Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 58: The Great Song Dynasty's "Empty Streets"

Yang Yuan came out of Banjing Hall and hesitated for a moment when he walked onto Xingqiao.

He was considering whether to go to the foot of Phoenix Mountain to look for Duck Brother.

After a day of running, his legs were so thin that he urgently needed an assistant.

Even though this assistant only ran errands and did odd jobs for him, almost all of Yang Yuan's secrets could not be hidden from this person.

Therefore, this person must be absolutely reliable.

In Yang Yuan's mind, the most suitable candidate is Brother Ya.

But looking at the sky at this moment, if he takes a detour to Phoenix Mountain, he is afraid that by the time he arrives, Lu Ya will have already returned home.

Let’s go to Lu’s Mule and Horse Inn to wait for him.

Thinking of this, Yang Yuan went straight back to Lin'an City.

By the time he returned the mule and went back to Zhongwazi near Houshi Street, it was almost dusk.

There was an endless stream of cars and sedan chairs in front of "Mama Wang's Teahouse", and the teahouse was already crowded with people.

In the scattered seating area on the first floor, each table originally had only four seats, but now it was crowded with seven or eight people.

The private rooms on the second and third floors were packed, except for those that had been reserved but had not yet been occupied by guests.

There are still many customers lingering at the entrance of the teahouse.

They knew there were no seats left in the teahouse, but they were reluctant to leave.

They came to listen to the book. Today is the last lecture of Mr. Qu’s “Three Minutes” and too many people want to know the ending first.

Although you can't hear the storyteller's voice when standing outside, the audience inside can pass the message outside.

"Shuo Sanfen" means "Shuo Sanguo". During the Northern Song Dynasty, there were storytellers telling this story in the Wanzi Village of Bianliang.

The most famous storyteller of "Shuo Sanfen" in the Northern Song Dynasty was named Huo Sijiu.

The most famous artist of "Shuo Sanfen" in Lin'an City today is named Qu Jianlei.

Mr. Qu's current reputation among the brothels has far surpassed that of his predecessor, Huo Sijiu.

There are now twenty-four large theaters and more than a hundred brothels in Lin'an, all of which are frantically trying to poach Mr. Qu.

Those theaters that knew they could not compete sent people to buy a spot in the place where Mr. Qu was telling stories, at any cost.

When they came, they all brought paper and pen. While Mr. Qu was telling the story, they buried their heads in taking notes. After returning, they sorted them out and recited them verbatim.

Even though it was a passed-down story, customers still flocked to the place.

Because Mr. Qu’s “three-point explanation” is completely different from the stories told by previous people.

Seeing this grand occasion, Yang Yuan couldn't help but smile slightly.

As he slowly walked through the crowded streets, he felt an inexplicable sense of pride in his heart.

The story of Yuyaonu, who went from an unknown little singing girl to one of the Twelve Beauties of Lin'an, is his masterpiece.

Mr. Qu, who is now in front of "thousands of people filling the streets", is talking about "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which is also his work.

The feeling that the big boss behind the scenes is controlling everything...

Just like during the film festival, countless fans flocked to the airport, enthusiastically shouting the names of their idols, just hoping that he would cast a glance at them.

However, those middle-aged men with big bellies who walked silently outside the spotlight were the real bigwigs who could decide the future of their idols with just a word.

The person who can make you excited just by looking at you from afar has to be servile and submissive in front of these big guys.

He now gets the feeling of sitting high up in the sky, overlooking the world.

In a quiet room on the first floor of the teahouse, Qu Jianlei, a famous storyteller in Lin'an City, was drinking tea.

Three young and beautiful female tea doctors served him.

Two of them massaged his legs, and one rubbed his shoulders.
It feels so comfortable to hear those soft little hands tapping on my legs.

The storytelling stage is located on the first floor. Because the sound is transmitted upwards, if you stand upstairs, the guests downstairs cannot hear clearly.

Mr. Qu was about fifty years old, with gray hair and wearing a not-so-new long gown. He looked like a poor scholar.

But Mother Wang, who usually wasn't so respectful even to very distinguished guests, now had a big smile on her face.

From time to time, she handed Mr. Qu a towel or a piece of snack.

