At these words, both Yuwei and Lin Shi stared at Lou Tingxue in sheer disbelief.
Lin Shi nodded, suddenly remarking, “No wonder Master said Young Master Lou possesses extraordinary abilities. Now I finally understand.”
Lou Tingxue knitted his brows in confusion.
Behind his back, what on earth had Zhu Dongfeng been telling them?
However, now was not the time to dwell on that.
Lou Tingxue asked, “Give me a detailed run-down on these three men Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu. Every detail, big or small, must be explained clearly.”
Yuwei and Lin Shi exchanged a glance.
Having witnessed Lou Tingxue’s sharp perception, they spilled everything they knew in a single breath.
“Zhang San is a tea grower. He occupies the most fertile hill in the suburbs, controlling more than half of the finest tea sources in the Huainan region. No matter the type of tea, he always gets first pick of the absolute best crop.”
“Li Si is a tea processor. He possesses exquisite skills in tea preparation. Most tea shops, big or small, as well as traveling merchants throughout Huainan, rely on getting their goods directly from him.”
“Wang Wu is a tea seller. He’s quick-witted, articulate, and exceptionally skilled at winning people over. High-ranking officials in Huainan all know him. On top of that, he is a master of the tea art, frequently hosting tea banquets in tea houses that draw fervent praise from dignitaries.”
Yuwei ground her teeth in hatred, adding, “With these three sworn brothers banding together, outside merchants can’t squeeze a foot in at all!”
Taking over the conversation, Lin Shi chimed in with deep indignation, “Is that not the truth?! The three of them secretly wear the same pair of pants and conspired long ago about this. They are deliberately preventing Master from selling tea in Huainan!”
Recalling a specific incident, Yuwei added, “When we first arrived, Master brought out top-grade Yuqian Longjing tea from Great Liang for them to sample, stating its quality was in no way inferior to the local fine tea. He even offered to yield a fifty percent profit margin to them if they agreed to sell the tea together. Yet those three flatly refused!”
The more she spoke, the angrier she grew. She put on a mockery act, speaking in an exaggerated, sarcastic tone: “Zhang San pushed the tea right aside, claiming, ‘Local tea is plenty for us to sell; we have no use for foreign goods!’ Li Si chimed in from the side, saying, ‘This Yuqian Longjing is nothing special after all.’ Wang Wu didn’t utter a word, but it was crystal clear they were all in on it together!”
Seeing her perform the impression so vividly, Lou Tingxue couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, he said, “If Miss Yuwei were in my hometown, you would definitely be a top-tier actor! That performance captured the absolute essence!”
Yuwei found it odd and asked, “What is an ‘actor’?”
Not wanting to reveal too much of his personal background, Lou Tingxue pivoted, “Speaking of which, it’s actually very strange.”
Yuwei and Lin Shi were both taken aback.
Exchanging a glance, they saw mutual confusion in each other’s eyes.
Yuwei asked tentatively, “Young Master, where do you find it strange?”
Lou Tingxue explained, “The division of labor among the three of them seems tightly knit on the surface, but in reality, it’s riddled with loopholes.”
“Zhang San only manages cultivation, Li Si only handles processing, and Wang Wu only takes care of sales. The three of them each run one segment—it appears as though they are fulfilling their respective roles, but if a single link in the chain breaks, their entire tea business will crumble instantly,” Lou Tingxue added.
Yuwei and Lin Shi froze. They had never considered the matter from this perspective.
Lin Shi couldn’t help asking, “Young Master Lou sees through things so thoroughly! Could it be you already have a way to break this deadlock?”
Lou Tingxue nodded. “I do.”
At these words, Yuwei and Lin Shi instantly beamed with joy.
Yuwei’s cheeks flushed pink with a wide smile as she said, “Hearing those words from Young Master Lou sets our minds at ease! Seeing Master wearing a deep frown these past few days made us terribly anxious, but unfortunately, neither of us is cut out for business, nor did we know how to handle this.”
Lou Tingxue simply replied, “You both are fiercely loyal to Boss Zhu without a shred of deceit. Just keep being as you are—not causing trouble is more than enough.”
Before long, Yuwei and Lin Shi took their leave.
Yet barely fifteen minutes later, footsteps sounded outside.
Lou Tingxue looked up to see Zhu Dongfeng returning.
A hint of exhaustion washed over Zhu Dongfeng’s face as he said, “Young Master Lou, forgive me for making a fool of myself—that tea deal still fell through.”
