Heyu Tea House has been a popular leisure spot for the people of Liyue.
Its business thrives on two things, one of them being its boss Fan Er'ye's business acumen in inviting a top-notch Tea Master who tells the best stories of all.
Besides that, there is also the performance of the acclaimed troupe, Yun-Han Opera Troupe. Its director and soul — a famed opera singer named Yun Jin — takes the stage at the tea house from time to time.
While one can always get delicious delicacies or good storytelling as long as one knows where to look, Yun Jin's performance does not just await one there.
As a result, you can always find fans of Yun Jin trying their luck at Heyu Tea House. While waiting for Yun Jin's performance, they discuss her past performances and how they feel about them.
As such, more people frequent the tea house, with nine out of ten of them being Yun Jin's fans.
Fan Er'ye couldn't be more satisfied with this state of affairs.

Liyue Opera is one of the traditional arts of Liyue that has been passed down for generations.
Liyue Opera enjoys a long history, and it has gone through quite some changes from what it was originally created to be.
The good thing is, the Liyue Opera we see now retains the sophisticated-sounding vocals and richly varied melodies of old.
Liyue Opera performers usually perform in troupes, and the most acclaimed one of them is the Yun-Han Opera Troupe.
For generations, the troupe has been run by the historic house of Yun, and its current director is a prominent figure in Liyue Harbor — the opera singer Yun Jin.
Yun Jin made her name at a young age when she stunned her audience with a sweet voice and lively costumes in her debut performance.
The more she performs, the better-honed her animated and dynamic style becomes.
Whether it's a delicate and dignified young lady or a mighty and honorable heroine, she can play any role.
What's even rarer is that this young actress is also a playwright. Other than "The Divine Damsel of Devastation," the Yun-Han Opera Troupe has performed many other new plays in recent years, all of which were written by Yun Jin.
With her superb skill, it is no wonder why long-time opera fans often visit Heyu Tea House to ask about Yun Jin's performance schedule when their starving ears demand good opera singing.

Yun Jin was born in a family of Liyue Opera performers.
Her father is a playwright, and her mother used to be a famous opera singer in Liyue Harbor, taking up the mantle from Yun Jin's grandfather.
In such an environment, Yun Jin was exposed to Liyue Opera at a very early age, often amusing herself by echoing her mother's singing.
A childhood hobby, as many would tend to believe, seems unlikely to be developed into a lifelong career, yet Yun Jin proved to be an exception.
She was serious about it and insisted on learning the art.
Her parents were delighted to see their daughter's determination and imparted everything they knew about the Liyue Opera to her. As such, Yun Jin started learning the opera early.
However, Liyue Opera is a complex art that takes years of perfection to master.
So even for a child as gifted as Yun Jin, what awaited her was sweat and tears. While ordinary children might shy away from the pain of hamstring stretches and the tedium of memorizing lyrics, little Yun Jin hung tough and became quite accomplished.
By the time she finished all the subjects in Liyue Opera, veterans of Yun-Han Opera Troupe who watched her grow up couldn't help but exclaim,
"Yet another rising opera star is about to shine upon Liyue Harbor!"

Many veterans of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe first joined the troupe when Yun Jin's grandfather was in charge.
They have remained committed since Yun Jin took the troupe over.
Their love for the art of Liyue Opera is so deep — perhaps even to an excessive degree — that they frown upon any other forms of music performance, including rock 'n' roll.
Yun Jin, however, thinks otherwise. She finds that rock 'n' roll vibrates with vigor and even became friends with the rock 'n' roll musician Xinyan.
Elders of the troupe are glad to follow Yun Jin's lead during rehearsals, but when it comes to daily life, they treat her like their little granddaughter.
"Sweetie, listen to us. No spicy food, it hurts your voice. Meat is fine, but refrain from eating too much, or you will put on weight."
"If you really can't help yourself, have more shrimp. Stay away from the... roll 'n' roll thing. All they know is yelling."
These caring elders will nag Yun Jin about attending rock 'n' roll performance for hours on end.
Faced with the impossible mission of persuading stubborn granddads and grannies, Yun Jin has to be creative.
While it's not an option to go to Xinyan's performance, it's perfectly acceptable to visit Fan Er'ye's adopted daughter Xingyan and discuss Liyue Opera with her.
The elders are not fond of the rock star Xinyan, but they have taken a shine to Xingyan the adopted daughter of Fan Er'ye.
"I've heard that Xingyan can cook and do embroidery. She must be a polite and accomplished young lady. Yun Jin may be able to pick up a thing or two from hanging out with her. How capital!"
Yun Jin has long got Fan Er'ye to agree on the details concerning the made-up Xingyan, so don't worry. No one's gonna call her out on this!

