Chapter 3: Breaking the Deadlock (Please Support with Favorites, Monthly Votes, and Recommendations)

After lunch, Gao Zhenhai returned to the factory to work, while Chen Bingwen went specifically to visit the surrounding factories.

After speaking with Gao Zhenhai, Chen Bingwen still wanted to personally verify the situation.

There were hundreds of factories in the vicinity, ranging from just a few workers to two or three hundred employees.

Altogether, the total number of workers amounted to more than twenty thousand.

If all these potential customers had a demand for sweet soup, even if only ten percent of them drank it daily, the resulting sales would be enough to sustain Chen’s Sweet Soup Shop.

Chen Bingwen randomly questioned more than thirty workers he encountered on the road; their answers further confirmed Gao Zhenhai’s words.

The workers indeed had a genuine need for sweet soup.

However, with only half an hour for lunch, the workers simply didn’t have time to visit the sweet soup shop.

...

It was not until four in the afternoon that Chen Bingwen completed his survey and returned to Chen’s Sweet Soup Shop.

“Awen, why are you only back now? Did you have lunch?”

As soon as he stepped inside, his mother, Wang Qiaozhen, asked with concern.

“I ate, Mom.”

At this moment, the shop had no customers; his father, Chen Guofu, was preparing ingredients in the kitchen, and his mother was cleaning the shop.

Seeing this, Chen Bingwen didn’t want to delay and spoke directly: “Dad, Mom, please pause for a moment—I have something to discuss with you.”

Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen stopped their work, exchanged a glance, and looked attentively at Chen Bingwen.

“Dad, Mom, ever since the Song Family Dessert Shop opened across the street, our sweet soup business has worsened day by day.

In the past two or three months, we’ve been operating at a loss.

If this continues, sooner or later, the landlord will reclaim the shop.”

Looking seriously at his parents, Chen Bingwen said, “So, no matter what the reason is, we must make a change.”

Chen Bingwen’s words cast a shadow over Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen’s faces.

They had already tried everything to revive the business, but the shop’s situation showed no improvement.

---

Chen Guofu sighed helplessly and said, “Awen, your mother and I have thought about making changes too, but we simply don’t know what to do.”

Feeling their helplessness deeply, Chen Bingwen understood completely.

Chen’s Sweet Soup Shop catered to the local neighborhood; the ingredients and portions in each bowl were always genuine and never skimped, which meant high costs and thin profits, putting them at a disadvantage in competition.

The result was that, facing rival businesses, whether by reducing ingredients or lowering prices for promotions, the outcome would inevitably be self-damaging while trying to harm competitors.

Seeing his parents’ downcast expressions, Chen Bingwen softened his tone: “Dad, Mom, I took a walk around the factory district today and discovered an opportunity that could revive Chen’s Sweet Soup Shop.”

The eyes of Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen lit up instantly, and they hurriedly asked, “What opportunity?”

Chen Bingwen pulled out the notebook he had used for his survey and pointed to the data: “There are hundreds of factories around our home, with more than twenty thousand workers.

These workers only have thirty to forty minutes for lunch each day, which isn’t enough time to come to our shop for sweet soup.

But they actually want to drink some sweet soup to refresh themselves.”

Wang Qiaozhen asked skeptically, “What does that have to do with us?”

“It has everything to do with us!” Chen Bingwen explained patiently.

“We can prepare the sweet soup in thermos containers and deliver them to the factories, so the workers can drink the sweet soup right there.

My goal is for one-tenth of the workers in these nearby factories to have a bowl of our sweet soup every day...”

Hearing this, Chen Guofu immediately perked up. “That means two or three thousand people would be drinking our sweet soup every day...”

He didn’t finish the sentence aloud.

Even if the red bean soup sold for just one yuan a bowl, selling two thousand bowls daily would bring in nearly thirty thousand yuan in profit each month.

Chen Guofu felt as if he were dreaming.

The number was dizzying to imagine—how could they possibly sell that much?

“Dad, that number is completely achievable,” Chen Bingwen said confidently.

Without waiting for further questions, he laid out the plan in full.

“I’ve already spoken to one factory that has over four hundred workers. We will prepare the sweet soup in thermos containers and deliver it to the factory before noon every day.

During the workers’ lunch break, they can buy the sweet soup on site and drink it without affecting their meal time.”

“Considering some workers might be reluctant to spend money on sweet soup, we could also introduce a sweet soup combo—a bowl of sweet soup plus a snack, like a salty dumpling or something else, so the workers can have a filling meal for just two yuan...”

Chen Bingwen carefully explained the plan to his parents and mentioned that he had a series of follow-up sales strategies as well.

However, the specific sales tactics would depend on actual sales performance and be implemented selectively; revealing everything at once might be overwhelming for Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen.

After Chen Bingwen finished speaking, neither of his parents said anything immediately; they were still processing what he had shared.

According to Chen Bingwen’s proposal, delivering the sweet soup to the factories before lunch for easy purchase might truly change the current dire situation of Chen’s Sweet Soup Shop.

The couple quietly pondered, and after a while, Wang Qiaozhen asked, “Awen, what if we make too much sweet soup, and no one buys it?”

“We’ll base our deliveries on one-third of the workers, never exceeding half, and stop once sold out,” Chen Bingwen had already prepared a solution.

“This ensures sales while avoiding waste.

Also, I plan to give away fifty bowls for free on the first day as a trial.”

Chen Guofu suddenly looked up sharply. “Giving away for free? Wouldn’t that be a loss?”

In his mind, he had never considered giving away anything for free.

Though business was poor, every bowl of sweet soup was made with his own hard work and care.

Hearing his son propose giving away fifty bowls, he found it somewhat hard to accept.

Chen Bingwen smiled. “Dad, this isn’t a loss; it’s an investment.

Once workers taste our genuine ingredients, they’ll naturally pay for it the next day.

I’ve calculated it—the cost of fifty bowls is less than thirty yuan, but it could win us four hundred potential customers. This is a guaranteed profitable deal.”

At that moment, his mother Wang Qiaozhen chimed in, “Awen’s right. Neighborhood business depends on reputation. Our shop used to do well because word of mouth spread among the community.”

After Wang Qiaozhen’s encouragement, seeing his father still hesitant, Chen Bingwen added, “Dad, Mom, with the Song family shop across the street stealing our neighborhood customers, if we don’t actively seek new clients, the shop won’t last long. We might as well take a chance!”

Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen exchanged a look and finally made up their minds.

“Alright! Let’s do it your way!” Chen Guofu slammed the table. “Let’s start preparing now. Tomorrow, the two of us will deliver the sweet soup together!”