Chapter 233 219: A Familiar Scene

That's right, the guest who happily burst into half a sentence of Huaxia with Gu Junming was none other than the Chief Shopkeeper of the Purple Treasure Pavilion and the current second in command of the Yang Family, Yang Bolin.Today, Yang Bolin was wearing a silk garment reminiscent of a Tang suit, his hair impeccably combed, projecting an overall appearance of understated elegance.

This kind of attire, placed in urban novels, would at least be enough to make him a gold sponsor of the protagonist for the first two hundred chapters.

Outside the Taihe Building, hearing Gu Junming's words, Yang Bolin laughed heartily and cupped his hands towards him:

"On such an auspicious occasion of Taihe Building's opening, how could this old man miss the chance for a free meal? Shopkeeper Gu, may your business thrive."

Seeing the Wealth-Sending Boy deliver himself with such self-management awareness, Gu Junming naturally had no reason to refuse and quickly returned the courtesy:

"Congratulations to us both, I hope Shopkeeper Yang can look after us in the future."

After the standard exchange of compliments, Gu Junming personally escorted Yang Bolin into the Taihe Building, entrusting the reception duty to Ye Weimin, the head steward of the kitchen staff.

After all, given Yang Bolin's status, there couldn't be a guest more significant than him today, so it made perfect sense for Gu Junming to personally accompany him.

The location of Taihe Building is a standard north-south alignment, with a frontage four meters high and five meters wide.

As soon as he entered the restaurant, Yang Bolin's eyes lit up:

"Ah, Shopkeeper Gu, your restaurant's style is indeed extraordinary. I haven't seen such a layout before."

Yang Bolin's words carried a touch of commercial flattery, but there was also genuine admiration. Gu Junming heard this and smiled modestly:

"A little hometown flavor, a little hometown flavor."

The last time Yang Bolin visited, Taihe Building was still under renovation, so he didn't see the full interior then, but he had a vague sense that Taihe Building might, like the Taoshu Commerce Association, surprise him.

Now that he saw it, it indeed was so.

The main structure of Taihe Building is divided into four floors, each with a footprint of about twelve hundred square meters.

The first floor is a public dining area, while the second to fourth floors are private rooms of various sizes.

This layout is a standard feature of Damo Realm restaurants, but other restaurants' public dining areas are generally more monotonous, simply spaces with more than a dozen tables without any partitions.

At best, higher-end restaurants are more meticulous in choosing and decorating tables.

After all, for those restaurants, the public dining area only caters to slightly affluent mortals or cultivators at the first and second layers of Qi Cultivation. Those with a few Spirit Stones generally dine in private rooms.

But Taihe Building is different.

The floor of Taihe Building is paved with dark stone tiles, and the store uses a dark wood and seating partition layout, similar to booths from the local area.

Of course, compared to local booths, Taihe Building's booths offer higher precision and privacy.

It looks both rustic and grand, naturally giving a sense of high-class implication.

For example, in the booth to Yang Bolin's left, he could sense with his divine consciousness that it was occupied by a few finely dressed mortals.

Yet, with the beaded curtains and the overall setting, from the outside, these people appeared to be wealthy merchants, and even sipping tea seemed to carry significance.

It's like the famous Ten Thousand Islands Sushi in Modu, with an average price of 428 and award-winning layout design. You can't figure out if the diners around are true moguls or those who grit their teeth to visit once or twice a month.

An action driven by inner nerves, afraid of gulping down, is perceived by others as a refined and deliberate slow chew.

This is the psychological suggestion brought by the layout, an influence that subtly changes one's perception.

Subsequently, Gu Junming introduced to Yang Bolin:

"Shopkeeper Yang, our lobby booth's standard reception capacity is six people. On the two side wings, we have two-person and eight-person rooms, targeting... Let's say imagined customers are those with twice the subsistence level income, civilians below cultivation domains.

As for the second to fourth floors, they are private rooms we've prepared, with higher decoration standards. Please follow me, Shopkeeper Yang."

Then he led Yang Bolin to the second floor of the restaurant, entering a previously vacated private room.

This private room was designed in a standard ancient style, complete with screens, rockery, and flowing water, while the lighting featured a crystal ceiling layout.

The mysterious glow from the obsidian-clad walls in the corners, combined with a high-quality illusion array bought at great expense by the rabbits, made the entire room seem both mesmerizing and luxurious.

As a side note, this inspiration came from the legendary 410,000-day priced menu at X number in the western suburbs.

A design that has the local netizens, accustomed to various luxury videos, calling it "grand" and "tasteful," becomes even more impactful on the exotic natives when integrated with the unique cultivation arrays of the Damo Realm.

For a moment, even a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer like Yang Bolin was a bit absorbed.

