit margin of about 30%.

There was no need to undercut the competition—it would just offend other shop owners.

His strategy was bundled sales: buy herbs or mountain goods and you’d get a discount. Otherwise, you pay regular price.

The key to sales wasn’t about being cheap—it was about making people feel like they got a deal. Lin Heng understood this well.

Once the labels were ready, he stuck them on in batches. The little shop was pretty much set up now.

The shelves were full of various goods. The writing desk held candy and small toys meant to attract kids.

Even the handmade soap Xiulan made was brought over and priced at fifty cents a bar.

He had the calculator, scale, and everything else prepared.

“Should we put the signboard up?” Father Lin asked.

He had seen Lin Heng make a very big, very eye-catching sign.

“Tomorrow morning. Dad, you guys take a break and have some tea. I’m going to talk to Wang Zhou about sales,” Lin Heng said.

He took Wang Zhou aside and taught him how to sell and keep accounts.

Lin Heng’s main focus this time was building a good reputation, so he had to be thorough with the details—like return and exchange policies, offering discounts to the elderly, serving customers with a smile, and so on.

Especially those small discounts for the elderly—even tiny savings would have them spreading the word for you.

A lot of things may look like a loss on the surface, but in truth, they’re hugely profitable.

And then there was the matter of pricing for mountain goods.

That too had its tricks. Some herbs didn’t have high profit margins but sold in bulk, so you couldn’t raise the price too much—or better yet, not at all.

Rare items like lingzhi, dendrobium, and ginseng can be used to raise the purchase price a bit—even if you make a little less profit.

These items not only serve as great gimmicks, but also don’t require selling at a loss.

Lin Heng wrote a booklet for Wang Zhou, teaching him how to deal with competition and listing the maximum purchase prices for various goods.

“Alright, that’s about all I have to say. Take your time to learn, and don’t worry if you don’t get it all at once. I’ll be here to guide you for the next few days at the market.” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Lin-ge, you know so much.” Wang Zhou said in shock.

He finally understood why Lin Heng was already a boss while he was still just a worker.

“Who would’ve thought there’s so much to selling things.” Father Lin, who had been sipping tea and listening, felt both confused and impressed.

Lin Yue sighed and said, “Exactly. That saying ‘true bargains are those that feel like bargains’—that really hits the nail on the head.”

To Father Lin and his older brother, what Lin Heng shared was eye-opening. These days, even in the cities, selling goods wasn’t yet filled with all the schemes you’d see in later years.

After all, products sold easily nowadays.

“I just read a lot and learned from others.” Lin Heng said with a laugh.

Father Lin sighed. “Seems like no line of work is really simple.”

After chatting for a bit, Father Lin and Lin Yue decided to head back since there was nothing more to help with.

Lin Heng tried to persuade them, “No need to rush, you’re coming down again tomorrow anyway.”

“No, we can’t. It’s not safe to leave the ox tied up by the road at night.” Father Lin shook his head.

After a pause, he smiled and said, “Besides, we’re planning to bring some medicinal herbs from home to sell at your place, make a bit of money off you first.”

“Dad and I both think so. We’ll even help spread the word for you.” Lin Yue grinned.

Hearing that, Lin Heng could only nod. “Alright then.”

“You take care of things here. We’ll head back. Your sister should be out of school by now, we’ll go pick her up.” said Father Lin.

“Got it.”

After seeing them off, Lin Heng took Wang Zhou to the riverside to find Grandpa Gao, who was fishing.

“Grandpa Gao, caught anything?” Lin Heng asked with a smile as he walked over.

“This rod of yours works great. I caught a one-jin carp right after I got here. But then the little fish started messing around, and I ended up with a whole plate of peach blossom fish.”

Grandpa Gao said, a little exasperated.

“Peach blossom fish” referred to Opsariichthys bidens—the name varied by region.

“Haha, I’ll bring you some bait made just for carp next time. I guarantee the little ones won’t bother you.” Lin Heng chuckled.

“Alright, I’ll be waiting.” said Grandpa Gao, handing over the rod. “Here, you fish for a bit, Xiao Lin. I’ll take a break.”

“I’ll give it a try.” Lin Heng nodded and took the rod.

Wang Zhou watched from the side, curious about fishing.

Not long after he started, Lin Heng got impatient. The bait hadn’t even hit the water before the peach blossom fish started swarming. The hook was too big, and it took several casts just to get a decent one.

