Chapter 21 — The Province Isn't Enough
By the spring of 1998, Li Ming's Italian chain was everywhere in the province.
From small county seats to bustling city centers, the red-white-green signboard had become a familiar sight.
Manager Wu laid out the latest map in the office. Red dots marked existing stores, yellow pins marked upcoming ones.
It was almost… full.
"Boss, if we open any more in the province, we'll start stealing customers from ourselves," Wu said.
"You've saturated the market."
Li Ming leaned over the map, tapping the remaining empty corners. "What about that town?"
Wu smiled. "We opened there last month."
Li Ming squinted. "And that one?"
Wu coughed. "Two months ago."
The uncomfortable truth was that he had nowhere left to expand locally without cannibalizing sales. And worse — sales were strong.
Unexpected Attention
The "problem" had gotten so bad that out-of-province businessmen had begun visiting him.
A delegation from the neighboring province arrived, led by a cheerful man named Zhang Wei. "Mr. Li, your chain is a sensation here. I want to open five in my city — under your brand, of course."
Li Ming waved them off. "No, no. We're just a local outfit. Expansion isn't—"
The man cut in. "We'll handle the rent, the renovations, the staffing. You just provide the brand, training, and supplies."
Li Ming froze. That was exactly the kind of low-risk deal he couldn't refuse… except, he very much wanted to refuse. He wanted losses, not profits.
Buying Trouble
Back in the office, he paced.
If we go national, costs will explode… logistics, supply lines, new management layers… That's perfect for losing money!
His eyes landed on the cold storage and supply reports. The farms, the ranches, the wheat fields — all were running surprisingly efficiently now.
No, that's the danger… efficiency makes profit. I need something new, something complicated enough to drain funds…
The Burger Chain Whisper
That's when Manager Wu, flipping through an overseas trade magazine, said:
"Look at this — an American burger brand just opened in Shanghai. People are lining up for hours."
Li Ming's mind immediately spun a scenario:
Compete against international giants.
Build entirely new store designs.
Create a separate supply chain.
Buy prime properties to "secure the brand image."
All of it screamed "money sink."
And yet, he could already see the dangerous overlap — bread, meat, cheese… things his current supply chain was already producing.
If I do this wrong, I'll just make my existing supply chain more profitable… he thought grimly.
I'll have to design it so it's different. Separate. Wasteful.
Seeds Beyond the Province
For now, he gave Zhang Wei a polite "We'll think about it," and told Wu to keep their expansion capped — no more than a handful of new stores this year. But he also had Wu quietly scout large urban centers in neighboring provinces.
He told himself it was just to "study the market."
But deep down, he knew he was planning Phase Two — going national.
And somewhere in that phase… burgers would arrive.