Gu Qingyun looked at him as if he were a simpleton.
“You worry too much. This definitely isn't Head Constable Liu's first time here; he knows what he's doing. All we need to do is eat.”
While they waited for the dishes, the sound of the zither on the stage stopped at some point, and a storyteller in green robes, around twenty years old, took his place by the storytelling table.
Holding a folding fan in his hand, he struck the gavel down onto the table with a sharp crack, drawing every eye in the restaurant toward him.
“Honored guests, the tale we shall tell today is of a talented scholar and a fair maiden—a rich young miss and a destitute scholar. It is said that...”
Gu Qingyun listened with half an ear before looking away, thoroughly unimpressed. It was yet another fantasy conjured by a poor scholar. That kind of story hadn't gone out of style for thousands of years, and occasionally a scholar really could dupe a sheltered young lady with it.
The storyteller spoke of a scholar in Jiangnan who was exceptionally handsome but desperately poor. The scholar survived solely by writing letters for others.
Who would have guessed that one day, a rich young lady would seek someone to ghostwrite a letter for her? The two fell in love at first sight, but the young lady's family violently opposed the match. Being of noble and upright character, the scholar could not bear to put the young lady in a difficult position, and swore an oath to pass the provincial exams as a Juren before returning to marry her.
Gu Qingyun could easily guess everything that followed: the young lady naturally couldn't bear to see her lover suffer in poverty, so she secretly funded him. In the end, the scholar passed the examinations, had his name inscribed on the golden roster, and entered the bridal chamber.
Gu Qingyun felt that even if such a rich young lady truly existed, she had definitely fallen for the scholar's face. If he had been born ugly, there was no way she would have spared him a second glance.
The story told by this storyteller was clearly nothing more than the wishful daydreaming of destitute scholars.
Unlike Gu Qingyun, Bai Fan and the other young constables listened with great relish. Head Constable Liu and the older constables had long since started chatting amongst themselves, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the storyteller's tale.
Gu Qingyun glanced up and noticed that at the private tables on the second floor, several wealthy young ladies were completely entranced.
Before long, the dishes for their table arrived. First came four cold appetizers: braised pig ears, fried small fish, fried peanuts, and braised chicken feet. Then came six hearty meat dishes. Seeing the braised pork shank and the roast chicken, Gu Qingyun swallowed her saliva several times, thoroughly unashamed.
Head Constable Liu stood up and looked around at everyone with a hearty chuckle.
“Everyone, eat your fill today! In the days ahead, all of us colleagues must work even harder to ease the County Magistrate's burdens. Alright, dig in!”
The county yamen had strict rules forbidding alcohol on ordinary days, except during time off. Gu Qingyun and the others buried their heads and ate ravenously. At a time like this, the advantage of hand speed showed its worth.
Moving her chopsticks so fast they left afterimages, Gu Qingyun swiftly grabbed a portion of every single meat dish, lowering her head to eat with immense satisfaction.
Beside her, Bai Fan was green with envy; his hands simply weren't that fast. Their table was filled with young constables, each possessing a bottomless appetite, and in less than ten minutes, barely any food was left on the table.
From the other table, Head Constable Liu's mouth twitched at the sight. He had the waiter bring over another plate of eggs and a basket of steamed buns for them to share. Gu Qingyun felt a little embarrassed inside, but her expression remained completely serene as she forced herself to salvage her dignity.
“Bai Fan, Wu Fei, you guys eat way too much. We still need to mind our manners in public.”
Holding their steamed buns, Bai Fan and the others looked up at her. Catching her menacing glare, they promptly lowered their heads.
“Sorry... It's our first time eating such fine food, so we couldn't control our table manners. We'll be careful next time.” You're the strongest, so whatever you say goes.
Seeing this, Head Constable Liu chuckled and smoothed things over.
“Alright, Qingyun. They're all young lads, so it's natural for them to eat a lot. They're still growing. You should eat more too, so you can grow—”
Before he could finish saying “tall,” he noticed that Gu Qingyun was already taller than Bai Fan. Remembering her age, he thought to himself, Good heavens, will Qingyun end up growing to eight chi in the future? If she gets that tall, it'll be hard to find a husband.