This is the God of Wealth. When Mr. Qu comes to the store to tell stories, the occupancy rate of the teahouse is five times that of usual times.

And this is not Mr. Qu’s upper limit, but the upper limit of the customer capacity of “Mama Wang’s Teahouse”.

How can we neglect such a big boss?

"Mr. Qu, today is the last lecture of 'Say Three Minutes', but I wonder what Mr. Qu will say tomorrow?"

Mother Wang smiled and said cautiously, "Mr. Qu, please tell me the truth first, so that I can put out the sign in advance. The guests are all curious."

Qu Jianlei raised his eyelids slightly and said calmly: "Why is Madam Wang so anxious? If they don't know, won't they be more curious?
"The more curious they are, the more people will come to listen to my advice tomorrow. How can it hurt your mother Wang's business?"

"That's right, actually I am a little anxious. Hahaha, Mr. Qu is right. I will listen to him."

Mother Wang agreed with him, but she was cursing in her heart: "Tsk! You old pig, what are you so proud of?

"Half a year ago, you still had the nerve to beg me for food, but did I ever look at you straight in the eye?
"I don't know how this old man suddenly came up with a brain and wrote a Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which makes me have to lick your ass. Ptah!"

Mother Wang cursed in her heart but did not dare to show any disrespect on her face.

Mr. Qu is so popular nowadays that he can only allocate half an hour to her big teahouse every day.

If Mr. Qu spread the word now that he did not plan to speak at Wang Mama's Teahouse, he could free up half an hour.

All the teahouses, taverns, and brothels in Lin'an City had to immediately carry the sedan chair to rescue the person.

Qu Jianlei spoke very calmly, but he was actually very nervous. What should he say tomorrow?

He had gone to see Yang Yuan two days ago, but that little bastard insisted on waiting until he finished talking about "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Mr. Qu treated Yang Yuan just like Mother Wang treated him now. He didn't dare to offend him at all and could only wait.

Mr. Qu has been telling stories in brothels all over Lin'an for more than ten years, and his performance has never been hot or cold.

It was not until half a year ago that Yang Yuan taught him "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

The "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that Qu Jianlei learned is the Three Kingdoms story that is well known to modern people.

In modern times, it is an extremely classic story. But in the Song Dynasty, it would certainly be a dimensionality reduction attack.

During the Republic of China, there were storytellers who performed "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" on the overpass, and at that time there was a situation where "thousands of people blocked the alleys".

The whole street was packed with people, and countless people were listening with fascination.

If people in the Republic of China were like this, it is not surprising that people of this era have never heard of such a wonderful story, so they are so crazy about it.

In fact, Yang Yuan could not remember the entire story, but Mr. Qu had only told half of it.

With Yang Yuan's story as a foundation, Mr. Qu can fill in the gaps that he can't remember clearly or completely on his own.

Nowadays, Qu Jianlei has become the most popular storyteller in Lin'an Wazi, and even many dignitaries treat him as a guest of honor.

Today I will finish talking about "The New Three Kingdoms". Tomorrow...

No way, I have to meet that guy tonight and get a definite answer from him!

However, if you want to ask for help, you can’t go empty-handed, right?
Thinking of this, Mr. Qu sighed deeply:
"Since I started talking about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I have been busy every day. I have to give at least four or five lectures a day. I have no time to rest."

Mother Wang smiled and said, "It's because Mr. Qu is so good at telling the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Thousands of guests listen to Mr. Qu's Romance of the Three Kingdoms every day. If they don't listen to it, they won't be able to eat or drink."

Qu Jianlei laughed and said leisurely: "But if this happens, I will have no free time at all.

"Tomorrow Qu will go visit a guest, and I haven't had time to buy any gifts yet..."

Mother Wang cursed inwardly, then immediately said with a sly smile, "Hey, is it really necessary for you, Mr. Qu, to worry about such a small matter?

"Then I am too ignorant. Don't worry about this matter. I will take care of it!"

Outside, Yang Yuan walked through the bustling Zhongwazi, turned into Houshi Street, and then walked under the lintel of "Lu's Carriage and Horse Shop"...

(End of this chapter)