Jiang Yanyi said, “Now is not the time to talk about this. Have you clarified that person’s identity?”

Bing Shao nodded, “That person is the younger brother of the owner of Laifuh Restaurant. He’s usually just a good-for-nothing.”

Hearing this was related to Laifuh Restaurant made Jiang Yanyi extremely angry.

She said, “Since Laifuh Restaurant still has the audacity to play the victim, let’s splash this bucket of dirty water back on them!”

“You all hire some people to go and create a scene at Jiang’s Antique Soup, and make sure to expose all the disgusting things Laifuh Restaurant has done!”

Yang Xiu went directly to an inn and called over all of Chu Changping’s other confidants.

They disguised themselves and blended into Jiang’s Antique Soup.

The staff at Laifuh Antique Soup were already familiar with Yang Xiu, so he didn’t go into the restaurant but stood outside with others who couldn’t afford the food, listening to the storytelling.

As Mr. Ding told his story, one of Chu Changping’s confidants deliberately spoke loudly, “What kind of nonsense is this? It’s not even as detailed as what they tell at Jiang’s Antique Soup.”

Mr. Ding’s face stiffened slightly.

Ever since he took the top spot for storytelling in Xizhou, no one had ever said that his storytelling wasn’t good.

He wanted to ignore it and continue, but soon another voice chimed in, “If it weren’t for the fact that Jiang’s side had a storytelling master who was sick today, who would come here?”

“Maybe he was so upset he fell ill. Just yesterday, someone was causing a scene there, saying that their storyteller wasn’t as good as Mr. Ding. You weren’t there; that person’s words were nothing but unpleasant, demanding food but wanting to refuse payment! Just like a rogue!”

“I know this brother was causing trouble at Jiang’s. It’s quite shameless; it’s said he’s the younger brother of this restaurant’s owner.

Clearly, the old gentleman over there was telling the story first. He had the nerve to say that the old gentleman wasn’t qualified to tell stories. While Mr. Ding tells a good story, isn’t he just retelling what the old gentleman said?”

“Oh, this is interesting. They say Jiang’s side is unreasonable and beat up a diner, but it turns out that diner is the younger brother of Shopkeeper Xu!”

“It looks like he’s the one who went to cause trouble! Whatever others are doing, he’s copying it here. Now even the storytelling is just imitating others. Isn’t that embarrassing?”

Mr. Ding on stage felt even more awkward and argued, “Everything I’m telling is of my own design.”

What he said was about the wording.

The stories told by storytellers were largely similar, and the key was in the phrasing and emotional engagement.

Yang Xiu, standing at the door, immediately shouted, “If everything is of Mr. Ding’s own design, then Mr. Ding, please tell us what the next chapter of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ is. Don’t wait until Jiang’s side has finished before you speak!”

“This… this…” Mr. Ding was at a loss for words.

The diners who enjoyed listening to him couldn’t help but say, “Aren’t all the stories in the world just those? What law prohibits telling the same story in storytelling?”

Yang Xiu glanced at that person, “Why don’t you tell us where you’ve heard ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ before? Some people have skin thicker than a city wall! Using someone else’s story, then turning around to insult them for telling it poorly—truly, they eat from a bowl and curse the pot!”

“Don’t say, I heard a segment of storytelling at Jiang’s door, and if I just casually sit at any noodle shop afterward, I could probably be a storyteller too.”

Faced with these sarcastic remarks, Mr. Ding couldn’t maintain his composure.

He opened his folding fan to cover his face and hurriedly left.

Shopkeeper Xu, who had come to see him leaving with the fan covering his face, quickly pursued him, “Mr. Ding, where are you going?”

Mr. Ding bowed to Shopkeeper Xu and said, “Shopkeeper, please invite someone more capable.”

After saying this, he hurried away.

Shopkeeper Xu was so angry he shook his sleeves.

