Chapter 356: Stepping Down Hard

When giving the greetings, it was only natural for the first person to mention the county magistrate. With the Huo family as Lin’s Inn’s backing—those willing to go to any length to protect it—there was little fear of being suppressed by the county magistrate. Yet even high-ranking officials in the Great Han Empire wouldn’t disregard the power of their families. Both sides simply preferred not to offend each other. Lin’s Inn wasn’t only on very good terms with the Huo family’s eldest son; even the family head wouldn’t act arrogantly in front of a county magistrate.

But the second person in the greeting posed a big problem. It was Hong Wanfu, not Chen Yantian. Under normal circumstances, the three of them wouldn’t have paid much attention to such a casual greeting. But given the seriousness of the situation, every word had to be carefully considered. All three were skilled at reading situations and wouldn’t miss such a detail. To them, the order of the greetings indicated that Lin Dong disliked Chen Yantian even more. Personal preferences could greatly influence the outcome of matters. As a result, although Yang Yankang and Chen Yantian maintained their smiles, they seemed forced, while Hong Wanfu’s smile appeared noticeably brighter.

Glancing at their faces, Lin Dong was very satisfied with the impact of his words. “County magistrate, Boss Hong, Boss Chen, please sit. I apologize for the inadequate hospitality.” Lin Dong warmly invited Yang Yankang to take the seat of honor, then smiled as he invited Hong Wanfu to sit, finally addressing Chen Yantian with a calm expression.

Now, with Lin Dong at the center, every move, word, and smile of his became extremely important. The differences were clear, further solidifying their attitudes toward him.

Of course, none of the three were fools—they were all shrewd individuals. Lin Dong’s attempt to put on an act was obvious to them. Thus, not only Yang Yankang and Chen Yantian looked displeased, but even Hong Wanfu felt uneasy. This manager, Lin, was deliberately adopting such an attitude, clearly aiming to provoke a confrontation between them so as to gain the most advantage. For Hong Wanfu, no matter how high his offer might be, it was likely still inferior to Yang Yankang’s full support for Chen Yantian. Without Lin Dong’s favor, their chances of turning the situation around had significantly diminished.

For Yang Yankang and Chen Yantian, Lin Dong’s attitude was also no good sign. After all, this shopkeeper Lin had Huajia and Fu Tongshan as his backers—one far away and the other nearby—and with the chamber of commerce’s influence over local officials, there was no need to pay too much attention to the attitude of a county magistrate. What remained between the two sides was what benefits they could bring to Lin Dong. Relatively speaking, since this shopkeeper Lin ran an inn as his main business, if Hong Wanfu were to sacrifice his restaurant to protect himself, Tiandai Gambling House simply couldn’t offer equivalent benefits. Even in terms of money, although Hong Wanfu had suffered heavy losses in recent months, his savings over more than twenty years were still greater than those of Tiandai Gambling House.

Different positions meant different information and different thoughts.

This was exactly the effect Lin Dong wanted. He had already made up his mind to get as much as possible—either having both fish and bear paws or at least securing the greatest benefits. To achieve that, all he needed to do was keep elevating Yang Yankang while constantly undermining Chen Yantian, keeping Hong Wanfu at the center. Only in this way could both sides see hope, thus driving up the stakes further, and perhaps even finding an opportunity for Lin’s Inn to have both fish and bear paws.

The four sat down one after another. Lin Dong glanced at the dishes on the table and called out loudly, “Wang Fu, send someone to take away these dishes and tell the kitchen to prepare a new set.”

“Sure, right away,” came the voice of waiter Wang Fu from outside.

“Shopkeeper Lin, there’s no need to be so polite. This is already the third batch of dishes. It’s hot outside, so it’s fine if they’re cold.”

Yang Yankang spoke politely with a smile, and Chen Yantian quickly agreed from the side. Only Hong Wanfu remained silent. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be polite, but Yang Yankang’s words carried more than just courtesy—they also implied that Lin Dong had neglected a high-ranking official for too long.

If he agreed, it would be equivalent to helping Yang Yankang remind Lin Dong. Hong Wanfu preferred to risk appearing less polite rather than help Yang Yankang add more guilt or pressure on Lin Dong. If he accidentally gave Yang Yankang the upper hand, he would have no hope left.

“Oh, no, no. These are just simple dishes. I hope the county magistrate won’t mind,” Lin Dong replied politely.

“If these are considered simple dishes, then there’s hardly any good food or wine in Lingnan City,” Yang Yankang said with a smile, shaking his head.

These words weren’t entirely polite. The table was laden with twenty-four dishes, all made from spiritual beasts and materials—except for Lin Ji Inn’s signature dish, Vitality Beef Balls. Among them were even materials from fourth- and fifth-tier spiritual beasts, and the tea and wine were the most expensive varieties available at Lin Ji Inn. At Lin Ji Inn’s prices, this meal must have cost no less than two hundred taels of silver, with just the costs alone exceeding a hundred taels.

For four tables, the costs alone already exceeded five hundred taels.

