Flooding

Pearls poached in clear water, red shrimp stewed on a golden plate? This is Liang Qu's first reaction to local specialties.

Cha Qing thoroughly, he dared not delay, picked up the oil paper package, placed it directly on the table, and opened it.

"My hometown is in Changgu County, where there is a famous tea called Yangxian Snow Bud. It grows at the foot of the Junshan Hanging Foot Ridge. It has a delicate aroma and a fresh and mellow taste. It is a truly fine tea. I have come here to present it to you, my lord, for your tasting."

Cha Qing opening the oil paper package, a faint, pleasant fragrance permeated the steam.

When Liang Qu stepped forward to take a look, the oil paper package was indeed full of tea leaves, quite a lot, about two pounds, covered with white frost.

"I've heard of Yangxian Snow Bud."

Changgu County was under the jurisdiction of Huaiyin Prefecture, not far from Ping Yang County, and north of Feng Bu County, just a neighboring neighbor.

Therefore, Liang Qu has some knowledge of the so-called Yangxian Snow Bud. It is not cheap, but rather expensive. It is indeed suitable as a local specialty.

"Oh, what a coincidence! To be honest, Lord Liang, this tea has been passed down from my grandfather's generation..."

Cha Qing the reason, he took the opportunity to introduce himself, saying that his hometown was near the tea mountain and that his grandfather's generation was a small tea merchant who had more tea than they could drink every year.

By selling tea, the grandfather accumulated some savings, which he used to support his father's martial arts training. Both of his sons became Martial Registry, and the family prospered even more.

Then, after Cha Qing the next generation, he seized the opportunity to come to the River Conservancy Office, where he worked tirelessly to earn face.

Cha Qing, it was found that he had been rambling on and on about his past experiences, occasionally accompanied by sighs, talking about his parents' hard work.

After recounting his own experiences, Cha Qing changed the subject, saying that it took three generations of accumulation to get to where he is today. He expressed his great admiration for Lord Liang, who started from Age of Emerging Talent and achieved so much in his youth. This made the River Earl God, who was already over thirty, feel ashamed and that he had wasted the past few decades.

Faced with the compliments after the Cha Qing, Liang Qu occasionally responded in kind, and the atmosphere was relatively harmonious.

They talked for more than fifteen minutes and, Cha Qing, felt that the time was about right.

Since it's our first meeting, let's leave it at that and take our leave.

"Lord Liang, please wait."

The figure disappeared around the corner without making any demands.

"Something special..."

Liang Qu touched his chin.

He picked up the tea scoop from the table, stirred the tea leaves to reveal the contents, and found nothing hidden as he had imagined—just regular tea leaves.

"Put it away."

Liang Qu put down the tea pitcher, told Fan Xinglai gather up the oil paper package, and then got up and went back to his room.

While still walking in the veranda, there was another knock at the door.

Fan Xinglai dashed out and asked through the door.

Who is it?

"Fan Zixuan!"

Alright! Liang Qu stopped in his tracks, returned to the hall, and greeted his second subordinate.

Fan Zixuan put down his raincoat and walked through the corridor.

Unlike the plump and well-off person the Cha Qing, Fan Zixuan was quite thin, with dark skin, and wore a narrow robe with mud stuck to the elbows.

As expected, just like Cha Qing, they came to deliver "local specialties".

The gift Fan Zixuan sent was different from the gift Cha Qing sent; it wasn't tea, but a "flying dragon."

This "flying dragon" is not a real flying dragon, but Hazel Grouse, a rare land animal like the aquatic Treasure Fish.

The one in front of them weighed four or five pounds and would probably cost more than ten taels of silver, almost equivalent to Fan Zixuan's monthly salary! "This is too expensive!"

"No expense needed, no expense needed. When I heard that I was to be transferred to Lord Liang's command, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep for nights on end."

Lord Liang? Everyone in Yi Xing Town knows him, and more than half the people in the county know him too. He is a hero and a righteous man!

"Since childhood, I have admired heroes of similar character to Lord Liang. Knowing that Lord Liang has such a great reputation in the River Conservancy Office, Treasure Fish. So, I donned a straw raincoat and braved the rain to go into the mountains overnight and hunted a flying dragon with my bow and arrow. I rushed here without rest, just to bring Lord Liang some fresh fish to make soup!"

Fan Zixuan was enthusiastic and his face was full of warmth.

"Oh, this..."

Fan Zixuan's reputation sounds more cultured than Cha Qing's, but in reality, he is not as shrewd as Cha Qing in his actions.

Liang Qu silently made a mental note of the impression.

It's not that I dislike it.

Everyone has a different personality, but when sending someone out to do something, you should know which person is suitable for which task.

"Since that's the case, I'll accept this dragon. However, the price is really too high, and I feel bad about it. I must accept the ten taels of silver."

