Chapter 259: Borrowing People

Seeing that Lin Dong seemed reluctant, the upbeat atmosphere among them was instantly doused like it had been poured with cold water, leaving everyone feeling uneasy.
“Shopkeeper Lin, if the price is any higher, it won’t be worth it for us…” Yingchunhua swayed her hips and cast flirtatious glances, trying to distract Lin Dong: “Think about it—if we really have to wait three to five months for news from the guild, just this expense will cost us fifty to sixty thousand taels of silver. It’s better for Fenglin Restaurant to back out early since the situation isn’t favorable. If Fenglin Restaurant insists on pressing on, we won’t be able to sustain it that long.”
“Yes! Shopkeeper Lin, with my assets, I can barely support it for another month or two. Adding another five hundred taels per day would be better if I just close down now and plan again later.”
“I’m in the same situation, if not worse. One month is already my limit.”
“I’m even worse. I do have enough silver to offer discounts for two or three months to attract customers, but it’s all borrowed money. If we lose everything, all 65 members of my family will have to hang themselves.”
One after another, they complained about their financial struggles. Among them, Wang Shuangxi also pretended to look distressed, but in reality, he remained calm.
Since Lin’s Inn had access to guild news, given the relationship between Keilai Restaurant and Lin’s Inn, it couldn’t possibly lose out from this.
Seeing Lin Dong’s indifferent attitude and the lack of enthusiasm in their complaints, they gradually stopped talking.
“Shopkeeper Lin, what’s your price? Please give us a definite figure!”
Lin Dong raised his head and said leisurely, “I don’t want a single tael of silver.”
“No silver at all?”
Everyone was shocked. Was Shopkeeper Lin the reincarnation of a saint? If he kept this guild news to himself, it would take months, during which time most restaurants would collapse. This meant significant potential profits for Lin’s Inn.
If he sold it, he could earn 150,000 to 160,000 taels per month. In just three to five months, Lin’s Inn would be extremely profitable.
In either case, Lin’s Inn would profit greatly with no risk.
If he had already decided to sell the guild news, why not take silver?
“I said we’d cooperate,” Lin Dong said calmly. “I’ll give you the guild news. How about you lend me some people?”
“Lend people?” They were confused.

“Yes, the large restaurants that have managed to survive to this point are almost all among the top ones in Autumn Wind City,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Although those wealthy customers who spend over ten taels of silver per table are at Maple Forest Restaurant, I’m sure your restaurants also see one or two such tables every day. Surely there are chefs in your kitchens who can prepare spirit materials and spirit beasts of the third or fourth tier?”
Everyone nodded in unison, then said in surprise, “Manager Lin wants to borrow our chefs who can handle spirit materials and spirit beasts of the third or fourth tier?”
“That’s right. And also, the chefs who can create signature dishes from your restaurants!” Lin Dong continued slowly. “Each of your restaurants has its own unique features. Some rely entirely on their signature dishes to attract customers, while others have other strengths. I just need your chefs who can make signature dishes and those who can handle spirit materials and spirit beasts of the third or fourth tier. I’m sure some will benefit while others will suffer losses.”
The restaurant owners who relied on signature dishes nodded in agreement.
“You can negotiate a solution. For example, those restaurants that depend on signature dishes could set a unified price of 40% off. The other restaurants could set a unified price of 20% off. This way, business volume will be roughly equal, with the only difference being profit. Those with higher profits can give some compensation to those with lower profits,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “What do you think of this idea?”
“It works, but then, won’t Lin’s Inn’s business…?” Goat Beard hesitated.
“Don’t forget, I have access to trade information. Asking for just a few of your chefs isn’t too much, is it?” Lin Dong said casually. “As for having better business than you, we can negotiate prices. I can guarantee your business won’t be worse than it is now. To be honest, Lin’s Inn is just leveraging your strengths to take business away from Maple Forest Restaurant.”
Everyone was stunned for a moment before nodding in agreement. If their business could be ensured not to decline, it indeed meant taking business away from Maple Forest Restaurant.
“Also, I believe Maple Forest Restaurant won’t give up so easily,” Lin Dong continued slowly. “I hope everyone will fight to the end against them. That is, no matter if Maple Forest Restaurant lowers or raises prices, we should make corresponding adjustments together.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Unified adjustments were necessary; otherwise, any change made by Maple Forest Restaurant would collapse the agreements among the other restaurants.
“Manager Lin, there’s one more thing…” Yang Wanshan asked. “If our chefs prepare signature dishes in Lin’s Inn’s kitchen, with Lin’s Inn’s own chefs present, I’m afraid…”

