After buying the bed, Wu Jun left the mall, crossed the street, and took the bus back to his small supermarket.
Although the goods in his small supermarket didn't bring in much money at the moment, keeping the doors closed all the time would give people the impression that the business was unstable.
Over time, that would affect business to some extent.
He got back to the supermarket just after four o'clock, before the evening rush started.
Wu Jun went into the bedroom and cleared out the old mattress he had been using, along with the warped wooden bed frame underneath it.
He then gave the bedroom a thorough cleaning.
He was getting ready to welcome his newly purchased high-end bed.
'Tonight, I'll get to enjoy what it feels like to sleep on a bed that costs several thousand yuan.'
After cleaning up and helping a few customers, Wu Jun glanced at his watch.
It was already 4:40 PM.
However, there was still no sign of the delivery.
The scheduled delivery time was just twenty minutes away.
'Is that saleswoman, Rong Rong, even reliable?'
Around five, the supermarket would start to get busy. With people coming and going, carrying in such a large bed would really disrupt business.
"I'll just wait a bit longer. There are still twenty minutes," Wu Jun muttered. Just as he said that, the backup phone in his pocket rang.
He took out the phone and saw the call was from Shimen City—an unknown number with no contact name saved.
Wu Jun answered the call casually.
"Hello, is this Mr. Wu? This is Rong Rong from the Simmons store."
"I'm so sorry, but our delivery driver was in a traffic accident and has gone to the traffic police department. We won't be able to deliver your bed at the scheduled time. I am so, so sorry. I truly apologize."
Hearing the saleswoman's words, Wu Jun frowned.
'An excuse? Just a line?'
'She has no sense of commitment whatsoever.'
He hated people who went back on their word and couldn't be trusted.
"Can I get a refund? I don't want the bed anymore," Wu Jun asked, clearly annoyed.
"Mr. Wu, please let me explain. I'm telling you the truth. Your bed was already loaded onto the truck. We are truly sorry this happened. Please try to understand."
"I promise we will get the bed to you today."
Wu Jun was about to refuse sternly, but then he remembered he had already thrown out his old bedding. It would be difficult to even sleep on the floor tonight.
He had no choice but to give her one more chance.
But he wasn't willing to let someone else's mistake affect his business.
Wu Jun said, "I'm busy here between 5 PM and 9 PM, so I won't have time to sign for it. I told you that already. If you're going to deliver it, make it after 9 PM."
"Of course, Mr. Wu. We won't get in your way. Thank you for your understanding, and again, I'm very sorry."
Seeing a customer arrive, Wu Jun hung up the phone.
"Boss, are you the one selling that rice everyone in the neighborhood is buzzing about?"
A middle-aged woman asked as she entered the store.
"Yes," Wu Jun said, delighted to hear her words. Another new customer who'd come for the rice because of its reputation.
'It seems the rice I'm selling is already making a name for itself in this neighborhood.'
The woman asked, "Five yuan a pound?"
Wu Jun: "That's right, five a pound, and I guarantee the full weight."
"We ran out of rice at home yesterday, so I borrowed some from a neighbor. I've tried this rice, and five yuan really isn't expensive. Weigh out twenty pounds for me to start."
The woman praised the rice, then readily pulled out her money, handing a hundred-yuan bill to Wu Jun.
Wu Jun had eaten his own rice too. Honestly, he could sell it for twenty or even thirty yuan and there would still be a market for it; it was absolutely worth the price.
He wasn't just tooting his own horn. Just as the woman had said, five yuan really wasn't expensive.
"Thanks for your business, ma'am. If you like it, please recommend it to your friends," Wu Jun said, taking the money and turning to weigh the rice.
The woman chuckled and said, "Of course, of course. Good things should be shared with friends. I'm only here because someone shared it with me."
Just as the woman left with her rice, another customer came in.
The evening rush hour had arrived.
Wu Jun once again threw himself into the work of taking money and weighing rice, completely forgetting about the bed he had bought.
At nine o'clock, the flow of customers dwindled, and Wu Jun finally had a moment to sit down.
He walked from the grain and rice sales area back to his boss's chair behind the counter and collapsed into it, not wanting to get up again.
'So tired!'
"Welcome," the automatic sensor at the door chimed.
"Mr. Wu, hello. Sorry to bother you." A young woman in a black dress entered the store and greeted Wu Jun, who was sitting behind the counter.
Rong Rong had actually arrived with the delivery truck outside Wu Jun's small supermarket shortly after seven. She only came in now that she saw he was no longer busy.
At first, she had thought Wu Jun was deliberately making things difficult for her. Her company closed at 5 PM, but to deliver Wu Jun's bed, she had to pay two delivery workers overtime and make them wait all the way until 9 PM.
