Eli got home in the Evening
Eli sat at his small kitchen table, a bowl of Jin's leftover tomato egg noodles steaming beside him. His old laptop, which was four years outdated and covered in faint sticker outlines, made loud as it struggled to keep up. Each time he switched the tab it came with a half-second delay, the fan making sounds like it had asthma.
He tapped his fingers impatiently while waiting for the cursor to move to the other side of the screen and the community page to load. Then, finally, it responded. He uploaded a rough draft of the flyer he and Jin had sketched out earlier that evening.
At the top, in bold, cheerful letters:
Briggon Block Day – This Saturday!Free games, local food, live music, and giveaways!
Celebrate the people who make this district feel like home.
Underneath was a hand-drawn sketch of The Corner Pocket, traced in digital pencil by Jin with a wobbly tablet. "It looks like it's smiling," Jin had said with a soft grin.
The upload bar froze at 92% for what felt like a full minute. Eli leaned back, muttering, "Come on, come on," before it finally completed and posted to the Briggon Community social media group.
He hit "Send" on the caption:
#SupportLocal #BlockDay #BriggonStrong
Then waited.
The spinning wheel spun for another thirty seconds before the first comment rolled in:
"This looks amazing! I'll be there with my kids!"
Then another:
"Finally something that actually supports the people of Briggon, not just SuperMartX junk!"
And by 9:00 PM, the post had been shared seventeen times. At 10:02 PM, Mrs. Yang replied:
"I'll bring 200 dumplings, first hour's free. You boys better save me a table."
Eli smiled, saving the comment manually, just in case his laptop crashed before morning.
Eli then went to bed, smiling, knowing that his plan will be put into motion the next day.
June 2 – Friday Morning
Blue Fern Apartments – 7:38 AM
Eli stood at the bathroom sink, brushing his teeth with one hand while his other tapped through the System interface on his phone. The familiar "Daily Sign-In Complete" chime rang out softly.
+10,000 yuan received.
Eli's phone buzzed with a notification and after opening the notification he realised it was from the bank confirming the payment recieved.
Current Balance: 128,000 yuan
He paused, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. The number still surprised him, even now. Just a few months ago, he'd barely scraped by delivering food and washing dishes in a dingy street restaurant. Now, he was quietly managing community events, funding The Corner Pocket, and… somehow keeping Jin fed and laughing.
He spat, rinsed, and glanced toward the living room. Jin was still curled up under a blanket on the sofa, mouth slightly open, headphones hanging loosely from one ear. On the coffee table: a plate of half-eaten crackers and a pile of Block Day flyers he'd sorted before falling asleep.
Eli walked into the kitchen, cracked a few eggs, and got breakfast started. The hum of the kettle filled the silence, and for a moment, life felt... steady. Not safe, exactly, but stable. Like something was building.
His phone buzzed again.
New Message from Mr. Duan:"We're almost there. Chairs arrive at noon. Bakery confirmed donation of 60 buns. Also… a reporter from Dragon City Times just asked for an interview."
Eli blinked. Then grinned.
Dragon City Times.That was not small-time.Block Day wasn't just a feel-good idea anymore. It was catching fire.
He poured the eggs into the pan, the soft sizzle a grounding sound as his thoughts raced.
They were about to go head-to-head with a corporate machine, and for the first time, it felt like they might actually hold their ground.
Eli texted back: "Don't worry. I'll handle the interview. Let's make this count."
He hit send, then opened his notes app and began sketching out talking points between bites of scrambled eggs. Words like community, local roots, and resilience flashed across the screen. He didn't want to sound rehearsed, but he didn't want to let the district down, either.
Eli then left instructions for Jin before he left for school.
Later That Morning – The Corner Pocket
By 11:15 AM, the store's backroom looked like a party planning headquarters.
Plastic crates filled with hand-painted signs lined the walls. Volunteers filtered in, young couples, seniors, two high school kids with a portable speaker playing tinny pop music. Jin showed up around noon carrying a rolled-up vinyl banner and a big thermos of iced tea he'd made that morning.
Mr. Duan stood near the delivery entrance, directing a few men as they unloaded collapsible chairs from a small truck. "Sixty buns arrived an hour ago. Still warm," he said with a smile. "Mrs. Yang came in personally and told me I better give her the best corner booth."
"Fair," Eli laughed. "She basically bought that corner with dumplings."
Mr. Duan leaned in, lowering his voice. "You ready for the interview? Reporter should be here in thirty minutes."
Eli exhaled. "As ready as I'll ever be."
12:45 PM – In Front of The Corner Pocket
The reporter from Dragon City Times was a lean man in his thirties, polite but sharp-eyed, with a notepad tucked under his arm and a small voice recorder clipped to his shirt. He introduced himself as Kevin Juhk, and after a firm handshake, they sat at one of the newly-arrived folding tables under a shady tarp.
"Let's talk about what this is," Yuan said, clicking on the recorder. "Block Day. It's not just a sale. What are you all really trying to do here?"
Eli hesitated for a moment, then looked around.
Two elderly neighbors were helping string lights between shop awnings. Jin was laughing with a pair of kids testing sidewalk chalk. The scent of fresh buns drifted from the store's front counter.
Eli met the reporter's gaze. "We're trying to remind people that this place isn't just where they shop. It's where they live. Briggon isn't just square footage and price tags, it's relationships, memories, names you don't forget even when times get hard."
kevin nodded thoughtfully. "So it's about… reclaiming space?"
"Exactly," Eli said. "SuperMartX has money. But we have people. This community matters to the corner pocket."
"So how does The Corner Pocket plan to compete with a giant like SuperMartX?" the reporter pressed, adjusting his recorder slightly. "Their parent company is valued at 2.6 billion yuan. At the end of the day, they can offer deals a small business like yours simply can't match. People might choose cheaper goods."
Eli didn't answer right away. He glanced across the street, toward the families setting up booths, the painted banners swaying in the afternoon breeze.
"I hope it doesn't come to that," he said quietly. "But I won't lie, it's a real possibility."
The reporter leaned in. "And if it does?"
Eli nodded slowly. "Then I'll sit down with Mr. Duan—my business partner—and we'll have to talk seriously about the future of the store. About what we can do next, and what this place still means to the community."
He paused, then added with firmer conviction, "But today isn't about losing. It's about reminding people what local really looks like faces, not logos. Stories, not sales."
The reporter scribbled something down, then looked up, his tone a little softer now. "Fair answer."
By the time the interview ended, kevin was smiling. "You've got a good story here, Eli. I think it'll land well."
3:20 PM – Back Inside
Eli slumped into a chair next to Jin, who offered him a cold bottle of tea. "You survived?"
"Barely," Eli said, eyes closed. "He asked real questions."
"That's because this is real," Jin replied. Then added with a smirk, "Also, your left eyebrow twitches when you're nervous."
Eli chuckled. "Great. That'll look amazing in photos."
By afternoon, the storefront was buzzing. Banners were up. Vendors were confirmed. Even a local band had offered to do a half-hour set, no charge.
And the flyer? Over 200 shares by 6 PM.
Block Day was more than just happening. It was becoming something big.