As it turned out, maniacal marketing tactics work in every era. Lin Bai hired a few shills to sing a song outside the store: "You love me, I love you, the Chef's Divine Food Stall welcomes you!" Then, invited in by the temporarily reassigned staff, they ate and drank heartily and emerged with expressions of contentment, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the onlookers. As the atmosphere grew more joyful and everyone happily watched the "You love me, I love you" performance, they even forgot that this place was originally the Dreadful Mansion. Finally, someone thick-skinned, unable to resist their curiosity, broke through their mental barrier and sang an incredibly embarrassing song in front of everyone. Feeling spiritually uplifted, they were then led into the restaurant by Dumbelldore.
「...」
"I thought the Shopkeeper was just hanging a sign outside to annoy people, but it's even worse inside! Where did he dig up this crappy table?"
The ones who entered were two well-dressed young men in their early twenties. They had just finished singing and were led in by Dumbelldore. Once inside, they were stunned by the decor. The two of them found a table that looked slightly better and sat down. Before they could speak, Lin Bai was already standing beside them, smiling as he reminded them, "Gentlemen, please don't fidget with your legs. The previous customer accidentally kicked away the bricks propping up the table. All his food and drink spilled, and he ended up leaving without eating a thing."
Damn it!
Both young men's eyelids twitched simultaneously.
One young man surveyed the surroundings while the other picked up the teapot on the table to pour water for them. With a slip of his hand, the misaligned spout caused him to spill tea all over himself. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it!"
Lin Bai pretended not to notice and maintained his smile. "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat?"
The young man looking at the menu turned around. "What's 'Deep-fried Flower Cattle'?"
"That's deep-fried peanuts," Lin Bai said.
"Get us a plate." The young man's mouth twitched.
"Needless to say, 'Braised Beef Within' must be braised beef then!" The young man snorted lightly, assuming he had seen through Lin Bai's tricks.
"You're very perceptive, sir," Lin Bai said, giving a thumbs-up.
"Cut us one jin of it," the young man ordered.
"Alright then," Lin Bai responded.
"Four 'Owing Cakes'," the young man said, looking at the typos on the wooden placard. "And... 'Sprinkle'—Pah! I mean, liquor! A pot of liquor."
"Anything else, gentlemen?" Lin Bai asked with a smile.
"That's all. Bring it all at once," the young man affirmed.
"One plate of Deep-fried Flower Cattle, one jin of Braised Beef Within, four Owing Cakes, and one jin of White Sprinkle. That'll be 350 coins. Could you please pay upfront?" Lin Bai proclaimed loudly, still smiling.
Both young men froze.
Looking at Lin Bai's smiling face, one of them managed to suppress his anger. "Shopkeeper, we sang to get in. We're supposed to get a 30% discount."
"That price already includes the discount, gentlemen," Lin Bai responded.
"Are you taking us for fools? You think we haven't eaten anywhere else?" the other young man slammed his hand on the table furiously.
The ill-fitting teapot lid CLATTERED onto the floor with a crisp sound.
Lin Bai glanced at the teapot lid. Good thing I had some foresight, he thought. Otherwise, the losses from damages today would be too high.
The young man sneered, "The same meal elsewhere, even without a discount, wouldn't cost more than 300 coins. You unscrupulous Shopkeeper! How can your price, even after a discount, still be 50 coins more expensive than other places?"
"Gentlemen, this is our restaurant's specialty. We've put a great deal of thought into our decor, ambiance, and service to ensure every guest dining here enjoys an experience unlike any other. After all, this is the legendary Dreadful Mansion. Dining here offers a thrill all its own, and afterward, you'll have quite the story to boast about to your friends."
Lin Bai maintained his smile, his voice calm and unhurried. "What's most commendable is that we state our prices clearly and never deceive our customers. If you feel it's too expensive, you don't have to eat. The food hasn't been served, and you haven't paid, so neither party has incurred any loss. To call us a rip-off joint is somewhat excessive."
"..."
The corners of both young men's mouths twitched. They felt incredibly awkward but couldn't find a word of rebuttal. Upon careful consideration, every word he said made perfect sense.
Indeed. The food hasn't arrived yet, and he told us the price upfront. If we think it's too expensive, we can just not eat. Why are we getting so angry? Just because we sang a song at the entrance?
"Gentlemen, shall I serve the food then?" Lin Bai asked, not particularly concerned with their thoughts.
"Bring it!" The two young men exchanged a look. One of them fumbled in his sleeve, pulled out some loose silver, and tossed it onto the table. "I want to see just what's so different about the food here!"
Lin Bai didn't even glance at the silver, explaining with a beaming smile, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, gentlemen. Our 'Owing Cakes' are just Wu Ji's Steamed Cakes from Tanhua Street, the 'Braised Beef Within' is Zhang Ji's Braised Food from Jianhua Street, and the 'White Sprinkle' is common sorghum liquor you can find anywhere on the market. There's nothing special about them at all. These are things I must clarify with customers in advance. If you don't mind, I'll collect the payment and serve the food. If you do mind, please see yourselves out, and you're welcome to visit us again next time..."
[Resentment from Song Qing, Zhu Huan: +1+1+1...]
