Chapter 69: Tang Lin Arrives

  Xiao Jia Ding arrived at the Huanhua Creek, and before he could get close to the dock, a little maid came up to greet him, bowing and saying: "Master Xiao, you've arrived."

  Xiao Jia Ding looked closely and saw that it was indeed Ya Niang's personal maid, Qiao Fan, whom he had met at the Cui Yu Building last time. He smiled and asked: "Have you arrived? Where is Ya Niang?"

  Chao Fan smiled and said, "Our young lady hasn't arrived yet. She was worried that Master Xiao would arrive early, so she ordered me to wait for you here. --- Please come in, Master Xiao!"

  It turns out that I came too early, no wonder, the government office closes very early in the afternoon, and it's already off work at 3 o'clock. Just delayed for a while, now it's no more than 4 o'clock, indeed a bit too early.

  Xiao Jiading followed Qiaofan to the dock, along the way there were many flower boats' pimps calling out to customers, but seeing Qiaofan leading them, they knew that these were guests of Cuixiulou's flower charmer and didn't dare come over to solicit business.

  They arrived at the shore, where a long row of painted pleasure boats were moored. Chuan Niang led him to the largest one, and immediately several turtle-like old men came up, bowing their heads and greeting them with courtesy.

  Qiao Niang ignored them and reached out to support Xiao Jia Ding, together they stepped onto the footboard.

  According to Xiao Jiading's age and physical condition, he didn't need a young girl to support him on the gangway at all. However, this was a kind of etiquette, and it also felt pretty good to have the little beauty supporting him. So Xiao Jiading did not decline, and let her take his arm as they boarded the painted barge.

  When they reached the door of the second floor, Qiao Fan finally let him go, gently pushed open the door, and Xiao Jia Ding stepped in, suddenly overjoyed. Inside stood a beautiful woman with flowing clothes, high hair, and a delicate plum blossom hairpin between her eyebrows, which set off her lovely face as delicate as a plum blossom in the snow. It was precisely Chi Mei, who had given him her chastity but couldn't explain why.

  "You, what are you doing here?"

  Chi Mei showed no surprise at his arrival, but instead walked up to him with a gentle smile, took his hand, and gazed at him intimately, saying: "Wait for a while, Ya Niang and the others will arrive, and you'll understand. What's the hurry?"

  Xiao Jia Ding immediately felt that it should be Tang Lin coming, but he couldn't ask, and excitedly said: "Besides Ya Niang, are there any others?"

  "Of course! But I won't tell you who it is for now. You'll find out later." --- "It's been several days since we last met, and you don't even give your slave a kiss?" Chi Mei looked at him with a silly and shy expression.

  Xiao Jia Ding then wrapped his arms around her slender waist, first lightly kissing the plum blossom hairpin between her eyebrows, and then kissed her red lips.

  Xiao Jia Ding really enjoyed kissing Chi Mei, and she would kiss him back enthusiastically. Unlike Ya Niang, whose kisses were very gentle and occasional, Chi Mei was greedy and full of initiative. It was as if she was the one kissing him, rather than the other way around.

  After being intimate for a while, after all, it's not in their own home, they don't dare to be too excessive, so they separate and sit down to talk.

  Two people talking, Chi Mei peeling fruit to feed Xiao Jia Ding. From time to time, they would affectionately kiss for a moment, and it was quite harmonious.

  With beautiful women accompanying him, time flew by quickly, and before he knew it, dusk had arrived. At nightfall, a maid finally rushed in to say: "Ya Niang and Tang Dage have arrived."

  Xiao Jiading listened to Tang Dàyé and was afraid it was Tang Lin, so he couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" and quickly stood up, hastily exiting the door. Chi Mei followed him out, and when they reached the staircase entrance, they saw a slender middle-aged man walking up the steps with Ya Niang's support - it was indeed the same Tang Dalang they had met at Cuiyu Building last time. He hurriedly stepped aside to wait for the two of them to come up.

  When he saw Tang Lin, Xiao Jia Ding thought he would be nervous. After all, the last time they were together, he didn't know Tang Lin's true identity, so at that time, he was carefree and even gave Tang Lin a bit of trouble. But now, he knew that this Tang Dalang was actually the famous Tang Lin in the history of law, one of the drafters of the "Tang Code", the original Minister of Justice, such a big shot came, it's hard to avoid being nervous, let alone the other party is his benefactor, with a favor. But when he really saw Tang Lin, he found that his heartbeat was still as usual, without even half a beat of fluctuation. He couldn't help but feel proud in his heart, damn it, his unflappable and rock-solid work had indeed paid off.

  In modern society, Xiao Jiading has come into contact with many wealthy and powerful bosses due to his work as a lawyer. He has also met various officials of all sizes, including several provincial and ministerial leaders. At the time, he found that when he was with these people, he naturally fit in like a fish in water, quickly becoming sworn brothers. He thought that if he were to go back in time to ancient times, things would be different, but it turns out that this skill of his remains the same.

  As they stepped onto the stage, Xiao Jia Ding finally cupped his hands and said: "Greetings to Elder Tang...Dà!"