But after witnessing the terrifying customer traffic at Wu Jun's supermarket, she realized she had misunderstood him.
She had never seen a small supermarket with business this good—the peak rush could actually last for several hours.
"You're... oh, Miss Rong."
Rong Rong had changed out of her work uniform, and the hair she usually wore pinned up was now down. Wu Jun almost didn't recognize her.
Rong Rong said, "I am so terribly sorry about what happened today. I've had the men bring the bed you purchased. Could you please come outside and sign for it so they can unload it?"
"Alright." Wu Jun got up from his chair and followed Rong Rong out of the supermarket.
After he signed, the two workers began to unload the items.
Wu Jun led the way, directing the two men as they carried the bed into the bedroom.
He wanted to help, but the spirit was willing while the flesh was weak. After weighing rice all afternoon, he could barely lift his arms.
The two workers finished carrying in the solid wood bed frame and then brought in the mattress.
Seeing a strapping young man like Wu Jun just standing by and giving orders instead of helping, they felt a flash of contempt for him.
"Thank you for your hard work, sirs. Take these two packs of cigarettes for the road. Smoking isn't allowed in my supermarket, so I hope you understand," Wu Jun said with a smile, handing a pack of Yuxi cigarettes to each of the two workers.
The two men took the cigarettes, and the way they looked at him immediately changed.
"You're too kind, boss. We can't possibly accept this," they said, even as they took the cigarettes Wu Jun offered.
Their monthly salaries weren't high, and they usually smoked 7.5-yuan Hongtashan cigarettes. A pack of Yuxi cost over 20 yuan, so it was a nice treat to upgrade their "rations" once in a while. It would be foolish to refuse a freebie.
"Oh, right, there are a few small items still in the truck. I'll go get them for you, boss." After accepting Wu Jun's cigarettes, their attitude toward the job changed instantly. They pocketed the packs and headed back outside.
Less than a minute later, they returned to the supermarket, their hands full. They placed a few small items in front of Wu Jun and Rong Rong, said a quick word, and went outside to smoke.
Wu Jun saw a three-piece bedding set and a silk comforter.
There was also a small Water-based Fire Extinguisher.
Apparently, in an emergency, this type of extinguisher could be sprayed on the skin to form a protective film that prevents burns.
"Miss Rong, I don't think I bought these things, did I?" Wu Jun asked, puzzled as he looked at the pile of items not on his order.
Rong Rong said, "Mr. Wu, these are complimentary gifts to express our apology. We are truly sorry about today. It was completely unintentional, and we hope we'll have the chance to do business with you again in the future."
From her phone call in the afternoon to her arrival at night, Rong Rong had been apologizing continuously with utmost sincerity.
Wu Jun felt she wasn't faking it. The delivery truck probably really had been in an accident, and he had misunderstood her.
Wu Jun said, "I was in the wrong, too. I thought you were just making excuses to brush me off, so I came off as a bit unreasonable. I'm sorry, I apologize. If I need anything else in the future, I'll come to your store."
"Well, thank you for your understanding. It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer."
After Rong Rong said this, Wu Jun saw her to the door.
After seeing Rong Rong off, Wu Jun glanced at his watch. It was already half past nine. He went back into the supermarket, closing the door behind him.
Business was over for the day.
He carried the pile of complimentary gifts from the entrance into his bedroom.
The three-piece set from Rong Rong was new and needed to be washed before use, so Wu Jun put his old bedsheet back on the bed.
After tidying up the bedroom, he saw it wasn't even 10 o'clock yet.
'It's a little early to make my move. I have enough time to go grab a bite to eat.'
He slung on his backpack, which contained a can of spray paint, grabbed a flashlight from one of the supermarket shelves, and locked the door on his way out.
He ordered a plate of dumplings at a small restaurant outside the residential complex.
When he finished, it was exactly ten-thirty.
His neighborhood was already near the outskirts of the city.
The buses had stopped running around eight or nine o'clock.
Wu Jun paid his bill, walked out of the restaurant, and hailed a taxi.
"Driver, Alliance Road District," Wu Jun said, stating his destination after getting in the car.
「A dozen or so minutes later, Wu Jun got out of the taxi at the main entrance of the Alliance Road District.」
Inside the security booth at the entrance, there were two guards on the night shift: a middle-aged man and an elderly-looking man.
In an ordinary residential complex like this, unlike a government compound, the security booth was mostly for show.
Wu Jun strolled right in without being stopped.
He had learned from Xu Xiulan that Wang Hongliang lived in Building 38, so his car was probably parked nearby.
He checked the general location on Gaode Maps.
Wu Jun headed toward Building 38.
'Wang Hongliang, your Grandpa Wu has arrived.'