A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Come and take a look, come and listen!"

"The ancient and wondrous book, 'Journey to the West,' begins today! Leaving aside the many hardships Tang Sanzang endured on his pilgrimage, let us first recount the story of Aolai Kingdom in the Eastern Continent, where a celestial stone on Flower and Fruit Mountain, imbued with the essence of heaven and earth and the radiance of the sun and moon, nurtured a celestial embryo within. One day, it burst open, giving birth to a stone monkey!"

As dusk falls, the city lights begin to illuminate the scene.

In one of the busiest corners of the Zhongzhou Railway Station Square, a clear, childlike voice, yet full of energy, instantly attracted the attention of everyone around, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

People looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little girl, dressed in somewhat tattered clothes, standing on an overturned, broken wooden box. She was about five or six years old, thin and pale, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, as if they held the stars and the sea within them.

At her feet stood an even smaller, equally thin boy, nervously gripping her trouser leg and timidly watching the crowds coming and going around him.

This is Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou getting off the train.

The train arrived at Zhongzhou, an important railway hub, in the evening. Su Nianci knew she had to raise the five-plus yuan for the ticket before the next train to Harbin departed, which was before noon the next day.

Time was of the essence, and she did not hesitate at all.

After having a quick bite to eat, she took Little Stone and went to the busiest "Jianghu" area near the train station.

Here, you'll find hurried travelers, street vendors, idle loafers, and residents gathered to play chess and cards. It's a melting pot of all walks of life, and also a hub for information and rumors.

Su Nianci's appearance immediately made her an anomaly.

"Hey, whose kid is this? Coming here to tell stories?"

"Haha, interesting! This little brat, is she all grown up yet? Talking about 'Journey to the West'?"

"I think she's starving and trying to beg for food!"

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter. Most people were just watching the spectacle, pointing and whispering, and no one took her seriously.

Faced with these taunts and doubts, Su Nianci showed not a trace of fear or shyness.

In her previous life, she had given academic presentations entirely in English at international medical forums with hundreds of attendees, so this small scene before her was nothing to her.

She cleared her throat, completely ignoring the surrounding noise, and raised her voice an octave higher, continuing to speak in a uniquely rhythmic and melodic tone:

"This stone monkey was born extraordinary; its eyes emitted two beams of golden light that shot towards the heavens, startling the Jade Emperor! The Jade Emperor then ordered the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Following Ear to investigate the cause. It was truly: 'A monkey king born of heaven, with many transformations, stole peaches and pills, causing chaos in the Heavenly Palace. All because his heart was not to be controlled, he made a great disturbance in the Heavenly Palace, displaying his heroism!'"

Her opening remarks, a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese, and a line of opening poetry commonly used in later storytelling, instantly gave her a very "professional" air!

The crowd, which had been laughing and joking, gradually quieted down.

Many people showed expressions of surprise.

This girl seems to... actually have some skills?

Especially the teenagers who had nothing to do gathered together, their eyes lit up immediately when they heard words like "Monkey King" and "Havoc in Heaven," and they all dropped their marbles and cigarette packs and gathered around.

"Hey, is she talking about Sun Wukong?"

"It seems so! Go listen to it!"

Su Nianci was secretly pleased to see that a number of people had gathered. She knew that everything was difficult at the beginning, but once she got off to a good start, things would be much easier later on.

She immediately got into character and vividly recounted the most exciting episodes of "The Birth of the Monkey King" and "The Dragon Palace Treasure Hunt," which had been embellished countless times by later generations.

Her voice has an exceptional ability to mimic.

When talking about the stone monkey becoming a disciple, she imitated the old immortal's tone, speaking slowly and deliberately; when talking about the monkey king playing with the monkeys, she made "squeak, squeak, squeak" monkey sounds, which were very lifelike; when talking about Sun Wukong entering the East Sea Dragon Palace, she imitated the old dragon king's hypocritical politeness and the shrimp soldiers and crab generals' baring teeth and claws with great skill!

"...Then Wukong took the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff), muttered incantations, and shouted 'Shrink!' The iron rod, as thick as a bowl, instantly shrank to the size of a needle, which he then stuffed into his ear! Ladies and gentlemen, imagine this Ruyi Jingu Bang, the magic staff of the ocean, which could change size at will, weighing a staggering 13,500 jin (approximately 6,750 kg)! How majestic and imposing it must have been to hold it in one's hands!"

