Chapter 61 Encounter

  Meet in person

  Ding Baozhen chatted with the three Li children for a while, and after hearing about their experiences on the road, he felt that Yao Fang was a man who remained calm in the face of change, had been robbed by horse bandits, and must have deeply resented these lawless phenomena. If he could be persuaded to join him, it might not be impossible to use him for his own purposes, especially considering the great righteousness of supporting the Qing imperial court and creating a peaceful and prosperous world.

  But he didn't know what kind of wild idea was jumping in Yao Fan's mind! That was another way to govern the chaos.

  "I'll set up a wine table tonight, to calm the nerves and wash away the dust for my three nephews and nieces. My family will also come over in the evening, so you all can gather together happily. Meng Xin has received an imperial appointment, next year he will go to Shanxi as a candidate for the position of prefect, this time you see him, but when he comes back to Shandong, you won't be able to see him again." said Ding Baozhen with a smile.

  "As for that Yao Fan, since both of you think he's usable, then have him come over tonight to keep us company. I'll take a look at him too, see if he has three heads or six arms." Dīng Bǎozhuàn said finally.

  Li Jingyu said softly: "A distant road tests a horse's strength, and only meeting once may not reveal great talent. Uncle Ding, if you want to test my abilities, I can be treated with courtesy."

  The more she said, the softer her voice became. After finishing speaking, her heart thumped and pounded, and she inexplicably felt a little shy.

  Li Jingfang and Li Mouxin didn't notice anything unusual, but Ding Baozhen was surprised, thinking to himself that this little girl must have been enchanted by spring. Was Yao Fang really a talented and elegant young man who could win people's hearts at first sight?

  "Fu Bo, go tell that person from the Yao family to hurry back and report, saying that my brothers and I will invite him for a drink tonight." Li Deshu said excitedly after seeing Ding Baozhen agree.

  At this time, Yao Feng didn't know that a group of idle people were discussing him in the governor's mansion. He was full of energy and pulled his suitcase back to the shop from the temple, found a brush, and carefully wrote down the usage and dosage of each medicine according to the doctor's instructions, which medicines were used together for each course of treatment. After finishing writing, he asked his partner to bring some paper bags, personally packaged the medicines, put the labels in separately, wrapped them in plastic bags, and then wrapped them in thick cowhide paper, tied with fine hemp rope.

  Yao Fanzheng was about to write a note to He Wannian, thinking about how to write it in a subtle way, so that even if it was discovered, it could not be used as evidence of being a traitor. At this time, Zhou Di came to report that the Li family had invited him to dinner at the Provincial Governor's mansion that evening and would introduce him to a high-ranking official.

  "Fourth Master Zhou said excitedly, 'Master Fu said that the master of the house should dress up nicely tonight as there will be a noble guest. I felt this was a big deal and didn't have time to ask about the price of the shop, so I rushed back to inform you.'"

  Yao Fangan snapped his fingers and calculated that among the Li family's three young masters, only Ding Baozhen of the Jinan government could be considered a noble.

  "Oh, I see." Yao Fang nodded.

  Zhou stood there for a moment, hesitated again, and finally spoke up: "Fu Bo gave me ten taels of silver as a reward, Master, this money..."

  Yao Feng smiled and said: "Take it away, when did I ever deduct your reward? Fourth, go hire a carriage."

  "Right, Master Dong, I'll go and ask about the price of that shop early tomorrow morning."

  Zhou Di Si came out from here just now, and He Shi Cheng went in again: "Master, the warehouse has been checked, and it matches with the account book, but...".

  Yao Fan impatiently said: "Stop beating around the bush and say it."

  "The purchase price has gone up, I reckon it's about 20% higher."

  Yao Feng sneered: "This damn... Shi Cheng, did you say your second master knows or not?"

  He Shicheng heard Yao's tone was unpleasant, and hastily knelt down saying: "Master don't be angry, my second master must not have known! This must be third master doing his own mischief!"

