The key was indeed personally handed to Lin Yuchan by Wang Quan.

This was Shopkeeper Wang’s trap strategy – he didn’t dare directly offend the foreigners, so he planned to devise an empty fort stratagem, letting Su Minguan enter the tea-roasting workshop to look around to his heart’s content. Of course, the clues left there, such as tea weight, heat levels, temperature standards, roasting time records, and so forth, would all be specially prepared false versions.

Let the foreigners take a fake scripture. When they traveled thousands of li to deliver the “secret recipe” to India and earnestly put it into practice, only to fail at producing decent tea, they could only suffer in silence and wouldn’t blame Defeng Trading House.

This was Shopkeeper Wang’s wishful thinking.

It would maintain harmony with the foreigners while secretly undermining them – simply perfect.

When Lin Yuchan received that key, she also felt it was too hot to handle. But Wang Quan fully trusted her capabilities, and she didn’t dare refuse.

After all, her indenture contract was in his hands.

She thought her acting was quite good. She had been chatting and laughing with Young Master Su all along.

But just one second after revealing the “brilliant plan,” Su Minguan saw right through it!

Lin Yuchan: Suddenly embarrassed.

She forced a smile: “No, you’re overthinking…”

Su Minguan sighed lightly and said gloomily, “It seems even a lifesaver is just so-so. A’Mei, I don’t ask you to repay anything, but if you repay kindness with enmity, my heart feels so cold…”

“But if that’s really what you think of me, there’s nothing I can do about it.” Lin Yuchan calmly finished the second half of her sentence.

Su Minguan’s rambling came to an abrupt halt. A flash of sharpness flickered in his eyes, immediately covered by his eyelashes.

“You mean…”

This body was only fifteen years old after all. Lin Yuchan fully utilized the shameless advantages of a little brat, smiling sweetly: “So, I’ve said everything I was supposed to say. I’m just a messenger. Whether you believe it or not, you know in your heart.”

After speaking, she pulled out a paper package from her sleeve containing a lead bullet with a screw hole and tossed it to Young Master Su: “Here, take it and play.”

This was using his methods against him – learned from the master himself.

Su Minguan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Why do you undermine your employer like this?”

When had she learned to act mysteriously, too?

If the trap strategy was real, then her subsequent hints were already quite obvious: this is a setup, don’t believe it.

If this wasn’t Wang Quan’s instruction and she had come on her own to inform him of the tea workshop’s schedule, then she was directly sabotaging the tea house.

Either way, she was taking risks.

Su Minguan quickly sorted through this logic and could only reluctantly accept her goodwill.

“I understand. Is there anything else?”

Lin Yuchan pretended to be profound and said nothing, beginning to eat the snacks with relish.

Shrimp dumplings! Her first time eating shrimp dumplings since arriving in this world – no additives, purely handmade, and on the company’s dime. Though Su Minguan was a client, she didn’t mind snatching a couple more from under his chopsticks.

Anyway, she had already conveyed Wang Quan’s message word for word. To crush the foreign merchants’ conspiracy to steal secrets, she had done her part.

However, if Young Master Su didn’t take the bait, it could only be blamed on his cunning shrewdness, not on her.

She was keeping both sides happy.

The more she thought about it, the more pleased she became, smiling: “Nothing else-oh, don’t waste these snacks. Eat them before leaving. If you don’t eat them, I’ll pack them up.”

Su Minguan smiled: “Who said I wasn’t going to eat? Glutton.”

He looked left and right, picked a good-looking char siu bao, flicked his braid over his shoulder, and was about to eat. His hair ends swept in the wind, brushing Lin Yuchan’s cheek before falling behind the chair.

Lin Yuchan suddenly felt moved.

It seemed there was no strange odor at all…

This was unusual in the Great Qing.

Even if he had lived a few years of pampered wealthy young master life, he was currently just a commoner and wouldn’t have the leisure to unbraided his hair every day to wash it fragrant, then spend an hour or so drying it.

Could there be some secret? If so, it could sell for big money!

