Overjoyed at seeing fellow villagers again, Qin Xiaoyou and Zui Linglong spent several days huddled together, chattering away about things they couldn't understand. Every now and then, words like "lottery," "press conference," "fame," and "big shot" would float out, leaving the servants completely bewildered. They secretly wondered if the two were possessed by evil spirits and even discussed whether to ask Ren Dong to invite a sorcerer to perform a ritual to exorcise the evil.
Early that morning, Qin Xiaoyou stepped out of her room, feeling refreshed, and took Zui Linglong's hand as they walked outside. Yesterday, she had overheard that the abbot of Qingyun Temple in the capital was quite accomplished, and she planned to visit him with Zui Linglong, and perhaps ask him about her fortune and marriage prospects.
However, the two were stopped at the door. It wasn't because anyone was causing trouble, but because Qin Xiaoyou had been busy catching up with old friends these past few days and had completely forgotten about selling her shop. Sure enough, she ran into Jin Yuanbao, the manager of Daxiao Money Shop, just as she reached the door. Although she was a little annoyed, she figured she was alone anyway, so she decided to deal with him first before leaving.
The three of them went upstairs to the pharmacy and sat down. Jin Yuanbao took out a thin piece of paper with his offer written on it. Qin Xiaoyou took the paper, glanced at it, and frowned. Zui Linglong, curious, also took the paper and glanced at it, her brow furrowing as well. Seeing their reactions, Jin Yuanbao's heart pounded. This was a figure he and the accountant had calculated over three days, and he believed the price was quite reasonable. But judging from Qin Xiaoyou and Zui Linglong's reactions, did they think it was too low?
Jin Yuanbao was feeling uneasy, wondering if he should add more money, but Qin Xiaoyou spoke up and told him to leave: "Mr. Jin, you should go back first. We'll talk about the shop matter after the other shops give us their responses. I'll send someone to notify you to come over together once the results are out."
Wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, Jin Yuanbao forced a smile and said goodbye before leaving. Qin Xiaoyou tiptoed to the window, and after watching Jin Yuanbao's figure disappear around the street corner, she immediately stomped her feet twice and excitedly ran back to the table, grabbing Zui Linglong's hand and saying, "Suddenly I feel like I've become a nouveau riche."
Zui Linglong smiled slightly and said, "This Boss Jin seems to be quite honest, as he offered a much higher price than I expected."
"Judging from the price Jin Yuanbao offered, I think the others shouldn't be too bad either. What do you think we should do with this money?" Qin Xiaoyou couldn't sit still any longer and asked excitedly while pacing back and forth in the room.
“Well,” Zui Linglong thought for a moment, “why not continue investing in restaurants? This industry has little risk and making money is relatively easy.”
"A restaurant? That's a good idea! Let's open a chain of restaurants, that way I won't have to pay for meals no matter where I go." Qin Xiaoyou beamed. Zui Linglong smiled helplessly: "You, you're always thinking about food no matter where you go."
"However," after her excitement subsided, Qin Xiaoyou wrinkled her nose, her round eyes darting around, and asked Zui Linglong, "Just running a restaurant is too monotonous, and with so much money, it's no fun if we don't try something else. Hmm, have you ever thought about opening a brothel?"
"Hey, why are you two so obsessed with opening brothels? Qin'er insisted on opening a brothel before, and now it's your turn, and you still want to open one. Why are you two so fixated on brothels?" Zui Linglong felt that she couldn't quite keep up with the thinking of either Qin Xiaoyou or Qin Qin.
"Well, there are two reasons." Qin Xiaoyou pretended to be profound, looking up at the sky with her hands behind her back. After pacing back and forth a couple of times, she said, "The first reason, I guess, is that although I moved into Qin Qin's body, some of her thoughts are still there, so I was influenced by her; the second reason, I mean, you're a girl who reads time-travel novels, don't you think you've never had any brothel fantasies?"
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou's face suddenly lean closer, Zui Linglong inexplicably got goosebumps. A brothel complex? What if she ended up getting herself into trouble in business? Seeing what Zui Linglong was thinking, Qin Xiaoyou patted her shoulder generously and said, "Don't be nervous. We're from modern society, after all. How can we open a brothel like those in ancient times? We need to create our own unique style, something high-end and classy."
Hearing Qin Xiaoyou's words, Zui Linglong became interested: "How exactly do you mean high-end, classy, and sophisticated?"
"Well, I haven't thought of that yet," Qin Xiaoyou said, rubbing her hands together.
