The proprietor of He’s Restaurant was a man named He Jiajing.
In addition to owning the restaurant at the market, his family held several hundred mu of fertile farmland, making him an undisputed, wealthy local squire of the Baichuan district. However, with the ongoing drought, his fields yielded no harvest, leaving him to rely entirely on the restaurant’s revenue to sustain his wealth.
Under Manager Fan’s stewardship, the restaurant’s business had always been stable. But today, He Jiajing suddenly caught wind of a rumor: Manager Fan was standing out in the street, handing out free food to the paupers!
And it was goose meat, no less!
The news nearly choked He Jiajing with rage. He immediately gathered several family servants and stormed over to the restaurant. When he arrived and saw a crowd of over a hundred people lining up for free handouts, his face turned completely blue. Pushing his way through the throngs, he burst inside.
The moment Manager Fan spotted him, he hurried over to greet him. “Proprietor, what brings you here?”
“What brings me here?” He Jiajing hissed, barely suppressing the fury vibrating in his chest. “If I had arrived any later, would you have given my entire restaurant away to charity?”
“Proprietor, please listen to me—”
“Listen to what?” He Jiajing wished nothing more than to kick the man out into the street. “Pack up those things immediately! And as for you, get out of my sight! Pack your bags and get out!”
“Proprietor, please do not be angry!” Manager Fan pleaded. “If you hear me out and still think I am in the wrong, you won’t even need to fire me. I will leave on my own accord!”
Since the man had put it so starkly, He Jiajing didn’t mind waiting a brief moment. But as Manager Fan explained the strategy, the owner’s rage only intensified. He pointed a trembling finger at Li Yao, who was sitting off to the side.
“You are telling me this was all her idea?”
“Yes.”
“You absolute fool!” He Jiajing roared, spraying saliva. “You are a veteran manager, yet you allowed yourself to be swayed by a foolish peasant woman! Get out of my restaurant this instant!”
Seeing his master in such an uncontrollable fury, Manager Fan sighed inwardly and prepared to turn and leave.
Sitting nearby, Li Yao’s brow furrowed tightly. He Jiajing had every right to disagree with her marketing methods; after all, he was a small-minded man of low status and limited vision. But calling her a fool? That was a line she would not tolerate.
She stood up with a sudden snap. Planted with one hand on her hip, she pointed a finger straight at He Jiajing’s nose. “What did you just call me? Have the guts to say it again, and see if I don’t rip your mouth wide open!”
He Jiajing froze. He had never expected a country shrew to have the audacity to point at his nose, throw a tantrum, and threaten to tear his face apart. What was the world coming to?
“Throw her out!” he barked at his staff.
As several waiters tentatively stepped forward, Li Yao smoothly snatched up a heavy wooden bench. “Step up if you aren’t afraid to die!”
The waiters exchanged glances, completely immobilized. Do we… do we actually charge her, or do we stand down?
He Jiajing could barely catch his breath. His manager was running amok, and now even his own staff refused to obey his commands. Was this even his restaurant anymore?
“Fine, I am afraid of you! Just please, leave!”
“Now that’s more like it,” Li Yao said, setting the bench back down. “Speak civilly, and harmony will bring wealth. There is no need to shout about killing and fighting.”
He Jiajing sputtered, “…What exactly do you want?”
“I don’t want much,” Li Yao replied calmly. “I gave Manager Fan this idea. Now you want to throw him out without even understanding the rhyme or reason of it. Naturally, I cannot allow that.”
“You used my merchandise to give away for free, and you still think you’re in the right?”
“Giving it away without charge is a tactic to make your profits double,” Li Yao paused, tilting her head. “You don’t believe me?”
How could He Jiajing possibly believe such nonsense? In this world, how could giving away goods for free possibly double one’s profits? It was nothing short of an idiot’s daydream!
“Let’s make a wager,” Li Yao challenged. “If it doesn’t work, I won’t charge you a single copper for the braised goose. Consider it a free gift to your establishment.”
Though he felt it was impossible, He Jiajing couldn’t help but ask, “And what if it does work?”
“Then you will apologize to Manager Fan and to me in front of all your workers.”
