Chapter 1002: Learning the Art of Devising Strategies
Refusing to budge, Wen Xinya held onto Old Mr. Mo’s arm and said, “Grampy, how could you undermine your granddaughter like that? Aren’t you afraid of hurting my fragile heart?”
Old Mr. Mo smiled and said, “You’re taking it too far.”
He wondered who had taught her to be that thick-skinned.
While giggling, Wen Xinya whipped out another expensive gift and said, “Grampy, those two gifts were for me to express my filial piety. This is what I truly want to give you.”
Since the two gifts were given to her by Duke Moville, she felt that they could not be considered as a real gift for her grampy.
Old Mr. Mo stared at the grand-looking box in front of him. He could not tell what the gift was, but he was certain that it was expensive, judging from the exquisite packaging.
Wen Xinya stared at Old Mr. Mo with a sheepish grin.
Old Mr. Mo opened the box to see that it contained a can of tea leaves. Opening it to take a whiff, he exclaimed, “Brilliant tea!”
They were “West Lake Dragon’s Well”, a rare kind of tea leaves that was harvested in minute amounts.
It was the best tea in the world, known for its emerald glow, delectable aroma, impeccable taste, and perfect shape. It was also Old Mr. Mo’s favorite tea.
He did not expect her to be able to get her hands on such premium-grade tea leaves. He reckoned that she must have put in a great ton of effort.
She had indeed gone through painstaking means to get that can of tea leaves which Old Mr. Mo loved the most. “Grampy, why don’t I brew some of this premium-grade tea for you to have a taste of it?”
She was a little tempted by the superior tea leaves too.
Old Mr. Mo jested calmly. “You’re going to let the tea leaves go to waste because of your poor tea-brewing skills.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that Old Mr. Mo had already put the tea leaves away. Since such premium tea leaves were rare to come by, he obviously couldn’t bear to let her waste them.
Wen Xinya pouted and retorted indignantly. “Grampy, don’t belittle me. I may have mediocre tea-brewing skills, but I received a ton of compliments in Russia for them. Even Si Yiyan praised me.”
Duke Moville had clearly praised her for her excellent tea-brewing skills after tasting the tea she brewed. Even Si Yiyan had gotten used to the tea she brewed and he refused to drink tea unless it was brewed by her.
Old Mr. Mo said calmly, “You’re just a sham. Fortunately, Si Yiyan was there to help you. Otherwise, you would have embarra.s.sed yourself.”
Actually, Wen Xinya’s tea-brewing skills were rather impressive, but in the eyes of the tea experts, they were rather mediocre and not exquisite or refined enough. However, she was rather smart since she could master the techniques within three short years.
Wen Xinya grew smug and confident after her trip to Russia. Yet, she was being undermined by Old Mr. Mo who criticized her to no end. She touched her head, pretending like she had suffered a huge blow.
Old Mr. Mo laughed, thinking about how confident she was when she mentioned about tea-brewing earlier on. He reckoned that she must have received plenty of compliments for her skills in Russia. “Personality is very important when it comes to brewing tea. If you don’t have an upright personality, your perfect tea-brewing skills will only remain superficial. You won’t be able to brew tea that encapsulates the essence of perfection. If you’re too arrogant, the tea that you brew will lack peace and fragrance.”
Wen Xinya nodded fervently and said, “Got it, Grampy.”
Old Mr. Mo was merely using tea-brewing to teach her the rites of life.
Old Mr. Mo asked, “Did anything happen during your trip to Russia?”
He knew to a certain extent, that Si Yiyan held some power and authority in Russia. Actually, he was rather displeased with the fact that Si Yiyan had brought Wen Xinya to Russia without seeking permission beforehand. He did not wish for Wen Xinya to be embroiled in those complicated power struggles. However, the decision lied with Wen Xinya and he knew that Si Yiyan had his own set of principles. Hence, he decided not to stop her, especially since he knew that she was going to become a strong person in the future.
The fact that Wen Xinya returned early without Si Yiyan meant that the situation in Russia must have been complicated.
Wen Xinya recounted everything that happened in Russia briefly before saying, “Si Yiyan is settling the issue about the snitch. He’ll be back at a later time.”
After hearing her words, Old Mr. Mo sunk into silence. Although Wen Xinya had merely given him a brief explanation, he could tell that it was a dangerous situation. The trip to Russia was much more complicated than he had imagined.
He could not help but sigh. This was the path that Wen Xinya was going to take.
He could not stop her even if he wanted to, though he did not wish to because… she was far more ambitious than he imagined. Fortunately, the person guiding her along was Si Yiyan.
Afraid of angering Old Mr. Mo, Wen Xinya murmured carefully, “Grampy…”
Old Mr. Mo said calmly, “Xinya, I noticed that you’ve become much more determined and fierce ever since you returned from Russia. I know that you’ve chosen this path and I naturally won’t interfere with your decisions.”
Ever since the first time he saw Wen Xinya, he knew that she was different from other children. Regardless of what she did, she would stick to her goals and never allow anything to blind her. Fortunately, she was pure-hearted and could stay true to her morals with some guidance.
Feeling extremely touched, Wen Xinya answered, “Thank you, Grampy.”
Old Mr. Mo said calmly, “This time, you’ve showcased incredible wit and wisdom in Russia. You’re scheming and brave enough to pull off the schemes that you’ve devised. However, you still lack some elements. You were too reckless when taking that gamble with Avrora. You put your life, fortune, and pride at stake, and you didn’t conserve anything at all.”
Wen Xinya hung her head low and listened to his wise words.
Old Mr. Mo continued, “Since it was a compet.i.tion, you have to lay down the rules in a fair manner. First, you had to make sure that Avrora uses a horse that she hasn’t ridden before. Had you done that, there would be no need for you to risk your life by riding an untamed stallion.
“Secondly, you should have also gotten those wealthy ladies to witness the compet.i.tion. Regardless of the outcome, none of you can come up with an excuse to make things difficult for the other party. Avrora is very prideful. Even if she has qualms about handing the doc.u.ment to you, you would have had an excuse to stay out of trouble and you wouldn’t have been stuck in a situation where she held you at gunpoint.”
“Lastly, since you’ve already gotten the doc.u.ment, you’re the winner. Since Avrora was afraid that Duke Moville would find out about the doc.u.ment, you should have made an issue out of it. At the same time, you would also be able to manipulate Avrora. Why did you let her control you after hearing that Duke Moville wanted to let her marry Si Yiyan?”
Wen Xinya gave his words some thought and suddenly felt that he was right. “Grampy, you’re really shrewd.”
Old Mr. Mo said calmly, “From now on, you will have to learn how to adapt to situations and develop strategies to deal with the problem at hand.”
Wen Xinya was initially rather resistant towards that idea. However, after her trip to Russia, she felt that there was a need for her to learn a thing or two. “Thank you, Grampy.”