"**211985."
Seeing that Gui Nianqiu had already come out, Tao Bai lowered his voice and quickly recited a QQ number.
He then stood up and said, "That cloak looks really nice. How much was it?"
"Got it. Remember to accept the request later. I'm off."
The beauty said softly before standing up and walking away.
Gui Nianqiu stood there, looking at Tao Bai with a face full of unhappiness.
If she's unhappy now, so be it.
She'll feel better after a few rounds tonight.
Nancheng was so large, without the help of a local, finding the specific location of the Shen family would be far from simple.
The province was surrounded by mountains on all sides and was a land of talented people.
The people here believed in the Daoist principle of letting nature take its course, so life here had a unique sense of relaxation.
Squat wherever, sleep wherever, play cards wherever.
If you encountered something unpleasant or someone annoying, there was just one word for it:
Fight.
It was said that fights resulting in death happened from time to time.
And if someone died, it didn't matter much—
They'd just play a few rounds of Mahjong in the mourning hall first.
"Where to next?"
Tao Bai walked up and casually took a bag from her.
Gui Nianqiu only handed him one bag, keeping the other for herself.
Tao Bai wouldn't let her reveal the storage bag in front of people, so when they went out shopping, they had to carry things by hand.
They could only put them into the storage bag when no one was watching.
Seeing that Gui Nianqiu remained silent, Tao Bai asked again, "Skewers or hotpot tonight?"
"Both!"
Gui Nianqiu thought to herself,
I'm going to spice you to death tonight!
Let's see if you dare give your QQ to a beauty again!
Tao Bai took her around the neighborhood, browsed a few clothing stores, and then they went to eat Malatang, grilled skewers, and hotpot.
They ate until they were stuffed before returning to the hotel.
…
"Ouch... ow, ow..."
Tao Bai tried to push Gui Nianqiu's head away, but she immediately buried her face back down...
"Phew~"
Watching her wearing the newly bought red dudou and the semi-transparent red sheer underwear, and feeling her red-pepper-like lips moving frantically…
Tao Bai let out a deep breath and immediately mobilized the Power of Xuan Ice to perform some local cooling!
Is this your revenge?
Hmph!
Just wait, it'll be BenZuo's turn soon!
…
Pangzi Alley was adjacent to Yaomu Road, far from the hustle and bustle of the main street.
They had visited yesterday, and Gui Nianqiu had even bought two sets of clothes there.
It was a forty-square-meter silk shop.
After chatting with the proprietress for a while, Gui Nianqiu expressed her desire to take over the shop.
The proprietress was initially unwilling, but upon hearing that Gui Nianqiu was willing to pay a transfer fee of 30,000 yuan, she happily agreed.
The rent was 600 yuan a month, only one-eighth of the rent in Yangcheng.
After taking over the silk shop and understanding that the salary standard for peers in the area was about one-eighth of that in Yangcheng, Gui Nianqiu posted a recruitment notice—
Full-time, 1,000 yuan a month—about 30% higher than the market rate.
Included 2 days of paid leave per month, various holiday benefits, and bonuses for good performance.
The job requirements were:
Female, aged 18-25, young and energetic, fresh appearance, with a preference for those who enjoyed fashion coordination.
She just needed to wait for someone to apply, observe them for a while, and if they were suitable, she could become a hands-off boss.
This time, I can't be so generous with money anymore.
I want to earn my own money!
Outside the shop, she also pasted a reward notice:
Seeking relatives from afar.
20,000 yuan cash reward for the first person to provide a photo of Shen Yuan.
…
Days passed as fucks.（度日如日）
The date arrived at February 3rd, the day to pay the shop assistant.
The writing on the reward notice outside had blurred, yet no one had torn it down.
So, Gui Nianqiu went to a print shop, printed a new one, laminated it, and stuck it outside the door.
The foot traffic in the store wasn't high, but it was relatively stable.
On average, they sold seven or eight pieces of clothing a day, with a daily profit of around 150 yuan.
She paid the assistant 1,500 yuan, including benefits and bonuses.
Tomorrow they would go on break and reopen on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.
The assistant Gui Nianqiu eventually hired was named Liang Yue, nineteen years old, from a poor mountain village.
When she came to apply, she was wearing many layers of clothes, but none were very warm.
