The weekend had been quiet but busy.
While Briggon started to feel early hints of summer families hauling folding chairs, kids chasing each other with melting popsicles. The Corner Pocket had been going through its own small transformation.
Jin had spent most of Saturday and Sunday training. Mr. Duan thought him the basics and essentials with an odd combination of dad jokes and efficiency, while Eli quietly stepped in to correct or clarify things whenever Mr. Duan went off on a tangent about "the glory days of retail."
Jin picked it up faster than expected. He stocked shelves without denting the cans, stacked ramen cups without them falling down on himself , and even started memorizing customer quirks.
Auntie Lin wanted her eggs in paper bags not plastic, because "plastic makes the yolks sad." Mr. Zhao tried to haggle over already discounted rice, as though haggling was his birthright. And Mrs. Cenny the one with the purple sunhat always checked expiry dates on the products like she was inspecting gold.
Eli, meanwhile, juggled his usual duties: inventory checks, shift prep, and quietly making sure Jin didn't get overwhelmed. The store felt better somehow. Livelier. Even with the future hanging by a thread made of duct tape and stubborn optimism, there was progress.
Monday Morning.
Eli rolled out of bed, rubbed his face, and stumbled through his routine—brush, wash, dress, coffee, existential sigh. Then he sat down, opened the system, and signed in.
Account Balance: 84,000 yuan
He stared at it.
"…Huh."
He blinked. Refreshed the page. Still there.
A grin tugged at his mouth. It was the most money he'd ever had in his life. It felt unreal, like it belonged to someone else.
Just then, Jin shuffled out of the bedroom, already dressed in the black polo Mr. Duan insisted counted as a "uniform." His hair stuck up in places, but his eyes were bright.
"First shift," Jin said, grinning. "You ready?"
"You mean are you ready?" Eli smirked, standing. "You remember how to work the scanner?"
"Red light goes beep. How hard can it be?"
At the Store.
They arrived at The Corner Pocket just after 8 a.m. The shutters were halfway up, and Mr. Duan was already inside arranging the display of instant noodles with an intensity that suggested national importance.
"Morning, boys!" he called. "We're expecting some foot traffic today. Let's keep things sharp and moving alright?."
"Got it," Eli said, heading to the stockroom.
Jin walked behind the counter and started checking the drawer like he'd seen Eli do. He still fumbled a bit with the coins, but he was clearly trying.
The door chimed. The first customer hadn't even walked in when he arrived.
A black Range rover SV pulled up just outside. Sleek. Looked brand new. Seemed very expensive for a district like Briggon.
Out stepped a man in a crisp navy suit. Designer shoes from Hanri. Slick hair. Eyes sharp and calculating.
Mr. Feng.
Manager of the incoming SuperMartX branch in Briggon .
He entered like he owned the place, gaze sweeping the shelves with a faint sneer before stopping in front of the counter. Mr. Duan's hands went still on the noodle cups. Eli stepped out from the back just in time to catch the change in the room's energy.
"Morning," Mr. Feng said smoothly. "Thought I'd drop by."
"Why?" Mr. Duan asked, flat.
Mr. Feng smiled, the kind of smile that didn't touch his eyes. "Just being neighborly. You know, as fellow members of the retail community."
"No offense," Eli said, stepping up beside Mr. Duan, "but you don't strike me as the neighborly type."
Mr. Feng chuckled. "Charming. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Our renovations are nearly done. Once we open, things around here are going to change."
Mr. Duan's eyes narrowed. "We're not going anywhere."
"I'm not saying you should," Mr. Feng replied with a shrug. "I just hope you're prepared. We'll be offering full automation, deep discounts, and bulk imports. I'm afraid sentimentality doesn't sell."
From the corner, Jin and Mian watched quietly. Neither moved. Mian raised an eyebrow. Jin's jaw tightened.
"We're more than a store," Eli said. "People come here because they're seen. Heard. Respected."
Mr. Feng turned to him with a patronizing smile. "That's cute. But warm smiles don't compete with 30% off laundry detergent."
"Maybe not," Mr. Duan said, "but a warm smile doesn't expire."
Mr. Feng's expression flickered just for a second. Then he gave a slight chuckle.-
"Well," he said, adjusting his cufflinks. "I suppose we'll see who lasts."
He turned and left.
The door chimed again. The black range rover car rolled away.
Silence returned.
Mian was the first to speak. "Wow. That guy's got villain energy."
"Right?" Jin muttered. "Like the final boss of an anime."
Mr. Duan chuckled dryly. "Let him come. He'll never understand what this store means."
Eli just exhaled, shaking his head. "We've got work to do."
Later That Day
JIn and Mian were rearranging a messy snack shelf, trying to make sour plums and seaweed crisps look remotely appealing.
"Okay, but explain this to me," Jin said, holding up a bag of dried cuttlefish. "Who actually wants to chew fish flavored rubber for fun?"
Mian snorted. "Old people. Or like my uncle. He says it builds jaw strength."
Jin gave the bag a look of betrayal and tossed it onto the shelf. "I'd rather chew glass."
They both laughed. Then Mian, still smiling, added, "You'd actually be pretty good in my biology class. There's a whole chapter on weird animal stuff."
Jin blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Why would I be in your class?"
"I dunno," she said with a shrug. "You're observant. Detail-oriented. You remembered Auntie Lin's paper bag egg rule after hearing it once."
"That's not biology."
"No," she grinned, "but it's, like student energy. You ever think about going back to school?"
Jin paused mid-stack.
"Not really," he said, quieter now. "Why?"
Mian leaned her arms on the shelf. "Just wondering. Some kids I know would kill to have half your calm under pressure."
He gave a small shrug, trying to play it off. "Never really had a reason."
"Well," she said, bumping his shoulder lightly, "maybe now you do."
Jin didn't say anything at first. But later, as they scanned items for a regular customer, the thought came back.
"Maybe," he mumbled under his breath, almost like he didn't want anyone to hear it.
Jin just looked down, like he was deep in thought.
Then they were interrupted by Auntie Lin complaining about the fact that the salt looked smaller than yesterday.