Ch 8: My Multiverse Supermarket

The rain came suddenly, catching everyone off guard.

Many refugees, who had thought they could get by without buying a tarp, woke up drenched and shivering under the pounding rain. Desperate, they scrambled to find any place that could shelter them.

There weren’t many trees on the mountain, and their leaves were too sparse to block the rain. No one dared hide beneath them.

So, they turned instead to those who had bought tarps and built makeshift shelters, begging to squeeze in under their covers.

Zhao Changyan opened her eyes the moment raindrops brushed against her face.

She had been sleeping near the supermarket’s awning, but the wind blew the rain sideways, soaking the tiles by the door.

She quietly gathered her things and leaned against the wall, half-sitting, half-dozing.

Then she heard footsteps approaching—quick, uneven, coming closer.

When she looked up, it was Qiao Sinian.

Qiao Sinian wore a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, and she held another raincoat in her hand.

Meeting Zhao Changyan’s guarded gaze, her heart tightened. But reminding herself that her intentions were harmless, she steadied herself.

Without a word, she placed the extra raincoat beside Zhao Changyan and hurried back toward her family’s small shelter.

Zhao Changyan didn’t throw it away.

Though she was always wary of others’ kindness, she wouldn’t trample on sincere goodwill.

Still, wary of being accused of taking advantage, she didn’t dare wear it either.

…

That night, though the refugees were caught off guard by the rain, no real chaos broke out.

Yet everyone knew—it was merely the calm before the storm.

Both the Dayue and the Chu refugees wanted to settle here, to claim the “divine dwelling’s” resources for themselves.

Conflict over resources was inevitable.

*

The next morning, when the supermarket opened, Zhou Li immediately sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere.

Both sides—the Dayue and the Chu—were now shopping in a coordinated, organized manner.

After food and water, knives had become the third most popular item.

Following closely were iron pots and stainless-steel basins.

Zhou Li whispered to the system, “They’re not about to start a knife fight, are they?”

System: …

Zhou Li thought for a moment. “That won’t do. I waited so long for these customers—if they kill each other, that’s bad for business! Every dead customer is lost revenue!”

System: “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t get involved in their conflicts?”

“Being a person means being flexible,” Zhou Li said sagely. “Our ancestors taught us the art of adaptation. I won’t interfere directly—but I can nudge things from behind the scenes.”

System: “Reasonable enough. But I’m not a person.”

Zhou Li: “…You don’t have to insult yourself like that.”

System: “So what’s your plan?”

“I’ll have them join the WTO—no, I mean, I’ll make them franchise the supermarket! Then I can mediate properly.”

Her plan was to model a franchise system—letting both Chu and Dayue factions buy wholesale from her and resell goods.

She would divide their trade territories, like modern business zones: “No same-brand stores within a hundred meters.”

That way, the two groups wouldn’t clash directly.

Once they became distributors, they’d focus on expanding their markets instead of fighting over scraps.

And if their ambitions grew later—well, then it would be business competition, not bloodshed.

Besides, even if she didn’t suggest it, profit would eventually drive them toward becoming middlemen anyway.

So why not take control of the system early?

Still, Zhou Li didn’t announce her idea right away.

She waited until demand for certain products started to level off. Then she said to Zhao Changyan, “You’ve worked hard these past few days.”

On the surface, Zhao Changyan stayed calm, but inside she jolted.

Did this mean her time as a store assistant was over?

She had noticed lately that most refugees had learned how to shop and understood the process well enough without guidance.

Her temporary job might be coming to an end.

Even though she had known this day would come, she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.

If she’d had a little more time, she might have gotten closer to the Little Boss—and her future plans would have had a higher chance of success.

She said, “It has been my greatest fortune to meet the Little Boss in my time of hardship. The Little Boss has blessed me with heavenly food… To serve you, no hardship would ever be too much.”

Her reply was deliberate.

If she said the job wasn’t tiring, it might sound like she hadn’t worked hard enough. Better to flatter Zhou Li a little—and emphasize devotion at the same time.

Zhou Li muttered to the system, “She must be from Shandong—so good at flattery.”

To Zhao Changyan, she said warmly, “You’re quick, smart, and capable. If I could, I’d keep you here forever.”

Zhao Changyan looked genuinely moved—almost startled. She was about to decline politely when Zhou Li continued,

“But a golden carp isn’t meant to stay in a pond forever. When it meets the storm, it becomes a dragon.”

The words struck Zhao Changyan to her core. She froze, trembling slightly, staring at Zhou Li in stunned silence.

System: “…You’re really something yourself.”

Zhou Li thought smugly, All those half-year communication courses finally paid off.

