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- Herausgeber: via tolino media
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
This is a love story between two men from two well-known families engaged in tea business. Shrewdning Wong, the influential female manager of tea business of the Fangs, sets fire to the mansion and kills the parents of Geson Fang. As a result, Geson becomes the crippled puppet head of the Fang family, and he is determined to fight back and awaits an opportunity. He, however, has to cut himself off Gem Fore for whom he has had affections since his childhood because he does not want to get his sweetheart involved with his revenge. Gem becomes the substitute for the bride, who should have been his younger sister in an arranged marriage, and marries Geson. Since then their love has grown deeper and deeper. Moreover, Gem assists Geson in bringing Shrewdning down. At last the couple have a happy ending.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Gem & Geson Ⅱ
Become the True Leader of the Fangs
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.For permission requests, write to :[email protected]
GEM & GESON: BECOME THE TRUE LEADER OF THE FANGS
First edition. November 23, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 Sweet One.
ISBN: 979-8223641537
Written by Sweet One.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Also by Sweet One
Gem & Geson
Gem & Geson: Meet Again
Gem & Geson: Become the True Leader of the Fangs
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Also By Sweet One
Gem & Geson: Become the True Leader of the Fangs
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Further Reading: Sex Bible
Also By Sweet One
About the Author
Written by Sweet One
Translated by Snow Han
Chapter 17
Geson was watching Gem’s inviting face, smelling his breath, and putting his own lips closer to his. Suddenly Gem opened one of his eyes, which made Geson sit up straight in the wheelchair at once and look away.
Gem stopped being naughty and then took a silver water bottle out of the quilt and threw it aside. “Let’s come to the point, Geson,” he said. “Do you have any good plan?”
“No,” Geson replied. “But I’ve been waiting for the moment when Lady Shrewdning enters the tea markets.”
Gem nodded. He played chess with Geson the other day and realised that the latter had been a quiet, smart player and protector for the business of the Fangs for so many years. Gem had figured out his true intention and got himself involved in it.
“What are you going to do?” Gem said cheerfully, leaning on the bed. He moved his eyebrows a bit when his eyes met Geson’s.
Geson closed his eyes after he watched Gem for a long moment, and the former was brimming with trust after he saw him again.
“The special guest matters,” Geson said.
“Lady Shrewdning used to be a maid and she has been benefitting from the Fangs,” Gem said. “Even though she can invite a high official, she will have to use the connections of your family.”
“Lord Feng,” Geson added, “the prefecture chief of Chuchou, has a distant relative named Lern who has relations with the imperial family.”
“Is he Lord Lern in the State Council?”
“No. Lord Lern loves tea and works in the Central Committee but he is not influential.”
“Is he in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Finance?”
Geson shook his head.
“Is he a kinsman of the emperor?” Gem asked.
“The crux of the matter will be whether the guest can make the greedy woman gain her position in the tea markets regardless of his title. If she is eager to expand her business in the capital city, who is the big boss?”
Gem understood it at once.
“It is no easy job to sell tea to the royal family,” Geson continued with a nod. “The aristocrats will not fill their pockets with coins from unknown tea traders. Even high officials can’t satisfy those big shots easily, to say nothing of her efforts.”
“Is the guest in charge of the business of tea and rice for the imperial family?”
“Yes.”
“Is he in the Purchasing Department?”
“He may be Lord Soong, the former director,” Geson replied.
“But why not the incumbent one?” Gem asked.
“Lady Shrewdning must have contacted Lord Feng and the latter visited Lord Lern who had known Lord Soong quite well,” Geson answered calmly. “Lord Soong, a great lover of tea, would be interested in the tea tasting event. He retired last year and may enjoy his easy life now, and will be eager to take part in the event.”
“I can hardly believe that she could invite him,” Gem added. “Will the Lotusherb be brought to the imperial palace as a tribute?”
“It’s not as good as before,” Geson said, shaking his head.
Lady Shrewdning had been careless with tea production since she led the Fang family. She had controlled the processes of making the Lotusherb, but she had hired new workers for tea planting and production. The former craftsmen had been forced to write down the methods of tea kneading and compression, but the new staff were less skilful. The technical superiority of tea bricks depended on the exquisite craftsmanship including daily sun exposure at the seedling stage. The current female head of the Fangs was a layman and the new tenant farmers, who were as lazy as the servants, provided new tea of inferior quality each year.