"Tch." Zui Linglong rolled her eyes at her. "You'd better not get involved in the brothel business. The only reason I agreed to open a brothel for Qin'er was because she was quite skilled and could handle the stage. As for you, I'm wondering why you, who are in her body, seem to have no martial arts skills at all? I wouldn't dare go with you to open a brothel if I didn't have the skills. I don't want to offend some powerful person and end up getting myself into trouble."
Qin Xiaoyou chuckled dryly twice, "This skill, well, it takes time to figure it out."
"Really?" Zui Linglong looked unconvinced. "Don't wait until you figure out the kung fu, I'll be old and dead."
"Sigh, I can't guarantee that," Qin Xiaoyou sighed. "You don't know, ever since I found out Qin Qin knows kung fu, I've tried so many methods, just to see if I could remember even a move or two. In the end, all I've gained is bruises and black eyes. Sigh, it's all because of those transmigration novels. They say that after transmigrating, the previous owner of the body is a peerless hero, and you can fly as soon as you open your eyes and beat people to a pulp. Sigh, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Anyway, I've tried every method I could think of, and it hasn't worked at all."
"Sigh." Zui Linglong also sighed deeply, looking melancholy.
The two women were slumped over, heads propped up, seemingly lost in thought. Su Lin walked up and, seeing their expressions, asked curiously, "Miss Qin, Miss Linglong, didn't you two say you were going to Qingyun Temple? Why are you sitting here?"
Qin Xiaoyou looked up, gave Su Lin a look full of resentment, and slowly said, "I'm not in the mood."
Su Lin asked in surprise, "Weren't you quite happy when you woke up this morning? Did Boss Jin upset you just now?"
"No, that's not true." Qin Xiaoyou waved her hand. "I was just thinking, what should I do with all this money?"
"So that's what's troubling you." Su Lin chuckled. "That's easy, just choose a beautiful place with clear waters and mountains, and live there with your loved one until you grow old together."
"Grow old together?" Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaoyou and Zui Linglong's eyes lit up. The two of them stared at Su Lin, making Su Lin blush and feel uneasy, wondering what he had said wrong.
Seeing that Su Lin was about to turn around and go downstairs, Zui Linglong quickly got up and blocked Su Lin's way, asking with a smile, "Lin'er, who is the person you want to grow old with?"
"I, I, I didn't!" Su Lin answered loudly, her face flushed.
"Tsk tsk, you're so nervous, you must be pregnant." Zui Linglong continued to tease Su Lin, "Come on, tell me, I'll go see which girl has won your heart."
"No, really, Miss Linglong, please don't joke around. I have something to do, I'll go down first." After saying that, Su Lin turned and ran away from Zui Linglong like a startled rabbit.
Watching Su Lin's departing figure, Zui Linglong let out a long sigh. Seeing how Zui Linglong had been teasing Su Lin so happily just moments before, but now looked so troubled, Qin Xiaoyou couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong?"
Zui Linglong glanced at Qin Xiaoyou, but didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "Did you notice anything different between Su Xiao and Su Lin?"
"Well," Qin Xiaoyou stroked her chin, "they don't look like brothers."
Zui Linglong patiently continued to ask, "Anything else?"
Qin Xiaoyou glanced at the sky and said, "Our relationship is so good."
Zui Linglong said quietly, "That's the problem."
Qin Xiaoyou gasped in shock: "Could it be them?"
Zui Linglong nodded. Qin Xiaoyou clapped her hands, "Wow! So avant-garde, they're brothers!"
Zui Linglong gave Qin Xiaoyou a disdainful look: "Stop acting like a slutty, wolves-like woman. They're not blood brothers."
"Oh, so that's not it." Qin Xiaoyou drawled in utter disappointment. She instantly lost interest in continuing the topic and changed the subject, asking, "Hey, what do you think of Su Lin's suggestion?"
"What suggestion?" Zui Linglong didn't react for a moment.
"We'll grow old together," Qin Xiaoyou said, sticking out her tongue.
"Sounds good." Zui Linglong's cheeks flushed slightly, perhaps remembering something. Seeing Zui Linglong like this, Qin Xiaoyou's gossipy heart began to stir again. Just as she was about to lean forward and ask Zui Linglong who the person she wanted to grow old with was, Zui Linglong suddenly said, "Oh no, I've been so busy chatting with you these past few days that I forgot I have something important to do. I have to go now. I'll go to Qingyun Temple another time; I can't go today." With that, she hurriedly went downstairs and left. Watching Zui Linglong's retreating figure, Qin Xiaoyou was incredibly curious. What did the person who had captured Zui Linglong's heart look like? Ah, I'm so curious!
