80 Thank You Banquet
Wang Defu was persistent. âLook, I have already set up the banquet. Miss Zhou, please come.â
Unable to resist Wang Defuâs hospitality, Zhou Xiaoli finally sighed and agreed.
Wang Defu immediately beamed with joy. âGood, good, good. Thatâs great. You didnât just save my life. A good brother of mine has always said that he wants to see you.â
Zhou Xiaoli said politely, âShopkeeper, youâre too polite. I didnât do anything.â
!!
âSigh, you canât say that.â Wang Defu chuckled.
At this moment, the waiter called out and said that the table had been set up.
Wang Defu immediately said, âMiss Zhou, please come in.â
Then, he looked at Zheng Yongyan, who was standing at the side. âYoung Master, you must be Miss Zhouâs friend. Come, come in.â
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 couldnât wait to talk about his experience. âMiss Zhou, youâre really amazing! When you reminded me not to attend the invitation, I didnât understand what you meant then.â
âUnexpectedly, 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.â
âAt that time, I didnât 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.â
âGuess what?â
Wang Defu looked excited as he spoke in high spirits.
Zheng Yongyan was fascinated as he stared at Wang Defu and continued, âWhat happened?â
Zhou Xiaoli wanted to laugh. It was a pity that Wang Defu was not a storyteller.
Wang Defu didnât keep them in suspense and continued, âThey didnât believe me! They said I was stupid for believing others just because they said something.â
âTo be honest, I was a little shaken at that time, but in the end, I decided not to go.â
âI knew it. Itâs better to believe it than not. Anyway, we can always listen to the songstress anytime. I told them, letâs not go this time. Nothing would go wrong from us being careful.â
âBut my brothers didnât 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?â
At this point, Wang Defu sighed. He was both glad and vexed. âSigh, I should have insisted and persuaded them. Because I didnât believe it myself, I didnât persuade them anymore.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âIn 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 didnât go.â
âBut 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.â
With that, Wang Defu poured a glass of wine and patted his chest. âMiss Zhou, I donât have any good points, but I can say with confidence that I stand by the word âloyaltyâ! You saved my life. From now on, my life is yours. As long as you need me, Iâll even die for you!â
Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. âYouâre being too serious. I was just giving you some advice casually. In the end, you still have to rely on yourself.â
Although Zhou Xiaoli said so, Wang Defu did not think so. âNo, no, Miss Zhou, you are a true master.â
After saying that, he continued in embarrassment. âMiss Zhou, how did you know that I would have an appointment? How did you know that something would happen to me? After all, I didnât even know that I had an invitation at that time.â
Zhou Xiaoli paused for a moment, then said in a mock profound voice, âOf course itâs through predictions.â
âYou really did predict it!â Wang Defu was a little excited. âMiss, youâre a true master. Iâve seen some powerful fortune tellers who could predict some calamities, but none of them were as accurate as you said.â
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 waiterâs voice sounded, âShopkeeper, Shopkeeper Qian is here.â
Wang Defu immediately stood up and said with a smile, âMy 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.â
With that, he went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Qian Zhantangâs voice was heard. âWhy did you take such a long time to open the door? Where is the master?â
Wang Defu led Qian Zhantang into the room and closed the door. He chuckled and said, âWhatâs the hurry? The master wonât run away. Sheâs just sitting here.â
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, âEh, Miss Zhou, why are you here?â
Wang Defu was surprised. âYou know Miss Zhou?â
Qian Zhantang nodded. âYes, Miss Zhou is my business partner.â
Then, he realized something and looked at Wang Defu in disbelief. âCould the Master Zhou you talked about be Miss Zhou?â
Seeing Wang Defu nod, Qian Zhantang still had a look of disbelief on his face. He felt that Wang Defu was teasing him. âStop joking. How can there be such a young master, and a girl at that?â
Then, seeing Wang Defuâs expression, Qian Zhantang was stunned. âReally?â
âAbsolutely.â
Even after sitting down, Qian Zhantang still found it hard to believe.
Qian Zhantang said, âMiss Zhou, I was blind to not recognize you. I didnât know that you were the master who saved my life. Iâll punish myself with a cup of wine first.â
With that, he drank it all in one gulp.
Zhou Xiaoli said, âShopkeeper Qian, youâre being too polite.â
Qian Zhantang poured another glass of wine and said, âTo be honest, Iâm 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.â
...
âThatâs right. I want to ask the master to help me do a divination. I wonder if itâs possible.â
Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and looked at Qian Zhantang. She couldnât help but smile and say, âShopkeeper Qian, are you asking about leaving your hometown? If youâre asking about this, thereâs no need to do a divination. My suggestion is to stay still. If you move, youâll be in danger.â
As soon as these words were spoken, Qian Zhantangâs hand trembled in shock, and the cup fell on the table with a clatter. He stood up excitedly. âHow, how did you know?â