Wei Qinglou had informed the chef yesterday, so he knew they were coming. The chef specially prepared pastries, cold dishes, and soup early today. However, the crab noodles taste best when made fresh, so the chef only started cooking when they arrived.
About 15 minutes later, the three bowls of noodles were served.
Wei Qinglou picked up his chopsticks and handed them to Zhu Jiayu: "Try it."
Zhu Jiayu hesitated for a moment, then decided not to make things difficult for herself and picked up a bite of noodles to eat.
Zhu Congjian shook his head and laughed, "Why are you still as afraid of trouble as you were when you were a kid?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Qinglou looked at Zhu Congjian with a puzzled expression.
Zhu Congjian explained, "Don't let her gentle and quiet appearance fool you. At home, she's the most spoiled and lazy person. When she was little, she loved to eat shrimp, but she refused to peel them herself. She would insist on making me peel them for her. Sometimes she was unreasonable, and she wouldn't eat shrimp unless I peeled them for her myself. The same goes for crabs."
He sighed as he spoke.
He didn't know when it started, but she began eating less and less shrimp and crab. He knew it wasn't that his daughter didn't like them, but that she didn't want to trouble others to cook them anymore, so she simply stopped eating them.
It seems like the little girl grew up and became sensible in the blink of an eye. Not long ago, she was joking around by pulling his beard, but now she can shoulder the responsibility of a family.
Zhu Jiayu remained silent for a while before pouting and retorting softly, "I didn't."
Zhu Congjian looked at her, smiled tolerantly, washed his hands in the copper basin, and prepared to peel crabs for her.
Unexpectedly, Wei Qinglou beat him to it and had already taken the crab from his daughter's bowl. He looked at Wei Qinglou's actions in surprise, but Wei Qinglou seemed oblivious, only looking at Zhu Jiayu and saying slowly, "I'm not afraid of trouble."
Therefore, you can leave any things you don't want to do to him.
Zhu Jiayu turned her head away: "If Lord Wei likes peeling crabs, why don't you peel my father's crabs too?"
She was deliberately trying to make things difficult for him.
Wei Qinglou wasn't angry. He smiled good-naturedly and said indulgently, "Okay."
...
Meanwhile, upstairs in the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, Rong Heng, dressed in an apricot-colored brocade robe, sat at a table. In front of him sat a thin, middle-aged man.
The man had handsome features and dressed simply, but the materials used were of high quality, far beyond what ordinary wealthy families could afford. Yet, his face also bore the weariness of someone who had experienced many hardships, like a rock that had been exposed and dried on a cliff, presenting a rough and hard texture.
"Your Excellency summoned me here today, surely to discuss something important?" After the maid poured tea, she withdrew. Only after the door closed did Rong Heng speak with a faint smile.
“Young Master Rong, why are you in such a hurry? Why not try this new tea from early winter? After all, business is only temporary, but friendship can last a long time. Don’t you think so?” The man raised his hand and gestured for him to enter.
"That may be true, but I am a businessman after all. If you do not state your purpose, sir, this tea... please forgive me, but I really cannot drink it."
After Rong Heng finished speaking, he looked indifferently at the middle-aged man in front of him.
The man exuded an aura of someone who had long held a high position. This aura was like a sword sheathed in its sheath; its brilliance and sharpness were restrained, yet could not be concealed.
Rong Heng possessed a gentle and refined demeanor, like the moon and jade, but the slight chill in his eyes softened his gentleness, making him appear no less impressive in comparison.
“Since Young Master Rong has put it that way, I’ll get straight to the point. I hope Young Master Rong can provide me with a batch of weapons, preferably something like this.” The man pushed the wooden box beside him toward Rong Heng, gesturing for him to open it.
Rong Heng glanced at him, then lowered his head and opened the box, finding half a red-tasseled spear inside. Judging from where the spear was broken, it had been broken by brute force.
He had a guess in his mind, picked up the red-tasseled spear, and snapped it hard. Sure enough, half of the red-tasseled spear broke in two again.
He looked up at the man and said, "Although I am indeed a greedy person, this business is too risky. You should find someone else to do it."
The guns bore the markings of the Da Ye army, clearly indicating that the man intended to deliver these weapons to the military.
Rong Heng was audacious and reckless, dabbling in both salt and iron trade, but he only operated in the gray area. However, if he were to produce a batch of weapons according to the requirements of the person in front of him, he would be blatantly courting death.
"It is precisely because I understand that Young Master Rong has concerns that I have come to see you in person today. The reason I asked you to provide such a weapon is naturally because I want to kill certain people. Young Master Rong, think about it, aren't dead people the most likely to keep their mouths shut? How could they let things be exposed? So you can put your mind at ease."
“Of course, I won’t let you suffer a loss, Young Master Rong.” He gestured. “How about this price?”
"Sir, you're very generous. But I have one last question: where are you sending these weapons?"
The man stared at him for a long time, his sharp, hawk-like gaze coldly fixed on him. After a long while, he chuckled and said, "Young Master Rong, knowing too much is not a good thing."
“Is that so?” Rong Heng tilted his head. “But I thought that when the adult came to me, we were already in the same boat.”
"Hahahaha." The man laughed a few times, dipped his finger in the tea, and wrote a word on the table.
Rong Heng lowered his eyes, and after a moment he smiled and said, "Originally I really didn't want to do this business, but since it's his idea, I don't want to refuse."
"What, does Young Master Rong have a past with him?"
“It has nothing to do with him; he’s his younger brother.” Rong Heng was unwilling to say more, and said solemnly, “My lord, please wait for my news. However, now that you have finished your deal with me, I have another matter to ask you about.”
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