Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 8 Designation of the Head of the House
When asked by the Great Shopkeeper Liu, the Second Shopkeeper Dai wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "That batch of tea has always been personally handled by the eldest master, but it should have been put into the warehouse four days ago, but I haven't received it yet."
Manager Liu turned around and looked at Wu Chengjian.
Wu Chengjian did not hide it: "It was lost in Huizhou, and my brother went to look for it but to no avail. This time he fell ill, probably because of the rush and anger over this matter."
Manager Liu slammed the bedside table, knocking over the teacups on it, and the tea spilled all over the bed: "I guessed it, I guessed it! Something must have happened! So now that batch of goods..."
Wu Chengjian said: "Still no news. I'm afraid it's hopeless."
"What should we do?" Manager Liu shouted to the sky, "The East India Company is a monster that eats people without leaving any bones. That Englishman named Milton is not someone to be trifled with. We took his money but cannot deliver the goods. When the time comes to deliver the goods, he will force us to break our own bones."
Young Master Wu said hurriedly, "Uncle Liu, don't worry, don't worry. There is still half a month left. Let's think of a way. If we really can't find it, we can see where to get another batch of tea to replace it..."
Before he could finish, the shopkeeper Liu spit on his head: "Where can you find such a large quantity of high-quality tea! That's our Yihe Bank's original tea! And now is the shipping season, and all the top-quality teas have long been divided up by major trading companies. Besides, we can still find ways to deal with other goods, but this batch of Wuyi tea, our Wu family has spent ten years to produce and deliver once a year. If you want to find such a large batch of top-quality Wuyi to replace it, it will take a deity to appear and create it out of nothing."
Wu Chenggou's face was half wet, but he didn't dare to wipe it off. As for the second idea in his mind - to use the second-rate Wuyi for a year - he didn't dare to say it.
Manager Liu suddenly turned around and asked Wu Chengjian: "Third Master, you have more contacts than anyone else, is there any way you can find any clues?"
Wu Chengjian said: "I don't have any acquaintances in Huizhou. If I can do anything, my eldest brother will probably come to me first."
Manager Liu sighed and said, "If the goods were delivered in the autumn of a normal year, even if the eldest master is unable to get up for a while, this old man can still take up the responsibility. However, I can only follow the rules at most, but I can't turn the tide, nor can I bear the burden that affects the rise and fall of Yihe Bank. This burden, it can only be borne if the eldest master gets up."
"My Uncle Liu!" said the Second Young Master Wu, "My boss is already ill and unconscious, how can he shoulder this responsibility?"
Just at this moment, Wu Qi outside the door cheered: "Third Master, Third Master, Mr. Er He has been found! He's here, he's here!"
Mr. He is a famous contemporary doctor in Guangdong. When he was young, he traveled all over the country and visited more than a dozen provinces. He accumulated a lot of experience as a traveling doctor. At the same time, he digested all the medical books left by his father He Mengyao. Then he returned to his hometown to practice medicine. Within a few years, he became famous.
However, he was very skillful and had a strange temper. Even if he was a high-ranking official, he would not be treated well by him. If Wu Guoying had not been old friends with him and Wu Chengjun was indeed seriously ill, he might not have been invited to come this time. But when he came, everyone in the Wu Mansion felt like they had invited a living god.
At this time, all the relatives of the Wu family gathered outside the door, and the four shopkeepers were also waiting in the hall. Wu Guoying forced someone to carry him over so that he could listen to Mr. Er He's diagnosis in person. However, Mr. Er He scolded him back, saying, "I don't want to treat a young one and save an old one at the same time." So Mr. Wu was carried back again - only Mr. Er He dared to lose his temper with a wealthy patient like this.
Inside the white gauze tent, besides Mr. He and his medicine boy, there were only Wu Chengjian and his sister-in-law Cai Qiaozhu standing there.
Mr. He spent the whole meal examining her, and finally started to scold Cai Qiaozhu: "How are you as a wife? His body looks strong on the outside, but inside it is all wrapped in rags. He must have worked day and night for at least two or three years. He has been so overworked and has no self-control, and you don't have any advice for him?"
Cai Qiaozhu covered her face and couldn't utter a word.
Wu Chengjian said, "My sister-in-law has advised me, and I have heard it several times."
Mr. Er He snorted, "If you can't persuade him to stop, it's the same as not persuading him at all. Now he's strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and he's traveled a hundred miles. He must have encountered something terrible. He's angry and worried. Anger hurts the liver, causing blood stasis in the liver. The sudden excessive worry and sadness also depressed the lung qi, depleting the qi and yin. The worry and anger caused spasms in the spleen and earth, and the qi rushed to the liver meridian, causing coughing up blood. He has a long-term disease and a sudden disease. The two attacks damage both the liver and lungs. This disease cannot be cured."
If it were any other doctor, who would dare to speak like this in front of the family members? But Mr. He made this statement, which was even more alarming.
Cai Qiaozhu knelt down on the spot, and Wu Chengjian also hurriedly bowed and said, "Please do your best, sir!"
