Chapter 897: Selling the Tea Garden

Following He Yuzhu's instructions, Lin Wanning added one more step to the formula—mixing tea essential oil into the reagent.

He Yuzhu had checked with the system beforehand, and since the system said the tea components would not affect the medicinal efficacy, he dared to make the final decision.

After half a month of probing and temptation, the commercial spy Ceng Nianci finally took down A Long, the deputy director of the formula workshop.

After getting off work, A Long agreed to go to a hotel room with her. This woman was a washed-up singer from Taiwan; she had sung in her early years, but as for her representative works... who knows?

But she was indeed beautiful. With an oval face and delicate features, the key was her hot figure—curvaceous and busty—standing there, anyone would be unable to help but take a few extra looks.

In the hotel, after a bout of intimacy, A Long was finally about to speak.

He lay on the bed panting heavily, his expression pained.

"Nianci, it's not that I won't tell you the formula. It's just that my godmother has been researching this reagent for nearly thirty years; it hasn't been easy. I really can't betray her; she's the one who raised me!"

"You bastard!" Ceng Nianci sat up abruptly. "You've had your way with me, and now you want to go back on your word? Do you believe I'll leak this to the newspapers and ruin you completely?"

A Long hurriedly hugged her. "Don't be anxious, it's not that I won't tell you. It's just that my godmother uses so many herbs that I can't remember every single one. What should I do?"

"Then think carefully!" Ceng Nianci kissed him hard a few times, her voice softening. "I've worked so hard... tell me everything you know, otherwise I can't finish my job. The high-interest loans my dad owes—if I don't pay them off for him, my whole family is finished. Help me..." She put on a pitiful look.

A Long slapped himself hard a few times, as if struggling for the last time.

He lit a cigarette, smoked for a long time, and then slowly began: "My godmother has been making this medicine for over thirty years and has never been satisfied with the efficacy. Everyone in our hospital knows this; if you don't believe me, go ask..."

Ceng Nianci nodded. "I know, I heard this medicine is only truly going on the market starting last year."

A Long's eyes lit up, and like he was presenting a treasure, he lowered his voice: "The core formula is known only to my godmother; even He Yaozu doesn't know it."

"Does this woman not even tell her own son?" Ceng Nianci asked curiously.

A Long shook his head. "It's not that she doesn't want to tell him, it's that she doesn't want her son to take risks. A year ago, my godmother wanted to take the approval documents to list it in Europe and America, but not only did she fail to get them, she was rebuffed. And then she was targeted by commercial spies like you."

"Hurry up and speak, why are you so dawdling?" Ceng Nianci grew impatient.

"Last year, my godmother suddenly had a flash of inspiration and added a special old tea component. The tea trees are several hundred years old, heard they are from the Song Dynasty... and it actually made the medicine work. Besides me, only a few core figures know about this. If it weren't for you being so good to me, I wouldn't betray my godmother. She raised me; without her, I would have died long ago."

After hearing this, Ceng Nianci's mouth curved slightly, and she said unhurriedly: "A Long, you telling me the formula isn't harming her, it's saving her. The big boss behind me is a world-renowned pharmaceutical company with hundreds of spies under them. Those people aren't as gentle as I am; they are cold-blooded killers. If they can't get the formula, your godmother and godbrother might be kidnapped one day. Rather than that, you might as well honestly give the medicine to me—no, not to me, but to Q Gongsi."

A Long's face turned pale and then green as he listened.

He pulled out another cigarette, took a few deep drags, and muttered: "Nianci, I'm telling you, you have to marry me. If you go back on your word, I'll tell my godmother about this."

Ceng Nianci was so angry she kicked him and laughed, scolding: "Good-for-nothing!"

After kicking him, she couldn't help but laugh herself, shook her head, and sighed while looking at him: "You're a good person, just too honest and easy to be deceived. Be careful in the future, don't believe everything everyone says."

She paused, suddenly remembering something: "By the way, where is that tea garden?"

A Long shook his head violently: "This... this I really can't say."

Ceng Nianci didn't press him, nimbly put on her clothes, and smoothed her hair: "Alright, I know. You have feelings for your godmother; we'll talk about the specifics another day. I have things to do today, I'm leaving first."

A Long grabbed her hand reluctantly: "Don't go back on what you promised me!"

"I won't, I won't, you wait for me!" Ceng Nianci left without looking back.

He Yuzhu hurried and arrived in Hangzhou three days later.

The person he wanted to find was named Shen Yan.

Ever since handing over Liushi Trading Company to He Mu, Shen Yan had retired and lived in seclusion in Hangzhou.

Not many years after the Reform and Opening-up, Liushi Trading bought the fifty-year operating rights to a tea mountain beside Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou—their company had been collecting that tea for years anyway.

Shen Yan believed in Buddhism, so he simply managed the tea garden while going to Lingyin Temple to eat vegetarian food and chant sutras.

The old man was nearly seventy, but his body was very sturdy, and his spirit was better than many young people.

Hearing that He Yuzhu had arrived, Shen Yan invited him directly into the vegetarian hall of Lingyin Temple.

The two sat face to face, each ordering a bowl of Arhat vegetarian noodles.

The noodles were served, steaming hot, with mushrooms, wood ear, bamboo shoots, greens, and vegetarian ham piled in the bowl, looking appetizing.

Shen Yan looked up at He Yuzhu and smiled: "Zhuzi, we haven't seen each other in five years, and you haven't changed a bit."

He Yuzhu also smiled: "Brother, aren't you the same? It seems this place has spiritual energy and is good for the health."

Shen Yan picked up his bowl, took a sip of soup, put down his chopsticks, and said slowly: "You must have something big to come here. Tell me—are you eyeing my five hundred acres of tea mountain?"

He Yuzhu chuckled and didn't beat around the bush: "Brother, if a pharmaceutical company offered one hundred million US dollars to buy the operating rights to our five hundred acres of tea garden, would you sell it?"

Shen Yan shook his head, his expression calm: "In my heart, this place is too good; I wouldn't sell it for any amount of money."

He paused and looked at He Yuzhu. "You aren't someone who lacks money. If you're bringing this up, there must be something going on. You make the call on the tea mountain; if you want to sell it, then sell it. Once it's sold, I'll be completely relaxed and can stay at Lingyin Temple every day, which wouldn't be bad."

He looked down at the bowl of Arhat vegetarian noodles in front of him and suddenly felt emotional: "Come to think of it, I like staying here, but it's not entirely because of this tea mountain. It's because of Lingyin Temple, or perhaps because of these noodles."

He Yuzhu followed his gaze to the bowl of noodles and curled his lip: "As for these noodles of yours, I could definitely make them taste better. In my opinion, you're just here for the peace and quiet. This place really has some magic; I want to stay too, but it's not because the place is good, it's because I'm lazy and don't want to manage things anymore. I don't have your state of mind; I've created too much trouble and always have to patch things up."

Shen Yan smiled and shook his head: "You are a person who does big things. Unlike me, if there's no one behind me with a whip driving me, I don't want to move forward. We people of the Shen Family really don't have that drive you He Family people have."