Chapter 20
After Bai Qingyu finished eating, the housekeeper led him to the floor where He Renyuan was.
“This is the young master’s office, this is the meeting room, and that’s the reception room.”
Bai Qingyu stood at the door of the reception room and saw a big one and a small one standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Bai Xiaocha was pressed against the glass, like a small mushroom at He Renyuan’s feet.
Bai Qingyu walked in, picked up Bai Xiaocha, and said, “Thank you for your help this time.”
He Renyuan, “Mm-hmm.”
Bai Qingyu, “I’ll find a way to thank you.”
“No need, I didn’t lose anything.” He Renyuan said casually, “As a matter of fact, a friend gave me a pair of Lady Amherst’s pheasants.”
Bai Qingyu’s first reaction was, that friend must be fake, He Renyuan had a cleanliness obsession and someone actually gave him chickens.
Bai Qingyu immediately said understandingly, “You don’t know how to take care of them, right? Leave them to me, I’ll take them back and raise them, I’ll definitely feed them well.”
He Renyuan was angry. Not only did he not offer to come back to the He family to help raise chickens, he even wanted to freeload his chickens?
Did he want him to offer chicken-raising as a condition to poach him? He wouldn’t be a headhunter.
He stiffly skipped this topic and said, “You’re working as a housekeeper at the Jiang family now? Is this the management position you were talking about?”
Bai Qingyu whispered, “Managing the three hens’ rotation for laying eggs and the distribution and processing of the eggs.”
He Renyuan, “Cha Bao’s kindergarten teacher doesn’t have the ability to resolve conflicts, she just muddles through. I suggest you change to a different one.”
Bai Qingyu, “But I’ve already paid three months’ tuition, and didn’t the housekeeper say that Zhang Yaozu would transfer? The kindergarten has also established clearer school rules.”
He Renyuan, “I’ll help you get the tuition back.”
Bai Qingyu, “But this kindergarten is closest to the Jiang family, it’s convenient for me to pick up and drop off Cha Bao.”
Bai Xiaocha said, “I want a kindergarten close to Dad.”
He Renyuan shut up. No matter what he said, Bai Qingyu had no intention of resigning and was determined to be a housekeeper at the Jiang family.
“Ahem, Cha Bao, what did uncle tell you just now?” He Renyuan started to pin his hopes on Bai Xiaocha.
Bai Xiaocha tilted his head and thought for a while, then said, “Dad, Uncle Boss said that his house can raise chickens and also plant melons.”
Hearing this, Bai Qingyu looked at He Renyuan with a gratified expression, “You’ve come around? Home-raised chickens and loofah really taste better than store-bought ones.”
He Renyuan gave a reserved “mm-hmm,” waiting for what came next.
But there was no follow-up. Bai Qingyu didn’t offer to return to the He family until he left.
Jiang Libo offered Bai Qingyu two days off to calm down, and because his parents liked Northeast cuisine, he hired another aunt who specialized in it.
The aunt started working immediately and cooked a delicious dinner.
Bai Qingyu and the little one were happy to freeload the meal.
At night, Bai Qingyu sat cross-legged on the bed, thinking about how to repay He Renyuan.
Returning to the He family to be a housekeeper for He Renyuan was impossible. He was afraid that with too much contact, He Renyuan would discover something unusual about him and Bai Xiaocha.
The highest form of gratitude for a tea deity was, of course, tea.
Bai Qingyu wanted to formally give He Renyuan a box of good tea, instead of just a little bit each time.
But he had always told He Renyuan that the tea was used for bathing. If he took out the same tea, what credibility would he have left in He Renyuan’s eyes?
Bai Qingyu suddenly didn’t want to be seen as dishonest by He Renyuan.
He could change to a different tea and say that he bought it outside.
In the vast land of China, there was only one lineage of tea deities. The tea deity and the cub had lived near the Wuyi Mountains for a long time, so the tea they produced naturally had the flavor of Wuyi rock tea.
One’s environment shaped one’s character. Wherever the tea deity lived, the tea he produced would take on the flavor of the local top-grade tea.
Especially Bai Xiaocha, the little cub with shallow roots. Spring was the time for sprouting. As long as he changed his location and absorbed the local spiritual energy, the tea fragrance would change accordingly. He was very malleable.
Unlike Bai Qingyu, who had been immersed in the aura of the mother tree Da Hong Pao for many years, he couldn’t change in a short time. He Renyuan’s nose was too sensitive, Bai Qingyu didn’t dare to give him his own tea.
“Baby, we have to rely on you.” Bai Qingyu touched his son’s head.
Bai Xiaocha didn’t understand, “Rely on me.”
Bai Qingyu wrote down the origins of the top ten famous teas in his notebook. China was vast and abundant, with tea-producing areas scattered all over, each with its own unique characteristics. Which tea would He Renyuan like?
