"Clap clap clap."
"Shopkeeper Liu, congratulations, congratulations!"
"Congratulations to you too, Manager Wang, please come inside and have a seat. The tea has been ready for a while, just waiting for you..."
With the loud crackling of big red firecrackers, Yuelai Inn, which had been through multiple calamities, finally reopened.
Shopkeeper Liu, dressed in the festive new clothes he wore on the day Liu Mang got engaged, stood at the door of the inn, his face beaming as he welcomed the neighbors and locals who came to support the opening.
Inside the inn’s front hall, Yang Ge, who doubled as shopkeeper, waiter, and order-transmitter, was busily greeting guests while transmitting their orders to the back kitchen, working non-stop.
"Old shopkeeper, congratulations..."
"Dear guest, please come inside and take a seat."
In the midst of the hustle and bustle, Yang Ge suddenly heard a familiar voice, turned his head, and saw Fang Ke, dressed like a rich young man of noble birth, swaggering in with a group of imposing enforcers from the embroidering guards, each of them looking like they could carry loads.
He quickly squeezed out a smile and made a welcoming gesture, "Dear guest, please, take a seat!"
Fang Ke, with a big smile on his face, clasped his hands in greeting, "Congratulations, Yang Ge, the brothers will need your care even more from now on!"
Yang Ge gave him a dark look and said, "Not at all, Fang, you’re too polite. Please take a seat. What would you like to eat? I’ll order from the kitchen right away to make sure you’re satisfied!"
Fang Ke shrank his neck and forced a smile, "It’s all good, as long as the hardworking men can get full... There’s a spot over there, we’ll sit there!"
Shopkeeper Liu, hearing their conversation, stepped back to the counter curiously and asked in a low voice, "Young man, do you know these guests?"
Yang Ge mumbled in response, "The leader is the head of the trackers from the Bian River side. We’ve dealt with each other a few times, not very familiar."
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Shopkeeper Liu patted his shoulder reassuringly, "You’ll get familiar with more dealings. Go order the kitchen to give them a generous portion. They eat laborers’ meals, so they’ll surely have big appetites."
Yang Ge nodded and went to take Fang Ke and the others’ orders.
Leaving Shopkeeper Liu alone at the door, he grumbled, "Damned Wang Dali, where did he run off to?"
Yang Ge approached Fang Ke and his company, pouring tea for them and offering, "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat? Our pig’s head meat and Tongping Xiang are second to none... What brings you here?"
Fang Ke: "Then let’s have two catties of pig’s head meat, four vegetarian dishes, three catties of Tongping Xiang, and two baskets of steamed buns. Make it quick, my brothers still have to get back to work... Of course we have to come and support you on your promotion to shopkeeper!"
Yang Ge: "Right away... Well, thank you so much!"
As he turned to leave, Fang Ke patted him on the arm, slipping something into his waistband without leaving a trace.
Yang Ge stopped in his tracks and gave him a glance.
Fang Ke silently pointed to the ceiling.
Yang Ge’s face darkened and he muttered under his breath about "never giving up thievery," then darted towards the kitchen.
When he was out of sight, he took the item from his waist and glanced at it... a small bamboo tube as thick as a thumb, sealed with sealing wax and bearing the stamp of Shen Fa on the seal.
He quickly checked the integrity of the seal, then crushed the bamboo tube, shaking out a small strip of cloth and scanning it quickly: "When the Rooster crows at dusk, the enemy leader crosses the border."
Yang Ge knew what he had to do. He squeezed the cloth strip and bamboo scraps into his palm and strode into the back kitchen, "Master Lu, another table of guests arrived up front. They want two catties of pig’s head meat, four vegetarian dishes, two baskets of steamed buns. Shopkeeper Liu instructed to make the portions generous, they’re regulars."
In the midst of speaking, he threw the debris into the stove and lit it up, burning everything to ash.
"Alright, I’ll call you when the dishes are ready!"
"Got it!"
Yang Ge turned and walked out of the kitchen quickly, only to see Wang Dali, dressed to the nines but staggering as if he didn’t know his own kin, swaggering through the inn’s main entrance.