  Yao Feng hastily helped him up, scolding: "How can you still not get rid of this habit of being soft-kneed? When did I ever treat you like a household slave? Are you trying to make yourself look like a servant on purpose to annoy me? Besides, He Wan has ill-gotten gains, what does that have to do with you?"

  He Shicheng was deeply moved and said excitedly: "The master is good to me, I will remember it firmly in my heart and never dare to forget!

  "Master, there's something I need to tell you."

  "That's all."

  "Our master, my third uncle used to be a bad egg. He even smoked opium before. Later, our great-grandfather beat him severely and he was bedridden for two months. After that, he was confined at home for two years, which finally cured him of the habit. This time, second uncle asked him to come out and do something, it's because he wanted to help him. But now he has done such a shameful thing, if second uncle finds out, I'm afraid he'll be so angry that he'll hit his head against the wall and die."

  Yao Fan thought about it and realized that the total cost of handling the matter in Jinan was only 2,000 taels, so even if He's family wanted to embezzle money, they wouldn't do it from this. He Wan had control over the wholesale goods at Qingdao Port, and with just a slight manipulation, he could get a lot of kickbacks and make a fortune. Yao Fan thought about He Wan's pale face again...

  "Shi Cheng, He Wan has that look on his face again, I think it's not too good, yellow and waxen. Do you think he's sick or has he started smoking again?"

  He Shicheng had already suspected this, and now that Yao Feng asked him, he immediately said: "I see Third Master's face, it's really not like when he's at home. He looks dull and listless, like a cucumber. As soon as we met, he started sniffling and wiping his nose. You don't know, Master, just now you were talking to him, and then he went back inside to wipe his face. I don't know what he's doing. When we're checking the warehouse, he doesn't even come out to supervise. It's so hot outside, but he keeps the door shut tight."

  "Cough..." Yao Fan sighed, shook his head and said: "Considering your family's second master's face, I won't bother with him. For a few pieces of silver, it's not worth damaging the good relationship between me and your family's second master. I'll write a letter to tell him to handle it himself later, I don't want to get involved in his family affairs."

  He Shicheng said with a scowl: "This third master is too ungrateful, and Second Master still bothered to help him. Bah!" As he spoke, he spat to the side.

  "Yao Feng scolded: 'You're also too careless, I'm sleeping in this house, what are you blindly doing? Hurry up and help me tidy up the books, and prepare the gifts as well. On Thursday, hire a car and have them moved up, tonight I'll go to pay respects to the officials here.'"

  He Shicheng wiped away a string of saliva from his mouth and hurriedly helped Yao Feng pick up the things.

  Yao Fan guessed that the person Li's family was going to introduce him to was probably Ding Baozhen. For someone as important as Ding Baozhen, he didn't dare to be negligent. Not only was this man the highest-ranking official in Shandong at the moment, but he was also a key figure in the current foreign affairs movement, and was the number one person Yao Fan had come to Jinan Prefecture to try to curry favor with.

  After making all preparations, Yao Fan didn't wait for nightfall and directly rushed to the Provincial Governor's yamen.

  Yao Fan arrived and ordered He Shicheng to bring down the fourth batch of gifts and send them in through the small gate. He himself first handed over the visiting card to the doorman and went to wait in the second hall.

  The gatekeeper weighed it with one hand and knew that there were ten taels of silver in his hand, and he was immediately satisfied to take Yao Fang's letter and report it.

  Yao Fang sat in the second hall, waiting, and saw that in the courtyard there were over ten pots of various colorful flowers, red, pink, yellow, white, matched with green leaves, looking very beautiful.

  Yao Fangxin thought to himself, I've heard that Ding Baozhen is a relatively clean and honest person. This kind of person won't take money if others don't give it to him, but if they do offer it, he'll definitely accept it. Afterwards, whether or not he gets things done, and how well he does them, all depends on luck.

  Just then, the gatekeeper came in and said that the Governor would arrive soon, and the servants in the yamen also brought in tea and set it out.

  Yao Feng foolishly nodded at the gatekeeper, who saw his stupidity and hastily pulled his sleeve. Yao Feng then realized he should stand up straight and wait respectfully.

