noffsinger Chapter 306 Coffee Incident
Chapter 306 Coffee Incident
Weimad felt a surge of guilt. He knew full well that his current position was inextricably linked to those flower-growing soldiers. Deep down, he had long cherished them like his own children. Yet, their unscrupulous actions for a few coffee beans made him wonder if he hadn't cared enough for them.
Weimad began to carefully recall the time he had spent with Kuang Zhengqi, Yang Hong, and others. Suddenly, he remembered that Kuang Zhengqi had mentioned that he was about to marry the daughter of a Saudi sheikh, and that his fiancée had a special liking for coffee, especially the coffee from his private estate.
"So that's it!" Wei Maide suddenly understood why Kuang Zhengqi, Yang Hong, and the others were willing to resort to such despicable means to get the coffee. This was obviously to please his beloved wife and sisters-in-law.
Yang Hong's aggressive approach must have more to do than simply seek out a sister-in-law. Recalling a rumor from the Flower Planting Family, Wei Maide instantly understood: this guy was trying to use this coffee to win over the other sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law! Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh. If it were just one or two boxes of coffee, Yang Hong would have given it to him no matter what. But such a large amount of coffee would indeed put him in a difficult position.
Moreover, if he only gave away Mrs. Kuang Zhengqi, how would he explain to his other sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law? It was said that the current Lan Fang King Luo Bing had four fiancées: Cai Yong's wife, the one from Qin Shi's family, Wang Congwu's queen, and Huang Wei's fiancée, among others. Wei Maide nodded secretly, a plan in mind.
He immediately picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number. Moments later, the steward at the Beautiful Country Manor received new instructions. Starting this year, an extra portion of coffee beans would be prepared for Huang Wei and his group. This practice continued uninterrupted throughout Wei Made's grandchildren. This practice also helped the Wei Made family maintain a strong personal relationship with what would become the most powerful flower-growing group. When the future president of Beautiful Country encountered communication difficulties with the flower-growing family, he sought out Wei Made's descendants and asked them to intervene through personal connections, resolving many disputes between the two sides.
Weimed told James to wait, saying the matter was over and not to be spread outside. As soon as he left his office, General Eisenhower was already standing at his door, waiting for Weimed. Facing the Allied Commander-in-Chief, his immediate superior, Weimed dared not neglect the situation. He quickly stepped forward and followed Eisenhower into his office.
He had assumed the commander-in-chief had something important to discuss with him. Unexpectedly, upon entering his office, Eisenhower neither invited him to sit down nor spoke politely. Instead, he addressed him directly, "Dear Weimade, I heard your coffee harvest is great this year. What are your plans?"
Wei Maide was shocked and replied doubtfully: "General, don't you dislike coffee?"
Eisenhower waved his hand, a barely perceptible cunning expression on his face, and said, "I don't like it, but some people do. I heard that General Yang Hong came to your warehouse today to ask for some. You see, you have to give me some too, right?" There was an unquestionable majesty in his tone.
Weimade's brow furrowed slightly, as he pondered Eisenhower's intentions. Before he could figure out what he wanted the coffee for, Eisenhower said in a firm tone, "Mr. Weimade, there's no need to question my purpose for the coffee! I don't need much; two boxes will be enough." His eyes revealed a firmness and decisiveness, as if to tell Weimade that this was non-negotiable.
"Sir, please remember that although I don't have General Yang's saber, there is a relationship of superiors and subordinates in this matter. However, if you don't give it to me, I will have a better way to get it. I believe you don't want to see it." After saying that, Eisenhower turned around and left without caring about Wei Made who was still in his office, leaving Wei Made alone standing there stiffly.
Weimad, regaining consciousness, immediately realized that Yang Hong's actions had become known, and he was in an awkward position. He was well aware of Eisenhower's power and influence and knew he could not compete with him. He was afraid that the coffee shipment would be lost, and he had to find a way to deal with this situation.
He hurried back to his office and sat in his chair, brooding anxiously. He picked up a pen and jotted down a list, asking James to personally arrange for all the coffee to be delivered immediately. He didn't dare neglect Eisenhower's portion, fearing it would cause more trouble.
Weimade then instructed his adjutant to immediately reply to his family via civilian telegraph, demanding that no more coffee be delivered to his base. Before leaving, the adjutant looked at Weimade hesitantly and asked, "General, if this happens, you won't have any coffee to enjoy."
When Weimade heard what his adjutant said, his anger instantly erupted. He stood up suddenly and pushed hard against his cherished ceramic coffee cup on his desk. The cup drew an arc in the air and then fell heavily to the ground, shattering instantly.
Wei Made was not relieved by this. He cursed angrily: "Damn Yang Hong, damn Eisenhower, you are all robbers, robbers! I don't have any coffee to drink, and you don't have any in the future!"
As expected, the next morning, a steady stream of Allied high-ranking officials came to visit Weimade, all with various excuses, but their ultimate goal was just one: coffee!
Clearly, word of Yang Hong's coffee extortion had spread. By this time, even the faraway presidential office and congressional leaders back home had probably heard about it, and perhaps even the Third Reich headquarters. Weimad felt somewhat grateful to Eisenhower. Although he had extorted two boxes of coffee from him—a year's supply for his own use—Eisenhower had reminded him, allowing the remaining coffee to be saved and delivered to those in need.
Wei Made finally came to terms with it and stopped hiding anything. He declared loudly, "Gentlemen, flower growers are robbers. That damned Yang Hong stole all my coffee and didn't leave me a single box. If you don't believe me, you can ask General Eisenhower. He knows full well that this guy used a broken knife to trade for all the coffee. I don't have any here. If you don't believe me, look for it yourselves. If you find it, it's all yours!"
The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching Kuang Zhengqi and Yang Hong. Yang Hong was horrified and quickly ordered Kuang Zhengqi to take all three boxes of coffee with him. "Leave immediately!" After all, if he delayed, he would not only be labeled a robber, but also lose the coffee.