Ger, So Proud

Chapter 36

“Of course. Where else would bears be?” He An looked puzzled.

“That’s not what I meant,” He Ze shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “What you said just now reminded me of something.”

“What is it?”

He Ze didn’t answer, only murmuring, “Ever tried bear meat?”

“Huh?” He An looked confused.

“Someday, I’ll let you taste it. We need to avenge that swipe.” He Ze patted He An’s shoulder and stood up, “Go back to your room and rest early to make sure you grow tall.”

Before he finished speaking, he had already reached the door of his room. Only after the door closed did He An realize what he had said, muttering to himself, “Avenge that swipe… What does he mean?”

He pondered it for a while but couldn’t come up with anything, so he gave up. Standing up and dusting himself off, He An suddenly turned back and made a face at He Ze’s door, “You’re the one who won’t grow tall!”

As he entered his room, the oil lamp went out. The courtyard was left bathed in cold moonlight, the night breeze carrying the unending symphony of cicadas far into the distance.

…

At dawn the next day, He Ze informed Dad Li and then hitched a ride on Zhao Fugui’s ox cart to town. The sun was shining brightly.

He Ze first went to the Yu Family Restaurant. Although it was still early, the restaurant was already crowded.

At this moment, Wei Quan’s “Legend of the White Snake” on the stage had reached its climax.

He Ze found a table in a corner, ordered a cup of tea, and listened until the final note of the wooden clapper rang out, signaling the end of Wei Quan’s performance. Then, he called for a waiter and followed him to the backyard.

As he entered, the owner of the restaurant, Yu, was sitting in the pavilion drinking tea with Wei Quan. When they saw him, they both stood up.

“It’s been quite some time since you last visited, my friend. If you don’t come by in another two days, I’ll have to come looking for you!” Wei Quan greeted him warmly, clasping his hands together and laughing heartily.

Due to some scheduling conflicts in the past, He Ze had discussed with Wei Quan that they would adjust their meetings based on availability, rather than strictly adhering to the previous agreement of meeting every three days.

The last time He Ze came was the day before he and Lin Yu went to Yangliu Town. That day, he had told Wei Quan the remaining plot of “Legend of the White Snake” until sunset before leaving.

As for the meaning behind Wei Quan’s words now…

He Ze smiled faintly, approached the pavilion, greeted the owner, and then returned Wei Quan’s gesture with a cupped fist. “Mr. Wei is joking. Is there something wrong that Mr. Wei needs to find me for?”

“No, of course not,” Wei Quan said with a smile, pulling He Ze to sit down. “I just enjoyed our collaboration so much that now that the agreement is over, I can’t help but feel reluctant to let it end.”

“That’s right. These past few days, every time Mr. Wei and I drink tea, he always mentions you. I, as the owner, am completely forgotten by him! Haha!” The owner of the restaurant also chuckled and interjected.

He Ze remained silent, simply stood up and poured each of them a cup of tea. The aroma of the tea filled the air with a subtle fragrance.

He lifted his cup. “I’m grateful to Mr. Wei and the owner for their high regard. Today, I’ll toast to both of you with tea instead of wine.”

“Cheers!”

All three of them smiled, and they each drank their tea in one gulp.

After setting down his cup, the restaurant owner and Wei Quan exchanged a glance. Wei Quan chuckled lightly and spoke up, “Master He is straightforward and trustworthy. I really don’t want our collaboration to end like this…”

“What do you mean by that, Mr. Wei?” He Ze lightly tapped his teacup with his thumb.

“Last time, I heard Mr. He mention that he had heard many stories since he was young, and ‘Legend of the White Snake’ is just one of them. I wonder if there are any others… Does Mr. He give us the privilege of hearing them?”

He Ze glanced at Wei Quan and then shifted his gaze to the restaurant owner, who paused in his tea-drinking motion. “Could it be that I’m intruding here? Should I leave?” he asked.

“Mr. Yu is jesting. Mr. Wei relies on Mr. Yu’s restaurant for his livelihood, and I rely on Mr. Wei’s mouth for mine. In this sense, how could you possibly be bothering us?”

If he left, the play couldn’t continue. Before the restaurant owner could get up, He Ze quickly stopped him.

“What does Mr. He mean by that?” Wei Quan’s face lit up with joy.

“Now that Mr. Wei has brought it up, it’s actually a good thing. Why would I refuse? It’s just that, regarding the financial aspect…”

“The matter of money is easy to discuss. It’s still the original price, and I won’t shortchange you, my friend He. How about that?” Wei Quan’s voice was confident, without a hint of hesitation.

“Heh—” Before he finished speaking, He Ze suddenly laughed. “It seems that Mr. Wei’s previous words were just polite. If Mr. Wei’s sincerity is only this much… Please excuse me, I’ll take my leave.”

As he spoke, he stood up, but before he could take a step, Wei Quan had already stepped in front of him. “My friend He! In business, bargaining is always necessary. If you’re not satisfied, let’s discuss it again. It’s not fair for you to leave in such a hurry!”

“I only mentioned two taels just now, just following the price you proposed before, of course… The business in the restaurant these days has been prosperous for everyone to see. Two taels is indeed a bit too little. Let’s negotiate again! Is that acceptable?”

“Yeah, my friend He, you rarely visit. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” The restaurant owner also stood up. “If you think Mr. Wei’s offer is not suitable, why don’t you propose a price you can accept? I’ll help you out, how about that?”

