National Tide 1980.

At around four o'clock in the afternoon, Ning Weimin left home and asked the driver to drive him to Akabane, Kita-ku, Tokyo.

This district is geographically remote, located in the north of Tokyo, and is located in the south and north of Denenchofu in Ota Ward where Ning Weimin lives, which makes it really inconvenient.

However, in order to give President Takahashi some face, since he and the other party had an appointment in this area, Ning Weimin did not make a fuss about it. It was nothing more than sitting in the car for a while longer.

There are many mountains and nature reserves in Kita-ku, Tokyo, the most famous of which is Okumushi National Park.

The park covers an area of ​​about 450 square kilometers and contains many magnificent attractions such as Mount Takao, the limestone peaks, and Mount Mitsumine.

The forests here are dense, the mountains and rivers are clear, and the ecological environment is well protected. It is an ideal place for many outdoor sports enthusiasts and nature lovers.

Ning Weimin's destination today, the specific meeting place agreed upon with the other party, is the secret restaurant on Mount Takao - Toriyama.

Because this restaurant is located halfway up a mountain in a scenic area, there is a shuttle bus available at the exit of Takaosanguchi Station on the Keio Line.

There are three shuttle buses every hour, and it only takes ten minutes to arrive. It is very convenient to enjoy the food before hiking or to eat after going down the mountain.

When Ning Weimin arrived here by car, it was already getting dark, there were fewer tourists, and they were all going down the mountain.

From this point alone, he anticipated that the restaurant he was going to today must be very high-end and must have something special.

Because the business of tourist attractions has the characteristics of tourist attractions.

This place is originally located in a remote area, and not only is it difficult to transport supplies, but it also relies on shuttle buses to transport tourists.

People come during the day and leave at night. Even at lunch there is no shortage of customers, but that may not be the case at night.

If there is no uniqueness, you will definitely lose money.

People who open local shops are not fools. Who would work so hard just to lose money and gain publicity?

In this way, the business model is obvious.

It must be a place that is both flavorful and expensive, and it is definitely a place that only the powerful and wealthy can afford.

Sure enough, when the car drove along the sloping mountain road into the restaurant's exclusive driveway, Ning Weimin soon saw the true appearance of the restaurant.

Although the lights here are not very bright and the perimeter of the restaurant can only be dimly illuminated by limited light sources, even from a distance, one can see that this is an original ecological architectural complex consisting of at least dozens of Gassho-style houses, distributed on the hillside. Ning Weimin estimates that the area here is about 6,000 square meters.

The so-called Gassho-style house is a traditional Japanese residence.

It is a wooden building without any nails. The roof is covered with thatch and is in the shape of a "human" (Chinese character for "person"), just like two hands put together, so it is called a "Gassho-style house".

This type of house has a lot of historical interest, and the most famous one in Japan is the Gassho-style house village in Hakusan-go.

Back then, when Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko were just in love, they went to Baishan Township in winter to experience it and even stayed there for a night.

I never expected to see it again near Tokyo today.

This really made Ning Weimin surprised, delighted, and kind, and reminded him of many sweet memories.

And that’s not all. The vegetation on Mt. Takao is quite lush, with tall forests from the foot of the mountain to the middle of the mountain, most of which are maple trees.

Driving along the mountain road is like walking on a green passage surrounded by various natural plants, and you can enjoy completely different scenery in different seasons.

No wonder this restaurant is called the "secret restaurant".

Ning Weimin saw it with his own eyes and couldn't help but sigh that there really was something wonderful about a winding path leading to a secluded place.

It’s just that calling it a restaurant is a bit unfair, and calling it a country villa is too limited.

In fact, given its scale and conditions, it should be called a private garden.

It was big and beautiful.

Frankly speaking, Ning Weimin was a little envious of the owner of this place, who was lucky enough to own such a high-quality asset.

It can be used to make money on weekdays, to relax when you have free time, and can be left to your children to ensure a safe life for future generations.

The only drawback is that it is located in the suburbs of Tokyo, and the location is not really a place where every inch of land is valuable.

Otherwise, the value of this asset would be almost as great as Kang Shude's Ma Family Garden, and it could even be compared with the Emperor's Imperial Palace.

How great it would be if this were his property.

It’s a pity that no matter how much I like him, I can only think about him.