Young Master Su was reserved by nature – if you asked him three questions, he’d answer one, and when answering, he’d still dig traps, quietly extracting three more sentences from you.

Therefore, Lin Yuchan didn’t plan to ask much. She hesitated for a moment, then had a bold idea.

She gently reached out and directly grabbed a thick black braid in her hand, examining it carefully…

“What are you doing! Let go!”

Su Minguan leaped up, snatched back the end of his braid, dodged three feet away, eyes flashing dangerously as he glared at her warily.

Lin Yuchan’s face instantly turned red, her heart pounding. She quickly lowered her hand and looked around nervously.

She had watched Qing dynasty time-travel dramas and read Qing dynasty novels, but had never seen a female protagonist reach out to play with a male character’s braid…

Too perverted.

However, since she currently had the appearance of a half-grown child, she might as well play the mischievous kid to the end.

“I saw your hair caught in the chair back gap and kindly helped you untangle it.” She pretended to be indignant, arguing: “Didn’t it hurt?”

Su Minguan was slightly stunned and shook his head: “No.”

He even bent down to look at the chair back, checking for a long time.

He glanced sideways at this half-grown girl. In the past few months, her features had matured, her eye sockets had deepened delicately. Beyond prettiness, she had gained more depth, making it hard to tell if she was pretending to be silly or genuinely mischievous.

“Then it’s fine.” Lin Yuchan ingratiatingly pointed at the char siu bao: “Eat.”

Su Minguan said coldly: “Pack it up.”

Lin Yuchan, feeling guilty, took the initiative to pay the bill.

Just as they stepped outside, they suddenly heard several banging sounds. A person flew out of the opium den next to the teahouse, rolled on the ground several times, and ended up right at her feet.

“Damn it, want to smoke without money?” The opium den workers rushed out, cursing: “This isn’t charity! Go home and get money!”

The opium den was thriving, with people lying around in all directions amid the smoke. Probably accustomed to such scenes, no one made a fuss and continued puffing away.

The person who’d been thrown out was emaciated and crawled back to the door, pleading with a hoarse voice: “Sir, please have mercy. I won’t take up your space. I can serve tea and water for you…”

“Who wants you to serve tea and water?” The workers sneered: “Don’t we get wages?”

Opium addiction came in degrees. Old-style opium mixed with tobacco smoked slowly still allowed some self-control, but in recent years, new high-purity opium had arrived from overseas. When smoked through water pipes, it caused extremely rapid addiction that was difficult to quit.

The workers whispered to each other: “This man is addicted to pure opium – beyond saving. Give him a beating so he won’t dare come back and pester us.”

Lin Yuchan looked closely at the person on the ground and couldn’t help letting out a low “ah.”

Enemies truly cross paths – it was Lin Guangfu.

In just two months, all the money from selling his daughter had been spent.

Lin Guangfu had sharp hearing. Suddenly hearing that “ah,” he looked up excitedly.

“Ba Mei! Ba Mei!” He dragged his skeletal body toward her: “Ba Mei, you have money now? Haha, give it to me quickly. Your father is dying…”

Lin Guangfu was in the throes of opium withdrawal, his whole body weak and powerless, but he knew to spread his limbs like a spider to grab her feet.

Lin Yuchan was startled and tried to back away, but was blocked by the teahouse seating and stumbled. Then someone grabbed her arm and lifted her forcefully.

Su Minguan came to her aid, magnanimously pushing her behind himself despite their recent friction.

“Who dares act wildly here?” He said with a stern face, “Where are the teahouse workers? Are you all dead? Drag him out!”

The teahouse workers belatedly rushed over. Lin Guangfu spread his arms wide, screaming hoarsely.

“This is my daughter! This is my daughter! She’s unfilial – don’t any of you interfere. This is a family business…”

The workers hesitated and looked at each other, stopping in their tracks.

Family business – if they rashly interfered, wouldn’t they be asking for trouble?

Su Minguan had only seen Lin Guangfu’s back once. He looked back at Lin Yuchan.

