Chapter 13

Cai Laosan laughed for a while before stopping, his expression suddenly turning serious as he shouted, "Sir, are you making fun of us?"

Li Qi spread his hands and said in surprise, "Sir, why do you say that? I believe that since your shop has hung these two couplets here, you must hope that someone can come up with the matching lines soon. What I did was merely to avoid wasting your shop’s goodwill."

"You—what you said is right," Cai Laosan nodded, his face somewhat unpleasant. He wished these couplets could hang here for a few more days, but he couldn’t say that. Pointing at the little boy, he said, "But what if he can’t come up with the matching lines?"

"If he can’t, then he can’t. What should be done? Should he be punished for not coming up with the lines? If that’s the case, I’m sorry, I’ll take back what I said earlier." Li Qi said in a very "timid" manner.

Cai Laosan was momentarily at a loss for words. The reason Cai Yuanwai hung these couplets was to attract more customers to the Feicui轩 (Feicui Pavilion). If people were punished for not coming up with the lines, no one would come.

Moreover, Li Qi said the little boy could come up with the matching lines. If he stopped the little boy, others would surely say that the Feicui Pavilion was not trustworthy. If someone could come up with the lines and he didn’t let them, it would be like catching no fox and getting a whole body of lice. But if he let the little boy try, Cai Laosan felt it would be a loss of face.

For a moment, Cai Laosan was in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.

"Sir, what do you say?" Li Qi said with a smile.

He had precisely seized on Cai Laosan’s psychology, knowing that Cai Laosan wouldn’t dare to make things difficult for him. Moreover, he wanted to win the hundred taels of silver. This way, he could protect the mother and son, and at the same time, teach this arrogant and tyrannical steward a lesson. It was a threefold gain, why not do it?

Cai Laosan glanced at Li Qi, a surge of anger rising in his heart. He couldn’t bear it anymore and, gritting his teeth, threatened, "Sir, if you want to stand up for these two stinky beggars, I advise you not to be a hero, lest you get burned."

Damn, if I was afraid, I wouldn’t have stood up just now.

Facing Cai Laosan’s threat, Li Qi was not the least bit afraid. He smiled slightly and said, "Sir, I will remember your words, but I still have confidence that he can come up with the lines."

"Alright, since you are so confident, I would like to see it." Despite his unwillingness, Cai Laosan could only temporarily hold back his anger. He signaled to the thugs to step back.

The thugs glared at Li Qi and the beggar mother and son before stepping back.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Li Qi smiled and bowed to Cai Laosan, then walked forward, helped the beggar mother and son to sit by the left pillar, and asked gently, "Madam, are you okay?"

The old woman seemed to be in a daze, staring blankly at Li Qi.

Li Qi called out a few more times, "Madam, madam."

The old woman suddenly came to her senses, grabbing Li Qi’s arm and shouting, "Sir, sir, please save us, Ah Nan. I’ll kowtow to you here." She then knelt down.

Seeing this, Li Qi quickly helped her up and said, "No, no, madam, please get up. Don’t worry, you and your son will be fine."

"Really?" The old woman looked at Li Qi, half believing, half doubting.

Li Qi smiled and nodded, then asked the little boy standing nearby, "Are you Ah Nan?"

The little boy frowned, looking at Li Qi and then at his mother, his expression somewhat hesitant.

"Ah Nan, the sir is asking you a question, answer quickly." The old woman tugged at her son’s arm, anxious.

The little boy then nodded and said, "I’m Chen Ah Nan."

Li Qi smiled and, lowering his voice, asked, "Ah Nan, are you afraid of them?" He glanced at Cai Laosan.

Chen Ah Nan bit his lip, a stubborn look on his face, and shook his head vigorously.

"Very good." Li Qi smiled and nodded, then asked, "Do you want them to serve you?"

Chen Ah Nan nodded vigorously again.

"Alright, just do as I say." Li Qi smiled mysteriously and whispered in Chen Ah Nan’s ear.

