Chapter Fifty-Four: Taking Action

Gou Weidong was also taken aback; he had no idea about this matter either.

“I don’t know anything about it. What’s going on?”

“He told me his little shop by the textile factory is opening tomorrow. Why don’t we take a look first and see if what he said is true?” Wu De still couldn’t believe it.

“Is there any space at the entrance of the textile factory? How come I’ve never heard about it?” Gou Weidong felt the same way.

There hadn’t been any vacant spot before, but now there was.

“Let’s go check it out.” Without hesitation, the two made their way to the entrance of the textile factory.

Sure enough, a small shop had been established there. Inside, people were busy preparing everything needed for the next day.

Wu De led Gou Weidong inside. Guo Lin, unfamiliar with them, smiled and said, “Sorry, we’re not open until tomorrow, but there will be special offers then.”

He thought the two had come to eat.

“Who gave you permission to build here? Did you get approval?” Wu De had barely finished his sentence when Liang Long appeared behind him without anyone noticing.

“Nonsense! If we didn’t have permission, how could we open here? Want to see the contract?” Liang Long shot a look at Guo Lin, who promptly went off to continue his work.

“So you have connections here?” Wu De began to realize he had underestimated Liang Long.

“Let me tell you, Wu De, not only is our shop opening tomorrow, but in a few days our third shop will open too. In another ten days or so, our fourth and fifth shops will gradually open as well,” Liang Long said deliberately, trying to provoke Wu De.

Wu De was angry at first, but after a moment’s thought, no matter how many shops they opened, they were all small-scale operations. Could they possibly compare to their newly opened Wei Ji Xian, which was much larger?

“No matter what you do, it’s all just small-time business. You can’t compare with us. Our grand restaurant is opening in a few days. I hope you’ll come and see it for yourself.” Wu De spoke smugly, then left with Gou Weidong.

Of course, he reported everything truthfully to Feng Weizhi.

Feng Weizhi felt it wasn’t as simple as the two imagined. Having been in the restaurant business for so long, he knew how complicated things could get inside. Compared to small shops, running a big restaurant was much more troublesome.

However, if Chen Huajiang kept rushing to open these small shops, it would be a challenge for them. After all, Chen Huajiang’s shops wouldn’t be complete without braised pork, and their own restaurant’s specialty was also braised pork. There was bound to be a conflict. Plus, the rent for small shops was cheap, so their prices were lower.

“Don’t be careless. Keep a close eye on Chen Huajiang’s movements,” Feng Weizhi said sternly to the two.

Wu De and Gou Weidong didn’t dare refute him; they had to rely on Feng Weizhi now. They simply nodded and said nothing more.

The opening of Chen Huajiang’s second shop was a great success, especially since the textile factory area had few eateries. When people saw a shop selling mutton soup at the entrance, something they hadn’t tasted before, business naturally picked up. On the first day, Chen Huajiang gave away two buns for free. Even though the mutton soup was a bit pricey, many still came.

As for the grilled mutton skewers at night, there was no need to mention—many young people, after finishing their night shifts, came over to support the business.

Guo Lin was run off his feet that day. With Chen Huajiang entrusting him with the shop, he had full responsibility. He’d never managed such a thing before, so he was bound to be a bit flustered. Luckily, Chen Huajiang was there, quickly teaching him everything he needed to know.

They worked nonstop until midnight before finally resting.

“If business stays this good, we’ll make a profit,” Guo Lin said happily, looking at the accounts he’d kept in his notebook.

“Don’t worry, business will only get better, not worse. Listen, now that we’re hiring staff, let them handle the heavy and tiring work. You’re the manager—don’t try to do everything yourself,” Chen Huajiang insisted, wanting to establish a sense of hierarchy so employees would understand their roles. Otherwise, everyone would act as if nothing mattered.

“Got it, you can rest easy.” Of course, Wu De and Gou Weidong had checked out the business and their jealousy flared. After returning, both were in low spirits.

“Who do you think they negotiated with at the textile factory? How did they manage to build two little shops there so smoothly?” Wu De couldn’t fathom it.

The textile factory was known for its strict management. Why did they suddenly agree to Chen Huajiang’s request?

“I have a classmate in the factory, he works in security. I’ll ask him tomorrow. If possible, we’ll have them tear down that little shop.”

Gou Weidong remembered he had a classmate working as a guard inside. Though his position wasn’t high, no one dared mess with him since the factory director was his uncle.

“If that works, nothing could be better. Just seeing Chen Huajiang’s face makes me furious—I wish I could give him a good beating,” Wu De admitted honestly. The trouble was, he didn’t dare—he couldn’t win against Chen Huajiang.

As for Gou Weidong, there was no point talking. He’d fought with Chen Huajiang before and ended up getting thoroughly beaten.

These two didn’t spend their days thinking about how to do proper business, only about getting revenge on Chen Huajiang.

Meanwhile, Lin Guoshan’s shop was almost completely renovated, set to open in three days. Everything was ready, and early in the morning, Lin Guoshan arrived at his place, only to see the same group of thugs from before, carrying tools and starting to tear down his property.

“What are you doing? If you keep this up, I’ll call the police!” Lin Guoshan shouted loudly.

He’d just finished building, and if it got torn down and rebuilt, it would cost more and be even more trouble.

But the thugs had already smashed two holes in the wall.

Just then, Chen Huajiang came by to check on the shop and ran into the situation.

“Didn’t we warn you last time? Brother Lai said you’re not allowed to see Fangfang. Why did you go looking for her again?” the leader of the thugs yelled.

“Who I associate with is none of your business. Fangfang already said she doesn’t like Lai and won’t consider anything with him. Isn’t it excessive for you to bully her like this?” Lin Guoshan tried to reason with them.

“We can bully whoever we want! Brothers, smash it up!” the thug leader shouted arrogantly.

Chen Huajiang strode over with a grim face and kicked the leader hard.

It was a powerful kick—the man collapsed instantly.

The other thugs, seeing their boss beaten, couldn’t stand by. They rushed forward, but none were a match for Chen Huajiang. In no time, he knocked them all down one by one.