Chapter 20: The Blueprint Unfolds

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Bingwen gave all his employees a day off.

He and his parents stayed in the shop to tally their earnings. Over the seven days of the Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair, the four stalls under the Chen’s Sweet Soup banner had generated a total revenue of over 580,000 Hong Kong dollars. After accounting for labor, materials, the 55,000-dollar bidding fee, and various miscellaneous expenses, the total cost came to approximately 320,000 dollars.

In just seven days, Chen Bingwen had cleared a profit of 267,000 dollars. Even after repaying his 80,000-dollar loan, he was left with 187,600 Hong Kong dollars in cash.

187,600 Hong Kong dollars.

The seven-day frenzy at the Victoria Park Fair had yielded Chen Bingwen his first true pot of gold. Looking at the figure in the bankbook, Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen stood by, their eyes wide, deliberately breathing softly. It was as if a loud sound might cause this mountain of wealth to vanish like a bubble.

"Ah Wen... is... is this all money we’ve earned?" Chen Guofu asked, his fingers subconsciously rubbing the corner of his shirt.

"Yes, Dad. The final payments from the fair were settled yesterday. After deducting all costs, bonuses, wages, and the 80,000-dollar loan to Wing Lung Bank, our net profit is 187,000."

One hundred and eighty-seven thousand—in 1978 Hong Kong, this was an astronomical sum that an ordinary worker could not save in twenty years of scrimping and saving.

Wang Qiaozhen looked at her son: "Ah Wen, with so much money, what do you plan to do? Save some? Buy property?"

Having been poor her entire life, suddenly coming into such unimaginable wealth, Wang Qiaozhen’s heart harbored only the simple wishes of an ordinary citizen.

Chen Bingwen shook his head. Although the three of them were still living in the shop, he had no intention of buying a home yet. Renting an apartment in a couple of days would be sufficient; his capital had to be used where it would be most effective.

He walked to the wall and pointed to the map of Hong Kong hanging there. "Dad, Mom, the fair proved two things: First, our sweet soup has a market, and a huge one at that. Second, our model—central kitchen production with mobile stalls and kiosks—is viable and highly efficient."

With the Chen’s Food Factory running three shifts, they had met the demand for tens of thousands of bowls of sweet soup daily, proving the feasibility of the central kitchen model. His finger tapped heavily on the dense cluster of industrial zone markings in the Kowloon area on the map.

"The next step is the mobile stalls in the industrial zones. We must continue, and we must expand! Now that we have the food factory as our backbone, production capacity is not an issue. Previously, we only covered a few buildings near Cheung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok—that’s far from enough! Shek Kip Mei, Kwun Tong... every place in Kowloon where workers gather must have a Chen’s mobile stall. My goal is to set up at least twenty locations!"

"Twenty locations?!" Chen Guofu gasped. "How many staff and carts would that take?"

"For carts, we’ll use modified tricycles; they’re low-cost and flexible. Each location will have two people: one for sales, one for maintaining order and restocking." Chen Bingwen had long since planned this. "As for personnel, we’ll promote the core staff from our current workers. We hired fifty people, and after the experience at the fair, they’re all skilled hands—it would be a waste not to use them. Besides that, Zhong Qiang will oversee the Cheung Sha Wan factory to ensure production never stops. As for Ah Hai, he will take charge of the scheduling, management, and training for all mobile points."

Wang Qiaozhen, hearing these numbers, asked instinctively: "Twenty locations... just buying the carts will cost a lot of money, right?"

Chen Bingwen tapped the bankbook gently. "This money must be spent. A mature mobile point can easily sell one or two hundred bowls of sweet soup a day; twenty points means three to four thousand bowls! After costs, the profit will more than cover the expansion and leave a large surplus. More importantly, it will firmly embed the 'Chen’s Sweet Soup' brand into the daily lives of every worker. That is an intangible asset!"

To Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen, the concept of a brand was still very basic; they could not imagine the series of commercial operations that could be built around a brand to maximize its value. Chen Bingwen did not intend to explain the intricacies of branding to them right now; explaining brand operations thoroughly was not something that could be done in a short time.

He shifted the conversation, pointing to the bustling commercial centers on the map: "Industrial zones alone aren't enough. Central, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui on Hong Kong Island, and Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon... in these places, the white-collar workers in office buildings, shoppers, and tourists have stronger purchasing power and higher demands. I plan to open 'Chen’s Sweet Soup Stations' in these areas!"

