Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 256: The Storyteller

Wang Li staggered along the cold streets of the city, wearing a grey robe. Dawn had only just broken, so there were very few passers-by.

“Haah… hooh…”

Wang Li felt a chill in the early morning wind, and he shivered.

One would feel hot at the very start of getting drunk, but it wouldn’t take long afterwards to feel cold, especially on the street in the early morning after the spring rain.

He shook the wine jug in his hand, and seeing that there was no more wine in it, Wang Li threw it away.

The wine jug made a parabolic curve in the air and landed on the street not too far away.

“Crash…”

The jug completely shattered with a crisp sound, Wang Li continued to stumble away.

Ji Yuan looked down at the broken pottery jug that had fallen at his feet, then to Wang Li, who was staggering away, and couldn’t help but frown. This person’s current state was a little different than what he had imagined.

Wang Li murmured, tightening his clothes and walking towards his residence. He was no longer in the capital now, but rather in Chengsu Prefecture, east of the section of the Tongtian River that passed by the capital, a territory which belonged to You Province.

Just like every time Wang Li went to a new place, he lived in someone’s private residence: renting a side room from the owner was much more cost-effective than living in an inn for a long time.

“Ah…hooh… Hey, Mr. Wang, did you just come back?”

The owner of the house exited his residence, stretching his waist, and greeted Wang Li, who was still a little shaky.

“Haha, good morning…”

Wang Li swayed and bowed crookedly with cupped hands. He walked to his side room, pushed open the door, and stumbled, grabbing the doorknob as he fell in. He held the doorknob so tightly that he didn’t fall all the way down.

“Oh, Mr. Wang, how much wine did you drink?!”

The owner hurried over to help him, and helped Wang Li down onto the bed.

“Thank you, thank you…”

Wang Li fell on the bed and cupped his hands in a daze, then pulled the quilt halfway over himself. He soon began to snore.

“Tsk tsk tsk tsk…”

The owner shook his head, exited the room, and closed the door.

The owner’s wife in the main hall behind the side room had gotten dressed, and soon came out. When she saw the owner, she asked in a low voice.

“Did he drink too much again?”

“Ah… He drank a lot and then fell asleep immediately.”

“Mr. Wang was such a good man when he first came, but now he is like this all the time.”

“We can’t control this, as long as he pays the rent.”

The two whispered, then went back to wash up.

It wasn’t until the sun began to set that Wang Li, who was still lying on the bed, woke up from his sleep. He rubbed his temples, sat up from the bed, and looked around in a daze. It took a while for him to gradually wake up.

Wang Li’s face was a little pale. He lifted the quilt, got out of the bed, and opened the door. The afterglow of the setting sun pierced his eyes. Smoke was already rising from the kitchen beside him.

“Mr. Wang, are you awake?”

The owner’s wife, who was hanging clothes to dry, greeted Wang Li with a smile when she saw him come out.

“Mrs. Liu, what time is it now?”

“I didn’t check the sundial, but it must be almost the You hour.¹ You got up just in time. We will be eating fish today…”

“It’s the You hour? I have to leave quickly…”

When Wang Li heard the time, he slapped his forehead, then went back into the house in a hurry to pack his things. He took his paper fan, his attention-stick, his books… all of it went into a bundle, then he hurried out again with his bundle.

“Hey… Mr. Wang, don’t you want to eat?”

“No, no, I’m in a rush!”

Wang Li hurriedly left the yard and rushed out. Today, he was headed to a big restaurant to tell stories. A wealthy family had booked the entire restaurant for a banquet, inviting guests to congratulate their children on their success in the imperial examination, and attaining the qualification to become officials.

It was already the You hour, and the banquet might have already started. If Wang Li, the storyteller, did not show up after the banquet had begun, it would be considered a breach of contract. Not only would he not be able to get paid, but he would also have to return their deposit, which they had already spent.

The street was already crowded with people coming and going. Wang Li was in a hurry. He didn’t even bother to wipe away his sweat, he simply kept trotting forward. When he hurriedly reached the outside of Zhongtai Building on the bustling street, he was already out of breath.

“Haah…haah…haah…haah…”

Someone was welcoming the guests outside of the Zhongtai building at this moment. Respectable guests of all ages were entering the building, and they all bowed as soon as they arrived at the entrance.

“Master Gao, congratulations!”

“Young Master Gao has a bright future!”

“Hahahaha… Thank you, thank you, please come in!”

“Mr. Gao is very lucky, your son has passed the imperial examination! From now on he will be an official like us!”

“Ahahahahahaha…”

“Master Gao, Young Master Gao, you have to take care of us common people in the future!”

“Hahaha, Master Wang, if you’re a common person, wouldn’t my Gao family be considered street vendors? Hahahaha… please come in!”

“Uncle Wang, you are too polite!”

“Hahahahaha…”

……

The Gao family was outside, welcoming the guests with smiles on their faces, constantly bowing and returning the greetings without showing any tiredness. They looked even happier than newlyweds.

Wang Li leaned against a wall not too far away, breathing heavily. Seeing the situation, he couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. It seemed that the banquet had not yet started.

After easing his breath for a while, Wang Li looked himself up and down, tidied up his clothes, wiped the sweat on his face and neck with the cloth bundle on his back, then resumed his gentle pace and walked towards Zhongtai Building.

Before he got close, Wang Li had already bowed and congratulated with a smile.

