80 Thank You Banquet
Wang Defu was persistent. “Look, I have already set up the banquet. Miss Zhou, please come.”
Unable to resist Wang Defu’s hospitality, Zhou Xiaoli finally sighed and agreed.
Wang Defu immediately beamed with joy. “Good, good, good. That’s great. You didn’t just save my life. A good brother of mine has always said that he wants to see you.”
Zhou Xiaoli said politely, “Shopkeeper, you’re too polite. I didn’t do anything.”
“Sigh, you can’t say that.” Wang Defu chuckled.
At this moment, the waiter called out and said that the table had been set up.
Wang Defu immediately said, “Miss Zhou, please come in.”
Then, he looked at Zheng Yongyan, who was standing at the side. “Young Master, you must be Miss Zhou’s friend. Come, come in.”
As soon as Wang Defu appeared, Zheng Yongyan resumed his refined attitude. He cupped his hands as a form of greetings at the shopkeeper and followed Zhou Xiaoli into the restaurant.
Stepping into the restaurant, he saw that Wei Chiyu had just finished selling his prey and was collecting money.
Wang Defu stepped forward and invited Wei Chiyu as well.
Wang Defu booked a private room on the second floor. Before he went upstairs, he also found a waiter to call his brother over.
Everyone took their seats. After a round of flattery, Wang Defu couldn’t wait to talk about his experience. “Miss Zhou, you’re really amazing! When you reminded me not to attend the invitation, I didn’t understand what you meant then.”
“Unexpectedly, a few of my good friends invited me to the entertainment boat to listen to the songstress sing not long after you left that day.”
“At that time, I didn’t take it seriously. I thought it was a coincidence and accepted the invitation. However, the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Hence, I told my friends about the situation.”
“Guess what?”
Wang Defu looked excited as he spoke in high spirits.
Zheng Yongyan was fascinated as he stared at Wang Defu and continued, “What happened?”
Zhou Xiaoli wanted to laugh. It was a pity that Wang Defu was not a storyteller.
Wang Defu didn’t keep them in suspense and continued, “They didn’t believe me! They said I was stupid for believing others just because they said something.”
“To be honest, I was a little shaken at that time, but in the end, I decided not to go.”
“I knew it. It’s better to believe it than not. Anyway, we can always listen to the songstress anytime. I told them, let’s not go this time. Nothing would go wrong from us being careful.”
“But my brothers didn’t agree. They said that it was very difficult to make a reservation on the entertainment boat. How could they not go because of what a stranger said?”
At this point, Wang Defu sighed. He was both glad and vexed. “Sigh, I should have insisted and persuaded them. Because I didn’t believe it myself, I didn’t persuade them anymore.
“In the end, there was only one good brother who saw that I was perturbed and acting strange. He was afraid that something would happen to me, so he accompanied me and didn’t go.”
“But who knew that in the latter half of the night, something really happened to that entertainment boat! When the boat rowed into the river, for some reason, it caught fire. The entire boat was poured with kerosene and burned quickly. The fire could not be extinguished. In the end, some were burned to death, while others drowned. None were spared.”
With that, Wang Defu poured a glass of wine and patted his chest. “Miss Zhou, I don’t have any good points, but I can say with confidence that I stand by the word ‘loyalty’! You saved my life. From now on, my life is yours. As long as you need me, I’ll even die for you!”
Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. “You’re being too serious. I was just giving you some advice casually. In the end, you still have to rely on yourself.”
Although Zhou Xiaoli said so, Wang Defu did not think so. “No, no, Miss Zhou, you are a true master.”
After saying that, he continued in embarrassment. “Miss Zhou, how did you know that I would have an appointment? How did you know that something would happen to me? After all, I didn’t even know that I had an invitation at that time.”
Zhou Xiaoli paused for a moment, then said in a mock profound voice, “Of course it’s through predictions.”
“You really did predict it!” Wang Defu was a little excited. “Miss, you’re a true master. I’ve seen some powerful fortune tellers who could predict some calamities, but none of them were as accurate as you said.”
Zhou Xiaoli picked up her teacup and took a sip, smiling but said nothing else.
In fact, at that time, she had only seen that Wang Defu had a dim aura on his forehead and that he was about to face disaster.
It was all thanks to her Heavenly Eye that she knew the details. That day, her Heavenly Eye was triggered and an illusion appeared, allowing her to see what had happened.
As such, Zhou Xiaoli reminded him in passing since she wanted to befriend him.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Then, the waiter’s voice sounded, “Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper Qian is here.”