Seeing them whispering and laughing, Cai Laosan felt uneasy. If this little beggar really came up with the matching lines, the Feicui Pavilion would lose more than it gained. He moved closer to Li Qi, trying to eavesdrop.

But Li Qi wouldn’t give him the chance, his mouth almost touching Chen Ah Nan’s ear, not letting Cai Laosan hear a single word, making Cai Laosan look very frustrated.

After a while, Li Qi suddenly straightened up and asked Chen Ah Nan with a smile, "Do you remember?"

Chen Ah Nan nodded and said, "I remember."

Li Qi patted Chen Ah Nan’s shoulder and said, "Alright, go ahead."

Chen Ah Nan nodded, glanced at Cai Laosan, a hint of fear in his eyes, but when he saw his weak mother, resentment quickly replaced the fear. He straightened his back, walked to Cai Laosan, and asked with a disdainful tone, "What’s your upper line?"

Seeing this little beggar dare to be so arrogant in front of him, Cai Laosan was instantly furious. You little brat, if you can’t come up with the line, just wait and see what I’ll do to you. He gritted his teeth and said, "But which one are you asking about?"

"Any one." Chen Ah Nan waved his hand, looking somewhat impatient.

Cai Laosan clenched his fists, wanting to slap him, but seeing the crowd of scholars and talents standing nearby, he relaxed his fists, suppressing his anger, and said with a cold laugh, "Alright, listen carefully, my upper line is ‘一川风月留酣饮’ (A river of wind and moon, lingering in a drunken feast)."

Chen Ah Nan listened, closed his eyes, and swayed his head, muttering the line softly, making a thoughtful expression, quite like a pedantic scholar, which made Li Qi want to laugh. He didn’t expect this little guy to be such a good actor.

"Got it!"

Chen Ah Nan suddenly opened his eyes and said to Cai Laosan, "Listen carefully, my lower line is ‘万里山河尽浩歌’ (Ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, all in grand song)."

As soon as the line was out, it caused a stir.

The scholars and talents all stared with wide eyes, looking dumbfounded.

"Wait—wait, what—what’s your lower line?"

Chen Ah Nan’s words were like a hammer to Cai Laosan’s head, his lips trembling, unable to speak clearly. He was now doubting if he had heard correctly.

Chen Ah Nan repeated the line and asked, "How about it? Is it good enough?"

Not just good enough, it was perfectly matched.

This time, Cai Laosan had nothing to say, his face turning red and white, large sweat drops rolling down his rat-like mustache. After a long pause, he said, "Alright, you got lucky this time, but I have another line. Can you match it?"

When Chen Ah Nan heard Cai Laosan say he had matched the line, he was overjoyed, full of confidence. He stood with his hands behind his back, head held high, and said, "Go on."

This time, Cai Laosan didn’t dare to underestimate him. He licked his dry lips and said carefully, "Listen carefully, my upper line is ‘酌来竹叶凝怀绿’ (Sipping bamboo leaves, the heart turns green)."

Before Cai Laosan finished, Chen Ah Nan said, "This is easy. My lower line is ‘饮罢桃花上脸红’ (After drinking peach blossoms, the face turns red)."

Seeing his excited expression, Li Qi smiled and shook his head. After all, he was just a child. If anyone could come up with the line so quickly, they would be as talented as Cao Zhi, who could compose a poem in seven steps.

Everyone was stunned. They were here largely because of Bai Niangzi. Now, the couplets she had set were easily matched by a little beggar. Although they knew Li Qi was behind it, they still found it hard to accept, all standing there in shock.

The noisy scene suddenly became silent.

Cai Laosan’s head spun, his body feeling hollow, swaying. Fortunately, a thug nearby quickly caught him, preventing him from falling.

"Mr. Cai, why don’t you invite your distinguished guest to take a seat inside?" At this moment, Li Qi, supporting the old woman, walked forward and said with a smile. Humph! Want to play dead? Not that easy.