“I’m gonna try another spot.” Lin Heng said, a little helpless.

“They’re all the same.” Grandpa Gao said with a laugh.

Not one to give up easily, Lin Heng changed spots three times in a row, but it was all the same—too many small fish.

Just as he was about to try a fourth spot, he suddenly froze. By the edge of the weeds, a black shadow appeared.

A half-meter-long black fish was lying motionless beneath a clump of water grass, looking practically dead.

Lin Heng dropped the rod and picked up a stick. Just as he was about to make a move, the fish splashed and vanished in a flash.

“Grandpa Gao, there’s actually blackfish in here!”

Lin Heng was stunned. That blackfish had to weigh at least eight or nine jin.

That’s a real delicacy—much tastier than carp or grass carp.

Just imagining it as a pickled fish dish made his mouth water.

“There’s a good number of blackfish in this river, but they’re hard to catch and don’t bite the hook.” Grandpa Gao shook his head.

“I’ll give it a shot sometime—catch one and we’ll make a pickled fish feast.” Lin Heng said with a smile.

If he’d had a bow just now, that big blackfish wouldn’t have gotten away. Such a shame he didn’t have the right tool on hand.

Lin Heng kept fishing for a while, but the mosquitoes started coming out. Grandpa Gao said, “Let’s head back if we’re not catching anything. Tonight we’ll eat that carp with a bit of wine.”

“Sounds good. I’ll cook it.” Lin Heng nodded.

Back at the shop, Lin Heng started preparing the fish—cleaning and marinating it without hurrying.

The town had electric lights, so people usually ate dinner a bit later.

Seeing a bunch of turtle doves picking at rice grains in the paddy, Grandpa Gao set up two traps.

Lin Heng didn’t bother going. He rested at the shop, flipping through a book and chatting idly with Wang Zhou.

When it got late enough, he went to cook—deep-fried peach blossom fish, braised carp.

At dinner, Grandpa Gao took a bite of carp and couldn’t help but praise him: “Lin Heng, you really know how to cook fish. This braised carp is delicious. Come, have a drink.”

“Haha, thanks for the compliment, Grandpa.” Lin Heng grinned and clinked glasses.

As a fishing enthusiast, cooking fish was one of his specialties.

But he still preferred the deep-fried peach blossom fish—crispy, fragrant, perfect with alcohol.

After a light drink, Grandpa Gao grew even more fond of Lin Heng, treating him almost like an old friend despite the age gap.

That night, Lin Heng shared a room with Wang Zhou and made a floor bed.

The other rooms hadn’t been tidied up yet, and Lin Heng couldn’t be bothered.

The next morning, the sky was clear. By 6:30, the street was bustling with vendors—mostly locals from Huangtan Town, with a few traders from outside.

“Son, wishing you a successful opening.” Father Lin came in and handed him a red envelope.

“Congrats on your grand opening, little Brother!” Lin Yue grinned and gave him another one.

“Thanks, Dad and Brother.” Lin Heng smiled as he accepted them. So that’s what they were preparing yesterday.

“We’re here to help hang the sign.” Father Lin said with a smile.

The signboard was already nailed together, with the banner printed. They just needed to mount it on the wall.

The sign was two meters long and fifty centimeters wide, with black characters on a red background reading: “Lin Family Acquisition Station & Store.” Simple and clear.

While the three of them helped hang the sign, Lin Heng wrote out the purchase prices on a bulletin board: musk at 15,000 yuan per jin, 50-year ginseng at 600, lingzhi at 65 per jin, dendrobium at 60 per jin…

He listed all the prices for rare medicinal herbs, sure to grab attention.

By 8 o’clock, when the crowd thickened, Lin Heng lit firecrackers and sky rockets. The loud booms immediately drew a crowd.

“Buying herbs! Musk 15,000 a jin! Ten-year ginseng 600 yuan…”

As the firecrackers ended, Lin Heng started shouting his offers.

“A new Acquisition Station? And the prices are so high!”

“Lingzhi at 65? My god, Liu Qicheng only offers 50, no room for negotiation!”

“Hmph, even if the price is the same, I’d still sell here. Liu Qicheng always acts like someone owes him money.”

“Exactly! He’s been the only shop in town for so long—let’s see if he still dares to put on that sour face.”

