Chapter 337: Adding Perfume

The only way for Lin Ji Gymnasium to avoid losses was undoubtedly to get all the casinos to cancel the bets related to its events.
Sitting on the stone bench, Lin Dong felt helpless. He had just come up with a solution to the problem of no audience at Lin Ji Gymnasium, but soon trouble arose again in the form of betting.
Asking the casinos to cancel these bets would mean destroying a new source of income for them, which was equivalent to turning against them.
In terms of strength, Lin Dong was confident that there was no one in Lingnan City he couldn’t handle—let alone all the casinos; even all the families in Lingnan City posed no threat to him.
But despite his confidence, he didn’t want things to escalate.
For Lin Dong, with Prince Liu Xiu around, his guard team must remain hidden unless absolutely necessary. Similarly, it was best to keep Gu Huanzong as a secret asset and his own strength hidden as well.
For now, the best course of action was to try to resolve things peacefully. Given the owner of Tianlai Gambling House’s judgment and courage, success was unlikely, but it wasn’t worth trying? If that failed, he would have to find a force in Lingnan City capable of suppressing the casinos. As a last resort, Gu Huanzong or he himself might have to step in.
Ah!
An idea struck Lin Dong. Although betting posed a serious threat to Lin Ji Gymnasium’s future, it could also boost audience enthusiasm. If he could take control of it and eliminate its harms, it might even be beneficial. Used properly, it could bring as much benefit as sports stars.
To eliminate the harms of betting, fairness in the matches was essential, and the stakes must not be too high. Excessively high stakes might increase income significantly but would hinder the gymnasium’s future development and severely damage its reputation. Keeping the stakes under a hundred coins would solve the problem.
If the stakes were too low, it wouldn’t be very exciting. But small bets could be enjoyable. Even if there was no profit from betting, getting a few coins here and there—enough for a ticket—could bring small surprises. For those unlucky, it would just mean getting a slightly better seat, nothing too serious.
Without negative effects, betting would only make the audience more interested.
After thinking for a while and confirming that controlling betting would only bring benefits, Lin Dong looked up at Zhang Jiufang, who was crouched on the ground, and said, “Get up!”

“I dare not… I really don’t dare…” Zhang Jiu Fang quickly shook his head, realizing that after falling from a wolf’s den into a tiger’s lair, his manner of address had also changed. “How could I possibly stand here in front of you, sir?”
“What if we discuss something?” Lin Dong was very satisfied with Zhang Jiu Fang’s reaction. Earlier, after hearing how passersby described him, he had worried that the man’s arrogance might make him refuse to cooperate at the risk of his life. Now, he was relieved.
Zhang Jiu Fang didn’t dare hesitate and quickly nodded. “Please go ahead and give your orders. I’m ready to follow them.”
“What about being a full-time painter for Lin’s Gymnasium?” Lin Dong asked.
“A full-time painter for Lin’s Gymnasium?” Zhang Jiu Fang was a bit confused.
Lin Dong nodded. “That’s right. I’m the owner of Lin’s Gymnasium, and we need a painter on a long-term basis. Your daily task will be to draw the characters we specify as per their actions.”
“This… this…” Zhang Jiu Fang was troubled. “What about Master Hong…”
“I’ll take care of Master Hong Wanfu for you,” Lin Dong said slowly. “As for the salary, it’s initially set at ten taels of silver per month.”
Zhang Jiu Fang was still hesitant. A salary of ten taels of silver per month would make over 99% of people willing to work there for life. But for him, although it was a stable income, it was still a bit low. Moreover, he had never considered working as a painter for someone permanently. Drawing a portrait and earning ten or twenty taels of silver was much more comfortable.
Lin Dong ignored Zhang Jiu Fang’s expression and continued, “We’ll decide later based on performance. If you do well, your salary can be increased. If you perform poorly or are lazy, you might only get a straw mat as payment.”
“A straw mat?” Zhang Jiu Fang was stunned and couldn’t react immediately.
“That’s right!” Lin Dong sneered. “It’s for wrapping your body after you die.”
Zhang Jiu Fang was terrified. Realizing his situation, he no longer cared whether he wanted to work as a painter at Lin’s Gymnasium. He hurriedly promised to work hard and never be lazy.
“Alright, wait outside,” Lin Dong waved his hand.
Zhang Jiu Fang stood up in a hurry. After taking a few steps, Lin Dong’s voice rang out again, “Remember, don’t even think about playing tricks on me. Within the territory of the Great Han Nation, it’s easy for me to find you.”
“I won’t! I definitely won’t!” Zhang Jiu Fang turned around and smiled several times before heading straight for the side door in the back yard.
“Keep him at Lin’s Gymnasium for a few days. Once the hype dies down, since Hong Wanfu knows he’s now part of our Lin’s Inn, he probably won’t bother him,” Lin Dong said calmly.
Liu An nodded.
“Next, first are the sports stars…”

