Reborn as Tycoon's Wife in the Countryside-Chapter 312 - 308 Mall as Battlefield (First Update)

Grandma Lin, upon hearing Lin Jing’s words, quickly grasped her meaning: "Yes, Yueyue. All things considered, this is all Su Xiaofeng’s fault. If she had just decisively helped your mom, she wouldn’t have resorted to such extreme measures. If it weren’t for her stubborn desire to save her foolish big brother, your dad wouldn’t have met with disaster, and you wouldn’t be facing a future without schooling or this nice house to live in. It’s all because of her."

"Yueyue," Lin Jing took a deep breath, "I’ve been in a bad mood these past few days and may have been a bit harsh with you. But I want you to understand that I had no other choice. With dad suddenly in trouble and auntie too, the family’s burdens fell squarely on my shoulders overnight. It’s tough on me as well, and I hope you won’t blame your sister for it."

If there’s someone to blame, it’s your useless mother. If it weren’t for her doing more harm than good, the family wouldn’t have ended up in such a dire situation.

Lin Yue, listening to Lin Jing and Grandma’s words, puffed up her cheeks in anger: "Sis, I won’t blame you. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s Su Xiaofeng. She even wanted to borrow fifty yuan to humiliate me, but she can think again."

"But Yueyue, we need to move out of here by tomorrow, we have to go out and find a place to live, and we’ll need to move," Lin Jing, struggling to contain her anger, calmly explained their predicament: "Even though we’re out of money now, we still need to rent a decent place for the four of us to live in."

"I’m just a kid, how am I supposed to know about these things. Grandma, as the elder, shouldn’t you be arranging all this?" Indeed, she was not yet eighteen and just a child, unaware of such matters.

Grandma Lin nearly exploded with anger. Here was someone almost eighteen still claiming to be a child. If she weren’t worried Luo Yuzhu would come and whisk away Lin Yue and Qian Yuan, she would drive Lin Yue out this instant.

Indeed, after the New Year, Lin Yue would almost be eighteen. Look at how lovely and fair-skinned she was, a true blossom of youth.

Once she turned eighteen, she could certainly marry into a good family for a decent price. With this thought, Grandma Lin quelled the urge to drive her away: "All this while, it’s been your mother handling our family’s affairs. I don’t have much money left either. Did your mother mention where she kept the family’s money?"

"Mom didn’t say," Lin Yue recalled her mother once gave Su Xiaofeng twenty thousand yuan: "Before my mom went to Su Xiaofeng for help, she had given her twenty thousand yuan."

"What?" Lin Jing and Grandma Lin exclaimed in unison.

...

"This operation is pretty much like a calculator, you just need to enter the product price, and when there is no product, press the enter key, then the computer will display a total amount, how much the customer gave, and how much change to give back," Lele and Gao Fangzhou, who came from Haicheng, demonstrated the cash register process to Xiaofeng in the store’s office.

Xiaofeng watched the checkout screen Lele and Fangzhou produced. It was very simple. Just a few steps were needed to complete the checkout process.

Of course, the current checkout system was not comparable to modern ones, because there were no QR codes or other features to keep track of inventory, nor could it calculate how much of each product was sold daily. Such statistical work still relied on manual labor.

"It would be great if each product had a code," Xiaofeng lamented. "That way, when checking out, just input the code and you would know how much the item sells for."

Listening to her idea, Lele thought it was quite innovative: "That’s a good idea. Let’s start with this system, and we will certainly continue to perfect it as we go."

"Xiaofeng, what are you up to, bringing in a cash register system to try out in your store?" Indeed, department stores truly needed a cash register system most. Knowing exactly how much money was taken in and how many transactions made each day would be clear with a computer in hand.

"The store will remain a store, but I’m considering changing the management model." These past few days, Xiaofeng had been planning a promotional event, and once the existing inventory was cleared out, renovations would begin.

The renovation was scheduled for forty-five days, meaning the store would reopen in a month and a half.

"This place looks pretty good already, why change it?" Fangzhou didn’t understand business, but when he and Lele came up from the first floor, they saw quite a few customers, indicating a good flow of people.

A good flow of people meant good business.

"They’re building a commercial building opposite us and are planning to establish a department store there. Once the new store opens, it will more or less impact the business here." She needed to switch models before the new store began operation.

As for the appeal between traditional and new models, naturally, the more attractive one would be more popular.

...

