novelslam Chapter 34 Drinking Tea Across the Table
Chapter 34 Drinking Tea Across the Table
Laughter filled the main room, but halfway through, everyone turned to look at the small table near the door.
Feng Niang stopped in her tracks, and the smile on her face faded slightly.
"Xiao Liang?"
The young man immediately stood up.
The stool leg scraped against the brick floor with a sharp sound, and he quickly reached out to steady it.
"Feng Niang".
Fengniang glanced behind him.
There was only half a narrow street outside the gate, and a rickshaw was dragged past the base of the wall, its bell ringing weakly.
There is no Liang family member.
The man in the short jacket whispered, "Is it really that second son of the Liang family?"
Fengniang draped the handkerchief over her wrist.
"I told you to wait for my reply in the shop, but you came and sat down at Wu's shop first."
The young man's ears turned red quickly, but he didn't shrink back.
"I came here on my own."
The teahouse fell silent for a moment.
Fengniang stared at him: "With me?"
"It wasn't with you," Liang Cheng'an said, then quickly added, realizing his words were even stranger. "I overheard you saying that Miss Xiao Cui asked about the scraps of cloth. I was afraid the conversation would circle back to the shop and then back again, and then it would lose its meaning."
"You're saving me money on my feet."
The man in the short jacket couldn't hold back his words: "The matchmaker hasn't even made the connection yet, and the thread has come to us on its own."
Wu Ling put the teapot back by the stove.
The bottom of the teapot touched the wooden table, but it wasn't heavy.
"Xiao Liang, right?"
The young man turned to the counter: "Liang Cheng'an."
Wu Ling looked at him: "You came into Wu's Tea House, are you there to drink tea, or to bolster your courage?"
Liang Cheng'an gripped the blue cloth bag with his fingers.
"I'll have some tea, and I want to make things clear about the cloth. If Miss Xiao Cui doesn't want to listen, I'll finish this bowl and leave."
After he finished speaking, he placed the money for the tea in the center of the table.
"Wu's shop is open for business, so customers can sit down. If Xiao Cui wants to ask, she'll ask herself. If she doesn't ask, no one should put her name in the tea lid for her."
Xiao Cui stood behind the counter, the sunflower leaf in her hand already cleaned.
She looked up at Liang Cheng'an.
"Please sit down."
Liang Chengan opened his mouth.
"what?"
"I haven't even had my tea yet," Xiao Cui said. "Standing here makes me look more like I'm here to collect a debt."
Feng Niang was the first to laugh out loud.
The laughter wasn't loud, but it did ease Liang Cheng'an's embarrassment somewhat.
Liang Chengan sat back down on the half-stool.
This time he didn't press the cloth bag down hard; he simply placed his hands on either side of the bag.
Fengniang took the three-flower soup that Wu Ling had poured for her, but instead of sitting next to Liang Cheng'an, she chose a small table on the other side of the aisle.
A passageway separates the two sides; you can hear people talking, but you can't reach them by hand.
Fengniang made her point clear first.
"I didn't bring him here today; he's tall enough to run here on his own."
Liang Cheng'an straightened his back: "It was my own decision."
Fengniang glanced at him: "Knowing you're being reckless, you still came?"
"Of course I'm coming. I'm even afraid I'll be late. If this 'scraps of cloth' gets around, it'll become the Liang family using scraps to fool people, or it'll become that Xiao Cui asked for something first. Cloth isn't worth much, but if the story gets twisted, it'll cause trouble."
The man in the short jacket had his mouth open, but couldn't finish the sentence.
Fengniang's handkerchief stopped at the edge of the teacup, and only then did she truly take a look at Liang Cheng'an.
She has been a matchmaker for over a decade and has seen too many people who can talk a good game, and also those who come to your door with gifts and corner you.
Liang Cheng'an's words were not elegant; in fact, they were somewhat clumsy.
But the blame for the stupidity wasn't placed on Xiao Cui.
The teacup spun halfway through Fengniang's hand.
"Do you know that with you coming today, I'm going to get a scolding from Manager Liang when I get back?"
He lowered his head.
"know."
