Chapter Nineteen: The Fiery Maidservant

Chapter Nineteen: The Fiery Beauty Serves

At the break of dawn, Xu Yun was startled awake by Guo Guo knocking eagerly at his door. “Daddy! Hurry up and get up! Guo Guo is starving!”

“What do you want to eat?” Xu Yun rolled out of bed, slipped on his beach shorts and tank top, and opened the door.

“I’ll go downstairs and see what’s good. You go wash up first,” Guo Guo blinked her big eyes mischievously. Xu Yun didn’t quite catch on to what the little rascal was up to.

He patted her small head with a gentle smile. “Alright, go on down and wait for me. Where’s your mom?”

“She probably went down already. The bathroom lock’s a bit tricky—you need the key,” Guo Guo’s eyes sparkled as she darted downstairs.

Xu Yun felt a nagging sense that something was off, but couldn’t put his finger on it. He shrugged it off, walked to the bathroom, and turned the key, pushing the door open.

And then—

He finally understood why Guo Guo had been acting strange.

Ruan Qingshuang stood before him, her face flushed crimson, dressed only in her underwear after a shower, not yet having put on her clothes! She was sure she’d locked the door!

“Qingshuang… uh… I… I didn’t see anything,” Xu Yun fought back a nosebleed, turned away, and closed the door behind him.

Ruan Qingshuang’s heart, which had leapt to her throat, dropped with a thud. She hurriedly dressed, her cheeks still burning. If she hadn’t planned a shopping trip with Qin Wan’er today, she wouldn’t have bothered showering so early.

As she stepped out, she saw the key dangling from the doorknob and instantly realized Guo Guo’s prank.

“Guo Guo!!” Ruan Qingshuang’s shout echoed through the house.

Guo Guo shuddered, nearly pinching her hand in the fridge. She didn’t even bother grabbing the yogurt, bolting to the door to see if Sister Wan’er had arrived yet.

Fortunately, Qin Wan’er appeared at the medicinal restaurant just before Ruan Qingshuang came downstairs. She had changed out of her uniform, donning a bohemian off-shoulder high-waisted dress that made her already long legs look impossibly slender. A pair of denim-blue canvas shoes lent her frosty beauty a touch of fresh and lively youth.

Ruan Qingshuang and Guo Guo couldn’t help exclaiming, “So pretty!”

“You two look beautiful as well!” Qin Wan’er praised in return. Guo Guo wore a cute, fresh little princess dress, while Ruan Qingshuang’s floral bohemian dress, paired with stylish flats, gave her an enchanting charm of her own.

“Dressed like that to work? Aren’t you overdoing it?” Xu Yun came down the stairs, a little stunned. “All three of you look so bewitching—what are you up to?”

Xu Yun could scarcely believe how breathtaking they looked even without makeup. They proved true beauty didn’t need Estée Lauder or Chanel.

“Stunned, are you?” Qin Wan’er winked, proud. “Never seen beauties before? Now there are three dazzling you at once.”

“How about this dress? Does it look good?” Even Ruan Qingshuang swirled her dress, teasing Xu Yun—a rare moment of playfulness that showed she’d already put the earlier mishap behind her.

“Daddy, do you think Mom is prettier, or Sister Wan’er? Or,” Guo Guo batted her lashes coquettishly, twisting her not-yet-grown little body, “is Guo Guo the prettiest?”

The three of them nearly electrocuted Xu Yun on the spot! One flirtatious glance from any of them would be enough to knock a man senseless—let alone all three at once. He almost lost his soul. Enchantresses, every one of them!

“Good thing Monk Tang Sanzang didn’t run into you three on his journey for scriptures, or he’d have thrown in the towel!” In Xu Yun’s heart, these women scored at least ninety out of one hundred.

By his standards, any woman scoring above eighty was worth a man’s lifetime pursuit; above ninety, she was worth risking everything for, no matter the cost.

His comment sent Ruan Qingshuang and Qin Wan’er into peals of laughter, their beauty making Xu Yun’s heart itch with longing.

“Daddy, will you watch the shop today?” Guo Guo beamed. “I’ll hand over all the finances to you. Mommy and I are going shopping with Sister Wan’er. I haven’t bought pretty clothes in so long!”

Qin Wan’er waved her fair hand at Xu Yun. “Bye! Thanks for your hard work, Chef Xu!”

Even Ruan Qingshuang gave him an apologetic little smile. “Xu Yun, I’ll leave it to you today. Guo Guo really wanted to go, and I promised Wan’er…”

Seriously? You’re all going out for fun and leaving me behind?

