I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1003 - 922: The Art of Business
"Amazing!"
After reviewing the financial report sent over by the official, and finding that the results were exactly the same as the dividend details she had received a couple of days ago, handwritten with children's crayons, Queen Veronica couldn't help but raise her head, looking at Melanie with a face full of incredulity:
"Not a single number is wrong... And isn't your return rate a bit too high? The royal family's money I invested in those companies, engaging in large trades with the northern region, only fetched around forty percent, and you managed to push it to almost double in one go?"
"That's still low!"
Facing her sister-in-law and her current biggest financier, Melanie, after a little grunt, shrugged her smooth, shiny nose, and said with a bit of pride:
"The companies you invested in mainly supply goods, making money isn't the primary goal, but I'm different. If I had more money, could hire more people, and handle more orders, it might have increased by over 50%!"
It could still increase by fifty percent? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
After hearing Melanie's words, Veronica, initially thinking she was just humoring the kid, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a hint of genuine surprise appearing in her eyes.
Though the so-called "dividends" provided by Melanie were kid's play and insignificant compared to the wealth she held, not even a tiny fraction of it, the return on this "investment" was indeed extraordinarily high.
Even her official, after reviewing it, said that this kid's "operation" technique was clumsy, but her insight was outstanding. Even if she, under the same conditions as Melanie, didn't exploit the power in her hands, the returns could be just these.
And if Melanie was telling the truth, if this kid could secure another fifty percent on top of the current return, wouldn't it mean that her capability in this area has already rivaled or even exceeded that of her well-trained official?
"Care to elaborate?"
Gazing at Melanie's proud little expression, and vaguely feeling that she isn't just shooting from the hip, Veronica couldn't help but become intrigued, extending her pinky with a smile and making a pinky promise:
"Tell me how you managed to achieve a twofold return, auntie is very interested. Moreover, if you can increase another fifty percent on the existing basis, auntie will invest double in your next round!"
"Okay!!!"
Faced with the financier's offer for further investment, Melanie couldn't help but perk up, quickly extending her soft little finger and hooking it onto Veronica's pinky, then earnestly giving a thumbs up for a seal, and confidently said:
"When I was called to the office for a... ahem... loving help session, I saw the newspaper on Teacher Victor's desk, knowing that you ordered most factories to be moved out of downtown.
Especially those noisy and stinky factories, they must be moved to the outer city's industrial area, and there happens to be one at the end of Bridge Street where I live, so it's definitely moving too."
"Very nice."
Nodding slightly in acknowledgment, Veronica blinked and followed up:
"But what does this have to do with borrowing money to buy fluorescent agents and light bulbs, assembling those light boxes and signs?"
"It's very related!"
Melanie wrinkled her nose, showing a look of naturalness, saying:
"Bridge Public School is the best school in the old town, even ranks high in the new town, with a pretty large fixed flow of people almost every morning, evening, and noon... Auntie, don't you think something's missing around Bridge Public School?"
Missing something?
After pondering for a moment upon hearing this, Veronica Princess slightly got the gist and responded:
"A commercial street?"
"Exactly!"
Nodding her little head, Melanie tilted her head up, her eyes sparkling:
"With so many people passing by every day, logically speaking, there should have been a commercial street a long time ago, but there's always a factory at the end of the street that occasionally operates, not only noisy but also emits black smoke every day, and occupies the place with the most traffic.
This factory chases away potential buyers and occupies a prime spot for parking carriages, forcing many people to reroute to another half of the street to park, not passing through Bridge Street at all, with no traffic, naturally no businesses can open up."
I see...
Recalling the scene she saw when she came here, particularly the old factory site now turned into Charl Department Store, and the carriages parked in front, Queen Veronica couldn't help but nod in agreement, then said with a face full of approval:
"So whether new stores opening or renovating storefronts due to increased traffic need to make signs and such, so you found a classmate who makes signs, pre-ordered some materials, and then asked me for people to set up a temporary small workshop?"
"It's a company! Making Big Money Company!"
"Okay okay, a company!"
Upon hearing the name of the company filled with staunch optimism, Veronica couldn't help but slightly curl her lips, but then suppressed it under Melanie's pouting gaze, and smiled saying:
"I do know what's happened next, you recently gave away light box signs that have become popular to some shops near the street entrance for free, and fortunately, those shops you chose have been doing particularly well, so your light boxes..."
"It's not just luck!"
Feeling somewhat aggrieved, Melanie retorted:
"I specifically took people to scout it out, those shops weren't doing well just because of few customers, there's nothing wrong with their products.
Plus, their location is very advantageous, either people are tired from shopping when they reach there from the street entrance, or they have visited several shops, compared prices quite a bit, it's only natural they make a purchase."
"So as their business picks up, more people naturally buy your light boxes."
Finishing Melanie's sentence for her, Veronica clapped her hands, and then smiled, saying:
"Impressive, impressive, I underestimated you. So, do you have any other tricks to increase the returns by fifty percent?"
"I could still take William to the school at night and secretly pour water on the axles of the north gate."
"???"
"The axles of the north gate are very old, and the waterproof paint has long peeled off, the school guards are lazy, only oiling the doors once every six months, so as long as we water it for a few days, the north gate will completely rust, then no matter the direction parents come from, they have to go around to the main street to pick up their kids."
After explaining her method, with Veronica showing a somewhat helpless and amused expression, Melanie hummed with a slight sigh:
"The school's gates haven't been replaced in seventy or eighty years, and repairing them requires completely dismantling them, estimating at least ten days to half a month, and during this time, seeing the traffic multiply several times over, more people will definitely decide to change their signs.
It's just that I'm short on funds, can't handle that many orders, and additionally, impatient shop owners will look for others instead, otherwise, we could've earned even more this time!"
"..."