Chapter 29, Finding an Ally
Zui Linglong had disappeared without a trace since leaving that day. Qin Xiaoyou, however, was not idle. The next morning, Yun Qing and Chen Xuan had already submitted their prices, but Su Xiao remained silent. Qin Xiaoyou grew impatient and decided to send someone to fetch Su Xiao to ask what was going on.
Su Xiao didn't come in person; instead, he sent a message inviting Qin Xiaoyou to meet him at a theater. Thinking that whatever his intentions were, she decided to go and see. Upon entering the theater, a waiter, noticing her sharp eyes, led the way. It was a private room on the second floor, facing the stage but not too noisy. A row of various snacks was laid out on the table. Qin Xiaoyou smiled and asked, "Oh, why are you being so attentive to me today? You don't have any ulterior motives, do you?"
Su Xiao replied with a smile, "Even if I have a lot of ill intentions, as soon as I'm with you, all those thoughts disappear."
Qin Xiaoyou feigned anger: "What do you mean by that?"
Su Xiao shrugged: "The literal meaning."
"Hmph," Qin Xiaoyou snorted, leaving behind the comment, "No taste." Thinking about the purpose of her trip, she abandoned the pointless argument with Su Xiao, pulled out a chair, sat down, crossed her legs, and asked in a nonchalant manner, "The other companies have all submitted their prices, why haven't you made a move? Don't tell me you don't want that gambling den anymore?"
Su Xiao straightened his expression and answered seriously, "I really didn't intend to have it."
This answer was something Qin Xiaoyou never expected. She squinted and looked Su Xiao up and down, making sure he wasn't joking, then frowned and asked, "Why?"
Su Xiao didn't rush to answer. He held the tea in his hand, gently blew away the tea foam floating on the surface, took a sip, and then pointed to a plate of cloud cake on the table and said, "This cloud cake is the specialty of Fengxia Tower. It would be a pity to come to the capital and not come to Fengxia Tower to watch the opera. It would be another great pity to come to Fengxia Tower to watch the opera and not eat the cloud cake here."
Qin Xiaoyou frowned and glared at Su Xiao, but still picked up a piece of cake and put it in her mouth to taste. Hmm, you know what, it actually tastes pretty good.
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou enjoying her meal, Su Xiao pushed a plate of peach blossom cakes in front of her before slowly explaining, "I took over the gambling den because I owed you a favor. Now that you're not going to run it anymore, I'm happy to relax and enjoy my freedom."
"So what are your plans for the future?" Qin Xiaoyou asked vaguely while eating.
"I want to live in seclusion with Lin'er." Su Xiao's voice was very soft, but Qin Xiaoyou still heard it clearly. Remembering what Su Lin had said a few days ago about finding a place to grow old together with her beloved, a mouthful of cake choked her, making her eyes roll back in her head. Fortunately, Su Xiao quickly poured her a few cups of tea, which helped her catch her breath.
Patting her chest, Qin Xiaoyou asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Are you going to live a secluded life as a divine couple?"
Su Xiao's eyes darkened. Qin Xiaoyou guessed that he might not want others to know about him and Su Lin. She was anxious about how to change the subject to avoid embarrassment, but Su Xiao readily agreed and said, "Since you can tell, I won't hide it from you. I do want to take Lin'er to a place where no one will bother us and live our lives together."
Qin Xiaoyou inwardly scoffed. "With you being so obvious, if I still can't tell, I'm blind. All those BL novels I read were a waste of time." For a moment, neither of them spoke. The lyrics from the opera stage drifted over clearly. Qin Xiaoyou listened intently for a while; it was roughly a story about a husband going to war, while his wife waited alone at home. Qin Xiaoyou was slightly surprised. She had always thought operas were only about talented men and beautiful women, kings and generals; she hadn't expected stories about ordinary people.
Su Xiao noticed Qin Xiaoyou's doubts and explained, "The owner of Fengxia Tower is a remarkable person. He personally choreographs all the plays performed on stage, and they are all based on true stories. That's why Fengxia Tower is the number one theater in the capital."
"Unconventional, truly rare," Qin Xiaoyou nodded in admiration. "You two are rare too." After a moment of silence, Qin Xiaoyou suddenly blurted out this sentence out of the blue. Su Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant, and picked up his teacup, saying, "I'll toast you with tea instead of wine." Qin Xiaoyou returned the toast, saying, "May you grow old together in happiness." Su Xiao smiled without any politeness, "That's for sure."
