The door of the carriage opened, and Lu Pei'en hurriedly got off the carriage when he saw Yan Liqiang. Also getting off the carriage with Lu Pei'en was a middle-aged man in his forties, who was wearing a royal blue silk dress, a huge jade ring on his hand, a wealthy face, but very bright eyes.
"Li Qiang, I didn't expect you to come today. What a coincidence. I just came back too, and I didn't expect to run into you here..." Lu Pein walked over with a smile on his face.
"Sixth brother is a very important person and has a lot of things to do. I was thinking that if Sixth brother is not here now, I will wait in the guild hall in the evening and ask Sixth brother to come back and treat me to dinner..." Yan Liqiang also laughed.
“Hahaha, I’m not some noble, I’m just an errand boy!” Lu Pei’en laughed, then pulled Yan Liqiang over and introduced the middle-aged man in a royal blue satin gown to Yan Liqiang, “Liqiang, let me introduce you, this is Shopkeeper You, a fellow villager from Ganzhou. You’re not only the owner of the Ganzhou Guild Hall, but also the president of the Imperial Capital Ganzhou Chamber of Commerce. I was just having dinner with Shopkeeper You, and I didn’t expect to run into you when I came back!”
"Brother Lu, is this Li Qiang the young talent from Pingxi City who was chosen by Lord Sun as an attendant at a young age and then came to the Imperial Capital from Ganzhou? He is now the Eagle Captain of the Imperial Cavalry and Infantry Division in front of the Imperial Capital?"
"Of course..." Lu Payne nodded.
This shopkeeper You is really good at talking. It seems that he is asking Lu Payen, but he praises Yan Liqiang without leaving any trace.
The temperament of Shopkeeper You is so similar to those tycoons Yan Liqiang knew in his previous life. From the first moment Yan Liqiang saw this Shopkeeper You, he knew that this Shopkeeper You was not a simple person. People like Shopkeeper You, no matter where they are, are the kind of people who are versatile, flexible and capable.
"Manager You, you are too polite. I am just luckier and was fortunately promoted by Lord Sun. I hope you can give me more guidance in the future!" Yan Liqiang said modestly to Manager You.
Seeing that Yan Liqiang was so young and yet could be so humble at a time like this, Shopkeeper You immediately raised his opinion of Yan Liqiang. There were quite a few young people who had achieved success in the capital, and Shopkeeper You knew some of them. All of them drove BMWs and were ostentatious. It was indeed the first time that Shopkeeper You had seen someone as young and yet so stable as Yan Liqiang.
Shopkeeper You looked at Yan Liqiang again, his smile became even more intense, and he said generously, "Brother Lu and I are not too far apart in age. We are both from Ganzhou. It is fate that we have come to know each other in the Imperial Capital from afar. If Brother Liqiang doesn't mind, you can just call me Brother You. If you need any help in the Imperial Capital in the future, just come to me!"
"Thank you very much, Brother You!" Yan Liqiang said immediately.
"By the way, Brother Li Qiang, why don't you go in while you're still here?" asked Shopkeeper You.
After hearing what Manager You said, the guards who were stopping Yan Liqiang immediately became nervous. They had never imagined that this fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy in front of them seemed to have a prominent background. As soon as the owner of the inn saw him, he politely addressed him as a brother.
Yan Liqiang just smiled and told the story of how he was mistaken for a flower girl as if it were a joke, which made Lu Peien and Manager You couldn't help laughing.
"Brother Li Qiang, please don't blame me. The guards at the entrance of Ganzhou Guild Hall have never seen you before. This is your first time here, so they have such a misunderstanding!" After saying that, Manager You coughed twice, deliberately looked at the guards with a stern face, and scolded, "Look at you guys, what kind of eyesight do you have? You can't even read people. Brother Li Qiang has flowers in his hand, so you think he is here to sell flowers in the guild hall. If I come here with a horse one day, will you also think I am here to sell horses?"
The guards quickly apologized to Yan Liqiang.
"It's okay, it's okay..." Yan Liqiang smiled and shook his hands, "Brother You, don't be too harsh on me. I think these guards are doing their job conscientiously. With them around, no villains will be able to break into the Ganzhou Guild Hall at will!"
"Hahaha, brother Li Qiang is really good at talking!"
…
The three of them exchanged greetings at the entrance of the guild hall, and then entered the guild hall together. Manager You warmly invited Yan Liqiang and Lu Pein to have dinner together at the guild hall in the evening. Seeing Lu Pein nodded, Yan Liqiang did not refuse.