“Since Mr. Yu has said so, my friend He, won’t you give me this face?” With that, Wei Quan pulled He Ze back to his seat, who went along reluctantly.

“Now that Mr. Wei is so sincere, I’ll be straightforward,” He Ze said after sitting down, extending a hand and spreading it out. “For the next story, it’s five taels.”

“Five taels?” Wei Quan couldn’t help but repeat, the smile on his face fading. “My friend He, are you joking?”

He had only earned at most five taels from “Legend of the White Snake”! Deducting the two taels he had given to He Ze, he had only made three taels. Now, He Ze was asking for five taels right off the bat? This… was simply an exorbitant demand!

“I’m not joking, but Mr. Wei can rest assured, I won’t let you pay five taels just like that.”

“What do you mean?” Wei Quan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mr. Yu, since Mr. Wei is storytelling in your restaurant, and my business with Mr. Wei is related to your restaurant’s business, why don’t we sign a three-party agreement?”

He Ze didn’t answer Wei Quan directly, but turned his gaze to the other person.

“A three-party agreement? What do you mean?” The restaurant owner’s tea-drinking motion paused, and he squinted slightly.

“What I and Mr. Wei do, is ultimately for your benefit, Mr. Yu. The customers flock to your restaurant, and the one making big money… is only you!”

With these words from He Ze, Wei Quan beside him was also stunned.

“Could it be, my friend He, you want me to foot the bill for this money?” The restaurant owner put down his teacup, quietly looking at He Ze.

“That’s right, and it’s not much. But it’s just five taels of silver, compared to what Mr. Yu has earned these days, it’s just a drop in the bucket. How it’s handled specifically, that’s up to you and Mr. Wei to discuss. I just want to see the money.”

Actually, from the beginning, the best partner was Mr. Yu. With such a large restaurant, even squeezing out a little would earn more than Wei Quan. The economic foundation determines the superstructure, and the choice of cooperation partner largely determines the level of benefit.

It’s like selling a bowl of rice to a beggar and selling it to an emperor. The rice is the same rice, but as for the value… it’s night and day.

Of course, he had to let the emperor know how delicious the rice was before he dared to shout in front of the emperor. He Ze only approached Mr. Yu now for the same reason.

But he never intended to make a living out of this. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be difficult to negotiate for a higher price with Mr. Yu for a few more days.

“Of course, if Mr. Yu has any doubts, just pretend I didn’t say that.”

Seeing Mr. Yu remain silent for a long time, He Ze smirked, picked up the teapot, poured himself another cup of tea, and blew the tea fragrance away before taking a sip.

“Indeed, it’s just five taels, my friend He is very generous,” Mr. Yu finally smiled after a while. “If your next story can satisfy Mr. Wei, the rest will be the same as what you and he discussed before. When you leave later, I will draw up a new agreement and have the accounting office give you five taels of silver.”

“Mr. Yu is indeed straightforward. Allow me to toast you another cup,” He Ze laughed heartily, downing the tea in his cup. “Wishing you prosperity and wealth in your business!”

“No problem, no problem.”

With the matter settled, laughter once again filled the pavilion. He Ze stayed for lunch before leaving.

Carrying the still-warm five taels of silver, He Ze entered the door of the blacksmith shop where he had sold arrows to Lin Yu last time. When he came out, he had a longbow and a quiver on his back, with several arrows and a sharp tiger fork in the quiver.

Returning home, He Ze didn’t go out much for the next two days. Whenever asked by He Youshi and Dad Li, he just casually responded.

“Bang!”

In the courtyard, He Ze released an arrow, and the tile on the courtyard wall cracked again, with several pieces falling to the ground.

“Brother, you’re amazing!” He An beside him clapped vigorously, his eyes sparkling. “Did Brother Lin teach you this? I remember you never touched a bow and arrow before.”

“… Who said I never touched one? Archery is one of the six arts of a gentleman. We even had an archery competition in the academy.” Although not many people participated.

He Ze was stunned for a moment, then squinted again.

“I see…” He An shrugged, then exclaimed excitedly, “So did you win, Brother?”

Did he win?

“…Why do you care about that, kid?” He Ze suddenly collected the arrows, patting He An’s head, “Where’s father and dad?”

“Father went out to make wooden furniture for someone, and dad went to help him. They said they won’t be back for lunch. If we get hungry, we should heat up the food in the pot.”

“Not coming back…”

He Ze glanced at the distant mountain peak, then went into the kitchen to pack a few pancakes and dry steamed buns, and carried the longbow and quiver on his back again. “Brother, I’m going to the mountain. If father and dad ask when they come back, just say I went to a friend’s house in the academy, probably… I’ll be back tomorrow, got it?”

“Tomorrow? Brother, where are you going? Are you going hunting in the mountains or something? You’re going alone…”

“Stop, stop, stop,” Seeing He An’s mouth opening like a machine gun, He Ze hurriedly interrupted him, then bent down to tie his trouser ends. In a few steps, he reached the courtyard gate. “Brother’s leaving first. When I come back, I’ll make sure you taste what bear meat tastes like!”

“Brother, you…”

“Stay home and behave yourself. Remember, don’t let slip anything when the time comes!” He Ze reiterated, then turned and was already at the edge of the field.

“Brother!”

He An hadn’t quite grasped what was happening yet. He took a few steps forward to chase after him, but soon He Ze’s figure disappeared.

Author’s Note: There are still two chapters left, and there should be some big moves, but whether I can write them out is uncertain.