Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 302 Jie Xiao Jiu Ye
The waiter's expression changed, and he bypassed the four of them, respectfully asking a young man in a pink shirt who had just stepped out of the elevator, "Young master, usual seat?"

The newcomer didn't speak, but looked at Wu Xiaoxie with a slightly confused and surprised expression, then looked at Zhang Wuxun and Xiao Ge behind Wu Xiaoxie, his expression showing a hint of sudden realization.

The man was young, wearing a white suit with a pink shirt underneath. He casually didn't wear a tie, but surprisingly, he didn't look effeminate. Instead, he exuded a classic charm, as if he had stepped out of a painting.

Xie Yuchen stared at Wu Xiaoxie for a few seconds, then recognized him after a few seconds of confusion. However, he didn't say anything, just smiled, then took two steps forward and asked Zhang Wuxun, who was standing behind Wu Xiaoxie, "Really not selling?"

Upon hearing this, the gazes of the people around him instantly turned to him, and they were all somewhat stunned.

"I can add a maximum of three points," Xie Yuchen continued.

Zhang Wuxun was also taken aback; that familiar tone...

"Ah!" Zhang Wuxun exclaimed in realization, "So that person was you."

"You should have said so earlier, instead of being so mysterious." Zhang Wuxun smiled as well. "I left the things with Panzi. It's two points, and I'll give you the two exquisite pendants that came with them. You can just have someone go and get them from Panzi."

Xie Yuchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Didn't you say before that you wouldn't trade it for a thousand pieces of gold?"

Zhang Wuxun responded with an "Oh," and said, "I was in a bad mood before, but I'm in a better mood now, so I'll give you a discount."

Xie Yuchen chuckled and shook his head, then suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion, "I remember you used to be Master Wu's assistant, why are you working for him now?"

The "he" here refers to Wu Xiaoxie.

Zhang Wuxun's lips curled up slightly, his smile carrying a hint of roguishness. "I'm a freelancer. I was just helping out a regular customer out of boredom. Of course, if you need anything, Master Hua, you're welcome to come at me anytime."

Xie Yuchen nodded knowingly. It was not unusual for skilled and famous tomb raiders like them to be paid to do things and to wander around.

"Together?" he invited.

Zhang Wuxun shook his head and slightly raised his chin at Wu Xiaoxie, "The main character is here, we have important business to discuss today."

Xie Yuchen said politely, "Then I'll go upstairs first for the next get-together."

Then he gave Wu Xiaoxie a kind smile, which left Wu Xiaoxie completely bewildered.

He felt that the pink shirt looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. So he reflexively smiled.

Once everyone had entered the inner hall and gone upstairs, the fat man nudged Zhang Wuxun with his elbow and asked, "What's going on? Someone you know?"

Zhang Wuxun shook his head. "I'm not familiar with him. I've only had indirect contact with him through Pan Zi. He has a jade yin-yang bracelet (Qian bracelet), and I happen to have a Kun bracelet. He wanted to make a pair, but he didn't reveal his identity. I thought he was setting me up, so I didn't sell it to him."

The waiter, having been in the capital for a long time, was naturally adept at dealing with people. He figured that since the young master could speak with him, his status must be quite high. His smile became much more sincere. "Since you gentlemen know each other, why don't you come inside, sit down, listen to some opera, and chat over some hot tea?"

Although he said that, he led them in the exact opposite direction from Xie Yuchen's direction.

This guy's an old hand; his goal is to get the two sides to sit further apart.

He was the one who led the way to the seats, so all the politeness and taboos were understandable.

In case either side suddenly remembers that the other is a creditor or a murderer of their father, they can avoid fighting on the spot if they are far apart.

At the foot of this imperial city, one must follow all the rules, both overt and covert, to remain invincible. Seven parts flattery and three parts principle are necessary.

Since no prior notice was given, the waiter led the four people to a seating area on the first floor.

Zhang Wuxun showed no emotion, simply saying to the waiter, "A private room."

The waiter wasn't surprised; he turned around and led the group to the second floor.

The central stage has been cleared out, and someone is setting something up on it.

The fat man glanced at it and exclaimed, "It's better to be lucky than early. I've just arrived at an auction today."

Wu Xiaoxie asked curiously, "An auction? What's being auctioned?"

The fat man grinned, his voice now reverting to a Beijing accent, "What else is there to film here? This is the most high-end place in Beijing for antiques and decorative items. Compared to this, Christie's in Hong Kong is just a street stall!"

"However, these are large quantities of items, and they are not commonly seen on the market. We can only smell them. I guess Old Mrs. Huo is here to attend the auction today, and meeting us was just a coincidence, so as not to delay her other business."