Zhao Changyan understood now—the divine lady had seen through her lineage and ambition.

And yet, the divine lady wasn’t displeased.

Her lips quivered. Just as she was about to speak, Zhou Li said, “I can’t keep you here, but fate has tied us together. I can offer you a chance to win people’s hearts—will you take it?”

“Yes!” Zhao Changyan blurted out too quickly, then quickly added, “Zhao Changyan thanks the divine lady for her heavenly favor.”

System: “You’re recruiting her as a franchisee, but she thinks you’re bestowing divine fortune.”

Zhou Li: “Soon I’ll have to start rationing supplies. Before that, I’ll make her my first distributor. Anyone wanting to resell goods will have to go through her. How is that not divine favor?”

The system was starting to appreciate human cunning.

Zhou Li explained her plan to Zhao Changyan, who instantly realized—this truly made her the “messenger of the goddess.”

A genuine divine appointment!

She dropped to her knees and performed a full ceremonial bow, the kind Chu nobles used to worship their gods.

Zhou Li: …

No need to go that far.

She had only chosen Zhao Changyan because the girl was clever.

With just a bit of embellishment, she could make Zhou Li sound powerful, mysterious, and untouchable.

Zhou Li had no real interest in playing a deity—but if the role made life easier, why not?

*

Zhao Changyan descended the mountain.

She first found Dou Dailang, who was leading the Dayue people in clearing shrubs and expanding their settlement.

“Chang Qiniang?” he said, surprised. “Why aren’t you in the divine lady’s dwelling?”

“I’ve learned,” Zhao Changyan said solemnly, “that the Little Boss intends to limit how much each person can buy.”

Dou Dailang froze, then thought of all the supplies he’d already stored and relaxed.

“So what if she does?” he said indifferently.

In truth, he was pleased.

With purchase limits, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Chu people buying everything up first.

Zhao Changyan said, “I know you’ve bought enough to last months. But are you satisfied?”

His brows lifted slightly. Of course he wasn’t.

And now he began to see her meaning.

She might be young, but her mind was sharp.

If she came all this way to talk, there was bound to be an opportunity behind it.

“What advice does Chang Qiniang have for me?”

“Advice is too strong a word,” she said smoothly.

She had already prepared her pitch.

Before, she had convinced everyone that Zhou Li pitied mortals but could not touch karma, so she saved them through trade at low prices.

Now, she could use that same belief—and build upon it.

For example—there were still countless people across the land suffering from disasters and wars.

The divine lady could not personally visit every region, so she could only “spread her teachings” through her followers. These followers could buy goods in bulk from the supermarket and then sell them beyond Qitian Ridge—to the poor common folk who went hungry because of high prices and heavy taxes. That way, they could eat cheap, filling food.

Dou Dailang and his clan would take on the role of these “followers.”

When Dou Dailang heard this, his heart was immediately moved.

He hesitated deliberately, saying, “But if more people find out about this place…”

He still feared that others would come and snatch what he saw as their rightful share.

Zhao Changyan wasn’t surprised by his selfishness.

When she first discovered the supermarket, she too had wanted to keep it a secret. But after realizing the goods inside would never run out, she decided to tell others.

She said, “And what if they do know? As long as you have the dealership rights, you’ll always be able to buy more goods from the Little Boss. Whether you keep them for yourself or sell them—that’s your choice.”

Dou Dailang’s eyes brightened in sudden realization.

In truth, he’d already had the same idea.

When Chen San’s family started buying from others in the group, he had seen the business opportunity.

But since the goods came from the divine lady herself, he and the others were afraid that reselling them privately would offend her.

Now that she had lifted the restriction, he no longer had any reservations.

He decided to go home and discuss it with Xian Sanniang—since she was the one who controlled their money, her approval was essential.

…

The second person Zhao Changyan approached was not Old Chen, but Qiao Sinian.

Although Old Chen was a village head and technically had authority, his recent inaction had disappointed her.

A leader who couldn’t act fairly would eventually lose people’s trust.

The fact that no one opposed him now didn’t mean that would last forever.

Sooner or later, the Chu refugees would fall into chaos among themselves.

Instead of wasting time on him, she chose Qiao Sinian.

First, she wasn’t close to anyone else—only Qiao Sinian had shown her some goodwill.

Since the divine lady had given her a chance to win hearts, she had to make sure everyone understood: only those close to her could receive dealership rights.

Second, this was also her way of repaying the kindness Qiao Sinian had shown that rainy night.

Whether Qiao Sinian’s family could seize this opportunity and change their fate—would now depend on them.

