Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Yin Tianxi had failed to gain any advantage at Zhao Tianming's restaurant twice, and was now furious. He gathered his cronies, Ma Zi, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu, and roared, "Speak up! What ideas do you have to help me out? When have I, Yin Tianxi, ever suffered such humiliation!"

Ma Zi's small, pesky eyes darted around as he plotted how to curry favor with Yin Tianxi and gain some benefits. He approached Yin Tianxi with a fawning expression and said, "Brother, Zhao Tianming's restaurant claims to have the best fresh produce. Let's cut off his supply and see how he attracts customers!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Tianxi frowned and said, "How do you intend to judge? Don't just talk big!"

Ma Zi quickly said, "Brother, don't worry! I've thought it all out. We'll send people to cause trouble at the places he gets his goods from, scare those suppliers, and make them afraid to supply Zhao Tianming anymore. Or we can offer a higher price and snatch all those goods away, leaving Zhao Tianming with nothing to buy!"

Wang Wu curled his lip and said, "Do you think your idea will work? If Zhao Tianming finds out, we'll be in deep trouble!"

Ma Zi glared at Wang Wu: "What do you know? If we do it discreetly, what can Zhao Tianming possibly find out?"

Zhao Liu scratched his head and said, "I don't think this is very reliable. If those suppliers report it to the authorities, we'll be in trouble."

Ma Zi scoffed, "Report to the authorities? Do they dare? With Brother Yin's reputation in this area, who among them isn't afraid?"

Yin Tianxi stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Ma Zi, your method is worth a try, but you'd better do it right. If anything goes wrong, I won't let you off the hook!"

Ma Zi patted his chest and assured him, "Brother, don't worry! Leave it to me, it'll be fine!"

So, Ma Zi, along with Wang Wu and Zhao Liu, hurriedly set off to implement their "out-of-stock plan".

They first went to Butcher Zhang, who supplied pork to Zhao Tianming's restaurant. Ma Zi swaggered into the butcher shop, put one foot on the chopping board, and said, "Butcher Zhang, you're not allowed to supply Zhao Tianming anymore, understand?"

Butcher Zhang was an honest man. He was startled by Ma Zi's posture and stammered, "This...this is not good. I have been cooperating with Boss Zhao for a long time."

Ma Zi glared at him: "What's wrong with that? If you don't listen, I'll smash up your shop!"

Butcher Zhang said helplessly, "Brother Ma, please don't make things difficult for me. My whole family depends on this business to make a living."

Ma Zi snorted: "Fine, starting tomorrow, I'll take all your pork. As for the price, it'll be half the price you paid Zhao Tianming!"

Butcher Zhang said with a bitter face, "Brother Ma, this price is too low. I'll lose money."

Ma Zi kicked over a stool: "Enough nonsense! It's settled then!"

Butcher Zhang had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Ma Zi and his gang then used the same tactic to threaten other suppliers.

However, their actions quickly aroused dissatisfaction among some people. Several suppliers secretly discussed reporting them to the authorities, but when Ma Zi found out, he threatened them again.

After all that trouble, Ma Zi and his men thought they had accomplished a great mission and excitedly went back to report to Yin Tianxi.

After hearing Ma Zi's story, Yin Tianxi laughed smugly: "Haha, let's see how arrogant Zhao Tianming can be now!"

When Yin Tianxi cut off Zhao Tianming's supply, Zhang San and his men also learned of this news. They were overjoyed, thinking they could take the opportunity to trip up Zhao Tianming again.

So Zhang San found a few unfamiliar faces, dressed them up nicely, and pretended they were ordinary customers. These people swaggered into Zhao Tianming's restaurant.

As soon as they sat down, one of the skinny men shouted at the top of his lungs, "Waiter, let's order!"

The waiter rushed over, his face beaming with smiles: "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat?"

The skinny man squinted and said, "Bring me all your best fresh seafood!"

Upon hearing this, the waiter looked troubled: "Sir, I'm really sorry, but we're out of fresh produce today."

Upon hearing this, the skinny man immediately jumped up, slammed his chopsticks on the table, and exclaimed, "What? No fresh food? Doesn't your restaurant claim to have the best fresh food? You're lying to us!"

The others joined in the commotion, banging on bowls and plates, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere in the restaurant.

"That's right, what's the point of opening a restaurant if you don't have fresh seafood!" a fat man shouted.

"Refund! Refund!" a short man shouted as well.

At this moment, the other guests in the restaurant all turned their heads and frowned.

Zhang San hid in a corner, watching the chaotic scene, and was secretly overjoyed.

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Tianming came out from the back room and said, "Gentlemen, please be patient. There's a problem with the supply. How about I recommend a few of our other signature dishes?"

The skinny guy snorted, "Who wants to eat your lousy food? We came here for the fresh ingredients!"

The fat man went even further, standing on a stool and waving his arms: "If you don't give us fresh food today, we're not leaving!"

The shorter man stomped his feet incessantly, making a loud "thump-thump" sound on the floor.

Zhao Tianming's face was gloomy, but he still suppressed his anger and said, "Everyone, this isn't a solution. How about I give you a discount as compensation?"

These men wouldn't listen and continued banging and clanging, making the whole restaurant a mess.

