Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 119

The townspeople are still gathered at the entrance of the supermarket to watch the commotion. There isn’t much entertainment in this area, so any new piece of news spreads quickly across Linzi City. Even something as trivial as what the ruler eats can spark heated discussions.

Ye Zhou is already halfway up the steps. He takes a deep breath, suppresses the inexplicable sense of shame rising in him, turns around, and bows to the crowd outside the supermarket. When he looks up again, he wears a gentle smile. “Thank you, everyone.”

Although most of them haven’t helped, they still feel an odd sense of pride at being thanked like this.

Here, not fearing authority is considered a virtue, and criticizing the ruler is common. A scholar who doesn’t speak out against the ruler or the nobles would be embarrassed to call himself a scholar.

After thanking them, Ye Zhou tries to persuade the crowd to go home. He wants to take everyone else back into the supermarket.

But of course, the people are unwilling to leave. They haven’t seen enough of the show yet and remain rooted to the spot, refusing to move.

Left with no choice, Ye Zhou heads inside first. Wu Yan and the others shut the supermarket doors and draw the curtains, blocking the crowd’s view from outside.

Then Ye Zhou asks Chen Shu and Sarah, “No one died, right?”

Sarah takes off her hat. “Of course not. We showed restraint.”

Ye Zhou nods slightly.

“It’s not that I won’t let you kill,” he says after a pause. “When it really comes down to it, we’ll still have to do it. It’s just better if we can take someone alive.”

Though it’s technically a time of peace, the nobility can kill with impunity. Still, the Yang family is a powerful clan. In most people’s eyes, Ye Zhou is just a “merchant.” If a merchant kills someone from a noble family—even just a soldier—it’ll be difficult to justify.

Ye Zhou himself can walk away anytime. Zhao, Lu, Han, Chu, Zheng, Zhou, Wei, Jin—whatever the state, they’d all want him.

But Chen Hou will be the one left with the mess.

Chen Hou has only recently killed Zhang Rong, and the noble families are all on edge. Just suppressing them is exhausting enough. If another incident occurs, Ye Zhou fears Chen Hou might collapse from the stress.

Since Ye Zhou has helped him once, he figures he should avoid creating more trouble for the man before he leaves.

The soldiers are bound up like dumplings. Only a middle-aged man is still standing, trembling, having been dragged in by Wu Yan and Zhou Wen. Just moments earlier, he was shouting to be released and threatening Wu Yan, warning that if he loses a single hair, Wu Yan’s entire family will be exterminated.

But the moment he sees Sarah’s face after she removes her hat, he begins to tremble uncontrollably.

He looks at Sarah in disbelief, then at the people calmly standing around her. They act like this little blonde monster is just one of them.

Ye Zhou notices the man too.

He whispers to Zou Ming, “Don’t go too hard. Make sure he can still talk.”

Zou Ming understands. He walks up, grabs the man by the shoulder, and drags him into the infirmary.

Zhou Yuanhe shouts from behind, panicking, “Not the infirmary! Use the back door! Zou Ming!” He runs over. “Wait! Let me pack up the consumables first! If anything breaks, who’s gonna pay for it? The boss?”

Zou Ming, halfway through the door, turns back in annoyance. “Hurry up.”

Zhou Yuanhe moves quickly, locking away all the bottles and jars in the infirmary cabinets. As soon as he finishes, he comes out and tells Zou Ming, “Go easy. If the floor’s covered in blood, Cao’er and the others will be cleaning for hours.” Then, with a look of genuine sympathy for the man struggling in Zou Ming’s grip, he adds, “Honestly, it’s better to be beaten by Chen Shu than to be tortured by him.”

With a sigh worthy of a saint, Zhou Yuanhe leaves without another glance.

Zou Ming throws the man into the lounge, enters, and shuts the door behind him.

No one ever knows exactly what happens inside.

Except for the screams.

Ye Zhou listens to the man’s cries, his expression unchanged.

He says to Chen Shu, “These people can’t be released, but I don’t want to keep them either. Let the Yang family pay for their release. Once they redeem all their soldiers, they can redeem their master too.”

Ye Zhou sighs. “People here are still too simple. To come make trouble, and they actually send their own clan head. If they had just sent a servant, we’d really have no way of dealing with it. They could just deny everything—‘Don’t know, never met him,’ and that’d be that.”

