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Chapter 03. Corporation Industry Details (集团产业明细)
After waiting for what seemed like half a day, it was still and silent behind him, the young man found it weird: “Why are you not singing?”
What what what is with this setting! With such a sturdy role model, Lei Lei daren’t sing anymore, so she said: “Actually I can’t sing.”
The young man was speechless.
Then Lei Lei thought of something: “Who is He Tai Ping?”
The young man answered calmly: “Leader He.”
“The leader is the greatest?”
[T/N: Greatest in the context of the MC’s question is along the lines of authority/position.]
“The leader rules the world, commands the heroes, stability begets peace, heavy responsibilities, naturally it is not a trivial position.”
Lei Lei merely “oh”, and no longer spoke, calculating secretly.
After a bumpy two three hours’ ride, it seems that this body doesn’t ride horses, unable to accustom at all, Lei Lei forcibly tolerated, all the way until noon when the young man finally stopped in front of a small teahouse by the side of the road, Caretaker Zhao and the two other servants were long already there waiting, rising the moment they spotted the two of them; catching a glimpse of the two claws around the young man’s waist, they showed indignation at the same time.
The young man shoved Lei Lei off the horse.
Lei Lei was overwhelmed; as she looked up, a huge advertising signboard stood vertically beside the door, and on it written in black ink were “Zhong Hua Wu Yan Teahouse” in big font.
[T/N: 钟花无艳 (zhōng huā wú yàn) - 钟花 is bell flower while 无艳 means not alluring. 钟花无艳 is also a pen name of another famous author on jjwxc.]
Zhong Hua Wu Yan Teahouse?
This shop’s name is odd indeed, but why does it sound so familiar…...Lei Lei was secretly surprised, while her impatient brain was busy absorbing new information, there was no capacity to think carefully, by the time she realised, she had already followed them into the shop.
The small shop isn’t spacious, but business is very good, in total there were eight tables, and seven were filled with customers, Lei Lei observed her surroundings, and very quickly noticed where the charm of the shop lies--at the counter sat a very beautiful lady boss.
Upon seeing the young man, the lady boss stood up immediately, twirled her hair, and winked: “Speak of the devil, everyone is finally here!”
The young man frowned: “Teahouse?”
“Our shop originally served tea, but would also occasionally sell some cheap alcohol and dishes, frequent customers would know,” The lady boss swayed as she came out from behind the counter, whining, “Dozens of miles around this area is Xi Sha Sect’s territory, taxes are high, you see Young Master, other than us, nobody else dared to open business along this road.” Afterwards she revealed a pitiful look, and said in a soft voice: “It is no easy feat to survive now, besides, many merchants pass by, it’s not possible to not have a restaurant, we just secretly sell out of convenience.”
Economic related issues are not within his area of concern, the young man nodded to show that he understood.
The lady boss was at ease, grinning: “Earlier Caretaker Zhao has already ordered the dishes, please sit, sit!” She then turned to shout towards the inner part of the shop: “Guests of table number eight have all arrived, serve the dishes!”
The small shop was very efficient, a table full of “tea” was very quickly placed in front of them, bland white and green vegetables, except in the middle was half a roasted duck covered in shiny oil with mouthwatering aroma.
Everyone began to dig in.
The few tables next to them were all swordsmen carrying knives and swords, drinking while gossiping about new happenings in the martial arts world, Lei Lei was intrigued by what she heard.
Suddenly, from the neighbouring table came a low voice: “The news this time sure is accurate, there is someone in Bi Shui City trying to auction the longevity nut, selling to the highest bidder, which takes place on the night of New Year’s day!”
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table froze, including Lei Lei.
“Definitely, just to buy this piece of information, had cost me ten thousand silver taels!”
“Who is selling this information, that you’re sure it's reliable?”
“I have never met him either, I only sent the money to the arranged location just to try, who knew he really left a note……”
Suddenly someone coughed: “Brother Wang!”
The person who was speaking earlier just then realised that the venue was not suitable for this topic, sealed his mouth, and the rest quickly spoke up to digress from the topic.