…

After Dou Dailang told Xian Sanniang about the opportunity, she immediately recognized how rare it was. Together, they hurried to secure a place in the plan.

Unfortunately, they were a step too late—because Zhao Changyan had also told Qiao Sinian.

Qiao Sinian was tempted, but she knew she didn’t have enough funds to purchase large quantities of goods, nor could she protect them by herself.

So, she turned to the richest Dayue woman among the refugees—Madam Dou.

Madam Dou said, “If I wanted to cooperate, I could just work with Dou Dailang. Why should I partner with a Chu woman like you?”

Qiao Sinian said, “You’re not from the same clan as him, are you? You both speak the local tongue, but your dialects are different—I can hear it.”

Between the Chu and Dayue regions, the Tujia dialect system had three main branches, each with its own sub-dialects—sometimes even changing every five miles.

In recent decades, with northern migrants moving south, languages and accents had mixed, but Qiao Sinian could still tell the difference.

And indeed, she was right: Madam Dou shared a surname with Dou Dailang, but they weren’t of the same bloodline.

Dou Dailang’s ancestors were originally from the northern Yan region.

Generations ago, they’d come south to serve as officials in Lingnan, and to stabilize local control, one ancestor had married into the native Liao tribe.

Later, their family had angered the emperor and nearly been exterminated.

The surviving descendants of the Dou clan had gone into hiding among the indigenous peoples of the region.

As for Madam Dou—

She came from a Tujia village where women held authority.

Her village possessed a secret brewing technique passed down only among women. The rice wine could only be made by women, who supported their families through brewing.

This tradition lasted for centuries—until the imperial government banned private alcohol production and monopolized the trade.

Losing their livelihood, the village fell into decline.

Many of its people were forced to leave and seek work elsewhere.

Madam Dou’s grandmother had moved to a village near the Dou clan’s settlement and settled there.

Madam Dou said coldly, “And what of it?”

Qiao Sinian replied, “It means that when profits come, they’ll always favor their own people first. Even if you and Dou Dailang work together and he shares the gains with you, sooner or later someone will challenge you—claiming you’re not truly one of the Dous.”

She spoke from bitter experience.

Madam Dou frowned, clearly displeased by the implication, and turned to leave.

Qiao Sinian quickly said, “I’m not trying to sow discord—I just want you to avoid unnecessary losses.”

That piqued Madam Dou’s curiosity. “You mean, working with them will definitely bring losses?”

Qiao Sinian shook her head. “My mother used to divide her savings into four parts and hide them in different places. I asked her why, and she said, ‘To keep a thief from taking everything at once.’

“It’s the same with business—if you invest everything in one place, and something goes wrong, you lose it all. What if Dou Dailang’s caravan gets attacked by bandits? Or something unexpected happens? You’d lose everything.

“Chang Qiniang said the divine lady allows us to sell goods elsewhere, but we must follow her rules. One rule is that dealership rights are divided by region. For example, whoever gets the rights for Yizhang County can’t sell in Guiyang, and vice versa.”

Madam Dou understood at once. “So you mean, I could invest in both sides. Even if one fails, I’ll still profit from the other.”

That would be impossible for most people—their cards didn’t hold enough money to split between two ventures. Neither Dou Dailang nor Qiao Sinian would even look at such meager amounts.

But Madam Dou—she had more than a hundred thousand coins to her name. On either side, she could be a major partner.

Madam Dou said cautiously, “You couldn’t even protect your own pot of noodles. How will you keep your goods from being stolen?”

That stung Qiao Sinian deeply.

But Zhao Changyan had taught her—if she wanted to be strong, she had to face her shame and learn from it.

“I can hire more people and make them sign contracts,” Qiao Sinian said firmly. “This time is different. The dealership rights come directly from the divine lady—it’s divine authorization. If someone betrays me, they’ll have to bear the consequences.”

It was like an official issuing salt certificates to merchants—if bandits stole those certificates, the authorities wouldn’t turn a blind eye; they’d execute the thieves for the crime.

Qiao Sinian continued, “Besides, I have my own motives for coming to you… I want to join forces with your people. But as a Chu woman, the Dayue won’t trust me. I need you to be the bridge between us.”

[Author’s Note]

The wine mentioned in this chapter is actually Hakka women’s rice wine (“Niangjiu”).

The saying “A golden carp is not meant to stay in the pond; when it meets the wind and clouds, it becomes a dragon” has uncertain origins. It’s often attributed to the Northern Song writer Zhang Yong’s Jiechao (“On Self-Defense”): “A dragon is no creature meant to stay in a pond; without storm and rain, it cannot rise.”

Others claim it comes from Fengyun (The Storm Riders).

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