Lou Tingxue gestured for him to sit. “I heard about it from Yuwei and Lin Shi today. However, I have a question in my heart that I’d like you to answer—coming to Great Zhou this time, was your goal truly just to sell tea?”
Zhu Dongfeng’s hand holding the teacup paused slightly.
Raising his eyes to look at Lou Tingxue, he smiled. “What else? I brought so much fine tea from Great Liang; I can hardly transport it back untouched, can I? I originally wanted to open up maritime trade routes in Great Liang, but I didn’t expect to run into these three tough nails. It truly was an unfortunate start.”
Lou Tingxue was surprised. “You know about maritime trade?”
Zhu Dongfeng let out a soft laugh. “I thought about it back when I was doing business in Great Liang. If we can conduct trade on land, why can’t we do it across the sea? Thus, I spent several years constructing this Ten-Thousand-Dan Vessel.”
Lou Tingxue was overcome with immense admiration.
He knew about maritime trade because predecessors in his world had already paved that path, leaving behind historical records. Yet in Zhu Dongfeng’s world, no one had ever done it before, and Zhu Dongfeng had relied purely on his vision to put it into action.
That was truly remarkable.
The first person to brave eating the peach was always extraordinary.
Lou Tingxue couldn’t help bowing slightly toward him, saying, “Boss Zhu is truly incredible. I admire you immensely!”
Zhu Dongfeng waved his hand, saying, “A small matter, nothing worth mentioning. Young Master Lou flatters me.”
“It is by no means flattery! Absolutely not!” Lou Tingxue took a deep breath, reining in his excitement.
Thinking of their current predicament, he added, “Boss Zhu simply wishes to sell tea—this is actually a very straightforward matter. In my view, as long as the tea gets sold, it doesn’t matter who buys it. There is no need to insist on selling to all three of them.”
Zhu Dongfeng asked, “If I don’t seek them out, how am I to sell this tea?”
Lou Tingxue replied, “If Boss Zhu trusts me, tomorrow I will surely help you finalize this deal.”
Zhu Dongfeng chuckled lightly. “In that case, I shall eagerly wait.”
Early the next morning, Lou Tingxue appeared as promised.
Dressed in a simple, moon-white long robe that accentuated his tall, graceful posture, his features carried a slightly distant yet heroic charm, drawing admiring glances from the passing crew members.
The moment Zhu Dongfeng caught sight of him, he was briefly stunned before saying with a smile, “Young Master Lou is certainly punctual.”
Stepping off the Ten-Thousand-Dan Vessel with steady strides, Lou Tingxue said, “Since an agreement was made, one must not be late. In a moment, I’ll need Boss Zhu’s full cooperation.”
“Rest assured, Young Master Lou I promise not to interject a single word,” Zhu Dongfeng laughed softly.
The two arrived at Fan Tower, where three square tables had already been joined together.
Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu were already seated, with freshly brewed Yuqian Longjing placed before them.
Seeing Zhu Dongfeng enter, the three stood up one after another to greet him.
Yet within a split second, their gazes glued onto Lou Tingxue standing behind him, their eyes filled with astonishment.
Li Si was the first to stroke his goat-beard, asking with a smile, “Boss Zhu, may I ask who this gentleman is…?”
Wang Wu couldn’t help chiming in, “This young gentleman’s appearance is so strikingly refined—could he perhaps be Boss Zhu’s spouse?”
Although Zhang San didn’t speak, the probing curiosity in his eyes was no less intense.
Boss Zhu had always been a lone wolf who never brought companions to social banquets, let alone a young gentleman of such extraordinary demeanor.
Just as Zhu Dongfeng opened his mouth to explain, Lou Tingxue stepped forward first, offering a gentle nod and a faint smile. “The three bosses misunderstand—I am a business partner of Boss Zhu’s. My surname is Lou.”
At these words, all three tea merchants froze, the smiles on their faces instantly stiffening.
Zhu Dongfeng was the wealthiest merchant under heaven! His business tactics were formidable, and though he seemed approachable, he was arrogantly selective at heart. For this white-robed young man to be acknowledged as a business partner meant he was definitely no ordinary figure!
Wang Wu set down his teacup, his expression turning significantly more solemn. “So it is Boss Lou! Forgive our rudeness just now.”
Lou Tingxue magnanimously brushed it off, saying, “Think nothing of it.”
Looking at the three men before him, he added, “However, the reason I came alongside Boss Zhu today is to negotiate a deal with the three of you.”
The moment these words fell, the three merchants instantly erupted into a commotion.
“No, no, no!” Wang Wu was the first to wave his hands defensively.
