Wang Li was wearing a gray gown and staggering along the quiet streets of the city. It was not long after dawn and there were very few pedestrians.
"Hiss... Ho..."
Wang Li felt a chill in the morning wind and began to shiver.
When you are drunk, you feel hot at first, but soon you feel cold, especially on the streets in the early morning after the rain in spring.
Wang Li shook the wine jug in his hand and found that there was no wine left in it, so he threw it away.
The wine jug drew a parabola and touched the street surface not far away.
"Pala..."
After a crisp sound, the wine jug completely shattered, and Wang Li continued to sway away.
Ji Yuan looked down at the broken pottery debris that fell at his feet, then looked at Wang Li who was staggering away, and couldn't help but frowned. This man's current condition was a little different from what he had imagined.
"Wan'er... Wan'er..."
Wang Li muttered to himself, tightened his clothes and walked towards his residence. He was no longer in the capital, but in the Chengsu Prefecture, east of the Tongtian River section in the capital, which belonged to Youzhou.
Just like Wang Li did whenever he arrived at a new place, he lived in a private residence and rented a side room from the owner. Living there for a long time was much more cost-effective than staying in an inn or something like that.
"Ah... Oh... Hey, Mr. Wang, you just came back?"
The male owner of the house just came out of the house stretching lazily. Seeing Wang Li who was a little staggering, he greeted him.
"Hehe, good morning..."
Wang Li staggered and bowed crookedly, then walked to his side room, pushed the door open, stumbled, and fell in while grabbing the door handle. He didn't fall down because he held the door handle tightly.
"Oh, Mr. Wang, how much alcohol have you drunk?"
The man of the house hurried over to help Wang Li onto the bed.
"Thank you, thank you..."
Wang Li fell on the bed and bowed his hands in a daze, then pulled the quilt to half cover himself, and soon he began to snore.
“Tsk tsk tsk tsk…”
The man shook his head, left the room and closed the door.
The hostess in the main house at the back also dressed and came out. When she saw the host coming out of the side room, she asked in a low voice.
"Drunk again?"
"Well... I drank quite a bit and fell asleep right away."
"Mr. Wang was such a nice guy when he first came, but now he's like this all the time."
"It's none of our business, as long as he pays the rent."
The two of them whispered and went back to wash up.
It was not until the sun was setting that Wang Li, who was lying on the bed, woke up. He rubbed his temples and sat up from the bed. He looked around in a daze, and it took him a while to gradually wake up.
Wang Li's face was a little pale. He threw off the quilt and got out of bed. He opened the door. The afterglow of the setting sun was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes. Smoke was rising from the kitchen next to him.
"Mr. Wang, are you awake?"
The hostess, who was hanging clothes, saw Wang Li coming out and greeted him with a smile.
"Mrs. Liu, what time is it now?"
"I didn't check the sundial, but I guess it's almost the morning hour. It's just in time for you to get up. We'll have fish to eat today..."
"It's already Mao time? I have to leave quickly..."
When Wang Li heard the time, he patted his face and went back to the house to pack his things. He packed his paper fan, wake-up stick, books... all into a bundle, and then hurried out again with the bundle.
"Hey... Mr. Wang, you don't want to eat anymore?"
"No, no, I'm busy now!"
Wang Li left the yard in a hurry. Today he was going to a big restaurant to tell stories. A wealthy family had booked the restaurant for a banquet, inviting guests to congratulate their child on having passed the imperial examination and become famous, thus qualifying to become an official.
It is already the hour of Mao, and the banquet might have already started in the restaurant. If the storyteller Wang Li does not show up after the banquet, it would certainly be considered a breach of agreement. Not only would he not be able to get the money later, but he would also have to return the deposit, but the deposit has already been spent.
The street was crowded with people. Wang Li was in a hurry and didn't even bother to wipe the sweat off his face. He kept jogging forward. When he finally arrived outside the Zotye Building on a busy street, he was already panting heavily.
"Ho…ho…ho…ho…ho…"
At this moment, someone was welcoming guests outside the Zhongtai Building. Respectable people of all ages were walking into the building, and they all bowed as soon as they arrived outside.
"Master Gao, congratulations!" "Master Gao is so promising at such a young age!"
“Hahahaha… congratulations, please come in quickly!”
"Master Gao is so lucky! Your son has passed the imperial examination. From now on, he will be an official like us!"
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha… "
"Master Gao, Mr. Gao, please take care of us common people from now on!"
“Hahaha, Master Wang, if you were still a commoner, wouldn’t my Gao family be just street vendors? Hahaha… please come in!” “Uncle Wang, you’re too polite!”
“Hahahahahaha…”
…
The Gao family members were smiling as they welcomed the guests outside, and they kept bowing and returning the greetings without feeling tired. They looked even happier than a newlywed.
Wang Li leaned against the wall not far away and gasped heavily. Seeing this situation, he couldn't calm down, but he felt relieved in his heart. It seemed that the banquet should not have started yet.
