As Cha Guodong came downstairs, Lei Hui and his servant were suddenly captivated by the food and wine served at the table and began to savor it with unusual interest.
Lei Hun, being a young master from a prominent family, naturally wouldn't immediately pick up his chopsticks or wine cup. However, his two servants were the first to act, unable to resist tasting a little of the food, while the other took a sip of wine and was immediately stunned.
How come this food and wine is on the same level as the restaurants in the Plant Cultivation Realm? You have to understand, they have never tasted such delicious food imbued with such rich spiritual energy in the outside world.
"What's the big deal?" Lei Hui frowned unhappily and snorted. Although he could also sense the strong spiritual energy fluctuations in the plate and wine pot, he was certain that it had been processed. He assumed it was essentially low-grade.
"No, young master, you'll know once you try it!"
The voice was kept very low, probably only the three of them could hear each other.
Lei Hun was furious; the two servants had embarrassed him. However, seeing the servants' seriousness, Lei Zhu pretended to casually pick up a piece of vegetarian food with his chopsticks, chewing slowly, but soon quickened his pace, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"How could that be?" Lei Hui thought in surprise. The taste of processed dishes is naturally different from that of dishes made from high-quality raw materials. But clearly, the food at Wanxian Restaurant was definitely not processed.
"Hmm, not bad at all. This wine... well, it's so-so," Lei Hui said, taking another sip of wine. Deep down, however, he felt increasingly resentful!
"You flatter me! I never expected Young Master Lei to grace our restaurant with his presence. It's truly an honor!" Lei Hun had barely finished speaking when Zhang Guodong strode out, beaming. "Was the food and drink satisfactory?"
Upon seeing Zhang Guodong, Lei Hun's face flushed with anger. However, before coming here, he had repeatedly warned himself that this was a southwestern city, and his father's influence didn't extend here.
Zhang Guodong smiled warmly, as if he were meeting an old friend he hadn't seen for many years. They were practically about to shake hands and exchange pleasantries.
"This food and wine is absolutely terrible. And it costs thirty-three crystals! Our young master's family eats at least a hundred times better food than this. The Wanxian Restaurant is a disgrace to its name!" Lei Hui remained silent with a gloomy face, but one of his servants mocked him.
“That’s right, this is cheating the guests!” another servant immediately shouted.
The two seemed poised to cause trouble.
Zhang Guodong's expression changed, and he turned cold.
“A dog is a dog, it will never be respectable. Your young master hasn’t even spoken yet, and you all have no sense of propriety. I wonder if one day you can make decisions on behalf of your young master?” Zhang Guodong said maliciously.
The two servants' expressions changed drastically. They looked nervously at Lei Hui, whose gaze was hostile, and immediately said, "We will always be servants of the Lei family. You don't need to sow discord!"
"Enough!" Lei Hui hissed, his face grim. These two servants were truly incompetent. They had been ridiculed once again. The unrestrained laughter of the dozen or so enforcement disciples was particularly grating to Lei Hui's ears.
He immediately stood up and said to Zhang Guodong with a forced smile, "Manager Zhang has quite the sharp tongue. I've seen it for myself now. I hope Manager Zhang's tongue will be just as sharp next time!"
Having said that, he ignored the two servants and turned to leave. The two servants immediately followed him.
"Just like that, you're leaving?" Zhang Guodong snorted. This was a show of force, even a warning and threat. However, Zhang Guodong was never afraid of such threats.
"Everyone, please continue eating and drinking, Little Tiger. Bring each of you gentlemen a slice of watermelon dessert!" Zhang Guodong clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd and gave the instructions to the little devil. Then he went upstairs.
There were actually quite a few desserts, mostly fruit-based. Zhang Guodong also prepared some, as complimentary desserts after the main courses.
"Manager Zhang, you're too kind!" the enforcement disciples responded in unison, then continued chatting and sipping their wine, as if Lei Hui's disruption had never happened.
As night fell, it was already eight o'clock in the evening. A dozen or so disciples reluctantly departed, each carrying a jug of fine wine. Zhang Guodong personally saw them off.
This scene was witnessed by many people.
It's easy to imagine that Wanxian Restaurant's reputation will soon spread. With these law enforcement disciples promoting it, at the very least, their fellow disciples will be the main customers in the early stages.
That is indeed the case.
The Southwest Arts and Crafts Fair began early the next morning, marking the first day of trading. Although transactions were few, there were quite a few people eager to join in the fun. In particular, besides the various treasure pavilions and stalls, many people were discussing the Wanxian Restaurant. The name Wanxian (meaning "Ten Thousand Immortals") certainly carried a certain air of refinement. Although these people were not human immortals, they were still highly skilled cultivators who had absorbed some of the immortal energy.
The first group of truly honored guests were the deacons and law enforcement disciples of the Southwest Imitation Market.
Inspired by the word of their companions the day before, these people arrived early the next morning without hesitation.
Although the food and drinks at Wanxian Restaurant are quite expensive, it's acceptable to indulge in them occasionally. These stewards and enforcement disciples, besides their substantial monthly salaries, also receive some under-the-table income from gifts from others, making three or four occasions a month perfectly manageable.
It's been so long since I've tasted the flavors of the food and drinks at the Zhixiujie Restaurant. I came to Wanxian Restaurant purely out of nostalgia.
As a result, not only were the kids incredibly busy all morning, but Zhang Guodong was also frequently bothered. The reason was that the kids' purple storage bag quickly accumulated a lot of crystals, making the kids nervous. With the gleaming crystals piled up before him, Zhang Guodong was practically drooling.
Damn, running a restaurant is still the fastest way to make money! From 10:00 AM to noon... "Ghost sent Zhang Guodong two gifts of crystal stones, the rest... The first half of the day's revenue was actually three thousand crystal stones!"