Lin Yuchan nodded and said quietly: “He’s my biological father… but he already sold me. It has nothing to do with me.”

That was only legally speaking. Current prevailing ethics consider children to be their parents’ private property. If parents committed crimes, children taking the blame was considered virtuous; if parents killed their children, that was punishment for unfilial behavior and would usually result in immediate acquittal; even if parents sold their children to other families, “blood is thicker than water” – one still had to show filial piety and provide support.

Of course, there was one exception. Married daughters were like spilled water and could avoid supporting their parents. But Lin Yuchan didn’t fall into this category.

Lin Guangfu felt deeply wronged, crying and wailing, weakly moaning: “What a heartless girl! If the family wasn’t desperate, who would bear to separate flesh and blood? Ba Mei, your father thinks of you every day. You’ve found good people to rely on, haven’t you? Father doesn’t ask you to repay any nurturing kindness – just give father a bite to eat…”

Teahouse patrons gathered to watch upon hearing the commotion, crowds surging at the entrance, with people running down from the second floor. The stairs immediately groaned ominously under the weight.

The masses had sharp eyes and could easily see the coldness and disgust in Lin Yuchan’s eyes.

Everyone whispered: “A young girl dressed as a man, showing her face in public, eating at a teahouse while her father goes hungry. How tragic! This girl will surely be struck by lightning!”

Everyone felt sympathy. Especially the older people, thinking that if their children and grandchildren followed this girl’s example in the future, driving them out and humiliating them in every way, leaving them with no one to care for them in old age – such a miserable fate! They couldn’t help but feel righteous indignation, determined to severely punish this unfilial daughter today to help correct social morals.

“Tie this girl up and take her to the magistrate! Since she’s not afraid of losing face anyway! Since ancient times, it’s been ‘raise sons to prevent old age.’ Your father – even if you don’t serve him soup and medicine at his bedside, how can you ignore him completely? Better to give birth to char siu than such children!”

Lin Yuchan was also secretly alarmed. In this era, once the label of “unfilial and rebellious” was applied, it was indeed a capital offense. The onlookers looked at her like an enemy, as if they could kick her down and trample her with ten thousand feet at any moment.

She couldn’t oppose all of society. Suppressing her anger, she reluctantly looked at Lin Guangfu and held out the paper bag in her hand.

“Since you’re hungry, I have some snacks here. Please… eat as you like.”

As she spoke, she quietly tugged Su Minguan’s sleeve, signaling they should quickly escape.

But Lin Guangfu wouldn’t take them, stubbornly saying: “Father has no appetite for food now. Father sees you have money in your pocket – give it here!”

Lin Yuchan pulled her hand back, shouting: “It’s not my money!”

It was “activity funds” Wang Quan had given her – any unused portion had to be returned!

Lin Guangfu grabbed her persistently: “Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me…”

She appealed to the watching crowd: “If I give him money, he’ll just smoke opium!”

But the crowd was already boiling over, angrily shouting:

“So what if your father smokes a bit? Aren’t you feasting in teahouses?”

“What’s a little girl doing carrying so much money? Give the money back to your father! Look how much he’s suffering!”

“Give him your money!”

The opium den workers naturally knew this man had become like this from smoking opium, but why should they stand up for Lin Yuchan? If Lin Guangfu got money, they’d be waiting to invite him back to smoke and spend.

Seeing popular support, Lin Guangfu righteously extended his trembling hand, panting as he commanded: “Give… give it here!”

Among the tea patrons was an old man who probably thought that, being elderly, he wouldn’t arouse suspicion even if he grabbed and pulled at a girl. He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to uphold justice.

“Take out the money! Go home obediently! Kowtow to your father and apologize!”

Lin Yuchan turned to leave. The old man grabbed her and pulled her back.

“Kowtow! Kowtow!”

Spittle flew at her feet, dirt-embedded fingernails jabbed wildly before her eyes. Lin Yuchan felt hot blood rush to her head. For a moment, she wanted to curse, “mind your own business,” but then her mind went completely blank – she couldn’t remember a single curse word, only the instinct to dodge backward.

