Chapter 562: Free Shares

Early in the morning, just as the sun had risen, Lin Dong and Yun Lan were having breakfast in the courtyard when Ma Chun ran in from the front yard.
“Boss, there’s news from Maple Forest Restaurant.”
“What plan?” Although Lin Dong was confident in dealing with any tactics devised by the top restaurants combined, he couldn’t afford to be careless. Otherwise, failure could be a source of ridicule.
Hearing that Maple Forest Restaurant had sent news, Lin Dong couldn’t help but stand up.
It was impossible to say it wasn’t important. Yesterday, he hadn’t wanted to waste time listening to the plans of the owners of those top restaurants because he didn’t want to spend time on them. Besides, it was likely that Maple Forest Restaurant would be the one to pass on the news.
The difference was just one night. The owners of those top restaurants would come to Lin Ji Inn, trying to force Lin Dong to surrender without a fight. Their plans must be so grand that they couldn’t make a decision right away. Such a major plan couldn’t be settled in just a few days, so delaying by one night wasn’t a big deal. That’s why Lin Dong could suppress his curiosity.
“Free shares!” Ma Chun said slowly, emphasizing each word.
“Free shares?” Lin Dong was stunned. “They’re not planning to exchange shares, are they? If they did, it wouldn’t have any real impact on Lin Ji Inn, and they wouldn’t have to pay any price either. Could it be that they want to give those shares to the wealthy people in the capital, making them think they’re also owners of those top restaurants, so that no one else can benefit from the profits?”
“It’s even better than that!” Ma Chun exclaimed. “These people are truly not ordinary. When they work together, they become incredibly powerful.”
“Better than that? What exactly is it?” Lin Dong pressed.
“At any of those restaurants, if you accumulate more than 100 taels of silver with your VIP card, you can choose one share from any of the restaurants. The monthly earnings from that share will be credited to your VIP card, and guests can use those earnings to spend at any restaurant or withdraw cash,” Ma Chun explained.
Lin Dong was speechless. As the saying goes, three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang. He believed it. More than a dozen old foxes together could become truly formidable.
This method, as Ma Chun said, was indeed extraordinary.
“I never expected that back in Autumn Wind City, I forced them to come up with the buffet idea. Now, they’ve come up with stock issuance instead,” Lin Dong thought with deep emotion. Back then in Autumn Wind City, he had forced Ling Zhengyang to come up with the buffet idea.

To his surprise, in the capital, the top restaurants were once again forced to issue shares. Spending a hundred taels of silver would grant one share, and undoubtedly, these top restaurants had divided themselves into countless portions. In the history of the Great Han Dynasty, many people had invested shares, but usually in tenes or twenties, with a hundred portions being the maximum. This time, however, there might be hundreds of thousands or even millions of portions. Over time, these shares would undoubtedly be tradable as well. Lin Dong had no doubts—starting with these fifteen top restaurants, a stock market would gradually form. After all, merchants who lacked silver and couldn’t borrow it could find inspiration here: dividing their businesses into countless portions and selling them to the public. Over ten or a hundred years, this would surely give rise to a new industry. Pressure, indeed, is endless—it can be transformed into motivation or creativity. Unconsciously, Lin Dong found himself once again shaping the history of the Great Han Dynasty, though in this history, he played a supporting role. “Owner, this plan is amazing!” Ma Chun said worriedly. “The most amazing part is that the monthly dividends are just enough for those wealthy people who don’t care about a few hundred or thousands of taels of silver. Another factor is the sense of achievement that comes from being one of the owners of a top restaurant.” Lin Dong nodded slowly. These words struck a chord with him. As Ma Chun said, the two most remarkable aspects of this plan were that the dividends seemed insignificant to the wealthy—taking them out would bring shame, and they weren’t very useful. The only option was to continue spending at the restaurants, using those dividends as part of the payment. This way, the top restaurants would distribute dividends every month, meaning their VIP cards would earn a small amount of silver each month. As spending increased, shares would accumulate, and dividends would grow month by month—just like leveling up. Everyone wanted to reach a higher level, so they had to frequent the restaurants for banquets. This “leveling up” concept, common in various online games in Lin Dong’s previous world, still had extraordinary effects in business, and in this world, its impact was even greater. The VIP cards at Lin Ji Inn, divided into different levels, actually exploited this psychology. But there were only four types: copper, silver, gold, and diamond cards. The progression was too slow, far less satisfying than being able to level up every month.