Having calmed down slightly, He Jiajing turned the proposition over in his mind for a brief moment before agreeing. “Fine! I shall stay right here at the counter to watch the books myself. Don’t think anyone can pull the wool over my eyes!”
Yet, before his rear could even touch the stool, a group of patrons bustled through the front doors.
“Hurry up and bring us a platter of that braised goose! I want to see for myself if it’s truly as delicious as they say out there.”
“Coming right up!” a waiter called out, quickly showing them to a table. “Please take a seat, gentlemen! One platter of braised goose!”
Before that dish could even leave the kitchen, more and more customers poured into the establishment in a steady stream. In an instant, the waiters were running themselves ragged, their voices echoing through the dining hall as orders flew back and forth.
“One platter of braised goose, one flask of fine wine…!”
“One platter of braised goose, one order of shredded pork!”
“One platter of braised goose…”
…
In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the restaurant’s main dining hall was packed to the rafters, and not a single private room remained unoccupied upstairs. Watching this scene unfold, He Jiajing was dumbfounded. Is the business truly this good? It wasn’t even peak mealtime yet!
…
The staff at He’s Restaurant were pushed to their absolute limits. Before the first wave of customers had even finished their appetizers, a crowd was already clamoring outside, demanding service. Whether they were regulars or newcomers, everyone had come specifically to taste the legendary braised goose.
Manager Fan and the kitchen staff were sprinting back and forth, their feet barely touching the ground. Yet, they were growing anxious. Because the rollout had been so sudden, the kitchen wasn’t prepared for this level of volume. They had to run out to restock supplies again and again.
But their bigger worry was that they were running out of goose!
Seeing the situation spiral, Manager Fan made a bold decision: cut the serving sizes in half. Still not enough? Cut them in half again! Their goal was simply to ensure that every table got at least a taste.
“I am terribly sorry, but we’ve run out of stock for the day. Please, do come back tomorrow!”
As he ushered out the final group of guests, Manager Fan wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. He had been the manager of He’s Restaurant for several years, but this was the first time in his life he had seen business explode with such ferocity. It was truly a sight to behold.
And at the heart of it all was Li Yao’s braised goose and that ingenious—if unorthodox—method of free samples.
“Proprietor,” Manager Fan said, placing the daily ledger in front of He Jiajing. “Here are today’s takings.”
“Just tell me the total.”
Manager Fan straightened up. “We brought in a total of 132 taels and 4 qian…”
“How much?”
Even though he had anticipated a jump in profits, He Jiajing was so shocked he leapt to his feet. His restaurant’s best days in the past had topped out at around 30 taels—a mere fraction of what they had made today.
“Quickly!” He Jiajing commanded. “Invite Lady Li… no, no, I shall invite her myself!”
He Jiajing practically thundered down the stairs and hurried over to where Li Yao sat sipping tea in the lobby. With a beaming smile and a respectful bow, he said, “Lady Li, please, do join me upstairs for a moment.”
Li Yao didn’t even look up. “Apologize first.”
The nearby waiters were stunned into silence. She’s actually making the Proprietor apologize? Does she have any idea who he is?
He Jiajing paused for a heartbeat, but he caught himself quickly. Apologizing to a village woman in front of his staff certainly wounded his pride. But was Li Yao just an ordinary village woman? No. She was no mere peasant; she was a reincarnated God of Wealth! Was there any shame in apologizing to the God of Wealth?
“I am truly sorry, Lady Li. My behavior earlier was rash and disrespectful. I hope you can be the bigger person and overlook my rudeness.”
He spoke with such quiet sincerity that he sounded like a penitent student. The staff and Manager Fan looked on, feeling as if they were staring at a complete stranger.
Seeing his genuine change in attitude, Li Yao gave a slight nod.
“Very well,” she said. “Return respect with respect. From here on out, my braised goose will be sold exclusively at your establishment here in Baichuan. If I develop new recipes, I will prioritize a partnership with you above all others.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”
He Jiajing was overjoyed. Lady Li might have a bit of a temper, but her goose was, quite literally, pure gold. If he could hold the exclusive rights to it in Baichuan, he would never have to worry about the restaurant’s success again.
“Since there’s nothing else, let’s settle the accounts.”
“It’s already prepared for you.”