He would say, "Fengniang can't even keep an eye on a young man."
"Then I'll go back and tell him first that I was being rude."
"You're so generous."
"It's not about being generous." Liang Cheng'an moved his hand away from the cloth bag. "This matter originally belonged to me."
Wu Ling moved the kettle closer to the edge of the stove.
White steam billowed from the spout and rose upwards.
At that moment, half a head peeked in from outside the door.
He wore a gray short-sleeved shirt, a measuring tape draped over his shoulder, and his feet were still outside the threshold.
"Cheng'an, the customers at the east entrance are still waiting for you to deliver samples."
Liang Cheng'an's shoulders tensed.
Fengniang put down her teacup.
"Didn't you come here specifically to drink tea?"
Liang Cheng'an stood up half an inch and said to the door, "Please tell him I'll be there in half a cup of tea."
The man in the gray shirt glanced at Wu Ji, then at Feng Niang, and lowered his voice: "The shopkeeper asked if we should have Uncle San deliver it if you don't come."
"No need for you, Uncle. I'm coming."
The man in the gray shirt left.
The man in the short jacket laughed: "Well, you're sneaking around with the matchmaker and ruining the cloth shop's business."
Wu Ling lifted the teapot, and the water dripped into the bowl in the short jacket.
"The tea is getting cold."
He wore a short jacket, held a bowl, and lowered his head to blow on the tea.
Liang Cheng'an looked up.
"It was my recklessness. I accept the scolding when I get back."
Wu Ling asked, "You may be scolded, but if the customers at the east gate say that it was Wu Ji's Xiao Cui who delayed the Liang family from delivering the samples, would you agree?"
"I don't acknowledge it."
"It's no use just denying it verbally."
Liang Chengan pulled out a small blue tent, about the size of a palm, from the corner of the cloth bag.
The fabric was worn and frayed, with a little oil stain on the corner.
"It's written in the account book. The sample delivered from the east entrance was half a cup of tea late because I went around Wu's shop without permission. If wages are to be deducted, deduct mine."
"The punishment has been planned out, and the preparations are comprehensive."
Xiao Cui walked around the counter and stood in the aisle.
"Open the cloth bag and let me see it."
"it is good."
The blue cloth bundle was untied.
The bag contained no gifts, only a few neatly stacked scraps of fabric.
Light yellow, indigo, and moon white checkered patterns, with a narrow red border.
He stretched out his neck, wearing a melon-shaped hat.
Wu Ling's teapot stopped beside his bowl.
He sat up straight in his melon-shaped hat: "I'll serve the tea."
Xiao Cui looked at the pieces of cloth.
"Did you grab these on the spot?"
"No," Liang Cheng'an answered quickly. "My father allowed me to bring small pieces out to try on colors. I couldn't bring anything too big, anything that could be used for mending clothes, or anything that could be used for shoe uppers. These pieces were for cutting damaged corners and narrow edges; they're recorded in the ledger and will be written off when we get back to the shop."
He opened the small blue tent.
Each line is very clear.
A piece of light yellow scraps of cloth, a piece of indigo scraps of cloth, a piece of moon-white fine checkered cloth, and a narrow red border.
I went out to try on the colors, and the shopkeeper agreed, but it was neither sold nor given away.
There is a space after it.
Xiao Cui pointed to the empty space: "What should I write here?"
Write down where you are going.
The back of the account book reveals the characters "Dongkou", "Yaqing", and "Shiqing".
Liang Chengan proactively pressed down on the edge of the page.
"The samples behind are for other companies; we shouldn't show them to others."
Xiao Cui pulled her hand back to her sleeve, but her fingertips lightly touched the narrow red edge.
"What if I accept this now?"
The teahouse became a little quieter.
The red border is the most appealing, and it's the perfect gift to give today.
"We cannot accept it today."
The man in the short jacket almost burst out laughing: "Oh dear, the matchmaker is sitting here, are you saying it can't be done?"
He blushed, but didn't change his mind.
"The ledger says it's neither sold nor given away. If I impulsively say I'll give it away, I can cover it up at the shop. But what will I say next time people say that Xiao Cui took Liang's cloth? How am I supposed to defend myself then?"
