Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume #1)

76 He Thought of Everything

Zhong Gang happily led Mister Zhong and his family to the teahouse. His restaurant had been opened by his father back then. He had made it more popular after he took over but it was still something he hadn't established on his own.
The teahouse was a different matter. This was his idea and he had planned everything from the carving on the chairs to the ornaments on the roof. If he managed to make this teahouse as famous or maybe even more popular than the restaurant, then he could truly say that he had left his own mark in the capital. Ah, wasn't this the dream of every man?
So the sooner the teahouse could open, the better. And from his side, everything was ready. He had only waited for his cousin Zhong Lei to arrive since he could hardly do all the work around the teahouse on his own too. With Zhong Lei taking a look at the teahouse now, he felt that it wouldn't take long until the opening. Ah, maybe they could even hold it tomorrow already if everything went well!
With this motivation, Zhong Gang hurried over to this new establishment. The teahouse was two streets further down the main street and did not seem as well off as the restaurant at first glance. It had also two floors but from the tiles on the roof to the plaque above the door to the width of the entrance it seemed more humble.
Mister Zhong sighed in relief when he saw this. With the clothes Zhong Gang had given them, they might not look poor anymore but they certainly still felt that way.
Zhong Gang rubbed his hands and motioned inside, his face splitting into a wide, toothy grin. "What do you say?"
Mister Zhong nodded happily. Looking around the lower floor, it was less pompous than the restaurant too. It still had an elegant feel about it that made him feel lacking but at least this was a type of calm and quiet elegance that had nothing to do with throwing money around. The people who came to such an establishment should be people with a good character who wouldn't make things difficult for someone like him. He felt lucky that his cousin had thought of opening such a place. If this had been another restaurant like the first one he might not have been up to the task.
Mister Zhong wasn't wrong with his guess. Zhong Gang had planned his teahouse with that type of person in mind. In his opinion, everybody could make a place the rich loved if he just had enough money and was willing to throw it around. But creating a tasteful place like this was hard work. If he was able to grab the attention of those famous scholars and make them his frequent customers, he would be smiling even in his sleep!
The two cousins looked at the teahouse together, both with big grins on their faces like two children that were offered some candy. The longer they thought about it, the more excited they became.
Mister Zhong finally couldn't keep it in any longer. "It's great! When can I start working?"
Zhong Gang laughed and put his arm around Mister Zhong's shoulders. "Everything is ready. If you want to, you can start right tomorrow morning!"
Mister Zhong nodded eagerly. "Sounds good! Then I'll do that."
"You don't have to force yourself though. You just arrived yesterday. Don't you want to take a rest first?"
Mister Zhong shook his head. "Such things are better done immediately. I wouldn't want you to miss any opportunities just because I didn't get to work soon enough."
"That certainly wouldn't happen." Zhong Gang said so but his eyes already sparkled in anticipation. Ah, he also wanted to open up tomorrow! He couldn't wait to see all the guests coming here and admiring his teahouse!
"It's alright." Mister Zhong smiled, wriggled out of his cousin's grip and made a round through the teahouse.
The lower floor consisted of one big room for the customers and a row of smaller chambers for storing the materials and preparing the tea. It was a lot like the restaurant Zhong Gang led. The only difference was the number of tables. Even though almost the whole floor was dedicated to the customers, there weren't many of them. Instead, just a dozen were spread through the room with enough space between them to allow for some privacy. If the teahouse really attracted scholars as Zhong Gang imagined, they would be able to talk freely at their table without being bothered by the other guests.
Mister Zhong made his way to the upper floor and his eyes went wide. While the lower floor already seemed like an elegant place that only noble people would frequent, the upper floor gave that impression even more so. Zhong Gang had separated it into several rooms that overlooked the streets in front and next to the teahouse.
Yes, the teahouse was situated at the corner of the main road and one of the quieter side streets. That way, not only was a constant stream of people passing by on the main street guaranteed, the customers would still be able to enjoy peace and quiet. It really was a good place for a teahouse such as this.
Zhong Gang had put a lot of thought into these rooms. Each of them was decorated differently, based on famous paintings or poems, lending them a sophisticated air and giving the customers renting them a subject for a first conversation. If the scholars didn't like this, what would they like?
Besides these rooms, there was another, larger one in the rear part of the building that could be used for larger gatherings. Was there a joyous occasion to celebrate, a contract to discuss or a thank you needed to be expressed for good friends? All of that could be done there and since this was the only room in the teahouse for something like that, Zhong Gang was sure it would give people the urge to rent it. After all, getting what was scarce always held a special sense of accomplishment, no? Even those gifted scholars would like to brag once in a while.
Zhong Gang had really thought of everything. It was nigh impossible for anything to go wrong.
Or so he thought.