“Alright, everyone, calm down. Have some tea.”

A pair of delicate hands picked up the small teapot, slowly brewing gongfu tea using the Lingnan method.

At one end of the small tea table sat the bear-like Levinov. At the other end sat several local Hankou tea merchants. With a young lady between them, they couldn’t come to blows, only engaging in visual combat that sparked international disputes with glances as sharp as swords.

No one knew what she was thinking. She’d said they should find a place to sit, passing grand restaurants without stopping, passing high-end “private rooms” without entering, but stopping at a simple roadside tea stall, paying one coin for a pot of hot water.

This tea stall was utterly ordinary—neither clean nor comfortable. A strange little flag hung on the wall, embroidered with two overlapping copper coins. They were money-crazy.

Boss Zhu couldn’t help feeling anxious: “Miss Lin, you said you’d already negotiated with this Li Coward…”

All being merchants engaged in foreign trade, they could speak some foreign languages and pronounce foreign names without their tongues getting tied. However, since this Levinov had made his name in Hankou, locals had tacitly dropped the “vi” from his name, turning “Levinov” into “Li Coward,” calling him quite affectionately.

Levinov, knowing the vast differences between Chinese and Russian languages, naturally took no offense and even nodded slightly.

Boss Zhu: “…So when are they moving out?”

Lin Yuchan carefully filtered the tea, seemingly waiting patiently for something. After a long while, without looking up, she answered: “They’re not moving. They’re willing to make compensation.”

The faces of several Hankou tea merchants all darkened.

A Miss Lin had fallen from the sky—her methods already suspect. They’d asked her to help and pass along messages because she could communicate smoothly with foreigners, treating her like a last resort. Who knew she’d immediately start chatting and laughing with the foreigners, spending ages in the tea factory. The tea merchants wondered if they’d encountered a swindler.

If they hadn’t personally witnessed her slapping the foreigner, they’d think she was a female traitor who’d surrendered to foreign devils.

Boss Zhu and his fellow merchants had already decided that if this Miss Lin couldn’t help, they’d turn their backs and leave, continuing to take up arms against him.

Seeing her slowly brewing tea, someone grew impatient, looking around, suddenly noticing the tea canister beside her—

“Hey, Miss Lin is quite wealthy! Boya—isn’t this the foreign tea specially supplied to customs? Bought in Shanghai! This canister must be expensive!”

Shanghai was the most open place in all of the Great Qing, where all trendy foreign goods originated. For inland merchants, anything from Shanghai—even a needle or piece of cloth—automatically carried labels of “fashionable” and “foreign.”

Customs foreigners were picky, refusing to buy local brick tea, insisting on having these fancy export teas shipped from Shanghai. Hankou tea merchants had heard somewhat of the “Boya” brand.

As for quality, ordinary people had never tried it. After all, tea had no unified appraisal standards—taste was subjective. As long as it wasn’t too crude, it could sell for a good price. But that packaging, portioning, and moisture-proofing—these surface touches were truly exquisite, immediately making Hankou’s tea bricks and cakes look “rustic” by comparison.

Now, the long-renowned “Boya” suddenly appeared on the tea table. The tea merchants temporarily forgot about Levinov. Someone picked up a teacup and tried a sip.

…It wasn’t exactly nectar and ambrosia. But in taste, there were subtle differences from Hankou’s teas specially supplied to Russia.

Boss Zhu smacked his lips, thinking: So this is the flavor the British love?

Lin Yuchan smiled: “Recently, we changed tea garden suppliers, but the processing method remains the same. This canister is slightly over-fired—it’s a trial product we filtered out, but I think it has a unique flavor. Please excuse the crude offering, bosses.”

Several light clanks—someone accidentally dropped their teacup back onto the table.

“Miss Lin, you… You mean… you’re Boya’s…”

Lin Yuchan poured the second round of tea, then distributed business cards.

