Chapter 23: Liu San's Love Affair

At the entrance of the county town, the head of the county’s fast-response team was waiting respectfully with his men. Lingao County was not yet a green zone, so if he wanted to move in and live there permanently, he had to be equipped with guards according to the rules. Liu San considered that Runshitang itself was relatively closed, and it was difficult for outsiders to enter and exit, so safety was guaranteed. There was no need to place too many personnel to increase inconvenience, so he declined the personal guards sent by the General Political Security Bureau for him, and only agreed to have the police station place plainclothes sentinels to watch over the entrance of Runshitang.

The residence that Yang Shixiang arranged for him was a courtyard between Runshitang and the residence. The courtyard was not large and was very secluded, and ordinary people would not easily walk there. There was a narrow alley that could directly lead to a small door behind the mansion, making it convenient to enter and exit.

The manager took him on a tour of the courtyard. The house was old, but it had recently been renovated by the General Office. The walls were painted snow-white, the windows were all inlaid with glass, the floor was paved, and it was clean and bright.

Liu San walked around the rosewood desk in front of the window, which was wiped clean. The bookshelves, curio shelves, and pen holders were all of good quality.

The most eye-catching thing on the table was a telephone. This grayish-green hand-cranked military magneto telephone seemed old-fashioned, but in the Transmigration Group, it was a symbol of status and power. Liu San cranked it three times and picked up the receiver.

“County switchboard, who do you want to call?” a charming female voice came from the receiver.

Lingao Telecom had recently set up a telephone switchboard in the county town, and the places with telephones in the county had also expanded from the county office to the grain collection bureau, the county fast-response team (county police station), and the duty rooms at the city gates.

“Runshitang office telephone test,” Liu San muttered.

“Hello, Chief, the phone is working normally.”

“Thank you.” Liu San hung up the phone and looked at the dumbfounded Fu Wuben—he didn’t understand what his master was doing. Liu San smiled, “When there is work to be done, the disciple should do it. You can just open the luggage and tidy it up.”

“Yes, master.” Fu Wuben was looking around with great interest. At this moment, he asked, “Master, where do I sleep?”

“Just sleep in the east wing,” a female voice came from outside the door. Liu San looked up and saw that it was Xuan Chun.

Xuan Chun was still wearing a semi-old blue cloth skirt, washed clean. Her upper body was a water-red satin short jacket with buttons down the front. Her double buns were tied with red satin ribbons—this kind of hair-tying ribbon was actually a new fashion that had become popular from the transmigrators, or more precisely, from Li Chiqi’s sister, Zhang Yu.

Her appearance was even neater than the last time he saw her. Liu San’s heart couldn’t help but move, and he smiled and beckoned.

Xuan Chun smiled gracefully, put her hands on her left waist, and curtsied: “Third Master, may you be blessed.”

“Good, good.” Liu San had been in the Yang family for a long time and knew a little about the rules of a large family. At this time, it was customary to give a reward. He naturally had money, and a reward of three or five yuan in circulation coupons was enough. But Liu San looked at Xuan Chun with different eyes and had prepared another reward.

“Let me tidy up the luggage. He’s just a half-grown boy, and he still needs his mother to take care of him,” Xuan Chun said.

Fu Wuben’s face turned red. He was a country boy, and he couldn’t help but feel ashamed in front of such a beautiful and generous maid from a large family.

“He is my apprentice, and he is very capable,” Liu San said. “Since you are doing it for him, then he is relieved of his duties.”

Fu Wuben had been with Liu San for many days and had learned a little. He quickly withdrew. Xuan Chun smiled and also withdrew.

In a short while, she appeared again, bringing a basin of clean water. She first untied the towel from his satchel and washed it, then brought hot water for him to wring out the towel, served him tea and water, and her service was still as thoughtful and meticulous as ever. Liu San had originally planned to focus on his work and put aside matters of men and women. Seeing Xuan Chun, he couldn’t help but be moved again.

“Third Master, please wash your face and change your clothes first. What would you like for dinner?”

“Are you cooking dinner?”

“Of course, the kitchen will do it,” Xuan Chun smiled. “If you don’t mind, I can also cook, but my skills are not as good as others.”

“Then I’d like to try it,” Liu San said.

“Good.” Xuan Chun did not refuse at all. “Anyway, you are half the master of this family, so you can make this decision.”

