Chapter 411: The Worker Asks for Leave

For half a month straight, the bustling atmosphere at Lin’s Inn showed no sign of cooling down. In fact, business in its private rooms continued to grow steadily.

Liang Gufeng, the owner of Fenglin Restaurant in Lingnan City, grew increasingly anxious. Over 70% of Fenglin Restaurant’s income came from wealthy clients. No matter how busy the second and third floors of Lin’s Inn were, Liang Gufeng didn’t care much—so long as the first and second floors of Fenglin Restaurant remained lively.

It was the private rooms on the third floor that constituted Fenglin Restaurant’s foundation and its greatest advantage over other large restaurants. As the private rooms at Lin’s Inn became more popular, it meant those at Fenglin Restaurant’s third floor were declining—something that touched Liang Gufeng’s bottom line.

Yet no matter how hard Liang Gufeng racked his brains, he couldn’t think of a solution. All he could do was blame himself for ever going to Lin’s Inn to set a trap for Lin Dong. One wrong move had led to this situation.

Otherwise, with his four trump cards—double the number of chefs, thirty paintings of ladies, two new signature dishes, and a gymnasium (the first and fourth targeting ordinary wealthy clients, the second and third targeting super-rich clients)—Liang Gufeng was confident he could keep Lin’s Inn in check.

But with just double the number of chefs and two new signature dishes, its appeal was clearly much weaker. Added to this was the fact that Lin’s Inn had an unexpected advantage in its Pipeline Flower fragrance. Now, Liang Gufeng could only focus on preserving Fenglin Restaurant’s current business.

Yet even this seemed like a luxury. Lin’s Inn’s Pipeline Flower fragrance was simply too powerful. Its appeal to super-rich clients was on par with, if not better than, Fenglin Restaurant’s two new signature dishes. After all, not only was the fragrance pleasant and had medicinal properties, but it also improved the overall atmosphere of the private room. Moreover, it was inexpensive and could be taken home to enhance the elegance of one’s residence—making it hard not to be attracted to it.

Fenglin Restaurant’s two signature dishes, on the other hand, had advantages in terms of high price to boost status, unique flavors, and meaningful dish names. Comparing the two, it was hard to say which was better. But Lin’s Inn’s Pipeline Flower fragrance could be taken home and used almost anywhere—bedrooms, lobbies, bathrooms—plus there were no restrictions on how much it reduced the cost of food and drinks when purchased, giving it a much longer-lasting impact than Fenglin Restaurant’s dishes.

Sometimes, Liang Gufeng even thought of sending a worker secretly to Lin’s Inn to spend some silver and buy some Pipeline Flower fragrance.

Nourishing qi and calming the mind… This is what Liang Gufeng wants most now, and the reason is precisely the fragrance of the Wanli Flowers. Because of this fragrance, he is now suffering from excessive liver fire, becoming irritable and impatient, completely losing his usual composure and ease.

At the counter, Liang Gufeng forced a forced smile as he greeted the customers entering, while racking his brains, feeling dizzy, trying to think of ways to prevent these wealthy clients from leaving. Although the rate of loss isn’t fast yet, even if these wealthy clients desire the fragrance of the Wanli Flowers, they still go to Linji Inn specifically, but when it comes to hosting banquets, they choose Fenglin Restaurant. Yet if nothing is done, over time, these wealthy clients might truly start to prefer Linji Inn. After all, in terms of food, drinks, and decor, Linji Inn is not far behind Fenglin Restaurant.

“Owner…” Employee Liu Wukang cautiously approached the counter, looking at Liang Gufeng, hesitating to speak.

“What is it?” Liang Gufeng asked indifferently.

“My relatives from home have come with their children. I don’t have enough space at home, so I need to find them a place to stay,” Liu Wukang stammered. “I might not be able to come to the restaurant in the next one or two days, owner…”

Liang Gufeng frowned, displeased. “It takes two days to find a place? You think it doesn’t matter if you’re not here for a day or two because the restaurant isn’t busy?”

“No, no…” Liu Wukang quickly waved his hands, looking distressed. He was afraid that Liang Gufeng would think that way. To his surprise, his fear came true.

Seeing that Liang Gufeng’s expression didn’t soften, Liu Wukang hurriedly explained, “Owner, they came to avoid a dampness-related disease. I heard there isn’t enough Heilie Grass in the pharmacy, and it will take at least a month to get more from Lingnan City. So they’ll have to stay here for at least a month. Plus, they came in a hurry and didn’t bring anything. Besides a place to stay, we need to get them necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt.”

Liang Gufeng’s expression softened slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Remember to come back in three days.”

“Sure, sure! Thank you so much, owner!” Liu Wukang thanked him repeatedly.

“Go!” Liang Gufeng waved his hand impatiently.

Liu Wukang nodded quickly and turned to greet the customers.

“Wait!” Just five or six steps later, a thunderous shout came from behind, startling Liu Wukang, who quickly turned around.

All the customers and employees in the hall also turned their attention to the counter because of Liang Gufeng’s loud shout.

