Chapter 265 The Fox's Tea Party
The afternoon after the turmoil subsided, Qin Zheng walked into Courtyard No. 1 carrying a cardboard box.
"Miss, Wu Wenshan sent someone to deliver this."
Su Wantang took the box, opened it, and saw that it was a gold-embossed invitation.
"Dear Mr. Bai: Yesterday's matter was truly a misunderstanding. I have prepared some tea at the Jingxin Tea House in the suburbs of Beijing and sincerely invite you to grace us with your presence and reminisce. Respectfully yours, Wu Wenshan."
His handwriting was neat and his tone was earnest, completely different from Wu Wenshan who had sent Sun Weidong to cause trouble the day before yesterday.
"Is this a trap?" Qin Zheng frowned.
Su Wantang tossed the invitation onto the table: "Yes. But it's also an opportunity."
She looked up at Qin Zheng: "Find out all the details about Wu Wenshan for me, the more detailed the better. Find out his resume, connections, and family situation."
"Understood." Qin Zheng turned and left.
Two hours later, a file was placed in front of Su Wantang.
She turned to the first page: Wu Wenshan, 52 years old, Deputy Director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, in charge of enterprise supervision. Originally from Fujian, he had worked in the tea business in the south in his early years before entering the government system.
The second page records his network of relationships. His wife's maiden name was Qian, and she came from a prominent family in Beijing, specifically the lineage of Madam Qian.
The third page is the most interesting. Wu Wenshan is a tea fanatic, especially fond of Da Hong Pao from Wuyi Mountain. He has hundreds of tins of tea at home, all of which are high-quality goods brought back from Fujian through connections.
After reading it, Su Wantang's lips curled into a smile.
She got up, went into the study, locked the door, and entered the Begonia Space.
The large red-robed mother tree in the space was growing well, its leaves dark green and glossy. She personally picked about ten terminal buds, washed them with spiritual spring water, and stir-fried them according to ancient methods.
Two hours later, a small packet of tea was ready.
Su Wantang picked up a piece, held it to her nose, and smelled it. The aroma was refreshing and the aftertaste lingered. If this stuff were on the market, Wu Wenshan's collection would have to take a backseat.
She found a piece of oiled paper, carefully wrapped the tea leaves, and put them into her cloth bag.
...
Northwest, on the outskirts of the Mingsha mining area.
At midnight, Lu Jingyan, wearing a sand-colored cloak, led the "Knife Tip" team to sneak behind a sloping hill.
Fifty meters ahead was Black Sand Scorpion's smuggling trading point. Several trucks were parked there, their headlights illuminating a pile of wooden crates, and a dozen or so people were busy loading goods onto the trucks.
"Captain, this is it." Wang Kun lay down next to Lu Jingyan and said in a low voice, "That guy in the fur coat is Black Sand Scorpion."
Lu Jingyan raised his binoculars and saw the face clearly. He was in his thirties, with a scar on his face, and was directing his men to work.
"Who's that guy in the wool coat on the other side?"
"I don't know him. But his accent sounds like he's from out of town."
Lu Jingyan put down his binoculars and made a gesture.
The Blade Point Squad immediately dispersed and silently surrounded the trading point.
Black Sand Scorpion was squatting on the ground smoking when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
He turned around and saw seven or eight gun barrels pointed at his forehead.
"Don't move." Lu Jingyan emerged from the darkness, his voice as cold as the night wind in the Gobi Desert.
Black Sand Scorpion's men tried to resist, but the Knife Tip Squad opened fire. Several bullets grazed their toes and hit the ground, startling everyone into raising their hands.
The middle-aged man in the wool coat was deathly pale, and stammered, "Misunderstanding...misunderstanding, we're just doing small business..."
"Small business?" Lu Jingyan walked to the truck and lifted the tarpaulin.
Boxes of ore were exposed, gleaming with a bluish light under the moonlight.
"You call this a small business dealing of rare minerals that are explicitly prohibited from export by the state?"
The middle-aged man's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud: "Sir, spare my life! I'm just a errand boy, I'm not the real boss!"
"Take him away." Lu Jingyan waved his hand.
The Bladepoint Squad loaded everyone onto the vehicle and hauled them back to their temporary base, along with the ore.
...
In the interrogation room, Black Sand Scorpion was tied to a chair.
He was quite defiant at first, keeping his mouth shut and not saying a word.
Lu Jingyan wasn't in a hurry. He just stood in front of him and smoked one cigarette after another.
Smoke slowly filled the room, and Black Sand Scorpion began to cough.
"Tell me, who's behind you?" Lu Jingyan flicked his cigarette ash.
"I don't know!" Black Sand Scorpion roared.
"Don't know?" Lu Jingyan laughed. "Then where did these ores come from? Who were they sold to? Who decided on the routes? You don't know any of that either?"
The black sand scorpion gritted its teeth and remained silent.
Lu Jingyan turned around and walked to the table, picked up the ledger that had been searched from the truck, and opened to the first page.
"Black Sand Scorpion, real name Li Dashan, thirty-two years old, has an elderly mother and a younger brother. His younger brother is studying in high school in the county town, has good grades, and is preparing to take the college entrance examination next year."