Lin Dong slowly explained his ideas regarding sports stars and gambling matches. After Liu An fully understood them and wrote them all down, Lin Dong instructed him to prepare while considering any areas for improvement before sending him to the lobby to inform Ma Chun.

Walking side by side with Liu An to the front yard, Lin Dong sat down by the stone table, pondering the purpose of Liang Gufeng’s visit. Before long, Liu An rushed back, greeted them, and headed straight to the back yard to find Zhang Jiufang. After waiting a while, Liang Gufeng entered accompanied by Ma Chun.

In his early fifties, with white hair and beard, Liang Gufeng moved with the confidence of a dragon or tiger, looking far more energetic than Ma Chun.

“Manager Lin, I’ve long heard of your reputation. It’s a pleasure to meet you today at last,” he said with a smile, bowing slightly from less than five meters away. His voice was deep and resonant like a bell.

“Manager Liang remains vigorous at an advanced age, having led Fenglin Restaurant in Lingnan City for twenty or thirty years,” Lin Dong said with a smile after inviting Liang Gufeng to sit. “Compared to you, I’m nothing at all.”

“You’re too kind, Manager Lin. You don’t know—really speaking…” Liang Gufeng said cheerfully, “A few days ago, when I heard that Lin’s Inn was planning to open a branch in Lingnan City, I was quite frightened. Whether it was in Xishan City first, Qiufeng City, or other counties under Qiufeng Prefecture, our Fenglin Restaurant has always lost badly against Lin’s Inn. I hope Manager Lin can be lenient this time.”

“Manager Liang is too modest. With our Lin’s Inn’s capabilities, making a profit of a hundred or eighty taels of silver per day in a place like Lingnan City is already considered lucky,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Actually, it should be me asking you to be lenient.”

“Your words are even more modest, Manager Lin. If Lin’s Inn weren’t capable, I wouldn’t have come all this way to ask for your help,” Liang Gufeng said meaningfully. “Otherwise, why would I bother coming here?”

Indeed, Liang Gufeng’s intention was to form a partnership.

Lin Dong and Ma Chun exchanged a glance. After the attendant who brought the tea left, taking advantage of the time while Ma Chun poured the tea, Lin Dong said politely with a smile, “It’s too kind of Manager Liang to offer help. Just let me know what you need. If I can do it, I promise not to frown even once.”

“Then shall I speak frankly?” Liang Gufeng asked with a smile.

Although Lin Dong had improved at exchanging polite words, there was no need to waste time with pleasantries. He nodded and said, “Please go ahead, Manager Liang.”

“Manager Lin, you must be aware of our Fenglin Restaurant’s decision to lower prices, right?” Liang Gufeng asked.

