Chapter 1211: Not Discouraged Again It was the start of a new week, and Xiao Ying and Dan Dan soon caught up with Lu Yun. Fortunately, since Lu Yun first came into view, Xiao Ying hadn't sensed any ill intentions from him. His confidence was truly growing—now he dared to take advantage of Xiao Man's favors so openly. If he weren't warned properly now, who knew what kind of trouble might arise in the future. The school was still in sight. With renewed effort, Lu Yun parked his bicycle at the school gate and invited Xiao Ying and Dan Dan to accompany Ling Xiaoman into the school. Meanwhile, Lu Yun walked alone to the convenience store. As soon as he saw the store, he found himself thinking of Mrs. Liu. Though she has passed away, the sight only deepened his sense of nostalgia and sorrow. After setting down his bicycle, Lu Yun stepped inside the convenience store. At that moment, the store was still not crowded with students. The middle-aged man with a half-shaved head, seeing Lu Yun enter, immediately smiled warmly and asked, "What would you like to buy?" Lu Yun shook his head, taking in the room he had known so well for so long. The middle-aged man, seeing that Lu Yun didn't seem like a customer coming to buy goods, suddenly had a thought and frowned, saying, "Ah, I remember you. You came last Saturday—wasn't it to find out if Mrs. Liu was still here?" Lu Yun shook his head again. Mrs. Liu had already left without a word. Even if he wanted to find her, where would he begin? "Then what do you want? Don't you mind getting in the way of my business," the man said, quite unceremoniously, making Lu Yun wonder if, with such an attitude, this small store wouldn't eventually be turned into a yellow store. Lu Yun didn't mind at all, simply smiled calmly. "How much did Mrs. Liu's small store sell for?" he asked. On hearing this, the middle-aged man stiffened, looking at Lu Yun with suspicion. "You kid, what are you after? How much it sold for is my business—do you really think you're going to open another small store at the school and compete with me?" Lu Yun was quite annoyed by the middle-aged man's words. Man, you bald old geezer, always calling me "old man"—well, I'm going to grass you to the ground! Though he was furious, Lu Yun hadn't come to argue. He had come specifically to secure the convenience store. Although Mrs. Liu had moved on, the store held countless cherished memories for him. With several tens of thousands of yuan in hand, he was fully capable of taking over the store. In fact, he had already planned that after the acquisition, he would hand it over to his third sister to manage. Compared to working in the fields, the store's annual income alone was a strong point—just the relief from sun and rain made it worth every sacrifice. No matter what it took, Lu Yun was determined to take over the store. Therefore, Lu Yun forcibly suppressed his inner anger and calmly smiled, saying, "Uncle, why are you so upset? I'm not here to find fault with you or fight you. In fact, I'm just trying to purchase this convenience store from you. As for the price, rest assured—I'll make sure you don't suffer any loss." Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man burst out laughing. What a joke! A young, inexperienced boy like Lu Yun, claiming he wanted to buy this convenience store? Looking at Lu Yun's attire, the man simply couldn't see any sign that he belonged to the wealthy class. Even if he did, why would a wealthy youth be interested in buying such a modest store? Though the store might save the family a few tens of thousands of yuan annually, wouldn't a wealthy youth find that amount insignificant? "You're kidding me, aren't you? It's already morning—go on, if you're not going to buy anything, just head off to wherever it's cool." The middle-aged man waved his hand impatiently, as if Land Yun were an absolutely unbearable fly that he desperately wanted to swat senseless with a single palm. "Just give me a price," Land Yun smiled and continued, "As long as it's not outrageous, I'll guarantee you a solid profit. This convenience store does make a little money each year—surely you know that. But after school hours, the place is always packed. People take advantage of the crowd, fishing for lost items—every day, we lose at least eighty, maybe even a hundred. I'm sure you've experienced that firsthand." Land Yun's words struck right at the heart of the matter. After taking over the convenience store, the middle-aged man found that even though it was a Saturday when students were on vacation, quite a few people still came in to shop. Indeed, as Lu Yun had said, the store had sold goods totaling around 150 to 160 yuan that day—yet when he finally checked the shelves and counters, he noticed that at least 200 yuan worth of stock was missing, and the remaining 70 to 80 yuan had been quietly taken by some careless students. Seeing the middle-aged man hesitating, Lu Yun didn't rush. He simply brought a small stool and sat down. There was still some time before class began, so Lu Yun had no need to hurry. At that moment, suddenly, about a dozen boys poured into the convenience store, bustling around and gathering at the counter. Seeing the flow of customers, the middle-aged man no longer paused to think—he hurried over to greet them. Lu Yun sat calmly on the stool, smiling as he watched the group of boys. Clearly, these weren't there just to buy things—they must have found success in their earlier attempts, and now came together to steal two yuan for the price of one. "Boss, get me a popsicle," one of the boys began to shift the middle-aged man's attention. The man hurried off to the refrigerator in the west corner, frequently glancing back at the group of boys with cautious eyes. Quite alert indeed—yet how could he possibly outmaneuver these boys who had already mastered the art of picking up items without paying? Just as the manager turned to bend down and grab a popsicle, a young man swiftly moved across the counter, reaching up to take a package of ham and cheese rolls from the shelf—disappearing smoothly before the middle-aged man even noticed. At the same time, several other young men made their moves, targeting items like peanuts, instant noodles, or other snacks. Some reached inside the counter, aiming at products they had already selected, grabbing a few ballpoint pens and slipping them into their pockets. They took only a few items at a time, so the middle-aged man wouldn’t notice any shortages immediately.