Chapter 47

When Zhang Weixin was being teased by the mischievous little girl, Zeng Zhilin, Wang Feng, and the others were watching a martial arts performance at the market in front of the Chenghuang Temple. In the middle of the arena, two agile young men were sparring. Although Zeng Zhilin, Wang Feng, and the others thought it was just a show and not a great skill, the two young men's moves were quite well-coordinated and their stances were impressive, so the onlookers occasionally cheered.

After watching for a while, they found it uninteresting and turned to leave, continuing to wander around. Zeng Zhilin, however, remembered that a few months ago, while watching a performance, Liu Wendong was accidentally injured. So, as they walked, he described the dangerous situation to Wang Feng and the others, who were not present at the time. While the others were somewhat indifferent, although they had all visited Liu Wendong after the incident, Wu Peng, who had just left Yuxu Palace for the first time, was the most engrossed, showing a high interest in the story and frequently urging Zeng Zhilin to continue.

The group walked and chatted, circling around the Chenghuang Temple, but they did not notice that a pair of eyes filled with hatred had been closely following them from a distance. When they left the Chenghuang Temple and returned to the Yuelai Inn, the owner of those eyes, a young man, had to temporarily give up the idea of continuing to follow them. He turned and entered a small tavern next to the inn, found a seat by the window, and kept his eyes on the door of the Yuelai Inn. Zeng Zhilin, Wang Feng, and the others happily entered the inn, completely unaware that they were being followed.

The group entered the east courtyard and met up with their companions who were staying there. After resting for a while and seeing that the time was right, Zhang Weixin called everyone to stop chatting and get up to go to Tianfulou for a big meal. Everyone naturally had no objections and immediately set off, a noisy group leaving the Yuelai Inn and heading straight for Tianfulou. Almost simultaneously, the person who had been following Zeng Zhilin and the others from the Chenghuang Temple also paid his bill at the tavern and followed them from a distance. He followed them all the way to the entrance of Tianfulou, saw them go upstairs, and then turned to leave.

Unaware of the situation, the group from Yuxu Palace entered the private room on the third floor that they had already reserved, found their seats, and waited for the guests while sipping the tea served by the waiters.

The Qi family father and son arrived on time at the beginning of the hour. After exchanging pleasantries, they all took their seats, and the various signature dishes and fine wines of Tianfulou were served one after another. After Zhang Weixin and Qi Nanhai exchanged a few words of good wishes, everyone began to drink heartily, and the atmosphere became lively.

The meal was very relaxed, and everyone drank to their heart's content. After more than an hour, they finished the meal and saw the Qi family father and son off downstairs. Zhang Weixin and the others returned to the private room upstairs to wait for their meeting with the owner of Tianfulou, Mr. Chen.

After a short wait, Mr. Chen Guangfu entered the private room with a smile. He greeted everyone and asked if they were satisfied with the food. The guests also returned the greetings and praised the food and wine of Tianfulou. After some polite conversation, Zhang Weixin knew that Mr. Chen had something to say, so he invited him to sit next to him and waited for him to speak. Mr. Chen Guangfu was initially hesitant, but Zhang Weixin said, "We are all acquaintances, Mr. Chen. Please speak your mind."

Hearing this, Mr. Chen Guangfu no longer hesitated. He bowed to Zhang Weixin and said, "Since you are so straightforward, I will not beat around the bush. I have invited you here today to discuss a business deal with you, Mr. Zhang, as well as Mr. Fan and Mr. Zhao."

Hearing that Mr. Chen wanted to discuss business, Zhang Weixin, Fan Wucheng, and Zhao Dawei were not surprised, as they had already considered this possibility at the inn. However, they did not know what kind of business Mr. Chen had in mind. They guessed that since he ran a restaurant, he might want to expand his business because it was thriving and he felt that Liangxiang was too small for further development. He might think that they had business acumen and wanted to recruit them to help him open more branches elsewhere.

Mr. Chen continued, "The auction you organized a few days ago amazed me. I admire your innovative business methods. I also heard that you have already reached a deal with Mr. Qi for the transfer of real estate and shops. I assume you are planning to leave the religious life and focus on business. My restaurant has been operating for many years and is doing well, but due to my limited abilities, it has not reached the next level. Now that we have met, and you are interested in business, I would like to suggest a partnership to jointly operate this restaurant. What do you think?"

Mr. Chen's proposal surprised everyone from Yuxu Palace. They had not expected him to suggest a partnership. The Tianfulou, being the largest restaurant in Liangxiang, might not bring in a fortune every day, but according to Mr. Fang Yingyu, it should earn about a thousand to eight hundred guan per year.

The group was puzzled by Mr. Chen's seemingly too good to be true offer. They wondered why he would want to share his profits with them. Could there be some hidden agenda? Perhaps Mr. Chen was envious of the money the Yuxu Palace Daoists had made from selling treasures and wanted to use a partnership as a pretext to get their money. As the saying goes, when things are abnormal, there must be a reason. There must be a motive behind this unreasonable proposal. What could Mr. Chen's motive be?

