Chapter 110: Planting the Seed

“You’re the boss; the final decision is yours.”

Hiring himself, Su Mu believed it was only natural for Helberg to test his abilities. Helberg didn’t find it problematic and quickly gathered his thoughts before responding:

“Firstly, the cashier counter before you is quite unreasonable. I suspect you underestimated the customer flow. During peak sales periods, there should be at least eight cashiers; long waits sap customers’ patience.”

Smiling, Su Mu replied, “Everyone knows that. We really didn’t anticipate such a crowd. My partner is already handing out bread to calm them down. Show me something real.”

“Also, I think the supply system could be optimized. The most famous supermarket, Walmart, thrives on a scientific and cost-effective supply chain that beats traditional retailers. Wherever Walmart sets up, small retail shops might survive, but medium-sized ones usually lose most customers. Your store is large, and the surrounding population dense—that’s a good start.”

Helberg had only learned theory in school. Now, furrowing his brow, he pondered how to phrase his thoughts.

“I don’t know your purchasing prices, but they surely can’t be as low as Walmart’s. With dozens of branches, Walmart can source directly from suppliers at lower costs. If your business grows well, I think that’s the direction QuGou should take—building logistics warehouses to replenish stock promptly.”

“However, judging by your current scale, you should focus first on managing this store well instead of expanding. Just now, I heard your partner telling others about scouting for new locations. It’s better to perfect the business model before replication…”

There wasn’t much in the way of constructive suggestions, but Helberg’s ideas aligned with Su Mu’s own, indirectly confirming he was on the right track.

His gaze shifted to Boss Han, who was attending to customers.

Only then did Su Mu realize that the threat from his family was minor, at worst a matter of some “brainwashing.” After all, they were family, and there would always be ways to make them listen. But Boss Han was the one who could genuinely steer this company off course!

The management rights of QuGou Supermarket were in Han Yu’s hands. Hearing Helberg mention plans for a new branch, Su Mu realized Han Yu had no intention of discussing this with him beforehand.

It was clear that Han Yu, like his parents, disregarded his presence—mostly because of his youth. No matter how smart, he was still just a child. If Master Qiao Wu had been a partner, none of this would have happened.

A small knot formed in his heart, but Su Mu didn’t treat it as a life-or-death matter. Even if Han Yu planned to sideline him, at least the 49% stake couldn’t be faked.

Never one to accept losses since childhood, Su Mu’s thoughts wandered elsewhere and soon conceived a plan that his ancestors might call “driving the tiger to swallow the wolf.” If Han Yu dared to make a move, Su Mu wouldn’t hesitate to inflict a thousand wounds on the enemy even if it cost him eight hundred in return.

Whether this would ultimately hand over the supermarket’s controlling shares to someone else was a problem for later. Young people cared most about their own comfort; their thinking often differed from adults’.

Helberg couldn’t have guessed that from his casual words, Su Mu had already devised a cunning fallback. Perhaps it was from reading too many books that his young mind was so mature.

“So, Su, did I pass your test?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if I passed. I already asked once, but you were daydreaming.”

“Ha! You can try. The internship is still three months. I think like you: since Walmart succeeded, why not replicate its model?”

Coming back to himself, Su Mu continued, “You don’t have to copy everything, just learn useful things. It seems they have too many employees—you could probably reduce that. I haven’t actually been to a Walmart yet; their business hasn’t expanded to California. I’d like to visit when I have time.”

Helberg shrugged, casually tossing the coconut in his hand into the basket. The long line was discouraging, and he didn’t plan to keep shopping. “You should be glad they haven’t come here yet.”

He was right. Su Mu understood that competing with Walmart now would be a death sentence for QuGou. Even just a price war would crush them. That’s how many small and medium convenience stores closed down.

******************************

After Su Dingcai finished buying groceries, he headed home. He wanted to stay longer at the supermarket, but his small restaurant had to open for lunch.

Su Mu didn’t return home. The supermarket had been busy all morning. Some customers were leaving after checkout, while others had heard the news and rushed over to shop. Many items on the shelves were sold out, and the warehouse was empty. Boss Han was on the phone, urging suppliers to deliver quickly.

Most goods would arrive soon, but some were already out of stock. Without their own logistics warehouse, managing the supply chain was troublesome.

Boss Han looked radiant today, basking in all the glory of the supermarket’s successful opening. Su Mu didn’t care about empty honors. His parents lived by the saying, “Don’t flaunt your wealth.” They pretended nothing had changed—his mother kept working, and his father kept cooking.

If neighbors knew they were wealthy, many would come asking for loans. Lending money was hard to recover; refusing would earn them a bad reputation. No matter what, it was a loss. Su Dingcai understood this well and reminded his son not to tell others.

Su Mu had been sitting in Boss Han’s office for over twenty minutes. The conversation mainly focused on today’s business. The topic Su Mu most wanted to hear—plans for the second supermarket—never came up.

The last time he cautiously asked about investment, it raised his suspicions.

Now the situation seemed worse. He regretted handing over management rights to Han Yu.

But it was too late to change anything. During summer vacation, he hadn’t thought much. Experience in society was limited, and now that they’d tasted success, it was hard to ensure Han Yu wouldn’t go solo.

Determined to plant a “nail” inside the company so he wouldn’t be kept in the dark about decisions, Su Mu relaxed on the sofa and casually said, “Boss Han, I have a friend recently looking for work. He just graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s very capable. How about letting him try here?”

Starting a business was always wary of randomly inserting relatives or friends. One person introduces one, another person introduces another, and it ends up a chaotic mess. But Su Mu rarely made demands. After a brief thought, Han Yu smiled and said, “Alright, I agree, but this is a one-time exception. We do need more hands lately. I’ll see how capable he is. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Su Mu felt Han Yu had changed somewhat. Perhaps it was just his own preconceptions causing illusions, but it was better to be cautious…