Chapter 19

Knock, knock, knock!

Wu Furong pulled the door ring and knocked a few times. Not long after, the door opened, and a young girl of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed as a maid, with a round face, arched eyebrows, and big eyes, and two small braids, answered the door.

"Uncle Wu."

The young girl, seeing it was Wu Furong, hurriedly bowed.

"Hmm."

Wu Furong nodded and said, "Xiaotao, come and meet Master Li."

Xiaotao glanced at Li Qi, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, and she gave a deep bow, saying, "Servant greets Master Li."

Li Qi waved his hand and smiled, "Miss Xiaotao, hello!" In his eyes, there was no distinction of master and servant.

Xiaotao, who had never seen such an unconventional greeting before, couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Wu Furong, however, was not surprised by this. He asked Xiaotao, "By the way, Xiaotao, is the lady at home?"

Li Qi felt that Wu Furong's question was a bit redundant. The lady didn't even go to her own shop, so where else could she be?

Sure enough, Xiaotao nodded and said, "The lady is watering flowers in the back garden. Please come in."

Since it was Wu Furong, there was no need for an announcement.

As soon as they entered, Li Qi's first impression was of a desolate place. The large courtyard, except for the few of them, had not a single person in sight, as if to emphasize that a widow lived here.

Li Qi couldn't help but sigh.

Wu Xiaoliu, upon seeing Xiaotao, pounced like a fly on a cake, only to receive a series of cold glares from Xiaotao.

Wu Xiaoliu, feeling hurt, returned to Li Qi's side. Seeing Wu Xiaoliu's dejected look, Li Qi found it amusing and patted his shoulder, whispering, "Hey, Xiaoliu, do you want to date Xiaotao?"

"Date?" Wu Xiaoliu asked, puzzled.

"Um, dating means pursuing. Tell Brother Li, do you want to pursue Xiaotao?" Li Qi tempted.

Wu Xiaoliu blushed and denied, "No way, I and Xiaotao are very pure."

Whether Xiaotao was pure or not, I didn't know, but you, Wu Xiaoliu, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as purity. Li Qi inwardly despised Wu Xiaoliu, sighed, and said, "If that's the case, then forget it. I was planning to teach you some dating techniques."

Wu Xiaoliu's eyes twinkled, and he flattered, "Brother Li, what are these dating techniques?"

"These dating techniques are—why are you asking this? Aren't you and Xiaotao just playing it pure?" Li Qi said, suppressing a laugh.

"Before, yes, but now that I have a master, I should learn from the master." Wu Xiaoliu laughed.

That's true—but no, this kid is indirectly calling me impure. Damn, except for not being a virgin, I am very pure in other aspects. Li Qi was inwardly furious but sighed, "Alright, since you call me master, I'll teach you a few techniques. These dating techniques consist of three basic conditions and two auxiliary conditions."

"Three basic conditions and two auxiliary conditions?" Wu Xiaoliu scratched his head, puzzled.

Li Qi nodded and said, "Exactly. Listen carefully. The three basic conditions are boldness, attentiveness, and a thick skin. The two auxiliary conditions are money and power. If you have these five conditions, you will be invincible in dating, winning every battle and conquering every obstacle."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Just as Li Qi finished speaking, he heard a cough from the front. Looking up, he saw Wu Furong's face was already red, and his mouth was twitching.

Sweat! This old man was eavesdropping. But Li Qi's face wasn't made of paper. Seeing Wu Xiaoliu's puzzled look, he cleared his throat and said seriously, "Xiaoliu, these dating techniques require a long time to master. It took me ten years to fully understand them, so it's fine if you don't understand now."

"Uh-huh."

Wu Xiaoliu nodded, seemingly understanding.

As they spoke, they arrived at the front hall. Wu Furong asked Li Qi to wait here while he went to inform the lady. Then he and Xiaotao went into the inner chamber.

As soon as Wu Furong left, Wu Xiaoliu approached Li Qi and laughed, "Brother Li, is the friend you mentioned actually you?"

How did this kid know? Li Qi was startled and blurted out, "How—nonsense, you're just a kid, you haven't even grown any hair yet. Go play with some mud outside, so you don't get in the way here."

Wu Xiaoliu stuck out his tongue, not daring to ask further, but his face showed a look of disbelief.

Li Qi knew he couldn't hide it from this kid, so he didn't explain. A cold smile appeared on his lips. It seems I haven't disciplined this kid enough, but it's fine, we have plenty of time.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wu Furong came out and beckoned to Li Qi, "Young man, the lady has invited you. Come with me quickly."

Li Qi was delighted and followed Wu Furong inside.

Wu Furong led Li Qi to a door and whispered, "Young man, don't say anything inappropriate when you see the lady."

What is inappropriate? There's no clear definition. Li Qi smiled and said, "Uncle Wu, I understand. Don't worry."

Wu Furong nodded, then knocked three times and said respectfully, "Lady, Master Li is here."

"Please come in." Xiaotao's voice came from inside.

Wu Furong pushed the door open and led Li Qi inside. The room was spacious and neatly arranged, with a faint scent of sandalwood, making one feel refreshed. There were four wooden chairs on both sides, and a round screen with lotus patterns was placed at the center. In front of the screen sat a beautiful woman in her early thirties, and Xiaotao stood respectfully beside her.

When Li Qi's gaze fell on the woman, he couldn't look away. She wore a white silk robe, had delicate eyebrows, phoenix eyes, skin as smooth as snow, a full figure, and a dignified and composed demeanor. Her clear, bright eyes seemed to have a magical power, making one醉仙居的大老板—Mrs. Qin. However, Mrs. Qin was even younger and more beautiful than Li Qi had imagined.

Mrs. Qin frowned inwardly at Li Qi's loss of composure but did not show it. She nodded slightly and said calmly, "Master Li, please take a seat."

"Thank you, Lady!" Li Qi sat in the first chair on the right, took a deep breath, and dared not look at Mrs. Qin again, thinking to himself, "Damn, even her voice is so beautiful. No wonder she stays at home all the time. If she went out on the street, she would just be tempting people to commit crimes."

Wu Furong, at Mrs. Qin's gesture, sat opposite Li Qi.

After Xiaotao served tea to Li Qi and Wu Furong, Mrs. Qin asked calmly, "Master Li, I just heard from Uncle Wu that you have a friend who wants to buy Zui Xian Ju?"

Sweat! This woman is obsessed with selling her shop. She didn't even bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point. Mrs. Qin's words made Li Qi, who had intended to build some rapport, quite depressed. He stood up and bowed to Wu Furong, "I'm sorry, Uncle Wu, I didn't tell you the truth."

Wu Furong's face changed dramatically as he stood up and asked, "Young man, what do you mean by that?"

"Uncle Wu, please calm down." Li Qi turned to Mrs. Qin and said, "Lady, the so-called 'friend' is just a fabrication. The one who really wants to buy Zui Xian Ju is me."