Chapter 23: Plotting the Taiyuan Branch

  "Are you the owner of this restaurant?" He Qing's father looked at Li Jiancheng in surprise, then turned his head to look at his daughter, got her reply, and still had an incredulous expression on his face.

  "Exactly!" Li Jiancheng replied with a fist bump. "Uncle, come in and talk." Then he walked inside, while behind He Qing's father followed a woman who seemed to be his wife.

  "Now that we've become relatives, you can call me Uncle and I'll call you Nephew." He Qing's father said.

  "Even if you are a senior, you call me a wise nephew but don't put on airs." Li Jiancheng smiled and replied.

  "Ah! To think that a young man like you is so intelligent, it's really beyond the reach of ordinary people." He Qing's father exclaimed, suddenly he slapped his forehead, just as Li Jiancheng felt puzzled, only to hear He Qing's father say, "I was so surprised by your talent that I forgot to introduce myself. I am a gentleman from Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, He Taichong, and this is my wife, Mrs. Zhao."

  "Ah..." Hearing him introduce his name, Li Jiancheng, who was drinking tea, suddenly choked and spat out the tea water. Fortunately, it wasn't towards He Qing's father, otherwise, it would have been embarrassing. At this moment, Li Jiancheng was gasping for breath, if he hadn't practiced "Changsheng Jue Ri Zhi Pian", he would probably be going to see King Yan now. "Excuse me," Li Jiancheng said with a bow, and as soon as he mentioned He Taichong's name, it reminded him of the character He Taichong in Jin Yong's "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber".

  "It doesn't matter, no one is perfect, even saints are like that." He Taichong waved his hand.

  "By the way, Uncle He. I observe that you seem to be a man of letters, why are you in business?" Li Jiancheng asked curiously.

  "Alas!" Mrs. He sighed before continuing, "My good nephew's guess is correct. Originally, our family, the He's, were a scholarly and aristocratic household with a tradition of over 100 years. However, by my grandfather's generation, our family's fortunes declined, and we were forced to engage in commerce to make a living. Now that we have achieved some small success, it is not easy to restore our former glory."

  In fact, the thoughts of the ancients are not difficult to guess. They thought that among scholars, farmers, workers and merchants, merchants were the lowest level. If it weren't for survival, few people would give up their scholar identity to engage in commerce. However, some stubborn scholars would rather bring their whole family to poverty and hunger than give up their scholar identity to engage in commerce in order to maintain those empty reputations.

  "Now I have a way to make the Bo family regain its glory, and even surpass what it was in the past. It's not difficult at all, but I don't know if Uncle wants to do it." Li Jiancheng threw out a bait. He was very confident about this, and he was sure that He Taichong would accept. Just like Murong Fu in "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", restoring the country was everything to him, and for the sake of restoration, he could do anything. So he believed that He Taichong's choice would be the same."

  "Alright, since you've put it that way, I'm sure you won't cheat me either, considering you're capable of building such a magnificent wine house." He Taichong thought for a moment before speaking decisively, without mentioning anything about going back to think about it. Seeing him being so resolute and efficient, Li Jiancheng couldn't help but praise him again, no wonder he was able to achieve something in business after giving up on literature, he's indeed a talented person.

  "Well, since that's the case, I hope Uncle He can also open a wine shop in Taiyuan for 'Journey to the West Taiyuan Branch', with me paying for the funds. The business model can refer to this wine shop, and the personnel will be responsible by Uncle He. And Uncle He will be the agent boss of this wine shop, is that okay?" Li Jiancheng made a request, now it's up to He Taichong to decide.

  "In that case, Uncle will follow his family and then follow Xian Sheng. Wealth and honor are sought in danger, if you want to gain something, you must first pay the price, this principle Uncle still understands." He Tai Chun said bluntly.

  Generally speaking, everything has been said, and the remaining details were left to He Qing to discuss with Mrs. He. So everyone ordered some wine and dishes, chatting and eating together, which was also a pleasure without bounds. Mrs. He was not an ordinary businesswoman, with a mouthful of coppery smell, coming from a scholarly family, and her words were reasonable and well-founded.

  "Ah!" Just as they were halfway through eating, Mrs. He suddenly let out a sigh. Li Jiancheng and He Qing looked at each other in surprise, but only Mrs. He seemed to know the reason and didn't find it strange.

  "Uncle, why did you sigh? Can you tell me?" Li Jiancheng asked in puzzlement.

  "It's better not to mention it, but once mentioned, it's infuriating." He Tao rushed over with an indignant look on his face, which made him feel even more puzzled.

  "Dad, what's going on that's got you so worried? Maybe if you say it out loud, others can think of a solution. And with Jiancheng's wisdom, maybe he can help you solve it." He Qing asked, not forgetting to praise Li Jiancheng, making him feel embarrassed.

  "It's like this, so it doesn't matter if I say it. This thing is also a misfortune for our family." He Taichong shook her head and continued to say, "Qing'er, this matter ultimately has something to do with your younger brother." Seeing He Qing's puzzled look, He Taichong then said, "My son He Bin, originally named Bin, hoping he would be both literary and martially talented. But unexpectedly, he had no interest in reading books, only loving to practice martial arts. Many times I advised him, but he wouldn't listen, wasting my efforts and worrying me to death. Now I don't even know where he's run off to."

  "Everyone has their own ambitions, perhaps He Bin will also achieve something in the future." Li Jiancheng neither opposed nor agreed with this, it was someone else's family matter and he didn't want to interfere.

  "What's the use of practicing martial arts when it's so peaceful today?" He Taichong wondered, not knowing that with Yang Guang ascending to the throne this year, war would soon break out.

  "No one can understand what the future holds, maybe it will be useful." Seeing He Taichong's disbelieving look, Li Jiancheng didn't explain much, and he would naturally understand later. "Maybe after a year or two, He Bin's interest will fade away, and he might give up, so let's just let him be for now." He said this as he looked at He Taichong's worried face.

  "There's nothing that can be done about it now, I just hope he'll turn back!" After saying this, he took a sip of wine and didn't mention the matter again. The meal was enjoyed by both host and guest, but in order not to let his mother find out that he had been drinking outside, he decided to rest for a while in the neighboring residence before returning home.

  When he woke up, the sun was already setting in the west, and it was probably after 4 o'clock. When he went out, Aunt He happened to come over, seemingly having something to say to him, so he returned to his room again.

  "I've already discussed it with my father," Jiancheng said. The original topic was this matter, so Li Jiancheng nodded to indicate that she should continue speaking. "The Taiyuan branch will have the same business model as this store, perhaps some things are different, and we'll know when the time comes; I also copied a menu for Man Han Quan Xi for my father, and he will find a reliable chef in Taiyuan to execute it when the time comes. The method and process of brewing wine have also been shown to my father, and at the same time, I gave him an instrument to take back and manufacture. There shouldn't be any problems." He Qing looked at Li Jiancheng after finishing speaking, wanting to hear if he had anything else to add.

  "Right, let Uncle also take in some orphans in Taiyuan and make the same demands. Also, let Uncle find evidence to search for the leader's training later." After thinking about it, there was nothing more to say, so he hinted that He Qing should just tell He Taichong about these things, as he still had to leave early, otherwise his mother would get angry again.

  Back home before dinner time, the whole family was chatting in the living room. Li Yuan happened to be on New Year's holiday and was also resting at home. Of course, due to Li Yuan's identity, like those low-ranking officials, he still had to go to work. Joining their conversation, after finishing dinner, they each returned to their own rooms, and that's it.