Because land like this that has the best geographical resources is mostly passed down from generation to generation and is something that can only be encountered by chance.

The owner is most likely from a prominent Japanese family, so it is unlikely to be sold easily no matter how much money is offered.

Soon, Ning Weimin's car drove to the gate of "Niaoshan". A gatekeeper wearing a blue uniform similar to that of the guard of honor ran over and opened the car door.

However, before Ning Weimin got out of the car, the gatekeeper bowed his head and gave Ning Weimin a warning.

"Guest, please show me your membership card so I can arrange a parking space for you..."

Ning Weimin immediately understood the condescending attitude hidden behind this respectful attitude.

This restaurant should be the top membership club in Tokyo, with extremely strict auditing.

Different from the Tan Palace Restaurant which opens its doors to welcome guests from all directions, guests here are not allowed in even if they are rich, unless they have a certain status.

In Japan, in order to become a member of such a club, in addition to having an introducer and a guarantor, one must also pay a hefty membership fee and a large deposit.

For example, at today's "Akaxia", customers still have to pay 150,000 yen per month, which is just to get membership, and expenses are not included.

Judging from the regulations of this restaurant, the membership fee would probably start at at least one million yen.

It seems that the person who invited me here to meet him today is a conceited and pretentious person.

Otherwise, why not just find a random restaurant in the city to discuss the matter? Why do this?
So without waiting for the other party to finish speaking, Ning Weimin took the initiative to interrupt the gatekeeper and said with a smile, "I'm not a member here, but I'm here at the invitation. President Takahashi of Yamato Kanko wants me to come here this evening to meet a mysterious guest. I think they should have made arrangements in advance, right?" Ning Weimin was not angry at all. The only thing that boosted his mood was curiosity.

The gatekeeper was stunned for a moment, then immediately bowed again, "Is that so? Then may I ask your name, sir?"

It seemed that he had really received the relevant orders from above.

Ning Weimin then handed him his business card, and the gatekeeper took it and said, "Please wait a moment, I will check for you."

Then the gatekeeper ran back to the booth and had a brief conversation over the microphone. He then jogged back, bowed again, and this time let him pass.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. As the guest who invited you here, please get off the car and move away by yourself. Someone will lead you inside. As for the parking of your car and the rest of the driver, I will arrange it. Please rest assured."

After hearing the other party's arrangement, Ning Weimin had no choice but to get off the car.

Anyway, he's here now. He's come all the way here. He can't just go back without finding out what's going on, right?

The entrance to the restaurant is a seemingly simple thatched house, and you need to climb a flight of stairs to enter, and then you will find a different world.

The traditional Japanese buildings full of ancient style and the large garden with small bridges and flowing water suddenly appeared.

And just as the gatekeeper said, when Ning Weimin walked here, a woman in a kimono appeared around the corner, and from a distance she placed her hands flat on her knees and bowed repeatedly to greet him.

"I am sorry for not welcoming you, my distinguished guest. Please forgive me."

As she got closer, her smile became even more charming, and she continued to bow, "Thank you for your presence. My name is Kurishima Sumie, and I hope you will give me your guidance."

Ning Weimin stopped and looked carefully at the person in front of him.

I found that this woman looked to be about 25 or 26 years old, with an average appearance, but her makeup was first-rate.
She is particularly good at dressing herself. The wide belt she wears with her kimono is very stylish and gives people a solemn feeling.

The kimono she was wearing was obviously high-end, the overall combination was noble and elegant, and her greetings were graceful and elegant.

Her long face with light makeup gave her a favorable impression, her figure was elegant, and her voice was extremely pleasant. She did not look like an ordinary maid.

For this reason, Ning Weimin couldn't help but become a little suspicious and asked, "Did you invite me here today through President Gaoqiao?"

"No, it's not."

Kurishima Sumie shook her head and said, "Although I am the manager of this restaurant, I am only the person responsible for guiding you today. The person who really wants to meet you is the owner of this restaurant."

Then she smiled again and stopped Ning Weimin from asking any more questions.

"If you want to know who invited you here, please follow me. I'm very sorry that I have to keep it a secret for now, because I really don't have the right to reveal the relevant information to you in advance. This is what the owner of this place has repeatedly ordered."

In this case, Ning Weimin had no choice but to shut up and follow silently.

