biography of lvan

Everything Ivan said not only stunned the baron and his wife but also left all the surrounding nobles feeling bewildered.Baron Lipper took a look at Ivan, confirming that the young man wasn't joking, and then asked, "Excuse me, to be frank, I still can't figure out what this gift from Mr. Odrie Juan is exactly.""It's tea, tea transported from Tor via Otto. Uncle originally prepared a set of silverware as a gift, a set of silverware that could be used to entertain six guests. However, just before leaving, a batch of goods arrived, and the most precious thing in the goods was these beverages from the East.
 To express his apology for not being able to come in person, he asked me to bring one of these tea bricks as a gift. Because of the rush, there was really no time to cut the tea brick into small pieces and attach gold foil. You know, these precious items from the East will get damp quickly if they aren't wrapped with gold foil or sealed with wax, just like youth and beauty. Precious things always lose their luster so easily," Ivan said.
Only then did the people around suddenly realize that it was tea, and it was an intact, large tea brick, which was extremely precious. Generally, these large tea bricks were cut into one-inch cubic pieces, tightly wrapped with gold foil on the outside, and sold to wealthy families.Such large tea bricks were rarely given as gifts, as it was really an extremely expensive present.The baron and his wife clearly hadn't expected that the "unimpressive gift" would be so valuable. That newly acquainted Mr. Odrie was indeed a generous person.
As for Lord Kewell Egrete Juan, Baron Lipper had a vague impression. He seemed to be a bankrupt noble from a foreign country and had once been active in the diplomatic field. At that time, he himself was serving as a private secretary under the former Minister of Finance, Count Badumon. The reason he could remember this person was entirely because Lord Kewell Egrete Juan was one of the few exiled nobles who had been conferred a title by His Majesty the King.
Generally speaking, nobles who fled from other countries were just commoners in France, and their noble status wasn't recognized. However, occasionally, some exiled nobles were promoted to lords because of their special achievements.They could only be regarded as commoner nobles and didn't have the qualification for hereditary titles.
However, because they originally had noble blood, they were treated as special cases and could enjoy the qualification for inheritance, but they needed to pay a large amount of tax to His Majesty the King.Nobles with such an identity were really rare in France.That's why he remembered Lord Kewell Egrete Juan.As for that Mr. Odrie Juan, Baron Lipper hadn't known him for long. Although they got along well and in his impression, Odrie was an elegant and knowledgeable person who suited his taste very much, he hadn't expected that he would be so generous.
The baron was a bit puzzled about this. Was it really just to express his apology for not being able to attend the ball in person? If so, such a generous gift was really too precious.If there were other intentions, he himself had nothing. The only most precious wealth he had was a gentle and considerate wife and a beautiful daughter.However, looking at the young man sent by him, he was really too young, so that possibility should be ruled out.
Although he was a bit puzzled in his heart, for Mr. Odrie Juan's precious gift, the baron had to show some courtesy at least. He took Ivan's hand and said, "Oh, your uncle is really too generous. You must convey my gratitude on my behalf. Your uncle is a great man. Ivan! By the way, can I call you Ivan? Your uncle is the most knowledgeable person I've ever met. Is he a master scholar? Oh, undoubtedly, he must be a master scholar. Only such a title can match a person as erudite as him.
"By the way, Ivan, you have to tell me how to preserve these precious beverages from the East. Since the war between Otto and Tor, this beverage has become rarer and rarer. I don't want to waste your uncle's kind intention.""It's nothing," Ivan said modestly. He knew that he had already successfully attracted the attention of everyone, including this Baron Lipper. Now was a good opportunity to consolidate this impression. Although he didn't like tea himself, when it came to knowledge about tea, Ivan was an expert. He talked eloquently about cutting the tea brick into pieces, sealing and storing it, grinding it for use, brewing it, filtering the tea dregs, and even the proportion of mixing it with honey and milk.
After saying these, Ivan suddenly remembered what Mr. Juan had said about drinking tea. He repeated it as it was: "There has always been a saying that drinking tea can slow down aging. Unfortunately, there's no strong evidence. King Louis V of France was a tea lover, but, as we all know, a dagger ended his young life at the age of thirty. However, drinking tea can relieve fatigue. For people with insufficient sleep, tea can save them from the clutches of sleepiness.