"Where have you been strutting off to!"
The shopkeeper Liu, who was behind the counter playing with his abacus, burst into flames at the sight of this rascal. He came around the counter and, out of habit, swung his hand towards his head, "Get changed already..."
Wang Dali leaned back to dodge Shopkeeper Liu’s hand and said with a proud smile, "Shopkeeper, I’m not here to work as a server today. See? I’ve come to stay as a guest!"
With a "smack", he slapped a piece of broken silver the size of a pinky tip onto the counter and shouted loudly.
Shopkeeper Liu glanced at the silver, and a smile quickly piled up on his old face: "Oh my, look at this blind old man! Isn’t this a case of not recognizing true gold? Mr. Wang, please come inside and take a seat. Whatever you want to eat, just call for it. Today, your meal is on this humble old man as a token of my respect!"
The old man’s obsequious posture was somewhat comical, but the neighbors sitting in the front hall watched Wang Dali with amused eyes.
Wang Dali also felt a bit embarrassed and replied with a sheepish laugh, "You’re flattering me too much, aren’t you? I just wanted to come back for a look, that’s all!"
Shopkeeper Liu’s smile became even more accommodating as he bowed and ushered Wang Dali inside, "Mr. Wang, what are you saying? Please, have a seat..."
Right then, Yang Ge approached with a peculiar expression and pulled the old shopkeeper back behind the counter, laughing, "Shopkeeper, let me do it!"
After returning to the counter, Shopkeeper Liu continued with serious instructions: "Okay, you better take good care of Mr. Wang for me. You can’t let our inn lose face!"
Yang Ge nodded and gestured for Wang to follow him, "Wang, please come inside. I’ll find you a nice spot!"
Wang Dali’s mood eased as he headed to the elegant seating on the second floor led by Yang Ge, muttering as he walked, "Why does the old shopkeeper look down on people so much? Can’t I, Wang Dali, make something of myself..."
He did know, however, that the old shopkeeper was just trying to show him who’s boss.
After settling Wang Dali, Yang Ge returned to the counter to see Shopkeeper Liu with a dark expression, flicking the abacus beads noisily. Yang Ge couldn’t help but step forward with a smile to reassure him softly, "Are you still angry? It’s not like you didn’t know him from day one!"
Shopkeeper Liu scoffed, "Good words can’t convince a damn fool bent on his way!"
Yang Ge chuckled, "Everyone has their own ambitions, you can’t force them!"
Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand dismissively, "Let him be, once he’s finished this meal, he’ll have nothing to do with our inn, not even the worth of a copper coin!"
Both were shrewd individuals and didn’t need to ask what the guy was up to or where his money had come from – they could guess he was certainly up to no good with a mere thought.
For a restless young man like Wang Dali at that age, once he dove down the wrong path, he was unlikely to return...
"Glad you can see it that way!"
He untied the apron from around his waist, "It’s a bit calmer here now, I’m going to check on Fuyu for a moment. I’ll be right back!"
Shopkeeper Liu laughed, "No rush, we can handle things here. If he’s not busy, let him come over for lunch!"
Yang Ge agreed and strode out the front door.
Fang Ke, who was inside the front hall eating a steamed bun in one hand and pig’s head meat in the other, hurried after him, "Shopkeeper Yang, wait up, I have something to discuss with you."
Shopkeeper Liu, still behind the counter, called out cheerfully, "Guest, is our food to your taste?"
Fang Ke, while walking, gave a thumbs up, "Can’t complain!"
The two left the inn, one after the other, walking side by side.
Fang Ke, keeping his usual expression, lowered his voice, "Shopkeeper Yang, what’s the word from home?"
Yang Ge replied in a similarly subdued tone, "I’ll immediately investigate the patrolling guards tonight and put anyone in charge, both high and low-ranking, under surveillance. Wait for my word!"
Fang Ke replied, "Understood... Alright then, we’ll go into details later!"
He patted Yang Ge on the shoulder, turned around, and continued munching on his steamed bun as he went back into the inn to finish his meal.