  A moment later, Ding Baozhen came in and waved his hand, and the gatekeeper retreated. Yao Fan saw that he was not wearing official attire, but was bare-headed, with a dignified stride, wearing a dark green thin satin jacket fluttering in the wind, with white streaks in his long beard reaching his chest, looking like an old fortune teller. On his pale and thin face, his expression was stern and solemn, due to his advanced age, his eyelids drooped, but the triangular gap between them revealed a sharp glint, clearly showing that he was a great figure who had been in high positions for a long time.

  Yao Fang didn't dare to be as careless as he was with Sun Maowen and Wei Guofu this time. When Ding Baozhen approached, Yao Fang made three deep bows with student etiquette. Ding Baozhen didn't mind that Yao Fang didn't have any official title but still bowed his head, probably thinking it's normal for these Westerners to be confused about etiquette. He simply waved his hand and pointed, then sat down in the middle.

  Yao Fan didn't know whether the old man's waving hand was a signal for him to sit down or had some other meaning, so he cursed inwardly and stood there with a smile: "Junior Yao Fan, pays respects to Lord Ding. I've long heard that Lord Ding is a pillar of the state while abroad. Today, I'm lucky enough to see you, it's truly a blessing for me in this life. When I grow old, I can also boast to my children and grandchildren that I once saw the top official of our great Qing dynasty."

  Ding Baozhen stroked his beard lightly: "Sit down, you've come just in time. No need for excessive courtesy. I see that among your gifts, there are many books with exquisite bindings and meticulous workmanship, even more refined than the imperial collection. I heard from Jing Fang and Zuo Si that these were all compiled by your family?"

  Yao Feng didn't beat around the bush and directly got to the point, knowing that this was a practical person who wouldn't appreciate playing games. He immediately said: "My family has always been fond of collecting books, and my father inherited this hobby. After retiring from business, he became even more obsessed with bookbinding. Originally, these books were bound for our own family's entertainment and weren't meant to be sold outside, but I heard that Lord Ding had established the Shangzhi Academy and was translating books from various countries. So, I thought that if I could make a small contribution, it would certainly bring joy to your lordship."

  Ding Baozhen glanced at Yao Fang and smiled: "Yes, I've read these books and indeed felt delighted. Compiling books is a elegant thing to do, but also a difficult task. Your respected father enjoyed compiling books, you're willing to present the books, all are meritorious acts that benefit the country and its people, with merits lasting for thousands of years. Such actions beneficial to the country should not be worried about whether officials appreciate them or not, they should be continued for a long time."

  Yao Fandao: "I am willing to follow your teachings, sir. I will definitely pass on your words to my father when I return home."

  Ding Baozhen nodded and said, "I saw you sent a lot of Western pastries, each wrapped in gold paper and packed in crystal boxes. It's really too luxurious, those pastries must be very extravagant."

  "That's the Italian royal family's exclusive dessert, called Ferrero. It's made with intricate craftsmanship, coated with crispy wafers and high-quality hazelnuts, and requires storage in a cool, dry place. This was brought from afar by our family's merchant ships, just to show respect to you, sir. If you enjoy eating it, I'll be overjoyed; as for the silver, that's not even on my mind."

  Ding Baozhen smiled contentedly, thinking to himself: "This Yao Fang is always trying to please me, he must have an ulterior motive. That smuggling case that Hu Zhen mentioned the other day, it seems to be entirely true, not a bit of injustice done to him."

  "This official heard that the three children of the Li family all admire you, saying that you are well-versed in Western learning. I am currently managing the Shandong Machinery Bureau and it happens to be a time when we need people. Originally, I was going to invite you over tonight to have dinner with the three Li children, and I also wanted to hear about your experiences abroad. Since you've come early, you must have something on your mind?"

  Yao Fan thought, this time coincidentally taking advantage of the three Li children to get in touch with Ding Baozhen, it's actually saved me from recklessly posting and sending gifts everywhere. This opportunity can't be missed! As the saying goes, if you don't sacrifice your children, you won't catch any wolves. This time, I'll just make a big sacrifice once and for all.