The waiter led them to a large, carved wooden gate. On the elm wood plaque above the gate were three large characters in cursive script: "Bamboo Grove Pavilion".

The location here is neither too close nor too far; it's not a prime spot, but it offers a clear view of the stage below.

Zhang Wuxun and the other three found their own seats and sat down around the round table in front of the screen. This was just a place for chatting and eating, so there was no particular regard for where they sat.

A waitress dressed in an elegant cheongsam presented the tea and snack menu. Zhang Wuxun took it, glanced at the prices, picked out a few plates of pretty fruits and pastries, and ordered a pot of white rooster-crest tea.

The waitress smiled and said, "Please wait a moment, everyone."

Then he retreated.

Zhang Wuxun casually placed the order form on the table. The fat man picked it up and muttered, "What did you order?"

As soon as he opened the bill, the fat man's hand trembled, and he gasped, "My goodness, a plate of plum blossom cakes costs six hundred and sixty-six!"

"What?" Wu Xiaoxie wondered if he hadn't heard clearly. He peeked over and glanced at the price under the plate of pastries. His heart sank. "Holy crap! How can it be so expensive!"

The two hurriedly flipped to the end of the menu and found that even the cheapest pastry at the end cost more than two hundred dollars, which immediately made their eyes widen.

Wu Xiaoxie's lips trembled, and she mechanically turned to look at Zhang Wuxun, "What did you just order?"

“This one, this one, and these two…” Every time Zhang Wuxun pointed something out, Wu Xiaoxie and Fatty’s hearts trembled.

Finally, Wu Xiaoxie asked him with a bitter face, "Did you also order a pot of tea at the end? White Rooster Comb?"

The fat man quickly flipped to that page, and when he saw the price tag, he felt his heart bleed.

He slapped Zhang Wuxun on the back, "You spendthrift! Even if this were Yang Guifei's bathwater, it wouldn't be worth this much! Thirty-six thousand! Not three hundred and sixty-three yuan and sixty cents! Are you seeing things and misreading the decimal point?"

Zhang Wuxun touched his nose and whispered, "There's no decimal point on this either."

"Hey!" The fat man glared at Zhang Wuxun with exasperation. "You little idiot, I really don't know what to say to you. At this price, I could bring you a whole cartload of tea outside. But this tiny pot is just a handful. You're clearly being ripped off." "Shh, keep your voice down." Zhang Wuxun snatched the order from his hand and slammed it on the table, preventing him from looking at it again. "We're already here, how can we not spend some money? This is one of the four famous Wuyi teas. How can ordinary tea compare? Don't worry, it's on me."

“We came here to broaden our horizons, so that when you go out in the future, you can brag to people that you drank the tribute tea that was given to the Ming Dynasty emperor, right?” Zhang Wuxun analyzed logically.

Although Zhang Wuxun's words made a lot of sense, it didn't stop Wu Xiaoxie and the other person from feeling the pinch.

"Damn it," the fat man muttered, "It says here that there's a 10% service fee, but what kind of service is that? We haven't seen a single person all day."

Just as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and the cheongsam-clad waitress who had left earlier led three waiters in carrying plates.

After placing everything on the round table, the waitress's smile faded slightly. "Please enjoy your meal."

As Zhang Wuxun was leaving, he caught a glimpse of two burly men suddenly appearing by the door. The woman in the cheongsam subtly winked at them as she passed by.

The two male waiters nodded slightly, then closed the door, cutting off the view.

Zhang Wuxun didn't mind and poured tea for Wu Xiaoxie and the other two, saying, "Try it."

Wu Xiaoxie took a sip from the small porcelain cup, closed his eyes, and tasted it. "It does taste a bit different."

The fat man didn't know how to appreciate tea. He blew on it to cool it down and then gulped it down. He poured himself another cup, took a sip, smacked his lips, and said, "I admit that my voice was a little too loud just now."

The young man refilled his drink. Although he remained expressionless, those who knew him well knew that he was in a good mood at the moment.

"You guys should try this. This pastry seems to taste better than the ones outside." The fat man pointed with his fingers, picked up a small, delicate pastry the size of a bottle cap with both hands, and popped a piece into his mouth.

Zhang Wuxun smiled and squinted, telling them to hurry up and eat more, because they would have the energy to "move" when they were full.

The four quickly finished the fruits and snacks on the table. Based on the principle that they had paid for the food, they shouldn't let the unscrupulous merchants take advantage of them. The fat man then called over a waiter to bring out three large plates of melon seeds, since the melon seeds were free anyway.

The fat man even planned to take the tea leaves from the white rooster's comb when he left, otherwise it would be a waste.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, the fat man leaned against the fence, cracking sunflower seeds. Suddenly, he spotted someone and exclaimed, "Eh? Today's been interesting! Guess who I saw!"