Knowing that Yan Liqiang came to the guild hall to look for Lu Peien, Manager You didn't say anything more. He just asked the guild hall's kitchen to make an authentic Ganzhou whole lamb feast, and then left.
Yan Liqiang followed Lu Pein back to the room where Lu Pein lived in the clubhouse.
Lu Payen's room in the clubhouse was a large suite, and his two bodyguards and followers lived next door to his room.
There happened to be a vase at the door of Lu Pein's room, so Yan Liqiang put the marigolds in his hand into it.
"Hahaha, Li Qiang, you came here today and brought me flowers..." Lu Pein laughed.
"Sixth brother, who is this Manager You? How could he be in charge of the Ganzhou Guild Hall in a place like the Imperial Capital, and even be the president of the Ganzhou Chamber of Commerce?" Yan Liqiang couldn't help but ask after putting the flowers away.
"Li Qiang, do you know Datong Money House?" Lu Peien gestured and sat down on two chairs in the living room with Yan Liqiang.
"Of course I have heard of Datong Bank. In Ganzhou, Lanzhou, Qingzhou, Yunzhou, Dingzhou and other places in the northwest, Datong Bank is the most prestigious bank. Isn't this Datong Bank owned by the Zhong family in Lanzhou? What is the relationship between this shopkeeper You and Datong Bank?"
Yan Liqiang of Datong Money House certainly knew this, because the silver notes from the windfall he made from the Shatu people in Pingxi City came from Datong Money House.
"The You family is also a big family in Kangcheng County, Ganzhou, with many industries, and they are also married to the Zhong family in Lanzhou. With the support of the Zhong family, Manager You is in charge of the Ganzhou Guild Hall and the Ganzhou Chamber of Commerce in the Imperial Capital. Naturally, no one can compete with him!"
"So that's it!" Yan Liqiang understood. Among the wealthy families in the northwestern states, if the Lanzhou Zhong family said they were ranked second in influence, no one would dare to say they were ranked first. With the support of the Zhong family, everything would naturally be a piece of cake.
Lu Pain smiled, "Although Shopkeeper You has the support of the Zhong family, he is indeed capable in the Imperial Capital, has a wide network of contacts, and has many ways to go. With Shopkeeper You's help, many things will be much easier!"
"Sixth brother, are you planning to get the You family to join?" Yan Liqiang asked immediately and sharply.
Lu Peien narrowed his eyes for a moment. "The waters of Imperial Capital are too deep. Once the Oujie coal is promoted, the interests of all parties will be affected. With the participation of someone who is familiar with the waters of Imperial Capital, the possibility of success will be greater. With the participation of Shopkeeper You, the Zhong family will also be halfway involved. On the surface, our interests will be diluted a lot, but as long as we can make this thing bigger, the benefits will be much greater than if one person fights alone..."
"Looking at Sixth Brother's expression, this matter is probably almost done!"
"It's too early to say, but there are some signs..."
"Then I would like to congratulate Sixth Brother in advance!"
"Maybe I'll settle down in the Imperial Capital in the future and move my family here!"
"Ah, don't..." Hearing that Lu Peien might move to the capital, Yan Liqiang's heart tightened instantly, and he subconsciously spoke to stop him...
"Li Qiang, what do you mean?" Lu Pein looked at Yan Liqiang with strange eyes.
Yan Liqiang calmed down his mind, his thoughts raced, and a smile appeared on his face. "I mean that you, Sixth Brother, should not make a decision too early. There are too many open and secret struggles in the Imperial Capital. It is better to be careful!"
"Of course!" Lu Pei'en nodded. "But if this is done, I will have to come to the Imperial Capital to look after this business and pave the way for my family. And if the children of the Lu family come to the branch of the Lingshan School in the Imperial Capital to practice martial arts in the future, they will definitely need a place to stay in the Imperial Capital. By the way, wait a moment, I'll go get the things your father brought you..."
As Lu Paien spoke, he stood up and walked to the next room. After a moment, he took out a package and handed it to Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang opened the bundle, revealing two silver notes of 100 taels each. The notes were from Datong Bank. In addition to the notes, there were also two winter coats and a sealed jar...
"Your father was worried that you would be wronged in the Imperial Capital, that you didn't have enough money, that you couldn't eat well, and that you couldn't wear warm clothes. He said that you loved to eat the salt-dried apricots in your town, and he was worried that you couldn't taste the flavor of your hometown in the Imperial Capital, so he asked me to bring some to you. Bees in a jar won't spoil easily no matter how long they are left..."
Looking at the things that Lu Peien had brought from afar, and thinking of his father's concerned face, Yan Liqiang felt his nose suddenly sour...
(End of this chapter)