Chapter Ninety-Five: Telling Stories

Early in the morning, Zhu Yu, already awake, was eating breakfast when he saw the weather outside had clearly improved, and an unaccountable sense of relief rose in his heart.

There were not many people in the main hall. Aside from the inn’s own staff and Zhu Yu, there were only five or six others, including Yu Huatian, staying close by to protect him.

The rest were either upstairs keeping watch over the situation outside, or resting in their rooms and waiting for their turn to rotate on duty.

After finishing his meal, Zhu Yu could not help but ask Guo Furong, who kept sneaking glances at him, “What is it, Miss Guo? Is there something on my face?”

“No, nothing.” Startled by his question, Guo Furong hurriedly answered, then lowered her head and pretended to find work to do.

Zhu Yu noticed not only Guo Furong, but also Lu Xiucai, whose face had turned dark the moment he saw her sneaking her third look at him.

He inwardly cursed him for a jealous little vinegar jar, but that only made Zhu Yu more interested. Under Lu Xiucai’s murderous glare, Zhu Yu walked up beside Guo Furong and, with deliberate flirtatiousness, asked, “Miss Guo, from the moment we first met, I felt that we were quite well matched. My name is Zhu Yu, and I remain unmarried to this day. I wonder whether you are already wed?”

The moment Zhu Yu moved, he drew everyone’s attention, and what had just happened was seen by all.

At Zhu Yu’s question, Guo Furong, still half drowsy and not yet fully thinking straight, was cut off before she could react by Lu Xiucai, who rushed between them.

Lu Xiucai pulled Guo Furong behind him and looked Zhu Yu straight in the eye. “My Furong is already married to me, and we even have a child on the way. Give it up. Even if you have money, Furong will never abandon me. Right, Furong?”

“Huh? Right, right.” In truth, Guo Furong still had not fully caught up, but out of trust for Lu Xiucai, she instinctively agreed.

At that moment, Zhu Yu could no longer hide the amusement in his heart. A smile slowly spread across his face.

Seeing the grin all over Zhu Yu’s face, how could the others not understand that he had done it on purpose?

No, not all of them—two of them were right before their eyes: the red-faced Lu Xiucai and the bewildered Guo Furong.

“Are you stupid? Can’t you tell he’s only teasing you? All that reading has fried your brain,” Bai Zhantang said, stepping in to rescue Lu Xiucai.

“Sorry about that, Young Master Zhu. Our scholar’s mind is as straight as a plank of wood when he reads. Please don’t take offense.” Tong Xiangyu also smoothly stepped in to calm things down.

Zhu Yu did not mind any of it, but he caught another meaning in the exchange.

Guo Furong was pregnant? Had the plot gone off script?

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I only thought this brother’s stare was a little frightening, his face all dark and ghastly. I don’t mind it myself; I was just worried that something might be wrong with his health. Better to let it out than bottle it up.”

Though everyone could already tell Zhu Yu had been doing it on purpose, he still felt it best to offer another explanation.

By then Guo Furong had also come to her senses. Without another word, she slapped Lu Xiucai on the arm. Zhu Yu, standing close by, distinctly heard the sound of Lu Xiucai’s body groaning under the blow.

“So that’s how it is, you rotten scholar! You don’t trust me that much? If you don’t trust me, then why did you marry me in the first place...”

Seeing Guo Furong raise her hand a second time, Zhu Yu quickly reached out to stop her. Not because of anything else, but because if Lu Xiucai were to die young on account of him, he would never forgive himself.

“Please, Miss Guo, calm down. Brother Lu is only acting this way because he cares about you so much. Marital life is not made better by constant hitting.

Brother Lu is rather frail. If you hit him a few more times, he’ll be gone, and the child hasn’t even been born yet. Have mercy.”

After hearing Zhu Yu’s persuasion, Guo Furong reluctantly lowered her hand, still muttering under her breath, “You still dare not trust me? Just wait till later.”

“Exactly, Xiao Guo, how could you do that...”

“Young Master Zhu is right...”

The farce that had nearly erupted was cut short by Zhu Yu. The inn’s onlookers no longer found it necessary to stay and watch the spectacle, and they all came forward to help smooth things over. Zhu Yu took the opportunity to quickly mingle with everyone in the inn.

Yu Huatian, who had been watching coldly from the side, had long since sent people to investigate the inn’s background.

According to the intelligence that came back, this inn had indeed been plagued by frequent troubles in previous years, but in the end, the people inside were all simpletons full of justice and compassion.

Thus, Yu Huatian felt at ease letting them remain in close contact with the Emperor.

After learning that the present Wisteria Inn had already drifted beyond the bounds of its original story, Zhu Yu, who had grown bored, suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.

He would listen to stories. After building a good relationship with them, he could hear them talk about what happened after the ending, and in doing so, he could finally fulfill a small dream of his.

And so, just as Guo Furong and Lu Xiucai had been coaxed into peace, Zhu Yu prepared to begin.

“Shopkeeper, your inn is always so lively every day.”

“Well, of course. In an eighty-li radius, we’re the only inn around. How could it not be lively?” Li Dazui cut in first now that they were all familiar with one another.

“Don’t listen to Dazui nonsense, Young Master Zhu. It’s like this now, but it wasn’t always. We used to have a Fragrant Red Pavilion across the street. When it first opened, business was booming.

Back then our inn had a terribly hard time, but in the end, relying on my beauty and wisdom, I drove them out.”

Tong Xiangyu interrupted Li Dazui and began rattling on at her own pace.

Though they had begun telling stories according to plan, and Zhu Yu was pleased, what Tong Xiangyu was talking about was something he had already seen in the drama. That made it rather dull.

But he could not very well tell them outright to start from after the ending, so Zhu Yu had no choice but to guide them along.

“Um, Shopkeeper, has anything interesting happened at your inn recently?”

“Recently? There have been a few things, but nothing too interesting. The old stories are still the best. Young Master Zhu, let me tell you slowly.”

Now that they were familiar with him, Tong Xiangyu had become much more bold and casual, and she firmly brushed aside Zhu Yu’s suggestion.

This time, everyone’s tongues were loosened.

“The days when my sister came by were pretty interesting...”

“That’s nothing. Let’s talk about how I learned the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms...”

“What you’re all saying won’t do...”

Watching them begin to argue again, Zhu Yu felt a vein twitch at his temple. Then he took a deep breath, pulled out a banknote from his robes, and slapped it heavily on the table.

When the quarrel stopped and all eyes turned to him, Zhu Yu said calmly, “I only want to hear about recent events. Whoever tells it best gets this banknote.”

The hall fell silent for three seconds.

Then Zhu Yu had the sudden sensation that he had time-traveled back to the market from his previous life.

“I’ll go, I’ll go! Young Master Zhu, listen to me...”

“They’re all no good, Young Master Zhu. I can tell it best...”

“All of you shut up. I’m the shopkee—”

Just when Zhu Yu felt his head was about to explode, a familiar soft command rang out, and then the world returned to peace.

“Sunflower Acupoint Strike!”

“Young Master Zhu, let me tell you. They’re all no good. I used to be a storyteller, and I can definitely tell it well.”