Chapter 505
She was born into a scholarly family, raised amidst the sounds of bells and the aroma of fine food, surrounded by learned scholars and never mingling with the unrefined. Just before stepping out, she had even burned incense.
This was a sign of respect for the meeting.
But she never expected that Li Mo would be less impressive in person than in reputation; he was far from the suave, carefree, and spirited figure she had imagined.
To put it bluntly, he seemed a bit out of place.
Especially his skillful grilling of skewers, which made him look like a somewhat handsome street vendor, a far cry from the image she had in her mind.
As for being handsome...
For a woman of such renown, who didn’t have admirers fluttering around her? Compared to a group of young talents, Li Mo appeared so ordinary yet self-assured.
He had specifically organized the Hundred Flowers Festival, and this was how he planned to entertain them?
What kind of event would that turn out to be?
A rural stage show?
Many shared Shen Niangzi's sentiments.
"Why are they still not here?"
Li Mo had finished grilling the skewers and looked up to find a group of 'unremarkable' and 'somewhat pretty' women lingering upstairs.
"Huh?"
"Li... Li Shaoxia, are these good to eat?"
A crisp voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of someone swallowing.
The girl wore a sea silk robe, her hair a sky blue, flowing like waves, her eyes sparkling with life.
Sensing a familiar aura from Li Mo, she bravely approached him.
"You can give it a try."
After scanning her with his divine eyes, Li Mo smiled and handed her a few skewers.
"Wow... so spicy."
Lan Tian gasped, a tear escaping from the heat.
But before the tear could hit the ground, it transformed into a smooth pearl.
This scene reminded Li Mo of Zhen Bang...
But unlike Zhen Bang, Lan Tian was not a demon in disguise; she was more like Murong Xiao... well, half-demon.
At that moment, the peony flower room on the terrace opened, and Luo Ji, who went by the name Su Yao, descended, spotting the group of flowers standing still.
She paused and asked, "Why is everyone just standing here?"
"Are you the owner of Wanchun Ting, the Su Yao from the tenth rank?"
"Well, the owner is no longer just me."
Noticing the girls' thoughts, Luo Ji felt a mischievous thrill and whispered, "The owner has changed hands."
"Li Shaoxia just bought Wanchun Ting, so now I have to listen to him. Otherwise, those officials who are friendly with him won't be pleased."
"??"
Upon hearing this, their gazes shifted to the figure below, the one who had just extinguished the grill.
Isn’t it strange?
The atmosphere seemed to shift dramatically.
With the aura of a person of high status, the nature of things changed; grilling skewers in his own place became a hobby, not something low-class. It was down-to-earth!
"How much did it cost to buy Wanchun Ting?"
"There wasn't a specific price; Xiao Li Lang gave me a deposit slip and told me to fill it in myself."
"When I first saw him, I thought he was indeed handsome and charming. Now it seems he’s still true to himself."
"This smells so good; is this the kind of barbecue used in the festival?"
"Indeed, he’s like a firefly in the dark, even while grilling skewers, he stands out so brightly."
Why did they all rush to the capital?
It was all for fame, all to establish themselves in the most prosperous place under heaven.
Now, Li Mo had suddenly distanced himself from other young talents.
---
Chapter 570: The Foolish Yet Lovable Look
Batches of materials were sent from Hengtong Bank, carried into Wanchun Ting by the worker brothers, while the neighboring Fengyue Xiaozhu was also getting busy.
On one side were the stunning women of the Hundred Flowers List, singing and dancing, while on the other were the hardworking technician ladies.
Both sides seemed to be thriving.
But the owners of both establishments were currently squatting at a tea stall across the street, sipping large bowls of tea, lamenting that they could no longer indulge in the affairs of the world, as all their affections were reserved for a certain cold fairy who was no longer in this world.
"Foster father, I was just looking for you. What are you doing here?"
Zhong Zhenyue squatted down beside him with a list, and Xie Xuan followed, casually grabbing a bowl of tea.
"To ensure the Hundred Flowers Festival goes smoothly."
Li Mo shook his head.
"Huh? What’s the reasoning behind that?" Zhong Zhenyue looked confused.
