Chapter 388: Pretending to Be Weak and Poor

Two days later, a shocking news story rocked the restaurant industry in Lingnan City. Hongfu Restaurant, once prominent and competing with Fenglin Restaurant to dominate Lingnan City, announced its closure.

For a restaurant of Hongfu Restaurant’s scale, closing for more than half a year was tantamount to going bankrupt. Once that time passed, it would be nearly impossible to regain its former glory.

With Hongfu Restaurant closed, the heavy burden in Lin Dong’s heart finally lifted after several days of worry.

In the front yard of the inn, Liang Gufeng sipped his Hongyun tea calmly, unhurried and composed. A faint smile graced his slightly wrinkled face—filled with confidence, excitement, and above all, the confidence of someone in complete control of the situation.

Liang Gufeng wasn’t concerned about Lin Dong’s delayed arrival, as if the tea in his cup held the power to make him forget everything.

He believed that Manager Lin would regret his neglect greatly. Whether to deduct 100,000 taels or 200,000 taels from the price of buying Lin’s Inn for this negligence was a matter of pride for Liang Gufeng.

As the manager of Fenglin Restaurant, he felt it was only right to deduct hundreds of thousands of taels if treated poorly—otherwise, it would be a disservice to his status.

In the back yard, Lin Dong wasn’t deliberately neglecting Liang Gufeng. It was just that Liang Gufeng’s arrival didn’t match his expectations.

According to Lin Dong, it should have been Hong Wanfu, the owner of Hongfu Restaurant, who would show up. But after waiting all morning for Hong Wanfu, it was Liang Gufeng who arrived instead.

Lin Dong couldn’t quite figure out Liang Gufeng’s intentions, but he had to guess. Otherwise, relying solely on improvisation upon meeting him could lead to mistakes. At a time when Fenglin Restaurant and Lin’s Inn were about to clash, any mistake could significantly affect the outcome.

“Manager, I think Liang Gufeng came here to show off his power,” Ma Chun analyzed. “It’s likely that Fenglin Restaurant is confident in winning against Lin’s Inn. Liang Gufeng came to warn us and urge Lin’s Inn to leave Lingnan City or give up its status as a major player.”

Lin Dong nodded slowly. That was the most likely explanation.

“I really don’t understand why Liang Gufeng is so confident that he can surpass our Lin’s Inn. Logically, although our Lin’s Inn’s Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards are already saturated, natural growth alone should be enough to keep us going.” Ma Chun wondered, “Besides, we have guests from Lin’s Gymnasium, two signature dishes, Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes, and top chefs like Jiang Kui. Unless Maple Forest Restaurant moves its main branch here, no matter how much pressure they apply, they won’t drive us into losses. Without mentioning anything else, earning twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver per month is quite easy.”
Lin Dong shook his head and smiled, “Twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver per month—only if we’re here.”
Ma Chun was stunned for a moment before understanding.
If Maple Forest Restaurant really forced our monthly profits down to just twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver, neither the owner nor I would stay here at all; we’d definitely try to find ways to develop elsewhere.
Unless the owner or I are in charge, even if Liu An, who we’re trying to nurture, takes over, he definitely won’t be able to withstand Liang Gufeng’s pressure for three or two years. Wasting so much effort on this for just twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver isn’t worth it at all.
Liang Gufeng has such confidence undoubtedly because he sees that Lin’s Inn lacks sufficient talent.
If that’s the case, closing down like Hongfu Restaurant would actually be the best option.
“Owner, we need to find a way to uncover Liang Gufeng’s advantages,” Ma Chun said with a serious expression. “If he can reduce our Lin’s Inn’s profits to just twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver per month, his tactics must be quite sophisticated. If we know nothing about them, he might actually succeed.”
“The problem is, Liang Gufeng is famously cautious. It won’t be easy to get him to reveal anything,” Lin Dong said, feeling dizzy. When it comes to eloquence, in Lingnan City, Ma Chun is second to none—there are hardly anyone who dares to claim first place. But similarly, Liang Gufeng is also well-known for his caution.
In front of Liang Gufeng, Ma Chun might not be able to get anything out of him.
“Owner, it’s getting late. If we keep delaying, it won’t look good,” Ma Chun hesitated for a moment before reminding Lin Dong. Although we’re in a competitive relationship with Maple Forest Restaurant, it’s just a business rivalry—proper courtesy is still necessary.

