154. The Hero Becomes the Dragon

Another week passed before Fang Lujun finally sat his son down for a formal talk about the matter. His concerns were standard: the challenges ahead, the fact that Fang Chang’an was still young, and the worry that his mother lacked business experience and might lose money.

However, when it came to eloquence, he was no match for Fang Chang’an. After being skillfully countered at every turn, a defeated Fang Lujun finally agreed to at least reach out to factories about supplies, with the condition that they would only open a store and absolutely not buy a house.

Fang Chang’an immediately pivoted to explaining the benefits of buying property early and the certainty of rising real estate prices. He casually invoked Shen Chengli as a witness, noting that Shen was in the real estate business and detailing the current national policies and market climate.

Fang Lujun, possessing little knowledge of such things, could not argue with his son. While Fang Chang’an continued to persuade his father, he simultaneously urged his mother to quit her job.

The next day, he called Shen Chengyan and, without standing on ceremony, entrusted him with three tasks.

First, help find a storefront for lease or transfer, preferably near a school.
Second, help find a house, ideally around twenty or thirty thousand yuan, as they couldn't afford anything too expensive.
Third, help find a school, naturally for his younger brother and sister.

Each of these was a significant undertaking. After hearing them, Shen Chengyan laughed in disbelief: "Are you the son or the father? Why does it feel like you're the head of the household?"

"I wish I were the head of the household. Right now, I'm busy coaxing the actual head of the household."

The dynamic between Fang Chang’an and Shen Chengyan was peculiar. Emotionally, Shen viewed him almost like a nephew, yet in practical matters, they discussed things as peers, with Shen usually deferring to Fang Chang’an’s judgment. He wasn't surprised by these ideas, just amused by how "authoritative" the boy was acting.

Shen didn't find the requests troublesome or annoying. Partly, he truly considered them family; partly, he was simply bored. He had quit his job, and with only Zhang Fei and his wife running the steamed bun shop for the summer, everyone else was on vacation. He had already taken his wife on two trips, and the monotonous bliss of being home together was starting to wear on him; he was eager for the summer to pass or for something to occupy his time.

Cong Rong had been working as a temporary summer worker, but because their employment terms weren't clearly defined when she first started—and given that protections for migrant workers were not yet robust, leading to frequent wage disputes—she was deeply anxious. Fang Chang’an had stepped in to counsel her, explaining where the Labor Bureau was and how much factory owners feared it.

Using the excuse that an elder at home was ill, Cong Rong eventually managed to secure her back pay. By then, it was mid-August, and the family of four was preparing to head home.

After resigning, Fang Chang’an led his mother on a tour of local shoe factories, following the route they had scouted. Meeting the bosses wasn't easy; they had to visit each place at least twice, sometimes three or four times. While the bosses were initially welcoming, they lost interest the moment they learned the family was only opening a small shop and needed very little inventory, sometimes even showing them the door.

Fang Chang’an wasn't surprised, though Cong Rong felt discouraged. However, having committed to the shop, she possessed a quiet tenacity. After a few attempts, her fear dissipated, and she became even more determined.

The mother and son covered nearly every nearby shoe factory and eventually secured agreements with two. Since factories usually produced out-of-season goods—making summer shoes in winter and winter shoes in summer—they were able to find some spring and autumn stock.

They selected styles, mostly targeting young people, and placed an initial order of six hundred pairs. Prices ranged from two to over ten yuan, with the most expensive pair costing eleven.

The six hundred pairs totaled over 3,400 yuan, with an average price of nearly 5.7 yuan, giving Cong Rong her first real look at the potential margins in business.

There were still transportation costs, store opening fees, and initial overhead to consider.

Since it was their first venture, both factories were wary and demanded full payment upfront. After days of negotiation, the mother and son paid a 1,500-yuan deposit—700 to one, 800 to the other.

In reality, they hadn't even secured a location yet, so the shoes didn't need to be ordered so quickly. Cong Rong’s inexperience showed, but Fang Chang’an had anticipated this. Fearing his parents might get cold feet, he had actually been more proactive than the factories in pushing his mother to pay the deposit.

With the money paid, Cong Rong had no way to back out; she was committed to seeing it through.

That evening, when Fang Lujun heard the deposit had been paid, he scolded Cong Rong for being foolish. Cong Rong regretted it too, but with the money gone and no possibility of a refund, they had to buy tickets home and prepare for the opening.

Shen Chengyan proved highly efficient. He had essentially completed all three tasks. The most critical, of course, was the storefront. He found two options: one for transfer and one vacant.

The first was on a T-junction street near the lighthouse in the town center. This area was the hub for clothing, bags, and shoes—the most prosperous and densely populated part of town. The rent was steep, over 5,000 yuan a year.

