Chapter 27 — Brick by Brick, Bun by Bun
The next Patriot Burger store opened in a busy shopping street just three weeks after the last.
The smell of fried chicken and sizzling beef drew in school kids, office workers, and even elderly couples curious about "this Western snack craze."
Li Ming didn't just rent this one — he bought the whole building.
Three floors, one for the restaurant, the rest rented out to small shops and a photo studio.
"That way," he told his finance manager, "if the burger business fails, at least the shops can fail with it."
The finance manager rubbed his temples.
A Tug of Two Chains
The Italian chain managers were growing uneasy.
"Boss, you've been spending more time on Patriot Burger," one said during a meeting.
Li Ming sipped his espresso and shrugged.
"Both are important. But this one… this one's a little more fun."
Still, he wasn't neglecting them entirely.
Some Patriot Burger suppliers — like the new frozen delivery trucks — were already improving the pasta chain's operations.
The Squeeze on Supplies
It was the bread factory that complained first.
"Our flour supplier just missed another delivery. If this keeps up, we'll have to cut production."
Two days later, the cheese plant called:
"The milk we got this week is… watery. Quality's down."
Then the meat processor:
"Beef prices jumped again. Some of our ranch suppliers are switching to bigger clients in the south."
Li Ming listened to each report with the same answer:
"Pay more. Find new suppliers. Whatever it takes."
Property Fever
By the time the fifth Patriot Burger was under construction, Li Ming had bought the lot outright — a corner space near a bus station.
The seller had hesitated until Li Ming offered 20% above market price.
"It's only money," he said with a grin when the contract was signed.
To him, each purchase felt like a way to bleed his own accounts dry.
To everyone else, it looked like a man quietly building a fortress.
The Thought That Won't Go Away
Late one night, over a plate of fries in his office, Li Ming muttered to himself,
"If the flour's unreliable, the milk's bad, and the beef is overpriced… maybe we should just grow it ourselves."
He didn't mean it as a business plan — or so he told himself.
But the idea kept circling back, like the smell of grilled burgers that now drifted from multiple corners of the province.