National Tide 1980.

"Welcome, esteemed guest. It's nice to see you again. But I'll probably be addressing you differently soon, won't I?"

"You've already heard about it."

"Yes, it is a great honor that you will soon become the new owner of Toriyama Restaurant. On behalf of all the staff of Toriyama Restaurant, I welcome you and your wife and daughter to our restaurant."

Waiting in front of the restaurant was still the charming owner, Sumie Kurishima.

However, this meeting was quite different from one six months ago.

Simply put, it's not just a change in their status, but also a change in their attitudes.

Sumie Kurishima no longer treated him like a guest; instead, she acted as if he were a complete subordinate.

This can be seen from the fact that she was dressed in a gorgeous kimono, had more exquisite makeup, and was waiting outside the restaurant's gate with a group of subordinates.

However, she also became more cautious and apprehensive.

I don't know what she was worried about or afraid of, but she wasn't as carefree and friendly as she was the last time we met. She almost didn't dare to look Ning Weimin in the eye.

Perhaps she was worried that after Ning Weimin owned the Bird Mountain Restaurant, he would probably exhibit the arrogance of a leader, just like Takahashi.

Perhaps they were worried that Ning Weimin would lay off some people or issue orders arbitrarily.

Generally speaking, it's quite normal for subordinates to have this kind of suspicion about a boss who is parachuted in from elsewhere.

Therefore, Ning Weimin's attitude at this time is very important.

Being too strict and aloof will make employees feel insecure, resentful, and unwilling to work.

Being too lenient can make employees feel neglected and perfunctory, and they won't take him, their new boss, seriously.

Finding the right balance is a matter that requires wisdom and emotional intelligence for most people.

However, the good thing is that Ning Weimin is a Chinese, with five thousand years of culture behind him.

Throughout Chinese history, many rulers have been masters of using both soft and hard tactics, as well as Machiavellian methods, to win people's hearts.

As the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run.

He took out a few scraps and tried to imitate them, which was not difficult at all.

And so, his opening remarks at our first meeting were impeccable: "Thank you all for your hospitality. I greatly admire the environment and style of Toriyama Restaurant, and I am honored to become its owner. I know your biggest concern right now is whether the current state of Toriyama Restaurant will change because of me. I don't deny that after taking over, I will make some new attempts and adjustments to the restaurant's operation. But I also want to state that I respect the unique history and culture here, and I understand the importance of historical heritage. Therefore, I will not make a hasty decision, but will first consult everyone's opinions, fully consider all aspects, and make a decision only after careful consideration. In addition, I value hard-working people, and I also believe that those who work hard deserve more compensation. Although I am strict with my employees, I am definitely not a harsh or stingy person, and I believe that everyone will understand this soon enough."

After a pause, Ning Weimin turned his gaze to Kurishima Sumie and said specifically to her, "Especially you, Sumie, right? In front of everyone, I want to thank you for your hard work here over the years. I already know that without you, Toriyama Restaurant wouldn't have such a charming atmosphere and such a good reputation. In the future, I hope you will continue to work diligently and manage this place well for me. I have a long-term positive outlook on Toriyama's future and will not be stingy with my investment, so please feel free to give me any suggestions that are beneficial to the restaurant. Don't hold back in your work either. In short, I will take responsibility if any problems arise."

It wasn't a long essay, but these words perfectly captured the essence of the "stick and sweet treat" approach.

Everyone present was stunned. No one expected that their new boss, although he looked young and unpretentious, was a pragmatic, responsible, and shrewd person.

Needless to say, Ning Weimin's prestige was thus initially established as he had hoped.

The general impression he gave these employees was that he was fair, reasonable, and not easily deceived.

So, no one knows who started clapping first, and soon a chorus of applause filled the air.

Especially for Kurishima Sumie, Ning Weimin's gentle and calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the arrogant and unruly Takahashi Harunori who didn't treat others like human beings.

For a moment, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, and her original anxiety and uncertainty about the future all disappeared.

I truly feel that God has eyes and has finally been kind to her, giving her a chance to escape the clutches of evil and enjoy a life of happiness after suffering.

In short, the welcoming ceremony was a success beyond expectations.

Neither Ning Weimin nor those who greeted him were disappointed.

Almost everyone got what they wanted, even Ning Weimin's wife and children.

Because, in addition to being family members, they are proud of Ning Weimin's achievements and demeanor.