Lin Dong smiled indifferently and said nonchalantly, “You prepare the ingredients. Just give me a price, and I’ll pay you. While your chefs are cooking, they can also bring an assistant to oversee things. That way, there should be no need to worry about the secret recipes leaking out, right?”
The restaurant owners who relied on their signature dishes for success all breathed a sigh of relief. The chefs who could make these dishes were extremely loyal. As long as Lin Ji Inn didn’t try to uncover their secrets, there was no risk of the recipes being leaked.
It was only a matter of a few months, so it wasn’t a big problem.
Lin Dong clapped his hands and said, “If that’s the case, does anyone else have any questions?”
“Shopkeeper Lin, the authenticity of this guild news…”
Lin Dong smiled and said, “Everyone has stated in the announcement that they are cooperating with Lin Ji Inn. Although it was released at the same time as the announcements from other places, the source is entirely from Lin Ji Inn. I think this isn’t a problem, is it?”
Everyone felt reassured. Whether the guild news was true or not, since Lin Ji Inn was willing to take responsibility, it indeed wasn’t a problem.
“If there are no issues left, then we just need to discuss the details and set penalties in case some restaurants try to split apart. Let’s start by finding chefs who can handle third- and fourth-tier spiritual materials, spiritual beasts, and signature dishes! Everyone, go back and bring your chefs here. Lin Ji Inn doesn’t have many third- or fourth-tier spiritual beasts or materials, so it’s best if you also bring the ingredients. We can all try them together and determine which ones are better.”
Everyone stood up. They had been anxious when they arrived, but now they showed slight smiles and could even exchange a few polite words with Lin Dong.
If they could really bring down Fenglin Restaurant, even if they ended up promoting Lin Ji Inn again after the guild news ended, it would still result in huge losses. But the other restaurants would benefit a lot. At the very least, some of the business from the restaurants that had closed earlier would flow to theirs. Since Lin Ji Inn wasn’t yet established firmly, it couldn’t fully attract all of Fenglin Restaurant’s customers. Once everyone brought back their signature dishes, all the restaurants could reap some benefits.
A few tables of customers who spent over ten taels each could already bring in a significant profit.
This outcome was millions of times better than having no hope at all.
After seeing everyone off from the inn and returning to the front yard, Lin Dong sat down on the stone bench again.
Before long, Wang Shuangxi came in and bowed, saying, “Shopkeeper Lin.”
Lin Dong stood up and politely said, “Boss Wang, please sit. I called you here because I have something to discuss with you.”
Wang Shuangxi nodded and said with a smile, “Go ahead, Shopkeeper Lin.”

Lin Dong thought for a moment before saying, “Boss Wang, I’d like to invite the skilled chefs from your restaurant to work at our Lin’s Inn.”
Wang Shuangxi was stunned.
Lin Dong explained, “To be honest with you, Boss Wang, aside from our two top chefs, the cooking skills of the others at Lin’s Inn are far inferior to those at your restaurant.”
“Manager Lin is being too modest,” Wang Shuangxi said, shaking his head. “If the chefs at Lin’s Inn weren’t good, how could they have such a good reputation?”
“That’s because…” Lin Dong smiled. “I have a spiritual array that can enhance cooking skills.”
“A spiritual array to enhance cooking skills?” Wang Shuangxi looked astonished; he had never heard of such a thing before.
Lin Dong nodded. “If the chefs from your restaurant came to work at Lin’s Inn, their skills would be on par with, if not better than, those at Fenglin Restaurant. Then, Lin’s Inn wouldn’t have to worry about losing to them.”
Wang Shuangxi exclaimed, “Is there really such a miraculous spiritual array?”
Lin Dong tapped the table gently with his index finger and said calmly, “There are many miraculous spiritual arrays in this world. I hope Boss Wang can keep this a secret. Such arrays are useless to those sects, but they’re invaluable to a large restaurant like Fenglin Restaurant. If word gets out, it might attract opportunists.”
Wang Shuangxi nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, Manager Lin. I’m not the kind of person who abandons integrity for profit. As for the chefs, you can rest assured—most of them have worked for me for over a decade. With just a few words from me, there won’t be any problems.”
“The chefs aren’t the issue; it’s impossible to keep everything secret,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Fortunately, if no one knows it’s a spiritual array, no matter how they investigate, they won’t be able to figure out the reason.”
Wang Shuangxi pondered for a while before resolutely saying, “Alright. I’ll go talk to those skilled chefs later and ask them to come to Lin’s Inn tomorrow.”
“No rush. It’s fine to wait a few days or even a while. I just wanted to discuss this with you first,” Lin Dong said smilingly. “By the way, it seems we haven’t discussed the terms yet.”
Wang Shuangxi laughed. “Manager Lin already owns 30% of shares in Fenglin Restaurant. Besides, if you really wanted it, Fenglin Restaurant would already belong to Lin’s Inn. What terms are there to discuss?”
Lin Dong shook his head. “Friendship is one thing, but business is another. Here’s what I propose: Our chefs will work at Fenglin Restaurant first. I’ll talk to Ma Chun later to calculate how much silver we should pay you each day, including compensation for any loss in reputation.”

Wang Shuangxi wanted to argue, but Lin Dong interrupted, “This matter is crucial for our Lin’s Inn, and the benefits are immeasurable. So, Boss Wang doesn’t need to be too polite with me.”
“If that’s the case, then I won’t be polite at all,” Wang Shuangxi said with a smile. “I definitely need to negotiate a good price with Manager Ma later.”
Lin Dong smiled brightly as well—another valuable asset in his hands. No matter how Fenglin Restaurant reacted, this time they would surely be crushed.