Chapter 11: It's Not About Money
Yagyū Simozi is skilled, beautiful, composed, and comes from a wealthy family. The money stored in the shogunate's vaults is enough to sustain two generations without worry. With such opulent circumstances, it's tempting to throw oneself at her feet and plead, "I have a bad stomach and can only eat soft foods."
In fact, Bai Wei is currently living off of Yagyū Simozi's wealth.
She is responsible for all household expenses.
When Bai Wei feels guilty, he thinks about helping with the housework, but Yagyū Simozi stops him and says, "The head of the household should not be preoccupied with these trivial matters."
Every time at this moment, Bai Wei would shake his head and say - "I am not surnamed Yagyū".
Every time at this moment, Yagyū Simozi's expression would become slightly gloomy.
Even siblings inevitably have differences, children will grow up and go out.
It is just that in the current situation, the one who will be kicked out instead will be Bai Wei himself.
Bai Wei can also understand his past thoughts. When he was the mentor, he had a group of young and inexperienced subordinates who were poorly trained. It must have been unpleasant for him to see the "cabbage" he had grown being "stolen" by an outsider.
So am I just a worthless cabbage?
After lunch, Yagyū Simozi, who was cleaning the dishes, suddenly stopped and turned off the tap.
"There's someone outside the door," she said.
Bai Wei looked over and gazed at the courtyard wall and main gate about 30 meters away.
Ding-dong… Three seconds later, the doorbell rang.
After wiping her hands clean, Yagyū Simozi said, "Brother, you sit, and I'll go open the door."
The doorbell rang several times, but not frequently.
Simozi held a kitchen knife and walked towards the front door. The knife, which was just used to slice the fish, had blood on it.
Outside the door, there were two individuals. One was a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes, wearing glasses and carrying a briefcase. The other was also wearing a suit, but his physique didn't match the suit. His muscles were bulging under his shirt.
The middle-aged man intended to speak, but seeing Simozi's hostile expression and the blood-stained kitchen knife in his hand, he backed away half a step as if he was going to faint.
"What's the matter?" Yagyū Simozi asked with a stoic expression.
"Good day to you… I represent Tianyu Construction Company…"
"Not interested!" Yagyū Simozi was about to shut the door, giving the person a cold shoulder.
The muscular man beside Yamada raised an eyebrow, about to say something.
"Simozi," Bai Wei sat on the eaves, basking in the sun with his palms open, "Why don't you invite our guest in?… A cup of tea, perhaps?"
Yagyū Simozi turned around. She had no intention of dealing with these people, but her brother's words made her choose compliance without hesitation, and she took a step back.
"Please come in."
Yamada wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and walked in with a nod and a bow.
He came to the reception room, knelt on the tatami, and exclaimed, "What a large house. Do only the two of you live here?"
With that, he handed over a business card and said, "Nice to meet you. I am Yamada, in charge of the company's property acquisition business."
Yagyū Simozi was about to make tea.
Bai Wei gestured not to bother, and took the initiative to do it himself.
The Japanese tea ceremony originated from Guangdong's Chaozhou in China and evolved from Gongfu tea. However, its form became more complex and it requires a specialized tea room for tea tasting. Its excessive emphasis on formality has lost the essence of Gongfu tea, which initially meant "to drink while it's hot" … Of course, drinking Gongfu tea at high temperatures may easily scald the esophagus, leading to a high incidence of esophageal cancer. It is wise to drink it in moderation.
Bai Wei used only the most basic tea brewing technique, yet even the simplest method has its nuances.
Wash hands, clean tea utensils, enter the palace, steep tea, clean cups, seal the teapot, pour the tea into cups, return the teapot, serve the tea.
There is no need to pursue every procedure to be done too precisely. Ultimately, the quality of tea depends on the tea leaves themselves.
The way of tea aims to refine one's own character, thus the procedures are primarily based on personal habits, with smoothness being of utmost importance. If one can prepare and enjoy the tea independently and become one with the process, then they can be considered to have entered the realm of tea.
Yagyū Simozi's eyes widened as she watched. She had never known her own older brother had this ability before, his skilled and smooth technique was already that of a tea connoisseur's, more natural than when she had learned tea ceremony for two or three years in her youth, as if he had been drinking tea for decades.
"Please use this." Bai Wei presented a tea that was twice as pale in color. "It is tea from the Ming Country, it doesn't turn green."
Yamada picked up the teacup, took a sip, and exhaled a puff of hot air. "It's good tea… just a bit hot."
"Impatience prevents one from drinking hot tea, which is an old maxim of the Ming Country," Bai Wei smiled and introduced herself, "I am a native of the Ming Country… but I believe you are already aware of that."
"Whether one is from the Ming Country or Yingzhou is irrelevant," Yamada politely smiled, "You are the young master of this establishment, and your word is law."
"To be more precise, I am the temporary guardian," Bai Wei corrected.