"As far as I feel, tea seems to have a natural affinity with mint. Adding one or two drops of mint to a pot of tea makes it perfect. Tea is also helpful for digestion. Mixing tea with milk and adding some nuts, my grandfather likes juniper berries, while I prefer walnuts. It's the best beverage after a meal."

"I must say, Ivan, you're as knowledgeable as your uncle!" the baron exclaimed."You flatter me," Ivan thought to himself, feeling secretly happy. He had at least achieved half of his success."Your uncle is busy, so he sent you. It seems that it's precisely because of your knowledge, right?" the baron asked."Oh, it's not like that. Besides me and my grandfather, Uncle has no other relatives," Ivan said. Now, according to the plan, he needed to arouse sympathy."Why?" the baron asked in great surprise.
"You should know the plague that happened in South Port a few years ago," Ivan said."That was really a disaster," the baron said with emotion."That plague took away most of my relatives," Ivan said in a heavy tone. He wasn't lying, as his parents had indeed passed away and left him behind because of this disaster."I'm sorry to make you recall such sad memories," the baron said, feeling ashamed that he didn't know about the sad past of his good friend Odrie."Everything has passed," Ivan pretended to be indifferent and said."Is your uncle taking care of everything now?" the baron asked.
Everything Ivan said not only stunned the baron and his wife but also left all the surrounding nobles feeling bewildered.Baron Lipper took a look at Ivan, confirming that the young man wasn't joking, and then asked, "Excuse me, to be frank, I still can't figure out what this gift from Mr. Odrie Juan is exactly.""It's tea, tea transported from Tor via Otto. Uncle originally prepared a set of silverware as a gift, a set of silverware that could be used to entertain six guests. However, just before leaving, a batch of goods arrived, and the most precious thing in the goods was these beverages from the East. To express his apology for not being able to come in person, he asked me to bring one of these tea bricks as a gift.
 Because of the rush, there was really no time to cut the tea brick into small pieces and attach gold foil. You know, these precious items from the East will get damp quickly if they aren't wrapped with gold foil or sealed with wax, just like youth and beauty. Precious things always lose their luster so easily," Ivan said.
Only then did the people around suddenly realize that it was tea, and it was an intact, large tea brick, which was extremely precious. Generally, these large tea bricks were cut into one-inch cubic pieces, tightly wrapped with gold foil on the outside, and sold to wealthy families.Such large tea bricks were rarely given as gifts, as it was really an extremely expensive present.The baron and his wife clearly hadn't expected that the "unimpressive gift" would be so valuable. That newly acquainted Mr. Odrie was indeed a generous person.
As for Lord Kewell Egrete Juan, Baron Lipper had a vague impression. He seemed to be a bankrupt noble from a foreign country and had once been active in the diplomatic field. At that time, he himself was serving as a private secretary under the former Minister of Finance, Count Badumon. The reason he could remember this person was entirely because Lord Kewell Egrete Juan was one of the few exiled nobles who had been conferred a title by His Majesty the King.Generally speaking, nobles who fled from other countries were just commoners in France, and their noble status wasn't recognized. However, occasionally, some exiled nobles were promoted to lords because of their special achievements.
They could only be regarded as commoner nobles and didn't have the qualification for hereditary titles.However, because they originally had noble blood, they were treated as special cases and could enjoy the qualification for inheritance, but they needed to pay a large amount of tax to His Majesty the King.Nobles with such an identity were really rare in France.That's why he remembered Lord Kewell Egrete Juan.
As for that Mr. Odrie Juan, Baron Lipper hadn't known him for long. Although they got along well and in his impression, Odrie was an elegant and knowledgeable person who suited his taste very much, he hadn't expected that he would be so generous.The baron was a bit puzzled about this. Was it really just to express his apology for not being able to attend the ball in person? If so, such a generous gift was really too precious.If there were other intentions, he himself had nothing. The only most precious wealth he had was a gentle and considerate wife and a beautiful daughter.
However, looking at the young man sent by him, he was really too young, so that possibility should be ruled out.Although he was a bit puzzled in his heart, for Mr. Odrie Juan's precious gift, the baron had to show some courtesy at least. He took Ivan's hand and said, "Oh, your uncle is really too generous. You must convey my gratitude on my behalf. Your uncle is a great man. Ivan! By the way, can I call you Ivan? Your uncle is the most knowledgeable person I've ever met. Is he a master scholar? Oh, undoubtedly, he must be a master scholar. Only such a title can match a person as erudite as him.
