The two exchanged a few pleasantries before Lin Zheyu got straight to the point.
"Leaving the Bidan Tea House to tell stories at the Yixiang Tea House is impossible, after all, Mr. Wo was good to me back then."
Hearing this, Jia Yanming was slightly taken aback, his expression turning cold.
"Don't be anxious, though I won't leave the Bidan Tea House, I can provide you with stories."
"Songyi City doesn't lack storytellers with strong abilities, my storytelling skills are completely insignificant compared to those of the old masters."
"What they lack is just a fresh and good story. And coincidentally, I have a good story," Lin Zheyu said slowly.
"Oh?"
"As exciting as the stories you tell at the Bidan Tea House?" Jia Yanming became interested.
Lin Zheyu was right, his storytelling skills are indeed no match for many seasoned old masters.
He mainly wins with fresh and exciting stories.
A good story is like a foundation; only by laying the foundation well can you use storytelling techniques to build up towers and palaces.
"Absolutely exciting!" Lin Zheyu affirmed.
"Do you have a written manuscript?"
"Yes, this is the first chapter of a new story; take a look first."
Lin Zheyu handed over the prepared manuscript, the same story he had given to the three storytellers the previous day.
Jia Yanming took the manuscript and quickly browsed through it.
He was literate; otherwise, he couldn't be in a managerial position.
A few minutes later, Jia Yanming finished reading the first chapter, a satisfied smile appearing on his face; the story's quality was good.
"Good, it's settled then!"
"I'll pay 200 wen for each chapter; what do you think?"
Jia Yanming said, noting that a chapter was just enough for a storyteller to perform in a day.
"No need for 200 wen, I'll only charge you 80 wen."
"However, this story is also sold to others; if you want an exclusive, it will cost 400 wen."
Lin Zheyu opened with a high price, leaving room for negotiation.
"Also sold to others?"
Jia Yanming frowned, this wouldn't do.
Why was the Bidan Tea House popular? Wasn't it because Lin Zheyu's storytelling stories were new, not only exceptionally exciting but also exclusively heard at the Bidan Tea House?
If it could be heard elsewhere, audiences would have more choices and might not necessarily come to their tea house.
"That won't do, do you have something exclusive? Let me see first," Jia Yanming said.
He was secretly amazed at Lin Zheyu's creative ability.
Not only could he tell new stories at the Bidan Tea House, but he could also provide different story contents to other storytellers, and they were extremely exciting.
If he could still come up with another story to be sold exclusively to him, that would be too impressive.
"Prepared long ago."
"I originally planned this story as a series, but Mr. Liang said he liked to hear stories about martial artists, so I rewrote it; this story had nowhere to be told then."
"Since this can't be used, I'll sell it to you." Lin Zheyu said with a smile, deliberately mentioning Mr. Liang, hoping to provide some intimidation to Jia Yanming, not knowing if Mr. Liang's reputation was effective.
"Mr. Liang? Which Mr. Liang?"
Jia Yanming casually asked as he took the manuscript paper.
"Liang Song, Mr. Liang, I've already become his disciple," Lin Zheyu said.
Liang Song?
Jia Yanming pondered for a moment, the image of a limping old man surfaced in his mind.
He heard his younger brother mention this person, reputedly competent but rarely took action, extremely low-key.
Jia Yanming secretly noted down the name, planning to ask Jia Yanrong more about it later.
He quickly browsed through Lin Zheyu's provided manuscript.
It was a story about a scholar, part of the series that Lin Zheyu previously told at the Bidan Tea House.
"Good!"
"Worthy of Mr. Lin, able to write so many exciting stories, truly talented."
"I want both this story and the previous one, can you give me a discount?"
Jia Yanming decisively stated.
Both stories were extremely exciting; from Jia Yanming's decades of experience and vision, they would surely become popular.
"I'll round it off for you, make it 500 wen."
Jia Yanming: "..."
Jia Yanming squinted, his brow slightly furrowed, with a look on his face as if saying, "Do you take me for a fool?"
"Haha, just kidding, make it cheaper for you, 450 wen, no second offer," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.
"Alright, 450 wen it is."
Jia Yanming was straightforward.
The quality of these two stories was very high; with these two stories, the business at the Yixiang Tea House would flourish even more.
"Mr. Jia is a straightforward person, here's a cup to you!"
Lin Zheyu raised his cup, in a good mood.
Not only did he resolve a troublesome matter, but he also gained an additional income of 450 wen per day.
Adding the three storytellers, the extra income totaled 690 wen per day.
...
White Mountain District.
Gao Yu looked at the emaciated 'Skinny Monkey' on the sickbed, barely clinging to life, his brow furrowed.
The doctor had just checked and said it was poison; even if healed, he'd be crippled for life, unable to do heavy work.
"Yi, you must, must, must help me get revenge!"
'Skinny Monkey' looked at Gao Yu and spoke with difficulty.
"Brother, what should we do about this? Should we report it to the authorities?" another person asked.
"Report your head."
"Failed to steal and got poisoned, reporting to the authorities would have them arrest us instead?"
Gao Yu cursed angrily, feeling extremely irritated.
In all his years of petty theft and swindling, this was the first time he encountered someone ruthless enough to apply poison to the sharp edges of a wall.
"This can't end like this."
Gao Yu gritted his teeth and said hatefully.
It was the first time he'd been bested by someone like Lin Zheyu, who had no familial backing; Gao Yu couldn't believe he couldn't handle a weak scholar.
"Yanling, Wen Biao, keep an eye on that Lin Zheyu for me, observe his daily movements, and find out the situation around his residence."
Gao Yu said, determined not to let this matter slide.
That Lin Zheyu was just a scholar who had fled from Jiunan City; even if he was making some money now, without any backing, wasn't he still at their mercy?
It's just troublesome that he stays in the inner city, where security is stricter, making it hard to act.
"Yi, are we to act in the inner city?"
Wen Biao asked, with fear in his heart.
Acting inside the city and getting caught would result in severe punishment.
"Don't worry, it's fine."
"As long as you find a secluded place to act, without being discovered, it'll be fine."
"He's just a refugee, with no one to rely on; even if he disappears, no one will stand up for him," Gao Yu said.
"Really going to kill him?"
Yanling asked with some reluctance.
He had done many bad things like petty theft and swindling, but he hadn't killed anyone before.
"That depends on whether the kid is sensible; if he provides adequate compensation, we could spare his life."
Gao Yu stated coldly.
After a discussion, they came up with a simple plan.
...
After reaching an agreement with Jia Yanming, Lin Zheyu breathed a sigh of relief.
No longer worried about trouble from the Feihong Gang's younger brother, being caught unawares.
However, Lin Zheyu didn't remove the mechanisms in the courtyard; these were unstable times, and living alone in Songyi City, it was better to take precautions.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, six days went by.
Lin Zheyu's days were quite good.
The team of storytellers grew, reaching nine in number, although the price per person decreased slightly to 50 wen each day.
The income from the nine storytellers, combined with the revenue from supplying stories to the Yixiang Tea House and his own storytelling earnings, reached about 1,500 wen.
Equivalent to one tael of silver.