Casa de la Dama

Capítulo 6

"Me and Shangguan Yan," this ringtone was specially created by Qiqi for Youyou.

Honestly, in the past, whenever it was Youyou's phone call, Qiqi would answer immediately. Poor Zhao Wei never even finished a single song.

This time, Qiqi didn't rush to answer the phone. Instead, she let it finish playing, maintaining the same posture, and put the phone to her ear.

“Hey... Youyou…”

"Qiqi, don't tell me you're still taking a nap, something good has happened!"

Youyou's voice sounded a little strange.

This was Qiqi's intuition.

"What's up?"

Qiqi's voice was still muffled.

"Um... Come to 'Mu's Private Kitchen' tonight, I'll introduce you to a friend."

"Another blind date... Are you so sure no one will want me? Even if I'm not as popular as you, surely there are some clueless guys who would like me."

"Come on, there are enough boys chasing after you at school to circle the girls' dormitory. You said that your luck hadn't changed this year, and that's how you dismissed everyone. Didn't you say that your luck has changed this year? Of course, I'm going to give you a hand."

"Those you like, you've already slept with; those you don't like, I won't want either."

Qiqi smiled.

"Well... never mind, just think of it as coming to have a meal with your sister, okay?"

Qi Qi opened her eyes and said, "Don't scare me. If someone like you, who has seen a lot, can't handle this, then I'm even less capable. I hate socializing, I can't drink, and I don't know how to joke or tell dirty jokes. You'd better find someone else to save you."

"Qiqi, why are you like this—" Youyou could tell she was getting a little anxious.

Qi Qi felt a little sorry for her: "Sister, you at least have to explain clearly what you want me to do."

Youyou remained silent on the other end.

Qiqi sighed: "Oh my god. What time? How do I get there?"

Youyou let out a long sigh of relief: "Sister Qiqi is so loyal! It's not like we're seeing any fierce demons, just a free meal... It's at the intersection of Shaanxi North Road and Kangding Road, at 6:30 pm."

Looking at the time, it was already close to five o'clock.

Qiqi started the car and drove aimlessly onto Yan'an West Road.

There was still more than an hour left, and nowhere to go.

I realized I hadn't been to Parkson for a month, and I was really itching to go.

Since deciding to buy a house, I've consciously or unconsciously reduced the number of times I go shopping.

Youyou said that women are not like men; their youth lasts only a few years, so they must seize it to make the most of their lives.

Qiqi has no particular fondness for designer clothes, bags, watches, etc.

When she went to Parkson, she mostly bought three things: leather shoes, underwear, and cosmetics.

Because these are "internal" things, things for one's own use.

You get what you pay for; you can fool others, but you can't fool yourself. Quality must never be compromised.

When she went to Parkson, it wasn't really shopping; she would "go straight to the designated counters, buy the products, and leave."

Following the flow of traffic after get off work, Qiqi drove to the address Youyou had given her, arriving at the door of a detached villa on Shaanxi North Road.

Beside the tall plane trees, there were parking spaces, presumably marked out by the restaurant. There was already a black Buick and a tall, oddly shaped Land Rover SUV, but Youyou's ever-present yellow BMW MINI convertible was nowhere to be seen.

The courtyard entrance was so quiet that it didn't look like a business establishment at all.

There was no sign in front of the door.

Only a few willows lazily peeked out from behind the courtyard wall, their verdant branches reaching out.

Qiqi almost doubted that she had gone to the wrong place. She stood in front of the pair of stone-carved Qilin at the entrance, staring blankly at the mottled black iron door.

Just as I was wondering whether I should call Youyou, the iron gate creaked open.

A pretty young woman, about twenty years old and wearing a light green cheongsam, came out and asked Qiqi with a poised and graceful manner, "Excuse me, are you Miss Yang? Miss Xu is inside, in the living room on the second floor."

Inside the small villa's courtyard, there are artificial hills and flowing water, shady green trees, vines climbing all over the walls, and moss growing on the corners of the buildings.

Upon entering the first floor, a screen depicting plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums obscures the view inside.

The staircase is only wide enough for one person to pass through, and it turns a rounded corner to go up to the second floor.

With each step, it made a creaking sound.

There was a faint, damp, fermented smell in the air from the wood over the years, but it wasn't unpleasant; it was as if this kind of smell was meant to accompany this little villa.

The second floor has narrow wooden floors, most of which have peeling paint.

Turning past a screen displaying four beautiful women, two people sat behind an octagonal table.

Qiqi felt that everyone who appeared in this room should be dressed in long robes and mandarin jackets, or at least like people from Shanghai in the 1920s and 30s.

Unfortunately, the two people behind the table were dressed in designer brands that couldn't be more expensive and trendier than ever.

One of them is Youyou, of course. She's always so glamorous and beautiful.

The other man, around thirty-five years old, looked like a very respectable Shanghai man in every way. Qi Qi didn't sit down, only glanced at his face, and said to Youyou, "You should know that I don't like associating with people from government positions."

The man looked Qiqi up and down. Qiqi hated the way he looked at people. Even though he didn't see anything, he had to act like he knew everything about her.

He said somewhat flippantly, "With such a great figure, why don't you wear a cheongsam? Casual wear doesn't suit you."

Youyou gently nudged him under the table, then stood up with a smile, turned the table around, put her arm around Qiqi, and said, "I knew I couldn't hide it from your sharp eyes. Let me introduce you."

