Chapter 39 I'm like a shallow water dragon trapped on the sandy beach

  I'm like a dragon trapped in shallow water on the beach

  The people of the Zhou family in the distance saw this scene and immediately got angry, their whole body trembling like a sieve. They cursed and rushed back to report. The steward knew that things were bad, so he quickly ran out, pointing at Li Hai's nose and scolding: "A group of turtle sons! Lawless things! You don't even eat the noodles in front of you, but you dare to smash bowls! Wait until I tell your family's Old Master Yao, one or two hundred slaps will be too light for you! If you were in my Zhou family village, I would send you to the government office and give you 200 slaps to cure your illness!"

  Li Haoniu heard this and became angry, taking heavy steps forward, grasping the steward's collar with one hand, lifting him up like a small chicken so that only his toes touched the ground, clenching his right fist as if to strike.

  Li Jun, the head of the carpentry class, rushed up and stretched out two arms to hold him back: "Hai Niu, don't cause trouble! If you don't eat noodles, it's not a big deal, but if you hit him, the boss will have something to say."

  Li Haibei's hand shook and the housekeeper was pushed out with a loud noise, falling to the ground. However, he was frightened and dared not curse again.

  These days, following Yao Fan's meticulous care, with plenty of food and drink, Li Haoniu has regained all the foundation he had lost. The muscles on his arms, once thin and wiry, have grown back, and with a casual flick of his wrist, he can summon the strength of an ox. During this time, Yao Fan has also come to realize that Li Haoniu's claim of being a former cavalryman, responsible for dozens of lives, was no idle boast. With his physique and muscles, if he were to wield a large blade, he would be a terrifying figure even in 2011.

  Yao Fan had already met a group of local gentry through Zhou Xiusheng's introduction. After exchanging greetings, he sat down in front of the stage in the Zhou family's large courtyard, with Zhou Xiusheng sitting beside him. He was wondering why Li Haoniu and his friends hadn't come to watch the play yet.

  "Brother Yao, this Shengtai troupe was originally invited from Beijing by Governor Ding of our province to celebrate the birthday of his elderly mother. I heard that my sixth brother wrote a letter back and immediately sent someone to hurriedly invite them from Jinan Prefecture. I thought of holding a grand gathering and inviting all the dignitaries from Jimo and Gezhou to come and listen to the tunes from Beijing."

  "Brother Yao, can you listen to Peking Opera overseas?"

  Yao Fansheng smiled and said, "Foreigners don't understand Peking Opera. They have their own operas. When I was abroad, I naturally didn't have the chance to listen to this kind of Erhuang tune. Today, fortunately, thanks to your noble place, I can finally hear it again. It's really familiar."

  He Shicheng found it strange that Yao Fang often sang plays he had never heard before, and they all sounded good, showing that the master was a frequent playgoer, but he didn't know why the master wanted to lie.

  Zhou Xiusheng was delighted to hear Yao Fang's praise, and said frankly: "The other day, Brother Yao sent a big gift, I really couldn't bear it in my heart, so I thought about returning the favor to Brother Yao, and also taking the opportunity to get along with Brother Yao. Today, seeing Brother Yao, he is indeed a talented person, it's really exciting."

  "Ah, no need to be polite, I'm just a foreign merchant passing through your esteemed land; this small gift is merely a token of my appreciation."

  Zhou Xiuzong said: "I heard that some time ago, Brother Yao had an affair with a woman and had a falling out with the Guo family's master. Is this true?"

  Yao Fan turned his head and stared at Zhou Xiu Song, saying slowly: "How, Brother Zhou also heard?"

  Zhou Xiusheng smiled and said, "This place is so small that even if you put Ji Mo and Jiao Zhou together, it's still a tiny place. Everyone knows each other well, and we often run into each other. Brother Yao, listen to my advice: if there's any past grievance, just let it go."

  Yao Feng heard Zhou Xiu Song's words, as if he wanted to be a peacemaker, and said: "Some people have small hearts and want to bully me, an outsider. I am magnanimous and do not want to provoke trouble, but I'm afraid others will not let it go."

  Zhou Xiusheng said, "Brother Yao, don't worry. Today I have invited all five families - Zhou, Huang, Lan, Yang and Guo. When the time comes, everyone will drink and make merry, and this festival will pass. After all, it's just a woman. Guo Jixiu can't not give me face."

  Yao Fan knew that He Wannian would come over in the afternoon and said: "This matter does not depend on me, mainly it depends on Guo Jixiu."

  Zhou Xiu-song heard this and happily said: "Easy to handle, easy to handle. This matter is left to me. When Guo Ji-xiu comes later, I will introduce you two to each other."

  Just as they were talking, a commotion broke out at the back. The servants from the Zhou family came to report that one of Yao Feng's companions had smashed a bowl. Zhou Xiu's face sank and he scolded: "When someone comes to be a guest, how can you make them smash bowls? It must be because you didn't treat him well and made him angry."

  Yao Fan stood by and listened, without saying a word.

  Before long, the steward of the Zhou family came in, crawling and rolling, with a resentful look on his face, adding oil to the fire as he reported, saying that Yao Fang's partners were extremely unbearable, and even said that one of Yao Fang's big partners had hit him.

  Yao Feng smiled and said: "Shi Cheng, give this steward ten taels of silver to calm him down."

  Zhou Xiushong hastily intercepted the way: "It's not allowed, Brother Yao, you're wrong this time. When servants have a dispute, they must have cursed and insulted each other with dirty words. Just call them out to be beaten, how can we tolerate it?"

