Ger, So Proud

Chapter 84

He Ze and Lin Yu returned around late afternoon, fortunately not too late. The ox cart rolled straight up to the house, laden with dozens of sacks, packed full. As soon as He Youcai, Dad Li, and He An heard the sound of the wheels, they came out from the yard, with Luo Zhanming following behind.

He Ze noticed him last and was momentarily taken aback. Luo Zhanming, however, greeted him warmly, stepping forward, “I came uninvited today, Brother He, I hope you don’t mind.”

He An ran up to He Ze, tugged on his sleeve, and discreetly made a face at him from a spot hidden from He Youcai’s view.

He Ze patted He An’s head reassuringly. “Of course not, it’s an honor to have you visit, Brother Luo.”

He Ze clasped his hands and bowed slightly. Luo Zhanming returned the gesture.

After exchanging pleasantries, they got to work unloading the cart, each taking a sack. Even Luo Zhanming, despite his scholarly appearance, helped carry a sack of dried banxia that weighed at least seventy to eighty catties without bending over.

“Brother He, is this dried banxia?” he asked.

“Hmm?”

“My family is in business, including the medicinal herbs trade. Most Chinese herbs have distinctive fragrances, and I’m quite familiar with the scent of dried banxia.”

After Luo Zhanming’s explanation, He Ze understood. “Yes, it is dried banxia. We plan to plant some medicinal herbs to make a living.”

“You’re too modest, Brother He!” Luo Zhanming shook his head, smiling.

He was undeniably a straightforward and pleasant person, making it hard to harbor ill feelings toward him. If not for their less-than-pleasant initial encounter, He Ze might have considered him a good friend.

Meanwhile, He An’s irritation peaked. He couldn’t find anything likable about Luo Zhanming. As soon as He Ze went inside to freshen up, He An pulled him aside, furiously complaining about Luo Zhanming’s ulterior motives, trying to rally his brother against him.

He An resembled an angry young leopard, making He Ze almost laugh. At that moment, He An seemed like a typical seventeen-year-old boy, with a touch of youthful defiance and unmistakable vitality.

He Ze found this endearing, recalling how mature He An had been before. This new perspective made He Ze feel somewhat fond of Luo Zhanming. If He An knew what his brother was thinking, he might have been even more upset.

“Brother, you have no idea how good that guy is at sweet-talking. He had Father grinning all day today. If he tells Father about that day, I’m done for!”

“Alright, just behave yourself. I’ll handle Father,” He Ze said, ruffling the soft hair on He An’s head, his expression gentle.

He Ze had indeed been surprised to see Luo Zhanming earlier. After realizing the incident from that day was a misunderstanding, he and Xiao Yu had planned to find a chance to apologize. After all, Luo Zhanming had suffered much more in comparison. However, before they could find the opportunity, Luo Zhanming beat them to it.

Though his motives might be different.

He Ze doubted Luo Zhanming came to seek revenge, otherwise, he wouldn’t have used the pretext of gratitude to visit. If not for revenge, could it really be just to express thanks, or…

He Ze glanced at He “Little Leopard” An, his eyes flickering.

Their conversation didn’t last long. After the journey, Lin Yu, now in fresh clothes prepared by Dad Li, knocked on the door, “What are you two talking about? He Uncle He is calling you.”

The last sentence was directed at He Ze.

Hearing this, He An pouted and grabbed Lin Yu’s sleeve, dragging him towards the door. “Brother Lin, come, I’ll show you the desk Father made for me!”

Lin Yu glanced back at He Ze, who gave him a tender look, “Go ahead.”

He An saw this and made a face at He Ze before pulling Lin Yu away.

…

In the main room, He Youcai and Luo Zhanming were drinking tea. As soon as He Ze entered, He Youcai spoke up, “Xiao Ze, Nephew Luo said he came today specifically to express his thanks. You came back late, he’s been waiting almost all day.”

“It was nothing, brother Luo really doesn’t need to keep it in mind.”

“How could that be?” Luo Zhanming replied with a smile.

He Youcai stood up and said, “Now that Xiao Ze is back, you young folks should have a good chat. I’ll leave you to it and not get in the way.”

With a few steps, he exited the room, leaving only He Ze, Luo Zhanming, and the silent Ah Mu behind. As He Ze watched his father’s figure disappear, he got straight to the point, “May I ask what brings you here today, Brother Luo?”

“It feels a bit odd to keep calling each other ‘brother’ like this,” Luo Zhanming said, rubbing his nose before changing the topic. “Brother He, after the incident with the water, I’ve been weak and haven’t had a chance to properly thank you.”

“It was my fault, there’s no need for you to be so formal, brother Luo.”

“Well, I’m at fault too.” Luo Zhanming conceded. He knew that while He Ze might be saying this, he was probably cursing him in his heart. Luo himself wasn’t sure what possessed him to act so foolishly that day. He realized too late that his playful teasing had gone too far and might have ruined his reputation.

