"Brother Fang, is there any weapon you fancy? I'll get you one from the army later." Cheng Chumo asked Fang Er when he saw his interest in weapons.
"No need, I'll forge it myself later. It's just that the tools aren't suitable right now, and I don't know where to buy ore." Fang Er didn't plan to buy existing weapons; he intended to make them himself. For an eighth-level fitter, making a weapon for self-defense would be as simple as could be.
"Brother Fang, you can also forge?" Yu Chi Baolin became interested. His father was a blacksmith by trade, so he was particularly sensitive to this.
"Absolutely! Cooking and brewing are just hobbies. Blacksmithing is my specialty!" Fang Er said with pride when mentioning his primary skill.
"Oh, then I must see it someday. And let my father come too. He's also a blacksmith. This fine steel mace I have was forged by him personally. I wonder how it compares to Brother Fang's craftsmanship?" Yu Chi Baolin said, quite surprised by Fang Er's words.
"Hahaha, it's not good to talk about elders behind their backs. Let's not discuss this. Could you help me get some iron ore, charcoal, and graphite later?" Fang Er chuckled. He couldn't just say that he could leave Yu Chi Gong in the dust.
"Just these? Too easy. I'll have someone deliver them tomorrow. My father has them. Whenever he's feeling troubled, he likes to swing his hammer a few times!" Yu Chi Baolin patted his chest and guaranteed. It wasn't surprising that Yu Chi Gong, being from a blacksmith family, would have these things at home. Everyone had their own way of relieving stress, and it seemed Yu Chi Gong's method was swinging a hammer.
"Alright then, I thank you in advance, Brother Baolin." Fang Er said while pouring wine for Yu Chi Baolin.
At this moment, a group of servant boys entered, each carrying a food basket. Hu Zi greeted them. The tables and chairs had been set up while waiting for the dishes. The leading servant boy took the silver from the steward and left with his subordinates.
Seeing that everything was settled, Fang Er picked up a cup of wine and went to the servants' table. "Brothers, on this trip to Jiangnan, I'm entrusting Hu Zi and the steward to you. Once the task is completed, I'll host a welcoming feast for you upon your return, and each of you will receive a generous red envelope! Come! Fang Mou will drink this first!" Fang Er finished his wine and turned the cup upside down, shaking it towards the group to show it was empty.
"Thank you, Young Master Fang. Please rest assured, we will guarantee the safety of Brother Hu Zi and Uncle Zhang and complete the task diligently! Brothers, a toast to Young Master Fang!" A man in his forties, dressed in the Cheng family's servant attire, stood up with his wine cup and said to the others.
"A toast to Young Master Fang!" The rest of them raised their cups together, made a toasting gesture towards Fang Er, and then drank it all down.
"Hahaha, all good fellows! Brothers, eat and drink well. Ask Hu Zi if you need anything!" Fang Er said, cupping his fists towards the men.
"Thank you, Young Master Fang!" The man replied loudly, also cupping his fists in return.
Fang Er returned to his own table. Looking at Cheng Chumo and Yu Chi Baolin, he said, "Brothers, the ones you picked for me are all outstanding men. Brother thanks you!" Then he downed another cup of wine. His actions had completely surprised Cheng Chumo. It could be said that with just this cup of wine Fang Er offered, he had won the favor of the servants from both families. They were all rough men who valued loyalty and brotherhood. If you treated them with respect, they would repay you tenfold. Fang Er's elevation of them, without any pretense in front of Cheng Chumo and Yu Chi Baolin, made these men understand that they would certainly put their all into this task. Moreover, Fang Er had also promised benefits.
"Brother Fang, you are too kind. Come, cheers!" Cheng Chumo and Yu Chi Baolin reciprocated with a toast.
The group ate, drank, and chatted merrily. It wasn't until Cheng Chumo and Yu Chi Baolin could no longer hold on that Fang Er had someone settle them down. The servants who got drunk simply fell asleep on their chairs. In the heat of the day, there was no worry about catching a chill.
Fang Er looked at his own courtyard. "Damn it, it felt big enough when I bought it a few days ago. But with more and more people in the household, now there's no room for guests." He cursed. "Once the estate outside the city is ready, I must plan it well!"
The next morning, when Fang Er opened his eyes, Cheng Chumo and Yu Chi Baolin had, as expected, already left. Xiao Qing was directing the servants to clean up the previous day's mess. Xiao Huan was sitting on the steps in front of Fang Er's door. Seeing Fang Er come out, she quickly got up to serve him for his morning wash.
Feeling refreshed, Fang Er thought about what to do. He felt lost and directionless when he had too much free time. "Right, I still haven't done what I promised Cheng Yaojin!" Fang Er had completely forgotten about the matter Cheng Yaojin had entrusted him with. He said to the person behind him, "Xiao Huan, where did you put the salt mine that Brother Chumo sent over that day?"
"Young Master, it's all in the small warehouse in the backyard. Shall I have someone get it for you?" Xiao Huan tilted her head and thought for a moment before replying.
"Go and have Hu Zi move it all over." After making the arrangement, Fang Er didn't bother to move a chair and sat directly on the steps. "Damn it! It's too hot, and it's not even raining!" He longed for air conditioning and watermelon. Unfortunately, he didn't know the principle of air conditioning and couldn't make one, which frustrated him.
Seeing her young master sitting at the door, constantly wiping sweat from his face, Xiao Qing quickly found a fan and sat beside Fang Er, fanning him gently. "Young Master, it's getting hotter these past few days. You must take care of yourself and don't get heatstroke. Our whole family depends on you," Xiao Qing said while fanning.
Sniffing the fragrant breeze from Xiao Qing, Fang Er felt very cool. He tilted his head and looked at Xiao Qing with a mischievous smile. "It smells so good, Qing'er, what fragrance are you using?"
"Young Master, you're too naughty! I'm talking to you seriously!" Xiao Qing replied shyly.
"What, am I not saying anything serious? Tell me quickly, what fragrance are you using that smells so good?" Fang Er continued to press.
"Hmph! Naughty Young Master! I won't fan you anymore!" Xiao Qing threw the fan away and ran off.
Xiao Huan, leading Hu Zi with the salt mine, saw this and asked curiously, "Young Master, what happened to Sister Qing?"
"It's inexplicable. I just asked her what fragrance she was using, and she reacted like this," Fang Er said, scratching the back of his head in confusion.
"Oh! Young Master, you're too wicked!" Xiao Huan gave Fang Er a sideways glance.
Fang Er was even more bewildered. "What? You know?"
Xiao Huan gave him another glare. "Young Master actually asked Sister Qing about such things, no wonder Sister Qing stopped fanning you."
"Oh ho! Getting sassy! You dare to roll your eyes at your young master now?" Seeing that Xiao Huan wouldn't explain, Fang Er directly pulled Xiao Huan onto his lap.