Liuyuan was a highland on the east side of the capital city.
Although it was called a highland, it wasn't really that high. It was just a small slope with a gentle incline.
The slope was covered with green willows. Their soft branches hung down like brocade, making it a favorite destination for the people of the capital to go on spring outings.
Later, at some unknown time, a peach orchard was planted on the north side.
Since then, the name "Liuyuan" had become synonymous with breathtaking scenery.
It was mid - spring at this time. The spring breeze was gentle, the grass was growing, and the warblers were flying. The pink peach blossoms and green willows on Liuyuan complemented each other, looking extremely romantic, like a gorgeous scroll painting.
Just one look was enough to make one feel refreshed and carefree.
The Changxing Inn was located beside Liuyuan. It was easy to imagine that it must have had good business in the past.
However, when Li Wanming walked up to the inn, she didn't feel that way at all.
From dozens of feet away, they could already sense a chill.
It wasn't the cold in the air, but a kind of quiet desolation.
The several shops around this inn were all empty. There were still "For Rent" notices posted on the doors, but presumably no one had ever shown any interest. The red paper of the notices had faded, looking even more desolate and dilapidated.
Old Li took out the key to unlock the inn's door, muttering non - stop:
"Madam Cheng, Sir Cheng, you have no idea. As soon as I said I wanted to take a look at this shop, my colleague quickly found the key for me. He even said that if this shop could really be rented out, he wouldn't take a single cent and would even invite me to a big drink."
"He said he shouldn't have been so greedy for a bargain and taken over this shop in the first place. Now it's been stuck in his hands for over two years, and not even a single person has come to take a look."
"Maybe we should just forget it. This shop is really unlucky..."
With a creak, the door opened.
Old Li stood at the door and peeked inside. All he could see was darkness. He couldn't make out anything.
He swallowed hard and said with an awkward smile, "Madam Cheng, maybe... you go first?"
Li Wanming didn't mind. She pushed open the door and stepped in.
Maybe because it had been vacant for too long, the air inside was very stuffy, with a musty smell.
Dust was floating in the lobby. Even in broad daylight, it seemed rather dim. It was as if the bright sunlight outside was blocked by something and couldn't shine in, giving this empty inn a somewhat eerie feeling.
"Which room?"
Old Li was hesitating whether to go in or not. When he heard Li Wanming's question, he was so startled that he trembled. "Wh - what?"
"The room where the woman hanged herself. Which room is it?"
"You... you really want to go up?"
Old Li had no choice but to step into the lobby. He turned his back and pointed a finger upstairs. "It's... it's the second room on the left upstairs..."
Li Wanming smiled and started walking upstairs. "If you're too scared to come up, just wait for us downstairs."
Xiao Jingnan tilted his head slightly and whispered in Old Li's ear, "I think it's better to stay by the madam's side. She has strong yang energy!"
After saying that, he also went upstairs.
The lobby suddenly became empty.
It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Sweat was oozing from Old Li's forehead.
For some reason, after Madam Cheng and her husband went upstairs, the room seemed even darker.
A crow flew over the door and cawed. Old Li's legs immediately went weak with fright.
He shouted, "Madam Cheng, wait for me. I'm coming up too!"
...
Li Wanming was a bit disappointed.
This so - called haunted private room looked ordinary, with nothing abnormal about it.
The tables, chairs, beds... even the bedside shelves and washbasins were all the common styles used in inns in the capital. There was nothing special about them.
"At most, it's just that it hasn't been occupied for a long time, so there's more dust. It doesn't seem to be anything special."
Xiao Jingnan raised his eyebrows. "What else did you expect to see?"
Li Wanming scratched her neck. "I thought I might see a fierce ghost baring its teeth... I've never seen a ghost in my life."
She pushed open all the private room doors on the second floor one by one and looked inside each room.
"I thought maybe we could use the rumor of the haunted inn as a gimmick to attract those fans of ghost stories to come and explore. But now it seems a bit unlikely. This inn is too ordinary."
Old Li followed behind her. When he heard this, his face froze, and his eyes almost popped out.
"Madam Cheng wants to use the haunted rumor as a gimmick?"
He waved his hands in a hurry. "No, no! An inn's top priority is peace and smoothness. If people know it's haunted, who would dare to come?"
"You're right."
Li Wanming smiled. "So I was just joking."
Of course, she wasn't just joking!
From childhood to adulthood, the place she most wanted to explore was a haunted house!
It was all because she had read too many ghost stories when she was young, which made her yearn for that strange and mysterious world.
Beautiful fox fairies and amorous scholars, affectionate ghost girls and handsome chivalrous men... they were all her favorites!
So when Li Wanming heard that the Changxing Inn was haunted, she wasn't scared at all. Instead, she felt a bit excited: The opportunity had come!
Who were the most numerous in the capital?
The rich were the most numerous!
What did the rich like to do the most?
Look for fun!
But the fun in the capital was really lackluster.
Restaurants, wine shops, brothels, and gambling houses... They did the same things day after day and year after year. There was nothing special about it.
Such unoriginal entertainment life definitely couldn't satisfy the increasing need of the powerful and wealthy in the capital to fill the void in their hearts.
If at this time, there could be a haunted mansion...
It would surely attract many idle rich kids like Zhao Yanke and Feng Xiao!
A ghost - haunted inn with a gloomy atmosphere was really exciting just to think about!
The Changxing Inn wasn't very big. It only had two floors, and they finished exploring it in a short while.
The layout was quite good, and the facilities were complete.
Downstairs, there were tables, chairs, a kitchen, a wine cellar, a courtyard, and a stable. Upstairs, there were a total of twelve private rooms, and three of them were decorated as high - class elegant rooms.
Li Wanming said, "Not bad. The basic facilities are complete. With a little modification, it may have great potential."
The only drawback was: There were no ghosts.
It wasn't scary enough.
It didn't matter. If it didn't have ghosts, couldn't she just create one?
Xiao Jingnan saw Li Wanming's expression and knew that she already had an idea in mind. So he said to Old Li, "We've finished looking at this one. Take us to the next one."
Old Li was just eager to leave. When he heard this, he immediately rushed outside. After they came out, he locked the door.
The next place they were going to was the Wanfu Pawnshop.
The pawnshop was a bit far from Liuyuan. They needed to take a carriage there. Old Li went to the front to hail a carriage.
Xiao Jingnan walked behind and asked Li Wanming, "Have you thought about what to do?"
Li Wanming nodded. "I've thought about how to play this."
She paused for a moment and then said, "However, I can't guarantee that we'll make money..."
Xiao Jingnan smiled and said, "Don't worry about the money. I can guarantee that the madam can borrow money with her ability and also make money with her ability."
"What do you mean by borrowing money..."
Before Li Wanming could finish speaking, he pushed her into the carriage.
Along the way, Li Wanming kept asking what his last words meant, but Xiao Jingnan just smiled and didn't answer. He still had that inscrutable look on his face!