He had originally thought she would refuse, but he didn’t expect her to agree so readily. This surprised Liu San a little. Looking at her expression today, it was much richer than last time.

“You look happy, is there something good?” he asked tentatively.

“I have nothing to be unhappy about,” Xuan Chun said as she helped him unbutton his coat. Her body was half-leaning against him, and her voice was infinitely melancholic. Liu San had a different kind of feeling.

When she bent down to unbuckle his belt, he couldn’t help but reach out to touch her jet-black hair. Xuan Chun lowered her head further to avoid his hand: “Third Master, it’s broad daylight—”

“Well, I was being abrupt,” Liu San was a little disappointed.

“It’s broad daylight, it’s not good to be seen,” Xuan Chun said in a low voice. She brought a loose cotton long gown and helped him put it on. Although the words were short, they contained a very intimate component, which made Liu San’s heart flutter.

He took out a small box from his satchel. Inside was a silver powder box. This was a glass mirror powder box mass-produced by Zizhenzhai, specifically for the mid-range market. In fact, it was not handmade, but was mass-produced by machine stamping in Lingao and then sent to Guangzhou for simple manual finishing and finally inlaid with a small mirror. Because it did not require much labor, the cost was extremely low.

But this thing was extremely rare in Lingao. Xuan Chun was more surprised than happy. She looked at it again and again, opened and closed it. She was speechless for a long time. Finally, she put it down:

“Third Master’s reward is too heavy,” Xuan Chun shook her head with some regret. “I am just a maid, I don’t deserve it.”

“What’s not to deserve?” Liu San said. “You’ve been serving me all this time, and I have nothing to thank you with. Take this as a thank-you gift.”

Xuan Chun still refused to take it. It wasn’t that she didn’t want it, but she had seen this kind of glass mirror small powder box before. It was a fashionable foreign product in the past two years, and the price was very high. Neither her own mistress nor the young ladies had one. In the Yang family, only the mistress had one. If she, a maid, took it, wouldn’t she become the target of public criticism?

But to refuse so sternly would make Liu San lose face, which was not good. After hesitating again and again, she finally accepted it and knelt down to kowtow.

“Hey, hey, no need, no need.” Liu San thought that this feeling of being “kowtowed to” at every turn was actually not that great.

Taking the opportunity to help her up, he squeezed her hand again. Xuan Chun did not pull her hand away, but only said in a low voice, “My hands are rough.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Liu San couldn’t think of any other words of praise. “Labor is the most glorious.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Liu San quickly changed the subject. “Has Master Yang taken a concubine recently?”

“No, but it’s coming soon,” Xuan Chun said in a low voice. “Master Yang Da sent two songstresses to Master Yang. Master Yang likes them very much. The Suochun Pavilion in the garden was built for this.”

“Sending songstresses?” Liu San couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild. Suddenly, he became alert that there were more and more strangers in the Yang family recently. This had to be investigated. He asked, “The Yang family has added a lot of people. Where did they all come from?”

“Most of them came to serve on their own initiative, and some were recommended by relatives and friends,” Xuan Chun said nonchalantly. “Master Yang has become rich, so naturally there are more people who want to make a living. There have been a lot of new people recently.”

As a key enterprise, the employees recruited by Runshitang now all passed the political review of the quarantine camp. Only the servants of the Yang family, their origins had not been monitored. It would be bad if a few spies slipped in. This should be written into a report to remind the General Political Security Bureau.

Moreover, a characteristic of traditional enterprises is that the family and the enterprise are often not separated. In the traditional employment model, one’s own people occupy a very important position: family members and relatives go without saying, and apprentices and servants, although not related by blood, are also considered “one’s own people.” In the future, when the branch is expanded, the new servants in the house will have a great opportunity. Recently, the scale of Runshitang has expanded rapidly, and the old clerks in the shop have all been promoted to take charge of one aspect. Yang Shixiang has said several times that there are not enough people now.

In the past, Liu San had always been complacent about his joint venture with Runshitang, thinking it was a stroke of genius—a typical “win-win” situation. Now it seemed that this joint venture had left a lot of sequelae.

