Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After Yan Qing defeated Ren Yuan in one fell swoop, the arena that had blocked the street leading to the restaurant was finally demolished, the road was cleared, and the people cheered with joy. Manager Zhao's restaurant also returned to its former bustling scene, with people coming and going, and noise galore.

However, on the other side of the city, Wang Zhiqiang was furious upon hearing the news. In a secret room of his luxurious mansion, he conspired with Li Guogen to carry out a vicious plan to take revenge on Zhao Tianming.

"That brat Zhao Tianming dared to ruin my plans. I'll make him pay this time." Wang Zhiqiang gritted his teeth, his face full of anger and resentment.

Li Guogen quickly agreed, "Boss Wang, whatever you say, I'll do as you say."

Wang Zhiqiang smiled sinisterly, his eyes flashing with malice. "Zhao Tianming's restaurant has always been thriving, so let's start there. Isn't his restaurant famous for its signature dishes? We'll send people to his restaurant to cause trouble. Beforehand, we'll hide specially made fake insects in our sleeves, slip them into the dishes when no one is looking, and then pretend to be angry and shout loudly. That way, we can ruin his reputation."

Li Guogen nodded and said, "This plan is excellent, but I'm afraid it's not enough."

Wang Zhiqiang pondered for a moment, then said, "That's right, let's bribe some of his suppliers to suddenly cut off their supplies or drastically raise prices, thus disrupting his procurement plans."

"Also, Zhao Tianming values ​​his old customers highly. Let's poach them by offering them more attractive deals and drawing them to our side." A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Zhiqiang's eyes.

Li Guogen gave a thumbs up: "Boss Wang, your move was brilliant!"

Wang Zhiqiang smiled smugly: "Hmph, I don't believe we can't take him down like this."

Thus, a conspiracy against Zhao Tianming quietly began.

A few days later, at midday, Zhao Tianming's restaurant was packed with guests, who were enjoying a delicious meal. Suddenly, a sharp shout shattered the harmony.

"Ah! How could there be insects in this dish!" A guest was furious, slamming his chopsticks on the table and shouting loudly.

The shout instantly drew everyone's attention, and the surrounding guests cast curious and disgusted glances. Hearing the commotion, Zhao Tianming quickly walked over.

"Sir, I'm truly sorry, it might have been an accident. I'll get you a new one right away," Zhao Tianming said apologetically.

"An accident? Is this how your restaurant treats its guests? The hygiene is appalling!" The guest persisted, his voice growing louder.

At this moment, the customers at the next few tables also began to whisper among themselves, expressing their doubts about the restaurant's hygiene. Zhao Tianming's heart skipped a beat, knowing that if this matter was not handled properly, it would definitely cause great damage to the restaurant's reputation.

While calming the angry customer, he ordered the dish to be taken away for inspection. However, before he could finish dealing with that situation, several other tables of customers discovered similar problems, and the restaurant was thrown into chaos.

Zhao Tianming sensed something was amiss. These problems appeared both suddenly and in a concentrated manner, as if someone had done it intentionally. But he had no time to think about it at the moment; he could only try his best to quell the guests' anger and promised to give everyone a satisfactory answer.

Meanwhile, in the restaurant's kitchen, the chefs were also in a panic.

"How is this possible? We're always careful when cooking, how could so many insects suddenly appear?" a chef said, looking puzzled.

"Could it be that someone is deliberately framing us?" another chef speculated.

Zhao Tianming frowned, racking his brains for a solution. Just then, a shop assistant rushed in to report: "Manager, something bad has happened. Several suppliers say there's a problem with their goods, and they can't supply us anymore."

Zhao Tianming's heart sank: "How could this be so sudden? We've been cooperating for a long time."

"I don't know either. They just passed on the message and then ignored it," the waiter said helplessly.

Zhao Tianming received several more messages from suppliers, all of which either stopped supplying goods or raised prices significantly. He knew that this series of changes was no accident and that someone was definitely behind it.

In the following days, the restaurant's business plummeted. The once bustling hall became deserted, with only a few unsuspecting new customers occasionally patronizing it. Zhao Tianming was extremely anxious, knowing that if this continued, the restaurant would likely have to close down.

Just when Zhao Tianming was in a state of utter distress, a message came from a messenger of an old customer.

"Mr. Zhao, I'm afraid I won't be able to dine at your restaurant anymore in the future."

Zhao Tianming was very surprised and hurriedly asked, "Why is that? Is there something wrong with my restaurant?"

Zhao Tianming was extremely anxious, so he quickly summoned Song Jiang, Li Kui, Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Lu Junyi, Yan Qing, Shi Qian, and Shi Xiu to discuss countermeasures.

The group sat together, their faces grave. Zhao Tianming spoke first: "Brothers, now that the restaurant is facing such a predicament, what good ideas do you have?"

Song Jiang frowned slightly and said, "In my opinion, the most urgent task right now is to appease those customers who got sick from the food. We must compensate them, and we also need to cover the medical expenses. We need to stabilize people's hearts first."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Li Kui shouted loudly, "Let's see who dares to cause trouble again, my axe won't let them get away with it!"

Wu Song advised, "Brother Li, don't act rashly. This matter needs to be considered carefully."

Lu Junyi continued, "We need to investigate who's behind this; we can't remain passive like this forever."

Yan Qing chimed in, "That's absolutely right. We must find out who's behind this."

As everyone was discussing, He Xiang ran back.

"My husband, this is bad!"

He Xiang said breathlessly.

Zhao Tianming's heart tightened, and he asked, "Wife, tell me slowly, what happened?"

