Chapter 1 A Banquet at Lingyun Pavilion

At a small banquet on the top floor of Lingyun Pavilion in Zhenhai Manor, besides Qi Zhentao and his eldest son, Qi Zhu, there were only Ye Tao, Dai Qiuyan, and Guan Huan. Although Dai Qiuyan had met Qi Zhentao a few times before, this was her first time seeing this Yicheng legend from such a close distance, and even more so, her first time attending such a formal and high-level banquet with Ye Tao. However, Dai Qiuyan's calm nature allowed her to remain composed, despite her curiosity. But unlike Ye Tao, who could be treated as an adult and discuss matters, Dai Qiuyan was more like a child brought by Ye Tao, the "parent," at such a banquet.

"If it weren't for this shark, would you have continued to hide from me, Ye Tao?" Qi Zhentao naturally knew why Ye Tao had been avoiding him recently, even to the point of not sending anyone to settle the final payment for Zhenhai Manor at this time of financial need. If it were anyone else, they would have eagerly jumped at the chance as soon as Qi Zhentao showed interest in a partnership, regardless of whether they were taking advantage of Qi Zhentao. But Ye Tao was different, passing up a bargain even when it was offered.

Ye Tao smiled slightly, ladling a bowl of shark fin soup for Dai Qiuyan. "Master Qi, the partnership you mentioned last time scared me quite a bit. I need to think carefully about what I can bring to the table. I know you're looking out for me, but I can't just take your money and not do anything with it."

Qi Zhu laughed. "Ye Tao, I haven't seen many like you. Is the Qi family's money too hot to handle?"

Ye Tao shook his head. "It's not like that. If it's for a holiday or festival, and you give me 100,000 taels of gold as pocket money, I'll just think of it as you taking care of me, giving me a generous gift. That's all well and good. But since it involves business, things should be done properly. I'll do as much business as my abilities allow. A partnership is an opportunity, but if it's something I can't handle, I'll be left hanging, and that wouldn't be a good feeling."

Qi Zhu nodded. "Little Ye, I really don't know how your head is put together. Many people have to suffer losses before they realize this. And there are plenty who never repent until they die."

Ye Tao quickly said modestly, "Not at all, the Ye family is making a lot of money now, so I'm just trying to be stable."

Qi Zhentao stroked his beard and said, "With you saying that, I can rest easier about partnering with you. To be honest, right now, besides you, I really can't find anyone else to do this business with."

After a slight pause, Ye Tao immediately thought of his reputation and expertise, tentatively asking, "Is it something new to be built? And what kind of business is it?"

Qi Zhentao and Qi Zhu exchanged a smile, the father and son extremely pleased that Ye Tao understood. Qi Zhu said, "Let's eat first, don't let the good soup and dishes get cold. After the meal, we'll go see something fun together."

After a hearty banquet, Qi Zhentao and Qi Zhu led the three of them to the study. Seeing the 14-year-old Ye Tao holding the hand of the 7-year-old Dai Qiuyan, Qi Zhentao and Qi Zhu couldn't help but smile; the scene was quite strange. Just as Guan Huan had said before, if they were both 10 years older, they might be an immortal couple. If Ye Tao was just 10 years older, the scene of a father and daughter would be very touching. But the awkward age difference and the contrast between Ye Tao's maturity and Dai Qiuyan's still-innocent nature was even more striking than their age difference.

Entering the study, Ye Tao saw a grandfather clock with numerous gold decorations placed between two rows of bookshelves. Could this be the business that Master Qi was talking about? Looking closer, the clock's pendulum was still, and the clock wasn't ticking.

"Can you fix this?" Master Qi asked.

Only then did Ye Tao realize that Master Qi had spent a fortune to bring this clock from afar to decorate his study. The gold used for decoration on the clock, which was taller than a man, weighed a full five jin. Yet, despite so much gold, the meticulous design of the clockmaker or the sculptor responsible for the exterior prevented it from appearing extravagant. Although rich and dazzling, it had an air of grace and generosity. Master Qi had seen the world, and he knew what level of skill was required to use gold decorations to this extent. The designer was no ordinary person. Although he had no intention of searching for this designer thousands of miles away, it made him like the clock even more. However, the clock had stopped working after being in the study for only a few days. Master Qi searched all over Nanyang and asked many foreign merchants, but he couldn't find anyone who could fix the clock. However, he did learn one thing: even in the far west, only the country of Frank could make this clock, and a decent clock cost tens of thousands of gold coins. Upon receiving this news, Qi Zhentao remembered that Ye Tao could try to fix it. Then, he thought, if Ye Tao could fix the clock, could he also make one? The craftsmanship of the Ye family workshop was outstanding, surpassing all others. Even in Dongping, which had the highest average level of technology, the Ye family workshop was at least 10 years ahead of any other small workshop. If Ye Tao could replicate the clock, it would definitely be an incredibly lucrative business.

Could he fix it? For Ye Tao, this was not a problem. He remembered that in his previous life, he could disassemble and reassemble an alarm clock when he was 10 years old, without ending up with extra or missing parts. It would definitely continue to work. Later, for a certain production course in college, he used a bunch of everyday items to make parts and built a pendulum clock. Since he could make a clock with a wax-filled mug as a pendulum run, there was no reason he couldn't fix a ready-made pendulum clock now.

Ye Tao confidently retorted, "Did Master Qi bring me here just to fix this? Isn't that asking a bit too little?"

Qi Zhentao laughed heartily. "Can't stump you, eh? Fix it first. Since you're partnering with me, there's no way we'll do small business."

Ye Tao wanted to argue that he had only agreed to fix the clock, not to partner with him, but then he thought better of it. Once Master Qi had made up his mind, there was no use in trying to dissuade him. He might as well present the facts and reason with him later, perhaps convincing Master Qi not to underestimate the difficulty of producing clocks.

"Someone, clear the study and put this thing in the middle." At Master Qi's command, the servants waiting at the door immediately entered the study and began to show off their strength. Master Qi and his two sons were all seafarers, skilled in both business and murder. In those days, great maritime merchants had to engage in some piracy to gain a foothold at sea. The family's study was more for display and ostentation than for practical use. Master Qi and his two sons never discussed matters in this refined place, usually doing so at the dining table while drinking heavily. Master Qi's daughters had all been married off long ago, and although they knew that Zhenhai Manor had been completed, they hadn't had a chance to see it yet. Even when they did return, their visit to the study would be more for sightseeing than for reading or appreciating art. It was said that those daughters were all hot-tempered. Master Qi hadn't shed his pirate nature back then, so he naturally couldn't raise daughters who could be classified as ladies. The bookshelves, desks, and chairs were all made of rosewood, probably used most often by Qi Zhentao's second son, Qi Yuan's, young daughter, Qi Ying. The scene of a group of retired sailors-turned-servants moving the fine furniture with such carelessness made Ye Tao shake his head.

"Master Qi, why don't you have someone send Qiuyan back first? She seems a bit tired, and fixing this clock will probably take several hours." Dai Qiuyan gently tugged at Ye Tao's sleeve, alerting him from his absorption in the clock's construction. He quickly said to Qi Zhentao.

"It's alright," Qi Zhentao instructed. "Zhu'er, take Qiuyan to Sinan Residence to rest and have Xiaolian take care of her. I want to see what this big thing is all about."