Chapter 56: Fake, Quickly Tell Me This Is Fake

Xiangsheng, or cross-talk, originated in the Spring and Autumn period.

Initially, its practitioners were known as jesters and actors, entertainers who performed to amuse and delight the ruling class.

During the Han dynasty, Dongfang Shuo carried the art to new heights and was honored as the founding patriarch of the Xiangsheng tradition.

When the great Daqian Dynasty was founded, in order to punish corruption and malfeasance, performers were ordered to dress in official attire and impersonate military adjutants.

Another performer would then mock and ridicule them, thereby achieving the purpose of punishing corrupt officials and greedy bureaucrats.

Later on, these performers passed down this two-person comedic dialogue to the common folk.

It became standardized into two distinct roles: one acting as the comedic lead who sets up the jokes, and the other as the supporting stooge, officially named adjutant plays.

However, adjutant plays were not accepted by the established literary and artistic circles, so they mostly appeared under street bridges or inside teahouses.

At first, when Ye Xiu brought the adjutant play onto the stage, many people were skeptical and considered it vulgar.

Yet this was an improved and refined version of the adjutant play, primarily featuring speaking, imitation, comedy, and singing.

The rhythm was lighthearted and pleasant, capable of bringing genuine laughter to the audience, which caught everyone completely by surprise and ignited a fervent interest.

"Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roasted flower duck, roasted spring chicken, roasted young goose..."

"Stir-fried fresh mushrooms, stir-fried fish maw, stir-fried fish tripe, stir-fried fish slices, sweet and sour pork slices, stir-fried assortment..."

"Red meatballs, white meatballs, pan-fried meatballs, four-joy meatballs, assorted meatballs, poached meatballs..."

Over a hundred dish names were rattled off in one breath, flowing with a rhythm that alternated between relaxed and tense, fast and slow, undulating with rising peaks and grand climaxes.

The entire routine was both entertaining and educational, prompting the diners to burst into endless praise.

As the performance came to an end, it immediately elicited warm and enthusiastic applause.

Craving more, the crowd felt unsatisfied and began clamoring riotously, "Another one! Give us another one!"

"Writing a comedy routine is no easy task. If any of you are interested, please keep an eye on the notices from the mercantile agency; we will also display them on the bulletin board outside the restaurant."

Ye Xiu stepped down from the stage with a smile, saying, "Elder Wang, Bulaifang updates its menu every month, trying our best to avoid repetition. Furthermore, we also accept custom orders and special preparations according to our guests' preferences, striving to satisfy every diner's request. What do your esteemed ears think of this?"

"A formidable youth indeed." Wang Xingzhai nodded repeatedly. "It is easy to see that the preliminary preparations were exceptionally thorough. In the dish-reciting routine just now, many of the culinary styles were things this old man has neither heard of nor laid eyes upon. I fear I shall have to make a prolonged stay in the city of Jinling for a while."

Ye Xiu replied modestly, "As long as you do not find our humble establishment too small, you are welcome at any time."

"I have long resided in Suzhou, so I won't purchase a seasonal pass just yet. But before I leave..." Wang Xingzhai glanced at Shen Wanshan, and then turned back to Ye Xiu. "Seven days from now, near the end of the Si hour, this old man wishes to host a dear friend from Jinling. The meal should primarily feature light, delicate, and vegetarian dishes. Any problems with that?"

"Thank you, Elder Wang." Ye Xiu was overjoyed. "No problem at all. We guarantee a feeling of home away from home."

"No need to thank me. If this meal fails to satisfy this old man, I wouldn't dream of inviting him here anyway." Wang Xingzhai rose, patted Ye Xiu on the shoulder, and said, "Whether you can manage to keep him here depends entirely on your own capability."

With those words, Wang Xingzhai and his entourage walked out of the restaurant, boarded their carriage, and departed.

Shopkeeper Liu and Shopkeeper Xiao walked past Ye Xiu, both offering endless words of approval.

Monk Yan-gong gave Ye Xiu a thumbs-up, and taking a group of literati with him, departed in orderly fashion.

Dong Rushe also stood up, cradling her pipa as she prepared to leave.

"Lady Dong," Ye Xiu stepped forward. "I shall have someone drive a carriage to escort you back."

