He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

Hello, Daoist Master

Hello, Commander Le

Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!

Lou Zhenhua bowed and scraped as he offered cigarettes to Le You and the Taoist priest.

Le You got out of the car and saw the courtyard filled with flowers and the red carpet in the lobby. She glanced at Lou Zhenhua and said:

"Mr. Lou, you need to bring over the guards at the factory gate for protection. This place is half the size of my mansion, and it's so luxurious inside."

Lou Zhenhua, a man who could build a foundation in chaotic times, was also ruthless and quick-witted. His eyes lit up, and he immediately understood the reason, hurriedly saying:

"Commander Yue, you have graced my humble abode with your presence today. Even the dilapidated walls and ruins must be concealed. I have been preparing to disband them these past few days. Under your wise and mighty rule, the security in Beijing is excellent."

Le You glanced at her master, who was holding a little girl, and at Tan Yali, who was laughing incessantly beside him, and said to Lou Zhenhua:

"It's not good for you to disband. How about this, I'm planning to cooperate with your steel mill. For security, I can send troops to guard it for you free of charge. Of course, other factories are also welcome. You can talk to them, after all, you are also the president of the Beijing Chamber of Commerce. This is a way to maintain military-business relations."

Lou Zhenhua took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He then hurriedly followed Le You into the courtyard.

The group followed and arrived at the restaurant.

As their master took his seat in the main position, Le You sat in the first seat on the left, and Lou Zhenhua sat on the right.

Tan Yali, Jing Xian, and others sat at a table to the side.

As soon as the order to serve was announced, several servants came out of the kitchen carrying white plates with gold trim.

To be honest, this is the first time I've seen these dishes in all my years of life.

Of course, I've eaten some abalone and fish before, but I've never even seen those main dishes before, let alone eaten them.

At this moment, two chefs came out and introduced the names of the dishes:

"Premium Bird's Nest"

Ginseng and Deer Antler Soup

"Mandarin Duck Bear Paws"

"Hibiscus Shark Fin"

……

Braised bear paw

Braised Shark Fin

"Three-Silk Camel Hump"

"Stewed Hare Meat"

……

Le You was also dazzled by the sights, and Lou Zhenhua stood up and said:

"Commander Le, let me introduce you,"

"This is Master Peng, an apprentice of the Tan Family Cuisine. The head of the family passed away a few years ago, and now the tradition is being carried on by his fellow apprentices. My wife happens to be a member of the Tan family."

"This is a master chef from Northeast China. He is a disciple of Master Pu, the former head chef of Marshal Zhang's mansion in the east, and is also a very skilled chef."

"I've also made reservations at Duan Family Cuisine, Ren Family Cuisine, and Wang Family Cuisine. I hope Commander Yue will grace us with his presence and allow us to try them next time."

Upon hearing this, Le You couldn't help but applaud Lou Zhenhua.

As expected of Lou Bancheng, he can even present renowned cuisines from within the military, banking, and finance circles. I really underestimated him.

Seeing his master nod slightly, Leyou smiled and said to Lou Zhenhua:

"Then I'll trouble you. I've eaten at Duan Family Cuisine before and always wanted to come back. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to try Tan Family Cuisine and Northeastern cuisine today."

Tan Yali quickly got up, took the liquor from the servant, went to her master's side to pour him a drink, then poured one for Le You, and finally for Lou Zhenhua.

……

After the meal, guided by Lou Zhenhua, Leyou went to the study on the second floor and plopped down in the main seat, while Zhenhua sat in the guest seat.

As for Yali and the others, they chatted and ate fruit downstairs.

At her mother's prompting, Lou Xiao'e clung to her master and refused to leave. Finally, under her master's persuasion, she began to play and joke with Nianmin.

Seeing the lively scene, the master stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

Upstairs in the study

Lou Zhenhua took out a lighter and lit a cigarette for Le You, then lit one for himself and sat there without doing anything else.

Leyou squinted and exhaled a puff of smoke, saying:

"Alright, since your wife and my master have a connection here, we're practically family, so I won't beat around the bush with you."

"First, I will send troops to garrison all the factories in Beijing to ensure the safety of your property. All your private soldiers will be withdrawn. You are the chairman."

"Secondly, I want to set up an engineering factory in the city, and at least half of your steel mill's output must be given to me."

"Third, oppression and exploitation of factory workers are prohibited."

Lou Zhenhua hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement:

"Sir, don't worry, I have many yards next to the factory. I'll rent them out cheaply to the apprentices there."

However, there is one courtyard where four families have property deeds.

Lou Zhenhua paused, glanced at Le You, and said:

"Two of the families are related. I heard that their two sons are high-ranking military officers, one is a servant in my household, and the other is a cook. My wife arranged these jobs for them."

Leyou was also wondering why he was saying all this. Speaking of which, he had to thank his two older brothers, Jia Gui and Fatty Bai.

It turns out that after the two became police chiefs, they patrolled every day with a large group of patrolmen.

One day, I arrived at Yan Bugui's shop and found that the owner had changed. I inquired and learned that Old Yan had sold over 60 small yellow croakers. I was furious and searched everywhere for him but couldn't find him.

I only borrowed some money because I considered you a brother, but I never expected you to treat me like a plague.

Of course, Jia Gui, who valued loyalty above all else, wouldn't let it go. He couldn't forget the wealth and status he'd gained. He was fortunate to have received a few yellow croakers from Yan Bugui to pay for the food and to smooth things over; otherwise, where would he have become known as Master Jia or Master Bai?

So they surveyed every alley, searching for Yan Bugui, especially private houses with deeds.

As a result, everyone knew exactly how many houses each family owned. That very night, Jia Gui took a widow and moved into some of the previously unclaimed courtyards. The others were distributed among the well-behaved patrolmen, and Jia Gui made his own deeds for each property.

So, Lou Zhenhua said he would rent it out to apprentices because he was afraid that if an investigation came later, he would be like a scholar encountering a soldier, unable to explain himself.

Especially someone like Jia Gui, who knows how to operate indirectly, you can't even figure out what he's up to.

Leyou nodded and said with a smile:

"I trust you to handle things. We'll also be setting up a public opinion committee during this period, and hopefully your factory won't be involved."

"Alright, it's getting late, we should head back."

Lou Zhenhua also hurriedly stood up and said:

"Commander Yue, you've worked hard. I wonder if you'll have time for the Duan family meal the day after tomorrow?"

Leyou also laughed and said:

"We're all on the same side, so don't call me 'sir,' just call me Weiguo. After all, I'm just a junior."

Lou Zhenhua also bowed and said:

"No, no, I wouldn't dare. Then I'll drag you along and call you Weiguo."

"Weiguo, if you ever need my help in the future, just give me a call, and I'll definitely get it done for you."

Leyou patted him on the shoulder and then walked downstairs.

……

On the way back, Nianmin kept insisting that he wanted to play with Lou Xiao'e again.

Huang Ying also laughed:

"Nianmin, why don't you marry Xiao'e as your wife in the future? You'll have something to do every day."

Mulan then whispered from the side:

"The daughter of a merchant, and not even born to his legal wife."

……