Zhang Weixin and the others were at a loss, unsure how to respond. Their expressions led Mr. Chen to believe that his terms were unclear and that they found the deal unprofitable. He quickly added, "As for the terms of the partnership, you don't need to worry. As long as you are willing to help me run the restaurant, I will pay you a generous monthly salary, and I will also give you a 10% stake in the business, which will allow you to share in the profits at the end of the year."

Such generous terms left the Yuxu Palace group even more puzzled. Xu Shaoguo even asked, "Mr. Chen, with such good terms, aren't you afraid we will just take the money and do nothing?"

Mr. Chen smiled and waved his hand, "Not at all. I believe you are all trustworthy people and would not engage in such dishonorable behavior. From what I have seen, you are all ambitious and would seize any opportunity to showcase your abilities and achieve your goals. I have full confidence in your abilities, and this deal will be a sure win for me."

Hearing Mr. Chen's words, the Yuxu Palace group began to understand his intentions. It seemed that Mr. Chen was impressed by their business acumen and saw them as valuable assets. He wanted to use high salaries to recruit them to help his business grow. He was likely not satisfied with being the best restaurant in Liangxiang and had ambitions to be the best in Youzhou, or even the best in the country.

Fan Wucheng and Zhao Dawei, who had more business acumen, not only understood this but also saw the deeper reasons behind Mr. Chen's actions. They believed that Mr. Chen was not only trying to expand his business but also to ensure its long-term success. They felt that Mr. Chen saw both potential and a threat in them.

Imagine if the Yuxu Palace Daoists turned to business in the future and entered the restaurant industry. With their business acumen and intelligence, they could pose a significant threat to the industry. Instead of facing these talented individuals as competitors, it would be more beneficial to recruit them now. Realizing this, Fan and Zhao were impressed by Mr. Chen's foresight and decisiveness.

After reaching their conclusions, Fan and Zhao discussed the matter quietly. Seeing that Zhang Weixin was still considering and occasionally looking at him for advice, Fan Wucheng subtly signaled to Zhang Weixin that he wanted to talk to him privately. Zhang Weixin quickly responded, excused himself to Mr. Chen, saying he needed to use the restroom, and left the private room. Fan Wucheng followed under the same pretext.

Once outside, they found a quiet spot. Fan Wucheng shared his and Zhao Dawei's thoughts with Zhang Weixin. Zhang Weixin nodded in agreement, saying, "Your analysis makes sense. It seems Mr. Chen is quite shrewd in business. We should not underestimate him. What do you think we should tell him?"

Fan Wucheng thought for a moment and said, "I think we can agree to the partnership with certain conditions. First, our partnership with Mr. Chen should be an equal one. We will participate as shareholders, not as employees. Second, we should own a significant portion of the shares, not just 10%. If possible, we should have a controlling stake, or at least 40%. We are willing to pay the full amount for the shares. Third, as shareholders, we should have the right to appoint key personnel and have some authority in personnel decisions, such as the ability to appoint or dismiss certain positions without Mr. Chen's approval. This will allow us to better manage the restaurant. Additionally, we should have the right to audit the accounts to prevent any foul play. These are my initial thoughts, and we need to discuss the specific terms with Dawei, Feiyang, and Old You."

Zhang Weixin, realizing his lack of business experience, patted Fan Wucheng on the shoulder and said, "As the saying goes, each trade has its own secrets. I know very little about business, so this matter will ultimately depend on professionals like you and Dawei. I will tell Mr. Chen that this is a significant decision and that I cannot make it alone. I need to discuss it with other leaders at Yuxu Palace. This will give us time to negotiate the terms with Mr. Chen."

Fan Wucheng agreed with Zhang Weixin's decision, feeling a sense of satisfaction that his abilities were recognized. They returned to the private room, and Zhang Weixin presented his excuse. Mr. Chen, who had anticipated this, readily agreed to discuss the matter later and said they could come to him whenever they had a decision.

After the business talk, they chatted with Mr. Chen for a while and then said goodbye. As they left the restaurant, two men in a corner of the first-floor hall called the waiter to settle their bill. One of them was the young man who had been following Zeng Zhilin and the others earlier, and the other was a middle-aged man. Both men looked at the Yuxu Palace group with hatred, and the middle-aged man's eyes burned with even more intense anger. As they approached, it was clear that he was trying to suppress his rage, his face turning purple from the rush of blood, making the scar on his left cheek look even more sinister. The waiter, who came to collect the money, was so frightened that he dared not breathe, fearing that he would anger the man. Fortunately, the middle-aged man did not lose control, paid the bill, and quickly left the restaurant, following the Yuxu Palace group from a distance.