Although five hundred taels wasn’t comparable to the settlement amount prepared by Tian Lai Gambling House and Hong Fu Gambling House, hosting a banquet for just four people with costs exceeding five hundred taels was undoubtedly the most extravagant arrangement in Lingnan City.

This gesture surely warranted more than five hundred taels.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, several servants came in, clearing away all the dishes while bringing in two plates of pastries and a plate of spiritual beast meat.

Lin Dong picked up the wine pot on the table and shook it—thirty-year-old thyme inside made a crisp clinking sound.

“Lord Magistrate, please try our wine from Lin Ji Inn.”

Smiling, Lin Dong extended the wine pot toward Yang Yankang’s cup.

Yang Yankang glanced at the crystal-clear liquid flowing from the spout, then subtly inhaled its aroma before saying with a smile, “Lin Ji Inn’s aged thyme is truly remarkable. Just smelling it makes me, someone who hasn’t touched alcohol in over a decade, feel quite tempted.”

“Lord Magistrate can tell it’s thyme just by smelling it—clearly an expert in wine. Who would believe someone hasn’t had alcohol in over a decade?”

After pouring himself a glass as well, Lin Dong stood up and went over to Hong Wanfu, who had already risen to greet him. He extended the wine pot toward Hong Wanfu’s cup.

“I’ll do it myself, I’ll do it myself.”

Hong Wanfu quickly took the wine pot from Lin Dong’s hands and poured himself a glass. Then, after hesitating for a moment, he held the pot toward Lin Dong.

Seeing Lin Dong pick up the pot, Chen Yantian quickly stood up, waiting.

Without looking away, Lin Dong walked back to his seat, raised his cup, and offered it to Yang Yankang: “Lord Magistrate, please!”

“Manager Lin, please!” Yang Yankang replied with an odd expression, raising his cup in invitation.

“Boss Hong, Boss Chen, please!” Lin Dong waved his cup toward Hong Wanfu and Chen Yantian.

“Manager Lin, please, Manager Lin, please.”

Hong Wanfu repeatedly declined politely, his expression a mix of laughter and tears, clearly trying to hold back something.

Chen Yantian’s face turned ashen. If his attitude before had been one of disregard and rudeness, now it was as if he were ready to strike back violently.

Waiting to stand on one’s own, yet deliberately forgetting and not even seeing oneself; if the wine isn’t poured, one goes back and sits down by oneself, but remembers everything clearly when it’s time to toast. Such behavior would be unbearable even for an ordinary person, let alone someone in Chen Yantian’s position and status.

Seeing Chen Yantian about to lose his temper, Hong Wanfu kept making soft gurgling sounds from his throat to suppress his smile, his mouth twisting significantly. Yang Yankang quickly stood up, grabbed the chopsticks in front of him, picked up a piece of the red, yellow, and blue-colored pastry, and praised, “This must be the Fulong Cake famous in Lingnan City from Lin’s Inn, right?”

“Your Excellency has excellent eyesight. This Fulong Cake comes in three colors, each made from three different spices. It’s soft when eaten and has an incredibly fragrant taste…” Lin Dong intended to crush Chen Yantian completely, but instead ended up knocking him over. Seeing Yang Yankang interrupt, he temporarily let Chen Yantian go and briefly introduced the features of the Fulong Cake with a smile.

Yang Yankang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Though he was dissatisfied with Lin Dong’s overreach—publicly suppressing Chen Yantian in front of him and even forcing him, as a high-ranking official, to step in—he had no choice but to wear a faint smile, pretending to be very interested in the Fulong Cake, and keep asking about its characteristics to prevent Chen Yantian from further humiliation and to give himself time to calm down.

Chen Yantian clearly had great patience. Despite the raging anger in his heart, his ashen face gradually turned pale under Hong Wanfu’s apologetic gaze. By the time Lin Dong had explained the Fulong Cake in detail, the waiter had already brought over a second plate of spirit beast meat, and everything had returned to normal.

“Come on, Your Excellency, try this braised Golden Scaled Fish,” Lin Dong said, picking up his chopsticks and pointing at the newly served dish. He introduced it to Yang Yankang, “This Golden Scaled Fish not only looks vibrant but also tastes extraordinary. The first bite has a strange flavor that will surely make many people spit it out. But the second and third bites… the taste gets better with each bite.”

“Then I must give it a try.”

Having been an official for decades, Yang Yankang had surely eaten spirit beast meat of the third rank, which could be found in almost every county. He believed Lin Dong knew this as well. So, after a brief consideration—thanks to his decades of experience—he pretended to have never eaten it before.

After picking up some and putting it in his mouth, Yang Yankang chewed a few times, frowned deeply, swallowed the fish in one gulp, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “The taste is indeed strange—kind of like half a jar of sugar mixed into cured meat.”

“Try the second bite; I guarantee it will taste much better than the first.” Lin Dong understood that Yang Yankang was deliberately flattery in an attempt to make him feel slightly honored, so as to gradually take control. If it were an ordinary person, this tactic might not work instantly, but it would surely have some effect, and building on that success could lead to great results. Unfortunately, Yang Yankang didn’t know Lin Dong’s true strength—flattery from a provincial official wasn’t enough to make him feel honored.