Wang Defu immediately stood up and said with a smile, “My good friend is here. He always thought that you were an old man. When he sees such a young girl later, he will definitely be shocked.”
With that, he went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Qian Zhantang’s voice was heard. “Why did you take such a long time to open the door? Where is the master?”
Wang Defu led Qian Zhantang into the room and closed the door. He chuckled and said, “What’s the hurry? The master won’t run away. She’s just sitting here.”
As he spoke, he gestured for Qian Zhantang to look at the guests in the room.
Qian Zhantang immediately looked around, but he saw only three familiar faces. He could not help but be stunned and said in surprise, “Eh, Miss Zhou, why are you here?”
Wang Defu was surprised. “You know Miss Zhou?”
Qian Zhantang nodded. “Yes, Miss Zhou is my business partner.”
Then, he realized something and looked at Wang Defu in disbelief. “Could the Master Zhou you talked about be Miss Zhou?”
Seeing Wang Defu nod, Qian Zhantang still had a look of disbelief on his face. He felt that Wang Defu was teasing him. “Stop joking. How can there be such a young master, and a girl at that?”
Then, seeing Wang Defu’s expression, Qian Zhantang was stunned. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Even after sitting down, Qian Zhantang still found it hard to believe.
Qian Zhantang said, “Miss Zhou, I was blind to not recognize you. I didn’t know that you were the master who saved my life. I’ll punish myself with a cup of wine first.”
With that, he drank it all in one gulp.
Zhou Xiaoli said, “Shopkeeper Qian, you’re being too polite.”
Qian Zhantang poured another glass of wine and said, “To be honest, I’m in a hurry to see the master. Firstly, I want to thank you for saving my life. I also have a presumptuous request to ask of.”
“That’s right. I want to ask the master to help me do a divination. I wonder if it’s possible.”
Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and looked at Qian Zhantang. She couldn’t help but smile and say, “Shopkeeper Qian, are you asking about leaving your hometown? If you’re asking about this, there’s no need to do a divination. My suggestion is to stay still. If you move, you’ll be in danger.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Qian Zhantang’s hand trembled in shock, and the cup fell on the table with a clatter. He stood up excitedly. “How, how did you know?”
80 Thank You Banquet
Wang Defu was persistent. “Look, I have already set up the banquet. Miss Zhou, please come.”
Unable to resist Wang Defu’s hospitality, Zhou Xiaoli finally sighed and agreed.
Wang Defu immediately beamed with joy. “Good, good, good. That’s great. You didn’t just save my life. A good brother of mine has always said that he wants to see you.”
Zhou Xiaoli said politely, “Shopkeeper, you’re too polite. I didn’t do anything.”
“Sigh, you can’t say that.” Wang Defu chuckled.
At this moment, the waiter called out and said that the table had been set up.
Wang Defu immediately said, “Miss Zhou, please come in.”
Then, he looked at Zheng Yongyan, who was standing at the side. “Young Master, you must be Miss Zhou’s friend. Come, come in.”
As soon as Wang Defu appeared, Zheng Yongyan resumed his refined attitude. He cupped his hands as a form of greetings at the shopkeeper and followed Zhou Xiaoli into the restaurant.
Stepping into the restaurant, he saw that Wei Chiyu had just finished selling his prey and was collecting money.
Wang Defu stepped forward and invited Wei Chiyu as well.
Wang Defu booked a private room on the second floor. Before he went upstairs, he also found a waiter to call his brother over.
Everyone took their seats. After a round of flattery, Wang Defu couldn’t wait to talk about his experience. “Miss Zhou, you’re really amazing! When you reminded me not to attend the invitation, I didn’t understand what you meant then.”
“Unexpectedly, a few of my good friends invited me to the entertainment boat to listen to the songstress sing not long after you left that day.”
“At that time, I didn’t take it seriously. I thought it was a coincidence and accepted the invitation. However, the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Hence, I told my friends about the situation.”
“Guess what?”
Wang Defu looked excited as he spoke in high spirits.
Zheng Yongyan was fascinated as he stared at Wang Defu and continued, “What happened?”
Zhou Xiaoli wanted to laugh. It was a pity that Wang Defu was not a storyteller.
Wang Defu didn’t keep them in suspense and continued, “They didn’t believe me! They said I was stupid for believing others just because they said something.”
“To be honest, I was a little shaken at that time, but in the end, I decided not to go.”