Just like Ning Weimin when he first came here, they were also attracted by the winding paths and beautiful natural scenery of the garden, and were deeply intoxicated by it.

The historic, pristine architectural complex, the endless rolling mountains, the elegant waiters and maids, and the ubiquitous aristocratic luxury are simply irresistible.

After strolling around for a short while, the mother and daughter parted ways with Ning Weimin and stayed by the pond to enjoy themselves, eating sweets and pastries while feeding the koi.

As for Ning Weimin, accompanied by Kurishima Sumie, he began to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the assets owned by Toriyama Restaurant.

"Wow!"

Sure enough, there was a pleasant surprise. As he strolled through the huge wine cellar inside the cave, Ning Weimin couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at the spectacular sight before him.

His surprise stemmed primarily from the fact that Toriyama's wine cellar was almost as large as Geion's, and was also constructed using stone or brick.

Unlike Yunyuan, where the wine cellar is located underground in the rockery, this one is deep inside the mountain, with a cave carved out of the mountain itself.

In addition, the wine cellar on the bird is a traditional paved type, which is also the first time he has seen it.

Its characteristics include the absence of a fixed floor, relatively low building height, and thick walls.

Here, rows of large oak barrels are stacked directly, reaching a height of about three layers.

But what's most astonishing is the sheer quantity of fine wine stored here.

Besides the thousands of bottles of red wine on one wall of wooden shelves.

Other items include hundreds of barrels of Japanese whisky and hundreds of vats of sake, arranged in layers.

This is the biggest difference from Western wine cellars, and it is also what impressed Ning Weimin the most.

"With your customer traffic, do you really need this much alcohol?" Ning Weimin couldn't help but ask curiously. "This much alcohol is enough to entertain tens of thousands of people at once."

"To be honest, running a restaurant requires a long-term perspective. The history of this restaurant and wine cellar dates back to 1890, so to satisfy discerning guests and meet the needs of our most distinguished patrons, we have been storing fine wines for over a century. What you see here is the accumulation of several generations of owners of Toriyama Restaurant. These few vats are all 'Asahi Fuji' sake, which has been discontinued for decades, while there are more than a dozen vats over here, which are 'Dassai' Junmai Daiginjo brewed using Yamada Nishiki, a variety known as the 'King of Sake Rice.' As for the whisky, most of it is from Yamazaki, with the oldest being 56 years old."

Ning Weimin never expected that there were people in Japan as clever as him who, a century ago, knew to stockpile high-end wines in advance for their restaurants.

Moreover, he had stored wine for a longer time than him, and it looked like he had much more.

But what puzzled him even more was that these good things weren't reflected in the price.

Could it be that someone carelessly forgot?

That's really a bit unbelievable.

"So... how much do you estimate these bottles of wine are worth?"

"I don't know the specifics, but roughly based on today's prices, it should be worth three billion yen," Sumie Kurishima replied after thinking for a moment.

"My God! Doesn't that mean I really got a great deal?"

Ning Weimin exclaimed in surprise at first, then felt something was amiss and muttered to himself, "Something's not right. What's going on? These things shouldn't have been left out of the asset list when the assets were being accounted for. Where did things go wrong?"

"Actually, this was caused by Harunori Takahashi."

Unexpectedly, Sumie Kurishima later told him the truth, and Harunori Takahashi once again acted as his blood bag.

"After Takahashi bought this place, in order to satisfy his own desires, he never included the wine in the cellar in the group's accounts from the beginning. Instead, he wanted to keep it as his private property and enjoy it slowly. So the board of directors was unaware of it. Not long ago, Takahashi was suddenly imprisoned, and no one informed the board of directors about it. To be honest, besides Takahashi, only I know the inside story of this matter. As long as I don't say anything, the board of directors will never know."

"Oh? You mean you want to keep this a secret and let me benefit from it for nothing?"

However, Ning Weimin couldn't be happy. He also sensed the hidden meaning in Kurishima Sumie's words and couldn't help but ask her a question in return.

"So what do you want? Just say it."

He controlled his expression, not wanting the other person to see his dissatisfaction.

He never expected that this subordinate, who seemed promising, would have such a side.

She actually planned to use these drinks to tempt herself to break the rules. I wonder who gave her the guts?

Yes, no one would be so kind for no reason. Sumie Kurishima must have her own agenda.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths to bring him here and tell him all this.

