Chapter 131: Yin and Yang

At noon the next day, under overcast skies, Lin Dong led Ma Chun to Wanbin Tower, located two blocks away.
The information gathered from Liu Hao was pretty much the same—as soon as they stepped into the lobby, an air of wealth and luxury hit them. Even just the first floor was magnificent, with gilded window decorations, beams carved with dragons and phoenixes, and brightly colored vases… At first glance, it seemed like the hall of some wealthy family.
“How do you feel?” Lin Dong asked Ma Chun, glancing at the lobby, which was about half full.
“Well… it seems a bit vulgar,” Ma Chun said in a low voice.
Lin Dong couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t that he had suddenly become more refined—it was that Wanbin Tower was indeed vulgar, so vulgar that even ordinary people would find it so.
As they were observing the lobby’s furnishings, a waiter slowly approached: “Which table?”
“Do we even have to introduce ourselves just to eat?” Ma Chun replied indifferently.
The waiter clicked his tongue. Ninety-nine percent of Wanbin Tower’s customers were people trying to build connections with the Peng family. They spent money here to gain access, not for the food or drinks, so the accounting department recorded the guests’ identities. Not knowing this rule meant it was definitely their first time at Wanbin Tower.
“Please, this way!”
The waiter gestured and led Lin Dong and Ma Chun to an empty table. Without even wiping it properly or offering tea, he asked directly, “What would you like to eat?”
“What’s your best wine? And what’s your best dish?” Ma Chun asked.
“The best wine is Thyme. The best…”
“Thyme?” Both were surprised. Thyme was indeed one of the top wines in Autumn Wind City, but in a large restaurant, unless it was aged for thirty years, it shouldn’t be considered the best wine.
Ma Chun couldn’t help but ask, “How many years aged?”
“Five years!” the waiter replied casually.
Lin Dong couldn’t resist asking, “How much is a pot?”
The waiter answered without a smile, “Thirty taels of silver per pot.”
Pfft…
Ma Chun couldn’t catch his breath and spat out saliva. Fortunately, Lin Dong reacted quickly and ducked aside.
A wine pot in a restaurant usually held only about half a kilogram. Thirty taels of silver for half a kilogram of five-year-aged Thyme… Not only Ma Chun but even Lin Dong, who had nearly three hundred thousand taels of silver hidden away, was secretly relieved he had asked. Otherwise, they would have been fools.
Lin Dong asked, “How much is the cheapest wine per pot?”
“Blue Wine, two hundred wen per pot.”
Since they were there to gather intelligence, it made no sense not to try the restaurant’s food and drinks. Lin Dong said helplessly, “Bring us a pot of Blue Wine!”

