Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 22

“It’s nothing. My lord has been drawing all day. Are you tired?”

“You’re lying.”

Qiu Qi frowned.

“Whenever you’re unhappy, you avoid looking into my eyes.”

Pei Yuqing’s movements as she tidied the desktop paused for half a second. Even she herself had not noticed such details, yet Qiu Qi had observed them carefully.

“Madam, all of this is just to make a living…”

Qiu Qi tugged at Pei Yuqing’s sleeve and shook it. When that soft, sticky ending tone was drawn out, it sounded even more impossible to refuse.

Pei Yuqing sighed. From the bottom of her heart, a helpless feeling arose, as if she truly had no way to deal with this person.

“My lord need not explain. As long as it is something you like, I will always support you.”

Qiu Qi’s ears drooped again, becoming pitiful airplane ears.

“Really? But Madam, your expression looks strange.”

“My lord is overthinking.”

Pei Yuqing spoke faintly. She put Qiu Qi’s drawings away, then raised her hand and rubbed her head.

“It is late. My lord, come back to the room and rest with me.”

The feeling of being touched by Pei Yuqing on her own initiative was actually quite nice. Qiu Qi stood on tiptoe and rubbed against her palm again before finally relaxing and replying,

“Okay. Early to bed and early to rise. Tomorrow, I still have to go to Ruyi Pavilion.”

…

Early the next morning, Qiu Qi sent Yan Wan to deliver the drawings she had made to Lu Ren.

The reason Ruyi Pavilion was called by this name was that no matter who entered, they could buy something that suited their wishes. This was also the reason the shop was popular. It sold everything.

If Qiu Qi wanted to sell her drawings, and quickly and efficiently at that, then of course taking Lu Ren’s route was best.

To put it in modern terms, it was like riding a wave of traffic in an internet celebrity livestream room. After opening up brand awareness, she could slowly recover the marketing cost.

Fortunately, Lu Ren still had some conscience. Seeing that Qiu Qi was a valued customer who had spent over a thousand gold, the commission she took was only ten percent.

“I did not expect my lord’s drawing skills to be so exquisite. Lu Ren considers herself someone who has seen much of the world, but even I have never seen works with images this refined. There are even quite a few fresh poses inside… Presumably, once they go on the shelves, they will be sold out immediately.”

Lu Ren narrowed her eyes and smiled, looking sly and impossible to read.

“However, my lord also knows that I never do business at a loss.”

Qiu Qi naturally knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. She cautiously confirmed,

“Say it first. Let me hear.”

“First, from now on, your goods can only be sold through my shop. You cannot look for other shops, nor can you privately bypass me to poach customers.”

Qiu Qi nodded. In her heart, she had actually more or less expected this. Lu Ren was willing to take a small loss in front of her, so she must have seen the greater benefit afterward. If Qiu Qi’s work became popular and she took the customers away herself, that truly would not be very kind.

“And the second?”

Lu Ren smiled and tapped her finger on the protagonist’s face.

“This face. You have to change it. Otherwise, it cannot be sold.”

Qiu Qi was puzzled.

“Is there something wrong with people’s taste here? A face this good-looking can’t sell?”

This was simply insulting her art!

“When I say it cannot be sold, I mean it must not be sold.”

Lu Ren shook her finger.

“The current Saintess has an immortal bearing and jade-like beauty. There are indeed many who admire her, but to so openly fantasize about and profane her like this… Beast God, you are rather too bold.”

If these drawings were to be mass-produced and printed into small booklets, they would definitely need to pass through quite a few factory workers and craftsmen. Not to mention after they were sold, the customers would spread word by mouth. This matter would certainly reach the Saintess’s ears within half a day.

At that time, if she submitted a complaint to the emperor, forget the business—even the heads on their necks might not be preserved.

“What are you talking about? What does this have to do with the Saintess?”

Lu Ren narrowed her eyes.

“Does the Beast God not know? The woman in your drawings looks exactly the same as the current Saintess, Yu Nankong.”

The news was too explosive. Qiu Qi opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

If she said this was a coincidence, even she herself would not believe it. But reality was just like this. In the original body’s memories, there was no scene of her ever meeting the Saintess at all. Yan Wan had indeed sent over a portrait before, but the artist’s style was comparable to Picasso’s. It would be strange if she could recognize her!

“My lord, have you thought it through?”

Lu Ren patted the stunned Qiu Qi.

“If you can agree to my two conditions, I will go to the workshop tonight and place the order.”

Qiu Qi came back to herself, stammered out an okay, then pressed her fingerprint onto the contract.

Right now, her mind was filled with Pei Yuqing’s strange reaction last night. So she really had not been overthinking it. Pei Yuqing must have misunderstood in the same way Lu Ren had. Otherwise, why had she barely paid attention to her all night?

“Then it is settled.”

Lu Ren looked at the red fingerprint in satisfaction, carefully folded the contract, and tucked it into her robe.

