Searcy chimed in from the side, saying, "What’s the use of ’face’ anyway, let’s just send him packing. That sticky rice cake of a man is always lingering outside the yard; I can hardly go out."
Gu Youyou gestured for her to go ahead, a smile creeping across her face, "Be my guest, your turn. I’ll tell him that all those stories were written by you and have her nagging to meet you every day."
Searcy: "...I can’t tell stories."
"There you have it, you’re just the type who talks without feeling the pain of standing. But..." Gu Youyou suddenly thought, that guy claimed he had stories of all kinds, and he had some past connection with Tian Jizi. She wondered if she could hear some of Tian Jizi’s romantic tales from his youth. That would be really entertaining.
But... Tian Jizi is so old now...
Alas! If she can’t hear about Tian Jizi’s romantic stories, perhaps she could find out some about Jin Zijin’s.
With that thought, Gu Youyou’s eyebrows rose, and she spoke out, "I have my own idea about this matter; you all don’t need to worry about it."
"Ha, you’ve seen the light," Searcy said gloatingly from the side.
Gu Youyou ignored her and opened the yard door.
Lun Tong was leaning against the door, and when Gu Youyou suddenly opened it, it hit him right in the nose.
Ever since she found out this guy was in disguise, Gu Youyou felt weird every time she saw him.
She always felt that this scene was too beautiful, too beautiful for her to dare to look.
She wondered what kind of perverse true nature was hidden under the still charming facade of this man of a certain age.
"Is it true that you can tell any story?"
"Of course," Lun Tong assured, thumping his chest.
Gu Youyou chuckled, "So, if I ask and you know, you must tell me, and won’t pretend you don’t know?"
"Certainly," Lun Tong raised his hand as if swearing an oath.
"Good," Gu Youyou said decisively, "With your word, I can rest easy. It’s a deal."
Gu Youyou looked around and felt that discussing Jin Zijin’s romantic tales here wasn’t quite appropriate, so she said, "Let’s go; we’ll talk somewhere else."
The place Gu Youyou chose was the very same thatched cottage her mother had built, to which Jin Zijin had taken her before.
"It’s quiet here, suitable for storytelling," Gu Youyou said.
To Lun Tong’s great surprise, he exclaimed nostalgically, "I never thought that after more than twenty years, I’d be back here to listen to a story. The story I heard back then was the most heartbreaking one I’ve heard in decades. I just wonder if your stories can surpass hers?"
Gu Youyou’s heart clenched tightly. She felt like she was about to uncover some incredible secret unintentionally.
She quickly ditched her previous arrogance and began to fawn obsequiously.
She wiped clean a broken beam with her sleeve and asked Lun Tong to sit down.
"Big sister, please," she urged.
Lun Tong raised an eyebrow, saying, "It seems you’ve decided what you want to ask me."
"Yes, yes, I didn’t recognize Mount Tai right in front of my eyes. When it comes to storytelling, you’re a master," she admitted.
Lun Tong began to laugh, saying, "I told you, you wouldn’t regret this exchange with me, but you just wouldn’t believe me."
He looked at the beam, sighed with emotion, and then said, "Then I won’t stand on ceremony."
"Don’t stand on ceremony," Gu Youyou chuckled nervously.
"Alright, Miss Gu, please sit down too. This is an exchange; nobody loses. Tell me, what story do you want to hear?"
Gu Youyou glanced around the dilapidated hut and said, "Since you mentioned that the story you heard in this grass hut was the most heart-rending one you’ve heard in decades, then that’s the story I want to hear."