Seeing that Yang Bolin was impressed, Gu Junming pulled out the main seat and gestured for him to sit:

"Shopkeeper Yang, please take your seat."

Only then did Yang Bolin come to his senses, coughed twice feigning nonchalance, and took his seat with great composure.

After taking his seat, he reached into his sleeve with one hand, pulled out an item, and handed it to Gu Junming, smiling:

"Earlier, outside, there were too many people with prying eyes, so I didn't take this out. This is a humble gift for your opening. I hope Shopkeeper Gu will accept it."

Upon hearing this, Gu Junming instinctively lowered his gaze.

When he saw the congratulatory gift, he momentarily held his breath, then quickly regained his composure.

The item in Yang Bolin's hand was actually a standard storage pouch!

In the Damo Realm, the price of a storage pouch, while not as much as various sizes of spatial bags, is still no less than two thousand Spirit Stones.

Even at the supplier's cost price, it would be just over a thousand Spirit Stones—this being the typical six to nine-month trade volume for an ordinary small family.

Merely to support the opening of Taihe Building, Yang Bolin presented such a generous gift, showing how important Taihe Building or the Taoshu Commerce Association was to him.

Faced with Yang Bolin's grand gift, Gu Junming had no reason to decline.

After all, his goal wasn't personal gain but to secure as many good things as possible for the back end.

He first thanked Yang Bolin, took the storage pouch, and then suddenly thought of something and asked:

"Shopkeeper Yang, could it be that the second batch of Happy Sticks and Ma Yinglong have arrived?"

Yang Bolin, upon hearing this, casually brushed a part of his garment behind him, immediately wearing a smile as comfortable as a blooming chrysanthemum:

"Exactly."

According to the arrangement made during the Ziqiong Market, the rabbits will deliver the second batch of fifty thousand pieces of Type 67 Happy Sticks at 0.8 Spirit Stones each.

In addition, they've ordered five hundred Type 56 Auto Collect Talisman weapons and ninety thousand rounds of 7.62mm happiness pills.

The total price is fifty-five thousand Spirit Stones.

Afterward, Yang Bolin also placed an order for one hundred thousand sticks of Ma Yinglong, priced at 190 copper each.

Therefore, the entire trade amounted to around fifty-eight thousand Spirit Stones.

Don't think one hundred thousand sticks of Ma Yinglong is overly abundant. According to the "2019-2023 China Hemorrhoid Cream Industry Market Survey and Investment Strategic Research Report," the total annual domestic sales of hemorrhoid cream is as much as 780 million units.

That's an average of 0.6 units per person.

It's truly unavoidable. Unlike Happy Sticks, which are more like reserve supplies, hemorrhoid creams get used up quickly, so usage frequency dictates its demand.

Thus, the hundred thousand sticks of Ma Yinglong may only cater to twenty or thirty thousand people—and Ziqiong City alone has seventy to eighty thousand cultivators, not to mention the other cities that Purple Treasure Pavilion can influence.

Of course, how to sell Ma Yinglong is Yang Bolin's business; the rabbits are only responsible for the 'offshore' transport of these goods, from Chixian City to the Flying Boat Transfer Station in Linyuan City.

As for when they will arrive in Ziqiong City, that depends on the arrangements of Purple Treasure Pavilion.

Nowadays, such a generous opening gift from Yang Bolin clearly indicates that this batch of goods has already reached Ziqiong City, and might even have good presales.

Yang Bolin's opening gift set a rather relaxed tone for their conversation, and upon seeing Yang Bolin about to say something else, Gu Junming quickly gestured for him to stop and handed over a menu, smiling:

"Shopkeeper Yang, as they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans. Our Taoshu Commerce Association has the habit of discussing matters over a meal, so let's order first."

Yang Bolin seemed curious about the custom mentioned by Gu Junming, and after receiving the menu, he seriously started selecting dishes.

The menu at Taihe Building consisted of dishes meticulously prepared by top chefs, with actual photos and 3D arrays etched by Talisman Masters.

It's entirely different from those 'images for reference only' seen locally.

The menu included some locally famous dishes like Boiled Cabbage, Wensi Tofu, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and also some modified Damo Realm dishes.

Yang Bolin perused the menu with keen interest. Being a seasoned gastronome, he hadn't tasted entirely new foods in a long time.

As he flipped through the menu, he began naming dishes:

"Stinky Tofu, Stinky Mandarin Fish, Moldy Tofu Sheets, Stinky Marinated Shrimp, hmm? This Stinky Mustard Stem seems good too..."

Beside him, Gu Junming: "?"

Why does this scene seem so familiar?

..........

Note:

Today, I have acute enteritis and a fever of 38.4 degrees, so the update is a bit late. There will still be a double update tomorrow, though possibly delayed as well. I humbly ask for everyone's understanding (bowing hands together in thanks).