He made up his mind that the personnel of the pharmaceutical factory and the branch must not be interfered with by Yang Shixiang. While he was pondering what to do about this matter, Xuan Chun came back with a tray in her hand. Inside was a covered bowl. He lifted the lid to see:

In the bowl was a mixed fruit sweet soup: papaya, coconut meat, lychee, mango, sago, and konjac. There were also many pearl balls floating in it. It looked fragrant and colorful, and after adding crushed ice, it was even more refreshing and sweet. This dessert, like the ribbon on Xuan Chun’s head, was also a new fashion brought by the transmigrators. Things like sago, konjac, and pearl balls were all products of the food factory. The recipe was passed down from the restaurant of the cooperative.

Liu San was originally a little hot from walking, and this bowl of sweet soup came at just the right time. After a few bites, he sat by the window alone, eating the bowl of sweet soup and looking out the window. He saw the green shade and the swaying flower shadows. His mood was indescribably open and relaxed, and he truly felt the joy that even a king in the south would not trade.

“I made the sweet soup. It’s not as good as the one from the restaurant,” Xuan Chun said. “Is there anything you don’t eat, Third Master?”

“No, I don’t eat people with two legs, and I don’t eat tables with four legs,” Liu San joked. “But, the more meat the better. The less fish and shrimp the better.”

The supply in the cafeteria was getting better and better. Not only did they start to have eggs every day, but pork was also supplied once a week. Occasionally, there was also beef. However, the main source of protein was still fish, shrimp, seafood, and soy products. So the elders were particularly greedy for meat.

“Good,” Xuan Chun agreed.

“Are you coming tonight?”

“If I don’t come, who will bring you dinner?”

“And after you’ve delivered it?”

Xuan Chun hesitated for a moment: “If you want me to come, I will come.”

Her face was slightly red, as if she was shy and angry, with the shyness of a young girl. This kind of tenderness, which was a display of affection, was something that modern men rarely came into contact with. Liu San, who was often accompanied by a shrew, had even less of a taste for it, and he couldn’t help but be infatuated. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her directly to his side.

The soft and warm body pressed against him, and Liu San’s heart couldn’t help but pound. Xuan Chun was silent, a little uneasy in her heart. She had always had such a feeling that this Third Master Liu had a different kind of affection for her, not just for the pleasure of the flesh for a moment.

Since there was affection, he was not a heartless person. She had reached the age of lonely youth. Was she going to grow old with her hair down like this? She had to have a home. Once her mind was active, her attitude was different. She leaned closer to Liu San and made a soft “hmm, hmm” sound. Liu San’s hands roamed over her waist and hips, making her ears hot and her heart beat fast.

Liu San touched her face and said, “It’s so hot!”

Xuan Chun turned her face away, but her body leaned closer. It seemed that only by being held tightly by him could her heart be at ease.

…

Liu San let go of his hand: “Go and pour me some tea.”

Xuan Chun quickly stood up, buttoned up her vest with her back to him, and then smoothed her disheveled hair.

“The tea is cold. I’ll go and get some hot tea.”

“The cold one is fine.” Liu San only felt hot all over, but it was broad daylight here and someone might come in at any time. Besides, there was still Fu Wuben outside. He had to let go for now.

Xuan Chun poured a bowl of cold tea from the teapot. Liu San took a big gulp. It was refreshing to the spleen and stomach, and he immediately felt cool and clear in his heart. Thinking of the scene just now, it was a bit like the feeling of secretly fooling around with a girl under the stairs for the first time in high school, both excited and frightened.

After Xuan Chun left, Liu San made a few phone calls and arranged for the banquet and reception for tomorrow night. The grand banquet at the merchant’s hall was indispensable, but it was not the main point—you can’t eat your way to a strong country. What’s the use of being the best cook in the world! At most, people will think you are all cooks.

The key was how to show one’s strength—a military exercise? Cannon firing? Watching a movie or visiting a factory? Should he show him the Holy Ship again? Or show him the unfinished Project 854 again?

This was a rather brain-racking problem. A naked display of power was too obvious. It was best to let him take the initiative to propose it.

Li Luoyou and his party packed their luggage and settled down. The newly renovated bathroom opened Li Luoyou’s eyes—a house decorated entirely with porcelain, with a bathtub and toilet made of porcelain. Just this novelty alone made him exclaim in admiration. And the convenience of use and the cleanliness of the environment were unprecedented.

The sensation of this bathroom even surpassed the effect of the all-glass windows. Not only did Gu Baocheng, Quark, and others go to see it, but even the servants also found an opportunity to take a look. Everyone was puzzled by the hot and cold water that came out as soon as it was turned on. Where was the water being heated?