“Please don’t be formal. I brought many samples on my boat. Meeting today is fate—I’ll have someone deliver them to your tea guild later. We should share resources.”

She’d learned from her lesson at Anqing’s Yixing Tea Warehouse. Showing off should be low-key and gradual—you couldn’t immediately overwhelm people with professional knowledge and small business owner status.

The title “Boya Trading Company General Manager”—if spoken an hour ago without proof, these tough tea merchant uncles would probably have treated her as a crazy fraud trying to stir up trouble.

But now, having personally witnessed her smooth dealings with Russian tea merchants and apparent market insights, plus her confident attitude, the local tea merchants could only gape slightly, exchanging complex glances, mentally reassembling their shattered worldviews.

Shanghai was indeed excessively “foreign”—such a large tea business backed by a weak woman…

Wasn’t it unlucky for women to do business?

In the past, in Hankou, there had been a few widowed ladies forced to show their faces and manage family businesses. But how could weak women struggle in the treacherous commercial seas? Within months, their fortunes would be ruined, their family businesses divided until not even bones remained.

This Miss Lin probably had backing, men behind her, mm.

But even so, pushing a young woman to the forefront was quite rare.

Their thoughts circling thus, they looked again at Lin Yuchan’s unhurried tea-brewing movements and put away their impatient expressions.

The Russians were tough nuts, hard to crack. Having a knowledgeable little boss from Shanghai help with advice was good.

Someone smiled ingratiatingly: “Miss Lin conducts herself so generously, truly like a man, superior to cloistered women.”

Praising a woman for being “close to a man” was, in Great Qing context, a very sincere compliment.

Lin Yuchan patiently brewed the third round of water. At this moment, the tea stall owner came over with a smile, saying quietly: “Miss, the person has been brought.”

The Hankou tea merchants and Levinov looked up together.

A feng shui master in Taoist robes paced slowly, holding a carved dragon compass, smiling as he clasped hands with everyone.

“Exorcising evil and removing curses, feng shui for wealth, resolving official troubles, naming and renaming, spirit mediums and divination, harmony rituals—greetings to all gentlemen! This poor priest saw purple qi soaring from here while still outside—someone at this table will surely get rich tomorrow! Congratulations in advance…”

Boss Zhu wondered: “Miss Lin, did you invite this person?”

Lin Yuchan nodded: “Whether foreign machines truly harm feng shui isn’t for us to say. Let’s hear what Master Long from ‘Hankou Liuren Fuying Hall’ thinks.”

Master Long didn’t treat himself as an outsider. He adjusted his state, his face taking on the hazy expression of someone who’d just smoked three taels of opium, swaying as he began his spiel.

“Well, now, this poor priest is unworthy, but I just went to look around the Shunfeng Brick Tea Factory. Western machines roaring like thunder represent lurking tigers and wolves. Plus black smoke and sewage leaking malevolent qi—indeed greatly harmful to local feng shui. However, there are methods of resolution…”

After a long stretch of nonsense, his final recommendation was for the foreign gentleman to move his machines to specific positions, have someone perform exorcism rituals, and then choose an auspicious day to set off firecrackers for reopening. Additionally, the tea factory needed to enshrine a shrine to Tea Saint Lu Yu like local tea warehouses, seeking the patriarch’s protection.

Lin Yuchan listened seriously, then smiled: “I’ve inquired—this Master Long is very effective, with an excellent local reputation. Mr. Levinov, since you’ve come to China, you should follow local customs and respect Chinese culture. These feng shui suggestions don’t cost much—you might consider adopting them.”

After hearing the translation, Levinov sneered twice and nodded agreement.

Feudal superstition—just going through the motions. He wasn’t a devout believer anyway. As long as it made these Chinese quiet down, he’d worship Satan if necessary.

But the group of Hankou tea merchants was somewhat dumbfounded.

This was Miss Lin’s “solution”?

They said machines harmed feng shui, so she went with the flow and found a feng shui master to “resolve” it?