Some diners in Laifuh Antique Soup saw that Mr. Ding had left and the story was interrupted, and couldn’t help but get angry at the few people who had been causing a ruckus earlier: “What does Jiang’s side have to do with us? You drove Mr. Ding away, where are we supposed to listen to storytelling now?”

Yang Xiu replied, “They’re angry because Jiang’s storyteller got sick; if they don’t tell the next chapter, what are you listening to? If you want to blame someone, blame the ones who made Jiang’s storyteller sick.”

The person speaking was left speechless by the retort.

The one who was upset with the Jiang’s storyteller was none other than Manager Xu’s younger brother.

Although everyone knows that businessmen often use various tactics, the scene at Laifu Restaurant today was indeed contemptible, causing their reputation to decline significantly.

---

When Feng Shuo heard about this incident, he looked at Jiang Yanyi, who was bent over her desk practicing her calligraphy, with a strange expression in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Jiang Yanyi was focused on her brushwork and, hearing Feng Shuo mention it again, she clearly didn’t care anymore.

She said, “In business, you always run into all sorts of troubles. If I don’t learn to deal with them myself and always rely on you, the easier it is now, the harder I’ll fall when I hit a bump in the road.”

Feng Shuo turned the page of the book in his hands. “It’s good that you can think this way. While I’m alive, I won’t let anyone harm you. But if one day I die, I hope you have the ability to protect yourself and live well.”

Hearing the word “die,” Jiang Yanyi’s hand shook, smudging the ink on the page she was practicing.

Perhaps because her current life was so far removed from the original plot of the story, she had completely forgotten that Feng Shuo would ultimately die.

Suddenly hearing him say this made her feel inexplicably anxious.

She set down the brush and said unhappily, “Can’t you say something more auspicious?”

Feng Shuo raised an eyebrow. “Are you getting temperamental now?”

Jiang Yanyi glared at him, pushing the calligraphy book away. “My hand hurts; I’m not practicing anymore.”

Feng Shuo put down the book in his hands, amused. “Who was it that said her handwriting was ugly and wanted to borrow my calligraphy book to practice? You’ve only written a few pages!”

Jiang Yanyi retorted, “I never said my handwriting was ugly; I said it’s just not pretty! Not pretty and ugly are two different things!”

Feng Shuo paused for a second. “Is there a difference?”

Jiang Yanyi: “……”

It really was impossible to have a proper romantic conversation.

She stood up to leave, but Feng Shuo stretched his long arm, easily trapping her between his chest and the desk.

It wasn’t an embrace; it seemed he just wanted to help her practice her calligraphy.

He took the brush, handed it to her, and his voice carried a hint of helpless laughter. “You…”

Perhaps it was the indulgent tone at the end of his sentence that was too charming, causing Jiang Yanyi’s subtle irritation to suddenly dissipate.

She grasped the brush handle while he held her hand, guiding her to make strokes on the paper.

His voice was low and rich. “When holding a brush, you should focus on the five elements of ‘pinch, press, hook, structure, and resistance.’ If you can’t hold the brush steadily, the characters you write will naturally not look good.”

A strand of his long hair fell down, occasionally brushing against Jiang Yanyi’s ear, bringing a slight cool tickle.

Jiang Yanyi hummed in response, but her other hand fidgeted awkwardly with her ear.

Noticing her originally fair ear had turned bright red, Feng Shuo’s gaze deepened.

Suddenly, he leaned down and gently bit her ear.

It didn’t hurt, but in that moment, it felt like she was struck by electricity.

Jiang Yanyi turned to look at him in shock.

The instigator could still use a teacher’s tone to lecture her, saying, “Focus!”

If it weren’t for his hoarse voice, she might have believed his nonsense.

---

Because the old scholar was not well, he hadn’t come to Jiang Yanyi’s shop for several days due to the cold weather.

Those who wanted to listen to the storytelling were eager, and at first, they didn’t feel much.

However, as time passed, they began to complain more about Laifuh Antique Soup.

