Ever since the Eastern Fishing Village opened, its business had been good.
July was the busiest time for business. Although it was already past nine o 'clock when Li Dong and the others arrived, the hall was still full of guests.
Shen Qian saw so many people outside the door and couldn't help but stop and say, "Why don't we change to another one? Don't cause trouble for Uncle and Auntie at this time."
Li Dong rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, "You're the good guy, and I'm the bad guy, right? If I turn around and leave at this time, do you believe that my mother will kill me? "
Shen Qian couldn't help but laugh when she heard this and didn't mention anything about changing places again.
The two of them entered the restaurant and saw that Lin Meng was busy at the front desk.
Looking up and seeing that Li Dong had arrived, Lin Meng quickly greeted, "Dongzi, when did you come back?"
Li Dong smiled and said, "I just came back in the afternoon. Sister Meng, business is good."
"Well, business has been very good during this period of time. The turnover has almost tripled compared to when it first opened."
Lin Meng had a smile on her face and then called out to Shen Qian, "Mr. Shen, you're here too. You haven't eaten tonight, right? I'll arrange something for you to eat."
Shen Qian quickly said, "Don't call me Mr. Shen, just call me Shen Qian. By the way, are Uncle and Auntie not here? "
"Yes, they're all upstairs. I'll help you call them … "
Li Dong waved his hand and said, "No need, we can go up by ourselves. Is there a private room upstairs?"
"Yes, the Fugui Hall is still empty." Lin Meng said, "I'll lead you up."
"No need to trouble yourself, Sister Meng. Help us get something to eat. It's fine as long as it's fast and less spicy. The rest is up to you."
"Alright, you guys go up and sit for a while. The dishes will be ready soon."
Li Dong nodded and led Shen Qian to the second floor.
… ….
As soon as the two of them went upstairs, they happened to meet Li Chengyuan and the others who were leading people downstairs.
As soon as he saw Li Dong and Shen Qian, Li Chengyuan quickly said, "Dongzi, when did you come back?"
"I just came back this afternoon."
Li Dong responded and asked suspiciously, "Dad, what are you doing?"
Li Chengyuan smiled and said, "It's okay. You haven't eaten yet, right? Go and sit for a while. We'll be there soon."
Li Dong glanced at the people brought by Li Chengyuan, nodded slightly, and said, "Alright, you go ahead …"
Halfway through his sentence, Li Dong suddenly stopped and said, "Wait a minute."
After saying that, Li Dong glanced at Cao Fang at the back of the crowd, and then looked at the wine box in her hand. Li Dong frowned and said, "Mom, why are you carrying it yourself? Where are the others in the restaurant?"
Cao Fang laughed dryly and said, "It's okay, it's not heavy. I can carry it myself."
"I'll help you …"
"There's really no need …"
As the two were talking, a woman in her thirties in the crowd said impatiently, "I say, are you done? How heavy can a box of wine be? Hurry up, Liu Ke has something to do later. He doesn't have time to waste with you!"
"Liu Ke?"
Li Dong glanced at the man with the slicked-back hair in the crowd, and then looked at Cao Fang. Cao Fang winked at him.
Li Dong immediately understood what these people were doing. Then, Li Dong lowered his head and looked at the wine in the wine box.
National Cellar 1573!
This wine was not cheap, and it was definitely not the regular wine in their restaurant. In 2006, a bottle of National Cellar 1573 cost more than a thousand yuan.
A box would cost seven or eight thousand yuan!
Li Dong frowned and said, "Mom, is this wine our family's?"
Cao Fang was a little embarrassed. She was about to speak when the woman next to her became anxious again, "What's wrong with you? Can't we chat later?"
Li Dong looked back at her and smiled. "Have you paid for this wine?"
Everyone's expression changed. They did not expect Li Dong to suddenly ask this question.
As soon as he saw their expressions, Li Dong understood that these people were definitely here to take advantage of him, and their appetite was not small at all.
In 2006, the average salary in Pingchuan was about 1,500 yuan.
A box of wine was almost half a year's salary for an ordinary person.
This was just a section chief, and it was just one department. If a few departments came together, it would be tens of thousands a month.
How much did the restaurant earn in a month? The restaurant opened on June 1st, and it had only been a month and a half since then. These people really dared to ask for money.
Li Dong sighed slightly. He did not care about the stunned people and asked Cao Fang, "Mom, how many times have these people come? Why didn't you tell me before? "
Cao Fang was a little helpless. After a while, she said, "Dongzi, you don't have to worry about this."
