Afterward, Guyi and the others continued eating and drinking.
A short while later, Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, and the other owners from the town market arrived.
They had come mainly for the braised chicken feet.
They were thrilled to learn that braised chicken feet were still available.
After waiting since yesterday, they could finally eat them.
They were even more delighted when they saw Guyi was in the restaurant too.
'Guyi really did come back today! This is great!'
'We can drink with Guyi again today!'
This would give them bragging rights for a long time to come!
'Have you ever had a drink with the modern-day Painting Saint, Guyi?'
'"No. Don't tell me you've had a drink with Master Gu?"'
'"Of course. And not just once. We're drinking buddies."'
Just thinking about the sheer prestige of it was enough to make them giddy with excitement.
So, Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, and the other owners hurriedly placed their orders.
After ordering, they asked Li You to bring out the braised chicken feet and wine first. They couldn't wait to start drinking.
Li You laughed and said it was no problem.
Then, Da Bai brought out the braised chicken feet while Xiaohai poured the wine, and Li You went into the kitchen to start cooking.
Once the braised chicken feet and wine were on the table, Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, and the other owners didn't even touch the food. Instead, they picked up their wine bowls and walked over to Guyi's table.
They wanted to propose a toast to Guyi first.
"Ancient Gu, we toast you again!" all the owners declared.
Seeing it was the market owners he had been drinking with the day before, Guyi was delighted and repeatedly said, "Good!"
His spirits soared even higher!
He wasn't just in high spirits; he was truly happy.
It had been a long time since he'd had such a good time drinking.
Only after finishing their toast did the owners return to their own table, each grabbing a braised chicken foot to eat.
The first bite, of course, sent them into another wave of ecstasy.
'The owner's braised chicken feet are on another level. I've never had anything this delicious, this fragrant, in my entire life.'
A short while later, the teachers—Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe—also arrived.
Their arrival made the restaurant even livelier.
After another flurry of activity, Li You finally managed to serve all the customers' orders.
He then rejoined Xia Xiaoyue, Ling Xiaoru, Mu Qingye, and the other young women at their table to eat and drink.
Gradually, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.
Just then, Guyi turned to Li You and asked, "Proprietor, do you happen to have any paper and brushes here?"
Guyi's question was casual, but it struck everyone like a bolt from the blue. Everyone present, Li You included, felt their hearts jolt.
'What does Ancient Gu mean by this?'
'Is he going to paint, right here and now?'
Holy crap!
Holy crap!
Holy crap!
Everyone's hearts pounded with an unprecedented mix of shock, joy, and excitement!
'If Ancient Gu is really going to paint here, does that mean we'll get to see him work with our own eyes?'
'What would that mean?'
'It would mean they were about to witness an unparalleled visual spectacle.'
'It would also be something they could brag about for the rest of their lives.'
No matter when or where they told the story, it would surely make everyone around them green with envy.
It also meant they would become the envy of countless people, especially those in the Art World.
That included even some fairly well-known artists.
Because even for them, the opportunity to watch Guyi paint in person was incredibly rare.
The chances were slim to none.
'We're actually going to see Guyi paint in person today?'
'This is unbelievable luck!'
The more the customers thought about it, the more excited they grew.
As for Ling Xiaoru, Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the other young women, they were practically shaking with excitement.
'Watching Guyi paint in person?'
'This was something we never even dared to dream about.'
'If it really happens, it'll feel completely surreal.'
So, was Guyi really intending to paint right here?
Everyone in the restaurant was filled with an unprecedented mix of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness.
Then all eyes turned to Li You.
At a time like this, only Li You could confirm Guyi's intentions.
Li You understood what everyone was thinking. He was just as excited as he said, "I don't have any brushes or paper here. But I know a place where I can get them quickly. Ancient Gu, are you asking for brushes and paper because you plan to...?"
Guyi smiled faintly. "I'm in high spirits today. I'd like to borrow your esteemed establishment to create a painting. That is, if you're willing, Proprietor?"
That did it. Everyone absolutely erupted with excitement!
Li You was no different, nodding his head frantically. "I'm willing, I'm willing, of course I'm willing! It would be a great honor for Ancient Gu to paint in my humble shop. My shop will forever take pride in this. As for the brushes and paper, please don't worry, Ancient Gu. I'll have them here right away."
With that, Li You looked toward Ling Xiaoru.
Ling Xiaoru understood immediately. "I'll go get them right now," she said, her voice filled with excitement. "What size paper does Ancient Gu require?"
"A full eight-chi sheet, please," Guyi said.
Ling Xiaoru nodded. "Right, right. I'll go get it now."
Xia Xiaoyue spoke up just then. "Sister Xiaoru, you've had some wine, you shouldn't ride your scooter. I'll drive you."
Ling Xiaoru nodded again. "Alright. Let's go then, Xiao Yue."
"Okay."
The two of them hurried out of the restaurant.
Meanwhile, back in the restaurant, the rest of the patrons, despite their excitement, sprang into action.
'If he's going to paint, he'll need a proper surface, won't he?'
They began pushing tables together to create a large enough surface.
"By the way, what are the dimensions of a full eight-chi sheet?" someone asked.
Most of the people in the restaurant didn't know the answer.
Li You didn't know either.
Yu Wei explained, "It's a little over 2.4 meters long and 1.2 meters wide."
Everyone nodded, their excitement growing even more.