"By the way, Ivan, you have to tell me how to preserve these precious beverages from the East. Since the war between Otto and Tor, this beverage has become rarer and rarer. I don't want to waste your uncle's kind intention.""It's nothing," Ivan said modestly. He knew that he had already successfully attracted the attention of everyone, including this Baron Lipper. Now was a good opportunity to consolidate this impression. Although he didn't like tea himself, when it came to knowledge about tea, Ivan was an expert. He talked eloquently about cutting the tea brick into pieces, sealing and storing it, grinding it for use, brewing it, filtering the tea dregs, and even the proportion of mixing it with honey and milk.
After saying these, Ivan suddenly remembered what Mr. Juan had said about drinking tea. He repeated it as it was: "There has always been a saying that drinking tea can slow down aging. Unfortunately, there's no strong evidence. King Louis V of France was a tea lover, but, as we all know, a dagger ended his young life at the age of thirty. However, drinking tea can relieve fatigue. For people with insufficient sleep, tea can save them from the clutches of sleepiness.

"As far as I feel, tea seems to have a natural affinity with mint. Adding one or two drops of mint to a pot of tea makes it perfect. Tea is also helpful for digestion. Mixing tea with milk and adding some nuts, my grandfather likes juniper berries, while I prefer walnuts. It's the best beverage after a meal."

"I must say, Ivan, you're as knowledgeable as your uncle!" the baron exclaimed."You flatter me," Ivan thought to himself, feeling secretly happy. He had at least achieved half of his success."Your uncle is busy, so he sent you. It seems that it's precisely because of your knowledge, right?" the baron asked."Oh, it's not like that. Besides me and my grandfather, Uncle has no other relatives," Ivan said. Now, according to the plan, he needed to arouse sympathy."Why?" the baron asked in great surprise."You should know the plague that happened in South Port a few years ago," Ivan said."That was really a disaster," the baron said with emotion."That plague took away most of my relatives," Ivan said in a heavy tone. He wasn't lying, as his parents had indeed passed away and left him behind because of this disaster."I'm sorry to make you recall such sad memories," the baron said, feeling ashamed that he didn't know about the sad past of his good friend Odrie."Everything has passed," Ivan pretended to be indifferent and said."Is your uncle taking care of everything now?" the baron asked.
"Yes. Since that disaster, my grandfather has been in a state of collapse. When he was young, he was a man who lived in a carriage all day long, traveling between different countries every day. Before that disaster, he even proudly claimed to be the best navigator in the entire southern ocean," Ivan said."Yes, I've heard of Lord Kewell Egrete Juan's reputation for a long time," the baron said sincerely. Indeed, it was quite remarkable for a lord to be known to him.
"But now, for three whole years, I haven't seen him step out of his room once. Uncle takes care of most of the family affairs, and I help take care of the two properties in Avila and South Port," Ivan continued."You're involved in managing the family business at such a young age?" The baron was clearly extremely surprised by what Ivan had said.
"It's nothing special. It's just calculating the goods in and out, figuring out the monthly profits, and at most estimating the possible expenditures and business risks. Originally, all the family affairs were taken care of by my grandfather, father, and two uncles together. Now it's all on Uncle's shoulders. If I don't help him, how could he handle it?" Ivan explained.
"Calculating profits, using Prington's surplus calculation method? That requires quite a proficiency in arithmetic," the baron said, clearly skeptical. The job he had done before was precisely calculating the surplus of the national treasury, and that job had given him a headache every day.Ivan had already guessed that the baron would say this. The materials Odrie had given him clearly mentioned the public positions the baron had held before, and accounting was the only means of making a living that the baron was good at.
Fortunately, this was also an area where Ivan excelled. He had once hoped to become an accountant in a store in the future, so he had studied arithmetic very hard originally. After Odrie became his teacher, he had learned almost all the profound accounting knowledge from Odrie.Therefore, Ivan confidently began to talk at length: "We never use Prington's surplus calculation method because it's not accurate enough. You know, this calculation method has a fatal weakness. It can only see the clear accounts of income, expenditure, and losses, but it can't accurately calculate the delay in expenditures.
