Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 21 Taking Advantage
Perhaps because the rumor had spread, the Huachai had become much less visited in the past two days, and not many people from the Shenxianzhou had come on board to say hello.
Tan Sanniang said, "The people over at Xiguan are looking for you very urgently. There are already two groups of people on the boat looking for you. You should go back quickly."
Wu Chengjian said, "If we go back now, the old man will be very angry. Let's wait for one night. I will go back tomorrow when he calms down."
Tan Sanniang said, "What if the old man gets even angrier?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Then I will live with you on the boat for the rest of my life."
Tan Sanniang knew it was a joke, but she couldn't help feeling moved. It was a dream that she felt would never come true: "Go away! Who wants to spend the rest of my life with you!" She lowered her head and closed her eyes to prevent revealing the sweet yet sad emotions in her heart, and went back to the cabin.
Wu Chengjian looked at her back , feeling a little regretful. He sighed softly and sat down in the small garden on the deck. A servant came forward and asked the Third Young Master what kind of wine he wanted to drink.
"No more wine," Wu Chengjian said. "Let's drink tea. Well, let's make a pot of Wuyi at home."
The Third Young Master has high demands on the quality of life. All the maids and servants under him have unique skills. Those who don't know how to do it have to learn it by following the Third Young Master. If they don't learn anything within three months, they will be sent away.
When he heard that the third young master wanted to drink tea, he sent a servant over.
The Wu family's ancestral home is in Fujian. Although they have settled in Guangdong for three generations, they still retain some of their hometown's customs and habits. Except for Wu Chengjian, everyone in the family loves tea, so all the servants in the house also know how to make tea.
Although the Hokkien Kung Fu tea was developed by Chaoshan people, the basic principle is the same. One sniff, two tastes, and three turns to sweetness. In this small garden on the sea, facing the sunset, Wu Chengjian sipped this cup of top-grade Wuyi tea and said to the boy, "Your skill is not bad. You can rank among the top three in the family, but you can't compare with my eldest brother and Lao Gu. It's a pity that I, who don't know much about tea, drank it. This tea and this tea art are ruined."
The servant smiled and said, "Young Master can tell that Young Master's tea art is the third best in the family, so he doesn't mean he doesn't know tea."
"I learned some knowledge about tea just to brag to others, I don't like to drink it myself." Wu Chengjian laughed: "Although I know that Wuyi tea tastes bitter and then sweet, I just hate its bitter and astringent taste. They are all sweet, why can't it be sweet like sugar water?"
The servant said, "But after the sugar water tastes sweet, your mouth will feel sour, unlike Wuyi tea, which will leave you with a sweet aftertaste. The sweetness of sugar water only lasts for a while, but Wuyi tea tastes sweet after being bitter, and you can linger for a long time."
Wu Chengjian laughed: "That makes sense, that makes sense! What's your name? I just think your face looks familiar."
The servant said, "My name is Wu Jiu."
Wu Chengjian was surprised: "You are not the illegitimate son of Second Uncle Liang, are you? You don't look like it. With your red lips and white teeth, you are much more handsome than Wu Liu and Wu Qi."
Wu Jiu blushed when Wu Chengjian praised his good looks and said, "No, no, I have been an orphan since I was a child. After entering the mansion, I took the surname Wu voluntarily. I envied my sixth brother for following the eldest son and my seventh brother for following the third son, so I wanted to be as successful as them one day, so I changed my name to Wu Jiu."
Wu Chengjian scolded, "Wu Liu and Wu Qi are considered promising? You are really useless. Besides, it would be bad if your name spread back to the Xiguan mansion and Aunt Erliang misunderstood Uncle Erliang. Add a nickname and call me Wu Xiaojiu from now on."
"Thank you, Third Master. From now on, I will be called Wu Xiaojiu."
Wu Chengjian added: "But you brew tea pretty well. Well, you have to share your good skills with others. Has Master Zhou ever drunk the tea you brewed?"
"Of course I have," Wu Xiaojiu said, "I have also received many corrections from Master Zhou, which is why I have made a lot of progress."
Wu Chengjian thought for a moment, looked at Wu Xiaojiu's handsome appearance, and asked again: "Have you seen Mr. Cai who ? Have you ever made tea for him?"
"No." Wu Xiaojiu said, "Seventh Brother didn't arrange for Xiaojiu to go forward that day."
"Go," Wu Chengjian said, "get a note from Master Zhou and ask him to pick out another two taels of good tea. Then you go into the city and make a cup of good tea for Master Cai to taste. Tell him that Master Zhou happened to have a boy who is very good at making tea, so he sent him to try it with his teacher."
Wu Xiaojiu had a good memory and remembered it on the spot. He ran to tell Zhou Yijin about it. Zhou Yijin felt strange at first, but after thinking about it, he said, "Master doesn't drink Kung Fu stir-fried tea. He drinks Biluochun."
Wu Xiaojiu said: "I can do that, too."
Zhou Yijin laughed and said, "I almost forgot." He was also from Zhejiang and liked Biluochun. Wu Xiaojiu had made it for him many times.
He immediately wrote a note, saying: Recently, a young man has made great progress in tea art and is quite popular, so he is sharing this sweet tea with his master. He also went to find two taels of the best Biluochun and said, "It's late today. By the time you get ashore, the city gates will be closed. Go tomorrow."
Wu Xiaojiu asked where Mr. Cai lived.
Zhou Yijin said, "The Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office."
When Wu Xiaojiu heard this, his face twisted: "The Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi?"
"Yes, he is the advisor to the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. Of course he lives in the Governor-General's Mansion."