Xie Xuan smirked, taking advantage of Zhong Zhenyue's naivety: "Think about it, when Li Ge goes, the girls will be calling him 'brother' and changing clothes, too busy being flattered to think about anything else."
"Huh? Do they want to fight with Li Ge?"
Zhong Zhenyue looked even more puzzled.
His half-sister, once she called him 'brother,' would start feeding him and giving him gifts.
At such times, Zhong Zhenyue would be on high alert.
Because it wouldn’t be long before Zhong Ling would suddenly get angry and challenge him to a duel, forbidding him from using his full strength, and then she would beat him up despite his expertise in martial arts.
So in Zhong Zhenyue's world, 'calling brother' equaled 'duel invitation.'
"What does that have to do with fighting?" Li Mo saw the wisdom in Zhong Zhenyue's eyes.
The not-so-bright kind of wisdom.
"That's a way for women to express their admiration, similar to 'official' or 'young master.'"
As soon as Xie Xuan said this, he couldn’t help but chew on the bitter roots.
Whenever Hua Nongying mentioned Li Ge, it was always 'Xiao Li Guanin' or 'Xiao Li Langjun.'
When she washed his feet, she would mention another man's name...
It hurt, it hurt too much. If it were the old him, he would have shattered by now. Thankfully, that old Xie Xuan was already dead...
"Admiration?"
Zhong Zhenyue quickly waved his hands: "That’s impossible, absolutely impossible. We’ve been fighting since we were kids."
Li Mo sighed and asked him, "When you lost to Zhong Ling, what was she like?"
"Strutting around, saying she was the boss."
"And now that you’ve lost to her?"
"She says she won’t talk to me anymore... Sometimes when she wins, she cries and says I’m heartless, not as strong as when we were kids..."
Zhong Zhenyue seemed to ponder this.
"Does she cry when other girls get close to you?"
"What does that have to do with her?"
"What if other guys get close to her and like her? Would you be angry?"
Li Mo posed a soul-searching question.
"!"
Zhong Zhenyue looked as if struck by lightning, nervously chuckling: "No, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t! Foster father, what kind of joke is that? You’re killing me with laughter..."
Li Mo: "....."
Xie Xuan: "....."
Just then, Huang Dong walked by; he also didn’t like hanging around the flirtatious and dangerous beauties of Wanchun Ting.
Li Mo asked, "Huang Ge, if someone got close to the girl beside you, would you be angry?"
Huang Dong looked wary: "What girl?"
Li Mo then asked Xie Xuan: "If someone got close to...."
Xie Xuan replied nonchalantly: "It happens every day, but I’ve let go. If she can find happiness, that’s a good story, even if it seems unlikely right now..."
"Now that’s a normal reaction."
Li Mo pointed at Huang Dong and Xie Xuan.
"!!!"
Zhong Zhenyue leaned back slightly, as if struck by lightning!
At this point, even you, the ironclad straight man, must have had a revelation, right?
Little Zhong fell into deep thought, and the atmosphere grew a bit heavy.
Li Mo cleared his throat and changed the subject:
"By the way, why don’t you guys go check out Wanchun Ting?"
"Fengyue Xiaozhu is much more comfortable now." Xie Xuan looked at the two exquisitely crafted buildings.
"I feel the same way."
Huang Dong nodded: "Strangely enough, I always thought of beautiful women as disasters, but being in Fengyue Xiaozhu, I feel like the women there won’t put me in danger... Why is that?"
Li Mo thought for a moment: "The women at Wanchun Ting are more business-oriented, while those at Fengyue Xiaozhu are more sporty."
"?????"
The three didn’t quite understand but felt it sounded profound.
After all, Li Ge was someone who stood at the pinnacle of Ying girl’s heart; he must have his reasons for saying this.
Not understanding must mean they were lacking in insight...
"Foster father, what should I do now?" Zhong Zhenyue asked, his expression complicated.
"I see that Uncle Zhong doesn’t seem to mind. You also have feelings for Zhong Ling; why not try dating her?"
"But how do you date?"
Zhong Zhenyue was at a loss, feeling this was harder than going into battle.
It was more about the unfamiliarity.
He had left the capital at a young age, going to the imperial city just when he was starting to understand love, but he was surrounded by rough soldiers, with no maidens around, only his personal guards.
"Ah, you’ve come to the right person."
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