Chapter 64

The hair didn't come out, instead, Li Qi gave a generous gift to Li Qi.

Bai Qianru almost fainted from anger.

Li Qi glanced at her, secretly laughing in his heart, thinking, "Trying to compete with me, you're still too young."

However, Li Qi did not continue to belittle Bai Qianru. After all, she had put a lot of effort into helping him. Walking in front of everyone, he deliberately examined the twenty young men and women, who were all about seventeen or eighteen years old, each with a pale and thin face, their dark eyes filled with fear as they looked at him. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

The refugees, seeing Li Qi approach, were all extremely anxious, unsure of what to do, clearly frightened by Li Qi's earlier roar and his stern expression.

Li Qi scanned the crowd and said loudly, "I believe Bai Niangzi has already told you the reason I brought you here, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"The great kindness of the nobleman, I will never forget, even if I work for you like a cow or a horse, I cannot repay you even a little," a woman cried out.

The others also shed tears, thanking Li Qi for everything he had done for them.

I'm not one for such emotional scenes.

Li Qi's eyes were slightly moist, but he did not forget the purpose of his visit. With a determined heart, he shouted, "You don't need to thank me. I am not a bodhisattva, nor a great philanthropist, and certainly not your benefactor."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Li Qi in surprise.

Li Qi paused and continued, "I am a businessman. Remember, if a businessman gives you a meal, it's not for free. You must repay him. It's just a transaction. You are unfortunate, but you are also lucky. At least compared to those outside who have no roof over their heads, you have a place to stay and a full meal to eat."

Saying this, Li Qi suddenly pointed at Bai Qianru and said, "Of course, you should thank Bai Niangzi a lot. This house is provided to you free of charge by her."

Bai Qianru, upon hearing this, frowned slightly, looking at Li Qi in confusion, clearly shocked by his words.

Of course, the refugees felt the same way.

Li Qi raised his eyebrows and continued, "But don't think this roof belongs to you. That would be a big mistake. I am a businessman and will not give you a meal for nothing. What I give you is an opportunity, a chance to support yourselves with your own hands. In the end, you must rely on your own efforts. I'll be blunt: if anyone's performance does not satisfy me in the future, I will ask you to leave this house. There are plenty of people outside waiting for this opportunity, so you must cherish what you have now. Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded subconsciously, all of them extremely anxious, fearing that Li Qi would kick them out.

Bai Qianru, upon hearing this, was both shocked, angry, and confused.

She was shocked by how petty Li Qi's words were, petty to the point where it made him seem like a gentleman; angry because from his words, it was clear that he was using her; and confused because she found herself increasingly unable to understand this man.

Of course, she had never understood him.

Seeing the anxious faces of the crowd, Li Qi smiled slightly and said, "But don't worry too much. As long as you work hard for me, I guarantee you will have meat to eat every day."

The young men and women, upon hearing that they would have meat to eat, immediately smiled.

Li Qi, seeing their innocent smiles, couldn't help but smile as well.

"Mr. Li's words have truly broadened my horizons," Bai Qianru walked over, smiling, but with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Li Qi chuckled and said, "Just being honest. I hope I haven't embarrassed you, Bai Niangzi."

Bai Qianru sneered, "Your honesty must be worth a lot."

Li Qi was slightly taken aback. When did I offend this lady again? Well, a good man doesn't fight with a woman. He laughed and said, "We can't stand here outside forever. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Bai Qianru huffed and, supporting an old woman, led the way into the house. Xing'er glared at him and followed.

Bai Qianru could ignore Li Qi, but the others dared not. They stared at Li Qi, unsure whether to enter or not.

Sweat! Not even this much face?

Li Qi laughed and said, "Come in, all of you." He then walked in with a thick face.

Once inside the courtyard, it was a refugee camp.

The courtyard, though not small, seemed cramped with thirty to forty people living there.

On both sides of the courtyard, several shacks were made of rags. Some had straw mats underneath, while others had nothing. Inside the house, there were only straw mats, and there was no place to sit.

Despite the chaos, there was no strong odor.