Black Sand Scorpion's expression changed.
Lu Jingyan continued reading: "Your mother has heart disease and needs to take medication every month. You paid for your younger brother's tuition."
"What do you want to do?!" Black Sand Scorpion roared.
“I don’t want to do anything.” Lu Jingyan closed the ledger. “But if you don’t tell me, I’ll have to bring your brother over and ask him if he knows what his brother is doing.”
Black Sand Scorpion's eyes turned red: "You dare!"
"You'll see if I dare." Lu Jingyan's voice was devoid of any warmth.
Black Sand Scorpion trembled all over, remained silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "I'll talk... I'll talk..."
He lowered his head, his voice trembling with tears: "It's Eagle's Nest... There's a guy called Messenger. He's the one who always contacts me, asking me to transport the ore out and paying me..."
"What does a messenger look like?"
"I don't know... He always wears a mask, and his voice changes too..."
Lu Jingyan narrowed his eyes: "Where is he?"
"I really don't know!" Black Sand Scorpion exclaimed anxiously. "He always shows up suddenly, makes the deal, and leaves without ever saying where he is..."
Lu Jingyan stared at him for a few seconds to make sure he wasn't lying.
“Then draw a map and mark all of Eagle’s Nest’s strongholds around the mining area.”
Black Sand Scorpion was stunned for a moment: "I...how should I know..."
"Stop pretending." Lu Jingyan interrupted him. "You've worked for them for so long, you must have seen those places. Draw, start drawing now."
Half an hour later, a hand-drawn map was placed in front of Lu Jingyan.
The seven red dots marked above represent Eagle's Nest's safe houses and warehouses around the mining area.
Lu Jingyan picked up the map, turned around, and walked out of the interrogation room.
Wang Kun and the others were outside: "Brigade Commander Lu, how is it?"
"Pass down the order: a full-scale attack at 3 a.m. tomorrow."
...
Beijing, 10 a.m. the next day.
Su Wantang changed into a navy blue cheongsam, put on a beige trench coat, and went out carrying the bag of tea.
Qin Zheng drove all the way to the Jingxin Tea House on the outskirts of Beijing.
The teahouse is built halfway up the mountain, surrounded by a bamboo forest. You can smell a faint sandalwood scent as soon as you enter.
Wu Wenshan was already waiting inside.
He was wearing a light gray long robe, and immediately stood up when he saw Su Wantang: "Boss Bai, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Director Wu, you're too kind," Su Wantang said with a smile as she sat down.
Wu Wenshan personally poured her tea, his movements elegant and composed: "This is newly harvested Wuyi rock tea this year, Ms. Bai, please have a taste."
Su Wantang picked up her cup and took a small sip.
The tea soup is clear, slightly bitter at first, but with a quick sweet aftertaste. It is indeed a good tea.
"Not bad." She put down her cup.
Wu Wenshan smiled: "Mr. Bai is so young, yet he has managed to build Haitang Technology to this scale. It is truly admirable."
Su Wantang realized that this was the beginning of a test.
"Director Wu, you flatter me. I'm just a small business owner; how can I compare to a cadre like you who works so hard for the country?"
"Not at all," Wu Wenshan refilled her tea. "Now that the country is advocating reform and opening up, it needs entrepreneurs like Boss Bai who have courage and vision."
The two chatted back and forth for more than half an hour.
Wu Wenshan remained all smiles, never mentioning the business inspection, but instead kept asking her for her opinion on Beijing's economic development.
Su Wantang handled the situation with ease, presenting himself as a passionate young entrepreneur dedicated to serving his country.
As they chatted, the topic turned to tea.
Wu Wenshan showed her several jars of tea he had collected, each of which had quite a history.
As Su Wantang listened to him speak, she picked up her cup and sipped her tea.
When she was drinking the third cup, she suddenly put down the cup and said, "Director Wu, if I may be so bold, your tea is good, but it's been overcooked a little."
Wu Wenshan was taken aback: "Oh? Mr. Bai also knows about tea?"
"I know a little bit about it." Su Wantang took out the packet of tea from her cloth bag. "I happen to have some homemade Da Hong Pao tea here. If Director Wu doesn't mind, would you like to try some?"
Wu Wenshan took the tea leaves, opened the oil paper package, and his eyes lit up.
He could tell the quality of the tea leaves at a glance. The leaves were tightly rolled and had a dark, lustrous color, making them a grade higher than the best tea he had in his collection.
He quickly boiled water and brewed the soup himself, discarding the first brew and making the second.
Wu Wenshan picked up the cup; the tea soup was bright orange-yellow and had a fragrant aroma.
He took a small sip carefully.
In that instant, his eyes widened in shock.
This flavor... is mellow and lingering, with a distinct rocky character and a lasting sweet aftertaste... He has been drinking tea for so many years, and he has never tasted such a good Da Hong Pao!
“This…this is…” Wu Wenshan looked at Su Wantang, his eyes filled with shock and greed.
Su Wantang smiled and said, "This is all that's left from our ancestors. If Director Wu likes it, this bag is yours."
Wu Wenshan's hand holding the teacup was trembling.
He looked at Su Wantang, his gaze becoming complex and profound.
Who exactly is this woman?
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