“What’s the best dish?” Remembering the price of thyme for a five-year period, Ma Chun added, “How much silver per plate?”
“Stir-fried Snow Ox – sixty taels of silver per plate.”
Lin Dong was stunned. He had never seen a Snow Ox before, but had heard of them; they were third-tier spiritual beasts. One would likely cost a hundred or eighty taels of silver to buy, with the inner core alone accounting for 80% of its value. Moreover, a Snow Ox weighed thousands of pounds, so sixty taels of silver was barely enough to roast an entire ox—just one plate…
“Give us some cheaper dishes!” Lin Dong retreated once again, deciding to merely test the cooking skills of Wanbin Tower.
“Sure, just a moment!”
In Peng Family’s restaurant, no one had ever dared to eat without paying. Thus, the waiter didn’t even mention that even the cheapest dishes cost one or two taels of silver per plate. With a graceful turn and swishing his clean sleeves, he strode away.
After a while, the dishes were served: a plate of vegetables, a plate of braised tofu, and a plate of fried eggs with peppers.
The wine was a bit weak, drying the throat. The dishes were decent—the vegetables were tender, the tofu was refreshing, and the eggs were flavorful.
It was just too expensive.
If it were just a small restaurant, with prices totaling twenty or thirty coins, it would definitely be worth it.
But for such simple dishes, it cost five taels of silver. If he hadn’t known in advance that it would be expensive, Lin Dong might have been tempted to eat for free.
Fortunately, though he ended up being overcharged, he could now be sure that Wanbin Tower’s only selling point was Peng Family’s reputation.
After leaving Wanbin Tower, the two hurried to Kelaibai Restaurant.
Compared to Wanbin Tower, Kelaibai Restaurant was the complete opposite. Its decoration was barely noticeable, not much better than Linji Inn in Xilan City. The waiter’s attitude was the same too—he greeted them with a smile as soon as they entered and rushed over.
Seeing the lobby packed to capacity, Ma Chun felt as if he were back at Linji Inn in Xilan City and couldn’t help but praise, “Good business!”
“Not really. It’s all thanks to our guests. Please come upstairs, sir. On the second floor, aside from the private rooms, there are a few empty tables.”
Lin Dong nodded and followed the waiter upstairs.
After wiping the tables and pouring tea, the waiter enthusiastically introduced the restaurant’s dishes again.
Whether it was ordinary dishes or spiritual beast ingredients, Kelaibai Restaurant’s prices were very reasonable. Except for the braised carp, which required reservation and couldn’t be ordered, everything else was much cheaper than what they had eaten at Wanbin Tower. Lin Dong simply ordered all the good dishes and wines from Kelaibai Restaurant.

As the dishes were served one after another, although Lin Dong was a hands-off owner, he still had some understanding of the costs of ingredients. By seeing the amount of food served, he realized that Ke Lai Jin Lou was indeed fair and affordable. Dishes made from spiritual beasts and materials only yielded a profit of one or two times the cost. For ordinary dishes, if the wages of the staff and chefs were taken into account, the profit was only 10% to 20%.

Tasting the food again, he found it to have excellent color, aroma, and taste, though it was a bit salty—perfectly suited to the taste of the people in Qiufeng City.

After a full meal, Ma Chun patted his bloated stomach and said softly, “Owner, Ke Lai Jin Lou is far better than Wanbin Lou. Once our inn opens, Ke Lai Jin Lou will definitely be a strong competitor.”

Lin Dong shook his head. Ke Lai Jin Lou relied on its cooking skills, service, and prices, while Lin Ji Inn’s only disadvantage was the higher cost of spiritual beasts and materials. However, with dishes like Soft Maple Leaf Stewed Turtle and cooking skill enhancements, its cooking skills were no worse than Ke Lai Jin Lou’s.

As for the staff’s service attitude, Lin Dong believed Lin Ji Inn could even surpass them. With added comfort benefits, Lin Ji Inn was definitely stronger, not weaker.

More importantly, whether it was the chefs’ skills or the staff’s quality, Lin Ji Inn had great room for improvement. Given time and fair competition, Lin Ji Inn could easily leave Ke Lai Jin Lou far behind.

In fact, Lin Dong thought Wanbin Lou was the real biggest competitor. With its service and cooking skills, it still managed a occupancy rate of over 50%, thanks to the Peng family’s extensive network. No matter how hard Lin Ji Inn tried, it was unlikely to weaken those connections. And this was assuming the Peng family only used Wanbin Lou as a tool for receiving gifts; if it were properly managed, Wanbin Lou also had significant room for improvement.

“Owner, it seems it’s already past noon. Should we go to Yingfeng Lou for dinner or return to the inn?” Ma Chun asked.

To gather intelligence, it was necessary to see the occupancy rate during their peak business hours. After some thought, Lin Dong said, “Let’s return to the inn first! We’ll go to Yingfeng Lou in the evening.”

“Hmm!”

Ma Chun nodded, called over the staff, and settled the bill—18 taels of silver in total. Although the price was high, most of the dishes on the table were made from spiritual beasts and materials, making it still fair and affordable.