The old man raised his hand to hit her, his face glowing with the enthusiasm of carrying out heaven’s will.

Just then, a hand pushed the old man, staggering. Su Minguan blocked Lin Yuchan’s front, suppressing his temper: “Don’t you all have proper business to attend to? I still have business to discuss with this girl. If the deal falls through, will you compensate?”

The old man was stunned, then furious: “I’m helping teach an unfilial daughter a lesson – what are you interfering for, young man! Money, money, money – all you know is money!”

Others said: “What girl would discuss business with people? Young man, get out of the way!”

Seeing Su Minguan was alone, powerless, and empty-handed, they thought viciously: The social order is corrupted by people like you! We’ll teach you a lesson, too!

The crowd behind was also furious, demanding: “What are you to this girl? Move aside! We’re reporting to the authorities! We’ll arrest you too!”

Several angry fists swung over. Relying on their numbers, they pounded at him like raindrops.

Su Minguan was about to say something when Lin Yuchan grabbed him and ran: “Are you Ip Man?!”

There were no guns here for him to threaten people with!

Su Minguan didn’t leave. With the mob three feet away, he quickly scanned the area and casually grabbed a copper kettle from the counter, giving it a light swing. With a splash, steam billowed forth.

It was the teahouse’s water kettle, filled with boiling water for making tea and scalding utensils. The spreading steam covered faces, and the restless crowd immediately panicked.

A few drops of boiling water splashed on the old man’s ankle. He howled and hopped around holding his leg.

“Someone’s dying! Help! Call the authorities!”

The crowd pointed at him furiously: “You scoundrel! Put it down quickly!”

“The feeling is mutual. Welcome to report to authorities.” Su Minguan looked back and asked Lin Yuchan curiously: “A’Mei, who is Ip Man? You mention him often.”

Lin Yuchan: “…”

He didn’t forget to shake the kettle in his hand. People saw it like a weapon of mass destruction and hurriedly backed away, trampling each other in retreat. Someone fell on the stairs.

No one bothered with Lin Guangfu anymore. The “righteous crowd” came quickly and left just as fast – who would report to the authorities?

Su Minguan stared at Lin Guangfu. His face was expressionless, his eyes cold.

Lin Guangfu protected his head, muttering resentfully about “unfilial behavior.”

“Since she’s an unfilial daughter, why keep pestering her? Just pretend you never gave birth to her.” Su Minguan mocked: “Dare to harass her again, and your ancestors will be restless and you’ll die without an intact corpse. Say it.”

Cantonese people were still quite superstitious. Lin Guangfu didn’t dare make rash, poisonous oaths. He crawled on the ground, lips moving but making no sound.

“If you won’t say it, then you want a cold shower.”

The boiling kettle tilted toward him. Lin Guangfu’s face turned ashen, and he had no choice but to mumble through “die without an intact corpse” once before rolling and crawling away.

“Sorry about that.” Only then did Su Minguan put down the kettle, saying coldly to Lin Yuchan: “I hate those who sell their wives and daughters like objects.”

No matter what, he had publicly humiliated someone’s father and forcibly interfered in family affairs. He figured Lin Yuchan would have complaints.

Therefore, though he was reluctant to say much, he patiently explained to avoid his efforts being unappreciated.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yuchan wasn’t dejected at all. She forced a smile: “It was appropriate. I’ve learned too – next time I’ll also use a boiling kettle.”

He gave her a light glance: “Parroting others, no originality at all.”

At this moment, the floorboards creaked loudly. The teahouse workers belatedly realized what had happened and rushed over with great alarm, appeasing “the customers who were frightened” while quietly looking around for broken cups, plates, bowls, and dishes. Finally discovering not a penny’s worth of damage – only half a kettle of hot water spilled – they couldn’t very well ask the customer for compensation. They could only squat down together to clean up the water on the ground.

Su Minguan took advantage of the chaos to pull Lin Yuchan out of the teahouse. He didn’t stop walking: “I’ll take you back to Defeng.”