Quark, on the other hand, had some idea. He said that there should be a water pipe leading to a reservoir. As for the hot water, there was probably a heater or something, and people were constantly sent to light the fire.

However, he expressed great shock that there were toilets and bathtubs made of porcelain. The value of porcelain in Europe was overestimated, and at the beginning, it was comparable to gold. Quark had been in China for a long time and knew that porcelain was not a particularly precious thing in the Ming Dynasty, but to use it to make such large sanitary ware, this kind of luxury was really unimaginable.

Everyone was sincerely impressed by the Australians’ generosity.

Li Luoyou took a comfortable hot bath in the blue and white porcelain bathtub, washed away the dust of the journey, changed into a pair of Chenzhou straw slippers, and came out for a walk in a loose robe.

Many flowers and trees had been newly planted in the courtyard. The climate here was warmer and more humid than in Guangzhou. It was already February, and the courtyard was already lush with flowers and trees. The flowers and leaves danced in the wind, which was very elegant and leisurely.

There was a perennial gourd trellis in the courtyard, which Li Luoyou had specially sought out from outside the city and transplanted. It had already survived and was now a dense shade.

The servants had already set up a rattan couch and a table under the gourd trellis. Li Luoyou sat on the rattan couch and only felt a cool breeze, and the dust of the journey was swept away.

Sao Ye and a few personal servants were waiting with their hands down under the eaves of the corridor. Gu Baocheng was a nephew, so he was not allowed to sit. Only Master Han and Quark each had a seat. Master Han did not dare to be presumptuous and only sat on a rattan spring stool. Quark, on the other hand, leaned back on a rattan armchair, drinking kvass in large gulps.

“This thing is delicious, sour, sweet, and thirst-quenching.” Quark said as he poured a few more ounces of rum into his glass. “I didn’t expect there to be rum here too! Would you like a glass?”

“I can’t drink without eating,” Li Luoyou said with a smile. Sao Ye had already brewed a pot of good new tea for him with his usual teapot.

“Baocheng!” He no longer paid attention to Quark. “How do you feel after this journey?”

“To answer your honor, this place is first, rich, and second, not peaceful,” Gu Baocheng answered cautiously.

“Hmm,” Li Luoyou nodded. “What do you mean by rich?”

“Yes,” Gu Baocheng replied. “From Bopu to the county town, just this one road, and the river works, if there weren’t hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, I’m afraid it couldn’t be done.”

“And the place is not peaceful?”

“The watchtowers along the road are heavily guarded, and there are sentries everywhere. Even the drivers of the ox carts carry muskets and swords.”

“You have a good eye and are very thoughtful,” Li Luoyou said in agreement. “But whether the public security is good or not cannot be judged by the level of security. With the power of the Australians, are they still afraid of a few petty thieves and bandits?”

“So you mean—”

“It’s hard to say now,” Li Luoyou snapped his fan shut. “We’ll only know a thing or two when we get to the market tomorrow.”

In a place where the ground is not peaceful, the market must be depressed. This cannot be faked. The county town was very deserted, which seemed to confirm Gu Baocheng’s statement. However, he had heard from the servants of the Yang family that the most prosperous place in the local area was not in the county town, but in Dongmen Market outside Bairen City—that was where the Australians were stationed.

Li Luoyou knew that the Australians would definitely treat him to a feast. From the fact that they had gone to great lengths to arrange his residence so thoughtfully, he knew that this group of people attached great importance to him.

He had now seen a part of the Australians’ strength, and there were obviously more things he had not seen. Li Luoyou prided himself on his experienced eyes and meticulous mind. The Australians’ strength and weakness would definitely not be hidden from him.

As they were talking, Sao Ye came in to report: tonight, the owner of Runshitang, Master Yang, was holding a banquet to welcome the group. There was also an invitation, sent by Liu San, inviting them to a banquet at the Dongmen Market merchant’s hall tomorrow night.

“Who is this Liu San?”

“The second owner of Runshitang, the sworn brother of Shopkeeper Yang of Runshitang. He has also been to Foshan before,” Master Han replied.

“Oh, it’s him. This Liu San is probably an Australian, right?” Li Luoyou said. “Last time in Foshan, I felt that this person was a bit strange, and it turned out to be true!”