Survival rules for restaurants: cooking and eating melons at the same time

Chapter 182: Gucheng Mountain Man

"There was a man named Li in Guchengguo. He had no hobbies except writing jokes. Others said he was stupid, but he was the most ambitious. He was spotted by a storyteller in Guchengguo and performed on the largest stage in Kyoto at the age of thirteen. He made a big splash.

The old master also has an apprentice who is good at everything and has one fancy trick after another. If storytelling could lead to an exam, this little disciple would have become the top scorer.

The old master told him that everyone has both yin and yang sides. Storytelling and opera singing all have dark sides. No one can be sunny or healthy forever.

So he and this disciple, one yin and one yang, were just right.

This is the story of the famous Gucheng Mountain Man accepting a disciple. "

Seeing that Zhao Huaiqing and Wu Huan were listening with great interest, Xu Banshan paused, perhaps because his mouth was dry or if it was intentional.

Sure enough, Zhao Huaiqing blinked his eyes, "And then what?"

As expected of a storyteller, he can whet people's appetite with just a few words.

Xu Banshan felt a great sense of accomplishment. This was the joy of being a storyteller. When he saw those greedy eyes, he felt that life was worth it.

"Then, the name of Gucheng Mountain Man was passed down and used by people from generation to generation. There were two disciples. One inherited the teacher's mantle and accepted more disciples. The other one walked in the world and could not accept disciples. When necessary, he had to assist the other disciple. Of course, after a thousand years, Gucheng Mountain Man is still passing on the name, but there is not much mutual support anymore." Xu Banshan smiled and paused again.

This time, even Wuhuan thought of something.

Gucheng Shanren has always been well-known in the storytelling world. He may be called a miracle in the storytelling world, or a promoter who fueled the rumors. He is both good and evil.

Black and white is not their main purpose, storytelling is.

This hermit mountain man is probably the other side of the ancient city mountain man. He does not accept disciples, is not ostentatious, and does not seem to have any big ambitions. In fact, his fate was decided by his master when he stepped onto the stage at a young age.

Xu Banshan looked at the expressions of the two people opposite him and understood a little. The two people understood what he said.

"Then why is it the Gucheng Mountain Man instead of the Hermit Mountain Man?" Zhao Huaiqing couldn't help asking.

"This year is the time for my two young disciples to make their debut, and I cannot steal the limelight. Besides, with my appearance and storyteller style, it is impossible for me not to look like a hermit in the mountains. The hermit in the mountains broke the rules... Actually, it's not that he wanted to break the rules, it's me... I am gifted." Xu Banshan took a sip of tea in a cocky manner. It was clearly spring and the wind was very cold, but he still took out a fan and fanned himself.

Zhao Huaiqing and Wu Huan looked at each other and seemed to have found the answer, but it was something that still needed to be verified.

"Where is the man from Gucheng Mountain now?" Zhao Huaiqing asked.

Xu Banshan shook his head. "Of course I don't know. I'm not much older than those two little disciples."

Not to mention the hermit in Gucheng, he hardly saw the hermit in the mountains for several months.

"The last question is, when Mr. Gucheng first mentioned the one yin and one yang, every time this name was passed on, was there a fixed one passed to Yang or Yin?" This was purely out of Zhao Huaiqing's personal curiosity.

"Of course not, but... it seems that Yin has been given this title more times." This is an anecdote in the martial arts world, and other people don't know it, but he is an expert in gossip, and because he lives in seclusion in the mountains, it is natural for him to know it easily.

Zhao Huaiqing and Wu Huan thanked him, but the storyteller, who seemed quite arrogant, just smiled and picked up the empty plate of melon seeds.

"My two lords, the book cannot be said in vain."

Wu Huan couldn't help laughing, he was a god.

Xu Banshan did not show any fear, and his eyes were so pure that people really felt that he only cared about that little bit of money.

The two of them scattered a handful of silver melon seeds, "That's a nice thing to say."

At this point, even though there were quite a few people around, it was hard to say anything. After all, this was just a story.

Soon, many people took the copper coins and put them into the plate, and Xu Banshan accepted them all with a smile.

……

"You guys really missed out if you didn't go. The young lady has served some new dishes, which are very good."

"You guys really missed out if you didn't go. That storyteller, Xu Banshan, is really not an ordinary person. He is amazing."

The two of them talked back and forth, telling each other all the news they had heard today. Even though it was just a retelling, the listeners could not forget it.

"Then where should we find Mr. Gucheng?" One link after another, just like a nine-ring linkage.

People are unraveling the mystery, and there is less and less.

They always come across something that becomes more and more interesting the more they dig.

"I don't know. However, Xu Banshan said that there will be performances in every session, and the master will not pass on the position until he sees his disciple rise to prominence. This should be easier to find out. After all, it is considered a prosperous era, right?" Wu Huan thought of something and said.

"That is a solution, but this matter involves too many things, the underworld, court officials, young ladies from official families, business owners..." Very good, these things that used to worry Gu Qingyun made him feel overwhelmed again.

The other younger ones immediately shut up. These censorship systems could only be handled by Gu Qingyun, and they had no other way.

After hearing the story, An Qiao couldn't help but ask, "Is this true? You are really good at telling stories."

Xu Banshan smiled naturally and said, "When the truth is made false, the false becomes true."

The first gust of spring wind finally came. On this evening, An Qiao sat under the locust tree for the first time in a long time, watching the sunset.

The sky seemed to be getting closer and closer. Isn't this how things are in the world?

Sometimes it is round, sometimes it is crescent.

But no matter what, it will become a circle.

The first cup of peach blossom wine in spring is now ready. I don’t know if it’s because of the unraveling of the mystery, but An Qiao feels a little more relaxed for no reason.

"My dear, it's still cold at night in spring, don't catch a cold at the door." Chunri, who was closing the stall, looked at Anqiao who was about to fall asleep at the door and called her.

An Qiao nodded, stood up, and posted the words "The first cup of peach blossom wine of spring is now available, welcome to come into the store to taste" on several signboards.

Peach Blossom Wine is not a sweet or sour fruit, so it is not very smooth to eat. Instead, it tends to have a slight bitter taste. This year, Anqiao deliberately used a higher alcohol content in the Peach Blossom Wine, which makes it taste a bit pungent.

But An Qiao really likes it. The faint scent of peach blossoms can give her a sense of spring.

Perhaps this is also the reason why I liked fermented rice wine in the first place, to capture the spring, summer, autumn and winter in the wine.

The night snack stall was about to start, and Anqiao started grilling skewers again. The small skewers of meat were neatly arranged.

"Young lady, you seem to be in a good mood today." A frequent customer smiled at An Qiao, who hadn't smiled for a long time.

An Qiao smiled and said, "Yes, it feels like everything is coming back to life."