SWDnovel Chapter 43 Revealing Identity
Chapter 43 Revealing Identity
Just as Li Chong was looking around, an old man with a goatee bowed and greeted him: "Would you two gentlemen like some tea? This is my teahouse, please come in."
Zhong Mei's lips curved into a smile: "Jia..."
"Ahem!" Li Chong coughed as a warning, and Zhong Mei finally shut up.
She glared at Li Chong, then turned away unwillingly, saying no more.
"this……"
The old man seemed to vaguely hear his own surname, and seeing the appearance of Li Chong and the other man, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Li Chong stepped forward and blocked Zhong Mei's path: "Old man, what kind of tea do you have in your tea shop? Tell me about it."
Distracted by Li Chong, the old man suppressed his doubts and replied with a smile, "This old man's place can't compare to those teahouses and taverns. As for fine wine and delicacies, we don't have those. We just sell tea so that the people working around here have a place to rest. Speaking of tea, the most common is 'Starry Night' tea. I wonder if you, sir, would like it?"
"Starry Sky?" Li Chong became interested. "I've seen many kinds of tea, such as 'Maojian' and 'Tieguanyin,' but I've never heard of your Starry Sky before."
The old man chuckled: "I can tell you're from a wealthy family, sir. I've never heard of any of these tea names you've mentioned. This 'Starry Sky' tea sounds nice, but it's really just tea dust. These working folks can't afford to drink really good tea; they just drink this to quench their thirst."
"Of course, for a distinguished guest like you, we also have fine tea. Would you like to try some?"
Li Chong and his companion stood in front of the teahouse for quite a while. Even though they didn't look like customers, they still tried to attract customers. They couldn't let them block the way forever.
"Hmm~~~"
Li Chong pondered for a moment, looked around, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He stepped forward.
"I've never tried this 'starry sky' dish before, so I'll give it a try today. Could you please bring us a pot of tea, sir?"
"Alright." The old man bowed and led the two inside. "Honorable guests, Tianfu, please brew some tea!"
A young waiter responded and turned to go into the back.
Once inside the teahouse, Li Chong observed carefully and found that the people sitting there were indeed ordinary folks, all of whom looked like laborers, and the place was quite noisy.
Zhong Mei awkwardly sat down next to Li Chong, glanced at the counter, then turned back to Li Chong: "What exactly do you want? You know how to drink this tea? Let me go, let's talk business."
"Shut up!" Li Chong snapped softly. "I'll let you recognize each other later. For now, listen to me."
Zhong Mei sullenly snorted and deliberately slapped the table a few times. Li Chong glared at her again, and she finally quieted down.
"Sir, your tea is here~~~"
The old man brought over a pot of tea and two large bowls as well.
"Sir, we don't have cups for tea here, we only have these big bowls, please forgive us."
Li Chong nodded with a smile: "It's okay, I'm not picky."
"Alright, please enjoy your meal."
The old man put down his tea set and got up to leave.
"Wait a moment, sir." Li Chong raised his hand to stop the man. "I don't see that this shop is very busy. Would you mind sitting down and chatting with me for a while? I'll double the price for the tea."
The old man was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "What are you saying, sir? There's no need for you to spend money. Just ask me whatever you want, and I'll answer whatever I know."
Li Chong gestured for the old man to sit down opposite him, his attitude friendly.
The old man wiped his hands on his clothes, nodded to the two of them, and when he saw Zhong Mei, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
"This woman looks somewhat familiar?"
His attention was focused on Li Chong, and he assumed Zhong Mei was just a servant, so he didn't look at her closely at all.
Now that I see it, I can't help but feel suspicious.
Li Chong interrupted his thoughts at the opportune moment: "May I ask how I should address you, sir? What is your honorable name?"
The old man turned to Li Chong and replied, "I cannot accept such a respectful address as 'sir.' My surname is Jia, so please just call me Jia Er."
Jia Er, also known as Uncle Jia Er in Zhong Mei's words, was originally named Jia Zhuo.
Li Chong nodded slowly, and then started chatting with him about everyday things.
After chatting for a while, Li Chong suddenly changed the subject: "Old Jia, I'm new to Yanggu. I heard that a new magistrate has recently taken office and is saying he's going to suppress bandits. Is that true?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Zhuo's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Indeed, this newly appointed magistrate is about to undertake a major task."
Although his expression changed quickly, Li Chong had been paying close attention to it and naturally took it all in.
"So, in that case, this new magistrate is a good official after all," Li Chong continued.
At this moment, Zhong Mei, who was standing next to her, let out a sneer. It was the first time she had ever heard someone boast like this.
At the same time, a young man dressed as a waiter approached and said, "If he's a good official, I'll eat this teacup! He's just taken office and he's already collecting money everywhere. He even talks about suppressing bandits. Nobody believes that."
"Haha." Zhong Mei couldn't help but laugh.
Jia Zhuo glanced at her again, then his face darkened: "Zhang Tianfu, are you asking for trouble again? Go back and wash the dishes!"
The waiter grumbled a few times, but seeing Jia Zhuo's expression, he could only turn away with a bored look on his face.
After Zhang Tianfu left, Jia Zhuo quickly put on a smiling face: "Sir, please don't take that kid to heart. Young people are inexperienced and too reckless."
"Mm." Li Chong nodded.
Looking at the young Zhang Tianfu, Li Chong knew that, not to mention these few bandits, probably countless people throughout Yanggu County were secretly cursing him like this.
This is also human nature.
Thinking of this, Li Chong felt a greater sense of urgency.
"I think that young man is right. Just shouting slogans without doing anything will arouse people's suspicion, which is why I came to find you today."
"Looking for us..."
Jia Zhuo's laughter suddenly froze halfway through. He looked up at Li Chong and found that Li Chong was looking at him with a smile.
Forcing a laugh, Jia Zhuo asked, "What do you mean by that, sir?"
"You should know what I mean." Li Chong smiled and grabbed Zhong Mei's wrist. "You can take your hat off now."
Zhongmei struggled for a moment but couldn't break free. She glared at Li Chong and then used her other hand to remove the veil.
"Second Uncle, I'm back!"
Upon seeing Zhong Mei, Jia Zhuo suddenly stood up: "Little Mei!"
Before a smile could even appear on his face, he nervously looked around, then turned to Li Chong: "Who are you?"
Li Chong smiled slightly: "What do you think? There are so many people here, it doesn't seem like the right place to talk."
Jia Zhuo had a guess in his mind, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Please wait a moment, distinguished guest."
After giving Zhong Mei a wink, Jia Zhuo immediately got up and went from table to table persuading the customers to leave, completely emptying the shop.
At the same time, a number of people came out from behind the house, greeted Zhong Mei one by one, and then looked at Li Chong with unfriendly expressions.
The atmosphere was very tense.