Chapter 46

Today is the last day of the fifteenth deadline.

At the hour of the Rooster, Wu Furong and Li Qi brought Wu Xiaoliu to the Qin residence.

Wu Furong originally did not want to bring Wu Xiaoliu, but Wu Xiaoliu refused to stay behind and begged Li Qi to take him along, calling him grandpa and grandma.

Li Qi, annoyed by his constant nagging, had no choice but to let Wu Furong take him along.

Since Li Qi had given the order, Wu Furong could not say much more, but he still scolded Wu Xiaoliu harshly.

Xiaotao led Li Qi and the others to the front hall, asked them to wait a moment, and went in to inform the lady of the house.

The rules in ancient times were really troublesome.

Li Qi scratched his head in frustration.

"Master Li, when you meet the lady, don't say anything rash," Wu Furong said in a low voice, sitting next to Li Qi.

Li Qi rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Uncle Wu, you've said this almost eight hundred times. Just put your mind at ease. I guarantee nothing will go wrong."

"That's good, that's good!"

Wu Furong chuckled awkwardly, glancing to the side and seeing Wu Xiaoliu blushing and trying to suppress a laugh. He was instantly furious. "Hey, you little brat, you dare to mock me!" He glared at him, and Wu Xiaoliu immediately lowered his head.

Li Qi shook his head. This uncle and nephew were truly unique.

Soon, Xiaotao came out and led Li Qi and Wu Furong to the inner hall.

Thinking about meeting the beautiful Lady Qin again, Li Qi felt a bit nervous.

Of course, he was more excited!

Although he had been prepared, when Li Qi saw Lady Qin's face, he was still taken aback.

Lady Qin was even more beautiful today than she was half a month ago.

She had a gentle smile on her lips, less melancholy, and more charm.

Even such a faint smile was enough to make everyone fall for her.

That Mr. Qin was really unlucky. He married such a beautiful wife but didn't live long enough to enjoy it. If it were me, I would die with my eyes open. This is even more tragic than those who die of a heart attack from excitement after winning five million. Thinking about how young Lady Qin was and had to become a widow, Li Qi couldn't help but think of his own newly married wife and sighed.

After exchanging greetings, Lady Qin invited Li Qi and Wu Furong to sit down.

"Master Li, you have worked hard these past few days," Lady Qin said with a slight nod.

Li Qi chuckled and said, "Lady, you are too kind. I didn't do much, just waking up early and working late, dealing with oil and fire, using a spoon as a pillow, and a pot as a blanket. It wasn't really that hard."

"Ha!"

Wu Furong couldn't help but laugh and sprayed the tea he had just drunk.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

He quickly coughed to cover up his embarrassment.

This guy is really too much!

Lady Qin couldn't help but laugh, her cheeks turning red. "Master Li, you are really witty."

Li Qi lowered his head and said shyly, "In the past, people always said I was too honest and had a clumsy tongue. This is the first time someone has praised me for being witty."

This—this guy is too shameless! If you have a clumsy tongue, then I must be mute!

Lady Qin turned her head away, unable to speak. After a moment, she turned back but dared not continue the topic. "Uncle Wu told me everything that happened these past few days. He spoke highly of you!"

"Oh? Really?"

Li Qi was surprised and quickly said, "Uncle Wu is too kind. I really don't deserve it. Everything is thanks to Uncle Wu."

"I dare not, I dare not. I just spoke the truth," Wu Furong said, feeling embarrassed. He thought to himself, he clearly told me to say this yesterday, but now he acts as if he doesn't know anything and pushes all the credit to me. Sigh, I don't know what he's up to.

Seeing them praising each other, Lady Qin frowned and said, "Both of you have worked hard for Drunken Immortal Inn. I will remember it."

Wu Furong said nervously, "It's what I should do."

Li Qi, however, accepted it calmly.

Lady Qin nodded slightly and said seriously, "Uncle Wu, how much did Drunken Immortal Inn earn these past few days?"

Wu Furong glanced at Li Qi, seeing his sly smile, and knew what he was thinking. He cleared his throat and said, "Drunken Immortal Inn earned a total of 2,300 guan over these fifteen days." He then took out a ledger from his sleeve and handed it over. "Here are the detailed accounts. Please review them, Lady."

Lady Qin had Xiaotao take the ledger and carefully examined it.

Li Qi remained silent, secretly amused. He thought, this woman is a good actress. She clearly knows everything but is pretending to be unaware.

After a while, Lady Qin handed the ledger back to Xiaotao and smiled at Li Qi. "Master Li, you are indeed very talented. You earned so much in just a few days. Since that's the case—"

"Wait!"

Before Lady Qin could finish, Li Qi suddenly stood up, interrupting her. "Lady, Uncle Wu's accounts are not accurate."

What?

Wu Furong was shocked, staring at Li Qi in disbelief. "Master Li, why is that?"

Lady Qin also looked at Li Qi in surprise.

Li Qi raised his eyebrows and said, "Lady, you may not know, but out of the 2,300 guan, 1,500 guan were earned through my family's secret recipe. So, in fact, I only earned 800 guan for Drunken Immortal Inn."

"You—?"

Wu Furong jumped up from his chair, pointing at Li Qi, his lips trembling, but unable to say a word.

"What? Uncle Wu, am I wrong?"

Li Qi looked at Wu Furong with a smile.

Wu Furong was about to speak but saw Li Qi's left hand, which was behind his back, wave slightly. He swallowed his words and thought, is he doing this on purpose? Let's see what happens. He closed his eyes, sighed, and nodded. "You are right. The 1,500 guan should belong to you. I made a mistake."

Lady Qin, hearing this, could no longer remain calm. She stood up, frowned, and said coldly, "Master Li, what do you mean by this?"

Li Qi looked straight at Lady Qin and said clearly, "My point is, I did not fulfill my initial promise, so the contract is invalid. As for the 800 guan, consider it compensation for the trouble I've caused your inn."

Lady Qin said angrily, "You want to back out?"

Li Qi shook his head and smiled. "No, no, I am just following the initial agreement. Lady, rest assured, I, Li Qi, am not a man who breaks his word. I will be honest. Of course, I also know that whether I stay or leave has never been a concern for you."

Wu Furong was getting more and more confused. Could this guy really be planning to leave? He hurriedly said, "Master Li, why do you say that? Lady Qin certainly hopes you will stay!"

Lady Qin huffed and said nothing, which was an acknowledgment.

Now, Li Qi's status in her eyes was different from before. She knew very well that the revival of Drunken Immortal Inn depended entirely on Li Qi. How could she not care about his departure? In fact, she was a thousand, ten thousand times unwilling for Li Qi to leave.

Seeing Lady Qin's anxious expression, Li Qi secretly laughed but showed a surprised look. "Oh? Is that so? Uncle Wu, how did you know that?"