Wu Yong whispered to Zhao Tianming, "Manager Zhao, these people are clearly here to cause trouble."

Zhao Tianming glanced at Wu Yong, a hint of helplessness flashing across his face, and said, "I know, but right now they've found our weakness. The supply is cut off, and the restaurant can't keep fresh produce on hand. This is our oversight."

Wu Yong frowned and lowered his voice, saying, "Manager, it's obvious that someone is sabotaging us behind the scenes, deliberately targeting our restaurant."

Zhao Tianming sighed, glanced at the troublemakers who were still making a ruckus, and said, "I know that too, but the most important thing right now is to stabilize the situation and not let them ruin the restaurant's business."

Wu Yong rolled his eyes and whispered in Zhao Tianming's ear, "Manager, why don't we try to persuade them with kind words and give them some small favors to get rid of them, and then we can think of a long-term solution to the problem of the supply of goods?"

Zhao Tianming shook his head and said firmly, "That's not a good idea. It will only make them think we're afraid, and they'll become even more reckless in the future."

Wu Yong was getting anxious: "What should we do? We can't just let them keep making trouble like this, can we?"

Zhao Tianming pondered for a moment and said, "Go and calm the other guests down first, so they aren't affected. I'll deal with these troublemakers."

Wu Yong responded and quickly went to greet the other guests.

Zhao Tianming walked up to the troublemakers, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Friends, it was indeed my restaurant's fault today, making you all come all this way for nothing. How about this, I apologize to you all, and this meal is on me. I hope you will all be lenient."

The skinny man glanced at Zhao Tianming and said sarcastically, "Hmph, who cares about your food and wine? We want fresh food. Without fresh food, you can forget about keeping your restaurant open!"

Zhao Tianming suppressed his anger and said, "Friends, everyone has difficulties in doing business, please be understanding. I promise to resolve the supply issue as soon as possible, and I will definitely not let you down."

The fat man shouted, "Don't give us that! If you don't give us an explanation today, we'll make a scene!"

Zhao Tianming's face darkened: "If you all act so unreasonably, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The short man sneered, "Oh, what else do you want? We're here to spend money. We didn't get what we wanted, so we can't make a fuss?"

At this point, the other guests in the restaurant also began to discuss the matter.

"These people went too far. The shopkeeper has already apologized."

"Exactly, they're obviously here on purpose to cause trouble."

Hearing these comments, the troublemakers became even more arrogant.

The skinny man pointed at Zhao Tianming's nose and said, "Listen to this, everyone thinks your restaurant is no good!"

Zhao Tianming gritted his teeth and said, "I, Zhao Tianming, have always conducted business with integrity and honesty, and I never cheat or swindle. Who is instructing you all to make things difficult for me today?"

The troublemakers were taken aback and looked at each other.

The fat man stubbornly insisted, "No one ordered us to come; we came on our own!"

Seeing that the other party was being stubborn and that he was in the wrong, Zhao Tianming suppressed his anger and said to them, "Gentlemen, this meal is all on the house. I, Zhao Tianming, assure you, I will find a way to prepare the fresh seafood as quickly as possible!"

Upon hearing this, the skinny leader not only didn't appreciate the compliment, but instead sneered, "Hmph, don't brag! You? I think you should just close your restaurant down or hand it over to someone else to run, so you don't embarrass yourself here!"

Zhao Tianming was so angry his face turned green, but he still patiently said, "Sir, please have mercy and stop cursing my small business like that. When have I, Zhao Tianming, ever cheated a customer?"

The skinny man tilted his head back, his nostrils pointing skyward: "Oh, still being stubborn! You have no fresh produce, that's all. Nothing you say will change that!"

The fat man next to him chimed in, "That's right, that's right! You should close your restaurant as soon as possible, so as not to keep us from enjoying our delicious food!"

Zhao Tianming clenched his fists, really wanting to punch each of these guys, but he held back and said, "Gentlemen, give me another chance, I'm sure I can get things done!"

The short man said sarcastically, "Fine, then we'll wait and see. If you don't handle it well, you'll be in trouble!" As they spoke, these guys swaggered down and continued to eat and drink recklessly, making a complete mess of the restaurant.

The troublemakers devoured the free food and drinks in a flash, then, burping and patting their butts, prepared to leave.

The skinny man walked up to Zhao Tianming, glanced at him sideways, and said, "Manager Zhao, we'll be ordering some fresh food next time, so get ready. But you'd better be prepared to close down!"

The fat man laughed loudly, "Right, right, close up shop early, so there won't be any fresh food left when we come back!"

The shorter man chimed in, "That's right, I don't think your restaurant will last more than a few days!"

Zhao Tianming's lips trembled with anger as he said, "Gentlemen, don't speak too definitively. We'll see!"

The skinny man scoffed, "Just you wait and see? Hmph, I bet you won't learn your lesson until you're dead. We knew you wouldn't last!"

The fat man picked his teeth and said, "Just you wait and see!"

After saying that, these guys swaggered out of the restaurant, deliberately bumping the signboard at the entrance until it shook a few times, as if they were showing off.

Watching their departing figures, Zhao Tianming secretly vowed to solve the supply problem, revive the restaurant, and teach these guys a lesson.