Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 33 Pan Youjie's Treat
Shopkeeper Yao Si was the first to clap his hands and laugh: "Good, good, good! With this dowry, our Yihe Bank's business will be able to reach a higher level in the future!"
The Wu family recently swallowed up the Xie family's tea business, and then integrated some of the Ye family's industries. Apart from anything else, they will surely be the best in tea sales in the future. In recent years, Ye Dalin has integrated the Liangjiang Tea Road, and the entire Hui business circle is under the control of the tea trade, which no other Xiguan family can interfere with. However, according to the contents of this list, Ye Dalin's future tea pricing will also be subject to restrictions and guidance from the Wu family. This is a huge power.
Shopkeeper Dai San was looking at the list and thinking in his mind. He thought that although he had moved one seat further back and let the younger and less experienced Ou Jiafu sit above him, this was also a punishment for him. Now that he had been punished, Shopkeeper Dai San felt relieved. In the future, as long as Wu Chengjian could not be deposed, the power in his hands would be much greater than before due to the increased strength of the Wu family.
Only Shopkeeper Wu Wu felt that the miscellaneous businesses he had on hand might be less than what he had at the last meeting. However, he was an honest and decent man. Besides, he was only managing these businesses for the Wu family, not his own, so he was not in a hurry.
Everyone was talking excitedly, and after a while they began to discuss the details of how to integrate these new industries.
This deal was arranged by Wu Chengjian, modified by Wu Guoying, manipulated by Liu Da, and executed by Ou Jiafu, so Ou Jiafu knew it best. Dai San was cautious, but he also put forward some of his own opinions. Yao Si didn't say much, but every word hit the point. Wu Chengjian listened to him and had a better understanding of the abilities of the several shopkeepers.
They were talking animatedly. Near the dock of Ritianju, two old men were sitting on a small boat. One was Old Gu from the Wu family, and the other was Ye Zhong from the Ye family. They sat on small stools covered with blankets, drinking tea by a small coal stove. Old Gu said, "I used to think that if the Wu and Ye families could merge into one, we could challenge the Pan family. I didn't expect that now that they have merged, it would be legal like this."
Ye Zhong chuckled twice but didn't say anything.
Lao Gu asked, "Why, you're not convinced?"
Ye Zhong said calmly: "Your old Wu is a good person, but he may not be able to suppress our old Ye. It's just that he has given birth to capable sons, each one is more powerful than the other!"
Old Gu laughed loudly and said, "Actually, Old Ye is pretty good at giving birth to children, but it's a pity that he didn't give birth to a pair of boys and girls. I've heard rumors from many sources recently that your third daughter is no ordinary person. After she marries into the Wu family, I'm afraid the Wu family will see some big changes in the future."
Ye Zhong was silent for a while before he said, "Although this girl has her own schemes, she also has her own difficulties. I don't think it's a good thing for her to marry into the Wu family, but things have already come to this, so let it be."
Old Gu said, "No matter what, she is already the Wu family's unmarried daughter-in-law. During this period of time, I'll have to trouble you to take care of her."
Ye Zhong was a little surprised: "You actually care about others? This is really strange." Then he realized: "Who asked you to say this?"
Old Gu smiled and said, "Who else could it be? Of course it must be someone from the Wu family."
Ye Zhong did not ask who from the Wu family it was. He nodded, boarded another small boat, sailed towards the Pearl River, landed on the north bank, and returned to the Ye family mansion in Xiguan.
The Ye family was also preparing for a wedding, but the atmosphere was not very festive. Ye Zhong first came to Yingyang Garden. As soon as he entered the door, a sense of joy rushed towards him, as if this wedding was not for the Ye family, but for Yingyang Garden.
When Ye Youyu heard that Ye Zhong was coming, she hurried out to greet him. After a few days, her complexion had improved a little, but she still didn't dare to take big steps when she walked. Ye Zhong thought to himself, "Her father's kick was too hard." He said, "Congratulations, Third Miss."
Ye Youyu forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhong."
Ye Zhong was just about to give some advice and warnings when a servant suddenly ran in and whispered something in Ye Zhong's ear. Ye Zhong said, "The master is calling me. Third Miss, take care of yourself."
Ye Youyu thought to himself, "Uncle Zhong wouldn't be making a fuss, but what does the word 'take care' mean?"
Over there, Ye Zhong came to the study and met Ye Dalin.
Ye Dalin had an uncertain look on his face and threw him an invitation.
Ye Zhong took a look and said, "Pan Youjie is here to treat us?"
Ye Dalin nodded: "Yes, we have an appointment at Baiyun Building."
Ye Zhong said: "How many people did you invite?"
"Two." Ye Dalin said, "It's me and...Hao Guan."
Wu Chengjian received the invitation later than Ye Dalin. Because the servant of the Pan family did not know that Wu Chengjian was in Henan Island, he first sent it to the Wu family mansion in Xiguan and then sent it back to Henan Island.
Wu Chengjian was still in a meeting with the six shopkeepers when he received the invitation, but Pan Youjie's invitation still paused the meeting. He opened the invitation, glanced at the date and place, and smiled, "Well, I said, it's time to come."
Baiyun Mountain, Baiyun Tower.
Compared with all the famous mountains and rivers in the country, Baiyun Mountain can only be regarded as a small mound. However, the mountain does not matter how high it is, what matters is the location: this mountain is the backer of Guangzhou. Looking ahead, you can see the whole city of Guangzhou. If you go further south, this mountain is the apex of the entire Pearl River Basin's essence triangle, extending to Hong Kong in the southeast and Macau in the southwest. Guangzhou, located at the top, is known as facing the sea with its back to the mountain. The sea is the South China Sea, and the mountain is Baiyun Mountain.