Luo Zhanming sighed silently and twirled his folding fan. “By the way, I heard from Uncle He that you plan to open a flower shop?”

“That’s right.”

“Could I take a look at the promotional flyer you’ve created?” He asked, then quickly realized how presumptuous that sounded. “Of course, strictly in business terms, you can name a price.”

“The promotional flyer?”

Luo Zhanming nodded with a smile, feeling a peculiar premonition that the so-called “flyer” would bring him a great surprise.

“Alright, but there’s no need for a price. Consider it my apology.”

“I can’t accept that!” Luo Zhanming quickly untied the money pouch from his waist. “There’s twenty taels here. If it’s not enough, I’ll make up the difference another day.”

He Ze looked at him deeply before calling for He An to come in. Upon learning that He Ze intended to show the flyer to Luo Zhanming, He An pouted but reluctantly handed it over. “Here, take it.”

“Thank you, Xiao He,” Luo Zhanming said with a smile.

What He Ze had created wasn’t an ordinary flyer but a raffle advertisement for the opening day of the flower shop. A regular flyer might be discarded by those not interested in flowers, but few could resist the allure of a grand prize.

If everything went as planned, the flower shop’s grand opening would create significant buzz, ensuring its initial success.

After reading the flyer, Luo Zhanming’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at He Ze with admiration. His extensive experience in the business world had sharpened his instincts, and he could see the immense potential in this simple idea. In He Ze’s hands, it was just one shop, but in his, it could be ten or a hundred.

He Ze understood this mindset. The commercial development in this era was relatively primitive, and merchants still adhered to the “good wine needs no bush” philosophy, relying heavily on word-of-mouth.

The value of this promotional flyer was clear to see.

“Brother He, this…” Luo Zhanming was truly astonished that He Ze would so readily show him something so valuable.

“There’s no need to overthink it, Brother Luo. Business is business, and you don’t owe me anything,” He Ze said as he pushed the money pouch on the table toward himself, much to Luo Zhanming’s surprise.

He Ze didn’t feel like he was at a loss.

Firstly, money is endless, and he had no grand ambitions—just enough to live comfortably was sufficient. Secondly, such things couldn’t be kept secret for long. Once the flower shop opened, countless merchants smelling profit would imitate and innovate upon it, potentially leaving him behind in the near future.

“Brother He, you have great courage!” Luo Zhanming gave He Ze a deep, appreciative look.

After a moment of silence in the room, Luo Zhanming spoke again, “To repay Brother He’s kindness, may I offer a suggestion? Consider it my feedback.”

Luo Zhanming waved the paper in his hand.

“Of course.”

“From the Soft Fragrant Red I purchased earlier to the Black Beauty in Master Cai’s hands, it’s clear that Brother He possesses extraordinary flower cultivation skills. If Brother He has the confidence, you might consider cultivating a ‘Flower King.’ As I understand it, our county magistrate Zhou, is also a flower enthusiast.”

“You mean I could invite County Magistrate Zhou to the flower shop’s opening under the pretense of showcasing the ‘Flower King’?” He Ze got straight to the point.

“Exactly. This way, you achieve multiple benefits.”

Luo Zhanming didn’t spell it out, but He Ze understood perfectly. The town was remote, and County Magistrate Zhou Wen was the highest authority, well respected for his integrity and popularity. Having the magistrate’s presence at the opening would be a tremendous boon for the flower shop.

Moreover, if He Ze could establish a connection with the magistrate, it would make future endeavors much smoother.

“Good idea,” He Ze said, his expression calm.

“Brother He might not know,” Luo Zhanming continued, thinking He Ze was worried about the ‘Flower King’s’ appeal, “but County Magistrate Zhou is also my brother-in-law.”

“……”

Luo Zhanming was almost blatantly offering his help.

“I see,” He Ze suddenly smiled and pushed the money pouch back to Luo Zhanming, “then I’ll leave it to you, Brother Luo.”

Luo Zhanming was left with a lump in his throat, feeling both blocked and frustrated.

This man really was slippery!

Luo Zhanming had hoped to deepen his connection with the He family, so even though the flyer was worth much more than twenty taels, he hadn’t pressed the issue, thinking that over time, their relationship would naturally solidify. However, He Ze was clearly trying to use this twenty taels to keep their dealings strictly business, with the remaining balance offsetting the value of the flyer.

In essence, after all he’d said, he’d dug himself into a hole!

Luo Zhanming felt a surge of frustration.

It was rare for him to encounter setbacks, and he remained in a somber mood until he left. Even after his departure, Old man He (He Zhe’s father) kept thinking about it for a while.

…

By the time He Ze returned after seeing off Luo Zhanming and his servant, night had already fallen. The moon, shyly hidden behind the clouds, left the land in darkness.

As the ox cart approached the entrance of He Family Village, He Ze vaguely saw a figure bent over, walking towards him. It wasn’t until the cart got closer that he recognized the person.

It was Lin Tiangui, who had already been expelled from He Family Village!