"Mom, don't try to talk me out of this. I'm definitely going to interfere!"
Li Dong snorted. A few thousand yuan was a small matter. The key was that Li Dong was unhappy.
There were seven or eight people in this group, and there were five or six men. Not only did they ask for money, but they also asked Cao Fang to follow behind and carry the wine. They did not even bother to help. Did they really think they were masters?
It was okay to do some business, but it had to be done in moderation.
Every time they came, they brought a box of wine. Obviously, they thought the Eastern Fishing Village was a fat sheep to be slaughtered.
Li Dong did not care about what the others thought. He asked again, "Mom, how many times have they come?"
Cao Fang knew that her son was determined to interfere. She had no choice but to say, "Twice."
"How much did they take?"
"Well … Your dad gave them a five-thousand-yuan red packet last time, and then this time." After Cao Fang said that, she suddenly felt a lot better when she saw the people with the slicked-back haircut and the others had ugly expressions.
Thinking that her son was not a nobody, Cao Fang continued, "Also, they often come to eat and write IOUs. After more than a month, they owe five to six thousand yuan. It's not just them. The Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the Fire Department are the same. They have spent about thirty to forty thousand yuan in the past month. Including the food they owe, they have about fifty thousand yuan in total. "
Li Dong sneered when he heard that. He looked at the people with the slicked-back haircut and said, "Your appetite is really big. Fifty thousand yuan. Do you know what you can do with fifty thousand yuan? This is not the first time I, Li Dong, do business. I naturally know how to do some bribe, but it's really rare to see people as greedy as you. Are you trying to extort my family? "
It was normal to spend ten thousand yuan in a month to open such a large fishing village. Li Dong understood that.
The government had its rules, and so did the business world.
As long as one did not cross the line, everyone could coexist peacefully.
However, spending fifty thousand yuan in a month and a half was no longer going overboard. The other party was deliberately trying to extort them.
Li Dong knew his parents well. They were the kind of people who would rather have less trouble than more trouble.
Furthermore, the fishing village was also making money. They could grit their teeth and accept the fifty thousand yuan.
But the more they did so, the more overboard they would be.
If he had not seen it, Li Dong could guarantee that their appetite would only get bigger in the future.
This time, it was a box of Guojiao. The next time, they would dare to ask for a box of Maotai.
The next time, he would be embarrassed to ask for anything less than ten thousand yuan. As time went on, he would end up helping them no matter how good the business was.
Li Dong had opened this restaurant to provide for his parents in their old age, not to support these people!
Hearing Li Dong's harsh words, the man with the slicked-back hair, who had been silent all this while, frowned slightly. "Brother, don't misunderstand. It's just a few bottles of wine. I'm not someone who lacks wine. I'll let this matter go. But if your fishing village has any trouble in the future, don't blame me for handling it impartially. "
Li Dong laughed when he heard that. "Oh, are you threatening me? You really think you're someone important. I'm not fussing with you, but you're going to take advantage of me? "
"How can you say that!?"
The woman beside the slicked-back hair erupted once again. She said angrily, "What's the meaning of this? It's just a few bottles of wine. You have to make a fuss. Do you think we lack this? If not for Liu Ke's help, would your restaurant still be able to continue operating when someone complained about it? He can just issue a fine of tens of thousands to shut down your restaurant for a few months. Do you believe that? "
"Yo, to think you're competing with me. I don't believe you. Shut down your business for me to see."
Li Dong chuckled before his expression changed. "Don't f * * king act in front of me. From what you're saying, you're the only ones in Pingchuan who can do whatever you want, right? Give it a try. If you can't do it, I'll make all of you go home and eat buns for the rest of your lives! "
The expressions of the people with the slicked-back hair changed. Even the woman from before did not dare interject.
Those in the bureaucracy, especially those at the bottom, were all wily old foxes.
They might be able to scare the commoners, but when they encountered a ruthless character, their attitude would change faster than anyone else.
Seeing how confident Li Dong sounded, regardless of whether they believed him or not, it was pointless to argue with him.
After a while, the man with the slicked-back hair said softly, "Brother, do you have a name?"
Li Dong chuckled. "Those who don't know might think that you're from the underworld. I'll pass on a name since you wouldn't know me even if I told you. Go back and ask around. It's not like I, Li Dong, didn't bribe your superiors when I opened my business. Do you really think it's that easy to take my money? "
The man with the slicked-back hair's expression changed slightly as he nodded without another word.
It was fine as long as he knew his name. He could find out what the other party did by asking them later.
He could forget about the meal today. The man with the slicked-back hair let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll be troubling you today."