"Yes, indeed… the reason I came here was to discuss something. Such a vast estate, I wonder if Mr. Bai has any plans to sell it?" Yamada patted his chest and continued, "I assure you that the price will be more than sufficient."
Bai Wei smiled, lifted her tea cup, and blew a breath of white mist, "That is not an appropriate question to ask me."
"As the head of the household, is there anything inappropriate? Mr. Yamada had some male chauvinism and didn't care about Yagyū Simozi's opinions.
The vestiges, or rather, the bad habits of the Taisho era.
Bai Wei said in a charming voice, "The Yagyū family was also a famous swordsmanship school that held a school plaque in the past. More than half of this large mansion is for teaching apprentices."
"But that's all in the past."
"It is indeed the past, but my younger sister has exceptional talent and may have an opportunity to revive it." Bai Wei put down his teacup. "She is currently studying at the Eastern Branch of the Old Edo University, and her academic qualifications are sufficient."
Yamada shook his head and smiled, "Sir, your words are underestimating the mastery of kendo. There are only five kendo dojos in the old Edo, but each dojo has a large number of disciples. Their reputations have been established through the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament… I am not belittling Miss Yagyū, but she is too young and it is unlikely that she has obtained the license and certification from the main school."
"Indeed not."
"That's right… when the shogun issued the sword hunt edict, only a few recognized swordsmen who were authorized by the shogunate could carry real swords. The same applies to dojos. Without a certificate of recognition from the shogun, one cannot establish a dojo, otherwise it will be closed by the shogunate."
Yamada felt a little dry in his mouth and took a sip of tea before continuing, "To obtain a certificate of recognition and establish a dojo, one must participate in the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament. However, the tournament is very strict. Either one must be a recognized swordsman with real swords, or one must be recommended by a dojo. Miss Yagyū doesn't meet either of these conditions, right?"
"I remember there is still a qualifying tournament." Bai Wei glanced at Simozi, who was sitting upright and ignored them.
"No, no, no, the selection tournament is only for ordinary people to watch. Even if you get one of the top places, you still have to qualify for promotion. And who has the recommendation qualification? The judges have it! Who are the judges? They are those dojo or the world-renowned great swordsmen." Yamada said seriously, "Without the recommendation of these people, even if you are selected for the main competition, you will generally immediately forfeit. Do you know why? Because of real swords!"
"In the main match, they use real swords. Without experiencing the victory or defeat of a real sword fight, it is impossible to defeat those old monsters who have fought countless battles."
"Even if you are lucky enough to survive a few rounds, what happens next?"
"In order to obtain the plaque of the school and get recognized by the general, you have to take the top three positions!"
"Top three!"
Yamada's facial expressions and tone are both extremely exaggerated, affirming confidently.
"It's impossible. The top three positions have already been monopolized by the dojos and swordsmen, many of whom are graduates of those same dojos. You either join them or forget about getting a share of the spoils. That's why for over a decade, nobody has been able to attain the title of the school."
After a privileged class emerges, their first act, in addition to dividing up the profits, is to block others from advancing, and if they can't completely block them, they will bring them into their own camp.
The so-called quota for enrollment in the martial arts school is no exception.
"So?" Bai Wei looked at Yamada with sincere expression. "Do you mean we should give up?"
"Giving up is not shameful," said Yamada earnestly. "Examining one's limitations is even more important. Can you bear to see your own sister fighting for life and death in a blind and unpredictable sword fight? What if something unexpected happens…"
Bai Wei nodded. "What you said is not wrong, but this is our internal affair. What concern is it of yours?"
"Mr. Bai." Yamada straightened his body and said, "We, Tianyu Construction Company, really want this piece of land. In the future, we will build many high-rise buildings and even a new business center or department store here. Many parties are keeping an eye on it! It's too extravagant to have only two people living in such a large area in the land-starved Yingzhou! The Ming Country has a saying, 'an innocent commoner is guilty of possessing a jade', and what you have in your hands is like holding a shining pearl, which will surely be coveted by someone."
"Are you one of them?" Bai Wei smiled. This person was surprisingly honest.
"Yes, I am! But I am willing to buy it at a high price!" Yamada said seriously. "¥250 million! This is the number we obtained by using all the liquid assets of our marketing department. If you are satisfied, we can sign the contract today!" He opened his briefcase, and there was a huge sum of money written in the contract. "I am serious!"
In Yingzhou, where the economy is rapidly developing, 250 million is definitely not a small amount, it is already a generous offer.
However, it is still too little compared to the income that this piece of land can bring in. The appreciation time of property is still more than fifty years nowadays.
So this amount is too small; it is worth at least seven billion or more. Once sold, the investors won't even need five years to break even.
Bai Wei smiled and poured two cups of tea, "Money is not the problem here. This is my sister's home, and she is the one I care about the most."
He said casually, "It will cost extra! Let's start with one billion."
PS1: Volume 2 (Chapters 41-80) has been published on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3q3zawX).
PS2: The translation of Volume 3 will be finished after 10 days.
