Li Ba, a graduate of Huaxia Agricultural University, was the sales manager at a well-known seed company in Wucheng before the apocalypse. When the apocalypse struck and order collapsed, the naturally timid Li Ba faced life-and-death situations and managed to scrape by and survive. By chance, he set aside the rules of post-apocalyptic survival to save a grandfather and his granddaughter, and in return, he received a magical bracelet. The bracelet contained a universe within—a plot of land, a stone trough brimming with spring water, and a Tower—all of which opened up a mysterious realm for him. What to do when food runs out? “My Fengshou Group has mountains of grain—I’ll trade it for crystal cores and jade!” Li Ba declared arrogantly. What to do when zombies attack the city? “The mutated plants cultivated by ‘Lord Ba’ can withstand a tide of a million zombies!” Li Ba said with absolute confidence. What if you’re not an Evolver and someone challenges you to a one-on-one duel? “I’ve got talismanic soldiers guarding me. Anyone who dares challenge me will get beaten so badly, even their own mother won’t recognize them!” said Li Ba, his bald head revealing a menacing expression as he spoke viciously. Using the mysterious space and his expertise, Li Ba cultivated crops and tended fields, determined to become a major farmer in the world of *Horse Herding* and pursue a happy life in the post-apocalyptic world.
Chapter 41: Grand Opening Special
Li Ba got drunk again! But this time it wasn’t too bad—with Da Fang and Xiao Fang by his side, they carried their unconscious boss home. He slept straight through until noon the next day. It wasn’t until Yan'er came to wake him that Li Ba stirred, still half-asleep. “That old Luo is a real drunk—he’s going to kill me!” Li Ba rubbed his temples; his head was pounding. Seeing this, Yan'er pouted and said with a look of displeasure, “Uncle, can’t you just drink a little less?” That little busybody was looking for a fight again! Li Ba’s headache grew even worse, so he quickly changed the subject and asked, “Little one, did anyone deliver any goods this morning?” “They arrived a while ago. Sister Yan is handling them right now.” Upon hearing this, Li Ba quickly got up, freshened up in the bathroom, and hurried toward the store. After he left, the little puppy Yan'er was holding in her arms yipped a few times, then jumped straight to the floor, darted under Li Ba’s bed, and didn’t come out again. When he arrived at the store, Li Ba saw Zhou Yan warmly welcoming a young man. The man looked very familiar; if he wasn’t mistaken, he should be Xiao Li, one of Luo Jianguo’s subordinates. “Li Ge。” Upon seeing Li Ba arrive, Xiao Li hurriedly stood up to greet him and took the opportunity to introduce himself. His name was Li Rong; he was a clerk in the Materials Management Office and one of Luo Jianguo’s most trusted subordinates. “Everything you requested has already been delivered.” Li Rong lowered his voice as he spoke to Li Ba. Outside the door, a Jinbei minivan was parked at the intersection. “Back the van up—I’ll have someone unload it!” Li Ba couldn’t hide the delight on his face. While Li Rong went to back up the van, he called over Da Fang, Xiao Fang, and security guards like Zhao Hongyun to prepare for unloading. Li Rong backed the van right up to the storefront entrance, then turned off the engine, got out, and opened the cargo area. Inside, he saw more than twenty wooden crates neatly arranged. Li Ba walked over and opened a rectangular wooden crate. Inside were nothing but ******—brand-new and gleaming, wrapped in oilcloth. He opened the other crates as well, and after inspecting their contents, his plump face lit up with excitement. “Ten Type 54 replicas, ten Type 56 rifles, and two boxes of ammunition for each… Director Luo made it clear that trading these two types of firearms is prohibited in the market. Li Ge, be careful when you’re handling this—don’t give anyone a reason to pin something on you, or we’ll be in trouble.” Li Rong relayed Luo Jianguo’s instructions to Li Ba: “Thirty ******, ten boxes of ammunition. If that’s not enough, we can send more tomorrow.” “How many grain coupons in total?” Li Ba asked. Li Rong smiled and said, “Director Luo got this shipment on credit from the Quartermaster’s Office. You don’t have to pay for it right now. Once you’ve sold this batch, Li Ge, it won’t be too late to settle the bill!” There was no doubt that Luo Jianguo was concerned about Li Ba’s newly opened supply store