"For example, some goods are supposed to be delivered by the end of this month. If everything goes smoothly like this, then there's no problem using the Prington calculation method. However, as you know, there's no such perfect thing in this world. When the gods created the world, they failed countless times and even created those terrifying creatures. Mistakes always exist, so Prington's accounts can never be balanced.
"In South Port, no one uses the Prington calculation method. Some use the Mibel accounting method or the Leto calculation method, while I prefer the Dulit calculation method. You surely know that Mr. Dulit has already been conferred the title of master scholar by our respected King to reward him for his contributions in accounting. He was even almost conferred the title of commoner noble.""Yes, the Prington calculation method is already outdated," the baron said with a touch of melancholy. The only thing he could take pride in was gone. "By the way, what are your plans for the future? Will you inherit the family business?" the baron asked."Yes, I hope to become a navigator like my grandfather," Ivan replied. This was truly his inner hope.
"Have you never thought about taking a public position? You're very smart and would have a bright future," the baron inquired.Ivan hadn't expected the baron to bring up these aspects beforehand, so he had to choose his answer carefully. His mind was racing, gathering the political knowledge he had heard before.Fortunately, whether in South Port or from Odrie, he had heard and seen quite a lot.
The things heard in South Port were all hearsay, but they were unique insights expounded from different aspects by well-informed people. And the political knowledge imparted by Odrie was much more systematic, with clear evidence for each argument.After thinking for a while, Ivan said, "Originally, my grandfather really hoped that I could serve His Majesty the King to bring glory to our family. His three sons had indeed achieved a lot in the business field. However, the reputation of Lord Kewell Egrete Juan had gradually faded out of the political circle, which was a pity for my grandfather.
"He originally hoped that I would inherit his career in this aspect. But that disaster made my grandfather's hope more and more slim. After all, the family property is the foundation. Glory can indeed shine through the ages, but the family property affects future generations.

"As long as the descendants of the Juan family have strong strength and extensive connections in the southern part of France, and more importantly, the title of lord, it will be something that can be achieved sooner or later to bring glory to the Juan family. There's no need to rush to complete it in just one or two generations. That's my thought.

"Besides, now is really not a good time to bring glory to the family. The ministers around our King are all eager to make a move. Working under any of them is a dangerous and difficult thing. Instead of walking on thin ice if we enter now, it's better to stand aside and watch for a while. It will be more appropriate to join one side when the right time comes. Moreover, looking at history, there are quite a few examples of sharing weal and woe. But it seems that there are not many who don't suspect those who have made contributions after obtaining the fruits of victory."
These words were originally not something that a teenager like Ivan at his age could say, so it inevitably surprised Baron Lipper. He took a careful look at this fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy.In fact, Ivan's words not only shocked Baron Lipper but also astonished all the other nobles present.At the beginning, they were just amazed at the wealth that Ivan seemed to possess. Although many people were almost certain that Ivan's grandfather, this Lord Kewell Egrete Juan, was boasting about his great wealth, which was often the face shown by upstarts.These impoverished nobles had always looked down on those upstarts.
However, when Ivan talked about the tea ceremony with a torrent of words, unique and exquisite insights, and the demeanor of a learned person, it more or less dispelled that bit of contempt in the hearts of these impoverished nobles.But they still thought that it was due to the nature of being a merchant. The children of merchants were also merchants, and of course they knew something about the goods they sold.When Ivan enthusiastically talked with the baron about accounting, the nobles present had already regarded Ivan as a talented young merchant. Perhaps it wasn't entirely without reason that merchant families could become rich overnight. Just such a young boy was already so remarkable. If a family could have one or two generations of such people, it was imaginable that they could accumulate huge wealth after decades of hard work.
It was only when Ivan expressed those political insights that he himself didn't fully understand that everyone realized that this was knowledge that a teenager shouldn't have.What did being able to say such a thing indicate?Was it taught by his family in advance?However, looking at that confident expression, it didn't seem like that at all.A child who recited from a script wouldn't look like this.Moreover, how could Lord Kewell Egrete Juan know that Baron Lipper would ask about these aspects?
