In his past life, Yi Anguo had yearned to return to his hometown in glory, but he never realized this wish before he died. It wasn't for lack of trying; life was just incredibly difficult. He worked hard to make money, to give his daughter a better life, to buy a house, and to pay off the mortgage. But when it came to his hometown, he both wanted to return and feared doing so.

Most of the time, he would only make a hasty trip back home during the Qingming Festival to sweep the tombs, staying just a night or two at his elder sister's place. His own house had long since fallen into disrepair and was uninhabitable. Tidying it up was too much trouble, and staying there for just one or two nights didn't seem worth it. He would take his daughter into the city to have fun, buy her clothes, get her tasty treats, and visit the park.

Those were probably the days his daughter looked forward to the most each year, but the time was always short-lived, and soon they would have to part ways again. At first, every parting saw his daughter crying bitterly, heartbroken and clinging to her father, unwilling to let go. Later, as his daughter grew older and became more sensible, or perhaps simply grew accustomed to the separations, she became quiet and withdrawn, no longer crying or shedding tears.

Now, fate had granted him a second chance. He was capable, and things were different. It was time to return home in triumph and let everyone in the village know that he had done well for himself. He planned to build a beautiful, large house in the village so that his parents could smile in the afterlife. But now wasn't the right time to return; he still had so much to do!

In late March, Iran adamantly refused to comply with United Nations resolutions to halt its uranium enrichment activities. It was resolutely pursuing the development of its own nuclear arsenal, causing the situation in the Middle East to suddenly become extremely tense. As a result, international crude oil prices skyrocketed. A large number of international hedge funds entered the crude oil futures market, stirring up trouble and inflating prices to make huge profits. The price of international crude oil futures shot up from 60 to 70 US dollars a barrel in a very short time and remained high.

In 2006, the domestic stock market continued to rise. Many people began to realize that a bull market was truly on its way, but many others were still just watching from the sidelines, worried this favorable market was just a flash in the pan. The bold seized the opportunity and entered the market, while the timid missed the best chance to get in.

After its establishment, Taobao faced a super-strong rival, eBay. After a fierce battle, Taobao found itself at a critical juncture, facing life or death. eBay secretly met with Taobao's biggest investor, Shen Zhengyi, offering him an irresistible deal to buy his shares, which would allow them to oust Taobao's founder. At this critical moment, Taobao's founder flew to the United States and secretly met with the founder of Yahoo. The two parties reached a strategic cooperation agreement. Yahoo invested one billion US dollars in Taobao and merged Yahoo! China into Taobao, enabling a remarkable counterattack. In 2005, Taobao achieved a transaction volume of 8 billion yuan, surpassing Walmart China to become the largest shopping website in Asia, thoroughly defeating eBay.

Anjing Online Supermarket chose this moment to launch. Was it trying to become Taobao's enemy? In any case, Yi Anguo had no intention of making an enemy of Taobao, but whether Taobao would feel the same was another matter entirely.

Just before the launch, Yi Anguo held a meeting with the startup team to discuss the final preparations. "Everything is ready, but we're still missing one last crucial piece," Yi Anguo began. "Anjing Online Supermarket's payment options will include not only Anjing Pay but also internet banking, UnionPay cards, and cash on delivery. After all, online shopping isn't very popular yet, and many people don't trust internet platforms. Cash on delivery can alleviate that concern. Customers can pay once they've received the goods and are satisfied, or simply refuse the delivery if they're not."

"All the preparations for the launch are complete, but my biggest worry now is whether the technical department can keep up," Yi Anguo continued, expressing his concern.

"With a shopping platform, the main concerns are malicious hacker attacks, site stability, and the computing power of the data center.

"Any problem in these areas could be a fatal blow to our newly launched site.

"And we absolutely cannot make mistakes with product pricing. If a ten-yuan item, due to a misplaced decimal point, is listed as one yuan and people maliciously place orders, our losses would be immense.

"So, before we officially go live, everyone must meticulously screen everything to prevent any problems."

「May 1, 2006, the official launch day of Anjing Online Supermarket.」

At 8:00 a.m., the website officially went live. Before this, Yi Haiyang had already contacted a large number of paid internet promoters to advertise Anjing Online Supermarket on local Shenzhen forums.