Liang Gufeng’s face turned red, and he quickly stood up to apologize. Only when everyone’s attention shifted and the hall returned to its usual noise did he turn to look at Liu Wukang, who stood nearby, confused and uneasy.
“Say what you just said again.”
“M-master…” Liu Wukang didn’t understand what was going on and hesitated, afraid of saying something wrong that might anger Liang Gufeng and cost him his job. The wages for workers at Fenglin Restaurant were among the highest in the entire Lingnan City, and he didn’t want to be the unlucky one to take the fall for Liang Gufeng’s anger.
“I told you to repeat what you just said!” Seeing Liu Wukang’s expression, Liang Gufeng realized his own attitude was the main issue. He took a deep breath and tried to sound calm. “I wanted to ask something else. It has nothing to do with you. Just answer my questions. If you answer well, I might let you take a few extra days off without cutting your pay.”
Liu Wukang was overjoyed. After recalling carefully, he said, “My siblings and their children from my hometown have come here. There’s no room for them at my place, so I have to help them…”
“The next sentence!” Liang Gufeng interrupted.
Liu Wukang nodded quickly and said cautiously, “They came to escape the wet worm disease. They say there isn’t enough Hei Lie Cao in the pharmacies, and it will take at least a month to get more from Lingnan City. So, they need to stay at least…”
Liang Gufeng interrupted again, “I remember your hometown is Huangtian Prefecture, right? How could there not be enough Hei Lie Cao in the pharmacies? This is the peak season for the wet worm disease. All the major pharmacies should have stocked up plenty of it. How could it run out?”
“My hometown is indeed Huangtian Prefecture, but I’m not sure why there’s not enough Hei Lie Cao in the pharmacies,” Liu Wukang said, shaking his head. “They say this year’s wet worm disease is worse than usual. Those in remote areas didn’t have time to go to the city to buy Hei Lie Cao, and soon more than half of the people in the surrounding areas were infected. Within half a month, it spread to the prefectural and county towns, and there simply wasn’t enough Hei Lie Cao in the pharmacies. I heard the same thing is happening in the other two prefectures, but I’m not sure if it’s as serious as in Huangtian Prefecture.”
Liang Gufeng suddenly stood up and asked urgently, “How did they think of coming to Lingnan City?”
“The wet worm disease is contagious. Only places with the most Hei Lie Cao are safe. In our Lingnan Commandery, the place with the most Hei Lie Cao is Lingnan City. Otherwise, one would have to go to Tianfeng Commandery, but it’s too far away,” Liu Wukang explained.
“About how many people have come to the city because of the wet worm disease so far?” Liang Gufeng pressed further.
“How many people have come to the city?” Liu Wukang swallowed hard. This question left him at a loss.

Spending the whole day in the restaurant and only returning home at night, how could he possibly know how many people came to the city due to the wet worm disease?
“Right!” Liang Gufeng nodded firmly, completely unaware of Liu Wukang’s dilemma.
Liu Wukang hesitated for a moment before saying cautiously, “According to my brother, there should be quite a few. In our village alone, over twenty families moved here together. Those with better financial conditions or relatives in the city went inside the city, while those with average incomes or no relatives in the city set up tents outside the city and stayed there until the situation calmed down before returning.”
Liang Gufeng took a deep breath; he seemed to have grasped something.
“Let me think, let me think…” Liang Gufeng raised his hand to stop Liu Wukang from speaking and began pacing quickly behind the counter.
Liu Wukang had intended to go back and attend to customers, but seeing Liang Gufeng’s expression, he wisely chose to remain silent.
As Liang Gufeng paced back and forth, his expression shifted between joy and worry, his brows tightening and relaxing alternately, leaving Liu Wukang outside the counter worried, unsure if he had said something wrong.
After a long while, Liang Gufeng suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up at Liu Wukang.
“Take me to your house.”
“My house?” Liu Wukang was stunned, unable to figure out the purpose of Liang Gufeng’s strange request.
“Yes, your house!” Liang Gufeng declared firmly, “Go now, immediately!”
“Please, sir!” Liu Wukang quickly replied, “My home isn’t far away. Please, sir.”
“You lead the way,” Liang Gufeng said, stepping out of behind the counter. “I’ll give you an extra month’s salary when we get back.”
Liu Wukang immediately beamed with joy. Though he didn’t understand why he’d get an extra month’s salary, it didn’t stop him from being overjoyed.
Behind him, Liang Gufeng’s excitement was no less than Liu Wukang’s.
At that moment, in Lin’s Inn, Lin Dong was asking about the business situation at Ma Chun’s Inn. The answer was promising—the popularity of Pipa Huaxiang continued to soar, and it seemed there was still at least another month or two before saturation, exactly as expected.
This meant that in half a month, Tian Xiangshui could be launched as planned. Launching it half a month later would cause some competition with Pipa Huaxiang, which was still very popular, but Lin Dong didn’t care about that.
After all, the Ling Shi heater, their biggest trump card, had to be introduced after Pipa Huaxiang and Tian Xiangshui, during the coldest period, so as to maximize its impact on Fenglin Restaurant and its appeal to customers. And one and a half months was the perfect timeframe for that.

Speaking of which, it’s only the upgrade task being delayed for over a month that’s to blame; otherwise, things wouldn’t be so rushed.