By rights, Wang Li was no longer young, but though his hair had gone gray, his face did not look especially aged. Combined with his vivid gestures and voice, even young men likely could not match him. Storytelling in such a state was truly both a technical craft and demanding physical labor.
Compared to that, telling stories face-to-face with his audience in this teahouse was already much easier, since he did not need to deliberately create the immersive effect of vocal mimicry.
The moment Ji Yuan entered, a waiter from the teahouse came over to receive him.
"Sir, the large tables here are all full. If you only want tea, there are private seats upstairs. But if you want to listen to stories, I'm afraid you'll have to make do with one of the side seats over there, or stand by the counter and drink your tea."
"Of course I'm here to listen to stories. I'll stand by the counter."
"Hehe, you came here by reputation too, didn't you? It's rare to get the chance to hear Mister Wang's stories. This way, please!"
Ji Yuan did not mind. He went straight to the counter, ordered a pot of tea and a plate of salted peanuts, then drank tea and listened to the story.
As the storyteller, Wang Li had to watch not only the plot of his tale, but also every listener's reaction. With such meticulous observation, he generally knew what guests entered the teahouse, and naturally did not overlook Ji Yuan.
Thus, when Ji Yuan entered the teahouse, Wang Li was naturally thrilled. Ji Yuan knew this as well, but he did not interrupt Wang Li, nor did Wang Li choose to stop his storytelling. Instead, he continued speaking with high spirits and vivid emotion until he finished this