Chapter 32: I Won’t Deduct It—I’m Treating You
Assistant Wu wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.
Under normal circumstances, if the Fourth Master didn’t want to do something, absolutely no one could force him. But now…
Fourth Master, it really looks like you’ve found yourself a very nice new “job.”
Less than a minute after Qin Mochen had just given in, his gaze shifted slightly and he spoke again. “Cooking is time-consuming and tiring. You’ll have to focus on studying later—you probably won’t have much time.”
Su Keke hurriedly said, “No, Uncle! I cook really fast—ten minutes and it’s done! And I can read while I cook. Back in Peach Blossom Village, I did that all the time.”
Qin Mochen fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, “Girl, do you still want to cling to Uncle’s thigh?”
Su Keke was a bit confused, not understanding why he suddenly brought this up, but she nodded seriously anyway. “Of course I do! Uncle is a person of great fortune—turning danger into safety in everything. You can casually live somewhere and it’s already the acupoint core. With thighs this powerful, of course I want to cling to them!”
Qin Mochen had only wanted to hear a simple “yes,” but the little girl ended up praising him to the skies.
His legs seemed to have been gilded by her words—shining brilliantly.
“If you want to, then listen to me. You don’t need to worry about cooking. I have a housekeeper and maids—I’ll have them come over. I won’t be hiring anyone extra.”
As he spoke, he patted the little girl’s head. “Tomorrow I’ll take you to school to register. Focus on your studies.”
Sure enough, Su Keke’s attention was immediately diverted. “Uncle, do high schools have parent-teacher meetings?”
“…Probably.”
“I don’t have parents. When the time comes, will everyone know that I was picked up by my master?”
When Su Keke said this, it was pure curiosity—there wasn’t a trace of sadness on her face, as though she’d long grown used to this fact.
But Qin Mochen frowned when he heard it.
“If there’s a parent-teacher meeting, I’ll go. I promise you—if I’m there, no one will dare gossip about you.”
Su Keke parted her little lips slightly and stared straight at him for a long time.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.
Su Keke grinned. “Nothing. Just a bit surprised. Judging by Uncle’s face, you don’t look like a gentle person, but you’re actually very considerate. My master was right—everything has its exceptions.”
Qin Mochen laughed. “You can tell that from my face?”
“Of course!” Su Keke said at once. “You can tell a lot from facial features—it’s just not very precise. If Uncle gave me your birth date and time, I could even calculate when you’ll get married and when you’ll have kids.”
“Cough—cough cough cough…” Assistant Wu, who was driving, suddenly choked on his own saliva.
Su Keke glanced at him and thoughtfully reminded him, “The weather’s dry, Assistant Wu. Remember to drink more water.”
After that, she continued chatting with her uncle. “But my master always tells me that fortune-telling leaks heavenly secrets, so when he sets up a stall, he only does three readings a day. Once the three are done, he packs up. Compared to divination and face-reading, we prefer feng shui or catching ghosts and exorcising evil. But even those need caution, or it’s easy to get tangled up in karma.”
She casually talked about the things her master had done when he was young.
“…My master leaked too many heavenly secrets when he was young, so he’s destined to be poor for this lifetime. But he has me. I’ll take care of him.”
The girl’s sweet voice was pleasant to the ear, making people feel relaxed.
The corners of Qin Mochen’s mouth unconsciously lifted. He gave a low mm. “Your master is right. If you don’t want to become a little poor ghost, you should do fewer things that leak heavenly secrets in the future.”
“Hehe, I know, Uncle.”
“Uncle, my master always says I look kind of dumb and that I’m easy to trick. Am I really that easy to trick?”
Thinking of something, Su Keke suddenly looked at Qin Mochen and asked innocently.
Qin Mochen: …
“Uncle, you don’t have to say anything. Your expression already tells me,” Su Keke sighed, looking dejected.
Looks like she really was pretty silly. Her master might still fool her sometimes, but someone as noble as Uncle would never deceive her.
“Don’t sigh,” Qin Mochen said after a moment of thought, trying to comfort her. “You’ll get smarter. I’ll teach you.”
“Really? Uncle, if I really become smart, I’ll do fortune-telling for you for free!”
“Heh. Alright.”
Gurgle.
Her stomach growled.
Su Keke rubbed her little belly and said shyly, “Uncle, usually even if I’m hungry my stomach doesn’t make noise. Maybe today I talked too much.”
Assistant Wu burst out laughing.
Su Keke said to Qin Mochen, “Uncle, just deduct the meal money directly from my pay.”
“I won’t deduct it. I’m treating you.”
“No, Uncle. People in our line of work can’t casually owe favors.”
Qin Mochen’s ink-black, sword-like brows lifted slightly. “You can treat me back later. Or—do you want to keep accounts perfectly clear between us?”
“Huh? Alright then. I won’t be polite with you, Uncle.”
“Uncle, where are we going to eat?”
“Guose Tianxiang Club. I’m a Supreme VIP member there—20% of the price for any spending. We’ll go there.”
“Wow, Uncle is so smart. We can save so much money that way!”
Qin Mochen smiled faintly, then said to her, “I still have things to deal with this afternoon. After the meal, Assistant Wu will take you back. I probably won’t be back until evening.”
“…If you need anything, tell Assistant Wu. He’ll arrange it. This weekend I’ll accompany you to go shopping, and you can pick up whatever else you want.”
“…Tomorrow I’ll make time to go to school with you. Your backpack and textbooks will be prepared today in advance.”
Su Keke nodded obediently, then nodded again.
Assistant Wu: Fourth Master, what happened to your once-precious words?
The car drove into Guose Tianxiang Club.
Qin Mochen’s gaze fell on the girl, and he couldn’t help but rub her little bun of hair. “What do you feel like eating later?”
“Anything is fine, Uncle! I’m not picky at all!” Su Keke smiled, revealing two rows of little white teeth.
Qin Mochen took the little girl to the eighth-floor restaurant, Clear Goblet, Red Candles.
Because the little girl had specifically asked after him, Assistant Wu—who had never shared a table with the Fourth Master before—was also fortunate enough to come along.
Assistant Wu desperately wanted to hug the little cutie, kiss her, and lift her up high.
So excited!
Eating at the same table as the Fourth Master—if he told the others, all the underlings would be green with envy.
And all of this was thanks to little Su Cutie, hahaha!
The three of them entered a private room.
The room’s door was a sliding, hollow-carved wooden door. A waitress in flowing robes with wide sleeves stood to the side, providing one-on-one service.
Assistant Wu pulled out chairs for the two of them, then sat down himself, leaving one seat between.
“Order whatever you want,” Qin Mochen said, handing the menu to Su Keke.
Su Keke was shocked by the many-digit prices on the menu and cried out softly, “Uncle, this food is way too expensive! Look at this—just one plate of shrimp. I can count how many there are on my fingers, and it costs over a thousand yuan?
And this one—this is just napa cabbage, right? One hundred and thirty yuan? Why don’t they just go rob people?”
Seeing her scrunched-up little face, Qin Mochen’s deep voice carried a rare hint of teasing. “You’ll be earning fifty thousand a day from Uncle in the future. Are you really short of this little bit of money?”
The waitress dressed in classical attire heard their conversation and discreetly sized up Su Keke, her gaze turning a little subtle.
But being well-experienced and highly professional, that flicker of surprise quickly disappeared.
“But Uncle, no matter how much money I earn, it’s not for letting people rip me off. If others cheat me, I’ll be unhappy. The extra money spent on this meal—we’d be better off donating it.” Su Keke instantly lost her appetite.
Even with a 20% discount, it was still a lot of money!
