Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 258 Seeing Master Niu Again

"Boss lady, it's been a long time. Could you find me a table?" Lin Yan greeted her with a smile.

Xu Huizhen quickly found a small, separate square table for Lin Yan against the wall, and skillfully followed the three-piece procedure: first, she carefully wiped the table with hot water, then she specially brought over the chair with a backrest, and finally served a plate of fragrant braised pig's trotters.

"Brother Lin, this is for Xiao Qi." Xu Huizhen lowered her voice, her face showing embarrassment. "The meat supply has been getting increasingly tight lately, and my small business is almost gone. The rest have to be given to the customers who order drinks as snacks. It's really... I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Lin Yan waved his hand, his expression unchanged: "It's alright, the proprietress is very kind. I brought it some dried meat." As he spoke, he waved the small cloth bag in his hand.

He placed Xiaoqi on the table, sat down comfortably, and casually asked, "Didn't Master Niu come today?"

"Please wait a moment," Xu Huizhen said as she poured him tea. "Uncle Niu is getting old, and it's too hot during the day, so he doesn't like to go out. I reckon he'll come to visit me as soon as he finishes dinner and goes for a walk to digest."

Lin Yan nodded, indicating that he understood. He tore open the jerky and patiently fed it to Xiao Qi, who was staring at him expectantly, while his gaze leisurely swept over the familiar and lively little tavern, waiting for his old friend to arrive.

Feeling somewhat bored, Lin Yan slightly opened his divine sense, and the whispers in the tavern gradually entered his perception.

"Have you heard? The higher-ups have issued another urgent notice, they're transferring grain to our area!" A middle-aged man in overalls lowered his voice. "My second uncle works at the Tongzhou grain station, unloading trucks day and night these days, he's completely exhausted."

A gaunt old man next to him smacked his lips on his wine: "Indeed! It's a good thing there are capable people in the south. I heard they managed to carry 250 tons of cargo using four small 50-ton boats. That's amazing!"

The other table was even more down-to-earth.

"See Old Zhao? His face's as long as Changbai Mountain." A woman winked. "His eldest son's dating Old Li's daughter from across the street, but he complains that she eats two cornbread buns in one meal! Old Zhao's wife's unhappy about it, and they're making a scene right now."

"These days, who doesn't need some money?" Her companion shook her head. "Two steamed buns... sigh, that's tough enough. Liu Ermazi from our alley is even worse; he stole his wife's dowry—a copper washbasin—and traded it for two jin of brown sugar cakes. His wife was so angry she ran straight back to her parents' house!"

Several young women kept glancing at him furtively, whispering among themselves.

"Look at that young man over there, his clothes... he must be an overseas Chinese, right?"

"And they even brought a snow-white puppy, it looks so energetic!"

"She's really good-looking, like someone who stepped out of a magazine."

These everyday stories, like a fine spider web, wove together in the air of the tavern. Lin Yan, a smile playing on his lips, sat in his seat, occasionally tearing off a small piece of jerky to feed to Xiao Qi, who was wagging its tail.

Around seven o'clock, as the summer heat subsided slightly, Uncle Niu, dressed in a faded gray coarse cloth shirt, strolled into the tavern, slowly fanning himself with a large palm-leaf fan.

He gestured familiarly toward the counter with his chin and called out in a loud voice, "Huizhen, the usual, two ounces of wine and a plate of peanuts!"

As he spoke, he began searching for an empty seat in the shop. His gaze suddenly paused when it swept across the corner, landing on a white, furry figure on the table, happily munching on a pig's trotter.

A smile instantly bloomed on Uncle Niu's face, and he quickened his pace, reaching the table in a few strides. He tucked his palm-leaf fan under his arm and clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Oh! Brother Lin! You're finally back!" His voice was filled with genuine joy. "I've been thinking about you every day! With you gone, even the baijiu from Huizhen's place tastes bland!"

Lin Yan smiled at Niu Ye's wide grin, clearly showing his craving, and teased him:

"Uncle Niu, you're not just talking about me, you're clearly eyeing my good wine!"

As he spoke, he reached out and pushed the porcelain vase on the table towards Uncle Niu, a knowing smile playing on his lips:

"Here, everything was prepared long ago, waiting for you!"

The moment Old Niu saw the porcelain bottle, his eyes lit up as if he had seen some rare treasure, and his wrinkles widened into a wide smile. Without any hesitation, he plopped down on the bench opposite Lin Yan, grabbed the bottle with his large hand as if afraid someone would snatch it away, and exclaimed repeatedly in admiration:

"Oh! Brother Lin! You're so generous! You really understand me, Old Niu!"

Old Niu had just taken a small sip of the fine wine Lin Yan had brought, squinting his eyes to savor its rich aroma, when he leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Brother Lin, you've been nowhere to be seen for the past six months. Did you go back to Hong Kong?"

Hearing this, Lin Yan looked up and smiled, then casually fed the little guy some meat: "Uncle Niu, have you forgotten? I'm only seventeen, a proper student. School's out for summer vacation, so I rushed back to have a drink and chat with you."

"Ouch!" Old Niu slapped his forehead, putting his palm-leaf fan on his lap. "Look at my memory! Of course, you should be in school at your age." His voice involuntarily rose a few decibels, attracting the attention of the people at the next table, who quickly lowered their voices. "Good thing you're back, good thing you're back! By the way, you've made it in time; there have been quite a few interesting things happening around here lately..."

Once Uncle Niu started talking, he immediately forgot all about the slight embarrassment he had just felt.

"I have something interesting to tell you! Do you remember Fan Jinyou? The one who brought a bunch of people to cause you trouble last time!"

Before Lin Yan could answer, he eagerly continued, "Him? He's been transferred! I heard he's been transferred to the far northwest! Good heavens, that place is so remote, the wind blows stones everywhere, and you won't see a soul for miles. He'll be in deep trouble!"

Old Niu spat, his face full of disdain: "Let him act all high and mighty! Just because he's a street office clerk, he's always pointing fingers at us and bossing us around, thinking he's something special! He always says we're 'products of the old society,' that Huizhen's little tavern is 'capitalist,' and that we deserve to be supervised and reformed... Bah! What a piece of trash!"

He felt increasingly relieved as he spoke. He picked up the bottle Lin Yan pushed towards him, and without even bothering to find a glass, carefully took a small sip from the bottle. He savored the rich aroma of the liquor melting in his mouth, then let out a long sigh, as if he had released all the pent-up frustration he had endured over the past six months.

"Now it's peaceful! Truly, the wicked will be punished by Heaven! Brother Lin, don't you agree?"

Lin Yan listened, a faint smile curving his lips. Looking at the indignant and exhilarated Master Niu, he gently swirled the teacup in his hand.

"It seems you've suffered quite a bit these past six months, Mr. Niu. But as the saying goes, 'Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish,' the ancients were right."