Chapter 20 — Fields of Red Ink
Li Ming stared at the monthly report from his Italian restaurant chain and frowned.
It was, unfortunately, too healthy.
Sales were steady. Costs were under control. Customer numbers had climbed again.
In other words — it was a disaster.
"If this keeps up, I'll have enough cash to buy a yacht by next year… This can't go on," he muttered, drumming his fingers on the desk.
The "Wealth Accumulation System" chirped happily in his head:
[Congratulations! Your assets have grown 8.7% this month.]
"Don't congratulate me! That's bad news!"
A New Money Sink
Over lunch with Manager Wu, the topic drifted — as it often did — to suppliers.
"We've got the cold storage running smoothly, but there's always risk," Wu said between bites of pasta. "What if beef prices spike? Or wheat shortages hit? You know, like when those pork prices doubled two years ago."
Li Ming's eyes lit up. "So you're saying… we need to secure the supply ourselves."
Wu hesitated. "That's… not what I was saying."
But Li Ming was already scribbling ideas on a napkin.
Buy ranch land.
Buy wheat fields.
Hire farmers directly.
Build storage barns "just in case."
Wu stared. "Boss, that's… massive investment. Slow returns. High risk."
Li Ming leaned back, smiling like a man who'd just found the perfect money pit. "Exactly."
The Land Hunt
Within a month, he had "agricultural division" stamped on company paperwork and was touring rural counties.
A local official showed him a sunburnt plain of grassland. "You could graze cattle here, maybe sheep. Needs fences, irrigation, housing for workers…"
Li Ming nodded with satisfaction. "So… very expensive?"
"Oh yes," the official said proudly.
Perfect, Li Ming thought.
By winter, he had purchased:
Two cattle ranches (barely functional)
One wheat-growing plain (half the irrigation pumps didn't work)
A half-built dairy barn (which he didn't technically need yet, but it was on sale)
The costs were glorious. Equipment, land prep, worker training… It was a steady stream of red ink.
Unintended Synergy (Again)
The problem was… the restaurants immediately benefited.
The beef from his own ranch? Fresher and cheaper than the market.
The wheat? Perfect for his pasta and bread.
Even the "half-built" dairy barn got repaired, producing milk that made the restaurant's gelato taste better than ever.
Customers noticed. Sales went up again.
The System chimed: [New milestone achieved: Integrated Supply Chain Level 1.]
"I was trying to waste money, not build an empire!" Li Ming groaned.
Seeds for the Future
Still, he didn't stop. If anything, he doubled down — expanding farmland and ranch operations under the guise of "risk management."
And while his Italian chain was nearing saturation in the province, he kept opening a few more stores — some leased, some bought outright — quietly laying the groundwork for the day he'd go national.
In the back of his mind, another thought was already forming:
If he could do this for pasta… imagine the losses he could rack up with a burger chain.