"There is no need for you to trouble yourself, Young Master." Dong Rushe gave a slight, graceful bow. "My driver and maid are waiting outside."

Ye Xiu slapped his forehead, only then remembering that a renowned courtesan of Dong Rushe's caliber had her own dedicated carriage and sedan chair, attended by two personal maids.

"On any ordinary day, I wouldn't resort to such cliché customs," Ye Xiu said, drawing a red packet from his sleeve. "But today is our grand opening, and this is a token of festive joy, as well as a wish for good fortune."

Dong Rushe nodded and accepted the red packet. "Young Master, I shall return to arrange my schedule. During the first three days of the restaurant's opening, I will do my utmost to perform here every day."

"I am deeply grateful, Lady Dong." Ye Xiu's heart surged with wild elation; having Dong Rushe lend her presence was an absolute guarantee of a roaring start.

As she walked past Ye Wuji, Dong Rushe paused momentarily.

She cast a lingering, deeply affectionate glance at Ye Wuji, her lips parting several times as if to speak, before she finally lowered her head and departed.

Ye Xiu noticed this subtle detail and looked his old man up and down, puzzled inwardly: Could it be that my old man's romantic fortune has finally arrived?

"Son, the ingredients for my table are still reserved, right?" Ye Wuji asked, completely unfazed as he gazed outside the restaurant. "My classmates and good friends are almost here."

"They're all saved for you," Ye Xiu nodded. "Once they arrive, we can serve the dishes."

A carriage came to a halt outside the restaurant.

Upon seeing Dong Rushe, the maid immediately stepped forward to take the pipa and helped her up into the carriage, which then headed in the direction of the Qinhuai River.

"My lady, surely you don't need to come back tomorrow, do you?" The maid pouted with an expression of reluctance, feeling that a top-tier courtesan performing at a restaurant beneath her social standing.

"Cancel all my appointments for tomorrow and the day after." Dong Rushe radiated an elegant, orchid-like grace as she gazed at the poem she had copied down. "For the first three days of the restaurant's opening, I will be performing here."

"My lady, what on earth did that bald monk say to you?" The maid grew increasingly incredulous the more she thought about it. "There are already rumors spreading outside, all filled with unfavorable talk about you."

"At first, I was reluctant as well, but now it is entirely my own wish. As for my social standing... perhaps it may become even more esteemed than before... but none of that matters any longer."

Dong Rushe looked at the poem Ye Wuji had written for her and read it over once more.

Reading it line by line, she began to murmur in a daze, "Every single word in this poem seems to have walked straight into my heart... If one day, the two of us achieve true harmony in heart and strings, even if I were a moth flying into a flame, it would not be a regret..."

Goodness gracious!

So the young lady had been won over by poetry!

The maid could not help but remind her, "My lady, that Young Master Ye looks to be only fifteen or sixteen years old..."

"What nonsense are you babbling about?" Dong Rushe's face darkened slightly, her delicate eyebrows knitting together. "I am speaking of Young Master Ye's father, the First Talent of Jinling—Ye Wuji!"

Achoo!

Inside the private dining room, as he was drinking and making merry with his friends, Ye Wuji suddenly sneezed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ye Wuji paused in bewilderment: Could it be that I've caught a cold? That shouldn't be...

Downstairs, Ye Xiu and Qi Santai were sipping tea.

It was genuine lotus-heart tea, the leftover brew from Xu Yougong and his companions yesterday, just enough to steep a fresh pot.

For this, Ye Xiu had specially instructed a waiter to fetch spring water from the mountains for the brewing.

"My talented nephew, you truly possess an innate gift for commerce."

Taking a small sip of the tea, Qi Santai was brimming with irrepressible excitement. "Today's total revenue reached eleven thousand and fifty-five taels. At first, my heart ached when you suggested free admissions, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that in a single day, we would sell more than what others gross in several years."

Overcome by excitement, Qi Santai's tears began to stream down in pattering drops.

It felt unreal—still so terribly unreal.

He kept fearing that he would wake up from sleep and find all of this dissolved into an illusory dream.

Yet the heavy stack of silver banknotes in his palm firmly assured him that it was all real.

"Strictly speaking, today's income cannot be counted as normal sales," Ye Xiu smiled gently. "True, proper business operation will still depend on you, Uncle Qi. I believe that our best days are yet to come."