Farmers usually sell before buying anything at the market, and all the commotion Lin Heng stirred up drew a huge crowd, buzzing with chatter.

“Is lingzhi really 65 a jin?”

Soon, an older man came over to ask.

“Of course. Fair pricing for everyone. And if you sell your mountain goods here, you’ll get a discount when buying from our general store.” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“I’ve got half a jin of lingzhi here, take a look,” the uncle said, nodding as he handed over the bag.

Lin Heng opened it and inspected the contents—nothing wrong with the lingzhi. He weighed it—no issue there either.

“Half a jin of lingzhi comes out to 32.5 yuan. Uncle, are you buying anything? If you sell goods here, everything you buy in my store gets a five-cent discount,” Lin Heng said with a smile while making change.

“Five cents? On everything?” The uncle was stunned. The deal was tempting.

“That’s right. It’s an opening-day promotion—five cents off each item, not just five cents off the total,” Lin Heng replied cheerfully.

“Then I’ll take two jin of salt,” the uncle said, glancing at the shelves.

“Sure! One jin of salt is 20 cents, but today it’s five cents off—so that’s 30 cents for two jin,” Lin Heng said with a grin.

The uncle counted the money in his hand, handed over the 30 cents, and left with two jin of salt.

Once someone successfully tested the waters, people selling mountain goods quickly crowded the shop entrance.

After selling their goods and hearing they could get discounts on purchases, many at least bought a jin of salt. Some even spent all their money, figuring they’d miss out if they didn’t take advantage of the deal now.

For a while, the crowd was so thick it was hard to move. Though overwhelmed, everyone was in high spirits.

Meanwhile, Liu Qicheng didn’t get up until 7:30 a.m. Holding a bowl of rice, he opened his shop door and leisurely waited for sellers to arrive.

Soon, he heard firecrackers in the distance but didn’t think much of it. He just chuckled, “What a scene for just a little convenience store.”

After waiting a while and still seeing no one show up, he started to sense something was wrong.

What he didn’t know was that Lin Heng had intercepted everyone who intended to sell goods, pulling them into his shop and leaving not a single person for Liu Qicheng.

“Liu Qicheng, why are you still eating here? Old Gao’s place got rented out and turned into a Acquisition Station—the prices are way better than yours,” someone called out after returning from the excitement.

“What!!” Liu Qicheng shot up, spilling his noodles.

He didn’t even bother cleaning up. “I thought he opened a little shop! Why is it a Acquisition Station?”

“How would I know? Go see for yourself.” The people nearby were thoroughly enjoying his panic.

Serves you right for acting so arrogant—now you know what it feels like to scramble.

Liu Qicheng truly panicked. He dropped his bowl and rushed over.

He arrived just in time to see Lin Heng stopping a customer who was walking toward his store and steering them back inside. He instantly blew up with rage and demanded, “Lin Heng, didn’t you say you were opening a convenience store? What the hell are you doing?”

Lin Heng glanced at him and smiled slightly, spreading his hands. “What I’m doing is none of your damn business.”

Liu Qicheng: “……”

He clenched his fists, itching to punch Lin Heng—this damn kid was too infuriating.

“You’re playing dirty like this, taking in goods without securing downstream buyers. I’d like to see how you plan to handle it,” Liu Qicheng snapped angrily.

“Still none of your damn business. I don’t eat your rice,” Lin Heng replied, then turned and helped an old lady into the shop.

As Liu Qicheng watched Lin Heng’s retreating back, he felt a chill. This guy had struck him hard—without a sound, and worst of all, he hadn’t even seen it coming.

His store was more than a hundred meters from the main street. Back when he was the only Acquisition Station in town, everyone had to come to him.

Now Lin Heng had opened a similar station right at the main entrance of the street. Even if the prices were the same, who wouldn’t prefer the closer one?

Same goods, less walking—why go farther?

Over the years, Liu Qicheng had become arrogant, and his reputation was garbage. Plenty of people were fed up with him.

It was like watching the end of his business—this kid he once looked down on had just taken him out quietly and cleanly.

Liu Qicheng suddenly remembered the day he cursed at Lin Heng, and how Lin Heng had smiled and said it was nothing. Back then, he thought the kid was just a coward.

But now, the memory made him shiver. This young man was deep—really deep.

He hadn’t forgotten. And today, he’d taught him a brutal lesson.

(End of chapter)