The next morning, Yan Shouyi woke up on time. As he stepped out onto the balcony of his guest room to breathe in the fresh air, he noticed that Ye Tianyuan and Zhuge Ji, who were staying in the adjacent room, were also on their balconies.
Zhuge Ji wore a pair of sunglasses and was staring blankly at the sky, while Ye Tianyuan looked down at the bustling traffic and pedestrians below.
What are these two up to?
Yan Shouyi asked curiously, "What are you two doing?"
Ye Tianyuan was the first to react, explaining somewhat nervously, "I'm looking at shadows."
"Why are you looking at shadows?"
"I'm a inheritor of shadow puppetry. Studying shadows is beneficial for shadow puppetry."
Despite Ye Tianyuan's best efforts to explain, Yan Shouyi didn't understand a single word.
When he was young, Yan Shouyi had watched shadow puppetry in Chenjia Village. A shadow puppet troupe typically consisted of five to nine people, with roles including the string puller, drummer, puppeteer, and assistant.
"Pulling" referred to playing the Sihuhu, the main accompanying instrument;
"Drumming" meant beating the drums and being responsible for directing the singing, dialogue, acting, and percussion;
"Taking" meant manipulating the puppets;
"Assisting" was the puppeteer's helper, responsible for coordinating the performance.
It was said that during the heyday of shadow puppetry, a skilled troupe could have two to three hundred people. It was even considered a folk custom in the north for appeasing gods, entertaining people, and praying for a bountiful harvest. Whenever festivals arrived, or during planting, weeding, harvest, and winter breaks, mountain villages and fishing communities would invite shadow puppet troupes to perform for several days. Each performance was incredibly lively.
However, the shadow puppet show Yan Shouyi watched back then was not that extravagant. There were only two people, likely a master and disciple. The disciple controlled the puppets, while the master sat behind, beating a wooden fish and singing. They were performing "Investiture of the Gods" and "The Women of the Yang Family."
Yan Shouyi was mesmerized at the time. Summer evenings didn't get dark until six or seven o'clock, and he had moved his small stool to wait at the village entrance at four in the afternoon. Even when his grandfather came looking for him with a stick, he refused to go back for dinner.
In the end, his grandfather had no choice but to stuff two steamed buns into his hands and leave in frustration.
In reality, Yan Shouyi's understanding of shadow puppetry was not deep. He only knew that inheritors of shadow puppetry could control shadows, but he didn't know the specifics or what Ye Tianyuan was capable of.
However, he trusted Ah Gong's judgment, and therefore trusted Ye Tianyuan's talent and strength.
After Ye Tianyuan finished his explanation, Zhuge Ji lowered his head and removed his sunglasses, saying, "I am observing the sun."
"Oh, I didn't expect you to have the same hobby, my dear Zhuge! I am not alone in my pursuits!"
From the balcony to Yan Shouyi's left, Long Feicheng stood facing the wind, a cigarette in his mouth, and joined the conversation with great interest.
Long Feicheng announced, "I have two great hobbies: bird-keeping and sun-gazing."
Yan Shouyi rolled his eyes at him, clearly understanding that Zhuge Ji's "observing the sun" was different from Long Feicheng's.
"Where is Tian Jue'er?" Yan Shouyi asked.
Zhuge Ji replied, "She seems to have gone downstairs to eat."
Large hotels usually included a buffet breakfast, which tasted quite good. Yan Shouyi also planned to head downstairs for a hearty meal.
The four men tidied themselves up and went downstairs. Suddenly, they saw the hotel manager rushing towards the dining room in a panic. The four exchanged glances, vaguely sensing an ominous premonition.
As expected, when they arrived at the dining room, they saw Tian Jue'er devouring food at a table, with a small mountain of bowls and plates piled in front of her.
Other hotel guests surrounded Tian Jue'er, pointing and discussing. Some even couldn't resist taking out their phones to take pictures, as they had never seen a girl who could eat so much.
The hotel manager, having never witnessed such a scene, was almost in tears. "L-Lady, are you alright eating so much? If something were to happen, our hotel cannot bear the responsibility!"
Tian Jue'er, while stuffing meat buns into her mouth, used her other hand to shove noodles into her mouth from the corner of her lips, and managed to answer indistinctly:
"It's fine... don't worry about me... I just have a slightly larger appetite..."
Good heavens, your appetite is more than slightly larger, it's immeasurably larger!
What made the hotel manager want to cry even more was that due to her voracious eating, she had consumed the hotel's breakfast ingredient reserves for the next three days, costing them a considerable sum!
Suddenly, Tian Jue'er let out a "Hmph," and her movements stopped.
Immediately, she grabbed her own neck with both hands, her face turning red as if she couldn't breathe.
The hotel manager immediately realized that this gluttonous girl had choked!
So, the manager quickly called over several waiters, and they all rushed forward to pat Tian Jue'er's back. However, it had no effect. Tian Jue'er even fainted midway.
Yan Shouyi and the others couldn't bear to watch any longer and stepped in to help. As Yan Shouyi patted Tian Jue'er's back, he used a bit of his internal energy, which directly dispersed the meat bun that was choking her.
Only then could Tian Jue'er breathe, and she soon woke up.
"My dear lady, you've finally woken up! You scared me!" the hotel manager exclaimed. "I'll refund your money, and you can eat elsewhere!"
Tian Jue'er pouted, "Isn't it a buffet?"
Even buffets can't withstand your desperate style of eating!
Yan Shouyi coughed twice, "Jue'er, you should eat in moderation. You almost choked to death just now."
Seeing Yan Shouyi, Tian Jue'er immediately became submissive. She said weakly, "I actually died just now. The Yuan Sheng Gu saved me."
Yan Shouyi: "..."
This girl truly doesn't value her life when it comes to food!
To nourish the Yuan Sheng Gu, Tian Jue'er had to constantly eat, using the energy from food to feed it, so that it wouldn't absorb her life force.
Yan Shouyi could understand this, but Tian Jue'er had eaten too much this time, it was truly shocking.
Tian Jue'er said "Oh," looking longingly at the table full of food. Before leaving, she didn't forget to pocket two meat buns.
"Alas, let's just grab something to eat too. Xiao Que'er will be here to pick us up shortly," Yan Shouyi said.
However, the four looked at the empty table. Where was the food?
All that remained were scraps and leftovers, and the last two meat buns had been taken by Tian Jue'er.
With no other choice, Yan Shouyi led them to a noodle stall outside the hotel for a quick meal.
After breakfast, at precisely eight in the morning, Xiao Que'er arrived in a minivan to pick up Yan Shouyi and the others.
Although Xiao Que'er looked young, she was already eighteen and had obtained her driver's license. However, her driving skills...
As soon as they got into the car, before they had even driven out of the Third Ring Road, Tian Jue'er couldn't stand the bumpy ride and vomited profusely.
If this gluttonous girl had an empty stomach in the morning, she might have felt better at this moment. But she had just gorged herself, making the rest of the journey a nightmare for Tian Jue'er.
And for Yan Shouyi and the others, it was like witnessing a hellish demon.
Zhuge Ji was so scared that he curled up in his seat, trembling. He thought to himself: It's better to have a paper-cut waifu. Just let me be a socially anxious shut-in forever!!