“You think I go to anyone and give charity to them?” Jin questioned harshly.
Not long after the Tree Mall had been revealed to the world, major MNCs and even worldwide famous food chains had started harassing him about their desire to work with the dungeon supplier. (Yet another reason why Jin dreaded checking his emails.)
With the advent of dimensional instances and his Tree Mall being the first of its kind, not only in the nation but in the whole world, the potential was endless, and all of them wanted a piece of that pie.
Being able to create an entirely new building for a fraction of the usual cost by embracing the latest technology was a dream come true for these super companies. The allure of money from these mega-corporations could significantly offset the war cost they had accrued and even bring in profit with which Jin could channel into changing Shenzhen’s landscape forever.
So what was holding Jin back?
Nothing.
Initially, he would have said it was the System since even with an increase in processing powers from King Baal’s crown, the uptake of processes had already increased. But the System did reply to Jin that all it needed was more money to buy even more chips to fuse, but the dungeon supplier refused to do so because the cost for getting more chips were expensive. And in addition, he was already overwhelmed with much of the work at that point in time, and there was no time to entertain them.
Still, he was wise enough to not outright refuse them. The usual answer he gave (technically the System was the one forced to take on these kinds of secretary duties) was that the Tree Mall was still in an experimental stage and that he needed to monitor his technology performance before he might come around to accept more proposals in a few months.
Thus, they kept in touch by periodically sending him emails, reminding him to tell them when he was ready to go all out. The more influential ones even dropped hints in their replies that in case he wished to expand overseas with his tech, the megacorps were already courting some favour to get their government’s approval fairly quickly if things went well.
So the implication of Jin making an exception for Zheng Hui would not just be a slap in the face of all the megacorps but also hurting (if not destroy) his chances to continue to wiggle the carrot above their heads.
Lynn and Zheng Hui naturally had no idea about the kind of pressure Jin was under, so Lynn thought it to be quite rude for Jin to refuse it so directly.
Zheng Hui was a little furious as well, yet although they were under his roof, he decided to control his temper. No matter what, that dungeon supplier had saved his life after all, and he was the owner of the Tree Mall so he had the right to refuse.
“However, I can actually offer him a position in a shop within my Panda Street Instance, making him into my employee. Functionally he will have the same rights as any other owner would, including being able to sell his speciality while selling my items too. That way, he will be able to command a higher salary if his profits are good for the month.” Jin clarified, and Lynn took it as a sign of him not to pressure her father into making a new store.
While the renovation cost and store rent would not be an issue with the advancement of the dimensional instance, he still had to deal with outside sources for supplies, and they might not necessarily sell. Even if Jin would act as his supplier in terms of the goods he needed, there was a possibility he might not be able to provide everything and anything at the moment. (Making it all the more imperative that they had to win back the Farming World.)
“I think that sounds like a great choice.” Zheng Hui said after swallowing down his disdain from just a moment ago. Meanwhile, Lynn was just relieved that Jin was not being an asshole towards her father anymore. (Later, she thought that Jin might have pulled a fast one as an act of petty revenge against her father who had put him in quite a pinch against the Japanese Yakuzas on their first meeting.)
“Well I’ve agreed, but what exactly would I be selling?” Zheng Hui asked as he was now invested.
“Anything on Lynn’s mind and her workers’. If you can cook at a level Lynn deems trustworthy, you can add to the menu as well.” Jin answered, and the two of them were confused. On the other hand, Yun understood what Jin was talking about immediately.
“You want to sell Lynn’s and the peggies personal creations, right? I mean if the other Giant Beast Tribes were to be of that level of competency, you would sell theirs too.” Yun asked, and Jin nodded his head.
“Yes. I’ve pictured with the Pyramid Foor Court already being a thing, a mystery store might be something interesting for our customers. Of course, we’d have to put warning signs that our foods may contain certain ingredients which might cause allergic reactions. But other than that, the people who try the store would never know what they will get until they pay for the food.”
“Wouldn’t it be a risk selling something unknown?” Zheng Hui asked which caused Jin and Yun to laugh.
“When was the last time you complained about Lynn’s cooking?”
“Must have been many years ago, before she graduated culinary school. Ever since she took that job at your place, her cooking has improved by leaps and bounds. Each time it feels like I’m not eating something home-cooked, but from a fancy restaurant.” Zheng Hui praised his daughter openly that Lynn did not know how to cope with it. This was the few times she really appreciated the compliments given to her.
“As her father, you should know about her tendency to create new stuff, if only to see which cooking is good. But also her high expectations.” Jin sighed as he eyed Lynn.
“I don’t waste it! If it’s bad, it’s given to the recycler, and if it’s passable I give it to my peggies!” Lynn threw her poutings at Jin via the System Chat. (Zheng Hui kept thinking the word Peggies was a nickname for her chefs and assistants.)
“I concur with Jin. Even her experimental stages are usually good enough to be given to the public. Alas, with Lynn being a perfectionist, she thinks differently. Still, we can even charge extra for them this way too.” Yun said out loud, and Zheng Hui began to see the appeal of such an idea.
“I see… so people won’t be able to complain about what mystery food they get, and it allows my daughter and her other colleagues to showcase what they can do. That sounds like a fun concept to work on.”
“Yes and all I need you to do will be to sell them out. As well as shoo-ing away the customers when we are out of stock.” Jin added. “Don’t worry about that last part. If you have trouble, I can send you help for that but it will cause you.”
“Hah! You are underestimating me when it comes to shoving people off.” Zheng Hui said with pride until he saw Lynn’s glare. “I erm mean, I will restraint them not to complain too much.”
“You sure it’s okay? I mean I am not sure whether some of the combinations will work. That is more of a medical and ethical issue than giving out this kind of combination of food trials.”
“Erm perhaps we can get Xiong Da to look into it and see if it’s okay or not,” Jin suggested and Yun gave him a long stare.
“Even though Xiong Da might be a fantastic lawyer, it doesn’t mean he knows all the laws about everything. There is a limit to the things he knows.” Yun pointed out.
“I mean we can put a ‘Do not blame us if you have a tummy ache’ warning before they pay for the food? Maybe have them sign a consent to waiver their right to sue us?” Jin tried to reason, and Zheng Hui stood up.
“Let me deal with that question. I am confident in my daughter’s ability in cooking. So I will find a way to make this mystery food shop succeed it.” Zheng Hui declared full of conviction. This new year he was willing to take up a new job and become a better person. (Part of the reason was obviously because he had seen how profitable it could be if he were to join Jin. Just look at the renovation that Lynn could afford in a span of a few months!)
“Then that settles it. After the new year holidays find me or Yun to talk about the detail. In case we are busy, Lynn might show you around.” Jin said as he sealed the deal with a solid handshake.
