Chapter 3: Hegemon

  The tea pavilion is located on the east street of the town, which is the most lively place in Yao Town. Yao Town is not big and belongs to Ping'an County, Ze Prefecture. The county seat is sixty miles away from the small town. Talking with Tea Doctor increased geographical knowledge. Yao Town is unknown, but Ze Prefecture is a famous city far and wide, with water and land transportation convenient, trade frequent, fertile fields and prosperous handicraft industry, giving Nan Yue Lan a guess similar to Hangzhou.

  She didn't dare to ask too many ignorant questions, but there was no other way to understand, because in a family that seemed to be from a scholarly background, not even one book could be found, and the town didn't have a bookstore, with money but nowhere to buy. She couldn't possibly ask loudly what year it was and who was the emperor, although she liked the period from Emperor Taizong of Tang to Wu Zetian the most, but after many days of observation, the opportunity seemed slim.

  The place is too small, most of the buildings are made of wood or earth, all are bungalows, no floors, no high platforms. The Mei residence is already considered very good, it's just a three-entry courtyard structure. It is said that the wealthy Wang family in the town owns a garden specially built by the county's master craftsmen, which is the favorite gathering place for local gentry landlords.

  Three months, not long or short, but she is like a frog in a well. She knows little about the family affairs, lives in a luxurious mansion, her father has never shown up, only her mother and she have lived together for over ten years.

  However, knowing that her mother was a concubine, she understood where such experiences came from. There must be a Nanyue family far away from the small town, and the mother and daughter were equivalent to being exiled. Her mother wrote a letter home every month, and she didn't know what it said, but she knew it was for her father's wife. The madam never replied, but her father had written one back. She knew this because that day her mother was in a particularly good mood, and she took the initiative to come to her courtyard to eat with her, beaming with joy as she talked about the possibility of returning home.

  She has already accepted the fact of crossing over and set out with the identity of Nan Yue Lansheng, feeling that after being kicked out by her family for so many years, if she continues to stay in Yao Town, it's actually not bad to mix and eat. Isn't this the farming life that everyone yearns for? Stable, free, rich. And finding a honest and kind man, spending days at home with trivial matters, is also considered a small achievement as a mistress.

  Speaking of men, Nan Yue Lan let out a sigh. As a modern university graduate who had just graduated and was only twenty years old, she had become an old maid, which was truly pitiful.

  "Hey, Little Overlord is here." Tea Doctor's hand trembled as he went to pick up the flag at Guan Ting Pavilion.

  Nan Yue Lan stepped forward and blocked the way, "Old man, today I've reserved this pavilion. If there's any damage, I'll compensate you for it."

  The Tea Master did not covet cheapness, and advised, "Miss, you didn't go out before, probably don't know the severity of this little overlord. This broken pavilion of mine doesn't have anything valuable, even if it's smashed, I'm not afraid, but Miss should be careful. That... that rascal is notorious for being reckless, once he takes a liking to someone, he won't give up. Two days ago didn't I remind Miss? Gambler Zeng Guang owed Little Overlord 50 taels of silver and promised to repay today. Where would he get the money to repay, even if it's just one coin, he'd gamble it away. So I expected today would definitely be a big disturbance, yet Miss still came."

  She just knew and came. Nan Yue Lan Sheng looked at the chaotic scene outside the pavilion not far away, but said, "I don't think I'm a beauty, old man is flattering."

  Miss Lan is a recent regular at the tea pavilion. At first, Mrs. Mei's settling of her house here caused quite a stir, but later rumors that this mother and daughter had fallen out of favor and been exiled led the townspeople to lose interest in them. However, unlike the frail and sickly young lady, Tea Master seems to enjoy chatting with Miss Lan. Seeing her persistence, he couldn't say much more, so he secretly made up his mind that if anything was amiss, he would go inform Mrs. Mei.

  Xiao Ba Wang, whose surname is Wang and given name is Lin, was indeed the only son of Wang Da Hu, a wealthy man who owned gardens.

  The garden is the only famous scenic spot in Yao Town, and the Wang family is also one of the top wealthy families in Yao Town. Yao Town belongs to Ping County, and the county officials regularly come to visit Wang Hu. Wang Hu himself has money but no power, but his maternal grandfather was a former head of a prominent family in the capital city, and the current head is Wang Hu's elder cousin. As they say, "having someone in the imperial court", and it's not just an ordinary person, so the attitude towards the Wang family is mostly two kinds: either flattering and currying favor, or not daring to offend them and keeping a low profile. Over time, the Wang family has become dominant, and this has inevitably led to the emergence of local tyrants.

  At this moment, let his own henchmen stir up trouble and bully people. The little overlord sat at the fruit stand opposite the Zeng family's house, picked up a basket of watermelon and started eating it. In movies and TV shows, the many faces of the overlord are despicable, but they forget that nobles love beautiful women, and generation after generation of genetic evolution has resulted in half being handsome and half being ugly.

  Wang Lin is a handsome guy. He's not tall, but his skin is fair and delicate, with a spirited appearance. Paired with fashionable clothes, he has the air of a spoiled rich kid. In modern times, he would definitely be a second-generation rich kid who could make many girls' hearts flutter.

  "Zeng Guang, come out! If you don't come out, we'll smash the door!" The men parted to either side, careful not to block their master's line of sight. The thugs shouted and brandished thick wolf-tooth clubs in their hands.

  This reminded Nan Yue Lan of baseball, which could be promoted as a town-wide sport in the future, to liven up the dull days.

  "You borrowed money without hesitation, now it's only right to pay back. You didn't hide when you were borrowing, why are you hiding like a turtle now!"

  "Don't worry, we want money, not lives. If all else fails, wear a turtle shell helmet. Red, yellow, blue, green - take your pick. Green suits you best, you have many daughters at home."

  Scolding with a good standard, no dirty words but still achieving the best effect of insulting self-esteem, it seems that this year's fist-fighting industry has high requirements.

  Xiao Ba Wang spat out watermelon seeds while revealing a sinister smile.

  "Who doesn't know that Zeng Guang has a daughter with a beautiful appearance like a lotus flower? Collecting debts is just an excuse, but abducting the girl is the real intention. Poor thing, another good girl is going to be ruined by Xiao Ba Wang."

  "As long as Zeng Guang has repaid his debt." Fifty taels was a frightening amount for ordinary people, but for Nan Yue Lan, it was still affordable.

  Ah, right! She came especially early today and drank a bellyful of tea just to repay Zeng Guang's debt.

  Why?

  Don't make a big deal out of it, just don't go looking for trouble when there isn't any.

  The Tea Master did not expect that Zeng Guang's good fortune would come from the forehead of a bright girl, but thought that this young lady was too naive and simple-minded to understand the ways of the world.

  The broken door panel of the Zeng family was finally kicked down, and a burst of crying sounds came from inside. Then, a group of timid men with disheveled hair came out, knelt down in front of Xiaobao Wang, and begged for a few more days' extension.

  Xiao Ba Wang had made up his mind to take the girl by force, how could he let Zeng Guang off easily. He ordered the manager of the gambling house who followed him to read out the loan contract they signed before, especially reading aloud the last part about the long-term debt in a loud voice. After the manager finished reading, several thugs rushed into the door and forcibly dragged out Zeng's family. Among them, a young woman with a beautiful face cried bitterly, she was Zeng Guang's eldest daughter.

  The little overlord saw a beauty and his eyes bulged out, he was about to drool with desire.