There is an old rule when the Wu and Ye families go to meet the Pan family - the two families meet first, and then go to meet the Pan family. This time is no exception. It's just that when he met Wu Chengjian at the foot of the mountain, Ye Dalin's expression was a little unnatural, but Wu Chengjian was still as shameless as before, smiling and calling him father-in-law, and Ye Dalin could only agree with him.
When they arrived at Baiyun Tower, a man in his thirties was waiting outside. He was handsome and well-dressed. He was Pan Youjie's trusted attendant Pan Haigen - like Wu Qi, he had followed him all the way since childhood, and had risen from a servant to a trusted steward - and he welcomed the two of them in.
Inside the Baiyun Tower, a man was leaning on the railing and looking south. When he heard Wu Ye had arrived, he stood up to greet him. He was about thirty years old, tall and graceful, dressed like a scholar, holding a folding fan. The materials of his clothes and accessories were all top-grade, but his style was low-key and steady. At first glance, he looked like a scholar going for an outing in the mountains. No one would have thought that the man in front of him was Pan Youjie, the head of the Pan family, the richest family in the Thirteen Hongs.
As soon as they met, Pan Youjie smiled and said, "Uncle Ye, Chengjian, is it windy on the way up the mountain?"
Ye Dalin's business name is Daguan, and Wu Chengjian's business name is Haoguan, but Pan Youjie called him that because they were close friends, so Ye Dalin also called him Youjie. Wu Chengjian was arrogant with others, but he couldn't be as arrogant as Pan Youjie, so he also smiled and called him Brother Youjie, saying, "There is a heater in the sedan, but I saw frost on the leaves along the way."
Pan Youjie said, "The weather in Guangzhou is warm, not like in the north. There is no snow on Baiyun Mountain at this time of year, which is good. But it is very humid. This kind of damp and cold wind is still unbearable. Sit down."
The three of them sat down. Several handsome servants had already set up the tea sets and lit the tea stove. Another one brought mountain spring water. A beautiful girl came forward and knelt down to wash the tea sets and brew the tea. These were the tea boys and tea maidens specially raised by the Pan family to make tea. In addition to being smart and having their looks carefully selected, they also had to undergo more than three years of training. However, once a tea boy turned 15 or a tea maid turned 18, they would be replaced with a new batch. Whether it was the tea sets or the girls and boys, they were all worth thousands of gold. However, in the eyes of the three major guarantors, they seemed transparent and were just used as a daily treat.
After drinking a round of tea, Pan Youjie said, "Chengjian, I heard that you are finally going to marry a girl from the Ye family?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Yes, after all the twists and turns, I still can't escape being Xing Chengxing's son-in-law."
Pan Youjie laughed and said, "You are so naughty. You are so ungrateful after getting the advantage." He paused, calmed down a little, and then continued, "A few months ago, I also heard that Uncle Wu and Uncle Ye had a quarrel. I was sad at the time. I thought that if my father were still alive, he would definitely find a way to mediate. But Uncle Wu and Uncle Ye are elders, and it is not easy for me, a junior, to step forward, so I was just anxious. I didn't expect that within a few days, your two families would make peace. I was so happy that I arranged for today's tea party."
If you take these words seriously, they don't stand up to scrutiny . However, they are just an explanation so that everyone can save face. When Ye Dalin heard it, he said, "Actually, we have nothing to do."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "If Uncle Pan were still alive, this would never have happened."
Ye Dalin didn't expect Wu Chengjian to confront Pan Youjie head-on. He was shocked: "This kid is so brave!"
Pan Haigen's face beside him also darkened slightly. Even Cai Shiwen, the general merchant, did not dare to do so in front of Pan Youjie.
Pan Youjie seemed to not care at all and smiled, "That's right. If my father were still alive, there would definitely not be this chaos in the Thirteen Hongs. Since Cai Shiwen took over the Thirteen Hongs, he has appointed private individuals and acted unfairly. There have been complaints about Xiguan Street for a long time. I often hear people talking about it even though I am so far away from Henan Island. It was fine in the past when things were peaceful, but now something has caused chaos. I think it's time for him to move on from his position as the head merchant."
Having said that, he didn't ask Ye Dalin, but looked at Wu Chengjian and said, "Hao Guan, what do you think?" When it came to business, the way he addressed him changed again.
Pan Youjie looked calm when he said these words, but both Ye Dalin and Pan Haigen beside him became serious, knowing that Wu Chengjian's next answer would be of great importance. If he continued to confront him, a new storm would probably be set off in Xiguan.
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "I also think it's time to change. Father-in-law, why don't we go back and ask Master Jishan to hold a meeting to protect the merchants on a certain day. As for the topic, we won't beat around the bush. We just need to elect a new chief merchant."
Pan Youjie laughed and said, "From your tone, Hao Guan, are you interested in this seat?"
"Of course..." Wu Chengjian saw that Pan Haigen's face had turned ugly, but Pan Youjie was still calm and composed. He couldn't help but secretly praise him. He changed his tone and said, "...I'm not interested! I'm such a lazy person. I'm tired of running Yihehang. How can you let me run Thirteen Hongs? You might as well kill me."
Pan Haigen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Pan Youjie laughed, but then he heard Wu Chengjian say to Ye Dalin: "Father-in-law, why don't you do it? I know you always like to do these things."
