Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 303 Disaster

The host and guest sat down, and in the midst of the fragrant tea, Du Zijian said, "Mr. Chen, please have some tea."

"Brother Du, you're welcome." Chen Xuan nodded with a smile and took a sip of the green tea before asking, "Is this year's local first spring tea?"

Du Zijian was speechless and asked, "Master Chen, do you know anything about tea?"

"Not really. The teacher taught me a little bit. Tea leaves in different seasons, different sunshine, rainfall, growing environment, soil conditions, roasting methods, brewing water, etc., will all affect the final taste. I have only learned a few superficial things, and I am sorry to make Brother Du laugh," Chen Xuan shook his head.

In fact, Chen Xuan was not very interested in the elegant activity of drinking tea. He just wanted to quench his thirst. Although he was not a professional, his keen senses could roughly analyze the quality of tea varieties and even the picking season and growth conditions. In the final analysis, he did not understand tea.

But I'm not familiar with Du Zijian, so I can't just sit there and do nothing, so I can only find a random topic to start with.

Following Chen Xuan's lead, Du Zijian asked with interest, "So, what do you think of this tea, Mr. Chen?"

"The tea soup is clear and green, and the tea leaves expand and float like spring buds. It has a fresh fragrance and tastes slightly bitter at first, but then turns sweet. It's quite good," Chen Xuan gave his own evaluation.

Is it just good? There's probably some politeness in it. No wonder it can't sell for a high price. Du Zijian was a little disappointed, but he smiled calmly on the surface and said, "To be honest, Mr. Chen, this tea is my own business. I have planted a thousand acres of tea garden, but the market response is mediocre. It seems that I have to improve the planting and roasting methods in the future."

He was actually in the tea business, growing, roasting and selling the tea himself, making a lot of profit. Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan said, "I'm not good at business, but many things have the same end point. For example, if you want to run a good business of tea, you don't just look at the quality."

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it," Du Zijian immediately became interested.

After thinking about it, Chen Xuan considered that Qing He was one of the first people he came into contact with after arriving in this world, and that he had been very kind to him over the years. So he said, "Regardless of the product, in my humble opinion, reputation is more important than quality. Once the reputation spreads, people will follow suit. As long as the product isn't so bad that people shake their heads in disbelief, there will always be people who will pay for it."

Du Zijian was a shrewd businessman. He was immediately inspired by Chen Xuan's words, but he couldn't grasp the key points for a moment. So he humbly asked, "Mr. Chen, if we want to expand the market for this tea, what do you think we should do?"

"Just hype it up. Better package it, give it a nice name, spend some money to hire people to brag about it, and preferably have some fame. Once the reputation gets out, sales will naturally increase. Spend little money to make big money. You can't catch a wolf without risking your child. Although the method is a bit crude, it is still a way," Chen Xuan said without hesitation.

Celebrity endorsements are a thing that has been played out a lot in his hometown, but people just fall for it. Although Chen Xuan doesn't understand business, can't he just copy what others have said?

In fact, this kind of thing has always existed, but people here pay more attention to credibility and are relatively reserved, so there is no obvious business routine. To put it bluntly, everyone is too proud. In fact, as long as you put aside your face, many things will be simple.

Upon hearing this, Du Zijian clapped his hands and said happily: "Excellent! Master Chen's words are worth a thousand gold. They have enlightened me. I have learned a lot."

He is worthy of being the confidant of the eldest young master of the Gao family. Such cleverness is admirable, Du Zijian sighed in his heart.

"Brother Du, you are too kind. He is just bragging. I just said that. Don't take it seriously." Chen Xuan shook his head. He thought that other people were professionals in doing business, and he would not dare to be arrogant.

At this time, Qing He arrived after changing clothes. She did not bring the two children with her. She asked curiously, "Husband, Xuan Ge'er, what are you talking about? You look so happy?"

"Madam, please sit down. Master Chen and I are talking about tea. Master Chen has shown me the way with just one sentence. If I manage the business well, I will definitely reach a higher level. I have no choice but to accept it," Du Zijian said as he stood up.

They are really in love, but Chen Xuan always feels that Du Zijian is a bit henpecked, because the two times when Qinghe was around, he was the one who took the initiative, and his attitude was very good. Maybe he really cares about Qinghe and puts her first.

"Brother Xuan also knows how to do business?" Qinghe said in silence.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Sister Qinghe, you're joking. I don't know anything about business. But then again, everyone in the world wants to be rich, but sometimes wealth is closely related to one's identity, background, and strength. When one's ability does not match wealth, it is a disaster rather than a blessing."

To get to the point, they are all smart people and can understand.

"Xuan'er makes sense," Qinghe nodded.

Du Zijian also understood what Chen Xuan meant. He had only thought about expanding his business and making more money, but he had ignored whether he had such a big appetite. Sometimes it is not a bad thing to be content with a small fortune.

They needed to discuss their family affairs on their own. Qing He changed the subject at the right time and said, "It's been many years since we last met. Xuan Ge'er, you've grown up so much, and you're really a handsome man. When you went to study in the north with the young master, how is it over there? Is it different from us in the south?" "Actually, it's not that different. Apart from the climate and environment, everything else is pretty much the same..."