When Feng Shuo went to the shop behind, he wrote an article titled “Ode to Antique Soup” praising Jiang Yanyi’s restaurant.

During the days the old scholar was absent, Jiang Yanyi’s business didn’t suffer at all.

Many scholars and literati came out of admiration, and after a few rounds of drinks, they asked Jiang Yanyi for paper and pen to compose poems and watch Feng Shuo’s genuine calligraphy.

It was during this time that Jiang Yanyi realized Feng Shuo’s calligraphy was quite popular throughout the Daxuan Dynasty.

Some wealthy merchants even offered huge sums to buy Feng Shuo’s ode, which made Jiang Yanyi feel a pang in her heart, but she still didn’t want to part with it.

She directly framed the ode and hung it in her shop as a living advertisement.

She also framed the poems and verses composed by other talented individuals praising her hot pot restaurant.

Unintentionally, she turned her restaurant into an ancient online celebrity dining spot.

With Feng Shuo’s ode, Jiang Yanyi’s restaurant now had enough hype to directly rival the signature dishes of the imperial chefs at Laifuh Restaurant, no longer needing to be overshadowed by Laifuh.

Compared to Jiang’s Antique Soup thriving, both Laifuh Restaurant and the Antique Soup’s business had greatly declined.

Shopkeeper Xu wished he could get rid of his useless younger brother who caused more trouble than he was worth.

He flipped through the accounts and slammed them shut, saying, “It’s not a solution for the restaurant to continue like this. Just the other day, Mr. Lu mentioned that the banquet standards at the restaurant are far worse than before. How is Chef Yao doing?”

The restaurant manager replied, “Chef Li doesn’t want to accept the offer. I’ve been to his house twice, but he won’t see anyone.”

Shopkeeper Xu said in frustration, “These lousy cooks always think too highly of themselves. If he doesn’t want to come back, there’s no need to look for him anymore. I don’t believe I can’t find a better chef with money in hand.”

The restaurant manager agreed, but then remembered that Mr. Ding had lost face before and was unwilling to work with them again.

He asked, “Boss, who should we invite as the storyteller for the restaurant?”

Shopkeeper Xu shot him a glare, “Isn’t it enough embarrassment already? Do you think that ode at Jiang’s Antique Soup is genuinely praising someone? That’s the Wang family’s way of warning us!”

Although there had been rumors that the shopkeeper of Jiang’s Antique Soup had some connection to the Prince of Liaonan, Shopkeeper Xu thought it was mere gossip.

After all, a street vendor and a nobleman were two completely different worlds.

If Jiang’s shopkeeper were really trying to climb the social ladder, why would she engage in such a public business?

But now, with the ode from the Prince of Liaonan, he couldn’t help but reflect.

Laifuh Restaurant was relatively calm, but other restaurants without that insight were still trying to invite people to retell the stories from Jiang Yanyi’s shop.

However, the storytellers they hired were mostly below standard.

The stories they retold were dull, and either omitted crucial details or narrated them incorrectly, leaving the diners uninterested.

Jiang Yanyi didn’t even need to worry about it.

Her shop had enough hype, with unique and exquisite dishes.

Because the shop was small, people often made reservations, and the slots for eating hot pot were fully booked three days in advance.

Jiang Yanyi calculated her finances and pondered opening a branch.

Unfortunately, before she could implement this plan, news from the capital disrupted everything.

Fan Wei had rebelled; the beloved Xi Pin of the new emperor had died at the hands of Empress Fan.

In a fit of rage, the new emperor executed Empress Fan, and the rebel army led by Fan Wei was retreating step by step, currently fleeing to Yingdu.

Jiang Yanyi had read the original book and naturally knew that the female protagonist, Jiang Yanxi, had not died; instead, it was her maid who took care of her.

Jiang Yanxi was probably on her way to Xizhou, after all, the second male lead, Lu Linyuan, was here.