Five minutes after going live, the visitor count exceeded one hundred. The site received its first confirmed order for a total of 27.30 yuan, with the customer choosing cash on delivery.

Ten minutes after launch, the visitor count exceeded two hundred, and the site saw its first customer link a bank card and pay using Anjing Pay.

Thirty minutes after going live, the visitor count exceeded three hundred, and the total transaction value broke five hundred yuan.

One hour after going live, the visitor count exceeded five hundred, and the total transaction volume surpassed one thousand yuan.

By midnight on its first day, the online supermarket's cumulative visitor count exceeded 10,000. There were more than 1,800 transactions, totaling 33,161 yuan. The average per transaction was less than twenty yuan, and many items purchased were discounted special offers. Quite a few people ordered something as small as a single bottled drink or mineral water, and even then, they chose cash on delivery. The number of registered Anjing Pay users was only 831.

With such results, the company naturally couldn't be profitable, but Yi Anguo wasn't disappointed. He thought it was a decent start.

He recalled that when Taobao first went online, its total transaction volume for about eight months of its first year was only 34 million yuan. That averaged out to just over four million yuan a month, or about 140,000 yuan a day. When Taobao launched, it targeted the entire nation's internet users, whereas Anjing Online Supermarket was only targeting users in Shenzhen City. Furthermore, only users in the Shenzhen City Center could actually place orders. Many people who visited the site could only browse, as service wasn't available in their area. Under these circumstances, a transaction volume of over 30,000 yuan on the first day was already quite impressive.

If we opened up service to all of Shenzhen City, I believe doubling or even tripling the transaction amount wouldn't be a problem. The most important thing is that this was just the first day, with only 16 hours of operation. While not many people would visit after midnight, it would still add to the total. The next steps are more advertising and expanding our service area to, at the very least, cover all of Shenzhen City.

By this time, customers who had placed orders before 3:00 p.m. had already received their items. Many were extremely satisfied with their shopping experience. The delivery speed was incredibly fast, and the couriers' service was warm and friendly. For cash-on-delivery orders, the couriers even brought their own change. For instance, one customer bought a bottle of iced tea for 2.30 yuan. When it arrived, they considered returning it because they didn't have exact change, or else just giving the courier three yuan. But the courier simply pulled out the prepared change. The customer who wanted to return it no longer had the heart to, and the courier didn't take the extra money from the customer who offered it.

They had received strict training before starting their jobs; if a customer complained about being overcharged, they could be fired. In addition, these couriers also posted shopping posters for Anjing Online Supermarket in the residential communities on their routes. The posters featured discounted products that were cheaper than in physical supermarkets, promising home delivery within 24 hours. Orders placed before 3:00 p.m. would be delivered the same day, while orders placed after 3:00 p.m. would be delivered before noon the next day.

On the second day, the visitor count rose to over 15,000, a fifty percent increase from the first day. Both the transaction volume and total value also rose by more than fifty percent. The total transaction value exceeded 50,000 yuan, and there were already a good number of repeat customers. The number of Anjing Pay registrations reached two thousand. Many customers who had chosen cash on delivery the day before were now opting for Anjing Pay.

Meanwhile, discussions among netizens began to appear on local online forums.

"Anjing Online Supermarket's service is awesome! The prices are low, and they deliver right to your door. I bought stuff this morning, and it was here by the afternoon."

"I placed an order in the afternoon and had it in my hands before evening."

"Physical supermarkets are too crowded these days. You have to wait forever just to pay. Shopping at an online supermarket is way more convenient and cheaper, plus they deliver, so you don't even have to leave the house."

"Exactly! Every time I do a big grocery run, I end up lugging heavy bags home. It's a killer. It's so much better to just order online and have it delivered! The prices are good too—it's a super great deal."

"Have you guys noticed? That Anjing Online Supermarket also has a bunch of physical convenience stores, and their service is really good too."

"Yeah, but the prices are a little more expensive than the online store!"

"Well, of course. The physical stores have to pay rent and hire staff. It makes sense that things are a bit pricier."

"Wait, are the Anjing convenience stores related to the Anjing Online Supermarket?"

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