After calming down for a while, Wang Li looked up and down, straightened his clothes, wiped the sweat from his face and neck with the bag on his back, then he resumed his steady pace and walked towards Zotye Building.
Before he even got close, Wang Li had already bowed and congratulated him with a smile.
"Master Gao, Master Gao, congratulations. I am not too late, am I?"
Mr. Gao was a very spirited old man in brocade clothes, and Mr. Gao was also tall and respectable, and both of them politely returned the greetings.
"Mr. Wang, you have arrived at the right time. The banquet has not started yet. I have already asked someone to prepare food for you. Someone will entertain you when you enter!"
"Okay, thank you, Master Gao!"
Wang Li bowed again and hurried into Zhongtai Building. He was really hungry and thirsty at this moment, and Mr. Gao's preparations were exactly what he wanted.
As a storyteller, he will bring joy to the guests at the banquet. Others can eat and listen at the same time, but Wang Li cannot eat and talk at the same time. Considering that storytelling is also a physical job, he naturally has to eat in advance.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, a waiter took Wang Li to a private room on the second floor. A large table of dishes had been prepared, but Wang Li was not the only one eating. There were also some women playing the zither and the harp, who had already started eating. It was obvious that Wang Li arrived a little late.
"Mr. Wang, please eat here."
"Okay, thank you very much."
The servant said nothing more and left to do his own thing.
Wang Li greeted everyone in the room with a little embarrassment, then sat down and started eating. Since he was hungry and thirsty, he ate with relish, which made the women around him laugh.
After a while, the number of guests gathering at Zhongtai Building gradually decreased. Mr. Wang, whose cheek muscles were sore from laughing for a long time, also planned to go into the restaurant, but Young Master Wang had already gone in.
"Master Gao, congratulations! Congratulations on your son's success in the imperial examination!"
A voice that was clear, calm but powerful was heard, causing Master Gao and the servants around him, who were about to go in and had just turned around, to turn around subconsciously. They found a man in a blue shirt standing outside. Apart from a black jade hairpin on his head, he had no jade pendants or other accessories on his body. He looked simple but had a great demeanor, and was bowing and congratulating with a friendly look on his face.
"Uh... Mr. is?"
Master Gao returned the greeting and asked doubtfully.
"Oh, my name is Ji Yuan. I wanted to have a meal at Zhongtai Restaurant, but when I saw that the Gao family had booked the restaurant to celebrate Mr. Gao's success in getting admitted to the university, I wanted to congratulate him as well. Congratulations!"
Ji Yuan pointed to a red paper sign leaning against the outside of the building, which said that the Gao family had booked the restaurant for a day to welcome guests to congratulate Gao's son on his graduation from university. The other guests were apologized to and asked to come back another day.
Mr. Gao suddenly realized and bowed in return.
"Oh, thank you sir for your congratulations!"
Ji Yuan nodded, put down his hands, waved his sleeves, and turned to walk towards other restaurants and bars on the street.
"Hey, sir, please stay! If you don't mind, please come upstairs to the banquet with me."
Seeing that Mr. Ji had an extraordinary demeanor, Mr. Gao couldn't help but greet him. It was just a meal after all.
Ji Yuan turned around and pretended to think for a moment before smiling and bowing again to express his gratitude.
"I'm new to Baofang, and I've heard that the food at Zhongtailou is excellent. So, thank you, Master Gao!"
"You're welcome, sir!"
Master Gao called Ji Yuan, and then they went into the building together.
Because I didn't know Ji Yuan before, although it was a very happy thing to meet such a dignified gentleman and congratulate him, it was destined not to arrange a seat that was too lively, so I arranged it in a place slightly outside on the second floor.
Ji Yuan didn't care, and he had no right to look down on someone who was eating for free. It was obvious that the people at this table didn't know each other, so after chatting for a while, as the fragrant and hot food came up, everyone seemed to get along well.
"Everyone, our Gao family is blessed with great fortune and luck. We are also fortunate to have invited a famous storyteller from the capital. Now, please invite Mr. Wang Li to tell us a story to liven up the banquet!"
"Ah, that's great!" "Is he famous in Beijing?"
"Tell us some stories we haven't heard yet."
"Yeah!"
"Wang Li? I think I've heard of him in the capital. I heard he's also a ventriloquist, and he's really good at it!"
"Really?" "Of course it's true!"
…
Ji Yuan could hear the expectant words of the guests in the building, and in front of him, servants were carrying a table to the open space in the center of the building, with a wake-up block and other items already placed on it. Someone else was carrying two screens up, forming two semicircles in front and back to enclose the table.
Wang Li, holding a white paper fan, slowly came out of the private room on the side that served as a preparation room and walked behind the screen. Some women holding pipa and zither also came to the side and started to get ready.
"Dear guests, today the Gao family is celebrating something new. Wang has brought you a new book that you have never heard of. This book is quite magical and was given to you by a god in a dream. It is called "White Deer Fate"!"
Wang Li's opening remarks immediately raised everyone's interest to a higher level. Even Ji Yuan put down his chopsticks with great interest. He also wanted to listen to the story revised by Wang Li.