Yi Shuyuan hurried away. Hui Mian knew something must be wrong, and, puzzled, voiced the question.
"Sir, that was so much gold. Is that man a lot of trouble?"
Without slowing his steps, Yi Shuyuan nodded slightly and answered.
"That gentleman practically radiated nobility. He's not simply someone with a vast family fortune. If he invited me to tell stories, chances are it wasn't just for his own household's entertainment. And fifteen days? Does he think I'm a donkey turning a millstone?"
Having said that, Yi Shuyuan added with a sigh.
"That man may seem impeccably courteous and humble in his choice of words, but he was looking down from on high the whole time! And he seemed..."
Hui Mian promptly pressed him.
"Seemed what?"
"Nothing. Perhaps I was mistaken."
Yi Shuyuan sounded uncertain. Hui Mian scratched its head, then asked about something else.
"Then are we not going to that teahouse to tell stories tomorrow?"
"There's no need for that. If the storyteller vanished less than halfway through the tale, wouldn't the people waiting for the ending curse me to never finish relieving myself?"
Hearing Yi Shuyuan's words, Hui Mian said with a grin.
"Are you really afraid of being cursed, sir?"
Yi Shuyuan smiled and said nothing more. He continued down the street, looking toward the faintly visible gathering of scholarly aura. The examination compound in Capital City should be in that direction.
"Let's go take a look around the examination compound and soak up some scholarly aura!"
Hui Mian immediately waved its paws, growing very excited.
"A lot of Capital City's good food is over there! Maybe Chu Hang and Yang Bencai are there too!"
The examination compound in Capital City was indeed sizable, with numerous inns surrounding it. Some boasted names grander than the last: Scholar