Looking at the man's cheerful smile, Qin Xiaoyou was momentarily dazed. Many years ago, it was the same scene. She was sitting opposite someone, the only difference being that there were several cans of beer in front of them. Qin Xiaoyou had said, "I wish you a long and happy life together." The man confidently replied, "Of course." Recalling this past event, a warmth welled up in Qin Xiaoyou's heart, and even Su Xiao seemed much more pleasing to the eye. She immediately declared generously, "Sell the gambling den and the pharmacy. Consider the money as your payment for managing them for me." However, after saying this, she wanted to bite her tongue. Such a large sum of money had been squandered; it pained her to think so.
Su Xiao was completely taken aback by Qin Xiaoyou's words, but after a slight surprise, he didn't hesitate to refuse and simply said, "Thanks! If you ever need my help in the future, I, Su Xiao, will do my best."
Qin Xiaoyou thought for a moment. She had discussed it with Zui Linglong a few days ago. She realized she couldn't keep using amnesia as a cover for her fake Qin Qin identity indefinitely. It would be more reliable to find someone trustworthy who had a close relationship with Qin Qin and reveal her true identity to them before discussing a solution. Although Qin Xiaoyou didn't know the exact nature of the relationship between Su Xiao and Qin Qin, she suspected it wasn't simple. And given Su Xiao's straightforward nature, Qin Xiaoyou slammed her hand on the table and decided—he was the one.
"You know what, I do need your help with something right now." Hearing Qin Xiaoyou's words, Su Xiao laughed loudly, "You really don't miss out, you're already asking for it back so quickly. Tell me, what is it?"
"Come here." Qin Xiaoyou beckoned with her finger and told Su Xiao about her background without reservation. Su Xiao didn't seem surprised after hearing it, and only said lightly, "No wonder."
Qin Xiaoyou became a little curious: "Aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?"
Su Xiao looked steadily at her and said, "I believe what you say. Besides, this is for the best. I owe Qin'er a lot of debts, and now I don't have to pay them back." Although Su Xiao spoke nonchalantly, Qin Xiaoyou still saw sadness in his eyes. After a short silence, Su Xiao cupped his hands and said, "I can't tell you everything I know about Qin'er right now. Once I've settled Lin'er, I will definitely come to you and tell you everything I know."
Qin Xiaoyou nodded and said "okay". She knew that Su Xiao meant what he said, so she didn't say anything more and got up to take her leave.
"Brother, you're back. How did your talk with Miss Qin go?" Su Lin absentmindedly crushed the medicinal herbs in his hands. Hearing the door open, he quickly stopped what he was doing and asked.
Su Xiao walked over and affectionately ruffled his hair: "I told her everything."
Upon hearing this, Su Lin's face turned deathly pale. "Then she..."
Su Xiao gave Su Lin a reassuring smile: "She gave us the gambling den and the pharmacy, and also said..."
"What else did you say?" Su Lin asked anxiously when Su Xiao stopped halfway through his sentence.
Instead of speaking, Su Xiao asked, "Lin'er, why are you so concerned about what she thinks and feels?"
Su Lin's eyes darted around; he didn't want to tell the truth, but he also didn't want to lie to Su Xiao. After a long while, he finally mustered the courage to say, "Because she reminds me of an older sister. The moment I saw Miss Qin, I felt a sense of closeness, as if I were seeing a family member." As he said this, Su Lin's eyes reddened. Su Xiao knew he had lost both his parents at a young age and felt a little annoyed that she had brought up Su Lin's painful past. She quickly added, "Miss Qin also wished us a long and happy life together."
Su Lin blushed upon hearing this and asked cautiously, "Did she really say that?" Su Xiao chuckled and pinched his nose, saying, "When have I ever lied to you? Lin'er, if you keep acting this nervous around her, I'm going to get jealous."
Su Lin blushed as she walked outside, saying as she went, "I've saved some dinner for us to eat together. I'll go and bring the food in."
Watching Su Lin's departing figure, Su Xiao murmured to himself, "Whether I like it or not, it seems I owe you another big favor."
Chapter 30, The Mysterious Family
After selling off all the shops under her name and giving them away, Qin Xiaoyou tragically found herself with nothing to do. There's nothing inherently wrong with being idle; how blissful it is to eat and do nothing! However, when you realize everyone around you is busy, and you're the only one with nothing to do, that intense sense of incongruity makes you instinctively want to find something to do.
Qin Xiaoyou wandered to the backyard and saw a maid washing clothes. She wanted to help, but after glancing at the pile of clothes and the maid's red hands, she decided to pretend she hadn't seen anything and strolled away.
