After dinner, it was still early, only a little past 7 o'clock.

"Come on, I'll take you to listen to a crosstalk performance. I recently discovered a really interesting place," Qin Hailu suggested.

They hailed a car and followed Qin Hailu's directions to Tianqiao in Beijing, where they arrived at Guangdelou, a Beijing-style teahouse.

The teahouse was full of people, with about a dozen tables, but not all of them were occupied. A storyteller was performing on stage.

Qin Hailu found a place to sit down as if she knew it well, and a waiter came over.

"Sister Qin, you're here again! Oh my god, Zeng Li, isn't this Hu Jing, the big star?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the people present swarmed around them. Shen Fang and Xia Yu quickly stood up to protect the two of them.

"Everyone, everyone, we're all here to listen to the crosstalk. If you want autographs or photos, we'll go one by one. We're all from Beijing, so let's be civilized and polite and not embarrass Beijingers," Xia Yu said, maintaining order.

The teahouse owner also came over to stop them, and soon everyone dispersed. Master Jing had his pride; although a big star was coming, and people naturally wanted to pay their respects, he wouldn't do anything particularly despicable, and order was maintained. However, many people had already started taking out their phones to send messages, estimating that a lot more people would arrive to join the fun soon.

"My name is Zhao Jinlai, the owner of Guangdelou Restaurant. I'm sorry to have startled you big stars today. This meal is on me. Xiao Li, go and get some melons, fruits, and candied fruit. Please support me. Thank you."

Shen Fang glanced at Zhao Jinlai and asked, "Mr. Zhao, were your ancestors Manchus?"

"This lord is wise and wise, of the Plain Yellow Banner."

Shen Fang nodded: "Do you know Huang Fulai?"

"Master Huang? And you are?"

Shen Fang waved his hand: "My partner, he was bragging to me that there wasn't a single Manchu descendant in Beijing that he didn't know. I thought he was just bragging, but it seems you really do know them."

Zhao Jinlai smiled and said, "Master Huang's ancestors were from the Bordered Yellow Banner, a truly respectable man. It seems you are also a distinguished person. I will offer you tea instead of wine."

Zhao Jinlai picked up a cup of tea from elsewhere, drank it all in one gulp, then turned and bowed slightly before leaving. Quite the air about him. All descendants of the Manchus are like that.

Qin Hailu curled her lip: "So many years have passed, and you're still doing this? Tsk tsk. It's like acting in a TV drama."

Shen Fang chuckled: "Although times have changed, those people are still here, and their influence is still there. The smart ones withdrew long ago when the Qing Dynasty was about to collapse. Don't underestimate them. When they withdrew, they had a large amount of gold and jewels stored up. They have plenty of money."

Why do I say that? It's simple. Why are there so many Qing Dynasty dramas, one after another? In recent years, there's been a lot of remnants of the Qing Dynasty.

A short, chubby, dark-skinned man came up on stage.

Storytelling and opera offer guidance; the three main paths lead to the center; good and evil will ultimately be rewarded; the vicissitudes of life are the true path of humanity.

The chubby little man picked up the gavel and gave it a loud thud.

"Gentlemen, ladies and children, today I'm going to tell you a story about Ji Gong capturing Hua Yunlong."

Well, it really is Guo Degang... How did he end up here making a living by telling stories, and even telling the story of Ji Gong?

Shen Fang began to listen with great interest. He had to admit that the little fat man was quite knowledgeable. He told the story in a very detailed and engaging way, handling the details very well and making the audience feel very involved. His expressions were also very rich. After the story was told, Shen Fang was very satisfied.

They called over a waiter.

How much does one of your flower baskets cost?

"Sir, 200 yuan."

Shen Fang nodded.

Can I pay by card?

"Um, sure."

Shen Fang pulled out a bank card: "Send 1,000 flower baskets to the little fat guy on the stage."

Upon hearing this, the waiter was dumbfounded. 1000?! Are you sure you're not mistaken? It's not uncommon for people to tip with flower baskets, but it's a very rare occurrence. You're tipping 1000 at once?!

Shen Fang looked at the waiter: "Is that not allowed?"

The waiter nodded quickly: "Okay, okay, okay."

The waiter went up to the stage and shouted, "Sir at table number 3, please give a flower basket of 1,000 as a tip."

Both Guo Degang on stage and the audience below were stunned by these words.

Guo Degang immediately knelt down before Shen Fang.

"No wonder there were so many magpies when I went out this morning. It turns out the God of Wealth has come to visit. Grandpa, let me kowtow to you." The chubby little man actually kowtowed to Chen Fang.

At this time, the chubby little man was truly poor. He had more than ten apprentices to support, and his entire family depended on him for their livelihood. In this storytelling venue, he could only earn about a hundred yuan a day. That was when there were many people.

He could get 100,000 yuan from 1,000 flower baskets. With that 100,000 yuan, his family's hunger would be solved. Let alone kowtowing, if kowtowing once could earn 100 yuan, Guo Degang could bankrupt people by kowtowing.

Shen Fang waved his hand: "Get up. We'll talk in a bit."

The chubby little man cupped his hands in greeting: "Since an important guest has arrived today, I'll give you all a little something extra, Thief Cat."

The story of the thief cat is also a story from the Qing Dynasty. It tells of a young man who encountered a drunken black cat. Just as he was about to peel off its tail, the cat spoke, which startled the young man. The two became acquainted from then on. Later, the black cat taught the young man skills. The young man joined the army and then entered the tomb raiding business, becoming Sun Dianying's right-hand man.

It sounds so mystical, it's quite interesting.

After the story was finished, another person came on stage, including the chubby little black boy who came from behind.

"Thank you, sir." Guo Degang cupped his hands in thanks.

Shen Fang smiled and said, "You're quite capable, making me listen to your stories with great interest. I love listening to audiobooks. Here's my business card."

Guo Degang took over Shen Fang's name card, a purple-gold one that looked very wealthy. There was no salutation on it, just a name and a phone number.

"Can you read the complete Legend of Ji Gong?"

Guo Degang nodded.

"What else can you write?"

Guo Degang smiled and said, "There are many. I know a little about the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Three Heroes and Five Gallants, gods, ghosts, demons and foxes. I started learning these in elementary school and have studied with many teachers, so I know quite a lot."

Shen Fang nodded in satisfaction: "How about this, I'm going to put together a talk show where you tell stories in front of an audience, just like this teahouse. How much will I pay you for each show? What do you think?"

Guo Degang was dumbfounded when he heard this.

"You want me to record a program? May I ask who you are?"

Shen Fang smiled and said, "I'm in the film and television industry, and I'm quite well-known in this circle. You can ask around later. If you're willing, just call this number and go to Longteng Media for a face-to-face meeting."

Guo Degang looked completely bewildered.

After saying that, Shen Fang left with Zeng Li and the others. By now, more and more people had gathered, and it was almost impossible to squeeze in. They were all there to see the big star. After taking a few photos with him, they left through the back door under Zhao Jinlai's guidance.