After a brief chat, Gui Nianqiu told her to take a few sets of clothes home and wear them to work the next day.
Liang Yue was incredibly moved and cherished this job opportunity deeply.
She practiced her sales pitch every day, learned to observe body types and temperaments, and figured out which outfits matched which customers.
She adapted to the job very quickly.
Transaction prices and clothing information had to be registered to calculate profit, loss, and restocking needs, she did this well too.
Gui Nianqiu did a rough calculation:
The store would earn back its initial investment within a year, and after that, it would be pure passive income. It was quite nice...
Tao Bai and Gui Nianqiu had now moved into the Yaomu Residential Complex.
Last month, Tao Bai had paid 250,000 yuan in full for a new top-floor apartment, and they had just moved in a few days ago.
Finally, they didn't have to get a hotel room every day...
Gui Nianqiu was also very happy because the property deed bore her name.
Blocking out the sensitive information, she posted it to her QQ Zone, shocking her classmates once again.
"Rich lady, take care of me..."
"Flexing wealth lady..."
"Begging to be kept."
"What's a property deed? Post a marriage certificate if you've got the guts!"
...
Looking at the messy comments and messages, Gui Nianqiu smiled and didn't reply to a single one.
"Tomorrow is the Start of Spring. Handsome, got any time?"
"Come out for Zhergen (fish mint roots) hotpot!"
Tao Bai was skillfully typing the message [No time], but suddenly, his hand hovered over the [Send] button.
She had sent another message!
He immediately deleted the words [No time] and typed: [3 PM, you pick the place, I'll be there.]
He clicked send, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curve upward.
It wasn't that he coveted the body of a married woman, nor was it because of news about Shen Yuan. It was simply that he had truly never eaten Zhergen hotpot.
…
The next afternoon at 2:30 PM.
After the two finished lunch, just as Gui Nianqiu was clearing the dishes, Tao Bai spoke up.
"I have to go out on my own this afternoon."
"Where to?"
Gui Nianqiu asked alertly.
Tao Bai looked at her quietly without speaking.
Gui Nianqiu's eyes dimmed slightly, turning into a silent sigh in her heart.
She was dazed for a moment before forcing a smile and asking softly:
"Will you be back for dinner tonight? I'll make something good for you."
"I will."
Hearing this, Gui Nianqiu felt a little more at ease.
Over the past month, Tao Bai had taught her many basic spells during the day.
He taught her how to draw talismans and chant incantations, how to manipulate objects with Qi, and even bought her a decent small knife to keep in her storage bag.
With spiritual energy protecting her body, an ordinary person would find it hard to hurt a hair on her head.
Tao Bai was much more relieved.
He didn't need to have the Wind-Devouring Bug guard her every moment anymore.
When he woke up a few days ago, Tao Bai discovered that his skin color had changed again.
His skin had turned apricot yellow and remained that way for some time before returning to a normal human tone.
Tao Bai had quickly sat up to meditate and perform inner observation, discovering that the walls of the acupoints throughout his body had enlarged.
He carefully sensed his physical body again- his skin was tight.
He picked up a wrench and tapped his left forearm, and it actually produced the "ding, ding, ding" sound of metal hitting stone.
Then, he went to the kitchen knife rack, took a cleaver, and without using any spiritual power, chopped at his left forearm.
With a *ding*, the blade was left with a deep notch.
Throwing a few casual punches produced crisp sounds indicative of extreme speed and power.
Tao Bai smirked with satisfaction.
The three-in-one effect had exceeded his expectations!
Wearing a completely black Daoist robe, Tao Bai went out the door.
After walking in the wind and snow for a quarter of an hour, he entered a hotpot restaurant.
Based on the information the other party had left, he quickly found the corresponding table and walked over with large strides.
"Handsome, you're here! Sit here!"
Fan Qinzhu called out a greeting, then introduced the girl sitting next to her.
"Thought you wouldn't come!
This is my best friend... Qiqi."
She then looked at Meng Qi and said with a hint of smugness,
"Remember to pay the bill later!"
The appearance of the person in front of her clearly exceeded expectations.
The slight unwillingness in Meng Qi's heart was immediately replaced by pleasant surprise.
She stood up straightforwardly, extended her right hand with a beaming smile, and said:
"Mr. Tang, first time meeting you. I am looking forward to your [guidance]."