He Xiang took a breath and said, "Husband, Ximen Qing's pharmacy refuses to sell us the medicinal herbs we need, saying they are out of stock."

Zhao Tianming's eyes widened, and he slammed his fist on the table in anger: "This Ximen Qing must be in cahoots with the mastermind behind this, deliberately making things difficult for us!"

Lu Zhishen crossed his arms and snorted, "This Ximen Qing has never been a good person; he must have been bribed."

Shi Qian's eyes darted around, and he said, "How about we sneak into his pharmacy tonight and steal some medicinal herbs?"

Yan Qing shook his head and said, "No, this is inappropriate and will only give others something to criticize."

Shi Xiu said, "Then can we go to other pharmacies to buy it?"

He Xiang said with a bitter face, "I've been to all the pharmacies, but they're either out of stock or the prices are outrageously high."

Zhao Tianming took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down: "It seems that the other party is deliberately trying to drive us to a dead end. But we can't lose our composure. Since we can't get through to Ximen Qing, let's think of other ways."

Everyone fell into deep thought, and the room fell silent for a moment.

At this point, Song Jiang said, "Perhaps we can send someone to check the pharmacies in the surrounding towns; maybe we can buy the necessary medicinal herbs."

Zhao Tianming's eyes lit up: "This plan is feasible, then let's send someone to do it right away."

Wu Song volunteered: "I'll go!"

Zhao Tianming nodded and said, "Brother Wu, be careful on your journey."

After discussing ways to deal with other crises, the group dispersed to prepare for action.

However, Wu Song searched all the shops in the nearby town but could not buy the medicine he needed, so he returned empty-handed.

Everyone looked worried. Wu Yong said, "Ximen Qing's actions must be due to someone giving him a lot of benefits. But don't panic, I have a plan."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "First of all, for those who are clamoring for us to reimburse their medical expenses, we should not rush to agree to all their demands. We should send out eloquent people to communicate with them patiently and understand their true needs and bottom line. At the same time, we should arrange for people to investigate the background and past of these people to see if anyone is behind them deliberately instructing them to make exorbitant demands."

"Secondly, since we can't buy ready-made medicinal herbs, let's change our approach. Send people to the surrounding villages to find folk healers who know about herbs, offer them a certain reward, and let them help collect and identify the herbs we need. At the same time, mobilize our own men to go to the mountains and forests to find some common herbs for future use."

"Furthermore, we'll spread the word that the restaurant has found evidence proving that this incident was a deliberate frame-up and that we're about to report it to the authorities. This way, those behind the scenes might be more cautious and dare not act recklessly anymore."

"In addition, we can leverage the power of public opinion. We can arrange for some people to spread the word in the city, telling people about Manager Zhao's usual philanthropy and honest business practices, so that the people can have a sense of justice and not be easily swayed by those malicious slanderous words."

"Furthermore, we have proactively invited several respected elders from the city to the restaurant so that they can personally oversee the renovations and the implementation of new hygiene measures. With their approval and support, the people will trust us even more."

Upon hearing Wu Yong's plan, Zhao Tianming nodded repeatedly and immediately arranged for everyone to act according to Wu Yong's instructions.

Wang Zhiqiang hosted an incredibly lavish banquet at Zuixianlou Restaurant. The private room was brightly lit, and the table was laden with delicacies. Gao Ke, Lu Qian, Yin Tianxi, and Ximen Qing were invited, each with varying degrees of smugness on their faces.

Wang Zhiqiang cupped his hands and smiled, "Brothers, we were able to successfully deal with Zhao Tianming this time thanks to your great help. Today's banquet is to express our gratitude to you all."

Gao Ke spoke first: "Brother Wang, you are too kind. That Zhao Tianming is ungrateful and opposes you, so naturally he will not have a good end."

Lu Qian gently waved the folding fan in his hand and said with a smile, "It is our duty to help Brother Wang solve his problems."

Yin Tianxi sat down casually, picked up a chicken leg and took a bite: "Hmph, that kid Zhao Tianming, doesn't he know his own limitations?"

Ximen Qing said slowly and deliberately, "Brother Wang, this is just the beginning. In the future, won't this territory be under your control?"

Wang Zhiqiang laughed heartily: "Come on, everyone, let's have a drink!" Everyone raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Wang Zhiqiang, his face slightly flushed, said, "This time, it's all thanks to Brother Gao for causing trouble and creating chaos at Zhao Tianming's restaurant, which has given him a lot of headaches."

Gao Ke proudly raised his head: "These are just small tricks. It's my duty to serve my brother."

Wang Zhiqiang then looked at Lu Qian: "Brother Lu's ideas are so brilliant that Zhao Tianming can't defend against them at all."

Lu Qian smiled modestly: "Brother Wang, you flatter me. It was just a small trick."

Then, Wang Zhiqiang said to Yin Tianxi, "Brother Yin used his influence to cut off some of Zhao Tianming's supplies, which can be considered a fatal blow to him."

Yin Tianxi patted his chest and said, "Brother Wang, don't worry. As long as I'm here, Zhao Tianming won't be able to turn things around."

Finally, Wang Zhiqiang said to Ximen Qing, "Brother Ximen refused to sell medicinal herbs to Zhao Tianming, leaving him with no other options. This move was truly brilliant."

Ximen Qing raised his cup and said, "It is my greatest honor to serve you, my brother."

The crowd laughed again and continued toasting. Unbeknownst to them, Zhao Tianming had already begun gathering evidence, preparing a counterattack.