“The workshops are all ones I trust. They are easy to talk to and work quickly. Once your draft is ready, five hundred copies can be on the shelves within three days.”

Qiu Qi nodded randomly. Right now, all she wanted was to hurry home and properly explain things to Pei Yuqing.

…

She dragged Yan Wan all the way home at a mad run, but was blocked at the door.

The young girl with a blue hairpin on her head had the same cold expression as Pei Yuqing. She stretched out an arm to block Qiu Qi’s path and spoke firmly.

“Master is sleeping. You are not allowed to disturb her.”

Qiu Qi’s gaze moved to the little girl’s face.

“You look unfamiliar. Where did you come from?”

“I am Lan Tang.”

She spoke word by word.

“Oh.”

Qiu Qi suddenly understood.

“Looking at you like this, you really do look a bit alike. That baby-fat face is exactly the same as Little Fat Chirp’s.”

Since Pei Yuqing’s rings had been removed, Lan Tang, who had been born from her spiritual power, naturally could also recover her human form.

“Go back. You are not allowed to disturb my master.”

The little girl was quite protective of her master, gritting her teeth as she glared at Qiu Qi.

“All right. Then if Madam wakes up, come call me.”

“We’ll see.”

Lan Tang crossed her arms and returned Qiu Qi a cold look.

Qiu Qi knew she was not liked, so after speaking, she turned to leave. But just as her foot was about to step down the stairs, she felt someone lightly tug her sleeve from behind.

She turned around and saw the little girl, who was half a head shorter than her, lowering her head. As if trying to hide something, Lan Tang turned her gaze to the right. Her lips moved a few times before she spat out a few words.

“That, um… the ice pop from last time, do you still have any?”

Qiu Qi smiled, looking like a human trafficker planning to lure a child away with candy.

“You want to eat one?”

“Mm…”

“Then come with me.”

Qiu Qi beckoned to her.

“There aren’t just ice pops. There’s something even better than ice pops.”

Lan Tang’s eyes lit up, but she pressed her lips together and worked hard to suppress her excitement.

“Really?”

“Really. I won’t lie to you.”

…

Qiu Qi abducted the little girl to her secret place—actually, it was just a small room beside the icehouse that had been abandoned for years.

When Qiu Qi had come here before, she had discovered that no one lived there, so she simply moved all the things she had been tinkering with over. This place was close to the icehouse, so once anything was made, it could be quickly stored at a low temperature and would not spoil easily.

“Wait here. I’ll go get it.”

Lan Tang, like Pei Yuqing, feared cold and liked warmth, so Qiu Qi did not bring her into the icehouse.

The icehouse was the place where ice transported by the human race was stored. Because it was well-sealed and insulated, its effect was about the same as a refrigerator. Qiu Qi had specially dug out a space there to preserve her little things.

She first took out two ice pops wrapped in oil paper, even carefully choosing the osmanthus flavor Lan Tang liked. Then she stretched her arm toward the right and rummaged around.

There was a row of glass bottles she had just placed inside not long ago. She took one out and shook the dark brown liquid inside, some anticipation in her eyes.

When she carried the things over to Lan Tang, as expected, the other girl instantly switched from a state full of wariness to an innocent and cheerful mode.

“What is this?”

Lan Tang licked the ice pop in her hand and looked curiously at Qiu Qi fussing with the glass bottle.

“Medicine?”

Qiu Qi mysteriously waved her hand.

“This is cola. Also known as happy fat nerd water.”

“Happy… fat nerd water?”

Lan Tang was puzzled.

“Who is Fat Nerd?”

“That’s not important. You only need to remember the last three words. Happy water. As the name suggests, after drinking it, you’ll become especially happy.”

This bottle had cost Qiu Qi quite a bit of money. She had specifically asked Lu Ren to purchase it on her behalf from another continent. Qiu Qi impatiently opened the wooden stopper of the glass bottle. With a pop, the brown liquid began to produce dense little bubbles.

Qiu Qi stared at those bubbles, and a great sense of accomplishment rose in her heart. Heaven knew how painful it had been for her to make carbonated water. First, she had relied on limestone to extract that tiny amount of carbon dioxide. Then she used water spiritual arts to wrap water around the carbon dioxide and rotate it rapidly so they could fully fuse. The first step had been all right, but the second step tested her control ability too much. On average, she succeeded only three times out of ten.

But as long as the result was good, that was enough.

“This has to be drunk quickly while the gas is still there.”

Qiu Qi poured Lan Tang a cup.

“Try it.”

Lan Tang wrinkled her face.

“Why is this thing bubbling? The color is strange too. It isn’t poisonous, is it?”

Qiu Qi demonstrated herself, tilting her head back and drinking a large mouthful in front of her.

“I drank it. If it’s poisonous, it’ll poison me first.”

After being tempted by Qiu Qi several times, Lan Tang finally lifted the cup and tentatively tested it with her tongue. After discovering that the thing was actually sweet, she took a small sip.