The two young men glared at Lin Bai, fists clenched tightly, huffing and puffing.
This isn't coming here for a meal; it's coming here to get aggravated! We had to sing, put up with these broken tables and rotten chairs, and now we're supposed to pay a premium for food we can buy anywhere outside? Are you sure you're not just trying to scam idiots?!
Song Qing quietly retrieved the silver from the table. Truth be told, he was already feeling quite full—of indignation.
"Gentlemen, are you still eating?" Lin Bai pretended not to see Song Qing's subtle action and asked knowingly, "Truth be told, what one eats here is the atmosphere. Such an experience and feeling, you definitely won't find it anywhere else..."
Indeed, an experience you can't find elsewhere! Song Qing fumed internally. No other business owner would dare to be this exasperating!
Song Qing took a deep breath, stood up, and suppressed the fire in his heart. "Shopkeeper, forgive my bluntness, but if you continue to operate like this, I'm afraid your establishment won't last very long."
That's because you have no idea what I'm actually after, do you? Lin Bai thought.
Lin Bai bowed to the two of them and chuckled. "Gentlemen, I operate with integrity, deceiving neither the old nor the young. When I, Lin, do business, it's all about affinity. If we click, people will naturally patronize my humble stall. If not, the Great Path is wide; we each go our separate ways. Making money or not is secondary."
Lin Bai's words caused a large part of the two young men's anger to dissipate. They looked at each other.
Zhu Huan shook his head and said, "Shopkeeper Lin is quite a broad-minded person."
Lin Bai said, "It's all up to fate. Those who are willing will come of their own accord. Gentlemen, are you still eating?"
Zhu Huan looked at Song Qing. "Brother Song, what do you think?"
Song Qing glanced at Lin Bai, then suddenly smiled. "Well, we're already here, and we've sung the song. We can't have come all this way for nothing. The Shopkeeper is right; we're here for the atmosphere. Let's eat."
With that, they both sat back down. Song Qing tossed the silver onto the table again. "Shopkeeper, serve the food."
「Nearby,」
The Blacksmith's son, Zhang Dashan, and the carpenter's son, Zhang Bao, stood gaping. They looked at Lin Bai as if he were an Immortal. This strategy actually works?
During the whole exchange, they had been sweating bullets for Lin Bai, terrified that a customer might lose their temper and punch him in the face. What atmosphere? What fancy renovations? You clearly threw this place together in two days! The paint isn't even dry yet!
Lin Bai approached the two of them and chuckled. "Learned anything?"
They nodded blankly.
Lin Bai said, "When more customers arrive, you are to handle them just as I did. The procedure must not be altered. Anything that needs to be stated clearly must be stated clearly. We would rather make no profit than deceive our customers."
"Yes, Shopkeeper!" they replied in unison.
"Remember to keep smiling. Our setup is shabby, so we must excel in service. We need to make every customer who enters feel as if they're basking in a spring breeze," Lin Bai glanced at them and added, "As the saying goes, 'An outstretched hand doesn't strike a smiling face.' If a customer has a bad temper and hits you, don't fight back. Let them hit you. Afterward, we'll report it to the authorities and have the City Lord ensure justice is served."
"Yes, Shopkeeper!" This display and his instructions thoroughly convinced the two temporary assistants.
「Meanwhile,」
Song Qing and Zhu Huan, who had overheard Lin Bai instructing his staff, exchanged a smile. They instantly regretted their impulsive decision to sit back down.
The two young assistants went to serve the dishes and pour the liquor. Lin Bai turned and approached Song Qing and Zhu Huan, cupping his fists. "Our shop is newly opened, and the assistants are inevitably a bit inexperienced. I had to give them some pointers. I hope it wasn't too much of an amusement for you two."
Song Qing gave a bitter smile. "Shopkeeper, you certainly leave no stone unturned."
Lin Bai replied, "I have no choice. Times are tough. If one isn't meticulous, one might starve to death."
You're afraid of being beaten to death, more like! Song Qing rolled his eyes at him, thinking this privately.
"I, Lin, still have many matters to attend to, so I won't disturb your meal any longer, gentlemen. Enjoy your food." Lin Bai once again cupped his fists and bowed to each of them in turn.
Song Qing and Zhu Huan returned the courtesy.
Lin Bai stood up and walked towards the door. Just as he reached it, he turned back. "Gentlemen, when you return, could you perhaps put in a few good words for our little shop among your relatives and friends? As the saying goes, 'Happiness shared is happiness amplified.' Wouldn't it be a great joy in life if more people could experience the beauty of our humble establishment?"
Without waiting for their response, he said this and then left the room.
Good words my ass! Song Qing fumed. You want us to bring more people here to get scammed by you?
Song Qing was so exasperated he almost laughed. He was about to curse Lin Bai, but then a thought struck him: since he had been taken for a ride here, why couldn't he enjoy watching others suffer the same frustrating experience?
That could be a kind of fun in itself!
He turned to look at Zhu Huan, just about to speak.
He saw Zhu Huan looking back at him, a strange smile playing on his lips. "Brother Song, it seems we've underestimated this Shopkeeper. This shop is going to make it!"