Wu Xiaoxie peeled the sunflower seed shell from the corner of his mouth and asked, "Who?"

“Liuli Sun.” The fat man walked back, pointed to the private room directly opposite, and said softly, “This is a big shot. You guys who haven’t been to Beijing don’t know. This old guy’s family runs an investment company overseas. They used to deal in glass beads, but somehow they became rich and became a big shot. His house is full of treasures. He’s very mysterious and rarely shows his face.”

"In the capital, he is a trendsetter. Wherever he appears at an auction, it means there are top-quality treasures there."

Wu Xiaoxie was surprised to hear this. He got up and leaned over the railing to look across. He saw a man with gray hair and a buzz cut sitting by the railing. He looked to be in his sixties, with a very white face, a small mustache, and a lean build. He was wearing a Zhongshan suit and playing with two blood-red walnuts in his hands. He was leaning back in his chair with his eyes half-closed, looking extremely relaxed.

The fat man couldn't sit still any longer. He got up and planned to ask the waiter for an auction catalog. "I want to see what kind of once-in-a-lifetime treasure is being auctioned today."

As soon as I opened the door, I found the cheongsam-clad waitress who had taken my order standing there. We both stared at each other for a moment, stunned.

The waitress quickly realized what was going on and smiled, "Grandma Huo invites you all over."

Wu Xiaoxie was stunned for a moment, then his mind raced and he immediately realized that Huo Xiangu had been here all along, subtly and deliberately giving them, the young people, a warning, intending to dampen their spirits. He immediately felt a little uncomfortable.

The fat man naturally saw through this trick, and his face immediately turned cold. He stood up, straightened his suit, leaned closer to Zhang Wuxun and the young man, and said in a low voice, "We have to put on a good show, get the formation right, and let Tianzhen show off his power. We can't let that old woman look down on us."

Zhang Wuxun chuckled, stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to Wu Xiaoxie respectfully, saying, "Third Master, Old Madam Huo invites you over."

Wu Xiaoxie nodded with a straight face, glancing sideways at the female shop assistant, "Lead the way."

The waitress lowered her head slightly, gestured for them to proceed, and then walked ahead.

Zhang Wuxun and his three companions followed behind her, bypassing the corridor, and arrived at a door in the central area.

The elm wood plaque above the door is inscribed with the three characters "Caihe Hall".

"The water chestnut stems sometimes twine around the bracelet, and the water may wet the makeup as one paddles. I do not mind that my red sleeves are wet, but I cherish the fragrance of the green leaves." This house is named after Liu Xiaochuo's poem "Seeing a Beauty Picking Lotus from Afar".

The waitress recited the poem as if it were a tongue twister, then said, "Gentlemen, this is the place, please come in."

After saying that, he turned and left without lingering for a moment.

Two young men with buzz cuts, dressed in black casual clothes, stood guard at the door, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Wu Xiaoxie instinctively wanted to turn his head to look at Zhang Wuxun and the others to ask what to do.

Zhang Wu subtly raised his hand and poked him in the waist.

Wu Xiaoxie subconsciously straightened his back and tightened his face.

Zhang Wuxun stepped forward, pushed open the door, gestured for him to enter, and drawled, "Young Master San—please."

Wu Xiaoxie took a deep breath and silently chanted, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss, I walk with the wind, I walk with the wind." He glanced at Zhang Wuxun and the other two standing beside him like bodyguards, and his confidence instantly returned.

He cleared his throat and stepped inside.

The fat man took two steps forward with a stern face, lifted the three layers of beaded curtain, and the aroma of Tibetan incense wafted out.

Looking around, the space inside is quite large.

Below the wide steps was a round table where seven or eight people were eating. When they saw someone come in, they all stopped eating and just stared at them without saying a word.

A large ink-wash lotus screen stands beside the carved pillars, blocking the view between the wide steps and the stage below.

Zhang Wuxun whispered to Wu Xiaoxie in a voice only they could hear, "Behind the screen."

Wu Xiaoxie's gaze swept over the people around the round table before he continued walking around the screen and into the room.

The space behind the screen is also quite large. There is a small ebony root-carved table by the railing, and three people are sitting there drinking tea.

An elderly woman with a full head of silver hair, dressed in a purple cheongsam, exuded an air of elegance and grace. She was very well-maintained, with only fine lines on her face and not a single age spot. Her skin, however, had an eerie, snow-white color, as if she were carved from jade.

Wu Xiaoxie's eyelids twitched when he met her dark eyes.

For a moment, he thought he was sitting in front of a living, breathing witch!
Thank you so much to @童xt for the generous donation! Sending you a huge heart! o((*^▽^*))o
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(End of this chapter)