Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 74

At Qiao Family Inn, the father and son returned from Si Feng Restaurant to find the inn’s main hall bustling with activity. The air was filled with lively chatter and the sounds of people playing drinking games.

Scanning the customers on the first floor, the father and son quietly went upstairs. However, the son returned downstairs shortly after.

Before leaving the inn, Lu Tang had instructed Qiao Fugui to take good care of the guests. Following the young master’s orders, Qiao Fugui eagerly greeted the son, “What can I do for you?”

The son glanced at the lively main hall and then turned to Qiao Fugui with a smile, “Do you have any wine?”

Qiao Fugui immediately nodded, “Yes, we have osmanthus wine from Yunyang Restaurant. How much would you like?”

“Just one pot.”

Qiao Fugui responded enthusiastically, “Sure, would you like to drink it here in the hall, or should I bring it up to your room?”

“I’ll take it up myself.”

Qiao Fugui quickly explained, “I’m sorry, but we just ordered five pots of wine from Yunyang Restaurant yesterday, and they’re already sold out. I’ll need to go to Yunyang Restaurant to get more. Don’t worry, I’ll have it brought up to you in just a short while.”

The son hesitated, glancing at the customers in the hall who indeed had wine pots beside their tables. Given his instructions, he nodded, “Alright, please bring it up to my room.”

After he went back upstairs, Qiao Fugui breathed a sigh of relief, thinking their young master was truly foresighted to even predict that the father and son would order wine.

Following Lu Tang’s instructions, Qiao Fugui raised his voice and shouted out the door, “One pot of osmanthus wine from Yunyang Restaurant!”

A short distance away, another inn worker echoed the call, “One pot of osmanthus wine from Yunyang Restaurant!”

From the inn to Yunyang Restaurant, every few meters, someone from Qiao Family Inn—either a worker or one of Lu Tang’s attendants—stood ready, relaying the call like a game of telephone until it reached Yunyang Restaurant.

The entire street buzzed with excitement.

Everyone wondered what kind of spectacle this was going to be.

Curious and idle townsfolk gathered in small groups, waiting to see what would happen next.

Gu Yunhe, upon hearing the commotion, felt increasingly uneasy.

What was Lu Tang up to?

First, he only ordered five pots of wine, and now he was buying just one pot in such a grand manner.

It all seemed designed to make sure the entire town knew he was buying wine from Yunyang Restaurant.

At Yunyang Restaurant, the manager Yu Shunhai personally filled a pot with wine from a large jar and handed it to the last link in the relay, Er Bao.

Er Bao, a small boy standing by the jar, looked up and said in his sweet, clear voice as Lu Tang had taught him, “Grandpa Yu, I’m too small to carry this wine pot. Could you send a worker to help me? Our master will surely reward him.”

Yu Shunhai chuckled and patted Er Bao on the head, “Why did your master send you to buy wine?”

Then he pointed to a worker, “You, go deliver the wine.”

The worker, feeling conflicted, took the wine pot. However, just as he stepped outside, he was startled by a loud shout, “One pot of osmanthus wine from Yunyang Restaurant to Qiao Family Inn!”

The sudden shout almost made the worker drop the pot. He turned to see a grinning Qiao Family Inn worker.

Irritated, he handed the wine pot to the Qiao Family Inn worker, “Why are you shouting for no reason? Take your wine back.”

The Qiao Family Inn worker stepped aside with a smile, “I can’t do that. Our young master instructed me to cheer, not deliver. That’s Er Bao’s job.”

Er Bao, very astutely, tugged on the worker’s clothes, “Big brother, I won’t let you help for free.”

With that, he pulled out a coin and handed it to the worker, blinking his big eyes, “Is that okay?”

The worker glared at Er Bao, took the pot in one hand, and pushed the coin back into Er Bao’s hand with the other, flicking Er Bao’s head lightly, “Keep your coin for when you get married.”

Er Bao cheerfully put the coin away, “I’ll save it for my big brother’s wedding.”

Chatting, they made their way back to the inn amidst the continuous shouts from the relay line, as if escorting a princess.

Trailing behind was a group of onlookers, eager for any gossip.

Upon arrival at the inn, no one came out to greet them.

Er Bao looked pitifully at the worker, “Big brother, the guest on the second floor asked for a pot of wine.”

He untied a small wine pot from his waist, “This is the pot I bought from Yunyang Restaurant. I can’t pour from the big pot. Can you help me fill it? Our inn doesn’t seem to have a wine ladle.”

Sighing, the worker took the small pot and, under the watchful eyes of about a dozen customers, skillfully filled it from the big pot. He then placed the big pot on the counter.

“Okay, you can take it up.”

Turning to leave, he was stopped by Er Bao again, “Big brother, there’s a very fierce man upstairs. I’m afraid to go up alone.”

Before the worker could respond, a customer grumbled, “What’s wrong with your inn’s management? How come there’s only one worker left? Where are the others?”

Another customer chimed in, “They’ve all gone out to shout and advertise. The inn seems to be reopening, so they need to promote it.”

Saying that, he patted the shoulder of the person next to him and walked forward, “Come on, I’ll go with you.”

Er Bao looked expectantly at the worker, “Big brother, will you come too? More people make things easier.”

The worker sighed, unable to refuse. He grabbed the wine pot from the counter and followed Er Bao upstairs, joined by two helpful customers.

Their procession looked more like an escort mission than a simple wine delivery.

At the same time, across the street, Gu Yunhe watched the crowd outside the inn. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became. Turning to his confidant, he ordered, “Tell them, the plan is canceled.”

The confidant nodded and hurried to Qiao Family Inn.

However, just as he reached the entrance, the diners in the hall all got up and blocked the doorway.

As this group dispersed, a piercing scream echoed from the second floor of Qiao Family Inn.

“Help! Someone’s dead!”