The manager of the West Lake Elegant Abode, rushed over to Yan Shouyi, and before he could steady himself, he immediately bowed ninety degrees to Yan Shouyi.
This level of enthusiasm was something even Long Feicheng, let alone Yan Shouyi, had never experienced.
The manager, with a fawning smile, said, "Mr. Yan, we received the news long ago that West Lake has been transferred from the Li family to the Lin family of Licheng, but its true behind-the-scenes owner is surnamed Yan. May I know which important figure from the Yan family you are, and what instructions you have for us during your visit to the West Lake Elegant Abode?"
Clearly, the manager had very little information. He only knew that the current owner of West Lake was the Yan family, but he didn't know how many people were in the Yan family, nor their status or background.
Little did he know that the super powerful family, which the manager imagined could suppress the Li family, actually consisted of only Yan Shouyi and his father, Yan Chou.
Yan Shouyi said lightly, "My name is Yan Shouyi, and my father's name is Yan Chou. The Yan family only has the two of us, so you just need to remember our names."
The manager was greatly surprised upon hearing this. A prominent family capable of snatching West Lake from the Li family only had two members?
What kind of operation was this?!
But after a brief moment of shock, the manager immediately regained his composure and nodded quickly, "Yes, Mr. Yan."
"Actually, this isn't our first meeting," Yan Shouyi said. "Do you remember, last time a girl threw my shoes into West Lake, and Li Peihua eventually retrieved them for me?"
The manager's pupils contracted sharply.
Having Li Peihua personally go into West Lake to retrieve shoes was already shocking enough, but the manager also thought of something else.
It was on the very day this young Mr. Yan appeared that West Lake had dried up.
It was difficult not to connect the drying up of West Lake with Yan Shouyi's appearance. The way Yan Shouyi looked angry that day was as terrifying as when West Lake had dried up.
The manager then understood that the young man who dared to order Li Peihua to retrieve shoes from the mud was naturally capable of seizing West Lake from the Li family!
With this thought, the manager became even more respectful and admiring of Yan Shouyi.
If the Li family he had served before was a towering tree, then Yan Shouyi, in the manager's eyes at this moment, was practically a forest!
The Yan family must be several times more powerful than the Li family!
"Mr. Yan, this way please. I will have someone clear out the West Lake Elegant Abode and bring you the finest tea!" the manager said excitedly.
Yan Shouyi shook his head, "No need to clear it out. We just need a quiet private room. My friends and I will handle some matters and then leave."
"Mr. Yan is truly approachable. Please follow me," the manager couldn't help but flatter.
Following the long promenade spanning across West Lake, Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng followed the manager towards the West Lake Elegant Abode.
Long Feicheng had never been to the West Lake Elegant Abode, and at this moment, he was too astonished to speak.
He gaped for a long time. By the time everyone had walked halfway across the promenade, he finally managed to eke out a sentence:
"Brother Yan, you're still the most amazing!"
"There's nothing amazing or not amazing about it. I actually think it would be better to tear down this West Lake Elegant Abode. West Lake originally belonged to the people of Rongcheng, and there's no reason for us outsiders to enjoy its feng shui," Yan Shouyi paused and said, "I'll have my father tear down the West Lake Elegant Abode later."
Long Feicheng gave Yan Shouyi a thumbs-up, "Brother Yan, what you're saying is pure Versailles. Although I know you're serious, hearing it only makes you seem more amazing."
The West Lake Elegant Abode was not cheap to build, and for Yan Shouyi to casually say he would tear it down to return it to the people, wasn't that impressive?
The manager, walking in front, had his ears perked up higher than a rabbit's. He naturally overheard Yan Shouyi mentioning the demolition of the West Lake Elegant Abode.
He had been the manager of the West Lake Elegant Abode for over ten years, how could he let Yan Shouyi tear it down!
So the manager immediately said, "Mr. Yan, have you ever read a poem called 'Shuipo Yao · Tongguan Huai Gu'?"
Long Feicheng chimed in, "I've read that, it's by Li Bai!"
"It's by Zhang Yanghao..." Yan Shouyi corrected helplessly.
The manager smiled, "It seems Mr. Yan has indeed read it. The poem says, 'My heart aches at the passing places of Qin and Han, countless palaces have turned to dust. When prosperous, the people suffer; when fallen, the people suffer.' What do you think?"
Yan Shouyi stroked his chin, seemingly in thought. Long Feicheng, however, had completely disregarded the poetry and was taking selfies with his phone.
Yan Shouyi pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled at the manager, "What's your name?"
"My humble name is Wu Dadan," the manager also smiled.
"Manager Wu, you're right. We won't tear down the West Lake Elegant Abode," Yan Shouyi said. "However, we need to make our services more accessible to the common people, lower the prices, and open it up to the public. The first floor will be for visiting and admiring West Lake, and the second and third floors will be for guests to have tea and chat."
Manager Wu bowed, "Everything is as you say."
This Manager Wu, despite his beer belly, was actually quite knowledgeable.
When he heard Yan Shouyi wanted to demolish the West Lake Elegant Abode, although he opposed it, he dared not say it directly. Instead, he used Zhang Yanghao's poem to remind Yan Shouyi that demolishing the West Lake Elegant Abode was a waste of labor and resources. Yan Shouyi quickly understood Manager Wu's intention and, following the cue, offered a better solution, allowing both of them to save face.
Only Long Feicheng didn't care at all whether the West Lake Elegant Abode was demolished or not, nor did he understand the meaning behind their conversation.
However, after this incident, Yan Shouyi looked upon Manager Wu with newfound respect, considering him a talented individual.
After this small interlude, Yan Shouyi and his party arrived at the West Lake Elegant Abode. Upon opening the door, they saw familiar servers kneeling on the ground, ready to change guests' shoes.
Seeing this, Long Feicheng stammered for a long time, unwilling to change his shoes. He said with a blush,
"Brother Yan, why didn't you mention earlier that we had to take off our shoes? If I had known, I would have washed my feet before coming."
Manager Wu immediately instructed a server to bring clean disposable socks and put them on Long Feicheng, thus containing even the smelliest feet.
They went up to the third floor, where the familiar private rooms "Qing," "Dan," and "Ya" were located. Yan Shouyi chose the "Dan" room and walked in.
Long Feicheng followed closely behind. After closing the door, he said to Yan Shouyi with delight,
"Brother Yan, let's stay a few more days. This West Lake Elegant Abode is really nice. At least let me bring some girls here to visit. Maybe I'll find a girlfriend?"
Yan Shouyi retorted with a playful curse, "If you have that much time, you should hurry up and cure your athlete's foot!"
"My athlete's foot has its uses!" Long Feicheng said proudly. "When I play cards with young ladies, I take off my shoes and socks, and the fumes make them cry, allowing me to cheat!"
Yan Shouyi: "..."
Long Feicheng was indeed a unique specimen of humanity, and Yan Shouyi felt inferior.
Long Feicheng then sat up straight and asked curiously, "Why are we here so secretively? What are we going to do?"
Yan Shouyi didn't answer. Instead, he quickly took out the Shouxin Jade he had exchanged from Li Qing'er.
This item was related to his life and death. Now, Yan Shouyi truly held it in his palm, fearing it would break, and kept it in his mouth, fearing it would melt. He didn't dare to take it out on the street for fear of it being snatched away.
That's why he needed to find a quiet, secluded place to study it carefully.