The First Volume The Empty Spirit Chapter 18 Tea and Discussion

  Antoine is a pure-blooded Frenchman who drinks coffee and milk every day, eats French bread and cheese. But Antoine also likes to drink tea, whether it's black or green tea, he likes to drink Chinese Gongfu tea and large bowl tea very much.

  Anthony seems to be an old acquaintance of this teahouse, and as soon as he enters the door, he is personally entertained by the boss. Wang Ya-zu looked around and felt that it was a very high-end teahouse, which could be seen from its decoration, not only ancient and elegant, but also with a deep Confucian style. However, in this Shanghai beach, many things have changed, filled with the smell of money.

  Anthony and Wang Ya-zu came to have tea at this time, there were almost no customers, it was the quietest time for the teahouse business. But because Anthony came, the shopkeeper immediately called two of the best female waitresses in the store, one played the guqin, and the other brewed tea.

  Anthony chose the quietest place in the teahouse, a single room separated by screens and curtains. Such a single room is set up very skillfully, neither completely isolated nor keeping a certain distance from the outside. It's the most suitable place for guests who need quietness and conversation.

  The guqin music outside began to sound, and the tea-serving woman walked in with a small pot of hot water. She put the boiling water aside, first took out the prepared tea leaves, used bamboo tweezers to pick up a small piece of tea leaves, and said to Wang Yaowu and Anthony: "Gentlemen, this is pre-rain spring tea, and the water is from high mountain springs outside the city."

  The lady meant to have Wang Ya-zu and Anthony inspect the tea leaves, which was a customary practice for those who came to the teahouse to drink gongfu tea. Wang Ya-zu shook his head at this, though he actually knew about tea, but didn't want to show off like that.

  Anthony didn't actually understand much about tea, he wasn't a Chinese expert either, just knowing a little bit of vague Chinese history and some simple Chinese dialogue. But he still pretended to be knowledgeable, stretched out his hand to take a piece of tea leaves, put it under his nose and sniffed, then said in Chinese: "Very good, let's start."

  The first cup of tea, Anthony and Wang Ya-zu didn't say a word, just savoring it carefully. Anthony soon discovered that Wang Ya-zu, who loved coffee in France, seemed to be more skilled at tasting tea than he was, which reduced Anthony's interest somewhat, but also made him curious.

  "King, you seem to be quite good at tasting tea."

  "Anthony, you seem to have forgotten where I'm from. In Fujian, there's Wuyi tea and Guanyin tea, as well as Dehua ceramics. In my hometown, both of my parents liked drinking tea, and I grew up drinking it."

  The second cup of tea, Anthony slowed down noticeably. After probing in French beforehand and making sure the woman next to him didn't understand French, Anthony finally got down to business. It was safest to converse back and forth in French.

  "Wang, you should know that in Europe, tea is very expensive, especially the various teas from China. Only rich people can afford to drink it there. My grandfather taught me to drink tea when I was very young, and at first, I thought it was too bitter, but later on, I gradually developed a taste for it. Wang, do you know why?"

  "I know, because it's a symbol of identity. And that's exactly why we'll become friends and have such a big business."

  Wang Ya-zu raised his teacup and offered a toast to Anthony with tea instead of wine.

  "That's right, this is indeed a symbol of status. I have never wished to restore my family's former prosperity for a moment. I am the most orthodox French nobleman, and my family history spans 200 years. At its peak, it was a viscount with its own territory and castle. Every time I drink tea, I am reminded that I want to restore my family's glory. But, Your Majesty, I'm suddenly a little scared now, because this business is really too big, if there's any mistake, I will lose everything I have now."

  Antony was scared. Wang Ya-zu had completely lost his mood for tea tasting. The Eighth Master, the notorious hitman of Shanghai's Green Gang, who claimed that there was no one in Shanghai he dared not kill, was scared. This foreigner in front of him, who roamed and dominated the Shanghai Bund, even the commander of the Shanghai Garrison Command did not dare to offend easily, the consul of the French Concession Consulate General was also scared.

  It seems that the more one gets, the more afraid of losing. Ba Ye and Anthony seem to be this way too, only Wang Ya Zu, who has not gained much for the time being, does not feel afraid.

