The first day of the new year is also filled with festivity in Gyeonggi Province.
Ji Yuan certainly wouldn't wear thin clothes in such a cold weather. He would at least make himself look warm.
After Lao Long went back, Ji Yuan did not disturb Yin Zhaoxian's plan, but went to see the Xinpu Chess Hall out of habit.
I walked to the narrow street where the chess hall was located, and found that the hall was actually open on the first day of the new year. Although it was closed to keep out the cold, there was a sign welcoming guests outside.
Ji Yuan went in and took a look around. There were only a few waiters guarding the shop. No one was playing chess in the chess room. The boss was not there either. There was only an acting manager.
After greeting the shop assistants and wishing a happy new year, Ji Yuan left the store, planning to go back to the attic where he had been staying recently to catch up on some sleep.
The wealthy family's surname was Chu. Although their mansion was close to the imperial city, they did not seem to be court officials.
That library really seemed like a decoration. During the days Ji Yuan had been staying there, he had only seen the servants come to clean it twice. No one from the Chu family came in, and at most they just came to pick up books.
Of course, it may also be that the study is too large and too cold, and if you want to read or write, it would be more comfortable in the house in front.
This was a good thing for Ji Yuan. The third floor of the library was isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city. It had a quiet environment and a large collection of books. In addition to resting and practicing, he could also flip through books in his spare time.
Although books were not too rare in this era, valuable books were still relatively precious, and it was relatively difficult for ordinary people and even poor scholars to acquire knowledge.
This is one of the reasons why academies are so popular. Compared with individuals studying at home, academies not only have teachers to teach them, but more importantly, they have more books. When it comes to county exams, prefectural exams, and sometimes state exams, which test basic skills, if they ask people to copy the contents of some classics from memory, some scholars have never even read that book, so how can they write it
Walking on Yongning Street, Ji Yuan breathed in and out spiritual energy while watching the people along the street greeting each other. When he was about to turn in the direction of the Chu Mansion, a familiar voice in the distance attracted his attention.
"A bowl of porridge, a side dish, and two meat buns. Don't forget to get a basin of hot water. Thank you!"
"Okay, Mr. Wang, don't worry, I'll deliver it to you in a moment. I just bought some buns this morning."
One of the two people who were talking was Wang Li, the storyteller from Prince Jin's mansion. Ji Yuan would not mistake him after having heard of him before. The other one had a clear voice and should be a child.
After thinking for a while, Ji Yuan followed the location of the sound he remembered, turned left, left Yongning Street, and entered an old alley.
The alley is about the width of two carriages, and there are walled houses on both sides along the way, but the walls are very low, not even shoulder-high. On the contrary, the courtyard gates are higher, and most of the houses in the courtyard have two or three rooms connected together.
Every household has things like Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters posted on their doors, and some even hang red lanterns. However, there are no door gods or kitchen gods in this world, so naturally there are no such statues of gods posted on the doors.
Ji Yuan followed the sound and stopped outside the yard of one of the houses. He could hear about four people moving around inside. Three of them were talking and laughing in the two rooms on the right, and there was a smell of heat and fragrance coming from them. The other one was in a single room on the left, and he was the storyteller Wang Li.
This storyteller had aroused some interest in Ji Yuan last night, and now Ji believed very much in fate. Since he had met him, he planned to go and take a look.
He put on a sleight of hand and jumped lightly into the yard. Although the door was closed, the sound of grinding ink and the slightly excited murmurs from inside made Ji Yuan sure that the man was very excited and not sleepy at all.
"This guy was performing ventriloquism and storytelling for most of the night last night. He should be the most tired person in the entire Jin Wang Mansion family banquet. Even Master Yin was so sleepy that he went back to sleep. Why is this guy so energetic?"
Of course Wang Li couldn't sleep. A night's fatigue was nothing compared to the shock brought by what he saw and heard last night.
The room was not big, and inside it was a four-person table that served as a desk, placed next to the bed. Wang Li was sitting beside the bed, grinding ink.
The ink in the inkstone was ground. Wang Li, who was hungry and cold, shivered, pressed the paper on the table with a paperweight, picked up the brush, dipped it in ink and began to write on the paper, muttering to himself as he wrote.
"On New Year's Eve at the Prince of Jin's Mansion, Wang was invited to tell a story. The story was about immortals and the story was about the emperor's family..."
Wang Li's thoughts were extremely clear, he wrote very quickly, and his handwriting was rather sloppy.
"The emperor sat beside him and asked him questions for a moment. The gentleman was sweating profusely. He had no idea what the matter was about. He racked his brains and tried to answer... It was before midnight. The servants in the palace announced the silence... Suddenly, there were shouts of surprise from outside the hall. There was a sound of joy. The guests followed the emperor one after another. Auspicious signs appeared in the courtyard..."
Having written this, Wang Li didn't know whether it was because of the cold or excitement, the pen in his hand was shaking slightly, and he dipped the pen in ink again and again to write.
"In the garden, all the trees turn green in spring, and the flowers in the garden bloom in red. The emperor calls out to the gods, but the white mist turns into life, and no one responds..."
"Huh...hiss..."
The storyteller put down his pen for the moment, rubbed his hands and breathed out, then simply pulled the quilt on the bed behind him and put it on his body.
"Dongdongdong~"
"Mr. Wang, your food is ready. I brought it to you!"
"Oh oh oh good good good, here it comes!"