They chatted about some ordinary happy things. Time passed by little by little. When the lights came on, the servants of the Du family came to inform them that they could take their seats. They went to the dining room to eat. During the meal, they toasted each other enthusiastically. Du Zijian kept toasting, and he also wanted to take this opportunity to build a good relationship with Chen Xuan. Even if there was a big gap in their status, it would not hurt him if he could not gain any benefits.

Talking about recent events, Chen Xuan said, "I heard that there are two ferocious wild boars causing trouble around Dujia Village recently. Is the government not doing anything about it?"

"Don't mention it, Mr. Chen. This matter has been reported to the government before. It concerns people's livelihood, so they sent a few constables here twice. They treated them well to good food and drinks. They didn't find any wild boar the first time, but they did see one the second time, but they were scared away. Later, the government posted a notice hoping that some heroes would come to eliminate the trouble, but they only offered a few dozen coins symbolically. Who would risk their lives for that little money? So I simply paid the reward myself, and more than a dozen people came, but there is still no result. A few days ago, someone was injured by a wild boar, and I paid for the medical expenses." Du Zijian was speechless when he talked about this.

Chen Xuan knew the nature of the government. As long as nothing serious happened, he didn't take it too seriously. But at certain times, the power of the government was still terrifying.

Then he looked at Qinghe and said, "Sister Qinghe, if something like this happens and you really can't solve it, you can still write a letter back home. Two people from there will be able to solve the problem."

"Xuan'er, you're joking. Madam may remember the friendship we had in the past, but how dare we disturb her with such a trivial matter?" Qinghe shook her head.

Yes, Chen Xuan was a little bit presumptuous. Not everyone can treat the Gao family as their own home like he does.

At this moment, a servant from the Du family came hurriedly and said anxiously, "Master, master, the situation is a bit bad. We've run into trouble. Those people found the wild boar, but not only did they fail to kill it, but after injuring several people, they angered the pair of wild boars. They're already rushing towards the farm. What if we can't stop them and they go crazy and hurt the farmers? What will we do?"

When the servants reported, they could already faintly hear the roar of the wild boar.

Du Zijian stood up in shock and said, "Hurry up and ring the gong to remind everyone to close the doors and windows of the house, the elderly, the weak, women and children, and stay home. Gather people to light the fire and make sure to stop the wild boar outside the village. Those people are really greedy. They have little ability but big words. They failed to eliminate the wild boar and brought danger to the village. No, I have to go and check it out. Master Chen, you eat, I'll be back soon."

As he said this he was about to leave in a hurry. One must say he was a very kind and righteous man.

Qing He pulled him back with a worried look on her face and shook her head, "Husband, no, it's too dangerous. Those two wild boars can't even be dealt with by the people in the martial arts world. What's the point of you going?"

"Madam, it's already this time. Our family is what it is today thanks to the help of our fellow villagers. How can I hide behind? Don't worry, I know my limits and won't rush to the front," Du Zijian said anxiously.

Qing He gritted her teeth and said, "My dear husband, wait for me for a moment. I'll go get a knife and go with you. I also learned some Kung Fu in the Gao family mansion."

"Absolutely not. Madam, how can you take risks? If there is any mistake, how can I be worthy of you? I usually listen to you, but today you must listen to me," Du Zijian rejected flatly.

The couple was at a stalemate, and Chen Xuan stood up and said with a smile: "Brother Du, Sister Qinghe, stop arguing, I'll go take a look."

"No, Xuan'er, you can't go. It's too dangerous. How can you be so reckless? If you get hurt here, how can I explain to the Madam and the Young Master?" Qinghe stretched out his hand to stop him.

Du Zijian also hurriedly said: "Yes, Mr. Chen, you can't go, listen to the lady."

"It's not as serious as you say. How can two mere beasts cause such a turmoil? Sister Qinghe may not know this yet, but I have become more capable over the years. Just sit back and wait for good news from me."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan casually picked up the sword beside him, took a step, and his figure flashed, avoiding Qinghe's obstruction and appearing at the door. He took another step and appeared on the wall of his house. Then he left their sight and went into the night towards the direction where the wild boar was attacking.

Subconsciously looking in the direction Chen Xuan left, Du Zijian turned back in astonishment and asked blankly, "Madam, does Master Chen have such a skill of climbing walls and flying over rooftops?"

"I don't know. When I married my husband, Xuan Ge'er was still a child. We haven't had any contact since then," Qinghe shook her head blankly.

Du Zijian gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, saying, "No, I still have to go and take a look. It's better to be safe than sorry. If something happens to Master Chen, we won't be able to explain it to him."

After saying that, he turned around and ran. Qinghe was worried about the two of them, so she started to chase after him. However, Du Zijian was not as agile as her, so he was dragged along by Qinghe.

When Chen Xuan left Qinghe's house, Dujiazhuang was already bustling with activity. The sounds of gongs and drums filled the air, and people gathered towards the side of the manor, lighting torches. Meanwhile, in the forested area in that direction, two wild boars burst out of the woods. Seven or eight people from the underworld tried their best to stop them, but the situation was extremely dangerous.

(End of this chapter)