Riding in the carriage, Lin Li passed the place where he had fought the men from the Red Blood Gang.
He looked through the window and saw that the heavy rainstorm from before had washed away all traces of the battle, including the lingering bloodstains.
"Whoa..."
The driver pulled on the reins, and the horse came to a halt.
"Sir, Miss, we’re here."
He called back to his two passengers, who then stepped out of the carriage.
After paying the fare, Lin Li led a curious Qin Muqing forward.
They passed through the large iron gate outside and walked along a flat path paved with green bricks, making their way to the front of the villa.
The villa’s solid wood door was shut tight. With a thought, Lin Li retrieved the key from the Mysterious Small Island.
CLICK.
He used the key to open the door, and Qin Muqing followed him into the villa.
Seeing the renovations in the first-floor hall, she thought to herself, ’The original owner of this villa really wasn’t afraid to spend money on decorating.’
Lin Li gave Qin Muqing a tour of the villa, then said to her,
"I’ll live on the third floor, and you can take the second. There are plenty of rooms on the second floor, so you can pick whichever one you like."
"Okay." Qin Muqing nodded. Lin Li then took out the items he had bought at the department store from the Mysterious Small Island.
Seeing the large pile of things in front of her, Qin Muqing immediately slipped into her professional role without needing a word from Lin Li. She began putting away the items he had taken out.
Lin Li sat on the sofa in the first-floor living room—yes, this world even had sofas. As he looked around the property he had bought in the Otherworld, he felt the strange illusion of being back on Blue Star.
It was no surprise he felt that way. The villa’s design and interior decor were not all that different from villas on Blue Star.
If it weren’t for the lack of appliances like a television, refrigerator, and air conditioner—and most importantly, the internet—it would truly feel like he had bought a large villa back on Blue Star.
Just as Lin Li was marveling at how many things in this Otherworld were similar to those on Blue Star, Qin Muqing, in the first-floor kitchen, wore a troubled expression on her plain-looking face after putting away the oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and other ingredients.
She had boasted that she was skilled at laundry and cooking to convince Lin Li to take her in, but in reality, that wasn’t the case at all.
Even if she wasn’t proficient at laundry and other chores, she could still manage by taking a little more time. But cooking was a different story.
Culinary skill isn’t something you can master overnight; it requires a lot of practice. Of course, if you’re exceptionally talented, the practice time can be greatly reduced.
For example, in Lin Li’s opinion, a certain woman with the surname Su back on Blue Star was one of those people with an incredible gift for cooking.
Having lived a life of luxury since childhood, Qin Muqing had never once set foot in a kitchen to cook a meal.
Now that she was living in this villa and working for its owner, with all the ingredients like oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar ready, cooking was something she would definitely have to handle.
’What am I going to do? It looks like Mr. Lin will be eating at home tonight. If I serve up a table full of inedible food, my cover will be blown, won’t it?’
At that moment, Qin Muqing’s lively eyes were filled with worry as she frowned at the ingredients before her.
Suddenly, a voice came from the living room. "Qin Muqing, come here for a moment."
Qin Muqing, still trying to figure out how to get past the cooking hurdle, quickly answered when she heard Lin Li call her and hurried toward the living room.
Sitting on the living room sofa, Lin Li saw Qin Muqing rush into the room in a panic. He pointed to the adjacent sofa, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Mr. Lin, what can I do for you?" Qin Muqing asked, maintaining her honest-looking appearance.
"Here’s a key to the house." Lin Li took a spare set of keys from his pocket and placed them on the table. "I’m usually very busy and will rarely be staying the night here.
And sometimes I’ll have to travel far for business and won’t be back for several days. From now on, I’m leaving all household matters in your hands."
"Okay." Qin Muqing nodded, listening intently.
Now that the house was bought and they had moved in, Qin Muqing’s job as a housekeeper was officially starting. It was time to discuss her salary. Lin Li offered what he considered a reasonable price.
"As for your wages, how about I pay you 5,000 copper a month? Is that acceptable?"
As soon as he mentioned the salary, Qin Muqing immediately shook her head in protest.
"Mr. Lin, I’m living here and eating here. The salary you’re offering is too high. It’s not appropriate."
If Qin Muqing were still living her old life of luxury, a monthly salary of 5,000 copper wouldn’t even be enough to buy a single piece of her jewelry!
But times had changed. Having run away from home and suffered many hardships while drifting for nearly a month, Qin Muqing now knew all too well the income and spending levels of ordinary people.
The 5,000 copper per month Lin Li offered was nearly double what many people earned.
"There’s nothing inappropriate about it. The salary is settled." Lin Li’s tone was firm. Seeing that she was about to say more, he deliberately let his expression darken and said, "If you’re not willing to accept it, then you can find another job!"
"..." Hearing this, Qin Muqing fell silent. She couldn’t help but grumble internally, ’Who does that? Threatening to kick someone out just because they won’t accept such a high salary.’
Seeing that Qin Muqing no longer objected, Lin Li’s face broke into a smile. He extended his hand, and a small money pouch appeared in it.
"There’s some money in here. If you need to spend money on anything for the house, just take it from here."
With that, Lin Li placed the money pouch on the table next to the keys.
"Okay." Qin Muqing nodded, then said earnestly, "Mr. Lin, I will keep a clear record of every single expense."
Lin Li looked at the plain-looking, seemingly honest and dull-witted woman before him and thought, ’Having this honest woman manage my property from now on should save me a lot of trouble.’
"I have to go out on business now. I won’t be home for dinner, and I won’t be back tonight, so lock up and get some rest early." Having nothing else to add, Lin Li stood up and headed out of the villa.
Now that Qin Muqing was settled, Lin Li was going to personally pay the Red Blood Gang a visit for a ’cordial and friendly’ chat.
After all, their men had already come knocking to ’greet’ him. As a polite and civilized person, it just wouldn’t be right not to respond in kind.
Qin Muqing, who had just been worrying about how to get past the cooking trial, breathed a huge sigh of relief when she heard Lin Li say he wouldn’t be home for dinner. She stood up and saw him to the door.
"Alright, you don’t have to see me out." Lin Li, having stepped out of the villa, gestured for Qin Muqing to go back inside and then walked toward the distant main gate.
Qin Muqing stood at the villa’s entrance, watching Lin Li walk through the main gate until he was out of sight, before turning to go back inside.
SLAM.
The moment the door was closed, the demeanor of the woman Lin Li saw as honest and dull-witted changed completely.
She walked over to the living room sofa and sat down, her lively eyes scanning her surroundings.
Although it was nothing compared to her own home, the thought of finally having a safe place to stay brought a happy smile to Qin Muqing’s face.
’After I ran away from home, I was scammed, lost my wallet, and even ran into robbers. I haven’t had a single stroke of good luck. My luck has finally turned! Mr. Lin really is a good person...’
Lin Li, having just earned a "good person card," was riding in a carriage, contemplating his next move.
Broad daylight was clearly not the right time for a ’friendly visit,’ so he decided to call on the Red Blood Gang after dark.
* * *