Unlike his previous approach of accepting everything Cha Qing, Liang Qu insisted on giving Fan Zixuan ten taels of silver.

It was quite normal for subordinates to give gifts to their superiors, for local officials to give gifts to officials in the capital, for colleagues to give gifts to each other, and for people of the same year or hometown to give gifts to each other.

There's no need to be afraid of snakes and scorpions, or to fear people finding fault with you.

On the contrary, if he doesn't accept it, Fan Zixuan might think he looks down on him and have other ideas.

However, more than ten taels of silver is too expensive, and Fan Zixuan is not as wealthy as Cha Qing. Liang Qu should accept less and take a few taels of silver as a token of appreciation.

"Lord Liang is truly... In that case, I accept your offer."

Fan Zixuan wasn't stupid; he left with a broad smile, feeling that his night's work hadn't been in vain.

Two came within an hour. Liang Qu guessed there would be more later, so he didn't go back to his bedroom. Instead, he asked Aunt Zhang to take the flying dragon to make soup and asked Fan Xinglai bring some Yangxian Snow Bud to try.

The emerald green tea leaves unfurled in the boiling water, releasing a pale yellow aroma that filled the entire hall.

Liang Qu took a small sip and found the taste to be quite good, better than the tea his family used to keep for entertaining guests.

It's probably not consistent with what Cha Qing said about five or six ounces per pound.

The aroma of tea filled the air.

Half an hour later, the iron ring on the gate was knocked again.

Who is it?

"Yan Qingshan, Yan Chongwen, Zhu Chunqiao, Ji Youdong have come to pay their respects, Your Excellency!"

Alright, all three River Earl have arrived!

Fan Xinglai opened the door, and the four of them passed through the screen wall and saw Liang Qu on the left side of the hall. They all bowed and paid their respects.

"This humble official greets Lord Liang!" *4

"Xing Lai, pour some tea," Liang Qu instructed, then looked at the four familiar faces. "No need to be so formal, sit down."

Upon hearing this, Yan Qingshan and the others found seats in order, with Yan Qingshan at the head and the rest of the group taking their places.

The four men dared not sit fully on the chairs, but only on the edge, bending their knees and feet. When they saw Fan Xinglai over to pour tea, they quickly thanked him and took the teacups.

It's embarrassing to admit.

Liang Qu flatly refused the four men's offer of loyalty, thinking there would be no future interaction. However, after many twists and turns, the men ended up serving as his subordinates.

If we say that fortunes change every thirty years, then Liang Qu being slapped in the face by four people doesn't fit the bill.

Liang Qu was the superior, and the four were his subordinates.

I don't know if Ran Zhongshi heard rumors and deliberately arranged this to play a trick on me.

The hall was quiet, with the occasional sound of tea being drunk.

Liang Qu didn't know what to say, so he simply started drinking tea.

After a while, Yan Qingshan looked at Yan Chongwen and the others. Seeing the three of them giving him a meaningful look, he awkwardly put down his teacup.

"Lord Liang, we four brothers are delighted to serve under your command, but we are not too apprehensive. Therefore, we pooled some money to buy a gift, and we hope that Lord Liang will not find it offensive."

After saying that, Yan Chongwen handed a small box to Yan Qingshan Yan Qingshan, who took the box and took small steps to deliver it to Liang Qu.

When Liang Qu opened the box, he was surprised to find a thumb ring inside.

The thumb ring is wide and heavy, with a bluish-gray iron sheen, and is engraved with cloud and tiger patterns.

"We've heard that Lord Liang is a master archer who made great contributions in the siege of the Ghost Mother Sect with a Black Iron Great Bow. After thinking about it, we brothers decided to present Lord Liang with a thumb ring."

Liang Qu didn't know what material the thumb ring was made of, but since it took four people to make it, it must be something special.

He wanted to subsidize the price back like Fan Zixuan, but looking at the four people who didn't understand anything, he was afraid they wouldn't comprehend the meaning behind it.

Repeated rejections inevitably raise suspicions of taking advantage of honest people.

It's not easy for an honest person to make a living.

After much thought...

"Thank you for your kindness. I'll accept the gift. I just happen to be missing a thumb ring for drawing a bow."

Yan Qingshan was overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking to himself that his younger brother was indeed clever; giving him the thumb ring was definitely the right thing to do! "It's nothing, it's nothing. As long as Lord Liang likes it, that's good. From now on, the four of us brothers will definitely be loyal and devoted to our duties!"

The others chimed in, and the atmosphere of the conversation immediately eased.

Liang Qu was playing with the thumb ring, about to ask the others about its material, when there was another urgent knock on the gate of the Liang Residence.

Before Fan Xinglai open the door, Li LiBo's voice pierced through the rain.

"Water Bro, something terrible has happened! There's a huge flood in Hua Zhu County!"