Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter Nineteen: Sharing a Room

This time they went in through the back door, and the people who were there to meet them took them to another, quieter courtyard.

After a while, the door opened. A girl dressed in a flamboyant manner walked in, carrying a paper towel and a fan, and walked in with a light and flirtatious gait.

"May I ask which of you gentlemen is surnamed Lu?"

Lu Yu stood up. "Me."

"Please follow me." The girl winked at him and then slowly walked forward, swaying her waist. Ji Meiqing was a little worried that she might twist her waist.

Ji Meiqing also stood up and followed Lu Yu forward, but they were stopped at the door. The girl said with a look of disdain, "You stay here. Your master and our mother have important matters to discuss."

"I'm handling the specific details; my master is only responsible for negotiating with others. If you're trying to take advantage of this, wouldn't we be losing money?"

“Our mother will absolutely not let you suffer any losses, but there are some things she would like to discuss with Young Master Lu in detail.”

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Lu Yu gave her a reassuring look, then followed her out, leaving her alone in the room.

Ji Meiqing was still somewhat uneasy, after all, she didn't want her people to suffer losses. After all, Lu Yu's temperament made him unsuitable for business.

I walked back and forth several times, and several groups of people came and went. The table was full of snacks.

Ji Meiqing simply sat down at the table and began to slowly think about what might happen to him.

The more I thought about it, the more dangerous it seemed, so in the end I had no choice but to listen.

Lu Yu returned just as she was about to fall asleep. He was neatly dressed, but his face still showed signs of fatigue. Upon hearing his voice, Ji Meiqing immediately stood up.

"Are you alright? Did she do anything to you?"

Lu Yu shook his head. "She just asked us to prepare some wine."

"Ah Qiu..." She sneezed, frowned and looked at him, saying, "Why do you smell of perfume?"

“Oh, they’ve brought dancers,” Lu Yu said calmly. Ji Meiqing looked at him suspiciously several times, but seeing that his expression was normal and there was nothing strange about it, she withdrew her attention.

"Where shall we rest tonight?" She suddenly remembered something very important. It was already past midnight, and the city gates must be sealed off.

There's nowhere left to live.

Lu Yu said calmly, "We can rest here for the next few days."

"Huh?" She looked around. "A room? Two people."

He touched his nose. "Mom said there aren't any more empty rooms."

Hearing his explanation, Ji Meiqing agreed and didn't pursue the matter further.

"Actually, if you take a fancy to any of the girls here, you can wait until we make money and then redeem her to keep you company."

Lu Yu was stunned, and as if fleeing in panic, he only left behind one sentence: "I don't like it here."

She thought about it, but still couldn't figure it out.

The two rested in the same room again. Ji Meiqing had already lain down early, and when Lu Yu returned, she quickly said, "This bed is for one person per day, you can't refuse."

“Actually, you can sleep on the chaise lounge.” He pointed to the chaise lounge not far away, which was just the right size for one person to lie down. Ji Meiqing felt a little embarrassed, but she still got up, rolled up her bedding, and went over.

After the two lay down, Ji Meiqing quickly fell asleep. Lu Yu, however, lay awake in bed, the moonlight bright and alluring.

A soft snore filled the room. Lu Yu suddenly felt a sense of relief, and the weariness on his face grew deeper.

The next day at noon, Ji Meiqing woke up from her bed. Lu Yu was already placing dishes on the table.

"The cooks are all resting, so I made all of this. Please eat first."

She rubbed her eyes and got off the couch.

There were several side dishes and three steamed buns on the table. Ji Meiqing's eyes widened. "How can it be so lavish?"

"There was some leftover from last night, so I heated it up."

"Oh..." She picked up her chopsticks and started eating right away. She was already hungry. After one bite, she exclaimed in surprise, "Why is it filled with chicken?"

"Um..." He stammered and didn't finish his sentence, but Ji Meiqing had already guessed what he meant.

She put down her chopsticks and left the room. Lu Yu stood behind her, unsure of what to do.

Ji Meiqing went straight to the kitchen. It was broad daylight, and indeed, no one was up. The kitchen was deserted and quiet, without a trace of smoke. Several strings of cured meat hung from the rafters.

Without a second thought, she caught a chicken in the backyard, killed it, stewed it into soup, and then used the seasonings she had in the kitchen to season it.

That should be enough for a day's meals.

Ji Meiqing carried the cooked chicken soup back to her room. When she saw Lu Yu, she quickly called him over to take the soup.

"Hurry up, don't let them find out." Ji Meiqing opened the lid, and a rich aroma wafted out.

Lu Yu stared at her, dumbfounded, as she served them both a bowl of chicken soup and then placed the rest of the soup elsewhere.

"Don't just stand there, eat quickly. Otherwise, you'll be in big trouble if we get caught." She pushed him, and the two of them finished everything in their bowls.

"How is it? Delicious, isn't it?" She looked at Lu Yu with a smile.

Lu Yu nodded; it was indeed quite delicious. However, he was still wondering whether doing things this way was the right thing to do.

Before the store even opened, Mrs. Hu arrived with her entourage.

As soon as I entered, I frowned. "The smell of chicken soup is so strong."

Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu exchanged a glance, then changed the subject, "The wine is all prepared. I wonder how things are going with Madam Hu."

"Qin'er is ready too. Qin'er, show Young Master Lu your skills." Madam Hu called out, and then a beautiful young girl came out from behind her, holding a pipa in her arms.

With slender fingers, the fingertips gently caressed the strings, and the strings produced a soft melody.

Ji Meiqing sat down to the side, quietly enjoying the art performance, even though she didn't understand it.

The two listened like wooden statues, then clapped, and finally offered a few insincere compliments.

"It's almost time, let's go. The main event tonight is to announce the wine."

Mrs. Hu nodded, and the group left the courtyard together.

Before it got dark, Ji Meiqing directed people to change the gauze curtains to dark purple before the door opened.

Then some more flowers were placed on the table.

When the store officially opened, a few people sat in a private room watching everything unfold. Following the original order, Xiaoqin performed a few moves first, and then a group of people came out with drinks to refill their glasses.

If all goes well, tonight will surely be a great success. However, we'll only know for sure after it's all over.

Petals fell from the sky, and Ji Meiqing rested her chin on her hand, her gaze unfocused.