Li Si adopted a firm tone, saying, “Boss Zhu, we discussed this thoroughly before this deal absolutely cannot be made!”
Zhang San chimed in agreement, “Indeed, Boss Zhu. We established a verbal agreement back then we cannot break the rules!”
They fired off one word after another, their tones saturated with total refusal.
Zhu Dongfeng smiled faintly, remaining completely silent as his eyes rested on Lou Tingxue beside him.
Lou Tingxue maintained an entirely serene expression and said calmly, “Bosses, there’s no need to rush into refusal. Our purpose today is simply to find two bosses to partner with.”
Lou Tingxue’s voice was not loud, yet it instantly suppressed the squabbling among the three.
“Only two?!” Zhang San blurted out in utter disbelief.
Zhu Dongfeng’s gaze chilled slightly.
Lou Tingxue nodded, continuing smoothly, “Yes, exactly only two. Our Great Liang fine tea will only be sold in the shops of two bosses, strictly excluding any third shop.”
The three men froze once more, confusion washing over their faces.
Holding back his impatience, Li Si couldn’t help asking, “Only choosing two? Then… how will the profit split be calculated?”
Lou Tingxue stated directly, “A seventy-thirty split seventy percent for you bosses, thirty percent for us.”
Before they could react, he added, “We will supply the tea, and we will bear all transportation costs and potential losses. The two chosen bosses only need to provide storefronts and customer bases—what do you think?”
This offer instantly made all three tea merchants’ hearts leap.
A seventy-thirty profit split without bearing a single shred of risk once the tea was sold, pure profit would land straight into their pockets! How was such an extraordinarily lucrative deal any different from pie falling straight out of the sky?
Yet on second thought, all three were caught in a dilemma.
Wang Wu anxiously rubbed his hands together and asked, “Young Master Lou, such a fantastic opportunity… why won’t you partner with all three of us?”
Lou Tingxue picked up his teacup and took a light sip, saying, “Boss Zhu originally intended to partner with all three of you, yet you adamantly refused without showing the slightest sincerity. Now, this is the only remaining option.”
Hearing this, all three felt a lump in their throats.
With a helpless sigh, Lou Tingxue continued, “Bosses, be reasonable Boss Zhu and I sailed aboard the Ten-Thousand-Dan Vessel across the sea for half a month to reach Great Zhou. After arriving, the tea sat for over another half-month. By now, a significant portion of the tea has deteriorated in flavor and can no longer be sold.”
“Because the quantity of usable tea is no longer sufficient, we must find two sincere bosses to partner with.” Lou Tingxue raised his eyes to look at the three.
Sure enough, the expressions on the three tea merchants’ faces shifted dramatically.
The smile on Zhang San’s face vanished instantly, Li Si gripped the teacup in his hand tightly, and Wang Wu sat bolt upright, sheer anxiety flickering in his eyes.
None of them wanted to miss out on this opportunity for free profit, and even less did they want to be the single person left out in the cold.
Before any of them could speak, Lou Tingxue let out a sudden sigh, saying, “Speaking of which, the tea Boss Zhu brought was originally only enough to divide between two people anyway.”
“It was only because Boss Zhu considered how you three have relied on each other for years in Huainan like true brothers that he wanted to squeeze the quota—splitting the limited tea into three shares so nobody was left out. Even if it meant earning less, money is a small matter compared to preserving your brotherhood.”
Lou Tingxue paused, his gaze sweeping over their tense expressions before he added, “However, now that half a month has passed, I feel it is entirely unnecessary.”
These words struck like a heavy boulder tossed into a tranquil pond, causing the three merchants to instantly panic.
Zhang San was the first who couldn’t hold back.
Leaning forward eagerly, he urged, “Young Master Lou, what do you mean by that? You must clarify who exactly is this tea going to be allocated to?”
Li Si and Wang Wu hastily chimed in as well, their eyes filled with pleading and uneasiness.
Setting down his teacup, Lou Tingxue said, “Naturally, we will select the two who possess the greatest integrity, the kindest demeanor, and the highest skill in business.”
The moment these words were spoken, the anxious flustered looks on the three men’s faces dissolved into immediate displeasure toward one another.
A moment ago, the three had been united like a tightly bound rope. Now, as they looked at each other, the previous camaraderie vanished entirely, replaced by cold scrutiny and guarded hostility.
Zhu Dongfeng turned his head to look at Lou Tingxue beside him.
Lou Tingxue’s eyes burned bright, a barely perceptible smile curling at the corner of his lips.