Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

As you watched, sweat mixed with tears streamed down the face of Manager Hu, whose half-fat and half-even fatter face.

The entire half-covered hall fell silent, and all eyes were on Zhou Feng.

Before the tea competition, this distinguished guest had already explained the rules clearly.

Now that Manager Hu and his group have lost the tea-tasting competition, they must accept the other party's punishment.

The surrounding tea drinkers watched this scene with bated breath, some feeling regret, some delighted, and some thoroughly enjoying themselves.

With so many people in front of him, and that important person watching, even if Manager Hu wanted to deny it, he couldn't.

Zhou Feng stood to the side, glanced calmly at the white wolf, and nodded. The wolf immediately understood, nodded, and turned to walk towards the door.

"White Wolf! Please wait a moment."

Zhao Pan'er, who was standing in front of Zhou Feng, suddenly called out.

She knew the names of the people around Zhou Feng and had interacted with them before.

Upon hearing Zhao Pan'er's voice, Bai Lang stopped in his tracks, turned around and glanced at Zhou Feng, who raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Zhao Pan'er reached out and tugged at Zhou Feng's sleeve. For her to do this in front of so many people was already quite intimate.

With her cheeks slightly flushed, she shook her head at Zhou Feng: "Sir Zhou, what happened today is ultimately just a business transaction between us tea merchants. It's not serious enough to report it to the authorities. I think these shopkeepers know they were wrong and will definitely be more careful with their words in the future. Let's just let it go."

Zhou Feng looked down at her, not speaking immediately. Zhao Pan'er met his gaze, her eyes clear and open.

She knew, of course, that Zhou Feng was standing up for her, and that with just a word from him, these shopkeepers would be in deep trouble.

But she also knew one thing: the officialdom and the business world are two different things.

Zhou Feng's intimidating presence in official circles can be used to maintain order and prevent all sorts of people from acting recklessly in this half-covered place, but it cannot be used to disrupt things.

If she were to use Zhou Feng's power today to send all the shopkeepers of Tea Soup Alley to jail, she would have the power, but who would dare to come to Half-veiled Face for tea tomorrow? Who would dare to do business with her?

Business competition is normal, but using official channels to send business rivals to jail is very abnormal.

The procedure was correct, but it damaged the business reputation.

After pondering for a couple of seconds, Zhou Feng smiled, then reached out and patted Zhao Pan'er's hand, which was still clutching his sleeve. He turned to look at Bai Lang and said, "Did you hear that? You don't need to go."

"Yes."

White Wolf stood back behind Zhou Feng expressionlessly, and the atmosphere in the entire hall visibly relaxed.

The shopkeepers, who were lying on the ground, were panting heavily, as if they had been pulled out of the water from drowning.

Manager Hu lay directly on the ground, his forehead pressed against the ground, his shoulders heaving, it was hard to tell whether he was crying or trembling.

Zhao Pan'er glanced at the people, sighed softly, and then knelt down in front of Manager Hu: "Manager Hu, please get up."

Manager Hu raised his head, his fat face covered in dust and tears. Although he looked somewhat comical, none of the people present had any intention of laughing at him.

"Gentlemen, the so-called tea ceremony, as long as you follow its principles, will allow everyone to display their unique talents."

"I was indeed forced into prostitution because of my father's crime, but I have long since been released. I also enjoy using the singing and dancing skills I learned since childhood when making tea."

"But as the saying goes, tea is like a person, and a person is like tea. If the tea soup has a lingering and mellow aroma, it will naturally attract those who appreciate it. In that case, why bother whether it comes from the Imperial Tea Garden or from the banks of the Qiantang River?"

Zhou Feng leaned against the side, watching Zhao Pan'er's speech, which was no different from the original work, and suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.

But the shopkeepers struggled to their feet and bowed deeply to Zhao Pan'er.

"Madam Zhao's words have enlightened me. We are inferior in skill and accept our defeat wholeheartedly. Now, we are fortunate to have received Madam Zhao's magnanimity; we are truly ashamed!"

Manager Hu lowered his head, not even daring to look at Zhao Pan'er, and the other managers who had come with him to cause trouble also looked ashamed.

My mood is like a rollercoaster, going up and down.

They were all prepared to give in to Zhou Feng, pay a large sum of money, or send a generous gift to the government office to avoid imprisonment.

Unexpectedly, Lady Zhao was so magnanimous that she pardoned them all!

A group of people stared blankly at Zhao Pan'er, unsure of what to say, which made the latter feel somewhat uncomfortable. She turned her head and glanced at Sun San Niang.

Sun San Niang snorted coldly and went back to the kitchen with the cleaver in her hand.

If it were up to her personality, she wouldn't let these shopkeepers off the hook. She would send them all in, one by one, to teach them a lesson for their rudeness and arrogance.

These people don't know they were wrong now; they're scared!

"Zhao Niangzi is kind and righteous!"

Someone shouted first, and then the whole hall seemed to be ignited, with the tea drinkers all clapping.

"Madam Zhao, you are so magnanimous!"

"That's the mindset for doing business!"

"Manager Hu, aren't you going to pour tea for Madam Zhao and apologize?"

Manager Hu then realized what was happening and hurriedly turned around to grab the teapot.

His fingers were trembling, and it took him three tries to fill the teacup. Then he carried the teacup to Zhao Pan'er and bowed deeply.

"Madam Zhao, I, Hu Bingwen, have been blind to your greatness today and have offended you and the esteemed Celestial Master. I deserve to die. This cup of tea is for you. If you ever need my help in the future, I, Hu, will certainly be at your service."

After he finished speaking, he raised the teacup above his head with both hands.

Zhao Pan'er took the teacup but didn't drink it. Holding it in her hand, she looked at Manager Hu and said, "Manager Hu, we were both at fault today. I'm new here and don't know some of the rules. I'll need your guidance in the future. I'll accept this tea. From now on, let's each do our own business and keep to ourselves, okay?"

Manager Hu straightened up, his expression extremely complicated.

"What Madam Zhao says is true." He nodded vigorously. "From now on, in any teahouse in this capital city, anyone who dares to cause trouble for Half-Covered Face will be going against me, Hu!"

The shopkeepers behind him echoed his sentiments, chattering about how "Zhao Niangzi is kind and righteous" and how they would "get along well with Ban Zhe Mian in the future."

The atmosphere in the lobby immediately eased.

The tea drinkers dispersed in twos and threes; some sat down again to enjoy their tea, while others discussed the details of the tea competition with their companions.

Sun San Niang had already instructed the kitchen to serve tea and snacks again, and Song Yin Zhang was upstairs plucking the pipa strings again.

Zhou Feng stood at the back of the crowd, watching this scene, and nodded to himself.

Zhao Pan'er handled this situation with just the right amount of tact.

Pressuring someone relentlessly and driving them to their death is the tactic of a petty shrew; letting them off too easily makes them seem easy to bully.

In front of so many tea drinkers, she gave Manager Hu a way out, thus preserving her own reputation, giving Zhou Feng face, and making the tea shop owners in Tea Soup Alley owe her a huge favor.

This is what a truly capable businessperson looks like.