“I heard a bit about it,” Lin Dong said casually. “It seems to be from yesterday, which happened to be the first day our Lin’s Inn opened.”
There was a hint of mockery in his words. Liang Gufeng was a shrewd old man, and such teasing meant even less to him than a tickle. His face showed no trace of embarrassment as he said, “It was indeed yesterday. I’m sure Manager Lin is aware of the reason.”
He was aware, but revealing it would be disrespectful. Since Lin’s Inn was new, there was no need to antagonize Maple Forest Restaurant, especially during the period when Maple Forest Restaurant was at odds with Hongfu Restaurant. As long as they didn’t provoke Liang Gufeng, even if he knew Lin’s Inn was Maple Forest Restaurant’s greatest future rival, he would wisely choose to set Lin’s Inn aside for now. Thus, Lin Dong shook his head in confusion and asked, “Could Manager Liang have some deeper intention?”
“To be honest with you, Manager Lin, our Maple Forest Restaurant is facing a serious crisis,” Liang Gufeng said anxiously. “It goes back to the time before the guild officially confirmed anything. As you know, our headquarters has some insight into the guild’s affairs. To help customers, we occasionally reveal a bit of information. Unexpectedly, this led Hong Wanfu, the owner of Hongfu Restaurant, to think we were deliberately trying to exclude them.”
“Boss Hong is overthinking things,” Lin Dong replied casually before smiling at Liang Gufeng. This Manager Liang really had an extraordinary talent for spinning lies.
“That’s true. It’s a pity! Boss Hong doesn’t have Manager Lin’s magnanimity and insists that we’re trying to exclude them,” Liang Gufeng said, his face showing resentment. “As a result, he joined forces with other restaurants to suppress us. That would have been bad enough, but in business, if you lose, it’s not anyone’s fault. Yet, this Boss Hong, relying on his close relationship with the former prefect, used official power to crush us.”
Seeing that Lin Dong wasn’t about to respond, Ma Chun spoke up in surprise, “There’s such a thing?”
“Manager Ma doesn’t know, but back then, I was almost driven crazy by them. Fortunately, Maple Forest Restaurant has connections in Lingnan City and even throughout the Great Han Kingdom. After the former prefect pressured us for a while, he didn’t dare push any further,” Liang Gufeng said, still shaken. “It wasn’t until the guild officially confirmed everything that we, with our solid foundation, managed to hold on, and only then did this nightmare end.”
“Manager Liang’s abilities must also be one of the reasons,” Ma Chun said with a smile. “If I were him, I’d probably be getting scolded by the boss in the headquarters right now.”

Liang Gufeng stroked his long beard and said confidently, “Manager Ma is young and talented—nothing I, an old man, can compare to. Without even mentioning anything else, if Manager Ma were to come to our Fenglin Restaurant, the head manager would surely assign him a position as the chief manager. Look at me—after decades, I’m still just the owner of a district-level branch. The difference is obvious.”

“Owner Liang, that sounds a bit like you’re trying to poach me,” Lin Dong said with a smile.

“Who doesn’t know Manager Ma’s character? There’s no need for you to worry, Owner Lin,” Liang Gufeng replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

After glancing at Lin Dong and receiving an affirmative look, Ma Chun spoke up, “Fenglin Restaurant was able to get through such a tough time—so what kind of crisis could possibly make Owner Liang seek help from others? As far as I know, the current prefect and Boss Hong aren’t very close. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many rumors about their relationship lately. That means even if Boss Hong and the other restaurants team up again, the pressure won’t be as great as last time.”

“Manager Ma, you’re not aware of everything. In fact, the pressure this time is even greater than last time,” Liang Gufeng explained. “Although we lack the prefect’s support, Hong Wanfu is determined to do everything in his power to crush us at Fenglin Restaurant. The investment he’s making this time alone is enough to make up for that lack of support. Besides, it’s only been about half a year since the last crisis. Fenglin Restaurant has yet to recover from the heavy losses. If we suffer another hit like that, we might not be able to hold on. That’s why we have to ask Owner Lin for help to get through this crisis.”

“What do you want us at Lin’s Inn to do?” Lin Dong asked.

“It’s simple. If Lin’s Inn can make some adjustments to the dishes at Hongfu Restaurant, forcing them to divert their attention,” Liang Gufeng said with a smile, “I believe the pressure on us at Fenglin Restaurant will be much less.”

“How?” Lin Dong pressed.

“Besides their three signature dishes, Hongfu Restaurant has twelve more dishes made from spiritual beasts and materials that customers really enjoy,” Liang Gufeng said, staring at Lin Dong intently. “If Lin’s Inn can lower the price of these twelve dishes to the lowest profit level allowed by the guild, while increasing their portion sizes, and announce that the price of dishes using these ingredients in a VIP card package is three times that of other dishes, I believe… any customer who wants to try those twelve dishes will think of Lin’s Inn first.”

