Chapter 158: Storage Function

After asking the staff about the prices of dishes and drinks for the three tables, Lin Dong and Ma Chun waited at the top of the stairs.
About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a blue silk robe and appearing wealthy, with only a few strands of hair left on his head, waved at the staff member who stood nearby, smiling.
“Check!”
“Boss Niu, are you done eating?” The staff member hurried over and said gently, “The total is three taels, two coins, and 69 fen. Since you’re a regular guest at this inn, three taels and two coins will suffice.”
Niu Jinshui nodded, opened his money bag, and placed a five-tael silver ingot on the table.
“I’ll take five taels from you; you’ll get one tael and eight coins change. Please wait a moment!” The staff member picked up the silver and quickly headed toward the stairs.
Lin Dong gave Ma Chun a glance, and the two stepped forward.
“Boss Niu, welcome to Lin’s Inn. This is my manager,” Ma Chun introduced Lin Dong with a smile.
Hearing this, the other guests at the table, unaware of the situation, knew Niu Jinshui was from Qiufeng City but had heard of Lin Dong’s relationship with Li Jiancheng. They quickly stood up and said politely, “So you’re Manager Lin. We’ve long heard of you.”
“Please, don’t be polite, Boss Niu,” Lin Dong replied. He rarely engaged in such social interactions; he was better at accompanying guests by drinking with them to liven up the atmosphere. Unfamiliar with this situation, he simply took out Copper Card No. 1 and held it in front of Niu Jinshui, smiling, “Boss Niu, this is the inn’s newly launched VIP card. If you visit again, you’ll become a VIP, entitled to a free pot of three-year-aged thyme for every two taels worth of dishes and drinks. If the total cost over multiple visits reaches 100 taels, you can upgrade to a Silver Card, with a free pot of five-year-aged thyme per two taels.”
“Oh?” Niu Jinshui was slightly surprised. After taking the card, he saw the four bold characters “Lin’s Inn” and was impressed. Even without knowing calligraphy, he could tell they were extraordinary. Looking below, a coiling dragon with golden claws gave the impression of a golden dragon about to soar into the sky.
After flipping it around a few times, Niu Jinshui marveled at how smooth and finely crafted the so-called VIP card was—clearly a lot of effort had gone into it.
“Additionally, this VIP card has a storage function,” Lin Dong explained with a smile. “Just drop a drop of blood on the dragon’s body to claim it. Although the capacity isn’t large, Boss Niu can store some personal items inside.”
“Does it require spiritual energy like a storage ring?” Niu Jinshui’s lips twitched slightly.

“A small amount will do,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Boss Niu can set aside a few days each month to practice, which not only strengthens his body but also allows him to use the storage function of the VIP card—winning both worlds.”
“That’s true!”
Niu Jinshui nodded, but the dismissive look on his face made Lin Dong feel uneasy.
It seemed that both he and Xiao Tianchi had become a bit arrogant.
On the path of cultivation, one either progresses or regresses; the most important thing is the ability to endure the dull and monotonous solitude.
Spend a few days each month practicing is easy for those who practice martial arts. In Lin Dong and Xiao Tianchi’s eyes, seeing their strength gradually grow gave them a sense of achievement that kept them dedicated, even if they had to neglect food and trivial matters—ten or eight years of continuous practice wouldn’t be a problem for them.
But for the wealthy who were used to a comfortable life, it was an extremely difficult task. Not only the rich, but even many practitioners stopped practicing after starting families and building businesses—eighty to ninety percent of them.
Once cultivation is placed after wealth, power, and pleasure, it becomes hard to find joy in improving one’s strength, and thus difficult to endure the tedious practice.
Unless cultivation can earn a lot of silver, a mere storage function simply won’t arouse much interest in the wealthy.
Realizing this, Lin Dong felt helpless. After a night of thinking and discussion, the storage function seemed wasted. Fortunately, he could still hope for the benefits of the VIP card and its elegant design.
After exchanging a few polite words with Niu Jinshui and seeing him and his guests out of the inn, Lin Dong returned and called over the staff member in charge of Niu Jinshui’s table. He asked, “Is Boss Niu a regular customer here?”
The staff member nodded. “Boss Niu is the owner of a leather goods shop on Linxi Street. He often has to receive many merchants who come to order leather goods. Before, he used to host them at Kelei Restaurant, but since Kelei Restaurant and Yingfeng Tower have caused quite a stir in the city, he now hosts them here.”
“How often does he come, and at what time?” Lin Dong asked.
“Generally, he comes every two or three days. He usually chooses afternoon or evening for the banquets.”
Lin Dong nodded. Since the VIP card hadn’t worked well at first, this Boss Niu was a good candidate to test whether its benefits and design could attract wealthy clients.
After waiting a while, two more tables arrived, and one table checked out. Lin Dong went over again, and the result was the same. The wealthy clients who checked out were quite impressed by the benefits and design of the VIP card, but they showed little interest in the storage function.

For just one square foot of storage space, one has to spend days practicing every month—definitely not worth it. If one can endure it, a cubic-foot storage ring costs only three to five taels of silver, which is not unaffordable. With three or four groups of customers behaving this way, Lin Dong’s enthusiasm gradually faded, and he had no choice but to stop distributing the cards.
“Boss…” Seeing Lin Dong in a bad mood, Ma Chun, though also skeptical about the benefits and appearance of the VIP cards, tried to comfort him: “I think it’s good that the wealthy clients don’t like the storage feature. That way, we can cut the cost of these VIP cards significantly. After all, these cards offer discounts and have an attractive appearance. Whether or not they have storage functionality, they can still attract many wealthy clients.”
Lin Dong smiled bitterly; he could only think that way.
“Boss, then what about the storage feature of these VIP cards…” Ma Chun hesitated.
“Suspend issuing them for now. Send someone to Huangmei Mountain to find Master Xiao. As for the storage feature of the VIP cards…” Lin Dong hesitated. In his view, the storage feature was just as attractive as the discounts and appearance. Canceling it felt unbearably regrettable.
“Suspend everything for now! Let’s reassess in a few days.”
“Hmm!” Ma Chun nodded reluctantly. “Boss, you really won’t give up until you see it through! If it were me, I’d simply stop issuing all the VIP cards.”
Regarding the discounts, he suggested that the staff be more observant: offer three-year subscriptions to wealthy clients, five-year subscriptions to those who visit occasionally, and ten-year subscriptions to regular clients—achieving the same results. As for the appearance… it was indeed delicate and attractive, making it a good choice as a toy for children.
In Ma Chun’s eyes, these VIP cards were just useless. Money was spent, but the benefits were minimal. With that cost, giving more jars ofthyme would be more attractive.
It was a pity the boss wouldn’t give up; no matter how much he regretted the cost of the VIP cards, it was futile.
“Let’s do this! Find a staff member who knows Boss Niu and have them wait at the route he must take to reach the inn. Once they see him coming to the inn for a feast, inform me immediately,” Lin Dong decided.
“Okay!”
Ma Chun nodded cheerfully and sent a staff member to wait. It wouldn’t cost much in labor.