Volume One, Chapter 55: Influence

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Hongwu County, Sky Roc Hotel!

Zhou Peng swept everything off the table in one furious motion.

Crash after crash rang out as it scattered across the floor.

“Where are they? What do I pay you people for?”

In just two days, the Sky Roc Hotel had lost half its customers.

Zhou Peng could not understand it. Whatever else one might say about his hotel, its reputation was firmly established.

Yet these customers had simply vanished!

Even if the food was not as good as the competition’s, the change had happened far too quickly.

“We don’t want this either. The food at the Peaceful Harmony Hotel really is delicious!”

“No matter how good the food is, our customers couldn’t disappear this quickly. Find a way to get some ingredients out of their kitchen. I refuse to believe that dishes cooked by chefs we didn’t want could possibly be that extraordinary!”

Over the past two days, he had tried every possible method to investigate the Peaceful Harmony Hotel.

He had used every means at his disposal, but all he had learned was that the ingredients in their kitchen had been partially replaced.

As for where those ingredients had come from, he had not been able to find out a thing.

Several regular customers who used to dine here frequently had not returned even once in the past two days.

If they had simply stopped coming, that would have been one thing. The problem was that every one of them had gone to the Peaceful Harmony Hotel instead.

How could Zhou Peng not be anxious?

“Manager, I’m already working on the ingredients. Xiao Yang is making his move today. He’s invited the other hotel’s kitchen supervisor to dinner. We should be able to get our hands on a few ingredients.”

At that, Zhou Peng’s mood finally improved somewhat.

“Call and ask how things are going. Try to get a little of everything, then have them prepare a full table of dishes and bring it to my office.”

Zhou Peng drew a deep breath and finally calmed down.

Back when the honey peaches appeared, Xie Minmin had gotten there first.

Still, his hotel had never been in especially great need of such things, so he had not paid much attention.

This time, however, the Peaceful Harmony Hotel had once again suppressed him through its ingredients, and he could feel a genuine crisis approaching.

If he failed to uncover the truth and solve the problem at its root, the Sky Roc Hotel would suffer a devastating blow.

At the very least, it would no longer be able to retain its reputation as the number one hotel in Hongwu County.

The people under him were fairly efficient.

He did not have to wait long before a table of dishes had been prepared and brought before him.

Looking at the plates, none of which seemed particularly remarkable, he frowned.

“This is it?”

“Manager, these are the ingredients. And our chefs are much better than the ones at the Peaceful Harmony Hotel!”

Still puzzled, Zhou Peng casually took a bite.

After tasting it once, he closed his eyes.

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At last, he understood why those people had changed where they ate.

If he were in their place, he would have made the same choice after tasting food like this.

“Manager, we can be almost certain that these dishes are far superior to anything we buy. Of course, they’re also very expensive, so…”

Zhou Peng turned and glared at him. “Do you really think people who can afford to dine at our hotel care about money?”

The manager’s office fell silent. No one dared contradict him.

“Arrange it immediately. We must find the source of these ingredients as quickly as possible. Once we do, send someone to negotiate and bury them in money. I refuse to believe that if Liu can afford that price, our Sky Roc Hotel cannot!”

…

Liu Yang knew nothing about what was happening at the Sky Roc Hotel.

Nor did he imagine that the other side might easily obtain the ingredients from his hotel.

The Peaceful Harmony Hotel was once again in the midst of its busiest period.

There were clearly still empty seats inside, but because of the shortage of ingredients, the hotel had no choice but to stop accepting customers.

Chairman Wang, the wealthy businessman, had returned to the Peaceful Harmony Hotel.

This time, he had brought his wife and daughter for a family meal.

There were only three of them, yet they had ordered an entire table of dishes.

It did not matter if they could not finish it all. As long as his daughter was willing to eat, he would gladly do anything—even reserve the entire Peaceful Harmony Hotel.

“Chairman Liu, we’re running out of fish in the kitchen!”

“How long can we hold out?”

“At most, through today. By tomorrow, we’ll probably have none left!”

Liu Yang drew a deep breath, worry rising in his heart.

These ingredients were being consumed far too quickly, especially in a large hotel like theirs.

Everything Guo Dong was growing simply was not enough.

“Starting tomorrow, reduce the portions. I’ll give you a detailed plan by then. From now on, these items will be available only by limited daily reservation.”

Judging by the time, it was almost time for him to go to Xiantao Village to collect fish. He also needed to ask Guo Dong about the vegetables.

It was difficult.

To gain the advantage, Liu Yang was handling everything personally. Nothing passed through the hotel.

That had undeniably increased his workload.

“Chairman Liu, the Chairman Wang who came yesterday specifically asked to see you!”

Just then, the lobby manager appeared at the office door.

Liu Yang frowned.

“What does he want with me?”

“It seems to concern his daughter. She has some kind of eating disorder and cannot eat anything. But when she came to our hotel this time, she ate a great deal, and her symptoms even seemed to improve.”

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Liu Yang was slightly taken aback. “That’s a good thing.”

“However, his daughter’s appetite has become rather strange. Apart from these ingredients, she still refuses to eat anything else.”

Liu Yang gave a wry smile. “Then what use am I to him? I’m not a doctor.”

“It seems he wants to discuss a business partnership with you. I’m not entirely sure of the details.”

Liu Yang nodded to show that he understood.

He not only knew Chairman Wang, he also admired him greatly.

The man was a major figure in the business world.

His arrival in Hongwu County to develop the area had even caused quite a stir.

Liu Yang certainly had to meet him. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to get by in the future.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Guo Dong’s home in Xiantao Village, two old men and a young man were eating and chatting.

They knew nothing about what was happening at the two hotels in the county.

After arriving there, Ren Guoliang’s mood had suddenly improved.

“Guodong, when you treated my ear before, did you use the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles?”

Guo Dong nodded, knowing what his grandfather wanted to ask.

With a smile, he said, “I seem to have a special affinity for the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles. I studied acupuncture in my spare time before. After I returned from your village last time, I looked through it again. I never expected it to suit me so well. I understood it as soon as I read it.”

Ren Guoliang sighed. “What belongs to you will eventually be yours. Study it properly. Traditional medicine is profound and extensive. Even acupuncture alone is enough to occupy an entire lifetime.”

The words sounded perfectly ordinary, but they took on a different meaning in Guo An’s ears.

“What do you mean, spend a lifetime studying acupuncture? Does he not need to study my pharmacology as well?”

“You know perfectly well that’s not what I meant!”

“Then what did you mean? Are you looking down on the inheritance of my Guo family?”

“Old Guo, I didn’t come here today to argue with you.”

“Then go home!”

Watching the two of them bicker again, Guo Dong could only smile bitterly.

They really were a pair of children in old men’s bodies.

In the past, there had only been his grandfather. As long as Guo Dong stayed out of the house, his grandfather would not have anyone to quarrel with.

But now there was another one in the family, and the place had effectively become a miniature battlefield.

“Grandpa, Grandfather! I have something to do. I promised Xiaohan I’d meet her…”

“Then what are you waiting for? Go!”

Guo Dong hurried away in embarrassment, not daring to say another word.