125 A Fated Encounter

Qu Buping said, "That is not right. The one who wanted to take advantage just now was him, not me. However, I suspect he must have been so infatuated with you that he lost his touch; otherwise, I find it hard to believe that someone with his skills could have capsized in a gutter like that."

The woman looked at Xiaoyu’s handsome and slightly delicate face and laughed, "So, you are saying that you have taken a fancy to me. Is that right?" Xiaoyu could not help but blush, though he immediately replied with a carefree air, "Of course. You are so beautiful that anyone who sees you would feel the same. But your silver is even better; otherwise, we wouldn't have targeted you."

The woman did not get angry upon hearing this. Instead, she laughed, "So, you like me as a person, but you like my silver even more, is that it?"

Qu Buping replied, "You are right. You are lovely, but your silver is lovelier. Greedy men always want both the person and the wealth. But as for him, he clearly prefers you, or he would have reached for your purse instead of reaching for you. Am I not right?"

The woman was speechless for a moment. Had her face not been veiled, they certainly would have seen a faint blush on her beautiful cheeks. After a long pause, she asked, "If I refuse to give you the silver, do you have any objections?"

Qu and Chu spoke in unison, "The silver is yours, so of course we have no objections. However, we must first convince our stomachs."

Xiaoyun chimed in, "Kind sister, everything is fine with us right now, except for our empty stomachs."

The woman chuckled, "Aren't you all supposed to be so capable? To be so young and yet unable to solve the problem of your own hunger—I think you should just jump into the Grand Canal and be done with it, or you’ll bring shame upon your ancestors."

Qu Buping laughed, "Kind sister, if it weren't for Xiaoyu taking a fancy to you and making his move first, someone like me—who never misses—would have succeeded long ago. We wouldn't be wasting time with you now."

The woman snapped, "What did you say?" Qu Buping hurriedly explained, "It is all because you are so beautiful that he forgot what was important and struck at the wrong place. We are all suffering because of him."

Xiaoyu cursed, "You jerk, stop blaming me! I had it bad enough already; she has thorns on her, and my fingers are still hurting!"

Qu Buping laughed, "That is entirely your own fault. Who told you to switch from being blinded by money to being bewitched by beauty?"

The woman said angrily, "You still dare to tease me? Do not think that I am someone to be trifled with." Xiaoyun added, "Exactly. As they say, when the tiger doesn't show its claws, people mistake it for a sick cat."

Xiaoyu quickly corrected him, "Wrong. It's when the lady doesn't show her claws. Sigh! Why are we so unlucky? We meet a beautiful woman, yet we are the ones who end up in misery."

Qu Buping muttered to himself, "They say women from the south are beautiful, gentle, and easy to handle, but why can't we ever run into one? If this woman is easy to handle, I’ll eat my hat."

Seeing that the three of them were all handsome, delicate, and quick-witted, the woman’s initial annoyance began to fade. After a while, she smiled and said, "Actually, it is not difficult for the three of you to fill your stomachs. If you just tell me who you are and where you come from, we can get to know each other, and I can invite you to dinner."

Qu and Chu were overjoyed and were about to express their thanks when Xiaoyun interjected, "You are a young lady; aren't you ashamed? We are merely strangers who met by chance. Don't you feel the least bit embarrassed asking for our names and origins?"

Xiaoyu was so annoyed that he tapped Xiaoyun on the head, "What do you know? This is what they call fate bringing people together. Understand?"

Qu Buping whispered, "You little brat, if you want to play the gentleman, pick a better time. Right now, filling our stomachs comes first." Xiaoyun protested, "My wife told me never to talk to strange women, or I might get swindled."

Qu Buping retorted, "Swindled by you, you little devil? Except for that silly wife of yours, who would treat you like a treasure? Heh heh! People might swindle you? Keep dreaming! If anyone were to swindle someone, they’d target Xiaoyu; he is much more handsome than you. You little fool probably doesn't even know how to kiss! It would be useless to swindle you... heh heh."

Xiaoyun shouted, "You! You jerk, you look down on people too much..."

Seeing the three of them arguing nonsensically, the woman could not help but giggle. As Qu Buping and Xiaoyu watched her laugh, they were struck by her enchanting and graceful demeanor. Qu Buping could not help but tease, "Big sister, fate has brought us together. Why not remove your veil and let us admire your beauty?"

The woman replied with a smile, "The three of you are no gentlemen, nor are you the kind of men who can sit with a woman on their lap without losing their composure. If you see my face and cannot keep your hands to yourselves, what am I to do?"

Qu Buping hurriedly cried, "False accusation! While I may not be a gentleman, I wouldn't go touching a beauty just because I saw one. At most, I might indulge in a few wild dreams! The one who made a move was him—please, do not mistake me for him!" He pointed at Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu quickly said, "Don't keep framing me! I only slipped up once. If it had been you making the move, you certainly wouldn't have aimed for the waist—you would have aimed for somewhere much more important."

The woman scolded, "Enough! You men are all the same. Birds of a feather flock together; none of you are any good."

Qu Buping said, "Actually, if you just give us ten taels of silver, we would be eternally grateful."

The woman replied, "Given how pitiful you look, I will grant you ten taels. Go have a meal, and after you finish, think carefully about how you might thank me."

Qu Buping snatched the silver and said, "Thanks!" He then ran into the restaurant.

Facing such delicious food and wine, Qu Buping remarked, "We should thank Heaven for bestowing such delicacies upon the world, otherwise our stomachs would be in ruins."

Xiaoyun said, "We should be thanking that woman's ten taels. Without that silver, even the best food in the world wouldn't be for us."

Xiaoyu added, "Actually, you should really be thanking me. If I hadn't made my move, how would you have gotten that silver?"

Qu Buping snapped, "You failed, and you still want credit? You really have no shame."