Maybe Chen Hou’s current weakness has emboldened them.

Their first test was to see how he’d react. When they saw that he didn’t—or couldn’t—respond, they immediately pushed further.

Over time, they began to believe they were invincible—that just a name and a face could scare people.

Chen Shu says, “I’ll go—”

“I’ll go,” Zhou Wen interrupts. “Lord Immortal, I’ll go with Wu Yan.”

Ye Zhou glances at him. It’s been a while since he really looked at the supermarket employees.

They’ve all improved. The women look like women again, with longer hair and clearer skin. The men are more visibly masculine, and stronger.

Ye Zhou feels a mix of emotion and pride—he has, after all, brought them these benefits.

“Go on,” Ye Zhou says. “Take guns with you.”

Zhou Wen and Wu Yan accept the task and leave through the back door.

After they’re gone, Ye Zhou tells Sarah, “Follow them. If they’re in danger, you know what to do.”

Sarah isn’t pleased. “Why are you so good to them?”

Ye Zhou smiles. “You have to give people the chance to grow. Without opportunities, they’ll never become useful.”

He remembers how his father used to complain about managers at their factory, always picking one person they thought was smart to handle everything.

That person eventually did become more capable, while the “dumb ones” got dumber.

The managers would proudly say, “See? I’m a great judge of character.”

But how can people improve if they’re never given chances? No one’s born knowing everything. Without practice, without responsibility, the errand runner stays an errand runner.

Ye Zhou is fond of his employees. He might not trust them with his life or fortune, but he’s happy to give them the space to learn and grow.

After Sarah leaves, Ye Zhou assigns tasks to the others and walks into the lounge.

The merchants who were in the supermarket earlier are waiting there.

After being stopped by the soldiers, Cao’er and the others brought them inside. Calm and confident, Cao’er’s group doesn’t treat the soldiers as any real threat, and their attitude eases the merchants’ nerves as well.

Still, the merchants prepare “blood money” in case things go south. Money can be earned again—they still have contacts and supply chains. But if they lose their lives, nothing else matters.

They figure the Yang family is in it for money. Handing over everything might just save their skins.

But if they can avoid paying, of course that would be better.

So when they see Ye Zhou come in, they immediately rush up, speaking over each other in agitation:

“Boss, how did you get in? Are the soldiers still out there?”

“Looks like we’re trapped. We’ll have to pay dearly to get out.”

Before Ye Zhou can answer, they begin suggesting:

“If that’s the case, why not poison the food and sugar in the store?”

“Let the Yang family pay the price!”

“I’ve got a medicine on me right now. Colorless, tasteless—kills instantly.”

“They think we’re easy prey!”

“Yes! If we let them do this once, it’ll happen everywhere we go!”

Ye Zhou: “…”

These merchants are truly wild.

Compared to them, his profit-driven self seems downright ethical.

“No need to worry, everyone,” Ye Zhou reassures them. “The soldiers outside have already been subdued. Store employees are watching them now.”

The merchants blink, stunned.

“Did someone from the palace come?”

“Did Lord Chen send reinforcements?”

Ye Zhou shakes his head. “If I didn’t have my own means, would I dare open such a big store? You all know that.”

They finally exhale in relief.

“No wonder.”

“Thank goodness!”

“Boss, you still need to be cautious. We merchants shouldn’t be caught up in this… They see we’re rich and want to leech off us. Call themselves nobles—worse than thugs!” They pause, then ask nervously, “Will the boss still be selling goods? The supermarket won’t close, will it?”

Ye Zhou shakes his head. “No. If you want to finalize purchases now, stay. The rest can leave through the back. There are people watching the front—no one will stop or question you.”

Many of the merchants choose to stay. They’ve come to buy, after all. Though everyone fears death, profit often outweighs the risk.

After they leave, Ye Zhou remembers he still has to see Zhao Xue. But his clothes have been rumpled in the crowd, and he’s not sure if his jade pendant has fallen or been stolen.

After freshening up, he’ll probably only be able to meet Zhao Xue at night.

“Go to the inn,” Ye Zhou says to Chen Shu. “Tell Zhao Xue to come see me here. We’ll talk in the supermarket. I really don’t want to change again.”

Chen Shu nods quickly. “Got it.”