Chapter 1647: Chapter 1647: Smart People and Smart People
As the car drove into the villa, which looked modestly like a countryside house in Huaxia but covered a large area, Luo Ziling finally understood his grandfather’s meaning. His grandfather meant that if the return was rich enough, the Acupuncture Secret Technique could be taught to the other party.
Understanding this, Luo Ziling felt a sense of relief.
When the car stopped, Luo Ziling saw a middle-aged man who looked very much like Ishihara Naka coming out of the house to greet them.
“That’s my father,” Ishihara Naka pointed at the middle-aged man before getting out of the car.
As Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei stepped out of the car, Ishihara Naka’s father came forward and extended his hand to them.
“Ishihara Wuji,” he introduced himself and then shook hands with Ouyang Feifei and Luo Ziling.
Ishihara Naka inherited his looks from his father, Ishihara Wuji, who was also a very handsome man, looking young and quite charismatic.
“A warm welcome to Miss Ouyang and Mr. Luo,” Ishihara Wuji gestured invitingly and then added with a smile, “Originally, I intended to invite you for dinner, but since the embassy is hosting you, we will just have afternoon tea. My father is already waiting in the courtyard; please, come along.”
Ishihara Wuji spoke fluent Chinese with a bit of a Capital accent, which impressed Luo Ziling.
Could it be that their family communicates in Chinese at home?
Ishihara Naka greeted his father and then invited Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei inside, while he went to arrange for the attendants Wang Qing, Yang Xiaodong, Wang Zhenjun, and others. It must be said that the Japanese excel in etiquette more than an average Huaxia person.
Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei followed Ishihara Wuji into the villa.
After passing through a hall, they reached the courtyard ahead.
The courtyard was very spacious, covering around two hundred square meters.
The temperature in Tokyo was similar to that of Yanjing; at this time, the plum blossoms had withered, only a few winter sweet flowers were blooming, and the forsythia flowers were beginning to bud.
Since spring had not fully arrived yet, the garden seemed a bit lifeless, but today’s weather was excellent, with the sun shining brightly, and sitting in the courtyard soaking up the sun felt very comfortable all over.
As Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei entered, Ishihara Tarou was sitting by a temporarily set table, enjoying the sun.
Seeing Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei approaching, he stood up to greet them.
Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei hurried forward to pay their respects.
No matter what, Ishihara Tarou was much older than them, and since he had made such a statement today, they had to show respect.
“Miss Ouyang, Mr. Luo, I’m very pleased to invite you for afternoon tea,” Ishihara Tarou gestured for them to sit as he took his seat first.
After thanking him, Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei sat opposite Ishihara Tarou.
The tea table was a long strip of redwood, with cushioned chairs. Sitting down and placing their hands on the table felt quite comfortable.
After they sat, a few women dressed as geishas approached.
“A humble demonstration of Japanese tea ceremony,” Ishihara Tarou chuckled and gestured for the women to proceed.
Like Huaxia, many Japanese also enjoy tea and studying the tea ceremony.
Welcoming guests with a tea ceremony certainly indicates high hospitality.
Offering unsolicited flattery, either deceit or subterfuge—Luo Ziling inexplicably thought of this saying.
Ishihara Tarou did not immediately talk about serious matters but instead inquired about how Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei had been during their stay in Tokyo, whether they were accustomed to the lifestyle, how Japanese cuisine compared to Huaxia, and whether they had encountered any trouble.
While talking, Ishihara Wuji stood beside Ishihara Tarou without taking a seat.
Luo Ziling had Wang Zhenjun gather some information about the Ishihara Family and knew that Ishihara Wuji currently focused primarily on developing the pharmaceutical industry. About two-thirds of the Ishihara Family’s businesses centered around the pharmaceutical industry, including healthcare.
This annually brought the Ishihara Family at least tens of billions of yen in profit.
It could be said that Ishihara Wuji held the fate of the entire Ishihara Family, second only to Ishihara Tarou in status. Today, standing aside without taking a seat showed that Ishihara Tarou regarded them as very esteemed guests.
After some small talk, the silent Ishihara Wuji suddenly spoke up, “Are Mr. Luo and Miss Ouyang good friends?”
“We’re family friends!” Luo Ziling responded crisply.
“It seems Lingyun Group doesn’t have much business in Japan,” Ishihara Wuji said with a smile, “but Lingyun Group has significant investments in South Korea.”
“This visit to several East Asian countries is actually to discuss investment matters,” Ouyang Feifei realized something and chimed in.
“If Miss Ouyang is interested, we can talk and see if there are topics of mutual interest,” Ishihara Wuji looked at Ouyang Feifei with deep meaning, “Mr. Luo and my father have topics they’re interested in discussing. Perhaps we shouldn’t disturb them.”
Ouyang Feifei didn’t expect him to be so direct, and after a slight pause, she agreed.
Then, Wang Qing was called in to accompany Ouyang Feifei to another table for tea.
By this time, the geishas were already performing the tea ceremony and quickly served the brewed tea into cups.
After placing the brewed tea in front of Luo Ziling and Ishihara Tarou, they brought another serving to Ishihara Wuji and Ouyang Feifei, who were seated in the pavilion.
“I’m afraid after today, I’ve become the traitor of the Yamato Nation,” Ishihara Tarou looked at Luo Ziling with a wry smile, “My concession today has caused a lot of people to lose face, and just now Ishihara Naka told me that many online are calling to hunt me down.”
“So, have you strengthened security around your home?”
Ishihara Tarou smiled without answering, took a sip of tea, and continued, “In the past, I was a national hero of Japan, and Ishihara Naka was called a national male god. In the future, perhaps no longer!”
“If you had insisted on competing with me in medical skills today, not only would their face be lost, but yours as well,” Luo Ziling said earnestly, “I believe with my acupuncture skills and pharmaceutical formula mastery, I could totally outmatch you. I assume you’ve seen some of my activities back home; many famous Huaxia doctors who came with me ended up learning under me after losing their bets. If our wager was the same, you’d be my master’s disciple’s disciple, no, a grand-disciple. That would really be laughable. Graciously admitting defeat preserved your reputation in the medical community and earned you much respect, including from me and many renowned Huaxia doctors. In fact, your concession today gained you many advantages, such as my coming to your villa with Ouyang Feifei. You must have already considered the pros and cons when you made that decision.”
“You are a smart person!” Ishihara Tarou didn’t deny it and gave Luo Ziling a thumbs-up.
Talking to someone who understands really saves a lot of trouble—that’s what Ishihara Tarou thought at this moment.