Then, she wandered into the kitchen, but didn't stay long before being kicked out by the kitchen lady for getting in the way. Touching her nose, Qin Xiaoyou walked away, feeling rather dejected. Looking up at the sky, she thought the weather was quite nice—not hot, with sunshine and a gentle breeze—and decided to go for a walk. However, she searched the entire pharmacy but couldn't find Ren Dong or Qin Wu. She had originally planned to ask Su Lin to go with her, but Su Lin said he had promised to make house calls that afternoon. Qin Xiaoyou shook her head, deciding to go out and have fun by herself. Anyway, she had a mouth; if she got lost, she could ask for directions. No worries.
With that thought in mind, Qin Xiaoyou tucked some silver into her pocket and strolled out by herself. There wasn't much to see in the city; there were only so many shops, and she didn't have anything she wanted to buy. After standing on the street for a moment, Qin Xiaoyou turned and headed out of the city.
It was just past noon, and many people were taking a nap after lunch, so the outskirts of the city were quiet. Qin Xiaoyou walked alone, looking around, finding it all quite novel and interesting. The lush green grass, interspersed with a few unidentified wildflowers, swayed in the wind, as if dancing. Suddenly, Qin Xiaoyou noticed something white and fluffy moving in the grass. She tiptoed over and saw—oh, it was a little rabbit! Qin Xiaoyou planned to quietly go and catch it to take home and have Qin Wu roast it for dinner that night; she hadn't had wild game in a long time, and her stomach was rumbling with cravings. However, because she was so focused on the rabbit, she wasn't paying attention to her footing and accidentally stepped on a small pebble. Qin Xiaoyou cried out "Ouch!" and startled the rabbit away.
With the delicious food right in front of her, it wasn't Qin Xiaoyou's style to just let it go. So, she kicked her feet and started chasing after the rabbit.
This rabbit was quite clever; it would run a short distance and then glance back at Qin Xiaoyou. If she wasn't following, it would stop and wait, only to start running again when she was almost upon it. Sometimes, when it saw Qin Xiaoyou stop and give up, it would even stick out its rear end and wag at her, as if mocking her for not being able to outrun a rabbit. Qin Xiaoyou was furious. How dare a rabbit mock her? She thought to herself, "Just wait until I catch you, I'll steam you, braise you, chop you into pieces, and eat you!" She chased after it, stopping and starting as she went.
And so they chased each other for who knows how long. Just as Qin Xiaoyou was about to give up, the rabbit turned a corner and ran into a courtyard. Qin Xiaoyou followed and was truly astonished to find that someone had actually built a house on this desolate mountain. Unable to resist the temptation of curiosity, Qin Xiaoyou followed it into the courtyard.
Standing in the yard, Qin Xiaoyou looked around but didn't see the owner. She called out a few times but no one answered, and the fat rabbit had disappeared. Qin Xiaoyou was about to leave when she caught a glimpse of some fruit on the stone table in the yard. She was tired and thirsty from chasing after the rabbit, so she didn't hesitate to scoop some water from the nearby jar, wash her hands, and then crossed her legs and started peeling and eating oranges.
"Oh, you're really not being polite, young lady." Qin Xiaoyou was enjoying her orange when she suddenly heard this voice. She stood up nervously and looked around, but didn't see anyone. Thinking she was hallucinating, she sat down again and continued peeling and eating the orange.
As she was eating, something suddenly hit her on the head. Rubbing her head, she looked up and saw the fat rabbit perched in a tree, its rear end facing her. Qin Xiaoyou, annoyed that she had chased it for so long only to be tricked by the rabbit, broke off a segment of orange and threw it at the rabbit, but she didn't hit it hard enough, not even a hair. A soft laugh came from the tree, sending chills down Qin Xiaoyou's spine. Could the rabbit be a spirit? She immediately abandoned her reverie and got up to leave.
"What, you think you can just leave after eating my food?" A boy jumped down from a tree and blocked Qin Xiaoyou's way. A furry thing was perched on his shoulder. Upon closer inspection, Qin Xiaoyou recognized it as the fat rabbit that had brought her there.
Seeing that she didn't answer and was only staring at his rabbit, the boy couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss, do you know Little Fatty?"
Qin Xiaoyou paused for a moment, glanced around, and after confirming that there were only two people and a rabbit there, she realized that the chubby boy the boy had mentioned was the fat rabbit. She then burst into laughter, completely losing her composure. However, whether Qin Xiaoyou was seeing things or not, she actually saw the fat rabbit give the boy a resentful look, as if blaming him for so easily giving away its name.