This way, the Hankou tea merchants completely lost the moral high ground.

But how could Boss Zhu let it go at that? Wouldn’t this be too easy on that Li Coward?

“Miss Lin, can you guarantee that after his ‘resolution,’ Chinese tea merchants’ business will be as usual?”

“No,” Lin Yuchan gestured for the tea stall owner to escort Master Long away, “I told Mr. Levinov that as an outside monk, he needs to show sufficient sincerity to gain local acceptance. Restoring feng shui is only the first step.

“Second, Mr. Levinov applies to join the Hankou Tea Guild, paying annual membership fees proportional to tea production scale, funding various commercial networking activities. Hereafter, Shunfeng Brick Tea Factory’s output, pricing, and worker wages must all receive Tea Guild approval before implementation.

“Third, since Mr. Levinov has purchased the ten acres around Shunfeng Brick Tea Factory, he must be responsible for subsequent development—building roads and docks, supplying drinking water, installing kerosene street lamps, helping maintain security, so Chinese merchants and residents can live comfortably nearby. This also demonstrates Mr. Levinov’s social responsibility as an entrepreneur.

“Tea Guild bosses, if Mr. Levinov can accomplish these three points, I believe you’ll certainly welcome his permanent residence in Hankou—everyone making money together, right?”

Lin Yuchan finished speaking unhurriedly. Seeing everyone’s tea had cooled, she calmly poured it out and refilled with the fourth round of scalding tea.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Only Victor suffered as a translator. Her words like “entrepreneur” and “social responsibility” were extremely cutting-edge even in English—heaven knows what academic works she’d borrowed them from. Russian had no equivalent terms. He had to use French and Latin for emergency assistance, piecing together meanings with great effort.

The tea stall was semi-open-air, and cold wind was blowing through. Victor’s scholarly word-parsing worked up a sweat.

However, looking at the dumbfounded bear that was Levinov beside him, Victor felt intellectually superior, thinking himself remarkably cultured. Satisfied, he leaned back in his chair and picked up a cup of tea, gently sniffing.

Levinov was, after all, a shrewd businessman. Hearing fresh concepts didn’t intimidate him. He frowned and pondered briefly, then summarized Lin Yuchan’s meaning.

“Miss Lin, your suggestion is for me to use large amounts of silver to purchase local tea merchants’ support.”

Developing land, paying Tea Guild fees… all required substantial money. Not to mention, according to Miss Lin’s meaning, his future tea business couldn’t be decided alone—he’d need to coordinate with all Hankou Chinese tea merchants…

Too humiliating!

He’d come to China to make money freely, hoping to crush these rustic Chinese merchants underfoot, bankrupt them one by one, dominate Hankou himself, and become the Eastern Tea King.

Cooperation? Compromise? Never considered it.

“In Chinese parlance, this is called ‘paying respects at the dock.’ Newly arrived, even strong dragons can’t overpower local snakes. I believe Russian business has similar rules.” Lin Yuchan shrugged. “Your tea-making costs are considerably lower than others—you can naturally afford this money.”

Levinov: “I can naturally afford it, but…”

“Don’t forget, these tea merchants across from you wouldn’t hesitate to use force to drive you back home. If you want to stay in China long-term, I’m only suggesting a compromise. Currently, Hankou’s tea business pie is only so big—you want to take more than half immediately, which other merchants naturally won’t allow. But as Hankou opens as a treaty port, international trade demand will surge dramatically. The tea business pie will grow larger and larger. When everyone makes money together and you gradually expand the tea production scale, even if you still only get a small slice of the pie, then profits will be considerable.

“You certainly know these principles. But due to long-standing hostility between the Hankou Tea Guild and you, many unpleasant conflicts have occurred. You blame everything on Chinese ignorance and xenophobia, so you haven’t thought deeply. Everyone wants to make money—smashing someone’s rice bowl equals cutting off their livelihood. Whether in Russia or China, it’s the same.”

