Chapter Fifty-Three: The Eve of Opening

Of course, Chen Huajiang was aware of this matter. Wu De would never give them the refrigerator; he had his own, so there was no need for another in the shop.

"Alright, let's sign the contract tomorrow. Do we still need to work today? Oh, and are you going to settle my previous wages?" Lao Duan suddenly remembered. He hadn’t worked there many days, but he should still be paid.

"Don’t worry, you’ll get your wages. We’ll talk more when I come by tomorrow. I’ll have someone move the refrigerator out later, that’s all that needs to be done," Wu De replied. Feng Weizhi had nearly finished making preparations, and the staff had all been notified. In just a few more days, the restaurant could open. Feng Weizhi was very much at ease running a restaurant.

With that, Wu De left the little shop, and Gou Weidong hadn’t bothered to show up these past few days. Gou Weidong was following Wu De to work on the big restaurant; he had no interest in small shops like this.

Naturally, Lao Duan informed Chen Huajiang about the change. Chen Huajiang told him to come by early the next morning to collect his money. His current space was indeed a bit too small. If he could take over this shop, business would surely improve.

Back home that evening, Chen Huajiang took out his ledger and began calculating again. He’d been at it all day but still hadn’t made sense of it. The entries were a complete mess—though he was the one who’d written them.

"Who could possibly understand this ledger? I bet even you can’t figure it out," Lin Jiayin said, flipping through the book.

"I can figure it out myself," Chen Huajiang replied, and went back to his calculations. This time, he finally got it clear. For a month, the profit was about three thousand. He’d been working for nearly two months now and had about five thousand yuan on hand. But both branch shops needed investment, which would cost at least three thousand. By then, he’d be out of money again.

Meanwhile, Guo Lin lay in bed, unable to sleep. For the past two days, he’d been thinking about what Chen Huajiang had said. He felt indecisive—if he took a gamble with Chen Huajiang, maybe he’d win. But if he lost, he’d have nothing left. It would be nearly impossible to return to the department store.

On the other hand, he felt he was still young and should take a few risks. Perhaps it would lead to a different life. Working at the department store was good, but it was just so dull. Every morning, he’d arrive at the company and start on the accounts. He couldn’t see a future for himself. In a few years, he’d get married and have children, and wouldn’t even have the chance to strive for something more.

In the end, Guo Lin made a difficult decision: he would take a chance with Chen Huajiang. Even if he lost, it didn’t matter—he was still young.

The next day, he resigned. Many of his colleagues didn’t understand; it was such a good job, and he just walked away. If his parents found out, they’d be furious.

Afterward, he went to Chen Huajiang’s snack shop and pulled him aside. "I’ve quit my job, just like you suggested. I’m ready to work with you. But if we succeed, I have one condition: you must let me have a share in the business."

This condition was simple enough for Chen Huajiang. "No problem at all. As long as you join, I’ll agree to any conditions. Since you’re here, let’s go take a look at the shop at the textile factory gate. For now, you’ll be running things there."

After giving a few instructions to Daguang, Chen Huajiang took Guo Lin to the shop by the textile factory entrance. The tables and chairs were all set up; they only needed workers and Guo Lin himself.

"I didn’t expect your shop to look this good. So you’re saying I’ll be in charge here?" Guo Lin asked.

"Yes, but we don’t have an accountant yet. I’m going to register a catering company in the next few days, and we’ll need a finance person. I’ll try to find someone soon," Chen Huajiang replied. Given their current scale, registering a company wouldn’t be a problem.

"When do you plan to open?" Guo Lin asked.

"The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll prepare, and then we’ll open directly," Chen Huajiang said. He’d been eager to open for a while; if he’d had the right people, the shop would’ve started long ago.

"Alright, I’ll get ready," Guo Lin agreed.

Chen Huajiang transferred a few apprentices to the textile factory shop and put up a sign calling it the Second Shop. The one at the machinery factory was the main store, and Dalì’s place was the Third Shop. Though none of the shops were large, at least it all looked proper.

Lao Duan, as agreed, signed the contract with Wu De, and then signed another contract with Chen Huajiang.

Naturally, Wu De and Gou Weidong knew nothing of this. Chen Huajiang made some simple adjustments: the old shop would continue selling braised pork, while Wu De’s former shop would focus on grilled lamb skewers and lamb soup. In fact, it was all under Chen Huajiang’s control now. With larger premises and plenty of customers at night, business was booming.

One evening, Wu De stopped by out of curiosity and was shocked to find Lao Duan learning to make lamb soup under Chen Huajiang. The shop that once belonged to him was now completely in Chen Huajiang’s hands.

"Lao Duan, what’s this supposed to mean? You rent my place, and now you’re making lamb soup for him?" Wu De complained, clearly upset.

"That’s none of Lao Duan’s business. You’ve already transferred the lease to him, and then I rented it from him. Now Lao Duan works for me," Chen Huajiang replied bluntly.

Wu De was dumbfounded—even he could see that Chen Huajiang and Lao Duan had joined forces to take advantage of him.

"I had no choice. Boss Chen offered a better price, and my relatives didn’t want to continue. I made a bit of money in the middle, that’s all," Lao Duan said with a shrug.

Wu De’s face turned green with anger. He’d sworn never to let Chen Huajiang rent that place, no matter what.

"Save your words. Aren’t you opening a big restaurant with Feng Weizhi? Why do you care about this little place? Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you—we’re opening the shop at the textile factory entrance tomorrow. If you’re free, come take a look," Chen Huajiang said smugly, deliberately provoking Wu De.

At this point, Wu De was no match for him. Even opening a big restaurant with Feng Weizhi wouldn’t change that. Chen Huajiang had even bigger plans—he just hadn’t set them in motion yet.

"When did you open a shop at the textile factory? I never heard about it," Wu De asked, puzzled. In his mind, there weren’t any empty buildings near the textile factory.

"I just got it recently. You’ve been busy with your big restaurant—how could you know about my little affairs?" Chen Huajiang replied, and with that, Wu De stormed off angrily.

After finding Gou Weidong, Wu De asked in confusion, "Did you know Chen Huajiang opened a shop at the textile factory entrance?"