Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

As they walked, the three of them looked back from time to time, still hoping that the chickens and ducks would suddenly appear, but the entrance of the academy was gradually getting farther away, so they could only continue to search elsewhere.

Yuyu's eyes suddenly widened, and with a hint of worry, she said, "Mom, could these chickens and ducks have been taken to other food shops? They've disappeared without a trace, and there are so many shops in this market. It would be terrible if one of the shopkeepers mistakenly thought they were stray animals and took them away."

Xiaoyu frowned slightly after hearing this. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "I hope not. Let's go look for the restaurants along the market. If someone has really taken him away, we can discuss redeeming him."

So, they quickened their pace and headed towards the food shops in the market where the aroma of food wafted from their mouths, with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation in their eyes. Every time they arrived at the door of a shop, they would carefully peek in, carefully checking whether there were any of their own chickens and ducks inside.

Yu Yu and her family hurried to a store. As soon as they stepped in, Yu Yu noticed two people sitting in the store.

One of them was the rich young man who had recently feasted on sweet and sour carp in his own Zuixianlou. He was wearing a gorgeous brocade robe, a jade pendant on his waist, and had an extraordinary temperament. He was holding the teacup and sipping it elegantly.

The other person was actually a scoundrel who had tried to eat for free at Zuixianlou and ordered salt-baked chicken meatball soup but didn't want to pay the bill.

At this moment, the two seemed to be talking about something.

Yu Yu's family walked over slowly, full of doubts and eager to find chickens and ducks.

Xiaoyu wore a polite smile and bowed slightly before saying, "Greetings, gentlemen! We're here because some of our chickens and ducks got lost. We came all the way here looking for them and wondered if they might have strayed into this restaurant by mistake, so we took the liberty of stopping by to check on you. Sorry to bother you two."

The wealthy young man put down the teacup in his hand, a look of concern on his face, and said in a gentle voice, "I see. This is indeed a troublesome matter. However, we have been sitting here for a while, but we haven't seen any chickens or ducks come in."

The man who had been hoping for a free meal curled his lips and said sarcastically, "Huh, if you lose your chickens and ducks, you're just going to go looking for them everywhere. They might have already been caught and eaten by someone else. Why bother coming here?"

After hearing this, Yuyu frowned and replied angrily, "Don't talk nonsense, we will definitely find them. They must be nearby."

At this time, the rich young man who ordered the sweet and sour carp smiled gently and said, "My name is Si Li, and this is Ci Li."

Xiaoyu nodded gently, bowed again, and said, "It turns out to be Master Si Li and Master Ci Li. I'm really sorry to bother you today."

"Though these chickens and ducks are not valuable to us, we have been with them for a long time and have deep feelings for them, which is why we are so eager to search for them."

"If you two gentlemen see any traces later, please let us know. We will be very grateful."

Young Master Si Li waved his hand slightly and said with a pleasant expression, "It's okay, it's just a small favor. You can look for them somewhere else. Don't worry, there are so many people in this market. Maybe they are just hiding in a corner."

Master Ci Li watched coldly from the side without saying a word, but with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, it was unknown what he was thinking about.

Ci Li's eyes flickered, and he pretended to stand up and pace, slowly walking towards a corner.

While no one was paying attention, he quickly freed the chickens and ducks hidden in the corner.

In an instant, chickens and ducks flapped their wings and ran around the store, causing a panic in the store.

The diners cried out in surprise, and the tables and chairs were knocked all over the place.

Seeing this, Si Li frowned, his face full of shock and confusion, and asked loudly: "Ci Li, why are you doing this?"

Ci Li just stood aside with a barely perceptible sly smile on his face and did not answer.

Yu Yu's family was stunned at first, then showed surprise and hurried to chase the chickens and ducks that were running around.

Yuyu jumped up and down excitedly, pointed upwards, and shouted, "Here, here, Mom, there's one on your head!"

Hearing the sound, Xiaoyu hurriedly looked up and saw a white chicken standing on a piece of wood on the beam, flapping its wings. It tilted its head and looked at the panicked people below, making a "cluck, cluck" sound from time to time, as if it was also a little nervous and curious about the scene.

Xiaoyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She stretched out her hand to try to grab the chicken and said, "You naughty fellow, it's so hard for us to find you. Come down quickly."

But the pheasant seemed to be deliberately making trouble. It flapped its wings even more vigorously and moved further inside the beam, causing everyone to panic again.

Seeing this, Si Li said nothing, lifted up his clothes to avoid being tripped by the debris on the ground, and quickly joined the chasing team.

He ran and shouted, "Don't panic, if we all work together, we will definitely be able to catch these chickens and ducks."

He was agile and moved skillfully between the crowd and the stalls. His gorgeous brocade robe fluttered in the wind, but it did not affect his movements at all.

After a while, Si Li ran in front of Yu Yu and Xiao Yu. He locked his eyes on the fleeing duck, and when the opportunity arose, he took a step forward, pounced with both hands, and successfully held the duck firmly in his arms.

He stood up, a happy smile on his face, and said, "I finally caught this duck. Let's see where it can run to."

Seeing this, Ci Li frowned, and with a bit of dissatisfaction and surprise, he shouted loudly: "Si Li, why are you helping them? These are just a few lost chickens and ducks, why go to such fuss!"

Si Li turned around holding the duck and replied seriously, "Ci Li, these chickens and ducks are very important to them. I am just doing my best. Please don't say anything more."

After saying that, he carried the duck and walked towards Yu Yu's family, handed the duck back, and Yu Yu and Xiao Yu thanked him repeatedly.

Ci Lu stood there, arms folded across his chest, a look of displeasure and disdain on his face, muttering, "How nosy."

Si Li stared at Ci Li with a sharp gaze, questioning him, "Am I meddling in other people's business? Why did you seize someone else's chickens and ducks? Is this behavior proper for a gentleman?"

Ci Li was a little flustered by Si Li's sudden questioning. His eyes dodged for a moment, but he quickly returned to his indifferent look.

He argued, "Humph, who caught those chickens and ducks? Maybe they ran to me on their own accord. I just temporarily put them in a corner. How can you wrongly accuse good people for no reason?"

Si Li snorted coldly: "Don't try to quibble. Your expression and behavior have already betrayed you. If you have nothing to hide, why did you secretly put chickens and ducks in the corner, causing them to run around in the store?"

Ci Li was speechless for a moment, his face turned pale and blue, and he refused to admit his mistake.