"Sweet Soup Stations?" Chen Guofu felt unfamiliar with the new term.

"Yes," Chen Bingwen nodded. "Standardized shops. They don't need large storefronts; a small 10-to-20-square-foot frontage, or even a bright counter in a shopping mall, is enough. The key is: eye-catching locations, cleanliness, and simple operations. We won't do complex cooking in the shops. All sweet soups and snacks will be prepared in the central kitchen and delivered in thermal buckets. The staff only needs to bowl the soup, sell it, and collect the money. It’s like an upgraded, fixed version of our Victoria Park stall."

Chen Bingwen continued: "Following the success at the fair, we will use a unified red-and-gold sign, unified uniforms, and unified service procedures. No kitchen means lower rent and fewer staff. We rely on the standardized production of the central kitchen and a fast delivery network. One or two employees can run a shop! These 'Sweet Soup Stations' require little investment, are easy to replicate, and attract customers through brand and convenience. We’ll start by finding a street corner in Sham Shui Po or a new shopping mall to open our first pilot."

"That’s good!" Chen Guofu’s eyes lit up. "It’s easy to manage and looks high-end!"

"However, to support twenty mobile points in industrial zones and standard shops in commercial areas, relying on just one central kitchen in Cheung Sha Wan will quickly strain our capacity, and the delivery radius is limited. Therefore, a second central kitchen must be established immediately!"

During the fair, Chen Bingwen had felt the delivery problem acutely. Because the factory was in Cheung Sha Wan and Victoria Park was in Causeway Bay, the distance was over fifteen kilometers. Even with early departures, the thermal buckets bumped around for over an hour, and by the time they reached the park, the sweet soup had lost much of its heat.

He knew a single central kitchen had a limited reach. If sales points were too far, freshness and delivery efficiency would become major issues. But in 1978 Hong Kong, cold-chain logistics were too expensive for a thin-margin, high-volume model like Chen’s.

"Therefore, the second central kitchen must be built, and it must be in Kwun Tong!" Chen Bingwen tapped the word "Kwun Tong" on the map firmly. "The Kwun Tong industrial zone has many workers and is a prime target for our mobile points. More importantly, it’s centrally located, with easy access to both water transport and major land arteries. Establishing a factory here won't just solve the supply problem for East Kowloon; it will shorten the delivery route to Hong Kong Island’s eastern district, like Shau Kei Wan and Chai Wan, by at least a third compared to coming from Cheung Sha Wan! Shorter transit times mean better temperature retention and guaranteed freshness. Two factories, one west and one east, create a pincer position that will firmly support our expansion network across all of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island!"

Chen Guofu looked at the map, understanding the strategic importance of Kwun Tong, but his expression grew more solemn: "Ah Wen, you’re right. But... what about the money? 187,000 dollars—to set up twenty mobile points, open the first standard shop, and now build a new factory in Kwun Tong, buy equipment, and recruit people... I’m afraid this money won't be enough even if we stretch it to the limit! If the Kwun Tong factory opens, it’s another bottomless pit. Rent, equipment, raw materials, labor—don't they all cost money? What if we get stuck somewhere and can't turn a profit? Maybe... we should slow down on the Kwun Tong side? Let’s stabilize the mobile points and the standard shop first, and then talk about it?"

Wang Qiaozhen nodded repeatedly, her eyes filled with worry. Chen Bingwen looked at his parents, understanding their natural caution as ordinary citizens regarding market risks. But commercial opportunities were fleeting; the brand effect and buzz from the fair were at their peak, making this the golden window for expansion. If he hesitated now, competitors would mimic them, and their market share would be eroded.

"Dad, Mom, the business world is like a battlefield; opportunities are fleeting. The heat from Victoria Park hasn't faded—this is the time to capitalize on our momentum and widen the gap! If we don't plan now, once others learn our model, it will be much harder to grab the market, and the costs will be much higher!" Chen Bingwen’s tone was ironclad, filled with unquestionable resolve. "I will solve the money problem. Tomorrow, I will go to Wing Lung Bank and talk to Manager Zhou Mingzhe! We have the successful case of the fair, a clear and feasible expansion plan, and the stable, high-quality asset of the Cheung Sha Wan factory as collateral. This time, I’m not just paying off the old 80,000-dollar loan; I’m going to borrow another 300,000!"

