Chapter 159 A Touch of Winter Plum

Chen Yi knew that Wang Ji was not just being polite.

After visiting Guiyun Academy the day before yesterday, the discussions among scholars in Shuzhou City had already reached his ears.

If he hadn't feigned illness and stayed home to avoid guests, Chunhe Garden would have been overflowing with people long ago.

Even so, many members of prominent families who felt they could speak with the Xiao family still flocked to Qingjing Residence and Jiaxing Garden.

Chen Yi was aware of all of this.

It wasn't that his cultivation level had improved, but rather that his hearing had become sharper.

It was because of Xiaodie, the "know-it-all".

I don't know if she's just popular, but every time she leaves Chunhe Garden a day, she brings back a few messages.

Which master is it, and what was his former official rank? He's gone to see the old master.

Which lady and young lady went to Jiaxingyuan as guests, etc.

In addition, Xiao Wan'er has come over to talk to him these past two days.

I bring him a bowl of ginger tea when he comes in the morning so he can drink it while it's hot.

If she comes over in the evening, she will prepare dinner in Chunhe Garden.

Then, during the meal, they talked about who they had met during the day, what some of them said, and what their current relationship with the Xiao family was.

Most of the time, Chen Yi would let it go in one ear and out the other, making no promises.

Of course, Xiao Wan'er wouldn't make any promises, much less force Chen Yi to agree to those people's requests to "go through the back door".

Unwittingly, she shielded Chen Yi from a lot of trouble.

However, not everyone in the Marquis's mansion is as sensible as the old master and Xiao Wan'er.

For example, Xiao Dongchen from the second wife's family once approached Xiao Wan'er and asked her to inquire about it.

People also came to Xiao Shen's side of the third branch of the family.

Chen Yi naturally refused them all.

These days, it takes him an hour to have a hundred students in the academy annotate a single exercise book, which is enough to give him a headache.

He didn't want any more students to come and turn him into a beast of burden at Guiyun Academy.

They exchanged a few pleasantries.

Wang Ji wrote two characters on the stone table with tea, and sighed:

"The hottest days of summer are almost over, so tea sales will probably be affected."

Chen Yi glanced at the words "Seeking Advice" on the table, smiled but didn't rush to answer. He picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea.

"Mr. Wang is good at thinking three steps ahead for every one step he takes."

Wang Ji looked embarrassed and picked up his teacup to cover it up, saying, "Mr. Qingzhou, you flatter me."

"I'm sure you're aware of the current situation at Jishi Pharmacy. With the continuous rain, the docks and the East and West Markets are mostly filled with idlers, and Wangji Tea sales are down by 10% compared to before."

"Although many people come here every day because of its reputation, there are times when they can't drink this tea."

Chen Yi took a sip of tea, understood the meaning behind his words, and shook his head with a smile:

"In business, not losing money is making a profit, and making less money is still making a profit. Some fluctuations are normal."

"Instead of wasting energy on this, we should think more about how to open source."

Five tea drinks are enough at present. It's not that we can't create new tea drinks, but that it's unnecessary.

He had previously thought that Wang Ji understood that the next key point was to open Baicaotang in other prefectures and counties, but now it seemed that Wang Ji's vision was not far-sighted enough.

As long as he can open a few more Baicaotang stores, he's confident he can make money hand over fist, even if Wangji Tea is given away for free.

After listening, Wang Ji lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He understood the root of the problem, and tears welled up in his eyes. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Qingzhou."

"Mr. Wang, you're too kind."

"I'm just talking theory; in the future, Jishi Pharmacy will have to rely on your Baicaotang more."

"Mr. Qingzhou, you flatter me..."

After exchanging a few more casual words, Wang Ji took a letter from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"This is a thank-you letter that Liu Yun asked me to pass on to you. His injuries have healed."

"oh?"

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, guessing that there must have been progress on Liu Lang's side, so he simply put the letter away.

Upon seeing this, Wang Ji rose to take his leave.

Just as Chen Yi was about to return to his study to check on Liu Lang, Xiao Wan'er arrived with her entourage, each carrying several account books.

Chen Yi saw them from afar and had no choice but to put the letter away.