  Tang Lin was hearing the term "Lao Da" for the first time, and like Kang Xianling, he felt a bit surprised. This term was what Xiao Jiading had been pondering over earlier. In a setting like the flower boat, addressing someone by their official title seemed inappropriate, while calling them "Daddy" sounded too subservient, and calling them "Big Brother" implied a familiarity that wasn't there. In modern society, when interacting with superiors in such settings, people generally address them as "Boss" or "Lao Da". Transplanting this to ancient times, saying "Boss" might confuse others, but saying "Lao Da" would immediately convey the intended meaning. So Xiao Jiading ultimately chose this term, only his mind had wandered off while he was thinking about his own Qigong skills, and he almost ended up calling Tang Lao Da "Tang Old Duck".

  Tang Lin was just like the County Magistrate, and after a slight difference in their titles, he found it somewhat novel. He nodded his head, glanced at Xiao Jia Ding, and said: "Young Master, sorry about that. We arrived late and kept you waiting."

  Xiao Jiading was slightly stunned, then remembered that he had mentioned his nickname "Dalan" at the Cuiyu Building earlier. Tang Lin directly called out his nickname, instantly bringing their relationship closer. He hurriedly smiled and said: "No, no, we just arrived too. Please, after you."

  Ya Niang was also very interested in Xiao Jia Ding's unique nickname, and after thinking about it for a moment, she smiled and said to Tang Lin: "Old Big Brother, I like this nickname, from now on I'll call you that too!"

  Tang Lin smiled and nodded: "Alright!" He stepped towards the cabin door.

  Although Xiao Jiading was not timid in front of dignitaries, it did not mean that he did not understand etiquette. Not to mention that Tang Lin had been a national leader and was now a local official, even considering his age, he could be Xiao's father. Xiao understood the principle of respecting the elderly. He rushed forward a few steps, blocked in front of the flower girl, personally lifted the door curtain for Tang Lin, and smiled: "Be careful of your feet on the threshold, sir."

  In ancient times, every entrance had a threshold and it was very high. Tang Lin nodded slightly and stepped inside.

  He entered the cabin and sat down on the couch in the middle. Yanni sat beside him.

  Tang Lin saw Xiao Jia Ding and Chi Mei standing there, so he said: "You two sit down too."

  Xiao Jiading sat down on the soft couch next to him, making it more convenient for them to talk. Chi Mei sat down beside him.

  Tang Lin was not surprised at all by Chi Mei's presence, which made Xiao Jiading immediately understand that Tang Lin must have known that Chi Mei would come today, and maybe even invited her. But why? Did he already know about his relationship with Chi Mei?

  After Tang Lin and the others boarded the boat, the painted barge left the dock and slowly moved between the willow and peach blossoms on both banks of the Hua River. The water was clear and calm, with a gentle breeze blowing softly.

  Soon, the flower girl of the painting boat brought in a jar of wine and poured it into a large wine jug the size of a basin in the hall. The wine presented a bright red color, looking like the red lips of an emotional woman.

  Tang Lin saw Xiao Jia Ding staring at the wine with a greedy expression and couldn't help but laugh, saying: "Big brother, do you know what kind of wine this is?"

  Look at the color, it shouldn't be white wine. Although it's a bit like that day's Mei's daughter red, but it doesn't have the strong flavor of daughter red's white wine. It's a bit like red grape wine. So, Xiao Jia Ding smacked his lips and said: "I'll try some."

  "Go ahead! You have a drink first!"

  Xiao Jiading was about to get up, when Chi Mei said "I'll do it!" and quickly got up, walked over with a gentle pace, picked up the wine ladle leaning against the large wine jar, scooped out a cup of wine, and presented it in front of Xiao Jiading.

  Xiao Jiading sniffed and found that there was no pungent smell of white wine, but a sweet aroma of grapes. He gently swirled the wine in his cup before taking a small sip. After savoring it for a moment, he smiled and then downed the rest of the glass. His face showed surprise and puzzlement as he turned to ask: "Wow, this is incredibly delicious! It's like an ambrosial drink! I've never tasted anything so good... what kind of fine wine is this?"

  Actually, Xiao Jiading already knew it was wine. However, because he liked to drink, he also knew a bit about the history of wine. The grape cultivation and brewing techniques were introduced from Western Regions to Central Plains during the early Tang Dynasty, mainly in the imperial palace. After crossing over, he hadn't seen wine on the market either. He was very cautious, so he pretended not to have tasted it out. He didn't say anything else because earlier he saw Tang Lin's proud expression towards this wine, indicating that this wine must be his treasured collection. Only if he himself said it out would he feel satisfied. It's like guessing riddles - if the other person guesses it immediately, the one who made up the riddle will feel a sense of loss; but if they can't guess no matter what and finally the one who made up the riddle says it out themselves, then there will be a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

  Seeing Xiao Jia Ding's greedy and suspicious look, Tang Lin was indeed very happy, stroking his beard and smiling at Ya Niang and Chi Mei: "You guys guess too."

  Chi Mei took the wine cup from Xiao Jia Ding's hand, she naturally didn't know it was grape wine and wouldn't sip it to taste, instead she gulped down a big mouthful. Only then did she smack her lips and say: "It has a bit of an acidic sweetness. And there's another fragrance, what kind of wine is this?"

  She directly took the leftover wine she had drunk and drank it, Xiao Jia Ding was slightly embarrassed, but seeing Chi Mei being completely unaware, Tang Lin and Ya Niang also didn't show any unusual reactions, and even thought this was a matter of course, which was even more strange.