With the banknote in hand, the clerk welcomed Zhao Yan and his father inside with boundless enthusiasm.
The ground floor was a bustling tavern where guests were clinking glasses and drinking to their hearts' content. The air was thick with the din of shouting, finger-guessing games, and the recitation of drinking poems—the noise was loud enough to carry all the way up to the second floor. Seeing this, Zhao Yan felt a twinge of concern about whether he would be able to find any peace and quiet for his studies; after all, he had come here to prepare for the Imperial Examination, not to revel.
The inn’s layout was clearly delineated: the first floor was for chatting, drinking tea, and carousing, while the second floor was reserved for guest rooms. The better the room, the more secluded its location. Zhao Yan followed the clerk, observing the layout as they walked, until they reached a room marked with the character "Heaven."
Chapter 284