“The Fores, the Taos, and the Hus have taken turns to produce the tea as tributes to the imperial family,” Gem continued. “The Fores, however, were disqualified after just two years of efforts. The Lins in Yiyang have been entitled to do the job and they provide tea for the aristocrats in the capital city this year.”
“The tea brand Goodtaste made by the Lins is remarkable,” Geson said. “The Fores would have been crowded out of the Big Four if they had not been led by Lady Rachel.”
“But she is in poor health and Lady Willow is eying her position covetously,” Gem said with a shrug.
Geson was much clearer about the situation of the Fore family than Gem was. The other three well-known families would not have stood a chance to give the best tea to the royal family if the tea brand Lotusherb made by the Fangs had not become less tasty. The Purchasing Department would choose hundreds of kinds of tea each year and offer the best of the best to the imperial household. The new and aged tea produced by the Fangs had always been selected before Choron passed away. Since his death, however, the quality of the tea had got worse and worse, and the good substitute had remained uncertain. As a result, the head of the Big Four had been a pending issue.
Lady Shrewdning had got the key contacts for her business, but that would not be enough. She would soon be sidelined by the tea traders other than the four influential families if she failed to enter the tea markets now. For this reason, she would ravenously control the Fangs and make a fortune.
“She will shine in the tea tasting event through the VIP.”
Geson nodded.
“What’s your plan?” Gem asked.
“I’ll offer the best tea to Lord Soong who is an influential retiree and a man of integrity and is demanding for tea quality,” Geson replied.
“But how? Lady Shrewdning will not have you show up in public; even though she may agree, she will not let you make tea.”
“I’ll need your help.”
“It will have a price,” Gem smiled, putting his face closer to Geson’s.
Geson tried to keep calm while he curled his fingers in the sleeves.
“It’s just a joke,” Gem giggled, watching the shy man. “I can recognise different kinds of tea through their tastes but I’m not good maker of tea art.”
The fragrance would be the key factor in winning a tea tasting event and the tea liquid covered with fresh white foam would be unrivalled, but few people could make it. Gem had seen it only once and it was made by Geson many years ago.
“I can teach you,” Geson said after a moment of silence. “Lady Shrewdning knows that you are well-versed in tea but may not let you take part in the event.”
Gem, sitting on the bed and half-dressed, took a new fan from under the pillow and waggled it. “Don’t worry,” he smiled. “She knows much more than that.”
Chapter 18
Before Geson wanted to continue, under Gem’s pillow he caught sight of a strand of red tassels to which a red string bound with a half piece of white jade was tied. The jade resembled the one locked in the secret box of his study and the gaps on the two pieces were two peas in a pod. Gem’s piece was carved with peonies and Geson’s with a light-vented bulbul. If the two pieces were put together, a round jade would be formed and the bird carved on it would be singing a love song of happy ending in the flowers under the moonlight.
Uncle Mute, holding a new basin of water, knocked at the door but he heard the voice of Adept in the courtyard before he entered the room. Adept went to a nearby clinic and led a doctor into the mansion of the Fangs to take Gem’s pulse on his wrist for diagnosis.
“Oh, good morning, Mr. Fang,” Adept said hurriedly, astonished to see Geson sitting by the bed.
Geson glanced at Adept and nodded silently after he gazed at the jade for a long moment.
Adept, a guest in the Fangs, felt at ease with Gem but he became overcautious as soon as he met Geson who was like a stranger. He introduced the doctor to Geson.
After Uncle Mute put down the basin, Geson asked him to make way for the doctor. The doctor put his hand on Gem’s forehead and took his pulse. “The patient is not in a serious condition and he will get better with the aid of fever-reducing medications,” he said.
Adept felt relieved at once and he asked Sanbor, who came in chewing a white sugar sponge cake, to show the doctor out.
Sanbor was surprised to see so many people in the room just after he came back from the kitchen. He quickly swallowed the cake and led the doctor out of the house.
