My capital is quite large.

Chapter 243 Payment War

As the saying goes, a new year brings a new look.

As the wheels of time rumbled into 2014, the people of China truly experienced the weight of this statement.

It seems that overnight, people's lifestyles were completely overturned!

Walking down the street, delivery riders in yellow or blue uniforms weave through the traffic like a swarm of locusts crossing a river.

Fewer people are standing in the cold wind shivering while waiting for taxis; everyone has started to take out their smartphones and open the ride-hailing app called Didi or Kuaidi.

Moreover, whether it's a high-end shopping mall or a street stall selling jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes), two square QR codes are neatly pasted on the cash register.

People were surprised to find that they no longer needed to carry wallets when they went out!

Having a meal or taking a taxi is as simple as scanning a QR code. It's not only convenient, but the platform even gives you red envelope coupons as a bonus!

"Is this a windfall?" This is the most direct feeling of countless ordinary people this New Year.

However, for business tycoons who are well-versed in capital operations, this is hardly a windfall.

This is clearly a massive, money-burning battle of the century!

Behind these flying subsidies and red envelopes is an unprecedented money-burning battle between Tencent's Pony Ma and Alibaba's Jack Ma for control of the most crucial payment gateway in the mobile internet era!

Just as the two Mas were fighting tooth and nail for market share, burning through tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies every day.

Li Feng, far away in Liangjiang, was sitting in the spectator stands, happily pumping water!

It's important to know that Haofeng Network holds original shares with equal voting rights in major O2O giants like Didi, Meituan, and Ele.me! No matter how much money Jack Ma and Pony Ma spend to support their agents, the valuation of Li Feng's shares keeps rising!

Not to mention, the amount of money these two companies spend on opening screen ads on Haofeng's Weibo and iQiyi every day in order to seize the high ground in public opinion and exposure is astronomical.

"Fight, fight as fiercely as possible. The livelihoods of millions of grain transport workers depend on this. The thicker the smoke of this payment war, the deeper Haofeng's moat will be."

This is Li Feng's assessment of the battle between the two Mas at the first quarter executive meeting.

…......

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom, escorted by several security SUVs, smoothly drove into Lijia Village.

As the biggest benefactor in Xuzhou and even the whole province, Li Feng returned to his hometown as usual on the eve of the Lunar New Year to arrange for his relatives and fellow villagers to celebrate the New Year.

The car door opened.

Li Feng got out of the car and glanced at the magnificent yet empty Zijin Mountain Chinese-style manor not far away. His deep eyes showed little emotion.

Following behind, Zhang Yuxi reported, "Boss, the New Year's gift list and red envelopes for the village elders have been loaded onto the truck and are ready. Also, we received a call from Hong Kong that the old master and madam's medical check-ups today were all normal. The two elders said that Hong Kong's climate is good for health, and they are worried that the young master might catch a cold from the cold winds in northern Jiangsu, so this year... this year he will stay in Hong Kong for the New Year and won't be coming back."

Li Feng gave a noncommittal "hmm," knowing full well that this was just an excuse from the two elders.

The special bond between grandparents and grandchildren is perfectly exemplified in this elderly couple. Since the arrival of their little darling, Li Maozhen, they haven't spent the Spring Festival in their hometown for two consecutive years.

But that's fine too, Hong Kong's security and medical care are world-class, so it saves him a lot of trouble.

"Let's go."

Li Feng straightened the collar of his coat and walked straight ahead.

Zhang Yuxi quickly put away her tablet, followed closely by several bodyguards carrying red envelopes.

Today, Lijia Village has undergone a complete transformation.

Along the smooth and wide two-way asphalt road, every household has built a three-story villa, and the yards are filled with joint venture cars worth tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Upon seeing Li Feng, this golden phoenix, approaching, the villagers all stopped and made way for him with expressions of awe.

Li Feng wore a polite smile and nodded respectfully to his elders.

Zhang Yuxi then stuffed thick red envelopes into the hands of the elderly and children.

"Second Uncle, are you still in good health?"

Li Feng walked into a small courtyard, shook hands with an old man, and said in a gentle tone, "The village's foundation has ample funds. If you have difficulties with medical treatment or schooling, you can apply for reimbursement anytime."

"Not difficult at all! Not difficult at all!"

Uncle Er was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He gripped Li Feng's hand tightly, saying, "Xiao Feng, we're living the high life now! All the young men in the village are working at your Xiaomi and Pop Mart factories. Not only do they get free room and board and social insurance and housing fund, but their salaries are said to be more than double that of Foxconn in the south! Now, everyone in the surrounding area envies our Li Family Village!"

Li Feng smiled and patted the old man's hand, not taking credit for his work.

He offered double the salary not as charity, and Haofeng Group does not make money by exploiting the meager surplus value of labor.

What he wants is a large workforce and public support.

After leaving his second uncle's house, Li Feng stopped and glanced at the rows of factories in the New City Economic Development Zone in the distance.

Hundreds of thousands of industrial workers have gathered here, giving this old industrial city an amazing vitality, and shops and restaurants have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Li Feng looked at this bustling scene and his brows twitched slightly.

Education is provided by Jinling University, healthcare is provided by top-tier hospitals, and employment is provided by super factories.

But I always feel like something is missing.

"Yu Xi," Li Feng said calmly.

"Boss, what are your orders?" Zhang Yuxi immediately stepped forward.

"Do we have any large-scale supermarkets in the prime location of the development zone?"

"No, boss. Wanda built a plaza over there, but we only received dividends from the cinema chain and commercial real estate; we didn't actually get involved in department store retail ourselves," Zhang Yuxi answered truthfully.

Li Feng didn't ask any more questions, his gaze fixed on the street ahead, lost in thought.

Mr. Shao donated a building, which earned him a century-old reputation; Li Feng invested heavily in building a factory, which earned him local protection.

But that's not enough. He wants to erect an indelible monument in the everyday lives of ordinary people, amidst the mundane details of firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

He didn't care about the profits in the retail industry, but he was attracted to the extreme model that treated customers like gods and employees like family.

"Zhang Yuxi, take note of the following adjustments I'm making." Li Feng's voice was firm and unquestionable.

"We will establish a wholly-owned new company called Haofeng Department Store. We will acquire land in the center of the development zone and build the largest comprehensive supermarket."

Zhang Yuxi quickly took notes on the tablet.

"Also, send a senior management team to Xu County in the Central Plains." Li Feng paused for a moment.

"Go and look up a supermarket called 'Pang Donglai'."

"Take down their salary and benefits system, vacation policy, and after-sales process of refund if you are not satisfied, word for word, and apply it to Haofeng Department Store."

"Execute regardless of cost."

Zhang Yuxi's fingers paused slightly.

As the chief secretary to President Haofeng, her mind was naturally filled with data from major internet companies, yet she had never heard of the name of this remote local supermarket.

She didn't understand why the boss would copy the model of a small supermarket in Central China, nor did she understand what the phrase "regardless of cost" meant.

But she didn't ask; three years of discipline had already nipped her curiosity in the bud.

"Yes, boss. I'll arrange for the team to go to Xuxian tonight," Zhang Yuxi replied respectfully.