Xiao Cui looked up: "So, do you really want it?"
"I'll go back to the shop and offer a lower price," Liang Cheng'an said. "I can't pretend to be generous today."
The tea lid rested diagonally on the edge of Old Zhou's bowl.
"A person's hand can be hidden in a small ledger."
The woman in the short jacket couldn't help but ask, "What can you find out by investigating yourself?"
Liang Cheng'an put away the small blue tent.
"I can find out which times I was lax. If I'm lax too often, people won't dare to entrust things to me."
Upon hearing this, Fengniang folded the handkerchief even more finely.
"Xiao Liang, let me ask you something on behalf of your father. Keeping meticulous accounts doesn't guarantee a smooth life. If flower mud gets on the cloth, who's responsible?"
He looked down at the few scraps.
"The waste from color testing will be covered by the fabric. If I didn't explain clearly when handing over the fabric, it's on my behalf."
Wu Ling asked, "What if a customer says that the girl selling flowers at Wu's shop dirtied Liang's cloth?"
"Then produce the account pages," Liang Cheng'an said, "to prove that she didn't steal or tamper with them."
The man in the short jacket interjected, "Do you sell those narrow red-edged ones? I'll take two coins and buy them to make pipes."
"Not for sale."
"Two coins aren't enough?"
"We don't sell any less or any less. It says 'swatch' on the sign, not retail."
Wu Ling looked at the man in the short jacket.
"Have you paid for the tea yet, and you're already buying the cloth?"
He patted the sleeve pockets of his short jacket.
"Clear, clear."
"Have your tea."
Fengniang looked at Liang Cheng'an.
"Your mother's a chatterbox. I've said before, I won't bring up old grievances today. Xiao Cui isn't someone who goes to your house to freeload. She can grow flowers at Wu's, collect money, and keep a small table tidy. If this matter goes on, will she still be able to do her job as before?"
Liang Chengan glanced at the sunflowers on the counter.
"able."
"The word 'can' is too weak."
Liang Cheng'an's ears were still red.
"I wouldn't dare say my mother isn't picky. If she complains about the mud, I'll wipe it off first. If she complains about the flowers taking up space, I'll move them first. If Miss Xiao Cui wants to sell flowers, she can collect the money herself, and she can choose the flowers herself."
Xiao Cui straightened the half-open sunflower in the cupboard.
"Once you're in the Liang family, are you still considered mine?"
Liang Chengan looked at the flower.
"It's on you."
"What if others gossip?"
"I can't stop all the gossip," Liang Cheng'an said. "But if anyone tries to use the Liang family rules to pressure you, I'll stand up and say this first, as I promised."
The woman in the short jacket, holding a teacup, couldn't find an opening to speak.
"I'll remember that."
The man in the gray shirt returned to the entrance of Wu's restaurant, panting heavily.
"Cheng'an, the passengers from the east are leaving. The innkeeper said if you don't come soon, you'll have to go apologize tonight."
Liang Cheng'an's face paled slightly.
He looked at Wu Ling, then at Feng Niang, and finally at Xiao Cui.
Xiao Cui moved the half-open sunflower further inside the counter.
"Go and deliver the samples."
Liang Chengan was stunned.
"But here..."
"This is the teahouse," Xiao Cui said. "That's your shop over there."
"Then I'll go deliver the samples first. I was rash today, I'll do it another day..."
"etc."
Xiao Cui spoke.
Liang Chengan stopped.
Xiao Cui didn't look at Feng Niang, nor did she look at Wu Ling.
She asked, "May I take a look at your shop?"
Liang Chengan was stunned.
The teahouse was also stunned.
In the past, it was always the man who came to visit the woman; it was rare to hear the woman say she wanted to visit a shop.
Fengniang was the first to laugh, her eyes crinkling with laughter as she tossed her handkerchief in her hand.
"Alright, this time it's the young lady who's going to the fortune-telling shop."
Redness has once again taken root in Liang Cheng'an's ears.
This time he didn't panic.
He met Xiao Cui's gaze and nodded.
"able."