When she got excited, she picked up a small twig from the ground and twirled it a few times in her imagination. Although her movements were not standard, her momentum intimidated everyone present!

"good!!!"

In the crowd, a boy watching with great enthusiasm couldn't help but shout "Bravo!"

That shout of approval was like lighting a fuse!

"Well said! Even better than that old scholar in our village!"

"This girl is a true prodigy! Where did she hear these stories?"

"That's so interesting! What happened next? Did the monkey get the golden cudgel and then go and wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace?"

More and more people gathered, forming layers upon layers, completely surrounding Su Nianci's small "stage." The children listened intently, scratching their heads in amazement, while the adults listened with rapt attention. In an era devoid of entertainment, such a vivid and engaging story was simply the highest form of spiritual enjoyment!

Little Stone stood at Su Nianci's feet, watching his sister in the center of the crowd, speaking eloquently and radiating brilliance, her dark eyes filled with pride and admiration.

Su Nianci spoke for almost an hour straight, and when she got to the part where Sun Wukong stormed the underworld and erased his name from the Book of Life and Death, she suddenly stopped.

She picked up a broken enamel bowl beside her, took a sip of water to moisten her somewhat hoarse throat, then bowed slightly to the still-enthusiastic crowd and began to speak, mimicking a storyteller:

"Having crossed out the Book of Life and Death, the Monkey King was now beyond the Three Realms and no longer bound by the Five Elements. How could the ten Yama Kings of the Underworld let this go unpunished? They filed a petition with the Jade Emperor in his Lingxiao Palace! The Jade Emperor was furious upon hearing this. Should he send 100,000 heavenly soldiers to capture him, or listen to Taibai Jinxing's advice and recruit him to Heaven? This is truly: 'His official post as the弼马温 (Bima Wen, a minor official in charge of horses) was not to his liking; why did he rebel against the Heavenly Palace?' To find out what happens next, please read... in the next chapter!"

After saying that, she jumped off the wooden crate, as if to say, "That's enough for today."

"Huh? Why did you stop talking?"

"That's right! I'm getting to the crucial part!"

"Little girl, tell us another part! We want to hear more!"

The crowd erupted in commotion, with everyone urging them to hurry up.

Looking at everyone's anxious expressions, Su Nianci thought to herself: The time is right.

She didn't say anything, but silently placed the broken enamel bowl she used for drinking water on the ground in front of her.

The meaning is self-evident.

Everyone was taken aback at first, then they realized what was happening.

"Hey! Look at my brain!" A father with a child suddenly realized, he rummaged in his pocket for a while, pulled out two one-cent coins, threw them into the bowl, and made a crisp "clanging" sound.

"Well done, little girl! This is for you! We'll come back to listen again tomorrow!"

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

"Here you go, this is two cents! Be sure to tell me on time tomorrow!"

"I have five points here! Little girl, you can't miss it!"

"I don't have any change, but I have a cornbread here; take it to tide you over!"

The clinking of coins, mingled with people's kind words, rang out continuously. Soon, a thin layer of copper coins and small bills covered the broken enamel bowl.

Looking at her "first pot of gold" in the bowl, Su Nianci felt a surge of immense accomplishment.

This made her even more excited than when she performed a perfect surgery on the operating table!

Because this is the capital she earned honestly and legitimately in this unfamiliar world, based on her own "knowledge," to survive!

Holding Xiao Shitou's hand, she bowed deeply to the crowd once more: "Thank you all for coming! I will be here again tomorrow evening to await your arrival!"

After saying that, she squatted down, preparing to collect her "fruits of labor".

However, just as her hand was about to touch the enamel bowl, a foot wearing dirty liberation shoes suddenly stepped on the side of the bowl.

Immediately afterwards, a sleazy, mocking, and malicious voice rang out from above her head.

"Hey little sister, business is good. With so many people coming and going, you must be making a fortune!"

Su Nianci paused, then slowly raised her head.

Two young men, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old and were as thin as sticks, stood casually in front of her. They wore ill-fitting, patched clothes, had messy hair, and had a blade of grass between their teeth. They were staring at the bowl full of money in front of her with a malicious look.

They are local thugs and hooligans.

Su Nianci's heart sank suddenly.

She knew trouble was brewing.