Chapter 62

"Hey, Mr. Wang, may you have good fortune! Thank you for your gift, please come in and have some tea..."

"Mr. Niu, it's an honor to meet you! We must drink a few more cups at noon today, and not return until we're thoroughly drunk..."

"Lord Li, Lord Liu... You two have come early, please come upstairs..."

Today was the grand opening of Letian Trading Company, and Fan Lian, along with a group of neatly dressed and agile assistants, welcomed guests at the entrance. Ten long strings of firecrackers hung from the second floor to the ground, and the sign wrapped in red silk was waiting for Xiao Letian to unveil it personally.

The street was already crowded with onlookers. A beggar, holding a large handful of copper coins, was singing the lotus falling song with all his might. Even the children darting through the crowd could get two pieces of foreign candy from the assistants. Centered around Letian Trading Company, a sea of joy had formed.

Amidst the excitement, the trading company did not forget about security. With Luo Huo as the leader, ten guards and over fifty soldiers from Taibai Peak were on duty, half visible and half hidden, ensuring the safety of Letian Trading Company. Any suspicious person would be questioned by them.

"Move, move... What are you, a piece of trash? A good dog doesn't block the way. We're here to give gifts to Lord Xiao, why are you stopping me!" Just as the atmosphere was peaceful, a loud and arrogant voice came from outside the crowd. The people turned to look and quickly made a path.

The one approaching was Xiao Bian Sun, with his signature small braid coiled around his neck, the end of which was tied to a steel dart, swinging darkly over his chest. He was dressed in a neat set of short training clothes, with the buttons fastened meticulously from top to bottom. The arrogant Xiao Bian Sun was spinning two iron balls in his hand, facing Luo Huo and talking big.

"What's the matter? In Tanggu, no one has ever stopped me from visiting a shop. I'm a man of the world, I love making friends. Today, I'm here to bring you face, and you're stopping me..." As he said this, Xiao Bian Sun bowed to the onlookers.

"Everyone, take a look. Is there such a businessman in the world? They're deliberately driving people away! Don't deal with them in the future, they're too arrogant..."

Luo Huo's eyes were about to pop out with anger. He grabbed Xiao Bian Sun by the collar, "Visiting? What kind of person wears training clothes to visit? I think you're here to cause trouble..." Luo Huo was right; for such a grand opening, Xiao Bian Sun leading a group of apprentices in training clothes was not proper at all.

Xiao Bian Sun was waiting for Luo Huo to make a move. He tilted his head, "Oh, you're capable, you're capable... Try touching me, come on, hit me, come on..." Xiao Bian Sun didn't fight back, just let Luo Huo grab his clothes and used his free hand to slap his own face.

"Hit me? If you don't, you're a bastard, your mother must have had you with another man..." The apprentices behind Xiao Bian Sun burst into laughter. This kind of behavior was hard for ordinary people to emulate.

This was the true scoundrel of the city, shameless, throwing dust, throwing bricks, drugging, kidnapping... no limits were their hallmark, making it hard for decent people to guard against them.

Luo Huo clenched his fists tightly, he really wanted to make a move. Just then, the shopkeeper Fan Lian spoke, "All are welcome, no rudeness, please invite Lord Sun to a seat, and serve him good tea..." Fan Lian was an old-school businessman, most concerned with good fortune. Today, no matter what, there could be no trouble.

"Shopkeeper..." Luo Huo was so angry he couldn't speak, but finally let go. As Luo Huo stepped aside, Xiao Bian Sun gave him a contemptuous look and whispered, "Kid, I'll remember you. From now on, be careful. Even when you sleep, keep one eye open, or you might lose your life..."

When Xiao Bian Sun reached the entrance, his eyes met Fan Lian's, and both saw the hostility in each other's gaze. At this moment, one of Xiao Bian Sun's apprentices shouted loudly, "Lord Sun gives a gift of two and a half strings of coins..." The whole street buzzed with confusion.

This was a clear insult. In ancient times, one string of coins was generally equivalent to one guan, which was usually a thousand coins. But in the late Qing and early Republic, one string represented a hundred coins, and only a full guan was a thousand coins.

Two and a half strings were two hundred and fifty coins, purely an insult. Xiao Bian Sun's antics even made the other merchants in the trading company uncomfortable.

Even though Fan Lian had spent his life in the business world, he was stunned by the two and a half strings of coins. Just as he was about to speak, a low murmur came from outside the crowd, followed by a loud voice, "Scholar Huang is here to visit, make way for the lord..."

People looked closely and recognized Scholar Huang. The old man looked like he hadn't slept well for the past two days, with dark circles under his eyes, yawning as he walked.

"Xiao Bian Sun is here? I'll join the fun, for this... this what trading company again?" Someone nearby whispered, "Letian Trading Company, it means 'joy every day'..."

