Chapter 390: The Value of Lin’s Inn

Lin Dong shook his head subtly, then nodded again under Ma Chun’s somewhat disappointed gaze.
Ma Chun was secretly pleased—he understood what Lin Dong meant.
“Manager Liang, the price you mentioned is 60% of the shares in Lin’s Inn in Lingnan City, right?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.
“Manager Lin, are you selling all the branches together?” Liang Gufeng was surprised.
“Of course! Whether it’s VIP cards or Spirit Stone Fans, they all require a large amount of capital. My money is all invested in Lin’s Inn,” Lin Dong nodded. “If Manager Liang wants it, I can sell 100% of the shares as well.”
“This… Manager Lin really intends to sell Lin’s Inn?” Liang Gufeng found it hard to believe Lin Dong would do such a thing. To be honest, he didn’t think he could persuade Lin Dong in just a few words.
If Lin Dong were someone who could be persuaded so easily to sell a business he’d run for years, Lin’s Inn would have already been taken over by others—there would be no chance for Liang Gufeng to take advantage.
But if he didn’t intend to sell, there would be no need to waste time asking around, right? In that case, it would be fine to wait until Lin’s Inn could no longer sustain itself before bringing it up.
From the moment they met, Liang Gufeng still couldn’t figure out what Lin Dong was thinking.
“Of course it’s real. Could it be…” Lin Dong looked displeased. “Manager Liang thinks I’m playing tricks on you?”
“No, no!” Liang Gufeng waved his hands frantically and shook his head. “I just thought Manager Lin was joking.”
“Then please give me an estimate!” Lin Dong said slowly. “I hope you won’t treat this as a joke when setting the price.”
Liang Gufeng became serious, fearing he might miss the chance if Lin Dong truly intended to sell Lin’s Inn. He didn’t want to miss it by treating it as a joke.
Lin’s Inn had branches only in Qiufeng Mansion and in Lingnan City, totaling twelve inns. In Lingnan City, Liang Gufeng could make all decisions. As for Qiufeng Mansion and the ten counties under its jurisdiction, although he couldn’t act unilaterally, all counties within the Lingnan prefecture were under his control. For major decisions, he just needed to consult the branch managers. In areas without branches, he could make decisions alone and report back later.
Liang Gufeng believed that if he could buy Lin’s Inn, the branch managers in Qiufeng Mansion, who were already being pushed back by Lin’s Inn, would surely have no objections.
There were no issues with making decisions—what remained was the price.

As the nominal head manager of Maple Forest Restaurant in Lingnan City, Liang Gufeng naturally knew very well about Lin’s Inn, which had risen step by step by leveraging Maple Forest Restaurant’s success. Undoubtedly, the most profitable branch of Lin’s Inn was the one in Lingnan City; Liang Gufeng estimated its monthly profit to be no less than 30,000 taels. Next were the three unchallenged branches in their respective locations: Lin’s Inn in Qiufeng City, with a monthly profit of around 20,000 taels; and Lin’s Inn in Xinan City and Taihe City, which were the origins of Lin’s Inn, each generating about 3,000 taels per month.

Liang Gufeng’s mind quickly went through information about Lin’s Inn. His focused gaze made it clear that he was deep in thought. Of the remaining eight branches of Lin’s Inn, five made modest profits, averaging 1,000 to 2,000 taels per month each. The other three—two were still breaking even due to strong competitors, while the third had suffered losses for months due to the overwhelming influence of a rival restaurant owner in its local area, facing closure.

In total, the twelve branches of Lin’s Inn generated just over 60,000 taels in monthly profit. Although the presence of Maple Forest Restaurant in some of these locations offset some of this profit, the value of the VIP cards and Spirit Stone Fans provided by Lin’s Inn was negligible if distributed to other branches. Moreover, Lin’s Inn had two ever-popular signature dishes, six spicy dishes that were extremely popular, and several top chefs—elements that, if applied to all Maple Forest Restaurants across the Great Han Kingdom, would be invaluable, even exceeding Lin’s Inn’s own profits.

Furthermore, if cooperation went well, an agreement could be reached with Manager Lin to ensure that the Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards produced by him were prioritized for supply to all Maple Forest Restaurants. The location of Lin’s Inn’s gymnasiums was also near Maple Forest Restaurants. The potential benefits were immense…

Liang Gufeng suddenly realized he didn’t dare calculate further. Upon reflection, he realized that if Manager Lin were willing to cooperate with Maple Forest Restaurant, it would be a tremendous boost for them. With Maple Forest Restaurant’s current strength, combined with these advantages, it could easily dominate more than half of all counties and prefectures in the Great Han Kingdom.

A county-level manager could mobilize at most 10 million taels. Among the tens of millions of households in a county, those with such wealth would surely number no more than a hundred.

