Chapter 166 - 131: Silent Xu Huo, Heaven-defying

"Unless you’ve got something brilliant to say, I’m going to punch your damn head in!"

Xu Huo said this softly, a friendly smile on his face.

Wang Chao: ?

If anyone else had threatened to punch his damn head in, Wang Chao would have laughed. But with Xu Huo saying it...

He would actually do it!

"Seriously, Brother Huo, this is a real business empire! I feel like all the plans I’ve proposed before are nothing compared to this. It’s huge, and it’s so exciting!"

Wang Chao quickly pulled out his notebook, which was densely covered in all sorts of writing.

"Brother Huo, Sister Chu Xi’s cake shop really inspired me!"

"We’re in Linlan City, and Sister Chu Xi’s hometown is Jiangsan City. How far apart are the two cities?"

Xu Huo glanced at the chicken-scratch handwriting.

His face was expressionless. He chose not to look at it and turned his gaze to Wang Chao instead.

"Over a thousand kilometers, I suppose."

"Right, over a thousand kilometers!"

Wang Chao nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain.

"Over a thousand kilometers... A flight would take half a day, and a train would take several days."

"So, under these circumstances, wouldn’t it be extremely difficult for Director Chu to get a taste of a cake made by Sister Chu Xi? You could even say it’s impossible!"

"True."

Xu Huo nodded.

The issue of logistics had always been a major problem plaguing the various provinces.

In national infrastructure development, the most important component was the ’road’ under one’s feet—which is to say, logistics.

’’If you want to get rich, first you must build a road.’ That saying alone shows how important roads are.’

Of course, this shouldn’t be interpreted as a literal concrete road.

It’s the concept of transporting an item from one place to another. This can be called a ’road,’ and the better and faster the path, the better the economy functions.

"In that situation, if he wants to eat it, the only way is to have it delivered!"

Wang Chao said resolutely.

"Meaning, Sister Chu Xi would have to put the cake on a plane, or a train, and ship it over via some form of transportation."

"Express delivery?"

Xu Huo frowned, looking Wang Chao up and down as he thought.

"Yes, express delivery, but it’s different from the ordinary kind."

Wang Chao explained patiently, "Brother Huo, just hear me out first!"

The concept of express delivery appeared very early on.

It was mainly about ’conveying.’ For example, the postman was an early form of express delivery; the task just changed from delivering letters to delivering objects.

In Xu Huo’s previous life, one could trace it all the way back to the ’qiu ren’ of the Xia Dynasty and the ’xing fu’ of the Zhou Dynasty, both of which were similar to the concept of a postman.

Later, after undergoing changes through the ages, the concept exploded following the modern internet boom.

The idea of express delivery evolved from the postal service.

"From this perspective, for long-distance shipping between regions, if you want to save time and energy, the best choice is to use a courier company."

"But the limitations of courier companies have also become apparent."

Wang Chao put his well-developed brain to use.

His intelligent eyes lit up. He pulled out a small notebook and began writing and drawing in it with a black pen.

"And that is: they’re slow!"

"They’re considered fast for long distances. For example, for a delivery over a thousand kilometers away, a package can generally arrive within seven days."

Back in 2003, information technology wasn’t well-developed, and tracking and positioning systems were a complete mess.

Compared to later years, express delivery was nearly twice as slow.

But it was still much faster than driving there and back yourself, and you didn’t need to take time off from work or anything.

"The time is mainly spent on package sorting and distribution!"

"The basic operational logic for most courier services now is like this. But as I just said, they’re fast for long distances, but..."

"They’re very slow for short distances."

"If it’s just a distance of a few dozen kilometers, it might take a day or two. While you wouldn’t necessarily ship something that close, driving there yourself is a hassle."

Wang Chao scribbled and drew.

He sketched out some long-distance routes in his notebook, marking the times next to them.

The more Xu Huo listened, the more something felt off.

The corner of his eye twitched as he looked into Wang Chao’s eyes.

"So?"

"So, how do we solve the problem of short distances?"

Wang Chao’s face was dead serious.

"What if Sister Chu Xi’s cake shop was five kilometers away, and I wanted to eat something from there?"

"Should I have Sister Chu Xi send it via express delivery?"

"That’s not realistic. Never mind how the logistics company would sort the package; the time wasted alone would be enough for the cake to spoil."

"So, I’d have no choice but to walk or ride a bike there."

"But..."

"The development of a product depends on customer demand, and customer demand often stems from one thing: ’laziness.’"

"What if I’m too lazy to go? After all, five kilometers there means ten kilometers for a round trip."

Wang Chao voiced a concept, one that no one had yet thought of.

Xu Huo’s expression gradually changed.

"It’s scorching in the summer and freezing in the winter."

"If it’s for lunch, you might just bear with it and make the trip."

"But what about breakfast?"

"In the winter, you’ve just gotten out from under the warm covers. You open the door, a blast of cold wind blows in, and your junk freezes and shrivels up. Forget about going out to eat."

"So... couldn’t we, just like with express delivery, deliver it right to their door?"

Xu Huo fell silent.

He looked at Wang Chao’s excited face, his detailed speculations, and his predictions of the difficulties involved.

’Could it be...’

’He’s actually a genius!?’

"Go on."

He pulled him inside, sat him down at the table, and prepared to have a proper talk.

"People get tired of eating the same few things. Within a five-kilometer radius, there are only a handful of shops they like to go to. They get sick of them after a while, but anything more than five kilometers away is too far."

"So a conflict arises, and with it, a market and a demand. As long as we solve this conflict and satisfy the demand, we can make a fortune!"

"Because just like express delivery, this is something everyone will use!"

"Our customers, our market, will be everyone in the entire country!"

As Wang Chao spoke, he began to take on the air of a leader.

What kind of air?

The kind that could casually sell a grand, ambitious dream.

Of course, it was indeed a grand dream. If they really succeeded... barring any accidents, he would truly have what it takes to challenge the world’s top billionaires.