“Those who can afford spiritual beast materials are less than 20% in the east part of the city. If these materials are from third or fourth-tier spiritual beasts, over 80% of those who can afford them are in the city itself,” Lin Dong said leisurely. “If our Lin’s Inn increases the portion sizes, Hongfu Restaurant can simply do the same to make up for it. The total cost of the dishes is three times that of ordinary dishes. It might be attractive, but it’s unlikely to be enough to draw those who can afford third or fourth-tier spiritual beast materials to the east part of the city. After all, they’re not short of money. They can order two or three tables at once to cover the cost. Plus, Hongfu Restaurant’s chefs are better at using spiritual beast materials than ours. Manager Liang, this method seems rather inappropriate, doesn’t it?”
Liang Gufeng shook his head slowly. “Whether it’s geographical limitations or a lack of culinary skills, Lin’s Inn has enough attractions with its two signature dishes, six unique spicy dishes, along with VIP cards and spirit stone fans. Without going too far, it will surely outperform Hongfu Restaurant within two or three months.”
“That makes sense, but…” Lin Dong continued, “Manager Liang only mentioned Hongfu Restaurant’s twelve dishes made from spiritual beast materials with good cooking skills. What about their three signature dishes?”
“We at Fenglin Restaurant will find a way to deal with those three signature dishes,” Liang Gufeng said with a smile. “Of course, we also need Lin’s Inn’s help.”
“How?” Lin Dong smiled brightly. With Lin’s Inn’s various specialties, it wouldn’t be hard to overshadow Hongfu Restaurant’s signature dishes in a short time—just by increasing the portions of these specialties. The challenge lies in what Lin’s Inn should do after the initial excitement fades in two or three months.
The twelve dishes made from spiritual beast materials are manageable; it’s just an increase in the cumulative cost for VIP cards. For Lin’s Inn, the loss would mean spending at least a year or two gradually reducing the portions to avoid annoying customers. Additionally, the conditions for obtaining VIP cards and spirit stone fans would be accelerated, leading to earlier saturation of these two features.
But once these specialties are increased, it causes a direct impact. Lin’s Inn’s real appeal lies precisely in these aspects. If saturation comes much earlier, it means the inn will lack time to cultivate regular customers.

Regular customers cannot be developed in just one or two days. Thanks to features like VIP cards and Lingshi fans, Linji Inn doesn’t have to worry about a lack of customers for two or three months. But to truly turn these customers into regulars—getting one or two out of ten—Lin Dong is already satisfied. After all, two or three months isn’t that long. Even if these customers visit the restaurant every five days, that’s only a little over a dozen times.

Whether it’s the taste or the environment, with just over a dozen visits, it’s difficult to expect customers to get used to it or even feel uncomfortable going to other restaurants. Even with Linji Inn’s various unique attractions, it remains extremely challenging.

If the time were reduced by another month, after closing, Ma Chun would only need to count how much silver was earned that day, hardly needing to consider which familiar faces came to the inn. Even if there were, it would be purely because of Linji Inn’s unique features.

“It’s not hard!” Liang Gufeng said casually. “Should Manager Lin be familiar with the Tianxiang Water from our Fenglin Restaurant?”

“I know. It’s said to be added to food to enhance the natural aroma of various ingredients and also improve the taste,” Lin Dong nodded. He had specifically asked Ma Chun to gather information on the features and attractions of various restaurants’ signature dishes, and Tianxiang Water from Fenglin Restaurant was one of them.

According to the information published by the Chamber of Commerce, Tianxiang Water is an extremely cold type of ice collected by Fenglin Restaurant from a special place. Throughout the Great Han Kingdom, only Fenglin Restaurant has it, and only that one in Lingnan City.

To disclose its cost, Fenglin Restaurant had to list Tianxiang Water, but its method of acquisition and source were extremely strange. According to the Chamber of Commerce, it was made by adding powders of various rare and exotic spiritual beasts and materials to ice, which was then stored for years to produce it.

Of course, no one believed this method. Everyone understood that Fenglin Restaurant had invented it merely to conceal the source and method of obtaining Tianxiang Water and to inflate its cost. As a result, Lin Dong only knew this much about it.

“What if our Fenglin Restaurant could supply Tianxiang Water to Linji Inn on a long-term basis? What do you think, Manager Lin?”

Liang Gufeng smiled at Lin Dong, believing that as a restaurant owner, he would absolutely be unable to resist such an offer.

Lin Dong’s expression, as Liang Gufeng had predicted, was one of astonishment.