The morning after the bank meeting felt slower than usual.
Not quieter.
Just heavier.
The sun had barely climbed over Briggon's rooftops when Eli unlocked The Corner Pocket again. The metal shutter rolled upward with a rattling groan that echoed down the narrow street.
A cool breeze drifted through the doorway carrying the smell of steamed buns from the breakfast stall down the block.
Across the street, SuperMartX was already open.
A new banner had replaced yesterday's.
"COMMUNITY WEEK EXTENDED – MORE SAVINGS FOR BRIGGON."
The bright red letters practically screamed across the road.
Jin arrived a few minutes later, backpack slung loosely over one shoulder.
"You ever notice they change those banners like every twelve hours?" he muttered.
Eli nodded while switching on the store lights.
"They've got a marketing department for that."
Jin looked through the front window at the steady stream of people entering SuperMartX.
"Must be nice."
Mr. Duan came in last, carrying a bag of breakfast buns.
"Marketing department or not," he said, placing the bag on the counter, "they still can't make buns like Old Chen's."
He tossed one to Jin.
The boy caught it with a grin.
Small moments like that kept the morning feeling normal.
At least on the surface.
Every time the store phone rang that morning, Mr. Duan's head snapped toward it.
At 9:12 a.m., it rang.
Supplier.
At 9:48 a.m., it rang again.
Delivery confirmation.
At 10:27 a.m., it rang a third time.
Wrong number.
By the fourth call, Jin had started watching Mr. Duan like a spectator at a tennis match.
"You're going to break your neck doing that," he said.
Mr. Duan frowned.
"Doing what?"
"Looking at the phone every thirty seconds."
Mr. Duan grumbled and turned back to organizing receipts.
But five minutes later he glanced at it again.
3. Real Customers
Around eleven, the door chimed.
A young mother stepped in pushing a stroller.
Eli recognized her immediately.
She usually bought vegetables twice a week.
Today she looked a little hesitant.
"Morning," Eli said casually.
"Morning."
She glanced at the shelves.
"Still have those oranges?"
"They are at the back crate," Eli said.
She picked out four and placed them on the counter.
While Eli rang them up she said quietly,
"SuperMartX has cheaper ones."
"I know."
"But they taste like cardboard."
Eli smiled faintly.
"That's the supply chain."
She paid and left.
The sale wasn't huge.
But atleast it was something.
Around lunchtime, Eli pulled out a measuring tape and walked the perimeter of the store.
Jin followed him curiously.
"What are you doing?"
"Planning."
Eli crouched near the freezer.
"If we expand, this wall comes down."
Jin blinked.
"Wait… actually?"
Eli stretched the tape across the floor.
"We push the back room further out. Add a vendor strip here."
He pointed to the side wall.
"Open up a second entrance for the night market."
Jin looked around the small store.
For the first time, he wasn't seeing the cramped aisles.
He was seeing possibility.
"Like a mini market hall," he said slowly.
Eli nodded.
"Exactly."
Mr. Duan watched them from the counter.
His expression was thoughtful.
And a little nervous.
At two in the afternoon, Eli stepped outside to throw out trash.
The SuperMartX manager from the previous night stood near the entrance again.
He was speaking to a man in a gray suit.
Corporate type.
They both glanced toward The Corner Pocket.
The man in the suit asked something quietly.
The manager shrugged.
Eli couldn't hear the words.
But he knew the tone.
Dismissive.
Like discussing a minor inconvenience.
Eli finished tying the trash bag and walked back inside.
One day, he thought, they wouldn't be able to shrug so easily.
It came at 3:36 p.m.
The store phone rang again.
Mr. Duan picked it up before the second ring.
"Corner Pocket."
He listened.
His back straightened slightly.
"Yes… this is he."
Jin stopped mid-step.
Eli looked up from the register.
A pause stretched across the room.
Mr. Duan nodded slowly into the phone.
"I understand."
Another pause.
Then:
"Yes. We can come tomorrow morning."
He hung up.
The silence lasted about three seconds.
Then Jin burst out,
"Well?"
Mr. Duan looked at Eli.
"They didn't reject us."
Eli leaned forward slightly.
"So?"
"They want another meeting."
Jin groaned.
"That's it?"
Mr. Duan smiled faintly.
"We're lucky. That's more than most people get."
The store closed quietly that evening.
Sales weren't great.
But they weren't disastrous either.
As Eli locked the front door, he looked at the street.
SuperMartX still glowed brightly.
Customers still came and went.
But the small lantern strings outside Corner Pocket still hung there too.
A reminder of something different.
Jin stood beside the mural again.
"You nervous about tomorrow?" he asked.
Eli nodded.
"Very."
"What if they say no?"
Eli looked at the dragon painting stretching across the wall.
Then at the small glowing shop Jin had added beneath its tail.
"Then we figure something else out."
Jin nodded slowly.
Because somehow…
That answer felt believable.
Behind them, inside the darkened store, Mr. Duan quietly balanced the day's receipts.
Tomorrow morning would decide everything.
And none of them slept particularly well that night.