“I knew it. It’s better to believe it than not. Anyway, we can always listen to the songstress anytime. I told them, let’s not go this time. Nothing would go wrong from us being careful.”
“But my brothers didn’t agree. They said that it was very difficult to make a reservation on the entertainment boat. How could they not go because of what a stranger said?”
At this point, Wang Defu sighed. He was both glad and vexed. “Sigh, I should have insisted and persuaded them. Because I didn’t believe it myself, I didn’t persuade them anymore.
“In the end, there was only one good brother who saw that I was perturbed and acting strange. He was afraid that something would happen to me, so he accompanied me and didn’t go.”
“But who knew that in the latter half of the night, something really happened to that entertainment boat! When the boat rowed into the river, for some reason, it caught fire. The entire boat was poured with kerosene and burned quickly. The fire could not be extinguished. In the end, some were burned to death, while others drowned. None were spared.”
With that, Wang Defu poured a glass of wine and patted his chest. “Miss Zhou, I don’t have any good points, but I can say with confidence that I stand by the word ‘loyalty’! You saved my life. From now on, my life is yours. As long as you need me, I’ll even die for you!”
Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. “You’re being too serious. I was just giving you some advice casually. In the end, you still have to rely on yourself.”
Although Zhou Xiaoli said so, Wang Defu did not think so. “No, no, Miss Zhou, you are a true master.”
After saying that, he continued in embarrassment. “Miss Zhou, how did you know that I would have an appointment? How did you know that something would happen to me? After all, I didn’t even know that I had an invitation at that time.”
Zhou Xiaoli paused for a moment, then said in a mock profound voice, “Of course it’s through predictions.”
“You really did predict it!” Wang Defu was a little excited. “Miss, you’re a true master. I’ve seen some powerful fortune tellers who could predict some calamities, but none of them were as accurate as you said.”
Zhou Xiaoli picked up her teacup and took a sip, smiling but said nothing else.
In fact, at that time, she had only seen that Wang Defu had a dim aura on his forehead and that he was about to face disaster.
It was all thanks to her Heavenly Eye that she knew the details. That day, her Heavenly Eye was triggered and an illusion appeared, allowing her to see what had happened.
As such, Zhou Xiaoli reminded him in passing since she wanted to befriend him.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Then, the waiter’s voice sounded, “Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper Qian is here.”
Wang Defu immediately stood up and said with a smile, “My good friend is here. He always thought that you were an old man. When he sees such a young girl later, he will definitely be shocked.”
With that, he went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Qian Zhantang’s voice was heard. “Why did you take such a long time to open the door? Where is the master?”
Wang Defu led Qian Zhantang into the room and closed the door. He chuckled and said, “What’s the hurry? The master won’t run away. She’s just sitting here.”
As he spoke, he gestured for Qian Zhantang to look at the guests in the room.
Qian Zhantang immediately looked around, but he saw only three familiar faces. He could not help but be stunned and said in surprise, “Eh, Miss Zhou, why are you here?”
Wang Defu was surprised. “You know Miss Zhou?”
Qian Zhantang nodded. “Yes, Miss Zhou is my business partner.”
Then, he realized something and looked at Wang Defu in disbelief. “Could the Master Zhou you talked about be Miss Zhou?”
Seeing Wang Defu nod, Qian Zhantang still had a look of disbelief on his face. He felt that Wang Defu was teasing him. “Stop joking. How can there be such a young master, and a girl at that?”
Then, seeing Wang Defu’s expression, Qian Zhantang was stunned. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Even after sitting down, Qian Zhantang still found it hard to believe.
Qian Zhantang said, “Miss Zhou, I was blind to not recognize you. I didn’t know that you were the master who saved my life. I’ll punish myself with a cup of wine first.”
With that, he drank it all in one gulp.
Zhou Xiaoli said, “Shopkeeper Qian, you’re being too polite.”
Qian Zhantang poured another glass of wine and said, “To be honest, I’m in a hurry to see the master. Firstly, I want to thank you for saving my life. I also have a presumptuous request to ask of.”
“That’s right. I want to ask the master to help me do a divination. I wonder if it’s possible.”
Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and looked at Qian Zhantang. She couldn’t help but smile and say, “Shopkeeper Qian, are you asking about leaving your hometown? If you’re asking about this, there’s no need to do a divination. My suggestion is to stay still. If you move, you’ll be in danger.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Qian Zhantang’s hand trembled in shock, and the cup fell on the table with a clatter. He stood up excitedly. “How, how did you know?”