  "Anthony, I've been thinking, of course about those sailors who went to find the New World, and those families who were among the first immigrants to the New World. What kind of feeling did they have when they set sail? The sea is vast, there are no correct maps, and for those who wanted to find the golden land in the East, didn't they know that it was an extremely dangerous road, full of death?"

  Wang Yaowu dislikes the French, all Europeans are arrogant, most of them look down on black-haired, black-eyed, yellow-skinned Chinese from the bottom of their hearts. They think they are the best race in their hearts. During his studies in France, Wang Yaowu suffered a lot from this kind of treatment. Thinking of his experiences studying in France, Wang Yaowu's heart is filled with flames of anger.

  Wang Ya-zu, however, greatly admired the sailors of Europe's Age of Exploration, those adventurers who went to the New World to wage wars of colonization. That kind of spirit, which disregarded everything and risked life, was what Wang Ya-zu admired and learned from.

  "King, I understand what you mean. Those people who went to the New World for adventure back then were just a group of poor people who had lost their land, couldn't find work, and had nothing. They pinned all their hopes on the unknown New World. You've made me realize that I'm not even as good as those people now. Isn't there a Chinese proverb that says 'wealth and honor are to be found in danger'? Let's drink to the success of our deal with tea instead of wine."

  Anthony raised his cup and lightly touched it to Wang Ya-zu's, then they both drained their tea cups. The woman brewing the tea had no idea what these two guests were saying - everything was in a foreign language. Even if she could understand, she knew which conversations she should listen to and which ones she shouldn't.

  "Antony, don't worry. There are people from your military involved in this deal, and your superior, Faber, is also a military man, so even if he finds out, he'll understand the pros and cons. As long as you ensure that the goods enter Shanghai safely, you can have all the antiques we've prepared for you. I guarantee with my life that everything we're trading is genuine and valuable."

  Finally, he convinced someone who had begun to waver, and Wang Ya-zu felt much more at ease. The third infusion of tea, the flavor of the tea leaves had faded a lot, but by now the people drinking tea all had the fragrance of tea in their mouths, and it was almost time to end.

  "The consul is not around recently, I believe he will only return after our transaction is completed. Actually, everyone who comes to Shanghai is here for the money. The goods will be transported into Shanghai under the name of the consulate along with other goods, according to regulations, the Chinese customs have no right to inspect the goods of the French Consulate. The French Concession police station will ensure the safe transportation of the goods to the warehouse for our transaction. Wang, to be honest, I trust you, but I don't quite believe in those Chinese gang members, so I hope you can confirm this again and again, it's not that I don't trust your guarantee."

  Wang Yaozu nodded and once again assured Anthony that he would ensure the success of the transaction. The larger the deal, the more interests are involved, and this time's transaction was not just related to Wang Yaozu, Anthony, and Ba Ye, but also others.

  The third round of tea had been poured, but Anthony showed no signs of leaving. He said to the woman pouring tea beside him in Chinese: "Another pot of new tea, two snacks."

  Anthony didn't want to leave yet, so Wang Ya-zu could only continue sitting down. After drinking so much tea, Wang Ya-zu also felt a bit hungry. Since the tea was good, the snacks in this teahouse were naturally of high standard too, it's just that Anthony wasn't used to eating them normally.

  "King, recently the Japanese have been increasingly active in the French concession. They are not only gathering intelligence on your government but also on all matters related to France and Britain. Our two consuls as well as our parliament back in Europe are very annoyed about this. King, you know many people in Shanghai and you yourself do intelligence work, so I hope you can help us, the French government, and me, a friend, deal with those detestable Japanese spies."

  Since the establishment of the Japanese concession, the British concession has been working with the French concession to contain the Japanese concession, and there have been constant small movements between the three parties. The biggest reason is the issue of interests. European powers regard China as a piece of fat on their dining table, unwilling to see the Japanese, who are also an Asian nation, come to grab it. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan began its largest-scale economic invasion of China, with a large number of Japanese firms, merchants and immigrants coming to China, directly affecting the interests of European businessmen in China.

  "I will definitely help with this matter. To be blunt, you foreigners only come to China to plunder our wealth and resources. Your method is to support the government that is close to you, and that's how Commander Chiang came to power. But the Japanese are different, they not only want China's wealth and resources, but also want to occupy our territory and enslave our people. I will definitely help with this matter!" Smokeless First Volume Empty Spirit Chapter 18 Tea and Discussion