struggling with cash flow and had thoughtfully arranged this on his behalf. Feeling grateful, Li Ba patted Li Rong on the shoulder and said, “Go tell my cousin that the supply store opens tomorrow. Make sure he brings his wife and my niece to show their support.” “Sure,” Li Rong nodded with a smile. Afterward, everyone pitched in to carry the shipment of firearms and ammunition to the Villa in the back for storage. While they were moving everything, Zhao Hongyun and the other eight security guards were secretly amazed by Li Ba’s influence—he’d managed to procure such a large haul of weapons. Their boss might not look like much, but he clearly had some serious connections. With everything ready, they were just waiting for the grand opening tomorrow. Before the grand opening, they needed to hang the store’s sign. Everyone put their heads together to brainstorm a name for the supply store. “How about ‘Xiongba Supply Store’? It includes the boss’s name and sounds pretty domineering!” Da Fang suggested. “That’s way too flashy—it doesn’t fit Li Ge’s style,” Xiao Fang shook his head in disapproval before Li Ba could even decide. “Let’s call it ‘Wangwang Supply Store.’ Xiao Heihei can be the mascot—business will definitely boom,” Yan'er said, having appeared out of nowhere, cradling a puppy as she came up with an incredibly cute name for their store. Li Ba was left both amused and exasperated by the young girl’s childlike enthusiasm. In the end, he made the final call. The store would be named “Harvest Trading Company”—a name that subtly referenced the plot of land within the bracelet’s space, symbolizing a bountiful harvest and abundance. It was neither flashy nor overbearing, yet still approachable. “Harvest Trading Company… Hmm, that’s a good name,” Zhou Yan was the first to agree. The others, of course, had no objections—after all, Li Ba was the boss. “Dafang and Xiaofang, go to the market and find someone to make a sign. No matter how many grain coupons it costs, make sure the sign is ready by tonight!” Li Ba sat in his office chair and casually tossed a stack of grain coupons to Dafang and Xiaofang. He also gave a few more instructions: in addition to the storefront sign, they should hang slogans inside to highlight their company culture. “We buy everything, we sell everything. Fair prices, no cheating—not even with children or the elderly.” He jotted down these few lines, handed them to Dafang and Xiaofang, and told them to find someone at the market to have them framed. This was the corporate culture of Harvest Trading Company. That evening, after Dafang and Xiaofang brought back the sign, everyone sprang into action under Li Ba’s direction. Some hung the sign, others arranged the merchandise and labeled the prices… They worked until late into the night before finishing. Early the next morning. At seven o’clock sharp, the shop doors opened. Li Ba stepped out wearing a black trench coat, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Right behind him came a nine-member security team led by Zhao Hongyun; each was dressed in camouflage and armed with guns, standing on either side of the entrance, looking sharp and alert. Yan'er, Dafang, and Xiaofang followed, carrying firecrackers. Once lit, the crackling explosions filled the air, and fireworks whistled as they shot skyward, creating a lively and festive atmosphere. Harvest Trading Company is officially open! As the firecrackers went off, passersby were immediately drawn to the scene, and the crowd grew larger and larger. At a nod from Li Ba, Dafang stepped forward, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, “Today is the auspicious day of the grand opening of our Harvest Trading Company. To celebrate, our boss has decided to hold a special customer appreciation event. For the next three days, anyone who makes a purchase of more than thirty jin of grain coupons at our store will receive, in addition to various discounts, a free gift of half a jin of bean sprouts.” Before he could finish, Zhou Yan led the “Sisters” in carrying out two large baskets of bean sprouts—one basket of yellow bean sprouts and one of mung bean sprouts—both looking tender and dewy. It was rare to see such fresh vegetables in the post-apocalyptic world. Zhou Yan’s storefront was surrounded by numerous restaurants and snack stands. Though small in scale, these establishments had a significant demand for vegetables. Days earlier, while the store was being renovated, it had already caught the attention of these small