Chapter 28 — Seeds of an Idea
The eighth Patriot Burger opened on a rainy Thursday.
The crowd outside didn't care about the drizzle — they cared about the "buy one burger, get a second for one yuan" promotion.
Inside, the manager looked nervous at the growing line.
Li Ming, standing in the corner with his arms crossed, looked pleased.
The Supply Chain Whispers
The bread factory was now juggling three flour suppliers after the biggest one decided to "suspend deliveries" for "equipment maintenance."
Li Ming had heard the same excuse twice before from meat distributors.
It wasn't sabotage in the open — more like little cuts that made everything harder.
At the cheese plant, workers complained about unstable milk quality.
Some batches made perfect mozzarella, others turned sour too quickly.
"Maybe the farmers are overwatering their cows," Li Ming joked to his operations chief.
The man didn't laugh.
"It's going to affect both chains if this keeps up."
Properties Keep Piling Up
The ninth store was in a newly built commercial plaza.
The landlord wanted a ten-year lease.
Li Ming wanted the building.
"You can't just buy everything, boss," his finance manager protested.
"Yes I can," Li Ming replied.
The deal closed in two weeks at 15% above market price.
The plaza's upper floors were rented out to a photo studio, a tailor, and a small insurance office.
The rental income annoyed Li Ming.
"That's money coming in. We need to figure out how to make this place lose money," he said — half serious.
The Two-Chains Effect
By now, some suppliers were naturally serving both the Italian chain and Patriot Burger.
Bread trucks were making two deliveries on each route, cheese plants were running fuller schedules, and meat processing output was up.
Instead of draining resources, the two chains were making the logistics network more efficient.
Li Ming didn't notice — or maybe he didn't want to notice.
The Thought That Keeps Growing
At dinner with his cousin, a grain trader, Li Ming casually asked,
"How much farmland does it take to supply a flour mill?"
His cousin raised an eyebrow.
"You're not thinking of farming, are you?"
Li Ming smirked.
"No, no… Just curious. I like knowing how deep the rabbit hole goes."
But that night, in his notebook, he wrote three words:
Milk. Wheat. Cows.