"300,000?!" Chen Guofu gasped, his voice trembling. "Ah Wen, is... is this possible? Will the bank lend that much?"

"It has to be!" A glimmer of confidence and shrewdness shone in Chen Bingwen’s eyes. "Manager Zhou is a smart man. My plan has solid performance to back it up, a replicable successful model, innovative growth points, and key layouts to resolve core bottlenecks! This is a clear, scalable loop that generates stable cash flow! 300,000 isn't a greedy demand; it’s the necessary leverage we need to pry open a larger market and achieve geometric growth!"

Technically, 180,000 dollars should have been enough for the immediate expansion. However, as Chen Bingwen said, opportunities were fleeting. Rapidly deploying twenty mobile points in industrial zones and combining them with standardized shops would create economies of scale. Only then could costs be spread thin, the brand ingrained in people's hearts, and the business truly transform from a sweet soup shop into a food brand covering the entirety of Hong Kong.

Furthermore, in Chen Bingwen’s mind, the 300,000-dollar loan was not just for the sweet soup expansion. It was the most important step for his entry into the capital market!

The reason Chen Bingwen was so bold in seeking this loan was a piece of news he had seen in the *Hong Kong Economic Journal*. Tucked away in a corner of the financial section was a brief, unremarkable report: "Unusual Trading Activity in Wheelock Marden."

Chen Bingwen knew this signal meant that in the coming months, a capital battle—led by Li Ka-shing and backed by HSBC, aimed at devouring the core assets of the British-funded giant Jardine Matheson, "Wheelock Marden"—was about to unfold! This battle would reshape Hong Kong’s capital landscape and create countless myths of overnight wealth.

At this moment, Wheelock Marden’s stock price was still hovering at a historic low of 12 to 14 Hong Kong dollars! He knew the real explosion would come in just one month; the stock would rocket upward, eventually reaching a staggering height of 46 Hong Kong dollars!

An opportunity ten or a hundred times greater than the Victoria Park Fair lay before him. He could not let it pass. However, to ease his parents' worries, he had covered his intentions under the guise of expanding the sweet soup business.

Looking at the composure and unwavering confidence in their son—a maturity that surpassed his years—the doubts in Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen’s hearts were eventually replaced by a complex mix of worry and trust. The blueprint their son painted was too grand; the vision of a "food brand covering Hong Kong" felt too far away. But the miracle of 260,000 in seven days was right in front of them; they could not deny it.

Chen Guofu finally sighed deeply and patted Chen Bingwen on the shoulder: "Ah Wen, Dad believes in you!"

"Don't worry, Dad, Mom." Chen Bingwen comforted them with a firm tone. He knew his true plan to "leverage the capital market" must never be revealed to his parents, as it would only cause them unnecessary panic. The Wheelock Marden opportunity was his secret weapon as a time-traveler and the key to his social leap.

After persuading his parents, Chen Bingwen still had to prepare the business proposal for Zhou Mingzhe. This was the most difficult step. He did not relax for a second, refining the plan word by word to ensure every data point and logical thread was impeccable. The proposal avoided sensitive terms like "capital market" or "leverage," focusing entirely on the feasibility, profitability, and growth potential of the physical business.

He was confident that with the success of the fair as an endorsement, clear logic, detailed data, and the Cheung Sha Wan factory as collateral, he could move the professional banker, Zhou Mingzhe. He estimated that with this plan, the success rate for a 300,000-dollar loan was at least seventy percent.

However, before that, there was one more thing he needed to address. He had promised Ah Sheng, the son of Uncle Fu, an answer after seven days. Now that the fair was over, it was time to give him that answer.

In a corner of an inconspicuous ice house in Sham Shui Po, Ah Sheng, wearing a floral shirt and smoking a cigarette, sat across from Chen Bingwen.

"Ah Wen, you made a fortune at the fair. Now can you tell me what the idea is?"

Chen Bingwen smiled, pushing a thick envelope across the table before speaking. He thanked him sincerely: "Brother Sheng, about the fair, thank you for helping me deal with Rotten Tooth Kui. This is just a token of my appreciation."