That's quite a number! After admiring the two piles of crystals, Zhang Guodong quickly piled them all into the Peach Blossom Spring Space. That was the safest place.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Zhang Guodong finally came downstairs to inspect the place. The first four floors were almost full. The moment the guests saw Zhang Guodong, the head manager, their gazes changed. Zhang Guodong was no longer just a level 19 cultivator; he was someone they could look up to, and they automatically ignored the difference in their levels.
"We still don't have enough handymen. Three handymen per floor would be more like it." Zhang Guodong glanced around from the fourth floor to the first. He felt that Wei Yan and the others were really busy, so he considered hiring some more handymen.
However, this money can't be spent carelessly. The Southwest Market Fair lasts for a month, attracting a large concentration of cultivators. But after a month, many cultivators will inevitably leave, and the Wanxian Restaurant's business will certainly be affected. Maintaining a group of menial servants is a completely unnecessary expense.
"Wei Yan, come here for a moment." Zhang Guodong saw Wei Yan and felt that although this woman came from the secular world, she integrated into the world of plant cultivation very quickly and adapted quickly. She was also quite organized in her work, and Zhang Guodong was quite satisfied.
Wei Yan was indeed quite satisfied with being busy and managing the lives of her girlfriends. She had found her place in the plant cultivation circle. At least she had hope for the future.
As soon as Zhang Guodong called out, Wei Yan responded and rushed over immediately.
"Master, is there anything I can help you with?"
“It seems we’re a bit short-handed. Xiao Hu, who’s also the head chef and second-in-command, is quite busy. You’ll be in charge of organizing the service on floors one through four. Take some time to go to the market and find six more female helpers, the prettiest ones! But tell them they’re temporary. We’ll see how they perform after the trade fair to see if they stay on,” Zhang Guodong said.
"Yes, boss!" Wei Yan replied happily. Then, her phoenix eyes looked at Zhang Guodong with some curiosity. She had a feeling that the head manager didn't seem to be from the plant cultivation world, but no one had mentioned this to them. She wanted to ask, but dared not.
"Go!" Zhang Guodong sensed something and waved his hand dismissively.
Seeing Wei Yan hurry out, Zhang Guodong smiled slightly. They were all worldly people entering the cultivation circle. Generally speaking, there was some closeness between them. However, he couldn't reveal his identity carelessly, otherwise he wouldn't be able to fool these girls.
"Ha, the three of you have finally arrived? What rare guests!" Zhang Guodong shook his head slightly, preparing to go out for a stroll. But when he saw three people enter the restaurant, his eyes lit up immediately, and he strode over, warmly clasping his hands in greeting.
These three were the independent cultivators who spoke out for justice at the Wanxian Restaurant: Ouyang Sheng, a level 34 cultivator with a large beard; Ji Hong, a refined man at level 33; and Hei Xuming, whose surname was rather unusual. He was also quite arrogant, at level 35. Ironically, Hei Xuming was the highest-ranking of the three.
Upon seeing Zhang Guodong, the three men all wore awkward smiles. They had originally planned to accept Zhang Guodong's invitation after the trade fair.
But unable to resist the other cultivators' persuasion, he decided to sneak in for a meal and then leave without showing his face. Unexpectedly, he ran into Zhang Guodong as soon as he entered.
"Sorry to bother you, Manager Zhang!" Ouyang Sheng explained, rubbing his hands slightly awkwardly. But before he could finish, Zhang Guodong grabbed him.
“I’ve wanted to invite the three of you for a while, but there are too many people on the first to fourth floors. Please come with me to the fifth floor, where it’s quieter,” Zhang Guodong said with a smile.
I thought to myself, these three probably can't bring themselves to do this now that they've already made plans for the trade fair.
"That's enough of my rambling." The three of them descended the platform.
"Oh, you're too kind. You helped my Wanxian Restaurant a lot last time, I really need to thank you properly!" Zhang Guodong said.
As they walked up from the first to the fourth floor, they were greeted by lively scenes, laughter, and endless praise. The three of them were quite surprised and envious of the booming business of the Wanxian Restaurant.
"Good business!" the three thought to themselves.
A good business means a large influx of crystals. And in this outside world, crystals are the most convenient guarantee for rapid cultivation. However, mere envy won't get you what you need. Even if you sold all three of them and combined their wealth, you still wouldn't be able to come up with four thousand crystals. Let alone investing twenty thousand crystals in a single instance—that requires incredible audacity!
Upon reaching the fifth floor, it was indeed quite quiet. Apart from a table and a few chairs in the middle, there was nothing else; it was completely empty.
"Sit wherever you like, I'll have the food and drinks brought up!" Zhang Guodong and the other two sat down and sent a message to the young man. In his heart, however, he was thinking that these three seemed to be of good character. If he could win them over, that would be ideal.
Zhang Guodong always felt a sense of unease whenever he thought of Xuan Qingxuan. Thinking of her reminded him of the senior disciples and the Qingxuan Sect. They were never on the same path!
Looking back at the three people, Zhang Guodong had some thoughts.
He didn't intend to fight for supremacy, but he was wary of having a force to protect him and his family. The present seemed like a good opportunity: the spiritual energy outside was scarce, there weren't many crystals, no spirit-gathering arrays to assist, and even fewer pills or magical artifacts. Moreover, there was no one to support him, making it very difficult for rogue cultivators to survive in the outside world.
However, it does not harm oneself.
But how should we phrase this attempt to win them over?
"Thump, thump, thump!" Just then, footsteps came from below, and it was the little devil leading two women to bring up the wine and dishes.
Bi: Second update. One more update to come! Let's encourage the author! To find out what happens next, please log in to 668 for more chapters, support the author, and support the official version.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com