The storytelling was breathtaking, drawing cheers from the entire room.
"Wonderful storytelling, old sir!" "What a marvelous tale! Few in Heaven-Bearing Prefecture could rival your skill!"
"Today we finally saw what it means for one person to play a whole cast!"
"You flatter me, you flatter me!" "Come, old sir, have some tea! Try the sticky rice cakes we make here!"
The teahouse proprietor personally brought over a teapot and refreshments, serving Qi Zhongbin fresh tea and snacks.
Qi Zhongbin closed his folding fan and cupped his hands in thanks before sitting down. Hui Mian jumped out from his robes and gathered the coins one copper at a time.
The sight of this mink set the surrounding tea drinkers marveling again.
"Hey, what animal is that? It's so clever!" "That's a mink!"
"Goodness, it must be hard to train one like that!"
"Hey, hey, it even eats rice cakes!"
"It really does!"
People clapped in wonder, and some burst out laughing. Hui Mian, meanwhile, darted back onto Qi Zhongbin's shoulder with a rice cake in his mouth and began nibbling. What a fuss this bunch of sheltered folk made.
"Proprietor, this old gentleman is a treasure! Will he be telling stories tomorrow?" "Yes, we'd love to hear some others!"
"Yes, yes!"
The proprietor sat at Qi Zhongbin's table, watching him drink tea and eat refreshments, his smile bunching up the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
When the old gentleman first arrived, he had explained that he had learned storytelling from his master but had never dared perform it all these years. Today would be his first attempt, and if he did well, a pot of tea and a plate of refreshments would suffice.
Naturally, the proprietor had no objection. A teahouse did not stop people from talking anyway,