The waiter immediately ushered Li Hongyun to one side with reverence and presented him with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
According to the waiter, the Imperial Censor had requested that any visitor who came to match the couplet be provided with writing materials to compose their response, sign their name, and then wait in the inn. Moreover, they were not allowed to peek at the written couplets, which had to be sent straight to the Censor's residence.
Li Hongyun became even more certain after the waiter turned his back. He picked up the brush, splashed ink across the paper, and wrote five characters in a crooked script that resembled chicken scratch:
Rusty Stove Exhaust Hood!
Afterwards, he left his own name, and once the ink on the paper had dried, he folded it, placed it into an envelope, and handed it to the waiter.
Before long, a carriage stopped at the entrance of the inn to take Li Hongyun to the great residence of the Imperial Censor.