The second was near the No. 1 Middle School. The location was decent, but the shop was small and tucked away more than two hundred meters from the school, which was inconvenient for students. Due to the school’s closed-campus policy, a noodle shop that had opened there had closed shortly after the New Year, and no one had taken it over since.

The rent here was cheap, just over 2,000 yuan a year.

Shen Chengyan recommended the commercial street, but after careful consideration, Fang Chang’an chose the one by the No. 1 Middle School. He knew that shops on the commercial street inflated prices, with final sales depending entirely on the customer’s haggling skills—the same item could sell for anywhere from twenty to ninety yuan.

That was where the profit lay.

Cong Rong clearly lacked the temperament and skills for such tactics. Since that was the case, they would cut costs, and Fang Chang’an decided on a "boutique" model: fixed pricing. No matter who came in, no matter how silver-tongued they were, not a single penny would be discounted.

While this might alienate some, it would appeal to students who disliked haggling. The school’s closed-campus policy wouldn't have much impact, as students rarely went out to shop on weekdays anyway, preferring the weekends.

Although the foot traffic near the school wasn't as high as the commercial street, it was within a twenty-minute walk of the No. 2 Middle School and the Haitan area. He could leverage his own influence among the student body to gain a foothold.

Naturally, this would be done without any form of coercion.

As for the house, Shen Chengyan recommended only one, belonging to an acquaintance whose family had moved to the county seat. It was on East Street, located between Fang Lujun’s home and Shen Chengyan’s.

According to Shen, the layout was similar to their current home—a small courtyard within a larger one. Each floor was nearly fifty square meters. The ground floor had a living room, kitchen, and bathroom, plus one bedroom. Upstairs were three bedrooms and a small living room. While the space was somewhat cramped, the house was well-maintained and in a good location, making it likely to appreciate in value.

The asking price was 25,000 yuan, but Shen Chengyan had negotiated a bottom price of 22,000.

With nearly fifty square meters per floor, totaling over ninety square meters across four rooms, two living rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, Fang Chang’an calculated that it was acceptable. The price was indeed reasonable; his uncle had bought a smaller house three or four years prior for nearly 20,000.

Fang Chang’an trusted Shen, but he still needed to take his parents—or at least his mother—to see it. Shen understood, and since they were heading back soon, there was no rush.

The last matter, the transfer of Fang Changming and Fang Yanran to a new school, was the simplest. Buying a house meant they could transfer their residency, and having the right connections made things easy: the cousin of Gou Zhu, who often brought people to Shen Chengyan’s house, was the vice principal of the town’s No. 1 Primary School.

As Shen put it, "It’s just a matter of saying a word; you won't even need to offer a pack of cigarettes."

If it were Shen’s own business, that might be true, but Shen was doing a favor for someone else, so he would clearly need to show some gesture of appreciation. However, since it was for Fang Chang’an, Shen took the burden of these social obligations upon himself, not wanting the boy to get involved in such things too early.

Fang Chang’an understood this perfectly. He didn't expose the gesture but expressed his gratitude and silently noted the kindness.

To Shen Chengyan, these might have been minor favors, but to the Fang family, they were life-changing.

The awkward part was that while Fang Chang’an had effectively finalized the shop, the house, and the school transfers, Fang Lujun still hadn't agreed to the latter two.

Going behind his father’s back was not an option, so Fang Chang’an intensified his persuasion, eventually convincing his mother, brother, and sister to join the campaign to sway their father.

Once Cong Rong decided to open the shop, the house and the school transfers became logical next steps, and she supported them. Fang Changming and Fang Yanran were initially nervous about switching schools, but once Fang Chang’an described the benefits—the good food, the new house, and the ability to brag to their village classmates—they were easily won over.

Seeing he was fighting a losing battle, Fang Lujun finally relented: "Fine! I give up! I can't control you anymore! Your wings are grown! Go fly on your own!"

Despite his words, he couldn't truly stay out of it. Still refusing to rely entirely on his son's money, he withdrew his own savings from the first half of the year. When the boss's wife, who held the wages, claimed there was no money, he lost his temper and had a shouting match with her. Fortunately, he calmed down afterward.

Fang Lujun was intelligent, but he lacked emotional tact. He understood that once the shop was agreed upon, the house and school transfers were inevitable; he simply struggled to let go of his pride.

After the New Year, his hourly wage had risen to 2.7 yuan, totaling about 800 to 900 yuan a month. Now in the sixth lunar month, having worked for six months, he had nearly 5,000 yuan saved, even with less overtime during the month his family was visiting.

After getting off work, he went to a phone booth and called Fang Luguo, Fang Xia, and Fang Luyong to see how much he could borrow. After a moment of hesitation, he also called Fang Yan.