Mr. Er He said, "Medicine can't cure fatal diseases. Do you think I'm a god? I'll use needles first. Let him vomit out the depression, but it's only a temporary solution. Then I'll use medicine. His body can't be cured. No medicine will help. It depends on how he is treated after he wakes up. If he treats himself properly, he can still live a little longer."
Cai Qiaozhu kowtowed and knelt to express her gratitude, and was then driven out - Mr. He did not allow women to be around when he was giving acupuncture, it was his quirk. Only Wu Chengjian was left in the room, and Wu Chenggou was called in to help at any time.
On the Huacha, Zhou Yijin sent Cai Qinghua away before stopping to have a cup of tea with Tan Sanniang. Tan Sanniang said, "Yijin has a wide network of contacts. He even knows the confidants of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. I saw that Mr. Cai was in a good mood just now. If he visits more often in the future, he might be able to earn more connections for the Wu family."
Zhou Yijin said: "Not as attentive as Sanniang is to Sanshao."
Tan Sanniang said, "He is a good tree, and I am the vine hanging on him. If he lives, I live, and if he dies, I die."
Zhou Yijin looked at her with a layer of mist in his eyes. After a while, he said, "My master's visit this time may not be a good thing for the Wu family."
"Ah?" Tan Sanniang's bright eyes were as clear as water, and her eyes were full of confusion.
Zhou Yijin did not say anything more, but just looked to the north and murmured, "Why is there no news from the mansion? Is the eldest young master's illness really that serious?"
Xiguan, the Wu family mansion.
There was a noise coming from inside the white tent:
"Wake up, wake up!"
Second wife Yang said "Amitabha", and second sister-in-law Liu also said, "Buddha bless you." The two of them held Cai Qiaozhu, who was about to fall. Wu Chengjian came out of the tent and said, "Brother has woken up and doesn't want to see anyone else. I will help my sister-in-law in."
The medicine boy was cleaning up the filth, and Mr. Er He had already stood up and ordered, "Let's make it short and don't bother him anymore."
Cai Qiaozhu leaned on the edge of the bed and bowed, "Thank you, sir."
After Mr. He left first, Wu Chenggou was also pulled out by Wu Chengjian. The couple talked in the tent for a while, not too long, when Cai Qiaozhu came out with tears in her eyes and said, "Third Uncle, your boss is calling you."
Young Master Wu shrugged his head. Liu said, "Where's Young Master?" Cai Qiaozhu didn't say anything. It was obvious that Wu Chenggou had no place. Young Master Wu felt embarrassed and slapped Liu in the face, "I told you not to talk too much!"
Wu Chengjian had already entered the account, and seeing Wu Chengjun was about to extend his hand, he stepped over and held his hand. It had only been a few days since they last saw each other, and this once strong hand seemed to have lost some flesh, as if there were bones underneath the skin.
After the two brothers held hands, Wu Chengjian called out, "Brother, I'm here."
Although there are three brothers, there are only two of them from the same mother. Wu Chengjian usually calls Wu Chenggou "second brother", but he only calls Wu Chengjun "brother".
"Brother..." Wu Chengjun was struggling to speak at this moment. He had no choice but to reduce all his thousands of words to just a few: "Take good care of Dad."
Then he looked at his beautiful young wife and said, "Take good care of your sister-in-law and Guang'er."
Then he looked at the younger brother in front of him whom he had doted on for more than 20 years: "Take good care of the family. The family... Yihehang... will depend on you in the future. I know that you... are impatient with these mundane affairs, but this family, now only you can support it..."
"Brother..." Wu Chengjian felt that his throat was a little blocked, as if something was blocking it: "Don't say that, you will be fine."
Wu Chengjun closed his eyes, and with his pale lips, he managed to force a smile, then shook his head: "I know it myself... You, go and invite the four shopkeepers in."
Wu Chengjian grabbed his brother's hand, blew a breath of warm air on it, and then put it into bed. When he came out, he saw that Old Man Wu had been carried in again at some point and was lying on a recliner. Everyone was staring at the Third Young Master Wu.
Wu Chengjian said, "Brother, please invite the four shopkeepers in." He looked at Wu Guoying and said, "Dad, you come in too."
Wu Chenggou said hurriedly: "I'll help carry it."
He wants to squeeze in so badly that it's hard for others to force him out.
The two brothers carried Wu Guoying and the chair into the house, and the four major shop managers were also invited.
Wu Chengjun looked at his wife. Cai Qiaozhu had wiped away her tears by this time and went to the small inner room. After a while, she came out with a stack of account books. On top of the account books was an open box. In the box were several bunches of keys and seven or eight seals.
When Young Master Wu saw these things, his heart almost jumped out of his throat.
Wu Chengjun said to his father and the four shopkeepers: "Dad, uncles, I'm afraid I can't do it anymore. Now..."
He looked at his wife, then at his brother, and Cai Qiaozhu handed the account book and the box to his uncle.
Wu Chenggou grabbed Wu Guoying's wrinkled hand and shouted, "Dad..." But Wu Guoying yelled at him, "Shut up!"
Wu Chengjian took the account book, key, and seal as if he had received a hot iron ball. However, there was no one to take it at this moment. Looking at his elder brother's almost begging eyes, he sighed and had to say, "Brother, you can rest assured and recuperate. I will take care of the things at home and in the bank."