All he could do was watch as these two stunning women and a super adorable girl sashayed out, their graceful figures twisting the knife in his heart. It was the weekend, after all—was he to be the only one left slaving away?

But then again, Ruan Qingshuang had worked hard to make a life in Hedong City on her own; she deserved a break. Xu Yun understood.

Fine, then. Tying on his apron, he refused to believe he couldn’t handle this little medicinal restaurant alone!

—

But at lunchtime, the customers gave him no chance to be busy.

As soon as the lunch rush began, four customers entered one after the other. Each of them, as if under a spell, only wanted a free bowl of Smilax and mung bean soup, sat down, and drank without the slightest embarrassment.

Xu Yun asked them several times if they wanted anything else, but no one responded.

The fifth customer also only asked for mung bean soup. Xu Yun finally felt something wasn’t right, but none of these people looked like local hooligans or gangsters.

They all treated the free soup as their main meal, savoring each bowl with great satisfaction.

Soon, the sixth, seventh, eighth… the fifty-fifth, fifty-sixth…

Before he knew it, every seat in the restaurant was filled with a legion of free-soup drinkers. Genuine customers who came for a meal saw there was nowhere to sit and had no choice but to leave.

The lunch rush lasted barely two hours. Xu Yun fiddled with his calculator, carefully observing each “customer” sipping the Smilax mung bean soup. Among them were older men, young office workers, and some students.

At that moment, a young man in a plaid shirt swaggered in, his skin so pale and delicate he looked almost effeminate, trailed closely by two brawny lackeys.

Xu Yun knew—the mastermind behind this little performance had finally arrived.

The plaid-shirted youth glanced at the customers, then at Xu Yun behind the counter, smirking. “Wow, boss, your business is booming. Can’t even find a seat for lunch.”

Xu Yun chuckled. “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Don’t bottle it up until you make yourself sick.”

“Pretty cocky, aren’t you?” The youth sneered. “Listen up. My name is Wang Tianguang! My uncle, Wang Shunxi, is with the Four Wolves Gang. Offend my uncle, you offend me! Got it?”

Xu Yun sighed inwardly. The Four Wolves Gang again—persistent as ever. It seemed those mutts really had a death wish.

“Alright, gentlemen, thanks for your hard work today! Here’s your pay!” Wang Tianguang waved his hand, and his lackeys quickly handed out cash—one hundred yuan per person—to the soup drinkers.

He looked at Xu Yun with smug satisfaction. “My uncle only thinks highly of you because he’s getting old and soft. But I’m not so patient. You want to play games? I’ll play you to death!”

“Get lost,” Xu Yun said flatly. He really couldn’t fathom what the idiot hoped to achieve, spending thousands of yuan just to have people drink a big pot of cheap mung bean soup. He worried such stupidity might be contagious.

Wang Tianguang exploded with rage, cursing, “I’ll trash your shop today—believe it or not!”

Xu Yun was not the most patient of men. As he was about to teach this fool a lesson, the door opened and a woman walked in.

She was like a fairy—long hair flowing, wearing a tight black t-shirt that emphasized her proud curves, and equally tight black pants hugging a pair of legs that could dazzle any man.

Who else could it be but the formidable “Violent Fox” Qiu Yan?

“I’ve decided. I’m working here as a waitress today,” Qiu Yan announced without preamble.

Xu Yun smiled. It seemed Qiu Yan had truly made up her mind. Injured as she was, she could barely hold her own against a second-rate fighter, much less protect Guo Guo. But sticking with Xu Yun meant she’d have help fending off strong enemies, access to treasures like the Nine-Treasure Revival Pill, and perhaps Xu Yun’s medical skills could even heal her internal injuries.

Wang Tianguang, already spoiling for a fight, couldn’t tolerate being interrupted. He unleashed all his pent-up fury. “Are you blind? Can’t you see I’m talking? Get lost!”

Xu Yun nearly laughed aloud. Of all people to provoke, this idiot chose the down-and-out Violent Fox. It was like looking for trouble with a lantern in the dark—seeking death.

Qiu Yan’s delicate brows knitted, a chill flashing in her eyes. “What did you say?”

“I said get lost!” Wang Tianguang finally turned around. Only now did he realize that the new waitress was a stunning beauty. His lecherous grin spread wide as he drawled, “Hey, little cutie, you look great. Interested in being my woman? They call me the Silver Spear Little Overlord…”

“Bang—!!”

Before he could finish, Qiu Yan snapped a simple, ruthless high whip kick down on the back of Wang Tianguang’s head like a thunderbolt!

His delicate face smashed hard onto the glass countertop with a resounding crash.