Geson was still in the room. Adept peeped at him and soon he saw the former gesticulating to have Uncle Mute wheel him into the study. Adept relaxed and had some water as soon as Geson left. “Oh, I don’t know why I’ve always been uneasy with his presence,” he said.
“Has Geson bullied you?” Gem asked curiously.
“No! He was and he is a gentleman!” Adept replied.
“But why?”
“He has outshone me in everything,” Adept said, holding a cup of tea.
Gem laughed.
“Whenever Mr. Choron Fang and his son Geson visited my family many years ago,” Adept added, “my grandpa would be genuinely glad to see the young man and would make a comparison between us. Geson was gold but I was brass. What’s more, my siblings would treat him kindly and even Miss Lee, the daughter of my neighbour, would dress up and hold delicious cakes to see him.”
That remained as an annoyance to Adept. He had adored Miss Lee but he became upset when one day he saw her bring tea and flowers bought by her adorer to Geson. He, however, sympathised with the sufferer after he knew about the fire. “What a pity!” he sighed.
“I’ll have to stay in bed and I won’t be able to be your guide,” Gem said, closing his fan.
“I can go around the city by myself,” Adept said.
“The four local servants are familiar with good restaurants and funny places,” Gem said.
Adept hesitated. He wanted to enjoy his stay in the Fang family, so he did not have the rigid servants who had been instructed by his grandpa accompany him. The quick-minded Sanbor would have to take good care of the sick Gem, and Adept would need a retinue when he went sightseeing in Chuchou which was unfamiliar to him. “You’ll have a good rest, Gem, and I’ll bring you good wine every day,” he said.
Adept would be accompanied by the servants for his outing, and such an important thing must be told to Amy. She agreed with it after her consideration. She and Lady Shrewdning would not be able to pay the piper if the safety of the honoured guest could not be ensured.
No substitutes could be available to keep an eye on the inner chambers before the tea tasting event was held, and it would be unnecessary to send more watchers. Amy had been serving Lady Shrewdning for nearly ten years and she had been very clear about the things related to the Fangs and Geson, and she did not believe that the crippled man could stand up again. She also found that Gem had become less and less friendly to the cold fish.
Sanbor had got on with the new life in the Fangs and he often went downtown with his young master and had much fun. Today he helped Uncle Mute chop firewood in the kitchen. At noon Uncle Mute gesticulated what Gem would like to have for lunch. Sanbor went into the room and saw his master teasing a canary in the cage outside the window with a bamboo twig. “Uncle Mute is waiting for the menu for your lunch, my young lord,” he said.
“Boiled Fish,” he smiled, teasing the bird and glancing at the girl in a green dress at the gate of the courtyard.
“How to cook it?” Sanbor asked.
“Step by step,” Gem replied, tapping his forehead with the twig.
The couple had the Boiled Fish for lunch in the study. Geson continued to pretend to be indifferent but he stopped keeping Gem at a distance as a result of a tacit agreement. Uncle Mute, who was happy to see the couple having a meal together, went to the drawing room and brought a plate of sweet fried sesame balls.
Gem looked at the balls and then at Geson. “Tell me the taste of the cakes made by Miss Lee,” he said.
“Who’s Miss Lee?” Geson asked in confusion.
Gem saw that his husband had forgotten that girl and then he put a sesame ball into his mouth. “Never mind,” he smiled.
Chapter 19
Amy became less and less watchful although she sometimes came to see what was going on in the inner chambers. Geson’s trick had made her drop her guard. The busy Lady Shrewdning had asked her maid to keep an eye on the crippled man, and the latter had been doing this for eight years and she was sure that he would not stand up again.
Gem had some tea and swallowed the sweet fried sesame ball. “You are a deep one,” he said, looking at the poker-faced Geson, “but you are not wary of me. Why?”
All of Geson’s masks shattered whenever he was with Gem, and the former even failed to have a heart of stone when he tried to drive away the latter; what’s more, Gem could use a wrinkle to make him uneasy.
“Am I the gem for you?” he added.
Geson grasped the chopsticks nervously but soon he loosened his grip and changed the topic with a question. “When will your father come here?”
Gem could not get the good answer. He walked to the window and started to prune branches. “Probably soon,” he said.
