Foreign Tea

"Junior brother, those things have no humanity. Why are you so upset?"

Seeing how distressed Four Eyes was over the zombies, Uncle Nine couldn't help speaking up.

Four Eyes had already started cursing inwardly. They're not your customers, so of course you're not upset!

How am I supposed to explain this to the employers? They're going to dock my pay again.

My precious little money!

"All right, count them and see if any are missing," Uncle Nine said, reminding the grief-stricken Four Eyes.

"One, two, three, four... twenty-two. Huh? Why are there two extra?" As Four Eyes counted, he suddenly discovered two more than there should have been.

"Hi, Martial Uncle."

"..."

For a moment, the atmosphere was awkward.

"You two little brats, Martial Uncle just loves you to death." Four Eyes went up to them, grabbed their cheeks, and kneaded them.

One look at their outfits was enough. No guessing needed! These two idiots had definitely been playing with his customers.

"All right, junior brother, since none are missing, go get some rest." Uncle Nine patted the arm Four Eyes was using to torment them.

"No, I wouldn't dare stay any longer. I'd better leave in a little while." Four Eyes couldn't set his mind at ease. If he stayed any longer, all his customers might be finished.

Seeing his walking gift pack about to slip away, Lin Yu hurriedly tugged at Uncle Nine's sleeve and made faces at him.

Uncle Nine understood.

He knew his fellow disciple's temperament too. Once Four Eyes left, he'd probably go back on his word. That wouldn't do.

"Oh, what a shame. I was going to take you out for foreign tea tomorrow," Uncle Nine said, pretending not to care.

"Well, senior brother, I... I observed the celestial signs tonight. Corpses are inauspicious for me these days, so I'd better stay a few more days." Four Eyes hurriedly changed his tune when he heard Uncle Nine's words.

Uncle Nine smiled and glanced at the star-filled night sky. "Then I wish you a good night's sleep, junior brother."

"Good night, senior brother." Though his excuse had been seen through, Four Eyes wasn't embarrassed. He said good night and returned to his room.

"You two, hurry up and wash all that off! Of all the things you could dress up as, why zombies? Have you had enough of living?" Uncle Nine glared at Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng.

Fortunately, Lin Yu was skilled enough that nothing had happened. Otherwise, Uncle Nine would have been performing rites for the two of them today.

"Junior brother, come on, come on, time for bed."

Afraid Uncle Nine would punish them, the two ran off with Lin Yu between them, each holding him up by one side.

"Hey!"

Uncle Nine had wanted to ask when Lin Yu had learned those skills, but he never got the chance.

"Senior brothers, put me down. I can walk on my own~" Lin Yu's helpless voice drifted over from the distance.

Coffee tomorrow, with no sugar. It'll be bitter enough to kill you two.

Lin Yu thought to himself.

Since Uncle Nine was going out for foreign tea today, he had dressed up for the occasion. Four Eyes, on the other hand, looked shabby. He couldn't have brought good clothes on this long trip, so he could only wear the best he had.

With how stingy Uncle Nine was, there was no chance he would give Four Eyes good clothes either; they weren't even as good as Four Eyes's own.

Uncle Nine had generously had several outfits tailored for Lin Yu alone. His senior brothers could forget about it; what they were wearing now was clothing they only brought themselves to take out for the New Year.

And so, on the street, one could see a master and young master out for a stroll, followed by their servants.

"Morning, Uncle Nine."

"Morning, Granny Wang. May business prosper."

As Uncle Nine and the others walked down the street, the roadside vendors called out loudly, but they all greeted Uncle Nine as he passed, and he returned every greeting.

"Not bad, senior brother. Your long stay in Ren Family Town hasn't been for nothing," Four Eyes teased, having taken it all in.

"It still can't compare to your secluded mountain retreat," Uncle Nine said, shooting Four Eyes a sidelong glance.

"Oh, not at all." Four Eyes sounded modest, but there wasn't a trace of modesty on his face.

"Indeed. Mountains on all four sides, nestled between mountain and water, gathering the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth." Uncle Nine nodded.

After all, there really was nothing to fault about his place.