What kind of treasure is the longevity nut exactly, that so many people are spending money to know of its location? Lei Lei herself thought it was strange, seeing how the expressions on the young man and Caretaker Zhao didn’t look too well, and that person once approached Master Tie, fortunately Master Tie is upright and selfless, reported this matter, now hearing from these people, seems like this issue did not just occur once, a piece of information for ten thousand taels, the informant alone would have profited quite a bit, plus the auction of the longevity nut must be tempting, at that time heroes will gather in Bi Shui City, unavoidably demonic cultivators would too, that person only cares about profit, but didn’t consider that once the longevity nut is revealed, it’s not just about buying and selling, everyone would be fighting, breeding chaos, should it land in the hands of the demonic cultivators, matters would be worse.
“Master Tie will report this to the Leader, let’s first return to the manor.”
Everyone nodded, shifting their attention back to the table, only to realise that the half roasted duck was gone, hence diverted their eyes onto Lei Lei, and seeing this lady eating gently, one small bite of rice at a time, they were confused at that moment, about where the duck could have gone.
Finished, everyone was out the door, and suddenly from the back came Caretaker Zhao’s exclamation.
“What! These coarse and plain dishes cost nine taels and eight coins, is this a scam!”
“My, this old man’s words are so crude, our shop cheats neither the old nor the young,” The lady boss explained patiently, “Take a look yourself, this is the receipt details, the other dishes may have been coarse, but that half roasted duck is the real deal!”
Outside, Caretaker Zhao who has always been dutiful, felt cheated: “Half a duck for five taels?”
The lady boss said: “Five taels is already considered cheap, this is after all the famous ‘Su Su brand roast duck’, haven’t you heard? Su Su brand roast duck, a travel must-have delicacy! Qin Liu Feng Young Master praised it personally! Our shop only prepared half for you, that was because we are low on supply!”
Su Su brand roast duck? Lei Lei couldn’t help but shake her head, this name sounded so familiar…...
Hearing of the roasted duck’s reputation, Caretaker Zhao uttered no sound, and took out the ingot: “Here, ten taels!”
The lady boss blinked, being put in a tight spot: “Our shop doesn’t have change……”
This sentence instantly restored Lei Lei’s memory, while she was sighing at the lady boss making money, she started to seriously suspect the credibility of that Jin Jiang Traverse Corporation, saying that they going through a lot of trouble in designing, how dare they design such a martial arts world, putting aside the pirated version of “The East is Red”, even the character names are cheap, Zhong Hua Wu Yan Teahouse, Su Su brand roast duck, that GM Su even used registered trademark properties!
Caretaker Zhao shook his beard, on the verge of jumping: “You are open for business, how can you not have change?”
The lady boss rolled her eyes: “Can’t you see that our business is good? How about you wait, once I have it I will find you.”
Caretaker Zhao was angry.
The young man turned around: “Forget it, let’s go.”
The lady boss was all smiles immediately, with eyebrows arched: “At least this Young Master is generous, not like those who are petty, take care Young Master, remember to come back next time!”
Bumpy rides on the horseback resumed for the afternoon, Lei Lei was no longer in the mood to ask about anything, the bones in her entire body were about to split, it was hard for the young man to see her in this state, so he gave out instructions to rest in Jin Jiang City, at the same time he got Caretaker Zhao to inquire about buying a carriage, delaying the journey for a girl, Caretaker Zhao almost shot Lei Lei a death glare.
Concerned about his image, the young man got off the horse outside the city, planted his feet firmly on the ground, Lei Lei felt much at ease for a moment.
Jin Jiang City was the central region in the entire martial arts world, very lively and lavish, high infrastructures, heavy traffic, abundant entertainment options, many teahouses and restaurants, buskers and chicken fights, a mixed sound of drums, gongs and zithers, it was not difficult to see the superb architectural standards and shining spirit of this world, apart from the man selling alcohol in from of the shop occasionally shouting “living in the martial arts world, how can one not drink wine”, or someone suddenly bursting into a song singing “roar when one encounters injustice”, everything else was easily adaptable.