This surprised Li Qi, but when he saw the row of dripping clothes on the wall, he understood. Bai Qianru must have had them take a bath and change their dirty clothes before entering to avoid making her foster mother's house stinky.

Surrounded by the crowd, Li Qi entered the house, where tea was served and chairs were brought, treating him like a king, which made him feel a bit overwhelmed.

Bai Qianru, seemingly unwilling to be in the same room as Li Qi, taught the twenty young men and women to read in the courtyard, which was part of their cooperation.

"Deer jerky."

"Deer jerky."

"Drunk crab."

"Drunk crab."

...

Bai Qianru read a word, and the children repeated it, all names of dishes.

Li Qi, listening for a while, finally sighed in relief. As long as Bai Qianru wasn't teaching them "At the beginning of human life, nature is inherently good," he thought, secretly amused. He wondered which restaurant's menu Bai Qianru had gotten.

Coming back to his senses, Li Qi suddenly noticed that all the uncles and aunts were staring at him. He smiled bitterly and waved, "Go about your business. You don't need to stay here with me."

Now, they were both respectful and afraid of Li Qi. Hearing his words, they all nodded and left, as they still had many things to do since they had just moved in.

Only five or six men remained, as this was a male-dominated society, and they wouldn't do household chores.

Bored, Li Qi asked a bearded uncle, "By the way, where are you all from?"

The uncle hurriedly replied, "We are all from Tongzhou."

Li Qi nodded and sighed, "There's a war going on there now. The ones who suffer are always the common people."

"Who says it isn't? We were originally Song citizens living in Liao, but the Liao emperor was incompetent, causing the people to suffer. Even worse, those Jin dogs, those beasts, looted, burned, and raped, committing every evil deed. When they entered the city, they killed anyone they saw and assaulted any woman they encountered. They are worse than beasts. My wife was also—sigh," the uncle said with a face full of resentment.

The others also sighed.

Another tall man sighed, "We are relatively lucky to have escaped the Jin dogs' blades. Many others have—sigh."

Lucky?

In two years, you will likely experience the same disaster again.

Li Qi, upon hearing this, couldn't help but think of the Jingkang Incident two years later, his gaze becoming somber. At that time, he would probably be like them, wandering and displaced.

"Mr. Li, Mr. Li."

The few people, seeing Li Qi suddenly fall silent, called out anxiously, fearing they had said something wrong.

Li Qi was slightly startled and, seeing their anxious faces, hurriedly smiled, "Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

The few people, hearing this, all breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Li Qi.

Am I that terrifying?

Li Qi shook his head and asked, "What did you do before?"

The bearded uncle quickly replied, "I am surnamed Tian, and I was a carpenter." He then pointed to the tall man, "This is surnamed Huang, a lacquerer." He then pointed to the fattest man, "This is surnamed Zheng, a cook." He then pointed to the hunchback, "This is surnamed Zhang, a brewer." Finally, he pointed to the strong man, "This is surnamed Chen, also a carpenter." He then added, "There are a few others, each with a special skill."

Wow! Really? Could I have found such treasures? When did my luck get so good?

Li Qi couldn't believe his ears. Just a few refugees, and each had a special skill. This was too exaggerated.

Li Qi clearly didn't believe his luck could be this good. He frowned and suddenly asked, "Did Bai Niangzi ask you about this?"

Tian the carpenter, not knowing why Li Qi asked this, but not daring to lie, nodded, "Bai Niangzi did ask us about this yesterday."

Indeed.

Li Qi glanced outside, feeling guilty. It seems I was judging a gentleman with a petty mind!

Li Qi smiled bitterly in his heart. Since Bai Niangzi had helped him select these skilled people, it would be a waste not to use them. It just so happened that Zui Xianju was undergoing renovation, and it would be a waste not to use this resource.

Thus, Li Qi told them about the renovation at Zui Xianju and invited them to help.

Tian the carpenter and the others, worried about how to repay Li Qi, immediately agreed without hesitation, even refusing to take wages, only asking for food and lodging.

Sigh, another saving for this miser.

{Piaotian Literature}