With that said, the man with the slicked-back hair prepared to leave. Li Dong said again, "Don't be in a hurry to leave. Pay for the meal first. Also, tell your colleagues to pay up as soon as possible if they owe us. Don't force me to go to them one by one to collect the debt. Do you understand?"
The man's expression stiffened before he nodded again. "Alright!"
"At least you know what's good for you!"
Li Dong snorted and didn't bother with these guys anymore.
After they went downstairs, Li Chengyuan said in exasperation, "Dongzi, can't you just talk nicely? Why do you have to make things so awkward?"
Li Dong said in a bad mood, "Dad, you should have told me about this long ago! I might as well raise a dog instead of these fellows. At least a dog knows how to protect its owner. If I raise them, they won't rest until they devour you clean. "
Li Chengyuan naturally understood this logic. However, Old Li couldn't stand being reprimanded by his son. He grunted. "Do you think I'm not prepared? I'll treat them well in the beginning, but later on, they will have to submit to me."
Cao Fang rolled her eyes at him. "Cut the crap. If you were really that impressive, would you have spent so much money in a month?"
Li Chengyuan remained silent with an embarrassed expression.
When Cao Fang saw this, she didn't continue. She turned to Shen Qian and said with a chuckle, "Little Shen, I've embarrassed myself in front of you. You're here to eat, right? Quickly go to the private room and have a seat. I'll get Dongzi's father to cook something delicious for you."
Shen Qian hurriedly said with a smile, "Auntie, don't stand on ceremony. We'll just eat casually. By the way, have you and Uncle eaten? If not, let's eat together. "
"I've eaten. I've eaten long ago. Little Shen, it's too late for you to eat. Let me tell you, women have to be careful. If you don't eat regularly, your stomach won't be good. If your stomach isn't good, when you give birth in the future … "
The two chatted enthusiastically. Li Dong shook his head helplessly. He knew this would happen.
Ignoring them, Li Dong leaned against the railing and looked downstairs.
The man with the slicked-back haircut and a few others were paying the bill at the front desk. They looked rather obedient.
When Li Chengyuan saw this, he whispered, "It's better to deal with the King of Hell than the little rascals. We're a restaurant owner. We're not afraid of the big bosses, but we're afraid of the small bosses at the bottom causing trouble. Is there a problem with what you've done today? "
"It's fine. Let's not talk about anything else. If anyone from the Industry and Commerce comes again, go straight to their director! I don't believe that Chen has the nerve to come and collect protection fees from me! "
Pingchuan's director was a graduate of Jiangzhou University. He was also a senior in the same field as Li Dong.
If the other party didn't even give him face when he opened a restaurant, then Li Dong would have wasted his time in the industry.
With that said, Li Dong said, "Don't worry about the other departments. Far away is a big business in Jiangbei. I will naturally abide by the rules. But no one in Jiangbei has the ability to slaughter me like a fat sheep. "
Tens of thousands of yuan was really nothing to Li Dong.
However, it was still the same. You can only take what you deserve. Li Dong wouldn't give you anything that you don't deserve!
After the father-son duo exchanged a few words, Li Chengyuan was relieved.
Although Li Dong had a bad temper, it depended on who he was dealing with. He wouldn't go so far as to scam his own father.
Since he said it was fine, it must be fine.
…
Li Dong and Shen Qian ate for about half an hour when his phone rang.
Looking at the caller ID, Li Dong picked up the call and said with a smile, "Senior, this really alarmed you?"
Chen Jianhao chuckled and said, "Junior Li, look at this mess. If it wasn't for Old Wang from the Health Bureau calling me, I wouldn't have known about this. When your restaurant opened, I gave them a heads up. But as you know, the people below are messing around. I've just been appointed … "
Chen Jianhao explained to Li Dong. As for whether it was true or not, Li Dong didn't take it seriously.
After chatting with Chen Jianhao for a while, Li Dong hung up the phone.
After that, Li Dong didn't receive any more calls. But those people should know that it was just a small restaurant. In the future, there shouldn't be anyone looking for trouble.
After Li Dong hung up the phone, Shen Qian smiled and said, "Your temper has changed today. I thought you were going to hit someone."
"What are you thinking? Why would I hit someone over such a small matter?"
"It's good that you know how to restrain yourself. The previous incident is not over yet. If you can be reasonable next time, do it. If you can't, use your power to oppress others. Don't hit them directly. Understand?"
Li Dong rolled his eyes. What did Shen Qian mean by using her power to oppress others?
I am not a bad person. I was just trying to reason with them.
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