Chapter 58: Targeted Intelligence – Operating Hours

Upon returning home, Chen Taotao quickly dug into the sweet and sour stir-fried tomatoes and eggs made by her dear old dad.

She shoveled it over rice, eating with great gusto.

Borrowing a dialect phrase she had learned at her maternal grandmother's house, she gave her review:

"That is mighty tasty!"

Just as a bright red drop of sauce was about to slip from the corner of Taotao's mouth, Ms. Lin gently wiped it clean for her.

Then, she smiled and said to Chen Zhou:

"Your daughter is still most used to the food you cook."

Chen Zhou nodded.

As the old saying goes, a person's gut microbiota during early childhood is largely established by their mother and possesses strong plasticity. However, as one consumes a wider variety of foods, the types and structure of these microbes gradually become fixed.

Homesickness might simply be a stomach unaccustomed to foreign flavors, causing the heart to act up along with it.

Chen Taotao was still too young to understand this yet, but this would likely become her version of nostalgia in the future.

He wondered if the little girl would remember him when that day came.

...

After lunch, Chen Taotao inevitably wanted to cling to her father for a little while. But worn out by the "travel fatigue," she soon dozed off right beside him.

Chen Zhou draped a small blanket over her.

The little girl was sleeping soundly, and the quiet conversation between the couple in the room would not disturb her.

Ms. Lin seemed to harbor a trace of guilt over her absence these past few days. She kept pestering Chen Zhou with endless questions, looking nothing like her usual serene and detached self.

Chen Zhou briefly filled his wife in on what had happened over the last few days.

"The process actually went very smoothly. I got the catering license back today, and we'll officially open tomorrow morning."

Lin Yifan asked with concern:

"If we're shifting to earlier hours, will you have to wake up early? It'll definitely be harder than it is now."

...Isn't tomorrow's targeted intelligence meant precisely for dealing with this kind of thing?

Chen Zhou invoked his youthful bravado to soothe his wife's slight anxiety: "Back in the days of pulling all-nighters at internet cafes, I could still make it to roll call the next day."

Lin Yifan turned her head to look at him, giving him a playful reproach: "You actually have the nerve to say that!"

Thinking back to their college days, Ms. Lin had always maintained a mid-tier academic standing, and Chen Zhou's graduation owed a great deal to her help.

Chen Zhou glanced at Taotao, who was sleeping soundly beside them, and said:

"If I really have to get up at three or four in the morning, I'll move into the small room to sleep first, so I won't end up waking both of you up."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Lin suddenly grasped Chen Zhou's wrist tightly.

She looked as though she wanted to say something, yet remained silent.

After a moment of contemplation, she finally spoke:

"I'll buy you a fitness tracker."

She then opened the shopping app on her phone and began browsing. "That way, your alarm won't wake us up when it goes off."

Chen Zhou smiled and reminded her: "Remember to use the government subsidy."

"I know."

Lin Yifan had always been meticulous and thrifty when managing household finances.

...

That same night, at Ms. Lin's suggestion, the family of three began practicing going to bed early and rising early.

Thus, from eleven o'clock in the evening until around six o'clock the next morning, Chen Zhou woke up almost entirely on his own.

By this time, Ms. Lin had also rolled over, and only Chen Taotao was still fast asleep.

Children required more sleep than adults.

The couple did not wake her, each getting up to wash and freshen up.

"Do you remember when she was just born, how she did nothing all day except eat and sleep?"

"She's growing up so fast."

Chen Zhou remembered that when the little girl was first born, her face was as red as a peach, which was why they gave her the name "Chen Taotao."

At seven-thirty, the intelligence refreshed right on schedule.

The [Ingredient Flash] and [Market News] provided some general information surrounding Chen Zhou—

"Vegetable prices will remain stable for this intelligence cycle," and "The community summer-relief event is offering free watermelon, but only thirty portions are available on a first-come, first-served basis."

What Chen Zhou cared about most, however, was the [Diner Dynamics (Targeted Rare)] intelligence for this period—

It provided the percentage of diners intending to buy steamed buns at different time slots within a 24-hour window.

Starting from midnight:

There was a tiny bit of traffic in the middle of the night. Buns could serve as a late-night snack or a second stop after drinking.

At three or four in the morning:

Business was at its deadest, with almost nobody around. Night owls were already asleep by this hour.

Customers began trickling in starting around five or six o'clock. These patrons likely had long commutes, great distances to travel, or other reasons requiring them to wake up early.

From seven to nine o'clock:

This was the peak traffic period. The morning rush hour for commuters was also the morning rush hour for the breakfast shop.

Around eleven or twelve noon:

A segment of people would drop by the shop for lunch.

Then came the evening hours when Chen Zhou used to set up his stall, which formed another minor peak. No doubt his regular customers had already formed certain habits around the steamed bun stall.

As for the other time slots, there was still a trickle of scattered business. After all, with people in all walks of life, there were always those eating at any given hour.

After reviewing the intelligence, Chen Zhou could not help but exclaim:

"Goodness me, it turns out my little shop could stay open for 22 hours, with business virtually around the clock."

While he truly enjoyed cooking and appreciated receiving favorable reviews from his customers, running a business shouldn't come at the expense of his own life.

Ultimately, Chen Zhou finalized his business hours from seven in the morning to twelve noon.

There was no need to wake up excessively early, and it bridged breakfast and lunch while encompassing nearly half of the customer traffic, with a break in the middle around ten o'clock.

The targeted intelligence performed steadily and was well worth the price.

In the kitchen, Ms. Lin was quietly busy with preparations.

Catching the silhouette of her husband rising from the sofa out of the corner of her eye, she said:

"If we keep to this wakeup time from now on, I can get up with you too and make you breakfast."

The advantages of simplicity, speed, and convenience were fully manifested at this moment.

Chen Zhou shared his decision with his wife:

"Let's stick to this schedule going forward then. I plan to run the business from seven in the morning to twelve noon. We'll start with a trial run."

"That sounds great."

Ms. Lin turned her head and offered Chen Zhou a gentle smile.

Remembering that there was still an employee at the shop, she reminded Chen Zhou:

"You can pack a portion for Yilin as well."

Chen Zhou silently shook his head... Even Chen Taotao felt like she was grazing on grass when she ate those, so it was doubtful the junior apprentice would fare any better.

He picked up a piece of lettuce and began chewing on it:

"I'll just eat my own. You don't need to worry about her."

...

Later that morning, Chen Zhou tagged Zhao Yilin in their group chat.

He informed her of the business hours as well.

"The tentative business hours are from seven in the morning to twelve noon. I'll be heading out just past six in the morning. Since you live a bit further away, arriving by six-thirty will be fine."

"Understood."

The junior apprentice replied promptly.

Followed by a long string of messages like, "I almost thought I'd have to wake up at three or four," and "I would've had to adjust my jet lag for that."

Even with line breaks, she was quite the chatterbox.

Ms. Lin saw the group chat conversation during a break from her work.

She admonished her: "Ride your bike slowly on the way, and make sure to rest early after getting off work."

The junior apprentice replied to Ms. Lin with a cute heart-hands emoji.

Purely in terms of work ethic, the junior apprentice truly required no one to worry about her.

She had worked a stint part-time at a milk tea shop not long ago and had even obtained her health certificate all on her own.