If all of this was the young man's own insights, then what a genius he was!What kind of family could educate such a young man?Most people had no impression of Lord Kewell Egrete Juan. Only from the exchanges between the baron and the young man did they learn that this old man had once been a brilliant diplomat.Was this diplomat cultivating a successor?Judging from the conversation just now, this young man indeed had all the qualities to become an outstanding diplomat - confidence, courage, bearing, and knowledge.
Compared with that, their own reserved sons couldn't be compared with the heir cultivated by that diplomat at all.The only fortunate thing now was that this young man was obviously two or three years younger than the baron's daughter. As a marriage partner, it was not a good match in general for the girl to be older than the boy.Otherwise, I'm afraid their sons would have absolutely no hope of competing with this half-grown child.
The nobles were feeling uneasy, and the atmosphere obviously became tense and oppressive. Baron Lipper didn't want his rare and grand ball to turn out like this.Although the baron really appreciated this wealthy and learned genius young man and wanted to find an opportunity to have a good chat, perhaps he could discover more amazing things from this young man. But now, the best way was obviously to slight this young man a little.Thinking of this, the baron said gently, "Ivan, you must be tired after coming from afar. 
You can use the small living room upstairs at any time. The ball will last for a long time, you know."
"Thank you for your kind invitation. I do need a short rest to regain my energy. My grandfather has always told me so," Ivan said as he bowed. He could fully understand the baron's intention.Anyway, he didn't want those noble young men present to regard him as a rival for no reason. Taking this appropriate opportunity to leave everyone's sight might be a good choice.
Under the guidance of the servant, Ivan came to the small living room upstairs.The small living room was designed in a very unique way.Like all the rooms in this manor, the windows of the small living room faced south. A row of six floor-to-ceiling windows was enough to let sufficient sunlight shine into the small living room.A row of mahogany bookcases was placed near the door. The owner of this place was obviously a lover of poetry and drama when he was young. Most of the books on the bookshelves were collections of poems and play scripts.
On the east and west sides along the walls were placed a row of sofas respectively. Although there wasn't precious fur thickly laid there, the cushions and backrests sewn with flannel stuffed with thick cotton still made people feel warm and comfortable. This reminded Ivan of the several identical cushions and pillows made by Aunt Jenny for him.Leaning on the sofa, Ivan gently closed his eyes. He really needed to rest. After all, today was the farthest trip he had ever taken in his life.
Moreover, Ivan wasn't interested in those elegant works in the bookcase.Although he liked reading very much, he liked to learn from books about the knowledge of the world that he didn't know, such as those distant countries, those rare animals and plants, those great creations of human beings, and the crystallization of wisdom. All of these were what Ivan wanted to learn from books.However, he didn't like books that described people's inner feelings. And poems were all the voices from the hearts of poets.
And Ivan never thought that he needed to understand these poets.As for drama, Ivan didn't like it either. He was very interested in real history but not in drama.While resting, Ivan was thinking about whether Mr. Baron had already paid quite a lot of attention to him, whether his performance had been overdone, and whether he had left a bad impression on this target person.While Ivan was thinking hard in the small living room, the ball downstairs had already become lively.
The protagonist of the ball was naturally the beautiful daughter of Baron Lipper.Those noble young masters lined up and eagerly invited the baron's daughter to dance one by one in order.The beautiful melody of the band seemed to be played around this charming young lady, and all the others were just foils.This also included Baron Lipper and his wife.In fact, except at the beginning of the ball when the nobles went up to chat for a few words according to proper etiquette and said a few words of greetings and congratulations, at other times, the baron and his wife were always left alone.
Baron Lipper didn't have a wide social circle originally. When he was young, he was once addicted to poetry writing and wholeheartedly wanted to become a poet. Poets were often lonely and not understood by others. However, later, under the pressure of his father's order, he got a job under the former Minister of Finance. The treasury of France was originally one of the most confusing and unclear things in the world. Sorting out those accounts was just like solving puzzles, and this job took up most of the baron's youth.
It was not until he met his sweetheart, the baroness who would spend the long years in the future with him.The baroness at that time was a famous beauty in the southern part of France and had many suitors. Even many wealthy and noble families disregarded the difference in status and proposed to this impoverished noble's daughter.But in the end, it was this powerless Baron Lipper who could truly win the beauty's heart.