Lin Dong nodded and said helplessly, “Let’s go! We’ll go take a look. We can only try our best to get some useful information out of him. Once we get there, we should first act weak to make Liang Gufeng overconfident. Then, we’ll find a way to provoke him, seeing if we can get something useful out of him when he’s angry. If we can’t get anything, we’ll have to wait until Liang Gufeng makes a move before deciding what to do.”
Ma Chun responded, and after Lin Dong strode toward the front yard, he quickly followed.
As soon as they entered the front yard, Lin Dong saw Liang Gufeng sitting alone on a stone bench. From a distance, he bowed and said with a smile, “Manager Liang, it’s been months since we last met. You still look full of energy and vigor!”
“Manager Lin too seems in high spirits. At first glance, your demeanor and grace are beyond my reach,” Liang Gufeng said with a smile as he stood up. His expression was warm and friendly, as if he were meeting an old friend after years apart, completely unfazed by being left in the yard for half an hour.
“Leaving Manager Liang here in the cold wind—won’t you get angry?” Lin Dong asked with a smile as he sat down in front of Liang Gufeng. Behind him, Ma Chun took a teacup from the tray, filled it for Lin Dong, and then sat down between them.
“The yard of Lin’s Inn is simple yet grand. Basking in the cool breeze, sipping good tea, watching the staff coming and going…” Liang Gufeng clicked his tongue, clearly delighted. But Lin Dong’s words had already raised doubts in his mind.
Qiu Feng had waited for over half an hour. Normally, Liang Gufeng would be filled with resentment, but today he didn’t seem too upset. He believed that Lin Dong must have spent that time pondering his purpose. Even if it was intentional neglect, it wasn’t a big deal. What really puzzled him was why Lin Dong preferred to meet guests in the yard.
In ordinary households, whether it was nobles or commoners, guests were usually led to the main hall. But Lin’s Inn uniquely invited people to sit in the yard.
Only those who deliberately wanted to show off to guests would do such a thing, but Lin’s Inn didn’t seem like that kind of place. As far as Liang Gufeng knew, Lin’s Inn invited everyone to the yard, regardless of who they were. And Manager Lin didn’t seem like someone arrogant or proud.
“Manager Liang, here’s some tea!” Ma Chun said with a smile as he poured some tea into Liang Gufeng’s half-full cup.
“Thank you, Manager Ma!” Liang Gufeng thanked him with a smile before asking, “Manager Lin, Manager Ma, have you two heard about the Hongfu Restaurant?”

“Not long ago, a guy overheard from a customer that it seems Hongfu Restaurant has posted a notice saying it’s closing down?” Lin Dong asked, pretending to be puzzled.
Liang Gufeng certainly didn’t believe that Lin Dong hadn’t sent someone to keep an eye on Hongfu Restaurant, but he didn’t expose him either. He nodded and said, “That’s indeed the case. I came here to congratulate Manager Lin—now you can achieve great things in the future.”
“I thought it was just rumor. Who would have thought it’s true!” Lin Dong said with a click of his tongue. “Fenglin Restaurant is really bold, and Manager Liang is extremely skillful! In less than half a year, they’ve defeated Hongfu Restaurant. Such ability and strength are only possessed by Fenglin Restaurant and Manager Liang. As for our Lin’s Inn, talking about achieving great things… without Hongfu Restaurant, the restaurant industry in Lingnan City will be dominated solely by Fenglin Restaurant. From now on, every restaurant will have to rely on Manager Liang’s favor. For our Lin’s Inn, if we can scrape together enough profit to support our staff and chefs, we’ll already be very satisfied.”
“You make a good point!” Ma Chun bowed to Liang Gufeng, firmly following Lin Dong’s instruction to appear weak before entering the back yard. He said jokingly yet seriously, “Manager Liang, please be lenient with our Lin’s Inn in the future. Our Lin’s Inn can’t compare to Hongfu Restaurant. Hongfu Restaurant can still hold its own against Fenglin Restaurant for four or five months, but our Lin’s Inn can probably only last one or two months at most.”
After a pause, Ma Chun said helplessly, “If Lin’s Inn goes under, as the manager, if I want to find a new boss, I’ll have to start over as a staff member earning just one or two taels of silver per month.”
“Don’t say that. If Manager Ma really wants to change bosses, wouldn’t people from all walks of life in Lingnan City rush to recruit him, even offering gold? Among managers in all industries in Lingnan City, Manager Ma is by far the most prominent. Besides…”
Liang Gufeng said leisurely, “Fenglin Restaurant and Lin’s Inn are allies—how could they suppress each other? Moreover, Lin’s Inn also played a significant role in defeating Hongfu Restaurant. With the strength to compete with Hongfu Restaurant right from its opening, how could they fear our Fenglin Restaurant?”

“Others’ strength is getting better and better, while our Lin’s Inn’s strength seems to be declining…” Lin Dong said with regret, “To be honest with Manager Liang, I’m filled with remorse now. I regret agreeing to team up with Manager Liang and Fenglin Restaurant to take on Hongfu Restaurant. Now, even the Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards can’t be distributed enough in a day. Without these two things, Lin’s Inn no longer has the vigor it had when it first opened.”
“Manager Lin is being too modest. Even without the Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards, just relying on Lin’s Inn’s chefs and signature dishes is enough to make a name for itself. Moreover, Lin’s Inn still has the advantage of Lin’s Gymnasium, which is unshakable.”
Liang Gufeng was somewhat surprised by Lin Dong and Ma Chun’s attitudes. It seemed as if these two were always trying to appear weak and pitiful.
He didn’t believe that in Manager Lin’s mind, Lin’s Inn was inferior to Fenglin Restaurant. Not to mention the points he had mentioned—even if the Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards were already at capacity, they would still be enough to keep Lin’s Inn invincible.
Of course, by “invincible,” he meant not incurring losses.
But just because there would be no losses didn’t mean there was any need to act weak or pitiful in front of competitors. Besides, it completely didn’t match Manager Lin’s aggressive style!
Still, it did feel good to see Manager Lin act weak and pitiful as he made his way from the county town, stepping over Fenglin Restaurant’s remains, all the way to the county seat.