  Saying that, Zhou Xiuzong pointed at Guan's nose and scolded: "I must have heard another reason for this matter. You say, did you give the reward money or not?"

  The housekeeper's face turned pale and he stammered: "According to convention, one person gave birth to two big sons."

  Zhou Xiuzong's face turned ugly, and he scolded: "Yao Dongjia is a distinguished guest I invited, today he came over to watch the play, just for fun, how can you let him spoil the mood!"

  "Damn it! You're so absurd in handling things, really losing face for the Zhou family. I'm deducting your salary for next month, get out of here! And remember to return the reward money to the fellow brought by Yao Dong's family, double the amount! 40 taels per person!"

  After finishing speaking, Zhou Xiuzong apologetically said to Yao Fangdao: "Brother Yao, this matter is really inexcusable. I have punished the servant, do you think it's okay like this?"

  Yao Feng smiled and said lightly, "Brother Zhou is indeed meticulous, I admire him. Shi Cheng, go to the back and tell everyone about the arrangements for Mr. Zhou's family, ask them to calm down and come to the front to watch the play. It looks like there's plenty of space here, even if there aren't any stools, they can all stand and listen, it'll be enjoyable either way."

  "Yes, sir." He Jiesheng's usual crispness, after receiving the order, he was about to leave with the butler.

  Zhou Xiu-song's eyes bulged, thinking: "Is that it? I said that the servants should be punished for quarreling, and now you're just letting them off with a warning? You should at least punish one of them! Damn it! You're trying to sweep this under the rug! And you still say you want to calm down the servants!"

  Zhou Xiuxiang got angrier the more he thought about it, and had to start taking deep breaths to calm down his temper: "This Yao Feng is really shameless! I clearly invited local gentry today, not your family's servants! If it were just one or two personal attendants, that would be fine, but you actually brought over thirty followers, these coarse people will make a ruckus in the back, even if they don't speak, it's still infuriating!"

  Thinking of this, Zhou Xiusong furrowed his brow and thought to himself that Yao Fang was indeed a savage who had lived abroad for a long time and had learned no manners from the foreigners!

  Before long, Yao Fan's companions were all called to the theater, they stood far away from the wall in the back, savoring the play "The Fourth Son Visits His Mother" on the stage.

  Wang Gui stood in the crowd, smiling complacently, and whispered to Zhou Si: "It's still our master's face that's bigger! Who else can enter the garden to watch the play? Look at our prestige today!"

  Zhou hesitated for a moment and muttered: "I'm afraid it's just to watch the show, I'm afraid it's a bit presumptuous, listening outside is enough, why bother coming in."

  Li Jun said: "With the master around, what's there to be afraid of?"

  Look! Yang Siling has come out!" As soon as he finished speaking, there was a shout of "Good"!

  That was a good voice, huge and loud, which easily covered the sound of the huqin and single drum in the opera troupe, startling all the rural gentry in the entire theater, who turned their heads one after another, looked at the group of servants dressed up as accountants, and then put on a disdainful expression.

  The head of the carpentry team, Li Jun, was the only son of a blacksmith in Jiaxi County. Because his old father borrowed usury and couldn't pay it back, the blacksmith shop was confiscated by the usurer. His grandfather thought he had no way out and hanged himself in the shop after working late into the night. Li Jun didn't see his father return that night, so he went to the shop to look for him and found his father's body. He cried until he fainted.

  Li Jun lost his mother at a young age and was alone. When he woke up, he was afraid of being caught by the creditors and sold, so early in the morning, he dug a hole in the back mountain and buried his father. Alone, he escaped and relied on hitting shells by the sea to make a living. However, eating too many shells would hurt his intestines and stomach. At first, he had diarrhea, and then he started bleeding from the anus. He really couldn't hold on anymore, so he secretly snuck into Qingdao Port, wanting to beg for some dry food to eat. Unexpectedly, he was chosen by Yao Fan and became an apprentice.

  Seeing everyone's gloomy faces, Li Jun felt anxious and asked Li Hailong in a low voice: "Brother Hailong, have I lost face for the master this time?"

  Li Hailong said: "Do you think the master is on the same level as you? You're in the carpentry group, haven't you cut off a few saws*? Has the master ever mentioned you half a sentence before? Just put your heart at ease and watch the show!"

  As soon as Li Hailong's voice fell, he suddenly heard a thunderous shout of "Good!!!" from the front.

  It turned out that the good one was shouted by Yao Feng, and just listening to the rough and vigorous tone of his voice, it was exactly like a bandit! Instantly, it attracted the crowd behind him to follow suit, shouting in approval!

  Zhou Xiu Song was just comforting himself, but the more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt in his heart. He had to swallow his pride and comfort himself that Yao Fang was a foreign merchant who didn't understand the etiquette of the Celestial Empire, so he didn't need to be on an equal footing with him. Anyway, Yao Fang was generous with his money, which could cover up a hundred ugly things.

  The applause that followed really made Zhou Xiusong furious, thinking to himself: "You're Yao Fang's subordinate and you don't even know the rules of etiquette. Even if it's just for show, shouldn't you go scold him?"

  Before Zhou Xiusong finished speaking, Yao Fan let out another loud cry.

  Only listen to Yang Yanruo singing on stage:

  "I am like a bird in a cage with wings that cannot spread"

  I feel like a tiger leaving its mountain, lonely and isolated.

  Like a wild goose flying alone after losing its flock

  I'm like a shallow water dragon stuck on the beach...