Is he from the Guo family?

Ning Weimin had such a thought for a moment, but he immediately denied it.

Because the Guo family has never done things in this style, they want to deal with him just to save face.

Just like instigating the separation of Tangu Restaurant, he must be made aware of what was going on. It is naturally impossible to play such a trick that would hide the cause and reveal the end and make it difficult to discern the motive.

And although the Guo family is rich, they are actually very stingy.

There was no reason to buy a Japanese travel agency just to see him.

However, despite this, Ning Weimin had to admit that the person who invited him to meet today was quite good at pretending to be cool.

One reason was that Chengjiang, who led him, was very outstanding in both appearance and dress.

It is clear from the details that the restaurant owner must be of great status to have such an outstanding subordinate.

Secondly, this restaurant is full of unique style, whether it is the courtyard view or the buildings.

As Ning Weimin followed along the road, he could not only see beautiful scenery like a paradise, but also see many maids and employees in kimonos busying in and out.

The waterfalls, flowing water, small bridges, rockery and ponds here create a dreamlike courtyard with hazy mist under the light.

The number of customers dining here is quite high. Almost half of the courtyard and at least a dozen cottages have guests. Business seems to be quite good.

Especially since Chengjiang walked slowly along the way, constantly introducing the basic situation here to Ning Weimin like a tour guide, he made Ning Weimin have a more comprehensive understanding of the asset value here and left a deeper impression.

"Look, there are carp in the pond." Chengjiang said, "You rarely have the chance to eat carp as sashimi, but here you can taste Saku carp sashimi. Our chef uses a special cooking method. He slices the fish into thin slices and washes off the fat and fishy smell with running water or warm water, then soaks it in cold water to make the fish meat shrink. After tasting it, you will find that the fish meat is crisper and more elastic than ordinary sashimi, and the taste is quite special."

"Ah, we're almost there. All of our Gassho-style houses are very spectacular, especially the tallest one in front, which was taken from the Gassho-style villages in the five mountains of Echu, which is a World Cultural Heritage area. It was dismantled and transported here and reassembled. The group of houses it belonged to has disappeared, making the last one preserved here even more precious. To be honest, the second and third floors of that Gassho-style house even retain ancient armor, guns, agricultural tools, abacus and account books, etc. It's like a historical museum."

"Ah, in addition to being open for visitors, the banquet hall on the first floor here will host banquets for many people. Each cabin is of different sizes and can accommodate different numbers of guests, but because the partitions can be flexibly adjusted, it can accommodate even large numbers of employees or family trips. The beams, pillars and screens are all traces of history. Sitting in it is like turning into an ancient person in a Japanese drama dining at a high-end restaurant."

"By the way, couples often choose to hold wedding banquets here. Not only do we have distinct four seasons here, but we also have a shrine for weddings, and invite Hachiman Yakumo-no-Okami, the chief guardian of Hachioji, to perform a shrine-style ceremony. If you are looking forward to a Japanese wedding in white wedding gowns, this is the perfect place to hold it. The restaurant's exclusive wedding planner will assist the couple with details such as clothing and makeup, guest pick-up, the bride's congratulatory team, wedding gifts, vegetarian meals, children's meals, etc., and can even host small wedding banquets with only ten guests. Before or after the wedding, you can also wear a kimono and take Japanese-style wedding photos in the garden..."

Ning Weimin finally couldn't help but interrupt Cheng Jiang's introduction, "I'm sorry, I'm already married. You don't want me to hold the wedding here, do you? If that's the case, you're bound to be disappointed."

However, Cheng Jiang said after hearing what he said, "No, no, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to let you know the general situation here. Even including the operating data, for example, the annual profit of this restaurant is about 600 million yen. Among similar restaurants in tourist attractions near Tokyo, our business is very good. Do you agree?"

Show off!
Show off the red fruits!

Ning Weimin didn't respond at all this time.

But he knew very well in his heart that if what Chengjiang said was true, the annual revenue of this restaurant would be at least 2 billion yen.

Considering the customer flow and traffic conditions here, this is indeed not a small number, almost half of the Dangu Tokyo branch.

It is obvious how expensive it is, and only huge profits can reach this level.

But the question is why does the other party insist on letting him know this?

He is now becoming more and more curious about who the owner of this place is and why he was invited here. (End of this chapter)