Everyone stopped at the entrance of a big guest house.
The young man said: “We’ll stay here for a night then.”
Looking at the four big antique words “Jin Jiang Guest House”, Lei Leiimmediately thought of Jin Jiang Traverse Corporation, putting aside her fatigue for a moment, she angrily stopped the young man, showing her disapproval: “We cannot stay here!”
With regards to her sonorous tone, attitude and determination, the two servants and Caretaker Zhao were shocked, thinking there might really be something wrong with this guest house, as they kept quiet and dared not speak.
The young man had no objections, and plainly said: “Let’s change to another one then.”
After weaving through thirty five streets, seeing thirty five guest houses, the sun had already set, everyone was back at the same place, in front of the entrance to Jin Jiang Guest House, apart from the young man, everyone else was extremely angry, thinking this lady is crazy!
Caretaker Zhao said angrily: “Young Master look……”
The young man took a glance at the dejected Lei Lei, and headed towards Jin Jiang Guest House, making the decision with his actions.
Lei Lei was at a loss for words, moreover her legs had already given in a long time ago, so she had no choice and followed dejectedly
To hell with all of them being named Jin Jiang Guest House!
From Jin Jiang Guest House number one to Jin Jiang Guest House number thirty five!
It seems that two years ago Leader He standardised the operations of running guest houses, to eliminate dubious shops, so all the guest houses were renamed as “Jin Jiang Guest House”, distinguishable by the unit’s registration number, so it was easy for merchants, which city which number, if there is no number or if it was called by a different name then it must be dubious, although this seems logical, but Lei Lei was insistent, that this was due to the designer from the R&D department slacking off, too lazy to even come up with names, as much as she is frustrated, it seems unavoidable.
Fortunately, the condition of the inn is not bad, the bedding is soft, Lei Lei had a good night’s sleep, until a knock on the door came at dusk.
Outside the door stood Caretaker Zhao: “Younger Master tells you to go downstairs to eat!” His expression seemed to be indicating a deep hatred towards her, making Lei Lei think that this old man hoped that she starves to death.
Bringing trouble and making mistakes, Lei Lei was fully aware, so she went downstairs without uttering a word.
The young man waited downstairs.
After taking a bath, he was still wearing blue and white robes, the only slight difference was in the style, a chic, yet relaxed kind of vibe, Lei Lei noticed, his knife never left his hand, people say that a person with a sword is graceful, but this knife in the young man’s hand, is not at all brute, instead it was imposing within its gentleness.
Caretaker Zhao put on an amiable smile: “Young Master, dinner has already been arranged, at the restaurant opposite of us.”
The young man nodded, and led everyone out.
Night envelops Jin Jiang City, the street is brightly lit, people come and go, the city looks different than it was in daytime, igniting feelings of filial piety, “roar when one encounters injustice” became “this night of the full moon”, or “me and you lingering and flying”, quite a different feeling.
“Drifting red clouds outside where the flute sounds, the intoxicated guest comes.”
An antique couplet hangs on both sides of the restaurant door, the restaurant is full of worldly flavours, it had a little bookish feel to it, looking to be considerably refined, and simultaneously its decorations are gorgeous, the inside was full of guests which gave off a warm and harmonious feeling, which would make one feel good at a glance, but after looking up and seeing the three big flamboyant words written in cursive calligraphy “Shu Ke Restaurant” on its plaque, Lei Lei backed away immediately: “Not this restaurant!” She firmly resisted.
[T/N: Original novel is four words “蜀客酒楼” but changed to three to fit the English translation “Shu Ke Restaurant”.]
This time including the young man, everyone did not even look at her, and headed straight in.
Lei Lei very much wanted to have the backbone to reject the food as a form of protest, but alas her stomach was more important than having a backbone, penniless, the half roasted duck was more or less digested during the journey, after pacing back and forth for half a minute, in the end she went in the entrance.