"Oh, joy every day? What a blessing... Come, let's also give a gift like Xiao Bian Sun, let's make them happy..." After saying this with a sarcastic tone, the attendant quickly shouted, "Scholar Huang gives a gift... two hundred and fifty taels..."

A shout, and the whole street burst into laughter. People knew today would be truly entertaining. Even if I skip lunch, I have to watch this.

With the antics of Xiao Bian Sun and Scholar Huang, Fan Lian's mood calmed down. "Oh, Lord Huang, you're too kind. This gift is quite heavy. Please come in and have some good tea. Lord Huang, you must drink more at noon..."

"Don't be so polite. I appreciate your sentiment. We country folk haven't seen much, we're here to open our eyes... Who is the overseas traveler Mr. Xiao?" Scholar Huang looked around.

Fan Lian smiled, "You don't need to look. Mr. Xiao is currently receiving important guests and can't come out for the moment. Rest assured, I'll introduce you when the red ribbon is cut..."

"Ha ha ha..." Scholar Huang laughed coldly, "Important guests? So, the people in the hall aren't important guests? Mr. Xiao must be quite arrogant, isn't he plotting with foreigners to harm the merchants of Tanggu?"

Fan Lian was furious. This was a deliberate disruption. If it weren't for the grand opening, he would have given him a beating. But years of business experience made him control his anger. The old shopkeeper bowed to all the merchants in the hall.

"Of course, everyone is an important guest. Mr. Xiao has a hard time seeing everyone, I hope you understand. As for the talk of seeing foreigners, that's a joke. Mr. Xiao only sees people from our Great Qing, please don't misunderstand..."

When Scholar Huang and Xiao Bian Sun heard there were no foreigners, and saw no foreign guests in the hall, their hearts were finally at ease. They thought, as long as there are no foreigners to back you up, what do I have to fear? Let's cause some trouble.

Xiao Bian Sun said sarcastically, "Old shopkeeper, that's not a reasonable statement. No matter how important the guests, they can't be more important than all the people in this room. I see most of the local merchants are here, and they are all important figures. Mr. Xiao Letian's arrogance is too much..."

"Who are you cursing?" Luo Huo, hearing someone curse his master, immediately flew into a rage, pointing at Xiao Bian Sun's nose, ready to fight. Xiao Bian Sun's apprentices also rushed forward, ready to fight.

Just as the tension was about to explode, a slightly cynical voice came from the wooden stairs, "Oh, you're ready to fight? I'm not a courtesan, and yet someone is willing to fight for me? Alright, I'll come out and see you, to save you from talking too much..."

Thump, thump, thump, with the sound of the floor, a young man in a black suit walked down. Everyone was stunned.

What a handsome young man, how did he come to be so good-looking? If he dressed as a young man, he would surely be famous throughout the Great Qing. More importantly, his face didn't have the effeminate look of a young man, but rather a strong and heroic aura.

This was the first time Scholar Huang and Xiao Bian Sun saw Xiao Letian's true appearance. Despite their full hearts of hatred, they were momentarily speechless.

This was the intangible aura of a person. As a time traveler, Xiao Letian had a century of knowledge more than the people of this era, which made him subconsciously look down on those around him. This aura was typical of a person in a position of power.

Moreover, Xiao Letian had already taken several lives, and his courage was much greater than in his previous life. His reputation in the capital also added to his prestige. Standing there, he exuded an invisible pressure, making everyone in the hall sit up straight.

At that moment, the likes of Mr. Niu felt like retreating. They suddenly felt that the young man in front of them was like a mountain, impossible to defeat, and they seemed to be overestimating their own abilities.

Xiao Letian walked past Scholar Huang and Xiao Bian Sun with a cold smile, not even bothering to talk to them. He bowed to the merchants in the hall with a smile, "All the shopkeepers, all the assistants, and the fellow townspeople outside... I am Xiao Letian, a second-rate foreigner born and raised overseas, a madman who wrote 'Journey to the West' and wants to be a master of Western learning! Now, look at me, I'm not a monster with a green face and fangs who eats children..."

Xiao Letian stretched out his voice and bowed to the people inside and outside the shop, his humorous words earning laughter from the whole street.

"Now, I, Xiao Letian, have come to the precious land of Tanggu, not to cause trouble, not to ruin anyone's livelihood, but to use my overseas connections to bring more business to Tanggu. Look at the distant harbor..." Xiao Letian pointed to the blue harbor and the sailboats.

"In four years, the harbor of Tanggu has undergone a tremendous transformation. British and French ships have almost monopolized seventy percent of the trade, and these two countries' merchants collude to keep prices low. Despite making money in the past two years, do you know that you're selling at the lowest prices?"

"I'm here to change all that. I will attract merchants from America, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Spain, and other European countries. I will make these foreign merchants beg to do business with us. They are not a united front, and once competition is introduced, our business will flourish. And all of this, I, Xiao Letian, can help you achieve. Do you believe me or not?"

With a bang