"Boss, we’ve got the details nailed down. The owner of the department store across from us used to be a Mr. Zhao, but they changed owners last month. Now the boss is a pregnant young lady, reportedly not even twenty years old, just a little girl," the man with a buzz cut sat opposite a middle-aged man, respectfully reporting the information the other wished to hear.

"I know it’s a young girl." The man was calm: "But don’t underestimate this girl, she has some skills."

"Boss, do you know her?" The man didn’t understand when his own boss had become acquainted with the owner of the opposing department store.

Speaking of his boss, Buzz Cut was utterly respectful. The boss wasn’t a local and it was not entirely clear where he was from, but rumor had it that the interest on his bank savings alone amounted to tens of thousands each month.

That’s tens of thousands, you know. An ordinary person would have to work for several years to save that much in interest. Just think about how much money the boss must have in the bank.

Originally, the boss could’ve completely become a coupon clipper, living off the interest without working, and would never have had to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life, but the boss is just someone who can’t sit still.

Of course, when you have money, you naturally think of doing things other are afraid to do or don’t want to do.

"I don’t know her personally, but I’ve heard of her reputation." The other party picked up the teapot and poured tea for both himself and the guest, "Wasn’t there also a Mr. Dong who used to be the boss of the opposite mall? When you have time, invite him over, I would like to have a chat with him."

"That Mr. Dong, I know him." Buzz Cut certainly knew Dong Wei; after all, they had dined at the same table before: "I heard that now this young lady has someone backing her up, and that’s given Mr. Dong quite a hard time."

The other person just smiled: "I have my own opinion about that matter."

Several hours later, Dong Wei appeared in this teahouse.

Looking at the other person, he confirmed that they had not met before and asked with suspicion, "Who are you?"

"My surname is Fen, you can call me Mr. Fen. I’ve traveled far and wide over the years, been to many places." Mr. Fen’s face had several dark spots and his complexion was somewhat darkened, but he spoke with vigor.

"So it’s Mr. Fen, hello. However, I am not familiar with Mr. Fen, and I wonder why Mr. Fen would suddenly invite me over."

"Well, I am thinking of building a new mall opposite your former mall, and you, Mr. Dong, have experience in this field, which is definitely valuable," Mr. Fen said.

After the last incident, Dong Wei had been keeping a low profile recently, fearing that someone might look for trouble with him.

"Dong Wei, were you really okay with being bullied like that last time?" Mr. Fen’s lips curled up slightly.

"You’re looking to partner with me?" Dong Wei was shrewd, "You also have a beef with Su Xiaofeng."

"The marketplace is just like a battlefield; there might not have been any connection before. But now that I plan to build a mall opposite hers, an adversarial relationship is naturally formed. You’re a smart man, Mr. Dong, so just tell me whether you want to be involved or not."

Dong Wei pondered, "But Su Xiaofeng has strong backing, aren’t you afraid?"

If it was just Su Xiaofeng alone, he would not be afraid.

The problem was the show of force last time; it was clear someone was willing to support Su Xiaofeng. If there really was someone backing her up, Dong Wei didn’t want to get involved in that mess.

"Let’s just say this, I’ve been trekking through the south and charging through the north for years, and I’ve built up some connections. Since I dare to build this structure here, my aim is naturally to outdo the mall across from me. They won’t have a way out, and only then will I have a way forward, right?"

"What you said sounds reliable. If you’re serious about doing this, count me in," Dong Wei clenched his teeth and admitted that he had yet to find an outlet for his resentment from the last ordeal.

Now that someone was willing to go against Su Xiaofeng, he was naturally willing.

"Mr. Dong is straightforward. Rest assured, Mr. Dong, there’s no need for you to do anything for now. When I need you, I will naturally let you know," Mr. Fen said, sitting there like a cunning fox waiting for the hunters to fall into the net.

"Alright, as long as Mr. Fen can help me get even, just let me know when you need me." Dong Wei was of course more than willing, since he was not required to lead the charge himself.

...

As for the matter concerning the mall across the street, Xiaofeng had sniffed out a bit of information. She learned that it was a businessman from out of town who came here to invest, and one thing the other party didn’t lack was money.

The other side was still constructing their building, and it would be several months before their mall opened. For her, these few months were ample time.

Once the promotional announcement was released, it attracted throngs of people.

Fen Lou sat in his car, watching the constant flow of people and vehicles at the entrance of the mall, his eyes slightly narrowed.

He still couldn’t figure out what Su Xiaofeng was trying to do, whether she genuinely wanted to clear out her stock or if she was using it as a guise to run a promotion.