Last time, when he helped the housekeeper take inventory of the tea in the storage room, he found that He Renyuan had a little bit of every kind of tea, without showing a preference for any particular one. The housekeeper said that He Renyuan recently drank everything like water, and his favorite was the tea he gave him.
Bai Qingyu was a little proud. After trying rock tea, the tea deity would let him experience another kind of divine tea.
Which one should he start with?
A flash of inspiration struck Bai Qingyu. He pulled all the tea enthusiasts he had added on the tea forum into a group chat. These people knew a lot about tea, from all over the country. Discussing it together, they would definitely come to a conclusion.
[Tea Exchange Group (128)]
[Bai Qingyu]: I want to give some tea to my boss recently. The boss is handsome, rich, and has good taste. What kind of tea should I give him? Please brainstorm, tea lovers [rose]. I’ve already given him Da Hong Pao.
After sending the message, he washed Bai Xiaocha’s hair. When he came back, there were 99+ messages. Netizens were the most enthusiastic people in the world.
Bai Qingyu scrolled to the top and watched the tea world’s equivalent of a martial arts tournament.
Bai Xiaocha climbed into his father’s arms and sat down, “Dad, what are you looking at?”
Bai Qingyu rested his chin lightly on Bai Xiaocha’s head and said, “Looking at everyone discussing which tea is the best. They are all praising us, Dad will read it to you.”
[AAAAA White Tea Wholesale]: For gifts to bosses and superiors, Chinese white tea is the first choice. Anji white tea, a world-famous tea. Give it today, get promoted tomorrow.
Bai Xiaocha: Hmm?
Bai Qingyu explained, “Praising us is useful, it can lead to promotion.”
Bai Xiaocha: “Oh.”
[300 Acres of Tea Garden]: Spring is in the air, fresh green tea. @Bai Qingyu, if your boss is between 30 and 50 years old, I recommend buying Taiping Houkui from me, with an orchid fragrance, not bitter; if your boss is over 50, I recommend buying Guzhu Zisun from me, a top-grade tribute tea, Lu Yu’s choice.
Bai Qingyu muttered, “Is the young master even thirty? I’m not sure.”
[AA Tea Lao Liu]: Bosses should drink black tea. Don’t believe the hype from the others, do they even have authentic products? I have some channels to get authentic Keemun black tea, a small amount, I’ll private message you.
[AAAAA White Tea Wholesale]: Brother, it’s not right to expose us like this. Who doesn’t have some connections? As long as the price is right, there’s nothing I can’t get.
[Flower Good Moon Round]: @Bai Qingyu, choose your gifts wisely. West Lake Longjing, famous and expensive, your boss will know it’s valuable at first glance. Pre-Qingming first flush, hand-fried tea, you can’t find another authentic Shifeng Mountain Longjing online. You’re lucky to have met me.
[Huangshan Little Fatty]: High mountains and clouds produce good tea. When it comes to the aura of tea, Huangshan Maofeng, covered in white hairs, reigns supreme.
[Tea-frying Master]: Why not just buy Lushan Yunwu from me?
[Chinese Don’t Cheat Chinese]: To be honest, the ones above are all selling fake goods to cheat money. I won’t cheat you, consider Anxi Tieguanyin.
[Flower Good Moon Round]: You’re the liar! Your ID has been exposed on the forum by buyers!
[Tea-frying Master]: I remember you’ve all been exposed.
[AA Tea Lao Liu]: Heh, @Tea-frying Master, you think I don’t recognize you just because you changed your ID?
[…]
Bai Qingyu: “…” Why were they arguing? This wasn’t quite the martial arts tournament he had imagined?
Bai Xiaocha saw that his father wasn’t reading anymore and asked, “Dad?”
Bai Qingyu, “Baby, they’re arguing because of us.”
Bai Xiaocha, “What should we do?”
Bai Qingyu, “Someone needs to persuade them.”
Bai Xiaocha pressed his thumb on the voice message button on WeChat, lowered his head, brought it close to the phone, and earnestly tried to mediate, “Uncles and aunties, don’t argue.”
The milky voice, transmitted through the internet, was still very milky.
The group chat was silent for a moment, and someone @Bai Qingyu: Group owner, you?? Where’s your dad??
The little tea deity continued to send caring reminders, “Don’t argue because of Baby.”
[Flower Good Moon Round] left the group chat.
[AAAAA White Tea Wholesale] left the group chat.
…
Bai Xiaocha, “Dad, are the uncles and aunties still arguing?”
Bai Qingyu, “They’re not arguing anymore, Baby is so amazing.”
In the tea enthusiasts’ debate, Bai Qingyu noticed the phrase “high mountains and clouds produce good tea.” This sentence made him decide to take Bai Xiaocha to Huangshan.
He originally intended to travel to all the tea-producing areas with Bai Xiaocha this time, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
Bai Qingyu did some research online and found that Huangshan was free to enter on Wednesday, saving him 200 yuan on tickets. This was a huge sum of money.
Bai Qingyu grabbed a free spot.