Wu Xiaojiu's legs were shaking, so he asked, "Does the villain want to go with the Third Young Master?"
If we were to go to the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office, it would be better if the Third Young Master led us ahead.
Zhou Yijin said, "Make a pot of tea, what are you going to do, Third Young Master? Just go by yourself."
When Wu Xiaojiu heard this, he almost cried: "Master, how can I get in? I don't dare."
Although he had always heard that the Third Young Master was very social, and could even chat and laugh with the county magistrate, and had even attended the birthday banquets of the Customs Supervisor and the prefect, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi was the most powerful official in Guangdong. He was a servant of a merchant family whose name was only asked by his master today. He felt timid just thinking about asking him to break into the Governor's mansion alone.
"You are useless," Zhou Yijin said, "Go ask Sanniang for some silver, and when you get to the Governor's Mansion, go through the side door, give the silver to the doorman, and then pass my card over, and maybe you'll be able to get in."
Seeing that Wu Xiaojiu still looked embarrassed, Zhou Yijin said, "You made a good tea this time. I'll raise your monthly salary by two levels when I get back."
Wu Chengjian's room seemed relaxed, but in fact, the rules were strict. Wu Chengjian divided the monthly allowance into nine levels and eighteen grades. If the monthly allowance was increased by two grades, not only would it be more money, but also the status in the mansion. Wu Xiaojiu gritted his teeth and agreed when he thought about being able to be promoted by two grades: "Okay, I'll go and try it."
That expression was like he was about to venture into a dangerous place, with a heroic look on his face. Fortunately, he was good-looking, so when he acted like this, it made people feel funny and cute. Zhou Yijin laughed out loud: "Yes, this look is very good, it will probably work."
The next morning, Wu Chengjian got on a small boat and prepared to return to Xiguan. Wu Xiaojiu also went on the same boat. He was quite smart, otherwise he would not have learned such good tea art at such a young age. But this time, he couldn't figure out why the third young master asked a servant like him to break into the Governor's Office. However, Wu Chengjian didn't speak on his own initiative on the boat, so he didn't dare to ask.
After landing, they separated. Wu Xiaojiu took the tea and spent some money to take a bus. He went all the way to the Governor's Mansion and found the doorman. He trembled and asked him to pass the card for him. The doorman weighed the bag and said, "Wait."
Cai Qinghua was chatting with several clerks from Guangzhou Prefecture in a side hall. These people who held political power in Guangzhou Prefecture were flattering him. When they saw the post, they thought to themselves, "Has the Wu family finally given up? Let's see what Yi Jin has to say." So they let the visitor in.
Wu Xiaojiu trembled as he entered the mansion through the side door. He did not dare to look around all the way. He followed people in small steps to the side hall. He kowtowed to everyone he saw and called them "Master".
Seeing his awkward behavior, everyone in the hall secretly laughed, but as they didn't know Cai Qinghua's attitude, they kept silent and didn't express their opinions.
Cai Qinghua said with a smile: "Why did Young Master Yihe send someone like you? Tell me, what's the matter?"
Wu Xiaojiu hurriedly took out the note from his arms and handed it over with both hands. Because they were close, Cai Qinghua caught a glimpse of his face and said, "Look up and let me see." Wu Xiaojiu looked up nervously again.
Cai Qinghua liked handsome boys the most. Seeing that he was good-looking, he became more tolerant and said with a smile, "Why are you so nervous? Just hand me a note. Can I eat you?"
Wu Xiaojiu stammered, "This, this, this... This is the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi!" He had a delicate baby face, and looked cute even in his panic.
Everyone in the hall burst into laughter when they heard this, thinking that this kid really had never seen the world. Why would the Yihe Guild send such an unreliable person to do things?
Cai Qinghua smiled and opened the note. He was a little disappointed at first: "It turns out it's not about the Wu family." But then he thought again: "Yi Jin thought of me when he had something good. What a good disciple!"
He said to Wu Xiaojiu, "Your Master Zhou's intention is kind, so I accept it." Then he asked his personal servant to get tea sets, tea leaves and spring water.
Wu Xiaojiu said: "Master Zhou also asked me to bring tea, two taels of the best Biluochun."
Cai Qinghua smiled and said, "That's even better. Let's try Yi Jin's collection."
The servant brought the tea set and spring water, and Cai Qinghua said to everyone, "This is the tea servant recommended by one of my fellow villagers. He is said to be very good at making tea. It is better to meet him by chance than to invite him. I will share it with you today."
Everyone said it was good.
As soon as Wu Xiaojiu touched the tea set, he perked up a bit, he was no longer panicky, and his eyes became brighter. Even before he drank the tea, Cai Qinghua felt it was a pleasure just to watch him make tea.
After three rounds of tea, Wu Xiaojiu left as Wu Chengjian had ordered. Cai Qinghua could not think of a reason to keep him. Thinking that he could not escape from Zhou Yijin, he waved his hand and said, "Go."
Not long after he left, the clerks also left one after another. After they left, one of them secretly said, "I never thought that Yihehang had already gotten close to the Governor's Office."
Another person said, "It's just two taels of tea leaves. Is that considered a success?"
The man said, "It is only because of two taels of tea that we are considered to be close friends. If we were just ordinary people, who would dare to knock on the door of the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi with two taels of tea?"
The others suddenly realized: "That makes sense, that makes sense!"
Cai Qinghua was still savoring the tea, but no one knew what he was savoring. The book boy beside him said sourly, "Master, is this tea really that good? It's worth sending it all the way to your door!"
Cai Qinghua smiled and was about to scold him when he suddenly slammed the table: "Oh no! I was not prepared and Yi Jin took advantage of me!"