As he stood up and instructed Xiaodie to move the tea set to the outside of the railing, he called out:

"Big sister."

Xiao Wan'er nodded, signaling Cui'er and Juan'er to put down the account books. She then looked him up and down, smiling, and said:

"You look much better; you should be alright now."

Chen Yi nodded, thinking to himself that if it weren't to avoid those unnecessary social engagements, why would he pretend to be sick?

"Did no one from the manor go to Jiaxing Garden today?"

Xiao Wan'er gently shook her head: "I have already instructed Hua Tang to temporarily keep them away."

After speaking, she paused, then pointed to the account books on the table and said:

"Wang Ji just told me that the owner of Baicaotang will arrive in Shuzhou in two days. I want to calculate the profits and buy him some presentable gifts."

"It's up to you, eldest sister, to make the decision. I don't understand these things."

"Are you clueless, or are you just trying to shirk your responsibilities?"

Chen Yi was slightly taken aback, but after noticing the reproach on her face, he said frankly, "I really don't understand."

"I'll believe you for now."

Even so, after calculating the various expenses for the next month, Xiao Wan'er was overjoyed to see that there were still 11,000 taels of silver left in the storeroom.

"Brother-in-law, what do you think is a good gift for him?"

he?

Me.

Chen Yi's heart stirred slightly when he saw that she was really going to give him a gift:

"I heard from Wang Ji that the owner of Baicaotang is a fishing enthusiast. Why don't we give him a set of fishing gear?"

Xiao Wan'er was taken aback. "Isn't that inappropriate?"

"We've made so much money from Baicaotang, how can we just give away a set of fishing gear?"

"Big sister, you probably don't do fishing very often. There's a lot more to fishing gear than you think."

"Although the ordinary fishing gear in the East Market is only worth fifty coins, it is only one or two taels of silver in the West Market."

Chen Yi said with a serious expression, "But some people who really enjoy fishing have fishing gear worth at least 10,000 to 20,000 taels of silver."

Xiao Wan'er's beautiful eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised. "Just a fishing rod? Worth ten thousand taels?"

"Of course."

"The pole is made from ice bamboo, which is unique to the East China Sea. It is jade white and smooth all over, and has excellent toughness. Each pole is worth three thousand taels of silver, and there is no market for it."

"The fishing line is woven from the sinews of deep-sea whales, and it is said that even a martial arts expert of the third rank would find it difficult to break."

"The fishhook is forged from cold iron, and ordinary fish will be frozen instantly as soon as they bite the bait."

At this point, Chen Yi couldn't help but rub his hands together and said with a smile, "Tell me, how could it not be worth ten thousand taels of silver?"

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once it was brought up, he started to get itchy.

This fishing gear was something he had heard from Duke Gan and Sun Fu before; it had an elegant name: "A Touch of Winter Plum Blossom".

This is because when the fishing hook is cast into the river, an ice flower will appear on the surface due to the effect of the ice bamboo and cold iron.

Clearly, Xiao Wan'er had never heard of the name "A Little Plum Blossom in the Cold".

Even if she knew, she wouldn't spend that much money to give the owner of Baicaotang a fishing rod.

"I'll give this to you when I've earned more money in the future."

Chen Yi nodded with some regret, "Alright."

Seeing his expression, Xiao Wan'er couldn't help but tease him:

"I think my brother-in-law wants one too."

"Of course, that's a treasure for fishing enthusiasts."

Seeing the hint of longing on his face, Xiao Wan'er's heart stirred slightly, and she asked thoughtfully:

Where can I buy that ice bamboo fishing rod?

"It's called 'A Touch of Winter Plum,' not some kind of ice bamboo fishing rod. As for where to buy it, I don't know."

Xiao Wan'er nodded, said nothing more, and silently noted these things down.

The household is currently not well-off and doesn't have much money.

If the warehouse becomes full in the future, she wouldn't mind giving Chen Yi a "little plum blossom".

Although Chen Yi was enthusiastic, he also felt that spending so much money on a fishing rod was a bit of a waste, so he changed the subject.

To prevent him from impulsively spending all the money he had on him.

