Chapter 124: Feng Weizhi’s Rapid Rise

"Cheers!"

"To our success in securing the Steel Wire Factory location, bringing us to sixteen stores! May everything go smoothly—cheers!"

"Cheers."

The three of them raised their beer mugs and clinked them together with a heavy thud, splashing liquid over the rims. They had been working tirelessly lately, rapidly expanding by snapping up one storefront after another in the residential compounds.

"Did you take care of that cripple over at the Tire Factory?" Feng Weizhi asked, downing his drink in one gulp and turning to Lang Gou.

The storefront at the Tire Factory belonged to the cripple’s small shop, and the lease still had half a year remaining. Although Feng Weizhi had negotiated a five-year rental price with the Tire Factory management and signed a contract, the condition was that the cripple had to move out. The real complication was that the cripple held half-ownership of the storefront.

In later times, this would be impossible—a shop belongs to its owner, and there is no such thing as two masters for one store. But in the current era, it was quite common. In a public ownership system, the lines between personal and collective property were blurred. If a factory needed space, employees who owned such property would typically hand it over or share ownership. Much like the coal-briquette storage rooms in some residential compounds, they were of a collective nature, belonging to both the collective and the individual.

"The cripple drank too much last night and has passed on," Lang Gou said, his voice cold and sinister, a faint smile playing on his face.

Drank too much and passed on?

Wu De’s beer mug trembled in his hand, spilling drink onto the table. His face turned pale with shock and fear as he looked at Feng Weizhi. Feng Weizhi looked surprised for a moment, but soon, he began to laugh.

"Good, good, good! It’s fate, this is destiny!" Feng Weizhi laughed, drained his glass, and poured a fresh beer for Lang Gou.

No one was a fool; it was clearly no coincidence, and he knew perfectly well that Lang Gou was behind it.

"Boss Feng, I told you that as long as you have me, Lang Gou, backing your shops in the North District, making money will be easy." Lang Gou downed his drink, smacked his lips, and looked at Feng Weizhi. "Besides, shouldn’t our profit-sharing arrangement change? I have many brothers under me, and I have to send men to guard every one of your shops. That costs a lot."

Feng Weizhi’s smile froze. He clearly hadn't expected Lang Gou to demand a larger cut.

"How much?" he asked with a frown.

"At least thirty percent." Lang Gou held up three fingers.

"Impossible. Twenty-five percent at most," Feng Weizhi countered.

"Thirty percent. Boss Feng, I can help you drive away competitors and secure all these residential compound shops for you. Naturally, I could just as easily help someone else, or even open my own shops." Lang Gou spoke coldly, his gaze threatening.

Through their time working together and watching the growth of the "Wei Mei Xian" chain, Lang Gou had figured out their business model. Unlike Chen Huajiang, who had secret recipes as his trump card, Wei Mei Xian’s expansion was crude; the quality of the food depended entirely on the individual cook. Furthermore, their competitive advantage was weak, relying heavily on Lang Gou to intimidate rivals.

Faced with the threat, Feng Weizhi’s expression soured, but in the end, he nodded and agreed.

"At this critical stage of development, we cannot afford internal strife. Thirty percent it is." Feng Weizhi looked at Lang Gou. "Chen Huajiang is busy with some free training center—humph, I think he’s got nothing better to do. This is our chance to overtake him. Once the Tire Factory shop opens, we’ll have basically occupied the entire North District."

"The next step is the other districts. Don’t you dare let me down then, Lang Gou. Chen Huajiang has Black Tiger backing him over there."

"Heh heh, I’ve been waiting for this," Lang Gou said with a cold sneer, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with manic hatred. The incident last time had ruined his reputation on the streets, but it had also shown him the power of money. He had earned a decent sum lately and recruited many followers; it was time to take revenge on Chen Huajiang.

"Chen Huajiang is truly a genius for coming up with the membership card scheme to rake in cash. It’s a pity he chose the wrong path by messing with that training center." Feng Weizhi’s face showed a hint of genuine admiration. "If he had done what we did—grab the cash, open a branch, grab more cash, and open another—he would have occupied every residential compound in the East District by now. Sadly, he’s missed his chance. Our next step is to branch out, open shops in the East District compounds, and encircle Chen Huajiang."

Hearing this, even Wu De, who hated Chen Huajiang with a passion, had to nod. He too admired Chen Huajiang’s ingenuity regarding the membership cards; it was a stroke of genius.

***

And so, the three of them conspired, preparing once again to go head-to-head with Chen Huajiang.

Meanwhile, at the Kunlun Catering Free Training Center, the aroma of food wafted through the alleyway.

*Gulp—gulp—*

People passing by swallowed hard, their eyes fixed on the training center.

"Delicious."

"Truly delicious."

"Is this really something I made? Sob, I never knew I had such talent."

In the courtyard, the first batch of trainees were presenting their results, eating the food they had prepared themselves, visibly moved.

"Everyone, you have graduated. From now on, you can set up your stalls on the tree-lined path between the alley entrance and the Glass Factory," Chen Huajiang said, scanning the group with a smile. "I will provide the carts and raw materials for free. You can pay me back once you’ve earned some money."

They were his first batch of students, and they would bear the burden of pioneering the food street. Everyone looked excited; after tasting their own creations, they felt a newfound confidence.

True to his word, the first batch of graduates began setting up their stalls. The neighbors finally believed that Chen Huajiang had truly provided the training for free. As for the cost of the carts and raw materials, they found his repayment terms reasonable.

Soon, over a dozen snack carts appeared on the path between the Glass Factory and the alley. At first, business was slow, as it wasn't a particularly busy location. Only some factory workers and local neighbors stopped by, and due to the low foot traffic, the vendors could barely scrape by.

Some began to give up, deciding there was no money to be made, and returned their carts to Chen Huajiang. Others demanded to change locations, but when Chen Huajiang refused, the relationships turned sour. Before long, rumors began to circulate in the alley: some claimed Chen Huajiang was stopping them from getting rich, others said he didn't know how to do business, and some even whispered that he had set them up on purpose.