The next day, Bai Qingyu took the cloth bag for carrying the little one, took a two-and-a-half-hour high-speed train, and then a one-hour bus ride to reach the foot of the mountain.
Bai Qingyu didn’t plan to spend money on the cable car, only on the bus to the hiking entrance. He saw a sign: About 3-4 hours’ walk to the Welcoming Pine.
It was 11 am now, so he could reach the top by 2 pm. There was plenty of time to find the most suitable place among the peaks to absorb spiritual energy and transform into a tea tree for the night. He could go down the mountain tomorrow and return to Nancheng in the evening.
The first part of the trail at the entrance was relatively wide. Bai Xiaocha climbed the mountain by himself, attracting the attention of surrounding tourists.
“So cute.”
“What a brave warrior, actually bringing a child to hike up Huangshan.”
“Dude, go back down after a while, or Huangshan will teach you a lesson.”
Bai Qingyu shared his route, “I’m going to climb to the top, and also go to the West Sea Grand Canyon.”
Bai Xiaocha leaned against his father’s leg to rest, “Grand Canyon.”
Tourist, “Are you serious?”
Bai Qingyu, “Yes.”
The tourist couldn’t believe it, looking at Bai Qingyu’s thin build, he wasn’t even sure if he could make it up alone, “It’s fine if you’re climbing by yourself, but you’re also bringing a child, isn’t this child abuse?”
Child abuse?!
“It’s not child abuse, I can carry him.”
To prove himself, Bai Qingyu immediately took out the carrying bag, put Bai Xiaocha on his back, and hung his backpack on his chest.
“Dad, I’m ready.”
Bai Qingyu, “Let’s go.”
The tourist looked at Bai Qingyu worriedly and sighed: He was working too hard just to save money on the cable car. He would help carry him for a while if Bai Qingyu couldn’t carry him anymore.
An hour later, Bai Qingyu’s pace was steady, he wasn’t even out of breath.
Tourist: “…”
Bai Xiaocha, “Uncle, you can do it!”
Two hours later, Bai Qingyu’s speed didn’t slow down at all.
Bai Xiaocha looked concerned, “Uncle, can’t you climb anymore?”
When the slope was gentle, Bai Qingyu switched the positions of his backpack and Bai Xiaocha, turned around, looked at the enthusiastic tourist, and said, “Let me carry your bag.”
The panting tourist: “…”
The clown was actually himself.
…
He Renyuan had someone put up a fence around the dog house.
“Uncle Qi, how many chickens do you think we can raise in such a big space?”
The housekeeper had never raised chickens before, so he shook his head.
He Renyuan, “Then call Bai Qingyu and ask.”
The housekeeper: “…” Alright.
“Hello, Qingyu, what are you doing? Is it convenient for a video call? I have something to show you.”
Bai Qingyu was a bit inconvenienced, “Cha Bao and I are traveling.”
The housekeeper, “Where did you go?”
Bai Qingyu, “Huangshan.”
Huangshan was a well-developed tourist area. You could take a cable car with a child and visit a small area. The housekeeper glanced at the young master and asked the question he was concerned about, “Are you alone?”
Bai Qingyu, “Cha Bao is also here.”
The housekeeper, “Taking Cha Bao mountain climbing, are you tired? Don’t go too far from the cable car station, just take a look and come back. Next time, find a teammate who is 1.9 meters tall, has eight-pack abs, likes swimming, and can help you carry the child to visit properly. When are you coming back? I’ll pick you up at the high-speed rail station.”
Bai Qingyu said, “Cha Bao and I are staying overnight on the mountain.”
He Renyuan snatched the housekeeper’s phone and frowned, “Staying overnight? Have you booked a hotel?”
Would Bai Qingyu be willing to stay in such an expensive hotel?
Bai Qingyu said vaguely, “Yes.”
He Renyuan, “How much per night?”
Bai Qingyu used his imagination and exaggerated, “Three hundred yuan a night, so expensive.”
He Renyuan, “How are the conditions?”
Bai Qingyu guessed, “Very good, a two-meter bed.”
He Renyuan’s face darkened, “You didn’t book a hotel at all.”
Hotels on Huangshan cost at least a thousand yuan per night.
Bai Qingyu, who had found a secluded place and was preparing to transform into a tea tree with his son to experience the spring rain: “…”
He Renyuan could almost imagine the scene of Bai Qingyu and his son braving the wind and sleeping outdoors. He restrained himself and said, “I’ll book a hotel for you. Go to the hotel and wait for me before dark.”
Cool rain fell on the mountain walls, hundreds of meters down was a cliff, hundreds of meters up was a high wall. Bai Qingyu sat on a small, empty viewing platform, holding his son tightly, “Baby, the signal on Huangshan is so good, Uncle Boss is coming to find us.”
If He Renyuan came, wouldn’t he find out that he hadn’t bought a cable car ticket, hadn’t booked a hotel, and only had enough food for the little one?
Bai Qingyu had a strong feeling that He Renyuan would be very angry.
———————
