Chapter 11: The Richest Man in Hangzhou (1)

  Thirty taels of silver, whether it's a lot or not, is definitely not a small amount. Luo Tao naturally didn't believe that Wei Hong could come up with so much money in just three days, but looking at his confident appearance, it seemed like he wasn't bluffing either. Luo Tao was a bit skeptical, but since she had already spoken, there was no going back: "Since you're so confident, I'll give you three more days. If you can't come up with thirty taels of silver after that, don't blame me for not showing mercy and throwing you two out on the streets!"

  "It's settled then! It's getting late now, so Wei won't keep Luo sister for dinner at home."

  Now that things have come to this, Luo Tao didn't linger and left with his big buttocks sticking out like a millstone. As soon as Luo Tao left, Wan Niang pulled Wei Hong's hand and asked anxiously: "Husband, we only have less than five taels of silver in our hands, where can we get thirty taels to buy a house from Sister Luo?"

  Wei Hong grasped Wan Niang's delicate hand in his palm, and smiled mysteriously: "Hehe, don't worry, Wan Niang. Since I dare to say this, I must have a plan. If nothing unexpected happens, within three days, someone will definitely come knocking on our door with money!"

  Is someone sending money to her doorstep? Wan Niang thought about who would do such a thing, but she didn't ask any more questions.

  With Luo Tao's departure, the house finally quieted down. Wei Hong sat on a stool with Wan Niang in his lap, chatting about family matters. The gentle breeze of early summer blew softly across their faces, and before they knew it, the sun had set behind the western hills. As the wind began to pick up, Wei Hong's body still hadn't fully recovered, so at Wan Niang's repeated requests, he could only stay inside while she went to the butcher Wang's shop on the street to buy two catties of pork head meat and cooked two dishes for dinner. Just as they were about to eat, Wei Hong casually mentioned that he had a craving for wine and wanted to have a couple of drinks. As soon as Wan Niang heard this, she pretended to cry, and Wei Hong knew she was worried that the strong liquor would harm his body, so he reluctantly gave up.

  Two catties of pork head were stewed in a small basin, and Yuanniang herself couldn't bear to eat it. She pushed the whole basin in front of Weihong, while she ate a small dish of pickled vegetables with coarse grain rice balls. Weihong wouldn't eat alone, so he picked up some pork and put it into Yuanniang's small bowl. But as soon as he did, Yuanniang sent it back: "Husband, you need to nourish your body now, you should eat more, I don't like eating meat..."

  She said she didn't like to eat meat, just to make Wei Hong feel at ease. But Wei Hong was even more discerning than others and couldn't help but see through Yuanniang's thoughts. The more she did this, the more uncomfortable Wei Hong felt. He picked up a piece of pork with his chopsticks again and put it to Yuanniang's mouth: "Didn't I say that we should share the sweetness and bitterness together? If you don't eat, how can I eat at ease?"

  Wan Niang gently bit her lip, the delicious pork aroma wafting in her nostrils. Looking at Wei Hong's determined eyes, she felt warmth in her heart. She slowly opened her vermilion lips and slowly took a bite of the pork into her mouth. Wan Niang had already forgotten what the taste of the pork was like, but after taking a bite, what made her drunk with delight was not the rich aroma of the pork, but Wei Hong's overflowing love.

  Having eaten one piece was not enough, Wei Hong still wanted her to eat a second piece. Later on, if Wan Niang ate one piece, Wei Hong would only then eat one piece; otherwise, he would push the meat dish aside and they would both eat small salted vegetables together. At first, Wan Niang found it somewhat difficult to swallow, after all this pork was meant for her husband's health supplement, and if she ate an extra piece, her husband would have one less piece. But looking at her husband's face full of smiles, she felt relieved.

  After dinner, Wei Hong wanted to take a walk with Wan Niang, but she disagreed because his body had not fully recovered and couldn't withstand the wind. So they stayed home, where Wei Hong used the soft light of an oil lamp to flirt with Wan Niang as they lay on the bed together. As a successful person in his past life, Wei Hong was quite skilled at flirting, and Wan Niang was no match for him. She blushed bright red after just a few words and buried her head in his chest, refusing to lift it up again. Seizing the opportunity, Wei Hong blew out the lamp and began to explore Wan Niang's body more intimately...

  Women are emotional animals, need to be loved and nourished. The next morning, Wan Niang got up early, busy making breakfast for Wei Hong, her face looked more rosy than usual, always with a hint of a smile, occasionally stealing a glance at Wei Hong lying in bed, her smile deepened.

  When Wei Hong woke up, Wan Niang had already prepared breakfast, millet porridge and small salted vegetables. Although simple, it was very appetizing. Wei Hong drank two large bowls in one breath and went to the yard to bask in the sun after eating his fill.

  The air in the early morning carried a faint mist, and the feeling of inhaling it was very refreshing. Wei Hong was savoring this with his eyes closed when the courtyard gate suddenly rang out. Just as Wei Hong stood up, Wan Niang hastily rushed out from inside the house. First, she pressed Wei Hong back onto the small stool, then walked to the gate and opened a crack in it. Through the gap, she saw a man wearing a green robe and a small woolen hat standing outside: "Who are you looking for?"

  The man servant outside the door bowed respectfully to Ruan Yu Nang: "Excuse me, is this the residence of Wei Gongzi?"

  Hearing that the other party was looking for her husband, Wan Niang immediately became vigilant: "Who are you? What business do you have with my husband?"

  "You must be the wife of Master Wei, I am a servant of the Li family from Hongyuan Merchant House in East City. My master has some important business to discuss with Master Wei and would like to invite him over."

  Mr. Li? Hongyuan Business Firm? Wen Niang's eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up as she stared at the male servant in disbelief: "The Mr. Li you mentioned, isn't he Li Xiaoren, the richest man in this region?"

  "Exactly!"

  "Ah! Please come in, please come in. If there was any negligence beforehand, please don't blame me." Although Ruolan didn't know what the visitor wanted, she couldn't afford to offend Hangzhou's richest man.

  The young servant, led by Wan Niang, walked into the courtyard and immediately spotted Wei Hong sitting on a stool. Seeing that Wei Hong was also looking at him, he hastily made a bow to Wei Hong: "Young Master Wei, I have long admired your great name. Today, seeing you in person, it is truly not an ordinary encounter!"

  Wei Hong knew the young servant was just being polite and nodded with a smile: "How should I address you, little brother?"

  Although this male servant was a slave, he was from a wealthy family after all. His demeanor and speech were very proper: "In response to Young Master Wei's words, my name is Lü Dajiang, which was given to me by my master."

  "Is it Da Jiang? Or is there another servant in your household named Xing Hai?" Wei Hong blurted out without thinking.

  Wei Hong's casual remark shocked Lü Da Jiang, who stared at him in disbelief: "How did Young Master Wei know this? Indeed, there is a servant named Chen Xinghai in our household!"