The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

As soon as Li Zhi spoke, Gu’er understood. ’This guy is just as I suspected—he’s targeting us. Even Director Chen’s investigation into Lin Shan last time was probably connected to him.’

’But he’s really something else,’ she thought. ’He actually found channels to transport large quantities of goods to the Soviet Union and even knows we’re shipping sugar. He must have connections in the provincial government.’

Before Gu’er could say anything, the phone in the living room started ringing.

"Gu’er, it’s for you."

Aunt Zhao called out to Gu’er after answering.

The call was from Liu Yuan. He asked Gu’er and Jia Ming to come to the department store, saying something had come up. He didn’t know that Li Zhi and Dingzi were back.

After hanging up, the four of them decided to go together.

When they got out of the car near the department store, Gu’er’s gaze fell on the building across the street.

A new shop had just opened over there, probably its first day of business. A large crowd was squeezing inside.

Gu’er’s eyes fixed on the sign: Soviet Imported Goods Store.

’They’re actually selling things from the Soviet Union.’

Gu’er walked over. Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and Dingzi followed. They all understood now; this must be why Liu Yuan had called them.

"Feel free to look around, everyone! If you see something you like, just head to the counter to pay. And don’t you worry, everything in our shop is authentic Soviet merchandise, the same stuff they sell in the department store across the street. But our prices are cheaper! We know you all work hard for your money, so we’re not crooked like that department store. We won’t rip you off. We’re just making a little for our trouble. From now on, don’t waste your money over there. Remember to come here instead!"

One of the salespeople was saying as he greeted customers.

"Yeah, that’s right! The stuff in that department store across the street is so expensive. They’re such a rip-off. This shop is run by good people. I’m only shopping here from now on!"

"Exactly! I’m shopping here from now on, too. It’s cheaper than across the street, and the quality is even better. That department store is rotten, just trying to squeeze us for our hard-earned money."

A few people who seemed to be hired plants chimed in loudly.

People are easily swayed by the crowd. When they heard this, many subconsciously felt they were right and that the department store really had been ripping them off.

"You can’t really say that. A big department store like that must have high overhead. Besides, their service is good. If you buy something that’s not right or is poor quality, you can return or exchange it. They’re accountable to their customers. This is a small shop, so it’s normal for it to be a bit cheaper. You can’t just call the department store crooked."

Some people understood the logic and spoke up fairly.

"We also do returns and exchanges! As long as you haven’t worn it, bring it back new, and we guarantee we’ll take it back or swap it out," the salesperson said hurriedly.

"You don’t even issue receipts. What happens if you refuse to honor a return? The department store gives proper sales slips. Plus, if you buy a lot, they give you a free gift. When you factor that in, it’s not really any more expensive than here. They run a legitimate business. I think they’re miles better than you guys."

Someone else spoke up for the department store.

The salesperson hadn’t expected to run into such difficult customers and hurriedly shot a look at the hired plants.

The plants started rattling off all the department store’s flaws, and soon, many people were arguing.

Arguments aside, a lot of people were still coming in, and quite a few were buying things.

Gu’er got a clear look at the goods and prices inside. Without a word, she turned and walked out.

"Damn it! That son of a bitch must have opened this place. He stole our business in the Soviet Union, and now he’s back here stealing it again! He even opened up right across from us and is calling *us* crooked! I swear to God, I won’t let that bastard get away with this."

Li Zhi was furious. He didn’t even have to think to know who had opened this shop.

Gu’er’s expression was grim as well. She wasn’t against fair competition. She wasn’t even against them opening a Soviet goods store across the street. If they had the ability and the supply chain, they could open a store wherever they wanted—that was their right.

As for the price, it was normal for a smaller shop to have lower prices. But you couldn’t set up shop right across the street, undercut your competitor’s prices, and bad-mouth them at the same time. Using slander to build your own business—that was crossing a line.

’This person had planned from the very beginning to open a shop across from ours, and we hadn’t known a thing. Then again, before the shop actually opened, there was no way to know what they’d be selling.’

They went up to the fifth floor, where Liu Yuan was waiting for them in his office.

"Huh? You two are back! Perfect timing. There’s something I need to talk to you about."

Liu Yuan hadn’t expected Li Zhi and Dingzi to be back.

"What’s up? Don’t even ask. I’ve been fuming ever since I got back."

Li Zhi was still seething.

"A Soviet goods store opened up across the street. They specialize in Soviet products—they’re trying to steal our business! I checked today, and a lot of people are going over there. Our third floor is much emptier. I’ll take you over to see for yourselves in a bit. If this keeps up, our Soviet goods won’t sell. I was thinking, should we run a promotion or something to attract more customers?"

Liu Yuan was getting anxious. The Soviet goods, after all, accounted for a huge portion of their profits.

"Let’s do it! We’ll cut our prices too. I refuse to believe they can outplay us," Li Zhi said impulsively.

Dingzi, as usual, didn’t speak, so he offered no opinion.

"If we cut prices, we’ll be starting a price war. Their overhead is lower, so we don’t have an advantage on price. We drop ours, and they’ll drop theirs. In the end, we won’t come out ahead."

But Sun Jiaming disagreed with Li Zhi’s point of view.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Li Zhi had just spoken out of anger. He also knew that cutting prices wasn’t a good solution.

"Panicking now won’t help. Our department store sells more than just Soviet products. Even if we don’t sell those, our other goods will still be profitable. We need to stay calm and then figure out a plan."

Sun Jiaming was, as ever, the more level-headed one.

"I know we can’t panic, but we brought back a huge amount of stock. If we can’t sell it and it all just sits in the warehouse, think of how much money will be tied up! If this goes on, are we supposed to stop shipping goods back? All that capital tied up, the goods not selling... it’ll all go down the drain!"

"Keep shipping. Not only that, ship *more*. Don’t worry about not being able to sell it. Put all the goods in the warehouse. If the warehouse is full, put them in the offices—the fourth and fifth floors are fine. Stockpile them. They’ll definitely be useful later," Gu’er finally spoke.

"Gu’er, you’re that confident? What if we can’t sell it all? Or do you have a way to deal with that bastard?"

Li Zhi didn’t share Gu’er’s confidence.

"I don’t have a way to deal with him. Since he opened a shop, all his permits must be in order. We can’t just claim he’s doing something wrong because his prices are lower than ours. Ignore them. We’ll just focus on our own business. The customers who like our store will still come. Tell the sales staff on the third floor not to worry if things aren’t selling. There will come a time when they will sell."

’But I can’t explain it to Li Zhi,’ Gu’er thought. ’It’s fine if business is a little slow now. Once the Soviet Union collapses, we won’t be able to get these goods even if we wanted to. This is the perfect time to stockpile. That way, we won’t be left with nothing to sell when the time comes.’