Storytelling: Qiao Feng of Seven Heroes Town Hears Me Tell Snow in the Plum Grove

At the Tongfu Inn in Qixia Town, Ming Dynasty, I told the tale of Lao Huang traveling alone to Martial Emperor City. The audience below was packed shoulder to shoulder, and a burly man in gray sat in a corner on the second floor, listening for five days straight. He slapped the table in approval, tossed down silver, and ordered a jug of strong liquor. Bai Zhantang stole a glance at his bearing. Could he be that man from the Beggars’ Sect in the Great Song? I smiled and flicked my fan. “Chief Qiao, did you enjoy the story?”