The restaurant’s business was booming, passing through quite a few tables, not knowing how many “sorrys” have been said, Lei Lei finally found the group. The table was already filled with hearty dishes, and with regards to her tardiness, nobody expressed much of an interest, other than to shift slightly in their seats to squeeze to one side, making an empty seat beside the young man.
When under the care of someone, one had to lower their heads, so Lei Lei sat down and ate silently.
Most likely because they were curious as to where the roasted duck had gone to earlier during noon, this time everyone’s eyes were fixated on her chopsticks, no matter how thick Lei Lei’s skin was, she ate cautiously, while scolding everyone in her heart, not like I ate your share, damn.
The young man gradually realised something was off: “How come you’re barely touching the dishes?”
Lei Lei implicitly said: “No appetite.” There’s so many people guarding the food!
The young man was thoughtful, and instructed Caretaker Zhao: “Order half a roasted duck.”
Despite Caretaker Zhao’s look of despise, Lei Lei was moved to tears, where else can she find a man like “Xiao Bai” who is so considerate and excellent both inside and outside, she needs to find a chance to grab onto him!
In order to solicit customers, the restaurant hired a storyteller, the man was so animated that his saliva flew as he spoke, what was originally a plain martial arts story became very interesting, and occasionally customers would go along with it.
The man was thirsty and drank some tea: “Next up would be a different matter, that has to do with Bai Sheng Shan Manor’s young owner Young Master Xiao Bai.”
Lei Lei immediately lifted her head.
Indeed someone was spouting nonsense.
“Xiao Xiao Feng Ming Dao?”
“Exactly,” The man shook his head, “Bai Sheng Shan Manor is known as the martials arts big dipper, assuming the responsibility to uphold justice in the martials arts world, and precisely because of this Feng Ming Dao, Qian Yue Cave and Chuan Qi Valley dare not create chaos, resulting in peace……”
Someone butted in: “Even if you don’t mention this, who doesn’t know that the Xiao Xiao Feng Ming Dao rules the world, currently Leader He refers to ‘left Xiao right Qin’, this ‘left Xiao’ refers to Young Master Xiao Bai.”
The mister laughed: “How much would you know, although the Xiao Xiao Feng Ming Dao is famous, in the history of the Xiao family only Young Master Xiao Bai has acquired the last move of ‘Xiao Xiao Feng Ming’, even Leader He personally admitted that he would be hard to beat!”
“I’m afraid it isn’t true?” Doubtful.
The mister unhesitatingly answered: “It’s definitely true! Qin Liu Feng’s personal book boy said so!”
“It’s a pity that he likes to keep a low profile, and is rarely seen.”
“Young Master Xiao hates evil as much as one would hate an enemy, still Leader He wouldn’t dispatch him for minor matters, and ever since two years ago when he beheaded ‘Hai Shang Luo Sha’, he has yet to reveal himself, until the longevity nut issue.”
To think that “Xiao Bai” is so famous! Lei Lei was surprised, she glanced over, only to see that Caretaker Zhao and the rest wore a proud expression, only the young man’s expression was indifferent, as if he did not overhear the discussion, she couldn’t help but admire, and at the same time was secretly laughing at those people, “Xiao Bai” is right in front of you yet you don’t know.
Someone urged: “Why are you not continuing?”
The mister laughed: “I was about to, this Young Master Xiao used to be engaged from a very young age.”
Those words hit Lei Lei hard, so he is already engaged, but she did not give much thought to it right after, so what if he is engaged, one can always divorce after getting married, as long as I the traverse girl have my eye on him, what fiance, she has to stand aside for me!
Amongst the crowd the men were curious, while the women were disappointed: “Who’s the lucky lady?”
The mister said proudly: “This has yet to be announced, other than myself, I’m afraid no one else has heard of it.”
Everyone was anxious: “Who is it?”
The mister answered slowly: “Actually this lady is also from a somewhat reputable family, you should have heard of them before, she is the daughter of Old Hua Manor in Ye Tan City, Young Mistress Hua!”
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