restaurant owners. Today, on opening day, as soon as word spread about the promotional event—a half-jin of bean sprouts as a gift for every 30 jin of grain coupons spent—a surging crowd immediately rushed over. “Holy crap!” Li Ba saw at a glance that over a hundred people were surging toward him. His store was only a dozen or so square meters—he was afraid it would be crushed by the crowd. “Get in line! Everyone, get in line! This store serves only ten customers at a time!” Li Ba waved his hand. Zhao Hongyun, accompanied by security guards, bellowed at the top of his lungs. They were all former mercenaries; though disabled, their menacing aura remained undiminished. With firearms in hand and glaring eyes, their roars immediately had a deterrent effect. Soon, the crowd formed a long line and entered the store in an orderly fashion. Ma Yougui was a typical man from the Northwest. Before the apocalypse, he had brought his family of three to Xibu Town and opened a Lanzhou noodle shop. When the apocalypse struck, the landlord’s family perished, and the shop naturally became his private property. He continued to run the noodle shop with his family, and business was going quite well. His noodle shop was right next door to the Fengshou Supply Store, so he was naturally among the first customers to arrive. After walking in with his son, he took in the sight of all kinds of supplies neatly arranged. Most were food and daily necessities—rice, cooking oil, wheat, beans, corn, and so on. There were also thin slices of ham and large bones displayed on the shelves, giving off a rich, meaty aroma. Ma Yougui walked over and, upon seeing the prices, immediately narrowed his eyes. The grain and meat sold at this supply store were generally priced according to the official rates set by the settlement authorities, but there were significant discounts. Take wheat, for example: for top-grade refined wheat, the official rate was six liang per jin of grain coupons. Here, however, one jin could be exchanged for six liang and five. It might not seem like much for a small amount, but if you bought 100 jin of wheat, you’d end up with an extra 5 jin. That’s quite a substantial discount. In addition, other grains, rice, and cooking oil came with equally substantial discounts. Especially those ham hocks—they were only three jin of grain coupons per jin, which was incredibly cheap! “Son, how many grain coupons do you have on you?” Ma Yougui grabbed his son, Ma Xiaobao, by the arm and asked in a low voice. Ma Xiaobao, in his early twenties, was a shrewd young man. After seeing the prices, he was thrilled and naturally understood his father’s intentions. “Three hundred and twenty jin in total.” “Hand them all over—buy these for me!” Ma Yougui immediately bought 100 jin of wheat and 10 jin of ham bones. He used the remaining grain coupons to buy rice, cooking oil, and bean sprouts. Carrying bags of all sizes, the father and son walked out the door, their faces beaming with excitement. “Look at that—Old Ma bought so much stuff!” “That old guy’s got his head on straight—he’s the shrewdest businessman around… If he’s spending this much, the goods at this store must be a steal!” Ma Yougui was something of a well-known figure on this street. He was the first to make a purchase and the first to receive half a jin of bean sprouts as a bonus. This immediately caused a stir among the crowd waiting in line outside, sparking lively chatter and creating a buzzing atmosphere. One by one, curious customers walked into the store and emerged satisfied. Sales took off like wildfire; two large baskets of bean sprouts sold out in just ten minutes. The rice and ham were also disappearing rapidly. Fortunately, Li Ba had been prepared. With a single command, Da Fang and Xiao Fang carried out sack after sack of rice, basket after basket of fresh bean sprouts, and other supplies like ham from the back warehouse. Li Ba had been preparing for the store’s opening for many days and had built up a substantial inventory, more than enough to meet the demands of the grand opening. Watching the long line outside the store, with customers showing no sign of slowing down and the crowd growing ever larger, Li Ba, a cigarette hanging from his lips, wore a satisfied smile on his plump face. Chinese consumers have always tended to follow the crowd—they flock wherever there are people. Combined with his store’s fair prices and fresh bean sprouts as the flagship product, it was practically impossible for business not to boom!