Geson wheeled himself to the desk and started to write down the processes of making tea. “He will visit you and see how everything is going,” he said.
“He will ask me to make you happy to avoid a divorce,” Gem smiled.
That reminded Geson of the statement of divorce he had written. “The divorce will not depend on me,” he said in embarrassment.
“It will,” Gem grinned.
He put down the scissors and walked to the desk, and he found Geson had stopped before he finished. “What’s up?”
“Your father and Lady Willow will take part in the tea tasting event,” Geson replied.
“That’s right,” Gem said. “And Jack will accompany them.”
“If so, Lady Shrewdning will have a talk with you soon.”
Lady Willow and Lady Shrewdning would remain allies if the cash cow had not become the apple of discord. All the participants would be eager to be No. 1, and Lady Shrewdning with few supporters would rack her brains to make everything all right. Less opponents, more chances. Even though she could win, she would have a Plan B and need the assistance of the Fores – use the pathetic Gem as a pawn.
Geson, frowning, wanted to use another piece of paper after marks of ink fell on it, but he gripped the crumpled thing. Gem put one of his fingers on his lips before his husband could speak. “Don’t worry, my dear,” he said softly. “I’ll handle it.”
The next day Lady Shrewdning came to see the couple. She had Dr. Chen treat Geson’s legs again although she was very busy. The finely-dressed lady was sitting in the centre of the drawing room and talking with Geson who was having an acupuncture therapy. She saw the patient looking normal and then put down the tea cup.
“I’ll go out for a walk. Tell me after the doctor finishes his job,” she said.
Geson nodded but he saw her speaking to Gem before he let Uncle Mute show her out. “I think you may have a walk with me to make yourself less bored,” she said.
Gem would have to deal with her but he was sluggishly leaning on a chair and was unwilling to wheel Geson.
Lady Shrewdning led Gem into a beautiful lotus pond along the distinctive corridor. Several cups of tea and desserts were placed on a stone table in a hexagonal pavilion nearby the pond.
“Have you had a quarrel with Geson?” she asked.
“No,” he smiled. He sat down after she did.
In fact, she did not care about the couple. She silently gave a cup of tea to Gem.
Gem smelled it. “This is the tea brand Floating Clouds made by the Taos,” he said.
“Very good,” she said with a fake smile. “You can make it out after it was brewed three times and was added with other scraps of tea.”
“The tea made by the Taos has the best fragrance if tea liquid and mouthfeel are not considered,” Gem explained. “Its scent still lingers even after it is brewed three times. You may not taste it if you don’t want to be attracted by its aroma.”
“Will you identify all these kinds of tea here with your wonderful palate?” she continued with a nod.
“Oh, that won’t be an easy job, my lady.”
“Have a try.”
Gem tasted three kinds of tea in ultramarine-glazed cups and then made his own judgement. “The first one is the Delicacy made by the Yus in Pingyang town; the second one is the Fineness made by the Tsuis in Yaheegore; and the third one is the tea made by the Fangs; more precisely, some burnt, useless tea buds have been thrown into the pot.”
The lady clapped after she got surprised. “What a pity!” she sighed. “The Fores should have discovered your talent.”
“My father had disliked me and even ignored me in the tea tasting events,” Gem replied lightly. “For that reason, I should keep my head down to avoid my brother’s jealousy and Lady Willow’s disgust.”
“Oh, it’s not what you think,” she added. “You would not have had a grudge against your father if she had not made mischief between both of you.”
“You mean that I can’t get along with my father?” he asked calmly.
“Don’t you hate Lady Willow who has been treating you badly and has made you marry Geson?” she asked rhetorically after a pause.
He watched her silently.
“I would be full of hatred if I were you,” she said.
“Will you need my help in the upcoming tea tasting event?” he asked.
She refilled his cup. “Not just for me, but for yourself, too,” she smiled. “You are a smart man.”
“That makes sense, my lady,” he said, sipping his tea.
Chapter 20
Lady Shrewdning pretended to be friendly to Gem while she still kept an eye on Geson. She scolded Amy after she knew that her maid had let the four servants accompany Adept for his sightseeing.
