Just as Gu Ling was about to order his men to take action, he noticed that the carriage he had dismissed earlier had not left. Laughter could actually be heard coming from inside the carriage at this moment.
For some reason, he felt that the people inside were definitely mocking him. Instantly furious and humiliated, he ignored his servant’s attempts to stop him and shouted angrily toward the convoy, “Who are you people? Are you trying to ruin my plans? If you have the guts, come down here!”
The Huo Manor guards loyally surrounded the carriage, their eyes fixed intently on him, but they remained silent.
Luo Chaoyan and the others inside the carriage had overheard most of the situation and understood what had happened. They couldn’t help but laugh. She had thought it was just another cliché story of a forced marriage, but it turned out that Gu Er was actually the victim—and he had been openly swindled.
She instructed Shulan to look after Huo An and told Fengli to gather some information before stepping out of the carriage with the help of her maid outside.
She glanced at Shopkeeper Li kneeling on the ground, looking utterly miserable, then turned her gaze to the girl standing silently to the side with her head bowed. Dressed in a dark blue coarse cloth outfit, the girl was plain-looking, with an unremarkable height but a noticeably plump figure. Her appearance was indeed somewhat lacking, but for Gu Er to call her “a crooked gourd and a cracked date” in public was rather harsh.
Luo Chaoyan then looked at Gu Er. With his baby face, red lips, and white teeth, if Su Yi was a peacock, then this Gu Er was what modern people would call a “pretty boy.”
“Who are you people?”
Seeing the woman staring straight at him, Gu Ling assumed she was captivated by his dashing appearance and felt somewhat smug. “Woman, don’t even think about trying to get my attention. I’m not someone you can aspire to.”
Luo Chaoyan couldn’t help but laugh again. If Huo Rui was a mischievous child, then this Gu Er was a chuunibyou teenager.
“Don’t worry, I’m not blind. Not just any ‘crooked gourd and cracked date’ can catch my eye.”
“Pfft!”
Someone in the crowd couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Seeing her throw his own words about the plump girl right back at him, Gu Ling’s recently suppressed anger flared up again. “Woman, how dare you call me a ‘crooked gourd and cracked date’?”
“What? You can say that about the girl, but I can’t say it about you?” Luo Chaoyan retorted.
“Are you standing up for them?” Gu Ling pointed at Shopkeeper Li and his daughter.
Luo Chaoyan waved her hand. “Not at all.”
“Then are you just bored and messing with me for fun?”
Luo Chaoyan shook her head seriously. “No, I’m just passing by.”
“Pfft!”
Another wave of laughter erupted from the crowd.
“Woman, don’t think that just because I don’t hit women, I can’t do anything to you. Believe me, I can have your shabby carriage dismantled right now!” Gu Ling fumed.
This Gu Er really couldn’t take a joke. Still, Luo Chaoyan felt that dealing with someone whose thoughts were written all over his face was much simpler than dealing with someone as deep and calculating as Huo Jin.
“Madam! Please, I beg you, save me!”
Seeing the luxurious carriage Luo Chaoyan had arrived in, Shopkeeper Li guessed she must be from a noble family. Clinging to this lifeline, he kowtowed repeatedly, putting on a pitiful act while tearfully recounting the transaction process with the young master of the Gu family. He even handed her the signed agreement for her to see.
After reading the agreement, Luo Chaoyan frowned and said, “Young master, the agreement between you two clearly states five hundred taels.”
Gu Ling glared at her and said, “He clearly raised the price and cheated me!”
“But this agreement indeed bears the seals of both parties, which proves that this transaction was signed by both sides under informed and voluntary circumstances.”
The onlookers also felt Luo Chaoyan made a valid point. Although Shopkeeper Li had intended to deceive, both parties had indeed signed the agreement in black and white.
“Woman, are you trying to make me swallow this bitter pill in silence? Let me tell you, impossible!” If he swallowed this grievance, wouldn’t it tell everyone that he was a fool with too much money? How could Gu Ling continue to make his way in Jingdu after this? Did he have no face to lose?
“What? Surely the young master doesn’t intend to harm someone in broad daylight, right under the feet of the Son of Heaven in Jingdu?”
“Don’t try to scare me. I’m merely eliminating a scourge for the people.” Gu Ling spoke as if he were justified.
Some bystanders advised Luo Chaoyan not to get involved in this mess. After all, Shopkeeper Li was no good person—why not let the two sides settle their dispute with their own methods?
Fengli quietly slipped through the crowd and whispered the information she had gathered to Luo Chaoyan.
Luo Chaoyan cleared her throat softly and sighed. Adopting the demeanor of a peacemaker, she looked at Gu Ling and said, “Ah! Who asked me to be so kind-hearted? I can’t bear to see people suffer.”
“How about this, young master? I’m willing to pay 350 taels to buy the contract from you. What do you think?”
“Woman, I spent 500 taels to buy this Wine Shop, and you want me to sell it to you for 350 taels? Do you think I’m stupid?”
Luo Chaoyan spread her hands and said, “Fine, if that’s the case, then please continue. I won’t disturb you any further.”
“Wait!”
Gu Ling stopped Luo Chaoyan as she turned to leave. “Woman, if you can say something that pleases me, I might consider selling it to you for 450 taels. What do you think?” He was willing to take a small loss—after all, he no longer wanted this rundown Wine Shop. This woman had said so many irritating things earlier; now he wanted to see what kind of pleasant words she could come up with.
