Connie, who had unexpectedly acquired an arcade, could say that today was the happiest day of her life.
Therefore, after signing the transfer contract with Mr. Collison at the notary's office, she took Mike and the others to a grand restaurant to celebrate with a feast.
At the same time, she also fulfilled her previous promise, buying a super luxurious ice cream for each of the two little girls, Missy and Paige.
After the celebration, Connie once again led the group back to her arcade.
Her excitement had somewhat subsided, and she was now planning how to make a fortune with this arcade.
However, being completely clueless about business operations, she could only turn to Mike for help again.
"First, let me state that I'm not interested in the gambling industry," Mike declared his stance before offering advice: "If this arcade wants to operate long-term, the probabilities on the machines must be adjusted back. Also, the environment inside the arcade could be appropriately renovated. Finally, and most crucially, you need to establish good relations with the cops."
As the saying goes: The local official is better than the current manager.
Running a small arcade can be both difficult and simple; the most important thing is to obtain a "legal" operating license.
"Yes, this will be my territory from now on, it definitely needs a complete renovation," Connie, who was already complaining about the arcade's dilapidated state, clearly missed the point.
However, this old small arcade, having endured years of "wear and tear," indeed needed a thorough refurbishment.
"Who should I find to help with the renovation?"
Connie fell into a dilemma. Even though this arcade was small, a complete overhaul would certainly be costly.
Of course, such a minor issue couldn't stump Connie, who had a wide circle of friends. In no time, she thought of a suitable candidate.
That person was Ira, who owned a furniture store and was an admirer of Connie, or rather, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was Connie's sycophant.
Sure enough, upon receiving Connie's call for help, Ira happily expressed his willingness to assist.
Soon after, Ira, driving a heavy-duty pickup truck, arrived at the small arcade at the street entrance with two renovation workers.
"Is this your little shop? It certainly needs a renovation. But don't worry, Connie, I'll take care of everything..." Although Ira's previous confession was rejected, he still appeared very eager upon seeing Connie again.
The tenderness on his face was almost overflowing.
"OK, I'll leave the renovation to you. How long will it take?" Connie, on the other hand, acted indifferently.
Having dated an elite like Dr. Sturgis for a while, she clearly wouldn't go back to an "honest" old man like Ira.
"Chemistry" is sometimes that subtle.
"There are many areas that need modification here. I'll try to finish it within a week," Ira, as a semi-professional, offered a candid renovation suggestion.
"No, a week is too long. I'll give you three days at most," Connie said unequivocally, "A thousand dollars for the renovation. I want to see results in three days. You figure it out!"
Most of the people who came to this hidden small arcade were regular customers from the surrounding area. If it closed for a week, who knew if those regulars would go to other arcades.
Without regular customers, this small arcade at the street entrance would be half-Waste.
"Three days? A thousand dollars?" Ira was silent for a while, but to make Connie happy, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "No problem, three days it is."
In fact, to renovate a small shop within three days, the labor costs alone would probably exceed a thousand dollars, plus material costs, Ira would definitely suffer a significant loss.
However, being able to see Connie's smile, he still felt it was very worthwhile.
One can only say that the world of sycophants is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
"Um, Connie, are you free tonight? Perhaps I could treat you to dinner," Ira cautiously extended a dinner invitation while Connie was happy.
"Sorry, I've been very busy lately. I might only be free after the little shop opens," Connie refused Ira's dinner invitation without a second thought.
Of course, while refusing, she didn't forget to give him a little hope.
"I understand, I understand. I'll renovate your little shop as quickly as possible," Ira didn't know what he had imagined, but a smile appeared on his face as well.
After that, the two discussed some specific renovation plans for the arcade, and then Connie found an excuse to go over to Mike and the others.
"Mom, I think what you're doing is very unfair to Ira," Mary, seeing how her mother was using others' feelings to get things done for herself, spoke up for the honest Ira.
A mother knows her daughter best, and vice versa.
It was a good thing Mary didn't know the term "green tea," otherwise she would definitely use it on her mother.
"I haven't made any promises..." Connie shrugged and explained, then went over to Mike's side.
Mike was currently adjusting the winning probabilities of the machines in the arcade.
As mentioned before, the importance of game probabilities.
"How's it going, Mike?" Connie, having witnessed the power of probabilities, was clearly paying attention.
"I've pretty much figured out how these machines work. I have to say, the previous owner was quite ruthless. All these machines were tampered with; the normal winning probability of some machines was actually less than 30%..." Mike explained as he worked.
"Isn't a lower winning probability more beneficial for me?" Connie, having become the arcade owner, had adapted to her new identity very quickly.
"Not necessarily. The normal winning probability and the jackpot winning probability are relative..." Mike briefly explained the balance between the two types of winning probabilities.
It should be known that the previous arcade owner failed to understand the relationship between the two, which led to him suffering a huge loss by trying to be too clever.
"So, what should I do?" Connie, who also didn't understand the relationship between the two winning probabilities, wisely threw the question back.
"I suggest adjusting the normal winning probability to between forty-five and forty-nine percent. This way, you'll earn a little less, but you won't have to worry about a sudden jackpot payout," Mike offered the most reasonable suggestion.
"This..." Connie, who herself had gained huge benefits from a probability loophole, pondered for a while before continuing, "Then set the normal winning probability to forty-five percent."
Connie might have various flaws, but she was definitely not a stubborn person.
So, over an hour later, with the assistance of Sheldon and Paige, Mike finished adjusting all the machines in the arcade.
After that, Connie encouraged Ira, who was still busy painting the walls, with a few words, then left the arcade contentedly with Mike and the others.
By this time, it was already approaching evening, and the group walked home, discussing the "interesting" experiences of the day.
Just as everyone returned to the house, they saw from a distance a young couple, climbing over the Cooper family's outer yard wall and lingering at the main house's front door.
In America, where private property is valued, the actions of this young couple were very "dangerous."
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" George, as the head of the household, stood in front of his family.
The two young people in front of him: the man's back looked very strong, and the girl's attire was fashionable.
However, the way they were carrying large and small bags made it easy to associate them with "transient populations."