Chapter 128: This Seems to Lose Even More Money

"Sure, then I'll leave it to you tomorrow." Song Xia didn't refuse when she heard this.

"Alright, let's go tomorrow morning then." Chen Mo set the time. After all, if they set off in the afternoon, it would probably be evening by the time they reached Jiang City.

His purpose for coming had already been fulfilled. Chen Mo sat for a little while longer before preparing to leave.

However, just as he reached downstairs, he was grabbed by Second Aunt, who insisted that he stay for lunch before leaving.

Unable to refuse her hospitality, Chen Mo had no choice but to stay for lunch.

"I didn't expect Chen Mo to be so accomplished now, actually opening a factory with a friend. That's truly impressive."

During the meal, Song Qing exclaimed, then turned to look at her younger sister.

"Look at him, how reassuring he is."

Song Xia stuck out her tongue upon hearing this, lowered her head, and continued to stuff her face, choosing to ignore it completely.

Chen Mo's expression stiffened slightly. He hadn't been the one to bring up the factory.

He had just mentioned it in passing while chatting with Second Aunt on the third floor; he hadn't expected her to bring it up again during lunch.

Wasn't this just asking for trouble for him?

"Chen Mo, how is that factory of yours? Could you arrange a suitable position for Song Xia? I'm really worried about her being out there all by herself. A lower salary is fine, as long as she doesn't run around aimlessly, that's all that matters."

Song Qing looked at Chen Mo with hopeful eyes. She was very worried about her sister being out there and doing something unreliable. If there was someone who could help keep an eye on her, she would feel much more at ease.

"Well, I'll go back and discuss it with my friend to see if there are any suitable positions. After all, the company isn't just mine, so it's hard for me to make the decision alone." Chen Mo thought for a moment before speaking.

In reality, it wouldn't be a problem for him to arrange for someone to join, but this matter still depended on the person in question's wishes.

If he agreed immediately and Song Xia refused later, it would be awkward for both parties. Therefore, he didn't give a definitive answer.

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Chen Mo."

The lunch ended quickly.

When Chen Mo prepared to leave, Second Aunt still tried her best to stop him, asking him to stay the night. However, this time he refused directly.

On the way back, he kept thinking about the matter of arranging a job. Although his salary needed to be settled by the system, he could completely arrange for those relatives and friends to join the company and enjoy the benefits and treatment. This wouldn't be a violation of the rules.

However, after thinking about it, he gave up on this idea.

His parents and these relatives had already lived in this small county town for most of their lives. All their friends and family were here. A casual walk down the street would allow them to see several acquaintances.

If he brought them to a city where they had only lived for a year and didn't even know who their neighbors were, they would be very uncomfortable. Moreover, his parents had their own jobs here. They would probably be even less willing to move.

However, in the future, once the company grew stronger, he could completely open a branch in this county town. Then these relatives and friends wouldn't have to leave their hometowns and could still enjoy the company's benefits. Of course, all of this was too troublesome for now.

Once he successfully settled a few more times and became a billionaire, helping these friends and relatives would be easy. Therefore, he still had to strive to develop loss-making enterprises. Only then could he get closer and closer to successful settlements.

…

The next morning, Chen Mo slowly left his home.

Reunions are happy, so partings are painful. Chen Mo waved his hand but did not look back.

He knew his parents must be watching him silently from behind, but he didn't dare to turn back and meet their eyes.

Because that gaze was filled with too many emotions—reluctance, anticipation, helplessness…

Every time their eyes met, it made him wonder if he shouldn't have left.

Slowly, he disappeared from his parents' view.

Chen Mo lifted his head, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to the Jinyang City train station.

Of course, halfway there, he picked up Song Xia, as they had previously agreed.

Arriving at the train station, they boarded the train. The two of them set off together for that so-called metropolis.

At two in the afternoon, after several transfers, the two finally arrived at Song Xia's shop.

Chen Mo took a look; this location wasn't exactly a prime commercial district, but rather a pedestrian street next to a small shopping mall.

"This is my milk tea shop." Song Xia pointed to a milk tea shop in front.

Chen Mo looked in that direction. Huohuo Milk Tea. This must be the milk tea brand Song Xia franchised, though it clearly hadn't become a hit.

Huh! Chen Mo looked next to the milk tea shop and was surprised to see another closed shop. Cabin Coffee.

"Did this coffee shop close down too?" He turned to look at Song Xia.

"Yeah, it closed too. This coffee shop closed even earlier than my milk tea shop. It lost even more money; those coffee-making machines are much more expensive than milk tea machines, and the coffee ingredients are pricier too." Song Xia said upon hearing this.

This coffee shop had opened a month later than her milk tea shop, yet it had closed earlier. During a chat once, she heard that it had supposedly lost over 500,000.

"Then how did this coffee shop go bust?" Chen Mo became instantly interested upon hearing this. The costs for a coffee shop were even higher than for a milk tea shop; wouldn't running a coffee shop lead to even greater losses?

"At the entrance of the pedestrian street, there's a Starbucks. That's a very famous coffee brand, highly recognized by the public."

"Under the influence of commercial brand effects, it's obvious that more people will choose Starbucks."

"After all, taking a photo with a Starbucks cup to post on Moments is much more prestigious than using one from a shop with no fame."

"And this Cabin Coffee took the boutique route, so the costs were higher, and relatively speaking, the prices were also more expensive. It couldn't compete with the brand, and the prices were higher, so the daily foot traffic was pitifully low."

"Although there are some who understand coffee and know that boutique coffee tastes better, there aren't many of them, and it's simply not enough to support profitability."

"Over time, there was no way to continue operating." Song Xia sighed. She had learned all this while chatting with the owner of that coffee shop.

Chen Mo's eyes gradually lit up. He realized that a coffee shop seemed easier to lose money in than a milk tea shop.

After all, milk tea had a wider audience and was relatively cheaper, so even with fierce competition, there would still be some sales. But the audience for coffee was relatively smaller, and if he increased the cost of making coffee, and then raised the prices accordingly…

In this way, when compared to Starbucks, even fewer people would choose his coffee; ideally, not a single person would enter the shop.

Then he could hire a few more employees, and the shop would definitely need a renovation—these were all great ways to spend money.

"Let's go, let's find an agent first and register the information for subletting the shop." Seeing that Chen Mo hadn't spoken for a long time, Song Xia couldn't help but say.

Chen Mo came back to his senses upon hearing this and said calmly, "There's no need to go to an agent."