Another factor is becoming one of the owners of top-tier restaurants. In Lin Dong’s previous world, buying some shares in a company didn’t make anyone consider themselves the owner—at most, it led to slightly more attention toward that company. But this world was different; the mere mention of shares immediately made people think of owners. Having shares meant being an owner—more shares meant being a major owner, fewer meant being a minor one. Whether it was for dividends or the sense of achievement that came with running a major business, when top restaurants introduced shares, everyone in the capital would be excited. Those with more money would acquire more shares to gradually upgrade their status, while ordinary people would try to get even one or two shares to experience what it was like to be an owner of a top restaurant. These two attractions were already extremely strong, and combined, their appeal was undoubtedly irresistible. “Besides giving out shares, there’s also the issue of unified VIP cards among the restaurants, which serves as a complement to the shares,” Ma Chun continued. Lin Dong pondered for a moment before asking, “Has Fenglin Restaurant given any idea of when they’ll introduce shares?” “They gave a rough timeline—about three to four months,” Ma Chun explained. “So fast?” Lin Dong was surprised. Just calculating the value of each restaurant and determining how many shares to issue so that spending 100 taels of silver would yield shares without loss and without making customers feel it was a waste of money required considerable time. On top of that, to attract more customers, dividends would need to be distributed monthly, which would be overwhelming for the accountants and staff of these top restaurants, forcing them to hire more people. Hiring staff, especially accountants, also took time. Moreover, since the top restaurants were offering shares that were interchangeable, it created even more complications. They needed to agree on the number of shares each other issued; if one side issued more, it meant the other side was at a disadvantage. They also had to figure out how to control the number of shares after they were issued, otherwise, if customers deliberately accumulated VIP card points to exchange for shares at other restaurants, no one would know. All in all, in Lin Dong’s view, this wasn’t something that could be settled in just three to four months. “That’s what Fenglin Restaurant said,” Ma Chun said with a wry smile. “Logically, it’s impossible to reach an agreement this quickly, but who knows? Maybe, inspired by our actions yesterday, they’ll each make concessions so that Lin’s Inn can experience their strength sooner.” Lin Dong chuckled—this possibility wasn’t negligible.

“Boss, how should we deal with this?” Ma Chun asked.
“I need to think!” Lin Dong’s fingers tapped gently on the table.
It was impossible for Lin Ji Inn to follow others’ example in distributing shares. Although stocks might currently only serve to distribute dividends, it was hard to guarantee that in the long run, those holding stocks wouldn’t feel cheated by the owner and demand transparency in accounts.
Lin Ji Inn wasn’t worried about transparency, but if the small owners claimed the right to know about the inn’s unique features, there would be no way out. After all, those holding shares were indeed among the owners of Lin Ji Inn. It was only natural for them to want to know how the Vitality Beef Balls were made or where the inn’s magical beasts and materials came from.
If they refused to follow others’ example, Lin Dong wasn’t without options. Lin Ji Inn was already spread across the entire Great Han Kingdom, and given time, all branches could be opened. Information from across the country could be obtained through the delivery network, and the appeal of the information boards was undeniable.
Lin Ji Amusement Park could also be opened at any time, and its power was equally significant.
Introducing the Rakebird—a flying mount that was easy to control once tamed—also held deadly appeal for the wealthy elites.
Additionally, there was the imperial inscription from Emperor Qianwei. Using it would surely force the high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants in the capital, even those who had feuds with Lin Ji Inn, to visit at least once or twice as a sign of respect for Emperor Qianwei.
All these methods were effective, especially the Rakebird and the imperial inscription, which were on par with the share-distribution tactics used by top restaurants.
But using just one of them would only allow Lin Ji Inn to compete on equal terms with those top restaurants—something Lin Dong didn’t want to see. What he needed was to deal a heavy blow to those top restaurants, causing them huge losses, before devising even more costly plans. This cycle would continue until those restaurants ran out of funds and were forced to withdraw from competing with Lin Ji Inn. Meanwhile, it was essential to achieve immediate results, rather than engaging in a slow struggle with them. Only in this way could Lin Ji Inn take advantage of the downtime in those top restaurants’ plans to cultivate regular customers.
To achieve immediate results, it was necessary to introduce the Rakebird or the imperial inscription, along with the amusement park and information boards. Alternatively, both the Rakebird and the imperial inscription could be introduced together.

No matter which one, Lin Dong was somewhat reluctant. After all, the top restaurants had a deep foundation, and there were likely even more formidable plans behind them. If Lin Ji Inn had already used all its trump cards and still faced even more aggressive plans, it would be difficult not only to deal a fatal blow to those top restaurants but also to completely dissuade them from competing with Lin Ji Inn. Whether they could find a way to cope was itself a question. A foolproof strategy was necessary!