The storyteller shook his head, danced, laughed, scolded with exaggerated expressions, sometimes played the role of a Japanese pirate, sometimes played the role of a Zhejiang soldier. His imitations were vivid and his narration made people feel as if they were there, making them immersed in listening to the story at the tea stall.
When the wake-up stick was hit for the last time, people were still not satisfied until they heard cheers and applause, and then they came to their senses.
"Well said! Lord Zhu is the Wenquxing in the sky. Every Spring Festival, couplets have to be posted in the sky. Not to mention Lei Gong, all the gods in the sky, even the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother have to come to Wenquxing's door to ask for a few couplets to post on the door. One day in the sky is one year on the earth. Couplets have to be posted every day in the sky, and all the gods have to come to Wenquxing every day to ask for couplets. Naturally, the relationship is not ordinary. Wenquxing says hello, and Lei Gong will certainly support it. Not to mention thirty Nine Heavens Mysterious Thunders, even three hundred Nine Heavens Mysterious Thunders will not be a problem."
"Okay! I also heard the thunder outside the city. Damn, the ground was shaking. My wife thought the city wall had collapsed and was so scared that she peed half of the kang. I was not scared either. I peed more than her. My two sons at home were no less... When our family, young and old, were trembling and ready to hide in the cellar and leave everything to fate, we heard the news of a great victory from outside. It was said that more than 10,000 Japanese pirates outside the city were killed in the explosion. Damn, I peed in vain..."
"Haha, Lianlian, Hu Laosan, every one of your sons and daughters is a talent..."
"Of course not. If you can all pee like my family does, you can drown those Japanese pirates outside the city."
"Hahaha... Hu Laosan, you are such a jerk. If it weren't for Lord Zhu's wisdom and bravery, who fought off the Japanese pirates like a god, you would have peed on the bed twice and it would have been useless. The Japanese pirates all came from the sea, and they would stir up trouble one by one. They can't be drowned."
"Thanks to Lord Zhu, we were able to save our lives. Lord Zhu is like a god descending from heaven. With only 2,000 men, we killed tens of thousands of Japanese pirates and forced the 50,000 Japanese pirates to retreat..."
The tea stall was bustling with activity. People were laughing and praising Zhu Ping'an and the Zhejiang Army warmly.
There was a noble family sitting in the tea stall. In the middle was a young lady with a big belly. Her belly was usually this big that that of a full-term pregnant woman. She was dressed luxuriously, moved gracefully, and looked very noble, just like a fairy from heaven. She was followed by a group of people serving her. Two maids were serving her nearby, and there were two more maids and two old women following her. There were also six sturdy guards protecting the table.
Although I sat at a table at the tea stall, I did not eat the food provided by the stall. Instead, I ate the food I brought with me.
Of course, the nobleman was very generous. Not only did he reward the storyteller with a ten-liang silver ingot, he also booked a large pot of soy milk and a large pot of spicy soup from the tea stall, and invited everyone present to drink for free.
The young lady seemed to enjoy gossip, listening to storytellers, and listening to people laughing and joking at the tea stall.
Perhaps he was bored of living in a mansion and was curious about the hustle and bustle of the city.
It was obvious from the grand ceremony that this was a distinguished guest. Although the people at the tea stall looked at him curiously, they did not dare to disturb him.
Nonsense, who dares to disturb me? Didn’t you see those six guards? They are all very strong and have sharp eyes. You can tell at first glance that they are martial artists.
"Haha, miss, did you hear that? They say that my son-in-law is the God of Literature who came down to earth and summoned the God of Thunder to help. He sent down thirty thunderbolts and killed 10,000 or 20,000 Japanese pirates outside the city. Haha, my son-in-law can summon the God of Thunder..."
The chubby little maid Hua'er couldn't hold it in any longer. She covered her mouth and giggled until her stomach hurt.
"They say that among the ten talents in the world, you have eight. They also say that you have a sharp eye and no falsehood can cover your eyes. They also say that you are good at fortune-telling and that the words you write are as useful as magic talismans. Hahaha... Miss, I'm sorry, I really can't help it..."
Qin'er couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
Of course, Li Shu also smiled with her eyes narrowed, and she gently touched her belly with one hand to comfort the two little guys. I don’t know if the two little guys were also happy to hear that, they somersaulted in her belly.
"Your father is a god from heaven, and you are full of emotions. You deserve to be punished by your father..."
Li Shu touched her belly and cursed.
Li Shu and her friends listened for a while at the tea stall, then, still unsatisfied, they appreciated the storyteller again. They bought all the meat buns and fried cypress from the tea stall, and, with the guards carrying them, they headed towards where the refugees gathered.
Li Shu sat in the sedan chair, lifted the curtain with her delicate hands, and asked softly, "Have you arranged the pigs and sheep for Brother Zhu to reward the soldiers?"
"My lady, when I heard that the Japanese pirates were coming, she said that my brother-in-law would win a great victory, and asked me to buy pigs and sheep to reward the army. One hundred pigs and two hundred sheep were bought overnight and slaughtered on the spot. They have been braised and cooked, and have been sent to the city gate. I am waiting for the city gate to open and then send them to my brother-in-law's camp to reward the army."
A middle-aged guard stepped forward and reported, to be honest, when Yinshi heard that the Japanese pirates were attacking the city, he was still very worried about the son-in-law outside the city, but the young lady was different. After hearing this, the young lady said that the son-in-law would win a great victory and asked him to buy pigs and sheep to reward the army.
"Well, very good." Li Shu nodded with satisfaction, and then asked, "How much gunpowder have you collected? Send it to Brother Zhu when you reward the troops."
"Please punish me, young lady. I was stupid and showed my uncle's business card. I only collected 800 kilograms of gunpowder from the firecracker workshop. I was questioned by the government officials. They only agreed after seeing my uncle's business card."
The middle-aged security guard replied with a look of shame on his face.
"Eight hundred kilograms is too little. The continuous explosions outside the city this morning probably required no less than eight hundred kilograms of gunpowder."
Li Shu shook her head slightly and instructed, "If you can't buy gunpowder, go buy sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal, and send them to Brother Zhu when you reward the army. Also, take Brother Zhu's business card to the government to see if the city can allow some gunpowder to Brother Zhu. Brother Zhu's Zhejiang Army relies on firearms, and firearms rely on gunpowder. Gunpowder cannot be in short supply."
"Yes." The guard bowed and stepped back to make arrangements.
"Miss, the Japanese pirates attacked at 3:00 p.m. How did you predict that your brother-in-law would win?" Hua'er asked chatteringly.
"Haha, Hua'er, the uncle is a god from heaven who can tell fortunes, and the young lady is a fairy from heaven who can tell fortunes, too."
Qin Er giggled beside her.
"The son-in-law is a god from heaven, the young lady is a fairy from heaven, and we are the little girls who serve the fairies from heaven..."
Huaer also giggled.
After laughing and joking for a while, Hua'er couldn't help but ask again, "Miss, I still can't figure it out, how come you predicted that your brother-in-law would win a great victory as soon as you heard that the Japanese pirates were coming?"
"Because he is Zhu Ping'an." Li Shu smiled slightly.