A Misty Night, With A Crystal-Clear Moon - Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Yu Linglong’s Business Acumen
The next day, Yu Linglong and Cui Xin were hanging clothes in the backyard when Sikong Nuo and A-Yuan came in from outside. As soon as A-Yuan saw Cui Xin, he went up to her and chuckled, “Cui Xin, there’s a new pastry shop open over there. We thought the treats looked good, so we brought some for you.”
Cui Xin shot him a look. “Hmph! Who cares about your stuff? Even the best food turns into something sickening once it’s touched by you people.”
A-Yuan was utterly confused, having no idea what was going on. “You were fine yesterday. What is this all about? Who upset you?”
Cui Xin pushed A-Yuan away, pointing at him, and then at Sikong Nuo. She declared, “You, and you!”
A-Yuan felt wronged. He looked at Nuo, then at Cui Xin. “How did I bully you? A-Nuo hasn’t even been here. What did he do to deserve that?”
“Still denying it?” Cui Xin walked up to Sikong Nuo and said fiercely, “You look like a decent person, but I never expected you to be a hypocrite!”
“Cui Xin, why don’t you go make me a bowl of red bean soup?” Yu Linglong glanced at Sikong Nuo and instructed.
“Miss!” Cui Xin was reluctant. Linglong winked at her, and Cui Xin reluctantly left. Seeing Cui Xin go, A-Yuan patted Sikong Nuo and followed after her.
Sikong Nuo already had something weighing on his mind. He had finally resolved to come see Yu Linglong, only to be hit with a harsh reprimand, and he still didn’t know the reason why.
Yu Linglong saw the coat he was carrying and knew that Manager Li had given it to him. Seeing that he still openly brought it over to see her, she realized the matter of the coat was likely not as the servant Xiao Yao had described.
She smiled and said, “You must be very busy these days. It’s been a long time since you visited. Has something happened with the gang?”
Sikong Nuo looked a little ashamed. “Yes, a few things happened, but they’ve all been handled now. How have you been these past few days?”
“Very well. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Then why did Cui Xin… I see her mood is not good. Did something happen? Did Mother Liu and the others bully you again?”
Yu Linglong smiled sweetly. “Them? How could they possibly bully me? Although I don’t have a formidable fist like yours, my brain is quite sharp.”
That comment made Sikong Nuo laugh. “That’s exactly why I worry. They are not like you. We are rough people; sometimes, reasoning isn’t useful.”
“Then there’s no need to reason! You use the language suited to the person. If they don’t get tired, I won’t either.”
She pursed her lips and smiled, her gaze falling upon the coat. “Why aren’t you wearing that?”
“Oh, a few days ago, I happened to help a young lady whose clothes were torn. I lent her my coat to wear. Later, she said she would return it. I told her to send it to Yun Port, but I didn’t expect her to send it here instead.”
Yu Linglong carefully observed his expression as he spoke. His eyes were sincere; she could see there was no deceit.
“Heh heh, how did her clothes get torn? It must be that the villain was attracted to the young lady’s beauty.”
“I don’t know, either. A-Yuan and I were drinking and chatting at the bar when suddenly we heard them arguing. Those men even put their hands on that lady. I couldn’t stand it, and since I was already in a bad mood that day, I treated it as a practice session.”
He didn’t mention how he saved the beauty but spoke enthusiastically about how he subdued the thugs. It seemed he genuinely had no romantic interest in that lady. Yu Linglong felt relieved; it turned out she had been needlessly worrying.
“Why were you in a bad mood?”
“Uh…” Sikong Nuo looked at Yu Linglong. “It was nothing, really. I was just scolded by my godfather, and I felt a bit down.”
“Hahaha, so you can be scolded, too!”
Sikong Nuo looked at the smiling Yu Linglong. Little did she know that she was the cause of his distress.
“Was it because the business at Wangyue Tower isn’t doing well?”
Sikong Nuo was startled, but then thought this was a good way to avoid the real issue. “You know about that, too?”
Linglong nodded. “I live in this building. How could I not know?” She suddenly leaned closer to Sikong Nuo and said, “If I have a way to make Wangyue Tower’s business better, will you feel better?”
“Really? What’s the plan?”
“Wangyue Tower has many similar restaurants and banquet halls nearby. They are all of similar size and charge similar prices, and each has its daily signature dishes. Customers have too many choices when deciding where to eat or host a banquet, so we must come up with something different to attract people. Step one: We will choose one dish every day to be sold at half price. This shouldn’t be a low-end dish; it must be a quality one, and we must ensure no repeats for at least ten days. Step two: We will give every dining customer a discount coupon that can be redeemed for a certain amount on their next visit. For customers dining in the VIP section, we will give a complimentary small side dish with every meal.”
“Wouldn’t we lose a lot of money doing that?”
Yu Linglong laughed. “Won’t you know once you try it?”
Sikong Nuo went back and pondered for a long time, deciding it was worth a shot. He began implementing Linglong’s suggestions at Wangyue Tower. At first, Manager Li and the others found it unbelievable. Business was already poor; wouldn’t this strategy just make them lose more money? Helpless, they could only carry out the orders and hide their complaints.
The method showed no immediate effect on the first day of implementation, but three days later, Wangyue Tower was completely packed. Some customers came for the half-price dish, others for the VIP coupons. Those who had eaten there before and received a coupon didn’t want to waste it, so they came back a second and a third time. Gradually, going to Wangyue Tower for the half-price dish became a popular novelty on the streets of Shanghai. Anyone who could afford to eat out, if they needed a meal, headed straight for Wangyue Tower. Even those far away heard about this fresh idea and joined the crowd. As a result, in the end-of-quarter inventory, Wangyue Tower’s business increased by a full 50% compared to the previous quarter. Sikong Nuo then followed the same successful pattern, devising a method of reducing consumption costs by collecting membership fees, directly targeting the customers in Wangyue Tower’s private rooms. Business only continued to improve, adding the finishing touch to their success.