Chapter 168 - 132: Case Established! [The ’He Came from Hell’ Case!]

When you want to open a store, you need to look at the nearby foot traffic. And it has to be effective foot traffic—the kind of people who see your store and will actually come in to buy something.

If you open up shop just outside the guardrails of a highway, it doesn’t matter how many people drive by. They can’t stop their cars!

This is what ordinary shopkeepers need to consider.

But if your goals go beyond that, if you have grander ambitions, then there’s a lot more you need to plan for in advance.

"I’ll go do some market research!"

Wang Chao said excitedly.

"I’ll check out the main consumer demographic, what they’re buying, and what their preferences are!"

With that, he was gone in a flash.

Observing this data was a tedious process, but Wang Chao enjoyed it immensely.

So Xu Huo just let him run wild.

As for the store’s renovation...

He hired a well-reputed renovation company, with the cost estimated to be between fifty thousand and one hundred thousand.

He also bought some new equipment, which made Chu Xi’s eyes sparkle.

Of course, the most unique thing during the renovation was...

Li Jianye showed up.

He wore his police uniform and smiled as he looked over Wang Chao’s business plan.

The construction workers were all terrified, thinking Xu Huo had hired a cop specifically to watch them work.

Li Jianye didn’t say a word.

He just watched in silence, that smile never leaving his face.

And he came every single day during the renovation!

「December 2nd.」

「On the snack street.」

"Boss, one savory crepe, please."

It was the middle of the day, and Wang Chao was in high spirits.

"What do you want on it?"

the lady running the tricycle street stall asked.

"Add some spicy gluten strips and chicken tenders," Wang Chao said.

"Spicy gluten strips and chicken tenders? Son, what in the world is that? You still callin’ that a savory crepe!?"

The lady was so incensed she slipped into her hometown dialect, sounding like she was performing a comedy skit.

"Alright, just make me two regular ones then," Wang Chao said.

Only then did the lady relent, proceeding to add the normal fillings.

A few moments later, the fragrant aroma filled the air. She wrapped the crepes in special paper, put them in a plastic bag, and handed them to Wang Chao.

"Ma’am, how come I don’t see any young people eating here?"

Wang Chao didn’t eat right away. He set the food down by a nearby tree and struck up a casual conversation.

"Hah, there are plenty of young people. You should come and see for yourself at night."

"It’s packed with young folks wandering the night market. See those roadside stir-fry stalls over there? The people running those make way more money than office workers in some company!"

the woman said.

Street stalls are very profitable.

Some people might set up a stall for a week and only make a few dozen yuan; they’re clearly not serious about making money this way.

If you take a look, you’ll see the things they sell just aren’t popular.

For example, some sell little adult toys... normal plastic ones, I mean, not the kind for ’nighttime use.’

But things like the street-side stir-fry stalls in the small night markets? Those are huge money-makers!

A day’s revenue can easily be a few thousand—say, 1,500 to 2,000 is normal. As for the profit margin...

Let’s put it this way: in the food service industry, if your profit is only half the selling price, you’re considered incredibly conscientious!

A roadside stir-fry stall doesn’t need to pay rent, either. You just have to give the city inspectors a little something, and you’re pretty much set.

The ones selling braised duck necks also make a killing.

It’s just that not many people talk about this stuff openly. If you have the free time and the skill, it’s worth a shot after doing your research.

"What about those bubble tea shops? How’s their business?" Wang Chao asked.

"It’s all kids. They love that sickly sweet stuff. They’d be better off eating one of Auntie’s crepes—nutritious and healthy."

the lady declared.

Wang Chao was lost in thought.

As he was thinking, he reached over to grab his food, but his hand found only empty air. He whipped his head around to look.

"Huh?"

"Where’s my food!?"

Wang Chao was horrified. The food he had just bought had vanished without a trace!

"Heh, you new here, sonny?"

"There are a lot of thieves around here. They don’t really steal money, but food goes missing all the time."

The lady chuckled.

Wang Chao’s face darkened.

He was about to leave when the lady grabbed him and held out her hand.

"Pay up."

"But I didn’t get to eat it."

"Stop with the nonsense. Pay up."

Wang Chao’s face flushed red with indignation, but he relented. Still, he said stubbornly:

"Make me another one! And this time, I want an extra egg!"

The lady couldn’t be bothered to argue and just started working her two spatulas.

In the end, Wang Chao paid for three crepes and only got to eat one.

He walked away, fighting back tears.

A while later, he returned to where Xu Huo and the others were.

"Hm? Why the long face, kid?"

Inside the shop, Xu Huo felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he looked at Wang Chao.

The cake shop had opened for business in the last couple of days, so they were all spending their time there.

"I didn’t get enough to eat!"

Wang Chao said mournfully.

"What are you talking about?" Xu Huo was confused. He remembered giving Wang Chao spending money after becoming the boss.

’How could he not have had enough to eat?’

"My food got stolen!"

"Son of a bitch," Wang Chao muttered under his breath.

Hearing this, Xu Huo couldn’t help but laugh.

’Stealing people’s takeout was a common thing in his previous life, but he didn’t expect Wang Chao to experience it firsthand now.’

"What about yesterday’s leftover bread?"

Xu Huo turned to Chu Xi.

Chu Xi had been very happy the last couple of days, humming songs while making all sorts of delicious things. She made a lot, but because the shop hadn’t built a reputation yet, a bunch of day-old bread went unsold.

Some types of bread couldn’t be kept overnight, so Xu Huo usually disposed of the day’s leftovers.

They didn’t have any other employees to help eat it, and there were no charities or churches nearby to donate to, so they had no choice but to throw it away. This made Chu Xi very sad, and she had started baking much less as a result.

"Huh? Where did it go?"

Xu Huo rummaged around for a moment but couldn’t find any, raising an eyebrow.

There wasn’t much bread left over from last night, but there had definitely been some. He was certain he hadn’t sold it and that no one had eaten it.

’So that bread... how did it disappear?’

"Brother Huo, don’t tell me the bread got stolen, too."

Wang Chao scratched his head. "That crepe lady did say a lot of people steal things around here."