Unfortunately, what he hated most in his life was subordinates who thought they were clever and could outsmart him.

Since Chengjiang dared to keep such a trick up his sleeve and use it as a bargaining chip, then he was definitely not trustworthy.

So, he, who originally intended to give the other party an important position or even cultivate him, no longer had such intentions. He was just waiting to get information out of him so he could find an opportunity to discard him after he had served his purpose.

But to his surprise, Sumie Kurishima's next move was once again completely unexpected.

Chengjiang actually knelt down before him, performing a standard dogeza (a deep, prostration gesture), and even choked up with emotion.

"Mr. Ning, you must know how Takahashi Harunori ended up in prison, right? I don't ask for anything else, I just want you to tell me the truth as you know it. Who exactly bankrupted Takahashi and then sent him to jail?"

By this time, Ning Weimin already felt that Kurishima Sumie was probably having some kind of mental problem and was showing signs of Stockholm syndrome.

Back then, although he didn't know much about her, he could tell that in Takahashi's heart, Kurishima Sumie held a certain status, which was no exaggeration to call her a high-ranking servant.

"Takahashi hasn't been exactly good to you, yet you're so concerned about him? What? Are you trying to get revenge for him? Or are you planning to visit him at the police station?"

Honestly, Ning Weimin was both angry and amused. He was convinced that there was always something hateful about a pitiful person.

Unexpectedly, Kurishima Sumie wiped away her tears and said through gritted teeth, "Please don't misunderstand. I only hate that beast Takahashi to the core. I was trying to find out who my benefactor was, who saved me! Otherwise, because of this restaurant, I'm afraid I would have to live under Takahashi's control forever, living in the humiliation of being enslaved by him..."

"For this restaurant?"

“Yes, this restaurant is the ancestral property of my Kurishima family. It was that guy Takahashi who used financial contract fraud to take it from my father. My husband was also killed by that guy. But in order to prevent the hard work of generations of the Kurishima family from being ruined, and to prevent this place from being turned into a filthy, chaotic place, I still…”

Another unexpected turn of events altered Ning Weimin's perception of Kurishima Sumie. However, Ning Weimin was too embarrassed to admit it to her face; he was not the kind of person who would take advantage of someone's kindness.

So he touched his nose and simply said, "I can't go into the specifics of the Takahashi incident. But ultimately, he's utterly wicked and deserves what he got. Putting him in jail was a collective decision made by the EIE board of directors, so don't take it to heart. Even if the person who sent Takahashi to jail did help you, he was definitely looking out for himself first and wouldn't expect your gratitude. A woman like you has so many things to do every day, so don't add any more burdens and pressure to yourself. As your new boss, I ask you to forget the unpleasant experiences and just look forward now. As for the wine cellar, you don't need to hide it for me; I'm not after that kind of profit. You should report it to the board of directors as soon as possible and include these wines in the balance sheet. Otherwise, if people find out about this later, it will damage my reputation."

His words and actions undoubtedly made Kurishima Sumie even more impressed. Seeing that she couldn't get the truth out of Ning Weimin, she decided not to press the matter further. She wiped away her tears, nodded, and blushed as she got up from the ground.

Afterwards, when Ying Ningweimin requested to taste the wine alone, he left him there by himself and went off to attend to other matters.

However, some things are inevitable. Although Ning Weimin deliberately concealed it, the things that Kurishima Sumie should have known, after going around in circles, were still found out by Kurishima Sumie.

Just half an hour later, EIE board member Shigehiko Tanaka called, anxiously asking Sumie Kurishima to invite Weimin Ning.

The executive of Changyin Bank was still asking Chengjiang on the phone, "I said, Mr. Ning, are you keeping an eye on the stock market news at the Bird Mountain Restaurant?"

“No,” Chengjiang replied.

"EIE International's stock price plummeted again today! Doesn't he care at all? He hasn't even mentioned it?"

"Really, no, but Mr. Ning has been trying to find out more about Toriyama Restaurant..."

"That's strange. This guy is too decisive. He planned everything, yet he only sent Takahashi to jail and then ignored everything else. Now he doesn't even care about the stock price anymore..."

What? It was Mr. Ning who saved me! He…

Kurishima Sumie was startled upon hearing this, and finally had a moment of enlightenment, understanding the whole story from those few words. (End of Chapter)