While translating, Victor couldn’t help saying: “Miss Lin, where did you hear this ‘cake theory’? It’s so apt—you’re making me hungry.”

Lin Yuchan ensured both sides understood her meaning before turning to Boss Zhu with a smile: “Will this work?”

Several Hankou tea merchants pondered silently.

The Hankou Tea Guild had formed only a year ago, all because after Hankou’s opening as a treaty port, foreign merchants and firms had overwhelmingly moved in, forcing everyone to band together to protect their interests. Even if they drove away one Russian merchant today, there would be second and third ones later…

If this Levinov could help improve the business environment while establishing his factory in Hankou, sharing some profits with local merchants…

It seemed acceptable.

After all, local merchants had local advantages. For instance, more diverse and cheaper raw tea purchasing channels; lower employment costs; rich experience in tea appraisal and preservation; plus the ability to band together for mutual assistance.

If foreigners were willing to compete on the same starting line rather than swinging a butcher’s knife overhead, everyone would be happy to compete with foreigners.

Without Li Coward, when Zhang Coward and Wang Coward came later, there wouldn’t be Shanghai Boya’s female boss to mediate for them.

But Boss Zhu still showed no emotion, saying blandly: “We need to discuss this back at the Tea Guild.”

Levinov was also very reluctant: “Miss Lin, you’re not just asking me to bow to Chinese people—you’re asking me to kneel to them!”

Lin Yuchan smiled slightly: “Details can be negotiated further. Look, they’re about to return to the Tea Guild—you and Victor should follow. No one will chase you away. This young lady must excuse herself—I’m going to spend a pleasant hour with your steam engines.”

She stood up, collecting the Boya iron tea canister.

Boss Zhu and the others watched her walk several steps, then suddenly stood up, clasping their hands toward her.

“Much gratitude, Miss! You must visit our Tea Guild another day—we’ll host you properly!”

“You’re too kind.” Lin Yuchan, leveraging her identity as a “fashionable Shanghai tea boss,” offered friendly advice: “Actually, you could also try machine tea-making. Just pay attention to feng shui—oh no, controlling noise and pollution. Output could increase considerably—you’d compete with foreign merchants!”

Master Long from ‘Hankou Liuren Fuying Hall’ held his compass, waiting boredly at the entrance, chanting to passersby as advertising.

“Exorcising evil and removing curses, feng shui for wealth, resolving official troubles, spirit mediums and divination…”

“Much obliged.” Lin Yuchan interrupted, smiling as she handed over a silver dollar.

“Oh my, I wouldn’t dare.” Master Long quickly declined, dropping his mystical tone for a street-smart manner, saying quietly: “Miss is also a society sister—helping out is proper and appropriate. How could I take money? Besides, when that foreigner comes for feng shui changes later, I’ll fleece him good. By guild rules, I should give Miss a commission.”

Lin Yuchan still insisted on pressing the silver dollar into his hand.

“Please help me run an errand—go to the Yixing steamship to find Boss Su and pass along a message…”

If Levinov negotiated successfully and the Hankou Tea Guild and Shunfeng Brick Tea Factory could shift from opposition to cooperation, Hankou region’s anti-foreign sentiment should diminish considerably.

Probably, the exaggerated martial law wouldn’t be needed anymore?

But the Great Qing bureaucratic efficiency was low. When exactly this martial law order might be lifted, Lin Yuchan had no certainty.

She’d first report the phased results to Su Minguan so he wouldn’t worry.

“Shunfeng Brick Tea Factory” had returned to calm. Those “involuntarily idle” Chinese workers, probably feeling guilty from too much leisure, were taking brooms and buckets to quietly clean up the rotten fish and shrimp at the brick wall’s base.

Lin Yuchan went straight in, heading directly for Levinov’s steam tea-pressing machine.

She pulled out paper and pen from her bag, planning to steal techniques thoroughly.

Designed by engineers from St. Petersburg Imperial University!

