The flower market opened early and was crowded with men and women. People were waiting for the flowers that were delivered by carriage and horse in the early morning before they woke up.
The storyteller at Sanqi Tea House was so sleepy that he yawned and couldn't open his eyes. When a silver bell rang next to him, someone rubbed his shoulder and said, "Hey, peony is here."
He slowly squeezed into the crowd, and was pushed back by the crowd. After a moment of reaction, he realized that he was back beside him again.
Ji Li was very happy, "Aren't you quite powerful? It shouldn't be difficult to get them all away with just a wave of your hand, right? Huh?"
The storyteller nodded. As soon as he nodded, Ji Liyou felt a sharp pain in his hand. The bell seemed to turn into a sharp needle and poked his arm. He yelled, "Huh?"
"You plotted against me!" he shouted at the storyteller.
"Young man, you are too angry."
Ji Liyou was so angry that he wanted to hit him. He was already waiting for the flower market at dawn. He was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes, but he still insisted on letting him accompany him. Ji Liyou really suspected that Ji Liyou No matter how much debt the ancestors of the family owed him, they all came to pay him in return.
"Wait here!" he pointed at the storyteller's nose fiercely.
After a few moments of pushing the person away, he stepped forward and took out a peony, without looking at the color or buds. The stall owner shouted, "You haven't paid me yet."
Ji Liyou turned around and threw him a piece of silver, "There's so much, so there's no need to look for it. I can't wait any longer."
The storyteller tutted, "Although I can't push away a sea of people, I can drive you alone, and that's enough." He was quite proud.
"Honestly, how much did you lend my father to sell me to you?"
"Wrong guess, I didn't give him a penny."
The two of them walked and talked, and the storyteller took the flowers and twisted them in his hands.
"Don't be unhappy. Didn't your father tell you to respect me before he died?"
Ji Liyou rubbed his eyebrows, "Have you ever given this dog bell to my dad?"
"Of course not."
"Could it be worn by my grandfather?"
"Of course not."
"You didn't put a bell on them, why should they listen to you?"
"You are still young, you will know when you grow up."
"Compared with you, my age is certainly insignificant."
"How do you know how to respect your elders when you contradict them?"
"You don't respect your elders, and you want me to respect them." He muttered in a low voice.
Ji Liyou was talkative and kept asking them where they were going. Sanqi Teahouse had no shopkeeper, but it had no backbone. If he couldn't get back before dark, he wouldn't be able to eat the dishes cooked by Master Ying...
The storyteller walked all the way and finally picked the cotton out of his ears, "Are you done?"
Ji Liyou rolled his eyes, it turned out that he had never listened to him.
"Are we going to—"
Halfway through his words, he was blown away by the wind, "Come my mother!"
He yelled, stepped on the dirt again, and reached a new street.
"I didn't expect that you could pick me up and walk?" Ji Liyou sighed.
The different accents around him fell into his ears. He was stunned for a moment, and he slowly said, "Don't tell me that you took me out of the border of Bolu in an instant."
The storyteller ignored him and strode forward, the peony in his hand still stained with dew.
"Oh my God, is this Beiqiu?" he said after analyzing it carefully.
"You can hear their accents, you have some ability. Haven't you, kid, never had any problems?" The storyteller asked him to follow.
"I haven't come out yet, but my father has asked me to learn the dialects of various places since I was a child. I can speak a few words in Liangzhu dialect, Donghu dialect, and Li'er dialect. By the way, I can also speak Diaotie dialect. You can say Why did my father let me learn these things?" It was like asking myself, but also like asking him.
The storyteller swept his folding fan to block the sun above his head, "The sun has come out, and the time is almost here."
"Hey, old man Wen, wait for me." He hurriedly followed, the bell in his hand ringing in the wind.
At this time, a wedding party on the main street of Beiqiu City happened to pass by the two of them. The man on the horse had a majestic appearance. Ji Liyou couldn't help but look at it a few more times, "Looking at this formation, it must be the home of the Bell Ringing Dining Food."
The storyteller said, "His surname is Gongyang."
The peony in his hand gradually opened its petals under the warmth of his hand and bloomed slightly. The storyteller smiled and said, "You picked a good peony."
It was past noon, and the two of them turned around and walked into a theater.
At this time, people in the theater were sitting around one of the bamboo buildings. The storyteller turned his head and asked, "Have you brought the money?"
"Asking me for money is just a wishful thinking." He held his sleeve tightly.
The storyteller whirled up the stairs, and the people behind him had to follow step by step, "You think everyone is like you, jumping up and down at a young age."
A woman in gauze brought tea trays to the two of them. There was a wooden sign on it that read "Give me a piece of cake."
Ji Liyou was about to get it when he was stopped by the storyteller, "Have you thought clearly?"
"Get a sign, why bother thinking about it?"
The woman smiled and said, "Please come with me, the two gentlemen."
After finding an empty seat upstairs, Ji Liyou was still puzzled, "Why did you bring me to the theater? Could it be that you want to hear some obscene words that can't be heard in Bolu..." with a smile on his face.
The storyteller put away the folding fan and hit him on the head, "Sit down."
Ji Liyou slammed the tea cup and knocked it on the table. The tea was not spilled. He was sensible and just expressed his dissatisfaction. He wanted him to know that he was also a person with a temper.
The storyteller stared downstairs without saying a word.
Come on, the tea cup was dropped. If I had known better, I would have stirred up the tea and sprinkled it all over him.
Seeing that he wasn't going to tell her what was going on, Ji Liyou had no choice but to reach out and call the little girl who had led the way, "Let me ask you."
"Excuse me, sir."
He threw a gold leaf to her, "What day is it today? Everyone in the theater is gathered here?"
"It's not a date, it's just that our theater... has a rule..."
She hesitated, as if in trouble.
Ji Liyou threw another piece to her, "What are the rules?"
"This... Anyone who leaves our place is not allowed to take away anything."
"So, those things on display here are all actors' things?"
"Yes, he is not an ordinary actor. Those who can redeem themselves from our theater are not ordinary people. The minimum amount can be a hundred gold, and as much as a thousand gold can be redeemed."
"You wait for them to leave and then sell them all? Will you still make a profit?"
"That's right," the little girl said, her eyes constantly wandering around Ji Liyou.
Ji Liyou slightly raised his eyebrows and raised the corners of his lips, deliberately teasing the little girl. He took the girl's hand under the table and stroked it back and forth.
The storyteller knew what he was doing without having to see with his eyes. He and Ji Fuwei were so different from each other. From generation to generation, they became more and more unsightly.
Although this child's appearance was not comparable to that of Ji Fuwei, he had a unique temperament that he couldn't figure out even if he thought about it carefully.
"Next is a Hetian Jade Leaving Flower."
A woman lifted up the silk from the carved gold plate in her hand, and what was covered underneath was a flower carved from jade. The jade material was excellent, but the carving was not good, and the flower had lost its form and spirit.
(End of chapter)