Pointing at the man, she said, "Jin Ming, you can tell he's from the government anyway, so I won't mention his rank. I need your help this time."

"Qiqi, my sister, even closer than a biological sister—hey, you're practically drooling!"

Indeed, Jin Ming's eyes kept darting around Qi Qi's face and chest.

When Youyou said that, he wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he exclaimed, "What a rare gem! A girl with such qualities is actually working hard every day wearing clothes like that. It's outrageous!"

Regardless, this can be considered a compliment, so Qiqi has no reason to be angry.

So she sat down next to Youyou and ignored him.

Qiqi is disgusted by frivolous men. But nowadays, men are shameless and overly familiar. Not only do they speak inappropriately, but they also like to rub against each other and touch each other inappropriately whenever they have the chance. I really don't know what's the point of taking advantage of such trivial matters.

Jin Ming asked Youyou, "Is this the descendant of the Tang Dynasty feng shui family you mentioned?"

His tone was full of doubt and disdain.

Qiqi was looked down upon more than once.

Many clients don't trust her to do feng shui from the first glance.

Sometimes she really wished she were an old man with a white beard, that would make her look more like a feng shui master.

At least, historically, there has never been a famous female feng shui master.

In the past, Qi Qi had always silently endured the doubts and difficulties, such as the last time Gao Jinze. But this time, Qi Qi wanted to embarrass Jin Ming, perhaps because Qi Qi had always disliked officials.

"Mr. Jin, if I may be so blunt, you're about to be placed under investigation, yet you still have the leisure to eat and admire beautiful women?" Qi Qi said coldly.

Jin Ming was taken aback and said unhappily, "'Shuanggui'? Who's going to 'Shuanggui' me? The members of the Discipline Inspection Commission are all my sworn brothers! Young lady, don't talk nonsense."

Qiqi's gaze lingered on his forehead and the bridge of his nose.

Jin Ming felt a little uneasy under her gaze and turned to drink his tea.

Qi Qi said, "Even if you have connections everywhere in Shanghai, this time it's the imperial censor directly taking action. Can you still protect them?"

"You mean—" Jin Ming tensed up, but still couldn't quite believe it: "Even if Bao Gong came, it would be useless, so why would he touch me?"

"Because you are a shareholder of Fenghe Shuiyuan!"

Qiqi said, emphasizing each word.

Jin Ming laughed heartily, his face regaining some of its ease: "So Youyou told you everything. Anyone who didn't know would think you figured it out yourself."

Youyou immediately retorted, "I didn't tell her. She didn't know anything before she came!"

Jin Ming, of course, didn't believe it and waved his hand, saying, "It doesn't matter. I never believed in those mystical things anyway. Feng shui is just a way to make a living. It's always good to have a beautiful woman with me while I eat."

Qi Qi chuckled and said, "It's not that you don't believe in superstitions, it's that you don't believe in me. Never mind, I didn't want to get involved anyway."

Youyou felt a little awkward in the middle, but she was used to social situations and it didn't bother her. She ignored Jin Ming and pulled Qiqi aside, asking, "Have you eaten at this restaurant before?"

Qiqi shook her head.

Jin Ming perked up: "This restaurant is not a place that ordinary people can eat at! Many private restaurants in Shanghai require connections and resources; you need to be both rich and have good taste."

Qiqi could see Youyou's good intentions; she wanted Jinming to show off.

So, following his lead, she asked, "This little villa is nice, but I don't see anything particularly special about it. How is it different from the 'Red House'?"

Chapter Nine: The Night Banquet

1.

As they spoke, one dish after another was served smoothly, each one brought up from the first floor. Qiqi guessed that the kitchen might be behind the screen on the first floor.

Qiqi first tasted a bite of Longjing shrimp.

The refreshing taste of the tea and the springiness of the shrimp surprised her.

Jin Ming clearly saw this and said, "This Longjing tea is made from fresh leaves picked by tea farmers in Hangzhou every morning; the shrimp are wild river shrimp from Dianshan Lake in Qingpu, caught less than two hours ago."

Qi Qi nodded and went to eat the "Silver Fish with Egg" dish.

The freshness of the first bite makes you want to eat another piece.

Jin Ming immediately said, "Authentic, fresh Taihu silverfish can only be found in two or three restaurants in all of Shanghai. The eggs are laid by free-range chickens from farms in northern Jiangsu, which definitely grew up eating earthworms and grasshoppers. I've seen it myself."

Qiqi's eyes darted around, and she pointed to the whole chicken soup in the red clay pot, saying, "This must be from this chicken, right?"

Jin Ming laughed heartily and said, "Brilliant. The chickens and eggs must come from the same base. If the chicken is good, you can just stew it in an earthenware pot without adding anything else, not even salt, and the taste will be top-notch, not even worth shark fin or abalone! I've taken so many dignitaries to eat the chicken here, and they never want to eat seafood again. Actually, in my opinion, the truly freshest things are river fish and land-based products!"

Jin Ming was enthusiastically picking up the serving spoon to ladle soup when his cell phone rang in his briefcase.

He opened his eyes, dialed the number, ladled out the soup, and tasted a spoonful with his eyes closed.

The phone rang again, relentlessly.

Qi Qi casually replied, "Let's answer it. It's urgent. There's news from the capital."