Clouds and Moon Shadow

"When do you think Old Zhang will arrive?" a man in black asked.

The other man in black paused for a moment before replying, "This is the second time he's broken his promise today. Has something happened to Old Zhang? If he doesn't come soon, we'll have to report to our superiors as soon as possible."

"Hmm, if Master finds out that Old Zhang can't deliver the person on time, I wonder how he'll punish him."

"Logically, the time is almost up, so why is there no movement at all?"

The two men in black waited silently for time to pass, including Gu Qingyue, who was leaning against the corner.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow pierced through the window and shot in from the outside, instantly piercing through one of the men in black, who spurted out blood with a splatter.

Hidden in the corner, Gu Qingyue's pupils contracted, one hand gripping the edge of the screen tightly, and a perfectly fitting thought popped into her mind: Damn!

Why is she so unlucky? She ran into such a terrible situation again! She's just a child! Who wants to get involved in something like this?

Bang! The door was kicked open, and a tall, strong figure rushed in, kicking the man in black who was about to draw his knife to the ground.

A fight is about to break out!

Gu Qingyue quietly moved towards the inner room. She really couldn't go out now, damn it!

Just as she took two steps back, a gleaming blade came flying towards Gu Qingyue from behind. Almost instinctively, Gu Qingyue quickly turned around and bent over, kicking at the opponent's wrist. However, the opponent was incredibly fast, twisting his wrist and slashing downwards at Gu Qingyue's leg.

Gu Qingyue turned around and met the other person's face. Although it was not clear in the moonlight, she could tell that the other person was a very young man with dark eyes and a handsome appearance.

Gu Qingyue didn't have time to draw her dagger. She jumped to the side to dodge the opponent's attack, then lunged forward and struck with her elbow.

The attack struck instantly. With a muffled groan, the man who attacked her fell to his knees on one knee. At the same time, a dagger slid from Gu Qingyue's sleeve. With a flick of her wrist, the dagger pierced straight into the man's back.

"Stop!" The tall man who had just knocked the man in black to the ground suddenly shouted.

Gu Qingyue paused; the voice sounded somewhat familiar.

"Brother Mu Bei," Gu Qingyue called out as the man approached.

"It's you!" The man's deep voice rang out at the same time. With that tall and strong physique, who else could it be but Mu Bei?

As Mu Bei approached, Gu Qingyue had a strange feeling. She felt that his eyes were too calm, and she didn't see any surprise or suspicion from him in this situation. When he reached out to help the man kneeling on the ground up, he asked, "Feng San, are you alright?"

Only after seeing Feng San shake his head, indicating that he was alright, did he turn to Gu Qingyue and say, "Young Master, may I speak with you in private?" Gu Qingyue followed Mu Bei out of the room and stood in the courtyard.

Mu Bei's lips curled into a smile: "Kid, you've got guts. But you'd better go back now, the person you're looking for isn't here anymore."

"Do you know who I'm looking for?" Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow as she looked at the bear-like figure in front of her.

Mu Bei reached out and patted Gu Qingyue's shoulder: "I was there the day you saved people. I took away that Master Zhang and Aunt Hua. You don't have to worry about them harming those children anymore."

Gu Qingyue thought for a moment and then asked again, "Do you know who they are?"

Mu Bei looked into Gu Qingyue's bright eyes, paused for a moment, and didn't answer. He just reached out and patted Gu Qingyue again: "Go back quickly. We still have things to do. Don't come to such dangerous places again."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the room.

Gu Qingyue watched his figure disappear into the inner room, knowing they must have gone to find the secret passage. Gu Qingyue pondered: Who exactly are Mu Xiaoqi and his guards? Are they from the county government? Otherwise, why are they always arresting bad guys when we meet them?

For the next two weeks, Gu Qingyue had no time to wander around anymore. Since she knew the children were safe, she threw herself into the inn and, together with Rong Qingqing and the boys, began service training and a complete renovation of the inn.

The inn reopened after renovations on the first day of August.

Previously, there were only a few people eating breakfast in the morning, but on the day of the official reopening, the small lobby on the first floor was packed with people, and even the private rooms on the second floor were full.

What diners linger on most are the char siu buns and rice noodle rolls that the inn offered during its trial opening a few days ago, as well as snack sets with various porridges, which can be said to be unique in Liquan County.

Whether it's other inns or grand restaurants, diners have never experienced such fresh and delicious food, or such a convenient and economical way of eating as set meals.

Of course, it was also because of the big sign at the entrance of the inn that read "50% off for new store opening".

Throughout history, discounts have always been a bargain; who wouldn't love that?

Rong Qingqing couldn't stop smiling as she looked at the endless stream of people in the lobby.

Even the shop owners and employees in the neighboring shops were treated the same way. Seeing their admiring and envious looks, Rong Qingqing was even more satisfied.

When Rong Qingqing first heard Gu Qingyue talk about package deals, trial operations, opening promotions, discounts, and other marketing tactics, she was completely bewildered. However, just as Gu Qingyue said, she didn't need to know why; she only needed to see the results.

Yes, she was very satisfied with the result.

Until closing time in the evening, everyone sat dejectedly in the lobby, looking at each other, not wanting to say a word.

However, everyone felt incredibly satisfied.

As soon as the teenagers watched Gu Qingyue and Rong Qingqing tally up the first day's sales, they were instantly revitalized. This was the most tiring yet most anticipated and fulfilling day of the past two weeks for them.

Mihu and Xiaozhen stood behind Gu Qingyue, anxiously pacing back and forth. Er Gouzi, whose leg was still wrapped in gauze, was also anxiously hopping on one foot. Xiaoxiao jumped around in front of the counter, only to be slapped on the bottom by Wen Qinghong, who let out a scream, startling Rong Qingqing so much that she messed up her abacus.

Gu Qingyue turned around: "Sit still, or you won't have a chance to try the food tomorrow."

In short, the boys scrambled to find chairs and sat down, behaving themselves. Gu Qingyue glanced around and rolled her eyes.

What's up with these seemingly well-behaved teenagers?

It seems that everyone has acting skills; it's innate, and no teaching is needed.

After Rong Qingqing finished taking stock, she loudly announced: "Today's single-day turnover is 48.3 taels, and the net income from food is 20.8 taels. I declare that we made money today, hahaha."

Looking at the numbers, Gu Qingyue felt a surge of inexplicable joy. This joy had nothing to do with money, but rather with the delight of trying her hand at something new in this world.

Of course, the main income will come from the guesthouse's accommodation revenue, which cannot be seen in a single day and remains to be seen over time.

Rong Qingqing and Gu Qingyue exchanged a glance, their smiles evident.

Rong Qingqing turned around, stepped out from behind the counter, looked around at the young men who were sitting or standing, and said happily, "Alright, as we all saw, our inn is officially open for business from today. Although we don't earn much, if we can maintain this momentum, it will be enough to support us all. We saw everyone's performance today. No one was lazy or perfunctory. Everyone did a great job. I hope everyone will continue to work hard in the future!"

"Great, haha!" Mihu was the first to jump out, grabbing the little one's hand and dancing with joy.