The cool, sweet liquid slid over the tip of her tongue, leaving a sweetness in her throat along with a faint, almost imperceptible caramel fragrance. It was as if tiny needles were pricking her tongue coating. It did not hurt, but the feeling was quite wonderful.

“What is this?”

Lan Tang stuck out her tongue.

“My tongue is fine, right?”

“Don’t be afraid. That’s the feeling of bubbles bursting. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Qiu Qi refilled her cup.

“Drink it a few more times and you’ll get used to it. Maybe you’ll even get addicted.”

Qiu Qi poured herself another mouthful, then stretched her neck and happily let out a fizzy burp.

It was not easy to make the flavor of cola either. For the coffee beans used in the ingredients, the shipping cost alone that she paid Lu Ren had been ten silver, ten times more expensive than the item itself.

She ground the coffee beans into powder, then brewed them with hot water and filtered them to obtain the most primitive coffee extract. Besides that, there was one most important flavor enhancer: sour lemon water. The ratio of the two had to be controlled perfectly for success. Qiu Qi had spent half a day just adjusting this step.

Into the mixed extract, she added other supporting spices. Finally, she added caramel simmered over low heat as the finishing touch. Although the flavor was somewhat different from what she used to drink, it was still generally similar. The main thing was that the feeling of finding spiritual comfort moved Qiu Qi so much she wanted to cry.

“When I have time, I should make milk tea too.”

Qiu Qi arranged her next happiness in her mind.

By the time she reacted, Lan Tang had already unknowingly finished a whole cup. The person who had been full of refusal a moment ago was now holding the empty cup with both hands, looking at Qiu Qi with a face full of expectation.

“This is the last bit. If you drink more, there won’t be any left.”

Qiu Qi could not withstand such a cute gaze. Generously, she gave the last bit in the bottle to her.

“Thank you!”

After getting the happy water, Lan Tang’s tone became much livelier. She even praised Qiu Qi for the first time ever.

“Your skill at making things is amazing. You could even sell these.”

“Right.”

This gave Qiu Qi quite a bit of inspiration.

If she could sell drawings, why couldn’t she sell food and drinks? Especially to this group of beastmen, who looked like they had never seen the world. A bowl of egg fried rice had already made them so excited they wanted to kneel and beg for the recipe. Then her happy water…

Qiu Qi thought gleefully. She had not even started working yet, but she had already begun dreaming sweet dreams.

…

Five days later, Saintess Pavilion.

Before a redwood desk piled with scrolls sat a woman dressed in yellow. Her ink-black hair was smooth, glossy, and waterfall-like as it draped behind her. On her head was only a simple thin pearl hairpin. Her oval face naturally carried an elegant, calm temperament.

Her fingers were resting on a piece of letter paper, her gaze fixed on the dog-crawled handwriting on it.

Hello, Saintess. The main reason I’m writing to you is to tell you something. Due to force majeure, the quarry, kerosene field, and mine will temporarily stop operations. I’m very sorry for the trouble this brings you. However, aside from these, if there is anything else you need, you can always bring it up with me. Wishing you good health. You’re welcome to come visit me anytime. I will definitely entertain you well ^-^

Yu Nankong turned the ring on her left hand, a soft laugh spilling from her lips. In her heart, she began to feel that this legendary reckless and mentally lacking Beast God was not truly that ignorant. Look at this letter. Not a single word mentioned the tribute, yet the attitude was expressed very clearly—if you humans are unkind, don’t blame me for being unjust. If the toll fee you paid is not enough, don’t blame me for cutting off your business.

At least fifty percent of the merchants in the human race relied on those three things to make a living. Now, with one simple “force majeure,” Qiu Qi had cut off the supply chain. If this continued for long, many people would probably starve to death in the streets.

Yu Nankong reread the contents of the letter. Her gaze fixed on the toothy smiling face at the bottom of the paper. With only a few strokes, it seemed comical and cute, but in reality, it was full of mockery.

How interesting.

“Saintess.”

The spy she had sent out flashed inside, lifted the rolled-up painting in their hands, and presented it to the woman seated in the main position.

“This is what you requested.”

Yu Nankong gave a faint “mm” and reached out. Her fair, slender fingers rested on the painting and slowly opened it. The originally careless smile at the corners of her mouth widened even more after she clearly saw what was on it. The look in her eyes also became deep and unreadable.

“She really drew this herself?”

Her hand tapped on the armrest. Her tone was neither heavy nor light, but it made the kneeling person below unable to stop trembling, not daring to relax in the slightest.

“Yes. We have already confirmed it with the owner of Ruyi Pavilion. They are exclusive partners. It is absolutely true.”

“Good.”

Yu Nankong stood up. With a wave of her sleeve, the golden hem of her robe opened wide, catching the wind before slowly falling. Half of her face was hidden beneath a thin veil, and the eyes she revealed were filled with an intimidating sharpness.

“Since the Beast God admires me so deeply, then I would like to go meet her and see just how infatuated she is.”