Sean's telegram was quite long. Though their destination was New York, under Kevin's guidance, they quickly tracked down several building material distributors and found themselves in New Jersey at actual production plants.
In the telegram, Sean wrote that the building materials they saw were evolving rapidly, with many already implemented in real-world projects. In particular, the massive Levittown-style suburban housing project organized by the New York City government left them amazed with its use of new materials and modular construction.
Sean also described how Kevin, upon seeing all this, couldn't stop repeating, "Times have changed!"
While many large manufacturers rejected their small orders, numerous smaller plants around those large companies were happy to accommodate them. Sean and the others had already split up and begun negotiations, hoping to bring back some samples.
The stream of good news put Leo in a great mood, and he enjoyed dinner with his family in high spirits.
Italian family meals were always lively, but one sentence from Leo's uncle shattered the pleasant atmosphere:
"I'm planning to sell the grocery store."
Leo's fiery-tempered aunt immediately snapped back,
"That was left to us by Papa. You can't just sell it!"
"Papa already gave it to me," the uncle retorted.
"But I didn't give you permission to sell it," Leo's usually quiet grandfather said calmly.
"Papa, business is tough now. That damned neighbor joined the Franklin Grocery Store chain.
That's a major chain with excellent logistics and lower costs—unlike our store.
Everything's in short supply these days. We can't get stock, and even our longtime neighbors have betrayed us.
It's not sustainable anymore. We've lost $2,000 in the last six months!"
No sooner had he finished than Ricardo, who had been quietly eating, spoke:
"Brother, I remember the Franklin sales rep came to you first.
Didn't you tell me, 'What kind of fool would give away their hard-earned money to someone else?'"
His words made the uncle's face twist awkwardly.
"I—I didn't expect things to get this bad...
Anyway, I can't keep it running. I'm in debt too.
I've already spoken with the neighbor. They agreed to buy the store for $13,000."
"And where will Papa live after you sell the house?" Leo's aunt asked angrily.
"My brother in New York is doing well. He says Italians are untouchable there now.
As long as you're brave and hardworking, there's opportunity everywhere."
The aunt-in-law chimed in,
"That's right. We can rely on my younger brother."
She even held up her wrist to show off a gold bracelet:
"This is a gift from him—solid gold."
When Leo learned from his cousin Lucas that his uncle was leaving, he figured this drama was unavoidable. So he kept eating, not intending to intervene.
Next to him, Emily whispered quietly,
"That bracelet's gold-plated, not real."
She didn't say it loudly, but Leo's sharp-eared aunt caught it instantly. Before Leo could stop her, she declared triumphantly,
"That's gold-plated!"
Those two words were like stepping on the uncle's tail—he shot up, shouting,
"What do you know? Have you ever even touched real gold?"
The tension rose. The aunt stood too, firing back,
"Maybe I don't, but Emily's a rich girl. She's worn plenty of gold jewelry—she can tell the difference."
"She's just a small-town bumpkin! That bracelet's from New York!"
The uncle's insult stung. Emily looked both hurt and angry, but this was Leo's family dinner. She couldn't talk back.
Leo gently wiped a tear from her cheek with a napkin, then stood up and coldly addressed his uncle:
"Apologize."
His uncle hesitated, already regretting his words but too proud to back down.
"Leo, I'm your uncle."
"Apologize." Leo rolled up his sleeves.
"Ricardo, look what kind of son you raised. He used to steal from the store as a kid—now he wants to hit his elders. You've disgraced our Italian traditions."
"Apologize."
Leo didn't wait for Ricardo to speak. He grabbed his uncle by the collar.
Everyone panicked. Lucas and the aunt-in-law rushed to stop Leo, but their efforts were useless—Leo didn't budge an inch.
"Leo, he's your uncle."
Leo's grandfather finally spoke from the head of the table.
Respecting his grandfather, Leo released the collar and said:
"It's simple enough to check—scratch the surface. If it's gold, I'll pay for the damage.
If it's not, you apologize to Emily."
"I'm sorry, Emily. I shouldn't have said that."
The uncle knew the truth and owned up without protest.
The mood was ruined. Dinner was over.
"If any of you want that mess of a grocery store, give me $1,000.
And don't say I didn't warn you—it's got $2,000 in debt."
Later, as the family dispersed, Leo and Emily took a walk through the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains and returned home at night.
Ricardo looked like he had something to say, but Leo had no interest in taking over the store. He had enough on his plate.
"I heard Italians care deeply about family. Did today's incident upset you?"
Emily asked while lying in his arms.
"No."
"Good, because I was going to comfort you if you were upset… but I guess you don't need that."
She licked her lips playfully, teasing as she turned away to sleep.
This little minx was learning fast. Leo, pretending to be gloomy, said:
"I'm heartbroken… desperately in need of your comfort."
Elsewhere, in a vivid lucid dream:
"Why are we watching a Walmart documentary? We sell range hoods,"
A Mediterranean man asked Leo.
Leo realized he was back in one of his lucid dreams.
This scene looked familiar—probably from a product distributor training session years ago.
He barely remembered anything about the actual session. What stuck in his mind was the excellent "services" offered by a hostess across the street.
The voiceover continued:
"After WWII, Sam Walton borrowed money from his father-in-law to start a Franklin Grocery Store franchise.
Within years, he revolutionized retail by launching supermarkets in suburban areas.
Later, he innovated again with the concept of 'Sam's Club,' opening a new world of retail…"
Leo awoke.
Walmart. Retail. A cash cow!
Wait a minute—forget Walmart.
In the future, there could only be Leo's Membership Store.