Chapter 61: Unexpected Fortune

Those who have never systematically studied business include not only Mr. Han, but also Su Mu. In fact, Su Mu had no experience whatsoever in doing business—he was even less knowledgeable than Mr. Han.

The old ancestors often said, "Within books lie beauties as fair as jade, within books lies a house of gold." Whether books contain beautiful women, Su Mu did not know; aside from the images of beauties in various magazines, he had never encountered any other women. Yet the knowledge recorded in books could truly be transformed into money. For example, the commercial wisdom Su Mu had just shared with Mr. Han came straight from his reading.

If one were to accumulate funds gradually, earn enough, and then invest in a new venture, not only would it be time-consuming and laborious, but it would also squander the liquid cash resources of a supermarket.

Triangular debt existed in America as well. The difference here was that once someone defaulted on payment, they would immediately face a lawsuit, with the state enforcing the judgment, establishing a robust credit system. Furthermore, companies that defaulted on their debts would be punished. If an individual bore the stain of bad credit, winning others' trust again would be nearly impossible.

Therefore, for a business like a supermarket, as long as suppliers are offered sufficient profit and guarantees, one can fully exploit the time gap—agreeing to settle accounts at a later date while keeping the funds in hand to invest elsewhere, letting money generate more money.

Merchants who mastered this trick could easily become wealthy, but the vast majority ultimately ended up with broken capital chains and bankruptcy—the pressure during expansion was immense.

"Yes, we'll see how it goes. If business is booming after opening, we can give it a try. If not, then it's not worth the risk." Su Mu agreed, "If we use the money to open more stores and can't settle with suppliers when payments are due, damaging our credit would be the least of our problems—we might even end up in jail."

Mr. Han awoke from his dreams, shaking his head with a smile. "Let's consider it later. We haven't even started yet, so let's focus on getting this store open. Once it's running well, expanding will be much simpler."

Su Mu entered the factory, looking up to see Chinese craftsmen laying tiles, working overtime to renovate at a brisk pace.

Someone was chiseling the walls. The wiring laid half a century ago was long obsolete, so new lines were being installed. To save time and effort, they didn't plan to bury all the wires in the walls; the job would be done in a few days.

He continued, "Mr. Han, how's it been lately? Any problems?"

"It's going pretty smoothly. The only issue is our orders are too small to negotiate lower prices. The cost is only slightly lower than what I pay for my convenience store, so it all depends on volume."

As Mr. Han finished speaking, an elderly Chinese man in a hard hat approached him, wanting to ask about the placement of the side door. Mr. Han turned to Su Mu, saying, "Take a look around first. I'll come find you later. Help me figure out how to arrange the merchandise shelves—you said placement is important and can boost sales. You know more about this than I do."

Su Mu did know a bit more. Back when he worked at Mr. Han's convenience store, he placed candy and gum next to the register, and they sold out quickly. "Go ahead," he replied. "I'll see how to set things up..."

...

Renovations inevitably brought dust—a thick layer covered the floor, and footsteps left clear prints. No cleaners had been assigned yet, as later they would pour cement and lay a new floor.

The poor have their own ways of investing. In Su Mu and Mr. Han's vision, this FunBuy Supermarket would be a discount store, with most prices lower than other shops. The cement floor wouldn't require frequent cleaning, meaning they could employ two fewer janitors, reducing labor costs.

Mr. Han had known poverty in his youth, though now he no longer wanted for money. These small details were all Su Mu's ideas. The Su family was at its poorest when they spent their savings treating Su Mu's grandmother—at that time, they had only a little more than three hundred dollars.

He had witnessed his mother's thrift in buying groceries and fruit, always picking the misshapen and bruised, so Su Mu understood deeply how much the poor valued saving money. Even a ten-cent discount on a pound of tomatoes could attract many customers.

For a supermarket in a poor neighborhood, price was the key factor in determining customer numbers. To draw people in, Su Mu believed the best method was a price war!

He had discussed this at length with Mr. Han; his various money-saving strategies had won Mr. Han's admiration—a capital letter for "respect."

Second-hand shelves, second-hand tiles, even sealing up many windows to save on costs, since bricks and cement were far cheaper than windows. With these measures, the investment would be far less than anticipated, making cost recovery much easier.

With his not-so-sharp business instincts, Su Mu saw no major flaws in the supermarket's initial positioning. Whether it would ultimately succeed, he could not say. He had originally wanted to become a lawyer, but now he was more interested in learning about business.

One must first fill one's own belly before considering anything else. Being a merchant was the most profitable path—everyone understood that.

Even the highest-paid lawyers faced career bottlenecks, but merchants had no such limits. The world was as vast as the market, and even in the remote polar regions, there was business to be found—like the "polar tourism projects" recently popular in the United States.

The workers only knew Mr. Han. Thanks to Su Mu's deliberate secrecy, few realized he was also an investor. Someone on the roof shouted, "Kid, move aside! I'm about to throw bricks! Why are you inside without a hard hat?"

The worker poked his head out. Seeing Su Mu step back, he withdrew and tossed several broken tiles down, which thudded dully against the floor.

Recalling Mr. Han's words, Su Mu thought he should ask for a construction plan before considering shelf layout. The dust made him cough a couple times, and as he turned to leave, the wooden planks beneath his feet creaked.

Perhaps due to years of neglect, he hadn't gone far when a rotting plank suddenly snapped!

Su Mu's right leg plunged in up to his ankle. Luckily, he was wearing jeans today. The pain made him think he was hurt, but crouching down and moving his foot gently, he realized he was fine.

He removed the wedged splinters and pulled his foot free, preparing to leave, when his gaze was unexpectedly drawn to a square box beneath the boards. Curious, Su Mu reached out and picked it up, hearing the sound of metal clinking.

At first he thought it was an old toolbox. The small box was utterly unremarkable, but upon opening it, he found six silver coins inside—some new, some old, all very well preserved.

It made him happy, but nothing more. America's founding history was not long, so there were plenty of colonial-era gold and silver coins in circulation. Ordinary silver coins had some value, but not much; people liked to buy them for collections, and the Su family owned several.

Hearing voices, Su Mu slipped the coins into his pocket and tossed the little wooden box aside...