Chapter 54 Forgot to Bring Money

Chu Nan swept his gaze across the young maidens, pointed casually at a few of them, and said with a smile, "Stop picking, just come over here and share a drink with me."

The maidens immediately crowded around. Some poured wine for him, some picked food for him, and others leaned against him with coquettish smiles, their movements gentle yet ambiguous.

Chu Nan stood on ceremony, picked up a cup of wine, and prepared to get himself half-drunk to thoroughly indulge himself tonight.

To his surprise, the moment he took a sip, his brow furrowed.

"This wine..." Chu Nan looked at the amber liquid in his cup and couldn't help shaking his head. "Isn't this flavor a bit too mild?"

Upon seeing this, the madam hurried over and coaxed with a flattering smile, "Sir, this is the finest Maiden's Blush in our house, aged for three full years. If you are not satisfied, this humble servant can have another jar brought up for you."

Chu Nan shook his head and placed the wine cup back on the table, "No need to change it. While they call this aged wine, the alcohol content is actually far too low. Drinking it only gives you a hint of fragrance, but it's completely impossible to get drunk on it."

When the maidens saw him acting like this, they exchanged glances, looking somewhat at a loss.

The madam wore a face full of smiles and asked cautiously, "Then does Sir feel this wine is still not good enough?"

Chu Nan raised his brows slightly, a sudden flash of inspiration striking his mind as a scheme formed, "Is all ancient wine at this level? Wouldn't that mean..."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and a meaningful smile curved the corners of his lips, "Isn't this a massive business opportunity?"

Chu Nan set down the wine cup in his hand, pondering the business opportunity that had just popped into his head while a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

He stretched lazily, stood up, and waved a hand, "Alright, let's call it a day for now. Another day I'll bring back some good stuff that will absolute blow your mind, Madam!"

Seeing that Chu Nan was about to leave, the smile on the madam's face froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered her warmth and tested the waters, "Oh, Sir, you've only just arrived, why are you leaving so soon? Did you not enjoy your drink? Was our hospitality lacking? Why not stay a little longer and let the girls keep you good company?"

Chu Nan smiled and shook his head, "Next time, definitely next time."

Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang loudly in the madam's heart.

"That simply won't do. Where is the logic in a guest drinking wine and then patting his backside to leave?"

Her smile remained unchanged, but a hint of probing crept into her tone, "Very well then, since Sir insists on leaving, please settle the wine tab first. Our Drunken Flower House prides itself on fairness and will never let Sir be shortchanged."

Hearing this, Chu Nan reached toward the money pouch at his waist without the slightest hesitation.

He figured that since modern silver ingots could also circulate in ancient times, pulling out a couple of pieces would be more than enough.

Yet the moment his hand slipped into the pouch, his movements froze.

***

What his fingers touched was not the cold surface of a silver ingot, but several hard modern coins!

"Crap!" The smile on Chu Nan's face instantly stiffened.

Only then did he remember that all the silver ingots and jade pieces he had previously brought back from the imperial palace had already been sent off to a modern auction house.

And when he returned to ancient times, he had been so focused on casually strolling the streets that he completely forgot to bring along any spare silver currency.

Seeing that Chu Nan was taking forever to produce money, a trace of suspicion instantly flashed in the madam's eyes, though she still maintained a smile, "Sir? What is the matter? Did you forget to bring your money?"

Chu Nan awkwardly rubbed his nose and chuckled dryly, "Uh... I really did forget to bring it. But it's no matter, I'll just head back and fetch the money right now, and I'll be right back to pay!"

The moment his voice trailed off, the madam's expression shifted slightly, and her smile noticeably chilled, "Sir, your words sound rather fishy. Our Drunken Flower House runs an open business, and our primary rule is integrity. You drink our wine and then claim you need to go back for money; what happens if you take off and never return?"

Chu Nan hastily waved his hands, "How could that happen! I, Chu Nan, am an upright man, how could I ever default on a bill? Why don't you send someone to accompany me back, and I'll pay you right on the spot!"

"Hah, you make it sound so simple." The smile vanished entirely from the madam's face as she narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "It seems to me that Sir is just trying to dine and dash?"

Hearing this, Chu Nan frowned and was about to offer an explanation when he suddenly heard the sound of heavy, muffled footsteps approaching from behind.

He turned his head and saw several burly men wearing short-sleeved garments walking in through the door.

Every single one of them was thick-waisted and broad-shouldered, with arm muscles resembling blocks of iron.

One particularly fierce-looking brute glared coldly at Chu Nan and bellowed, "Madam, is this punk trying to dine and dash?"

"That's right, it's him."

The madam crossed her arms over her chest, clear displeasure evident in her tone.

"Looking at him all dressed up like a gentleman, who would have thought he's actually a freeloader looking for a free meal."

Chu Nan raised a hand to halt the approaching thugs and said with a bitter smile, "Alright, alright, let's not make things too ugly between us. I genuinely forgot to bring my cash, but this little wine bill won't defeat me. Can't we just talk this over civilly?"

"Talk civilly?" The madam let out a cold laugh, "Sir, it's not that I didn't give you a chance, but in this world, the deadbeats are often more arrogant than the creditors."

"Although our Drunken Flower House isn't some grand noble estate, we aren't going to let ourselves be pushed around either!"

Hearing this, the burly men immediately clenched their fists, looking ready to throw punches at any second.

Chu Nan narrowed his eyes, his brain racing to devise a countermeasure.

***

He certainly didn't want to get beaten black and blue over a few cups of subpar wine.

Moreover, he truly had no money on him right now...

"Ahem!" Chu Nan faked a cough, a composed smile surfacing on his face, "Madam, resorting to violence over this isn't very pleasant, is it?"

"How about this: give me one day, and tomorrow morning at first light I will have the money delivered to you, doubled in amount. How does that sound?"

While Chu Nan spoke smoothly on the outside, inside his head he was frantically calculating how to slip away.

Yet before he could come up with a reliable plan, the madam sneered and waved her hand dismissively at the thugs, "Take him down! What use is keeping a freeloader like this around?"

"Sell him straight off as a servant! How dare he come to our Drunken Flower House looking for a free ride—he doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

The moment those words dropped, the thugs closed in around him immediately, their knuckles cracking loudly.

Chu Nan's expression altered instantly. He took two steps back and waved his hands, "Hey, hey, hey! Madam, getting physical really ruins the fun!"

"Let's be civil and talk about reason!"

The madam snorted coldly, folding her arms to watch the show, "Reason? Sir, what were you thinking earlier?"

"You drank the wine, flirted with the girls, and now you want to walk away with a simple 'I didn't bring any money'?"

"Now you want to talk reason with me? Too late!"

"Crap!" Chu Nan thought to himself that things looked bleak. Seeing that the thugs were already closing in on him, he turned on his heel and bolted.

Yet in a place like the Drunken Flower House, guests were naturally not allowed to escape so easily.

Hardly had he reached the doorway when one of the hefty men grabbed Chu Nan by the collar and hauled him back, tossing him to the floor like a helpless chick.

"Ouch!" Chu Nan took a solid spill, immediately clutching his waist with an expression between a laugh and a cry.

"You people are resorting to force! I'm warning you, I am no ordinary person. Cross me, and you'll live to regret this!"