“Deal! It’s settled.” What kind of strange quirk did this chuunibyou have, liking to be flattered? Luo Chaoyan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, “Young master, not only are you exceptionally handsome, unparalleled in this world, but what’s even more remarkable is your indomitable spirit. You are unyielding, undeterred by setbacks, steadfast and courageous, daring to lead the way. Through your personal experience, you’ve given the world a timely warning: when venturing out, one must always remain vigilant and not be easily deceived.”
“Woman, are you praising me?” Gu Ling stomped his feet in anger upon hearing this. The beginning sounded quite pleasing, but the more he listened, the more it seemed like she was mocking him.
“Not acceptable. I’m not satisfied with these words.”
Luo Chaoyan thought for a moment and added, “The ancients often used objects to symbolize a person’s noble character, such as plum blossoms or lotus flowers. But I think the narcissus best represents your character.”
“The narcissus symbolizes elegance, simplicity, sociability, approachability, sincerity, and straightforwardness. All these fine qualities are perfectly embodied in you.”
“Really? You’re not tricking me, are you?” Gu Ling was half-convinced and half-doubtful. He glanced at his servant beside him.
The servant whispered awkwardly in his ear, “Young master, I’m not well-read, so I don’t fully understand, but it does sound like she’s praising you.”
Luo Chaoyan smiled and said, “Young master, this is absolutely a compliment. Anyone who has studied poetry and literature would know.”
Gu Ling pursed his lips. Anyone who had studied poetry and literature knew that if he claimed ignorance, wouldn’t he be publicly admitting to being an ignoramus? He flicked his sleeves with the air of a refined gentleman and said, “Fine, narcissus it is.” He had his servant bring out the contract, then declared haughtily, “I keep my word. Give me the silver, and this contract is yours.”
“Wait a moment.” Luo Chaoyan turned to Shopkeeper Li. “Shopkeeper Li, if I purchase Young Master Gu’s contract, will you re-sign a new one with me?”
Shopkeeper Li swallowed dryly, glanced at Gu Ling’s thugs, and immediately nodded like pounding garlic. “Yes, of course I will.”
“What about your daughter?”
“My daughter is included in the sale!”
Luo Chaoyan smiled and nodded, signaling Fengli to take out the banknotes and hand them to Gu Ling. She then had someone draft a new contract that differed significantly from the previous one, with one added clause at the end: everything related to the wine shop would belong to her.
Gu Ling leisurely folded the banknotes in his hand, grinning like a cat that got the cream. “Woman, has no one ever told you that kindness invites bullying? You’ve truly shown me what it means to be foolishly rich.”
The onlookers also felt she had been shortchanged.
“Is this lady out of her mind?”
“Indeed, it’s clearly a losing deal.”
Luo Chaoyan chuckled. “A thousand pieces of gold can’t buy my happiness!” She raised an eyebrow. “Though I am indeed beautiful and kind-hearted, I rarely end up at a disadvantage.”
Under the crowd’s puzzled gazes, she calmly looked at Shopkeeper Li and said, “Shopkeeper Li, hand it over.”
“Madam, what do you mean? Haven’t I already signed the contract with you?” Shopkeeper Li replied.
Luo Chaoyan spoke unhurriedly, “Though your wine shop isn’t worth much, it does have a few valuable recipes. I heard you just signed contracts to sell recipes to several nearby wine shops yesterday.”
Shopkeeper Li was startled. “This… Madam, I only sold you the wine shop…” He tried to argue, but she pointed to the clause at the end of the contract. His expression froze instantly—he, a seasoned trickster, had finally been outsmarted. “Everything related to the wine shop” naturally included his recipes.
“Shopkeeper Li, you can refuse, but then you’ll have to accompany me to the magistrate’s office.” Luo Chaoyan then addressed the crowd, “I wonder if any of you esteemed folks know which signature dishes this wine shop is known for?”
“I know! I know!”
The crowd eagerly listed the signature dishes they had tried at the wine shop.
“Assorted Pan-Seared Delicacy!”
“Mushroom and Duck Feet!”
“And also…”
Luo Chaoyan smiled warmly and thanked the crowd, then turned to the ashen-faced Shopkeeper Li. “Shopkeeper Li, would you rather accompany me to the magistrate’s office or hand over the recipe contracts? Don’t try to deceive me—you sold five recipes, which should be worth at least two hundred taels.”
“Madam, have mercy on me! This is all I have left,” Shopkeeper Li pleaded pitifully.
Luo Chaoyan smiled. “It seems you’d prefer to go to the magistrate’s office!”
“No, Madam! I’ll give them to you, I will!” Trembling, Shopkeeper Li pulled a stack of contracts from his robe.
Luo Chaoyan took the contracts, glanced at the amounts, and beamed as she waved them at Gu Ling. “Young Master, these contracts are worth three hundred taels! Even more than I expected.”
Pfft!
The onlookers couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Gu Ling glared at her fiercely, grinding his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. This woman was truly cunning, step by step leading him into a trap.
He vented his anger by kicking Shopkeeper Li again—this scoundrel was the mastermind behind it all. “If I ever see you in Jingdu again, you’re dead.”
“No, no! I’ll leave right now, right now!”
Shopkeeper Li was so terrified he scrambled away in panic.