Head Constable Liu fell silent and went back to eating leisurely with the constables at his table.
Gu Qingyun took a bite of her steamed bun. It was white and soft, made from refined flour, and tasted wonderful.
Just then, the storyteller began another tale.
“Next, I shall tell a tale of twisted marital fate. It is said that several years ago, in a certain place, there was a daughter of a wealthy merchant. She was breathtakingly beautiful and had been pampered in luxury by her parents since childhood.
“Her family had even arranged a marriage for her with a household of equal standing. Every day, the young lady obediently studied the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting at home, waiting only to marry into her betrothed's family after her hair-pinning ceremony.
“Who could have foreseen that just months before the wedding, an unexpected disaster struck?”
Gu Qingyun was drawn in by the story. Seeing him pause to keep the audience in suspense, she quickly urged, “And then what happened?”
The storyteller snapped his fan shut with a sharp clack.
“Don't be impatient, honored guest. If you wish to know what happens next, please grant this humble storyteller a little encouragement.”
Resigned, Gu Qingyun took out five copper coins and tossed them steadily onto the storyteller's table.
Seeing this, the surrounding patrons also tossed money onto the stage. Some threw a handful of coppers, some tossed bits of broken silver, and one particularly generous patron threw a five-tael silver ingot.
Gu Qingyun's eyes went wide. Good grief, talk about rich! Just throwing away five taels like that! She almost felt like going up to tell a few stories herself.
Seeing how much reward money he had received today, the storyteller beamed from ear to ear.
“The young lady went out one day, and for reasons unknown, fell in love at first sight with an idle old bachelor. She insisted on marrying him, come what may. To protect her reputation, her family locked her inside the manor.
“Yet for reasons beyond comprehension, the young lady was dead set on marrying this rogue. Defying her family's restrictions, she slipped out in the dead of night.
“The disaster occurred that very night. The young lady was physically intimate with that scoundrel. Utterly heartbroken and disappointed in her, her parents hurriedly married her off, gave her a sum of money, and washed their hands of her.
“After getting married, it was as if the young lady were possessed. She treated her husband as her lord and master, personally attending to every matter in the household, great and small.
“From a sheltered noble daughter whose delicate fingers had never touched coarse work, she turned directly into a haggard market peasant woman.
“Later, a Daoist master passed by the region and saw through it at a single glance: someone had cast a curse on her—the Lover's Curse. That curse forces one to fall madly in love with the caster; if they tell you to live, you live; if they tell you to die, you die.
“Once the Daoist master dispelled the curse, the young lady instantly regained her senses, freed from its control. Remembering everything she had done over those past years, she could not face reality. Driven mad, she ran straight to the riverbank and leaped in.
“Those living in that area could hear sobbing and weeping by the river every midnight. Ever since, no one has dared set foot near the spot where she jumped.
“And that concludes the tale. Honored guests, please grant this humble one some support, so that I may bring you even more marvelous tales in the future.”
Gu Qingyun felt a knot in her chest as she listened. She took out another five coins and tossed them onto the stage.
“Then how was that Lover's Curse planted in the first place? And what exactly is it? You still haven't explained who was pulling the strings behind it all!”
The other patrons in the restaurant burst into laughter at Gu Qingyun's words.
“Young man, it's just a story! Just listen for fun. Look at you taking it so seriously! How could such an evil curse exist in this world? Wouldn't that ruin a girl's entire life?”
The storyteller smiled mysteriously.
“Who can truly tell what is real and what is false in this world?” With a hearty laugh, he took his leave.
Gu Qingyun sank into deep thought. Was this truly just a story? It seemed she would have to find time to meet this storyteller.
“Sister Yun, what are you thinking about?” Bai Fan waved a hand in front of her eyes.
“Oh, nothing. Just pondering a few things,” Gu Qingyun snapped back to reality and replied nonchalantly.
Two days later came Gu Qingyun's day off. Early that morning, she changed into casual clothes and headed straight for the small silversmith shop.
Rate on N.U.