“Master Gao, Young Master Gao, congratulations, congratulations. I am not too late, am I?”

Master Gao was a very spirited old man in brocade robes, and Young Master Gao was also tall and elegant. The two of them politely returned the greetings.

“Mr. Wang you came at just the right time. The banquet has not yet started. I have already ordered the food to be prepared for you in advance. Someone will direct you after you enter!”

“Okay, thank you Master Gao!”

Wang Li bowed again and hurried into the Zhongtai Building. He was really hungry and thirsty by now, and Master Gao’s preparations were exactly what he wanted.

As a storyteller, he was tasked with bringing joy to the guests at the banquet. The others could listen while eating, but Wang Li couldn’t talk and eat at the same time. Considering that storytelling was also a physical job, he naturally had to eat in advance.

After entering the restaurant, a servant took Wang Li to a private room on the second floor. There was a large table of dishes ready, but Wang Li was not the only one eating. There were also some women with zithers and harps, who had already picked up their chopsticks. Obviously, Wang Li was still a little late.

“Mr. Wang, please eat here.”

“Okay, thank you.”

The servant didn’t say anything more and left to complete his own business.

Wang Li greeted everyone in the room with a little embarrassment, and then he sat down and started eating. Because he was hungry and thirsty, he naturally ate and drank heartily, which made the few women around him laugh lightly.

After a while, the number of guests gathering towards the Zhongtai Building gradually decreased. Master Gao had planned to finally go into the restaurant, seeing as his cheek muscles were sore from laughing and smiling for such a long time, while Young Master Gao had already gone in earlier.

“Master Gao, congratulations, congratulations, three times congratulations to your son on his success in the imperial examination!”

A calm but powerful voice rang out, which made Master Gao and his servants, who were just about to go inside, turn their heads subconsciously to look around. They found a gentleman in a green robe standing outside. Aside from a black jade hairpin on his head, he did not seem to have any jade pendants or other accessories on his body. He looked simple, but had a powerful bearing, and he bowed with cupped hands to congratulate them, a smile on his face.

“Uh… who might you be?”

Master Gao asked in confusion as he returned the greeting.

“Oh, my name is Ji Yuan. I wished to have a meal at Zhongtai Building, but when I saw that the Gao family had booked the restaurant to celebrate the Gao family’s son’s success in the imperial examination, I wished to congratulate him as well. Congratulations!”

Ji Yuan pointed to the red paper sign leaning against the outside of the building, which said that the Gao family had booked the restaurant for a day, welcoming guests to congratulate the Gao family’s son on his success in the imperial examination. It apologized to the other customers that would have to come back another day.

Master Gao suddenly understood and bowed in return.

“Oh, thank you for your congratulations, Sir!”

Ji Yuan nodded, let down his cupped hands, and waved his hand, then turned to walk towards the other restaurants and wine shops along the street.

“Ah, Sir, please stay! If you don’t mind, please come upstairs and join us at the banquet.”

When Mr. Gao saw Mr. Ji’s extraordinary demeanor, he couldn’t help but greet him. It was just a meal, after all.

Ji Yuan turned around, pretended to think for a moment, then smiled and bowed again to express his gratitude.

“I am new to Bao Lane, and I heard that the food at Zhongtai Building is delicious. In that case, thank you, Master Gao!”

“You’re welcome, Sir. Please come in!”

Master Gao welcomed Ji Yuan and the two entered the building together.

Because he did not know Ji Yuan before, although it was a happy occasion to meet such a gentleman with a great bearing and have him congratulate him, it was of course impossible to arrange a seat for him that was too crowded, so he directed him to the second floor, slightly outside the hall.

Ji Yuan didn’t mind, and he had no right to disdain a free meal. The people at this table were obviously not familiar with each other. After chatting for a while, as the hot and fragrant dishes came up, everyone seemed to get along well.

“Everyone, my Gao family is blessed with a bright future and good fortune. We are also fortunate to have invited a famous storyteller from the capital. Now, let us invite Mr. Wang Li to tell us a story to liven up the banquet!”

“Ah, that’s great!”

“A famous person from the capital?”

“Tell us some stories we haven’t heard before.”

“Exactly!”

“Wang Li? I think I’ve heard of him in the capital. It is said that he can perform ventriloquism, and he’s quite good at it!”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

…

Ji Yuan could hear the guests’ chattering, full of anticipation. In front of them, a servant carried a table to an open space in the center of the building. Atop it were the attention-stick and several other objects. Someone else carried two screens up to the center, forming two semicircles in the front and back to conceal the table.

Wang Li slowly came out of the private side room, which served as a preparation room, and walked behind the screens, holding a white paper fan. Several women carrying zithers and lutes also walked out and came to either side, preparing themselves.

“Dear guests, today is a joyous occasion for the Gao family. I, Wang Li, have brought you a new story that you have never heard before. This story is quite extraordinary; it was imparted upon me in a dream by an immortal. This story is called ‘The White Deer’s Fate’!”

Wang Li’s opening remarks immediately raised everyone’s interest even higher. Even Ji Yuan put down his chopsticks, intrigued. He, too, wanted to hear Wang Li’s finished story.

T/n: I aspire to be like JY, just showing up at fancy parties looking nice and getting free food.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to update much this week, sorry. See you all on Monday!

1. 酉 (yǒu) hour = 5-7 PM