"Hey, Master, isn't that the corpse-nurturing ground the books talk about?" Lin Yu poked his head out. If his master kept talking, his martial uncle was going to take flight, so he couldn't resist teasing him.

Four Eyes had been floating on air, but his face fell in an instant. If his home was a corpse-nurturing ground, what did that make him?

"That's right. In the hands of someone with wicked intentions, it would become an excellent place for nurturing corpses."

"Hey, hey, hey, all right, enough. Senior brother, you're quite the teacher! Look at your Xiao Yu, he knows more than my Jia Le!" Four Eyes couldn't let Uncle Nine go on. The more he heard, the more he felt he was nurturing himself.

"Xiao Yu only joined us a month ago. He still has a lot to learn." Speaking of Lin Yu, Uncle Nine couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from rising.

"What! One month? You're not joking?" Four Eyes was shocked. An eight-year-old child who had only started learning a month ago knew that much?

Remembering Lin Yu's performance the night before, he would have thought Uncle Nine had secretly taken him on as a disciple sometime in the past few years if Uncle Nine hadn't said otherwise.

His Jia Le, after all these years, was still a half-baked amateur. Comparing the two, Four Eyes felt as though the north wind were already howling through his heart.

"Xiao Yu is talented, and he's diligent and eager to learn."

"Senior brother, how about we trade?" Four Eyes looked sincerely at Uncle Nine.

"Ahem..." Uncle Nine said nothing else, just looked at Four Eyes.

"Forget I said anything."

Before long, they arrived at the restaurant.

"Xiao Yu, once we're inside, let your senior brothers lead the charge. If there's anything you don't understand, don't touch it."

At the entrance, Uncle Nine stopped Lin Yu and whispered a few words to him.

"Mm, all right." Lin Yu nodded knowingly.

As expected of Uncle Nine. He doesn't hold back at all when it comes to setting his disciples up.

The moment they entered the restaurant, they were all struck dumb.

The rotating ceiling fans overhead, the exquisite murals, the neatly laid tablecloths, and the beautiful music all left them a little dazed.

Lin Yu also looked around curiously at the Republican-era decor.

It could even rival the retro-themed restaurants from his previous life. It was very luxurious!

As expected of a place built by the richest man in Ren Family Town.

"Do you have a reservation?" Seeing that they seemed a little at a loss, a waiter came over to ask.

"No," Uncle Nine said honestly.

Lin Yu was just about to say that Master Ren had invited them.

"What, didn't Ren Fa reserve a table for us?"

Wen Cai stepped up at that moment and asked with a touch of swagger.

Hearing that they were Master Ren's guests, the waiter's expression grew more respectful.

He bowed slightly and gestured for them to follow. "So you're Master Ren's honored guests. Please come with me."

The four of them made their way to the second floor, where Ren Fa had been waiting for some time. When he saw Uncle Nine, he hurriedly rose to welcome him.

"Uncle Nine, hello. Please, sit."

"Oh, Master Ren, hello."

But when Uncle Nine noticed that there were five in their party, not counting Master Ren, he looked on awkwardly. It seemed there wasn't enough room for them all.

If he'd known only four could sit, he wouldn't have brought Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng.

Master Ren was a businessman, all right, and a shrewd one. He spotted Uncle Nine's embarrassment at a glance.

"Let's move to a bigger table," Ren Fa said with a smile.

"All right." Uncle Nine breathed a sigh of relief.

Once they had reached the new table and sat down,

"Master Ren, this is my junior brother, Four Eyes. He's staying at the mortuary for a few days."

"Oh~ greetings, Daoist Four Eyes." Seeing that he was Uncle Nine's junior brother, Ren Fa thought he might also be an expert and hurried to greet him.

"These are my disciples, Wen Cai, Qiu Sheng, and Lin Yu. Xiao Yu is the most talented and has the best chance of inheriting my mantle."

After the two exchanged greetings, Uncle Nine began introducing his disciples, though he focused on Lin Yu and skipped straight past Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng.

Ren Fa's eyes flashed when he heard this. Looking at Lin Yu, who was only eight years old, he began making his own little calculations.