This specification of the machine is probably numbered in single digits throughout China.

She originally had little engineering foundation. But nineteenth-century mechanical technology was still in early development. Lin Yuchan had sailed with Luna for many days, studied operation manuals, received personal instruction from the Xu father-son duo, and personally crawled through steam pipes—she could barely be considered self-taught, a half-bottle of vinegar.

She could see that this steam engine for pressing tea bricks was converted from metal-forging machinery, extremely heavy and bulky. But she could extrapolate—similar principles, with slight modifications, could also knead and fry tea, even roll cotton…

But tea kneading and frying processes were much more complex than pressing tea bricks… perhaps it should be like future popcorn machines, dough kneaders, or automatic woks… a double-action piston would suffice… Levinov’s Lancashire boiler was too cumbersome, but maybe it could drive several machines together… in sequence…

For an instant, she seemed to see a row of sleek, compact machines worthy of major e-commerce opening advertisements, but without electrical wires and power sources behind them, using steam power instead… operating smoothly and regularly…

Bingo! Swifly!

The pencil tip had just touched paper when suddenly—

“Ah! Miss Lin, you’re still here! Are you waiting for me? Mr. Levinov sent me back first to thank you properly…”

Pop! The mechanical model in her mind shattered. Victor approached with a beaming face, arms spread wide.

Lin Yuchan’s teeth ground audibly—she wanted to poke a hole in his skull with the pencil.

“Stay away from me!”

Victor looked aggrieved, muttering: “I didn’t provoke you again, did I?…”

Lin Yuchan took a deep breath, slowly adjusting her emotions.

Fleeting inspiration might not be that accurate anyway. If Victor’s single sentence could interrupt it, her thinking wasn’t very mature yet.

There would be plenty of time to ponder later.

She put away the pencil, hiding the notebook back in her bag.

In public, Victor could only smile awkwardly.

“That, Miss Lin… for the sake of these machines, you won’t tell Mr. Hede about my investing in a tea factory in Hankou, right?”

Victor regretted deeply. He considered himself highly experienced in interpersonal relations. He’d charmed so many girls in China—some became shy upon seeing him, blushed, feared him, or showed mild anger… anyway, they all made him very relaxed and confident.

How was it that this Miss Lin, every time he boldly provoked her, left some leverage in her hands? Just a background-less foreign little cutie, yet like a tempting rusalka, making him regret not bringing his brain when dealing with her.

For instance, today, if she were in a bad mood and tattled to Hede…

The Great Qing’s customs salaries were the world’s highest. Where would he find a second such lucrative position?

So Victor could only humble himself, bowing ingratiatingly toward her, insisting on hearing her promise “no.”

Lin Yuchan naturally wouldn’t let him succeed so easily. She thought, then asked quietly: “Can you estimate… well, how many days will Mr. Hede probably work at Jianghan Customs? When might he leave earliest?”

To lift martial law, the best approach was to remove the source—get Hede to leave Hankou quickly for the most reliable operation.

Hede wouldn’t give her a straight answer, but Victor was a customs commercial assistant—he should have some idea?

Victor’s eyes rolled twice, showing slight delight as he smiled: “How did you offend Mr. Hede?”

“Nothing much.” Lin Yuchan lowered her eyes, showing slight cunning, giving Victor a nonexistent leverage: “My shop wants some tax avoidance operations—can’t do it against official policy.”

Victor’s eyebrows rose in joy.

“There’s a small reception in the concession tonight,” he smiled. “Would Miss Lin accept my invitation to dance? Then I’ll tell you Mr. Hede’s work schedule in complete detail.”

Lin Yuchan looked up with a slight, cold smile.

Only Victor Levin could propose such an exchange.

Victor smiled cheerfully: “Just drinking and dancing. Don’t worry—being slapped by a pretty girl at a ball would be very embarrassing for me. Hey, your boyfriend wouldn’t control even this, would he?”