However, Liang Gufeng felt that this was far from enough to cover the potential benefits of partnering with Lin Dong’s restaurant. Just the Lin Ji Inn alone—assuming the seller wasn’t in need of money and the transaction was conducted normally—would require at least six million taels of silver per month to acquire, as a business generating such profits surely couldn’t be bought for less than six or seven million taels. This was merely the beginning; the real value lay ahead. Waves of excitement surged within him. Even for someone as composed as Liang Gufeng, his face turned red, and his heartbeat accelerated sharply. If this deal were finalized, it would almost certainly mean he would become the new head manager, and the reward would surely be no less than a million taels. Seeing Liang Gufeng’s flushed face, Lin Dong and Ma Chun couldn’t help but smile faintly. Their calmness was on par with Liang Gufeng’s earlier composure. After Ma Chun brought tea four times, Liang Gufeng suddenly raised his head, looked at Lin Dong seriously, and declared firmly, “Manager Lin, ten million taels of silver to buy all branches of Lin Ji Inn. Additionally, Lin Ji Inn’s signature dishes and chefs must be sold to our restaurant, and the Spirit Stone Fans, VIP cards, and Lin Ji Gym must be operated in partnership with us. We can discuss the prices for these two aspects separately. What do you think?” “Ten million taels of silver to buy all of Lin Ji Inn, and cooperation with your restaurant for the rest…” Under Liang Gufeng’s intense gaze, Lin Dong paused, tapped his index finger gently on the table, and nodded, “It’s fairly reasonable!” Sigh… Liang Gufeng let out a long sigh of relief. During those dozen seconds while Lin Dong spoke, his back had already been drenched in sweat from nervousness. Fortunately, a preliminary agreement had been reached. The moment Lin Dong said the price was reasonable, Liang Gufeng felt as though every part of his body—his face, limbs, every inch—was submerged in a cool spring on a scorching day, bringing a sense of relief and joy. With this trip to Lin Ji Inn, Liang Gufeng believed it was undoubtedly the wisest decision of his life, as well as the most impactful day. Ten million taels of silver to buy Lin Ji Inn was indeed a high price. But Liang Gufeng believed the additional cost was well worth it for the future cooperation. He was sure the headquarters would also agree with this decision.

“Congratulations, Manager Lin! Once the contract is signed, you’ll be one of the few wealthiest men in Lingnan City.” Liang Gufeng stood up, excitedly saying, “This is just the beginning. I believe that one day, you’ll surely become one of the wealthiest men in the Great Han Nation.”
“Sign a contract?” Lin Dong looked surprised. “What contract?”
Liang Gufeng was momentarily stunned, then carefully said, “Of course, it’s a contract to buy all the Lin’s Inn for ten million taels of silver, with the requirement that Lin’s Inn must cooperate with Fenglin Restaurant.”
“I only said that ten million taels of silver seems reasonable; I didn’t say I agree to your offer,” Lin Dong said casually. “Manager Liang, you misunderstood me.”
“Huh?”
Liang Gufeng’s mood dropped again, and his speech became a bit hesitant.
“W-Well… how much silver do you think is acceptable?”
“That’s hard to say. I don’t want to set it too high and make you think I’m boasting,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “I think it’s better if you set the price.”
Ma Chun nodded. “Manager Liang must also be aware of the benefits of our inn partnering with Fenglin Restaurant. Ten million taels of silver… isn’t that a bit too low?”
“Um… Manager Lin, Manager Ma, could you give me some time to think?” Liang Gufeng asked hesitantly.
“Please, go ahead, Manager Liang!” Lin Dong said politely.
“Manager Liang, take your time. Have some tea.” Ma Chun immediately stood up and poured him a cup as Liang Gufeng thanked him.
Soon, Liang Gufeng fell silent once more.
Lin Dong closed his eyes, resting quietly.
Ma Chun watched Liang Gufeng, sneering inwardly.
Daring to look down on Lin’s Inn—coming here to try and buy it before even fighting—just wait and see how furious you’ll get.

Suddenly, Liang Gufeng raised his head abruptly and said through gritted teeth, “Fifteen million taels of silver, under the same terms as before. Manager Lin, as you know, given the profits of Lin’s Inn, its value is only six or seven million taels at most. This means our Fenglin Restaurant is willing to spend eight or nine million taels to secure priority in cooperating with you. As for the Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards, if they are given to us first, not only will the price remain unchanged, but our Fenglin Restaurant, with its nationwide fleet of vehicles, can also help you promote them more quickly. For Lin’s Gymnasium, cooperating with our Fenglin Restaurant brings even greater benefits. Our Fenglin Restaurant has a great reputation and all its locations are in the city. If Lin’s Gymnasium is built nearby, it will not only attract more spectators due to its location but also draw in customers who originally planned to dine at our restaurant. It’s a win-win situation for both sides!”
After a pause, Liang Gufeng said confidently, “It can be said that cooperating with our Fenglin Restaurant brings only benefits and no drawbacks. These eight or nine million taels are almost like getting them for free. With this money, I believe it will take ten or twenty years less, or even longer, to spread the Spirit Stone Fans, VIP cards, and Lin’s Gymnasium throughout the Great Han Kingdom.”
“Well…” Lin Dong tapped the table, pretending to ponder.
Liang Gufeng wasn’t in a hurry either, his expression returning to calmness and composure.
He was 100% confident he could persuade Lin Dong with what he had said, because those words had convinced him himself.
Liang Gufeng believed that if he had the wealth in Lin Dong’s hands and someone offered conditions as favorable as helping him mine it for free, there would be no reason to refuse.