Chapter 83: A Visitor Arrives to Discuss Business

She tilted her head for a moment before finally returning to the main topic. Then, Changsheng and Fang Nuo heard the young lady’s cheerful voice, “Sell it, why not? He offers silver, I offer wine—a fair trade. Ah Nuo, Changsheng, let me teach you something: the reason we do business is for silver, isn’t it? If someone brings us honest money without stealing or robbing, why should we refuse it? Remember what I said before: anyone who comes through the door is a guest. When we encounter unreasonable guests, as long as they can pay, just treat their nonsense as nothing more than a foul wind—it may pollute the air a little, but it doesn’t really harm us.”

Her words were rather crude, causing Jiang Li to frown and glance at her unhappily. Catching Jiang Li’s reproachful gaze, Liu Qin stuck out her tongue and shrank back her little chest. Fang Nuo and Changsheng, however, both laughed, replying, “Yes, Young Master.” As they turned to leave, they heard Liu Qin add behind them, “No need for discounts, charge the original price. My Fifth Uncle has plenty of money anyway.”

Fang Nuo and Changsheng exchanged a knowing look and smiled at each other.

Now, Fang Nuo, that clever little fox, was indeed a sharp one. After Liu Qin’s words, her attitude changed completely. When she went outside, she began singing the servant’s praises so thoroughly that even Changsheng, listening nearby, felt a bit embarrassed. After Fang Nuo sent off the satisfied servant—who left thinking himself grand and impressive, never realizing he’d paid more than he should—Changsheng was left behind, laughing so hard he was out of breath.

Counting her silver, Fang Nuo was truly content. She thought the young master’s method was simply the best. What good would it do to quarrel with unpleasant people? If she could empty their pockets, that was the real skill—and it brought a deep sense of satisfaction.

From that day forward, Fang Nuo walked a path of “bloodless killing”—only seeing a river of gleaming silver.

Meanwhile, Liu Qin grew bored of staying in the private room. Two handsome boys were there: one engrossed in his book, probably enchanted by the beauties within its pages; the other stood motionless by the window, practicing his cold exercises, ignoring her completely. She found it utterly dull.

Unable to bear it, she climbed off the couch, put on her shoes, and dashed out, throwing aside the curtain as she went. Watching her disappearing back, Jiang Li shook his head. His sister’s restless nature could not be curbed, and he could only let her be. Xiao Wu also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Though he had feigned reluctance, his heart was in great turmoil. Now that Liu Qin was gone, he could finally relax a little.

Liu Qin wandered into the main hall. It was only mid-afternoon, not yet time for supper. The hall was sparsely populated; the few guests present had been drinking since noon. The servers took advantage of the lull to rest on the chairs, regaining their strength. Even Uncle Cheng was dozing against a chair.

Small and unobtrusive, Liu Qin wandered through the room without drawing anyone’s attention.

She made her way to the rear courtyard, which was lively. Fang Nuo, Xing Sheng, An Kang, Da Tong, and others were gathered, chatting excitedly. Peals of laughter rang out from their circle. Da Tong’s mother, Wang Guihua, and two young maids sat nearby, smiling as they prepared vegetables. Da Tong’s little sister, Xiao Qin, was a quiet and gentle child. Though younger than the other girls, she seemed more sensible, and seeing her always gave Liu Qin a pang of tenderness.

The same name, yet different people, gave Liu Qin an unexpected sense of sisterly affection.

She peeked her head inside but was quickly spotted by the sharp-eyed Chang An. “You—” he began, but immediately covered his mouth, walked over quietly, and whispered, “Young Master, do you have instructions?”

Liu Qin had warned him before: with outsiders present, Chang An must not reveal her true identity as the mistress of the house.

“Nothing, just wandering around,” Liu Qin replied, tilting her head up with a bright smile. Sunlight fell unfiltered across her face, dazzling in its brilliance.

With Chang An standing in the way, no one in the courtyard noticed the unexpected visitor. Chang An was at a loss for words when suddenly voices from the main hall drifted in. The hall and rear courtyard were separated by only a curtain, and since they were standing by the door, they heard everything clearly.

A crisp female voice rang out, “Shopkeeper, is your owner present?”

Liu Qin was surprised; it was the first time she’d seen a guest enter and ask straight away for the owner, without ordering anything. Her curiosity piqued, she returned to the hall.

At the counter stood a young woman in a scarlet dress, about sixteen years old. She was striking, with an air of spirited confidence. Her attire was vivid but not vulgar, and Liu Qin immediately felt a sense of fondness for her.

However, it was not the young woman who spoke, but the girl in blue behind her—a maid of about twelve or thirteen, pretty but not yet fully grown.

Uncle Cheng bowed, “Miss, what business do you have with our owner?”

The maid in blue spoke quickly, “You’re the shopkeeper, just say if your owner is here or not. Why ask so many questions? Of course we have business to discuss, else why would we come and waste our words?”

“Mind your manners,” the young woman in red rebuked her maid, then turned and apologized with a gentle smile. “Forgive her, Uncle. Qing’er is young and may have spoken out of turn. We’re from Misty Rain Pavilion. We’ve heard your wine is excellent and would like to cooperate. We hope your shop can supply us with good wine over the long term, and would like to discuss this with the owner directly. After all, for a long-term arrangement, it’s customary to negotiate a bit on price.”

The young woman in red was exceedingly polite, but Liu Qin keenly noticed Uncle Cheng frown ever so slightly. The servers nearby looked on with curiosity, and even the drunken guests glanced over with knowing smiles.

Uncle Cheng, a seasoned veteran, quickly concealed his unease and replied with a genial smile, “I’m not authorized to decide this matter myself. Once I’ve consulted the owner, we’ll be sure to send word to your establishment.”

“Very well, thank you for your trouble, Uncle,” the young woman in red said briskly, turning to leave without another word. The maid, Qing’er, was less pleased and muttered under her breath, “Hong Jing, they’re obviously looking down on us. Refusing to even meet—what’s so great about them, just another small merchant, not so much nobler than us.”

“Enough, Qing’er, as long as we respect ourselves, what does it matter what others think…” Their conversation faded away as they walked off, their figures soon vanishing from sight.

Turning around, Uncle Cheng saw Liu Qin behind him, eyes shining with curiosity. He awkwardly stroked his beard, at a loss for words.

It wasn’t that Uncle Cheng meant to keep things from her, but this was a difficult subject to broach. After all, the young lady was just a girl—matters relating to brothels and such filth were best kept unspoken, lest her reputation be harmed. So Uncle Cheng had decided, even if it meant losing the business, he would never let the establishment be entangled with the Misty Rain Pavilion. Although no one knew yet that the shop belonged to the Liu family’s young lady, if word ever got out, it would bring great harm to her reputation.

Thus, Uncle Cheng merely gave a perfunctory reply, intending to let the matter pass. But unexpectedly, Liu Qin had overheard everything, her eyes brimming with curiosity, leaving him tongue-tied. He couldn’t bring himself to explain the nature of the Misty Rain Pavilion to a young girl, so he could only force a smile and say, “Young Master, I’ll go check the back courtyard,” and made a hasty retreat, moving with surprising speed for someone his age.

Fortunately, Changsheng was still around—naïve and unguarded, he was more than willing to satisfy Liu Qin’s burning curiosity.