C6 The Roast Chicken Restaurant Opened
Yang Zhiming had Gold Tooth and his crew find a wooden plank and inscribe "Roast Chicken Restaurant" in bold letters, then hang it on the door of the Lin family courtyard.
And just like that, a quaint roast chicken restaurant sprang up in the Lin family courtyard.
Brimming with confidence, Yang Zhiming summoned Gold Tooth and his underlings to begin preparing the chickens. Once the chickens were ready, the simple roasting process could commence, a task Yang Zhiming could manage on his own.
The main challenge was that people of this era were unfamiliar with roast chicken, and the foot traffic in front of the Lin family courtyard was sparse.
Pondering the situation, Yang Zhiming decided to impart some modern sales tactics to Gold Tooth and the crew. Under Bai Lang's stern insistence, they reluctantly complied, but their attempts to follow Yang Zhiming's instructions only succeeded in frightening away the pedestrians.
Their intimidating appearance and booming voices, combined with their attempts to block passersby and flash the "standard smiling face" Yang Zhiming had described, only led the startled pedestrians to believe they were being robbed, prompting them to flee at the first chance.
Gold Tooth and his cohorts angrily reported back to Yang Zhiming, "Your method is no good. We might as well just tie them up, make them eat the roast chicken, and then demand payment."
Yang Zhiming gave them a sidelong glance, internally sighing at the thought. If they resorted to such tactics, who would ever dare to walk past the Lin family courtyard again?
He believed the sales technique was sound; the problem was the menacing image these men projected. It was clear they weren't accustomed to legitimate business dealings.
Observing Lin Ke'er bustling about the courtyard, an idea struck him. That's right, in the modern era, food broadcasting was quite popular.
Lin Ke'er was radiant, her smile sweet and endearing. If she were to offer samples at the entrance of the Lin family courtyard, surely there would be no shortage of customers eager to visit.
Without hesitation, Yang Zhiming instructed Gold Tooth and the others to set up a table and chairs from the courtyard at the entrance.
He summoned Lin Ke'er and shared his plans with her, inquiring if she was willing to go along with them.
Lin Ke'er had always revered Yang Zhiming as if he were a deity, so she naturally agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Yang Zhiming's roast chicken was irresistible: the skin was a vibrant red, the meat succulent and tender, and the flavor was rich and savory without being overly greasy.
He sliced off half for Lin Ke'er to sample. But before they could attract any customers to the roast chicken restaurant, Gold Tooth and his companions on the sidelines were already salivating.
They weren't the least bit shy about it, bluntly requesting, "That smells amazing. Since there aren't any customers right now, why not let us brothers have a taste?"
Seeing that they had been hard at work all morning, and despite the fact that they had inadvertently driven away a few customers, Yang Zhiming recognized their effort and agreed.
Once Gold Tooth and the others got the green light from Yang Zhiming, they devoured the roast chicken voraciously, polishing off half of it in no time.
Even after they had finished, they were left craving more. Gold Tooth, smiling broadly, exclaimed, "This is just too delicious. I swear, I've never tasted anything this good in my life!"
One of his men chimed in, "The chicken's so flavorful I almost swallowed my tongue!"
Gold Tooth lamented, "Half a chicken is hardly enough for us—it wouldn't even fill the gaps in our teeth. Who's got money? Let's buy another half."
Used to throwing their weight around, they had never learned to moderate their voices in public.
Thus, their loud exclamations were overheard by passersby, who began to wonder, "What's this about roasted chicken? It smells pretty good, but can it really be that tasty?"
Initially, many pedestrians were intimidated by the menacing appearance of Gold Tooth and his gang and hesitated to approach.
But as the enticing aroma became too much to resist, someone finally mustered the courage to inquire, "Is this roasted chicken for sale?"
Once the ice was broken, an increasing number of curious onlookers, unable to resist any longer, gathered around.
After Gold Tooth and his group had their fill of another half-chicken, they rose from their seats, somewhat satisfied, and asked, "What's going on here? Why the crowd? Are we still open for business or what?"
Gold Tooth's lackey barked, "Didn't you hear the boss? If you're craving roast chicken, get in line and do it quick. This mess here— who's the real troublemaker, you or us?"
Gold Tooth, overhearing his minion, reached out and smacked him on the back of the head. "If you can't talk right, then do me a favor and keep it to a minimum."
The onlookers, witnessing their ferocity, quickly transformed the once chaotic queue into a picture of order.
The individual at the front of the line, under the intimidating stares of Gold Tooth and his crew, quivered as he asked, "May I purchase a roast chicken?"
Lin Ke'er, seeing an opportunity to shine, flashed a sweet smile and nodded. "Absolutely, our boss is preparing it inside as we speak. Your patience is appreciated."
Next in line was a couple, the man inquiring, "Is this roast chicken really as good as they say? I've never heard of it anywhere else."
He was just voicing skepticism, but his partner was clearly unconvinced.
She suspected Lin Ke'er and the rest were just drumming up a gimmick for marketing purposes.
With a scoff, she mocked, "Honey, it might smell nice, but we've never heard of it. I bet this lady's just trying to swindle us with some made-up name for roast chicken."
Gold Tooth and his gang had just savored the roast chicken, deeming it the tastiest thing they'd ever eaten. Hearing the woman's disparaging remarks, they grabbed a stool, ready to set her straight.
Lin Ke'er, eager to keep customers coming, intervened, "Please, no fighting. This roast chicken is a culinary treasure from ancient times. Once you've tried it, you'll find it's more than worth it."
The glamorous girl beside the man heard Lin Ke'er's claim and shrugged. "Ancient culinary treasure? Sounds like someone's been watching too many TV shows, claiming anything and everything is ancient. Sweetheart, you don't seem like the owner here. You've probably been duped by your boss. I'd leave this place if I were you."
Lin Ke'er, though naturally shy, couldn't tolerate anyone defaming Yang Zhiming. Gathering her courage, she countered, "Our boss is a good-hearted person. He's helped me tremendously, and I won't stand for any bad-mouthing about him. He told us that this is a traditional delicacy from the Earth Era. If you're skeptical, feel free not to purchase it."
She wanted the roast chicken restaurant to thrive, but not at the cost of tarnishing the reputation of her benefactor.
The seductive girl was convinced that Lin Ke'er had been indoctrinated by her boss, leading to a heated argument between them.
Each held firmly to their stance, unable to sway the other.
Lin Ke'er's allegiance to Yang Zhiming was unwavering. Regardless of the opposition's claims, she adamantly maintained that the roast chicken was indeed a traditional Earth Era delicacy.