Wang Li quickly stood up from the bed and went to the door to help the children who came to deliver food.
When he opened the door, a gust of cold wind blew in, making Wang Li shrink even more. A boy about twelve or thirteen years old was standing outside holding a tray with steaming rice porridge, side dishes and buns on it.
The boy also did not let Wang Li carry the tray. Seeing that the gentleman was shrinking his body and was worried that the plate would be broken, he took the initiative to go into the house and take out the items on the tray one by one.
Ji Yuan also followed the boy into the house, and Wang Li quickly closed the door. Although it was inevitably a little darker when the door was closed, the light transmittance of the oil paper on the doors and windows did not affect the indoor lighting.
"Mr. Wang, are you writing? Are you writing a story?"
Wang Li returned to the bedside, held up the bowl of safflower porridge with both hands to warm his cold hands for a while, then picked up the chopsticks and began to stir the rice porridge in the bowl, while blowing the wine to answer.
"Yes, I was invited by a wealthy family to tell a story last night. The high remuneration was second only to the fact that I witnessed an auspicious event. It was definitely worth the trip, huh... huh..."
"Slurp... Ho Ho... Slurp..."
I ate the slightly hot rice porridge while breathing out hot air, and my body warmed up after swallowing a few mouthfuls.
"Mr. Wang, your handwriting is not as good as those masters on Wenqu Street."
The boy looked at the scribbled words on the paper with curiosity, while Ji Yuan looked at Wang Li's temperament and watched him talk about what happened last night. He seemed to be in a clear and bright mood and had some talent, although his handwriting was indeed not very good.
"Hehe, they are all orthodox scholars, how can I compare with them? Besides, I am used to writing faster, as long as I can understand it myself."
Wang Li said this, picked up a bun, tore it open, and swiped it twice in the porridge bowl, as if using the porridge as a dipping sauce, and put it into his mouth, eating it with great relish.
"Mr. Wang, what rich family did you visit last night? Tell me what interesting things you found there!"
The gentleman had been renting here for half a year, and the boy had become familiar with him a long time ago.
"I'm afraid you won't believe me, but I was invited to the palace yesterday. Do you know the palace?"
"The palace? Where the emperor's son lives?"
"Yes, yes, that's where the emperor's son lives!"
Wang Ligang picked up a piece of pickled vegetable and put it in his mouth, then pointed at the boy with his chopsticks to indicate that he was right.
"I even saw the current emperor!"
The boy's eyes widened immediately.
"What does the emperor look like? Is he very tall and strong? Is he really as scary as a tiger?"
This question made Wang Li stunned, and even Ji Yuan smiled and glanced at the boy.
"Yes, he was very tall and strong. I didn't even dare to breathe when I sat next to him. But the more interesting thing happened later. After midnight, the ice and snow in the palace garden melted and the flowers bloomed. Many people said it was a good omen from heaven."
The boy scratched his head, unable to imagine that scene, but listening to the words the teacher said, he felt it seemed very impressive.
As if realizing that the boy didn't understand, Wang Li changed his words.
"It must be that a deity cast a spell last night, causing all the flowers and trees in the palace garden to sprout. All the flowers that bloom in spring, summer, and autumn are in full bloom at that moment. It's so beautiful!"
"Wow!"
Now the boy understood, and after an exclamation he seemed a little unconvinced.
"Is this true? Mr. Wang, you are not lying to me, are you? My father said that you are a storyteller and the best storyteller..."
Wang Li felt depressed.
"Your father... huh... Xiaodong, the storytellers' stories are not groundless. Most of them are adapted from the original. Some things are exaggerated, but some are actually true. For example, the thing I just told you, sir, I haven't made it into a story yet, so it's still my personal experience, it's true!"
"Oh! By the way, I'll go get some hot water for Mr. to soak his feet!"
The boy scratched his head, remembered that he had something to deliver, and hurriedly opened the door and went out. Ji Yuan also followed him out, leaving Wang Li alone in the room eating and thinking about the details.
Before leaving, he looked back at the storyteller, then at the paper. This person should be more suitable than Master Yin.
A moment later, when Wang Li was halfway through his porridge, he accidentally glanced at the paper on the table and was suddenly stunned.
“Pah…”
The chopsticks slipped to the ground.
Wang Li put down the bowl of porridge and carefully moved closer to the paper, only to see three unfamiliar words appearing on it.
I looked around nervously and found that there was no one else in the room except myself.
The handwriting is full of vigor and vitality, and it is obvious that it is the work of a great calligrapher. The key is not how good the characters are, but that they appeared out of thin air.
"Bai Lu Yuan?"
Wang Li's fingers were slightly intertwined, and he touched the paper subconsciously. The moment his fingertips touched the paper, his head felt dizzy, and he fell asleep on the bed in a daze.
Under the method of conveying spirit through objects, and in a way that mortals can bear, Wang Li is having a strange dream...
There was another knock on the door. The little boy waited for a while but saw no response from Wang Li, so he pushed the door open and went in with the hot water, only to find that Wang Li had fallen asleep.
"This gentleman...he hasn't even finished his porridge yet, and he falls asleep right away!"
Muttering something, the boy approached quietly, picked up the chopsticks, wiped them on his clothes and put them back on the table, then helped Wang Li take off his shoes, covered the quilt a little tighter before tiptoeing out with the basin of hot water and carefully closing the door.