As noon approached, Xiao Wan'er got up to leave.

"Remember to come with me to meet the owner of Baicaotang the day after tomorrow. I heard that his surname is also Chen and his name is Chen Yu. Perhaps you have some connection with him."

"It's probably too late, I have to go to the academy that day."

"It's alright, you can say a few words to him when you come back for your meal."

"..."

Seeing Xiao Wan'er give instructions and then get up to return to Jiaxing Garden, Chen Yi sighed inwardly.

He doesn't possess supernatural abilities like the ability to create clones, so how could he possibly be under the same roof?

He might have to find an excuse to stay outside the mansion.

After lunch, Chen Yi returned to his room and opened Liu Lang's letter to read it.

The content is very short, only three lines.

[I've already promised Heizi, but the time is undecided.]

[Having heard that others also wanted to get involved, Kuroko was very happy, saying that the chances of success this time were very high.]

[Hei Zi asked me to meet that person tomorrow night. What's he going to say?]

Chen Yi frowned slightly after reading it.

"Are the others very confident?"

His first thought was of the hidden guards.

But the hidden guard had previously said he was going to send a message to some pavilion master in the capital.

Two days shouldn't be enough time for correspondence, right?

Or did the Hidden Guards contact Black Fang in advance?

He pondered for a moment.

Chen Yi had two guesses.

First, there's the "tigress" in the hidden guards.

Judging from what I heard the night before, she already had connections with Black Fang and might be making arrangements before waiting for news from Kyoto Prefecture.

Secondly, it could be the wealthy patron who paid for the service or some influential figure.

If it's the first scenario, that's fine. The Hidden Guards have a large energy field, but there aren't many martial arts experts among them. "Knife Maniac" is strong enough to handle it.

If it's the latter... he'll probably have to think of a solution.

"Tsk, I knew things weren't going to go smoothly, luckily there's still time."

It seems I'll need to visit Baicaotang tomorrow.

"I wonder if the old man and the others have received the news."

Chen Yi muttered to himself, glanced out the window at the quiet house, and shook his head slightly.

Whether you know or not, it doesn't matter.

This time, he plans to do something and deal with some people.

...

Dinner time.

Xiao Wan'er sent someone to say that she was hosting a banquet for Madam Tang and her daughter, so she wouldn't be coming.

Chen Yi also heard the sounds coming from Jiaxingyuan, so he instructed Xiaodie to bring the food from the kitchen.

It seems that his calligraphy skills brought some benefits to the Xiao family after they spread.

Just like the Tang family.

Although Tang Zixin didn't show up, his wife has been visiting the Xiao family quite often these past few days.

Although she came for the sake of her son Tang Ye's education, the Xiao family was happy to see it happen.

Chen Yi was aware of all this, but he didn't try to take credit.

After all, there are pros and cons to everything.

In the eyes of the old man and others, this was a good thing.

But in the eyes of other people with ulterior motives, it is an absolutely bad thing.

He needs to be careful in the near future.

Xiaodie prepared dinner.

Xiao Wuge and Pei Guanli had just arrived in the living room.

"Brother-in-law, guess how high my cultivation level is now?"

"Middle Eighth Rank"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good, right?"

It's unclear whether it was because of Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang's duel or something else, but she diligently cultivated for several days in a row.

If Xiaodie hadn't finished all the food she brought, he would have suspected that Tiger Girl was sick.

Fortunately, hearing that she has made a breakthrough in her cultivation is good news.

"Where's my brother-in-law?"

Seeing Pei Guanli start to speak without restraint, Chen Yi said irritably, "Middle third rank."

"ah?"

Chen Yi tapped her directly, "What 'huh'? I'm a ninth-rank martial artist, why are you asking about my cultivation level?"

Seeing this, Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die next to them laughed without a care in the world.

But Tiger Girl wasn't angry, thinking that she knew her brother-in-law's secret.

Ignorance is no excuse, and ignorance is no crime.

After chatting and laughing for a while, we rested.

Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Yi returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to practice the Four Symbols Technique.

To some extent, what he told Tiger Girl wasn't entirely a lie.

Because he's breaking through to the middle third rank tonight!

(End of this chapter)