Yun Jin goes by many names. To some, she is Director Yun, and to others, Sir Yun.
They call her Director Yun for her leadership of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe. Though there are managers to help with everyday work, Yun Jin is the one who makes the big decisions. She thus earned the name of Director Yun from people in business circles.
As for Sir Yun, that is another story.
When Yun Jin's grandfather was in charge of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, long-time fans respectfully addressed him as Sir Yun. After Yun Jin took charge later, these fans frequented her performances as well.
There was once after a show when an impressed fan half-joked with others, "the Sir Yun we have now sings rather well too."
A voice from the crowd immediately countered by saying: "How can you address a young girl as Sir?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Jin curved her lips.
"Those who were born early, learn early. They are naturally better-informed than others. It's every bit right for them to be referred to as Sirs."
"But one doesn't have to be old to be knowledgeable. Besides, why can't a girl be knowledgeable?"
"You are quick in mind and speech, and are thus qualified to be called Sir. I have answered your eminent question — that also makes me a Sir."
Her remarks impressed the fans present, who shared this story to many. In the end, everyone followed the trend and started to call her Sir Yun whether they had or had not met her in person.

Many traditional Liyue Operas revolve around the theme of the adepti and Rex Lapis himself.
A prime example would be "The Divine Damsel of Devastation." People are full of wonderful fantasies about the adepti and would like to see the representation of their joy and anger on stage. Thus, stories portraying them make up the majority of the repertoire of Liyue Opera.
When Yun Jin was young, she would find these stories engaging, but having exhausted every adeptal legend in her performing career, her take on theming gradually changed.
Why not experiment with other themes? For instance... stories of our own, perhaps?
Stories that tell of our earthly joys and sorrows, songs that sing of the hatreds and passions of humanity.
Maybe these stories of mere mortals may not make it as classics of Liyue Opera, but there will always be some people who remember them.
In love our thoughts linger, in rage our hearts burn, and in obsession, our minds go astray. These emotions, good or bad, lift the veil that covers our feelings and souls.
Yun Jin is no adeptus. She can never put herself in the shoes of the adepti, yet she is endowed with the most accurate and sensitive grasp of human emotions.
"So, let me sing of human stories. May my brush be the brush of all hearts and my voice the voice of all souls."
This is the unspoken wish that Yun Jin has so far only kept to herself.

Her ancestors used to work as weaponsmiths instead of opera performers.
Later, someone in the family who was tired of weapon forging grew an interest in the performing arts. By the time it came to Yun Jin's generation, few of the Yuns still practiced the art of forging.
Many forged things have been passed down, though. The lock-shaped copper pendant that Yun Jin carries with her is one such item.
In her childhood, she often practiced dancing for a whole day under the scorching heat of the sun. Sometimes, she would even faint from the exhaustion.
Her parents' hearts ached for her, but they knew well that she had to go through such things to lay a solid foundation.
So instead of stopping her, they gave Yun Jin the lock in the hopes that it would keep fortune and health within her.
Since then, the lock has never left Yun Jin's side. Before every performance, it is a routine for Yun Jin to reminisce about those days of bittersweet training by cleaning the lock with great care.
It feels as if she was caressing the devoted heart of the little Yun Jin who was learning the opera.

Shortly after Yun Jin's debut, Yun Jin quickly got the hang of stage performance through dozens of shows and her great intelligence.
At the time, her appearance meant a whole night of applause for a performance. However, the more she played, the more she felt at a loss — these were not the operas she wanted to perform.
In every opera, the pitch and tempo would invariably go either up or down to indicate drama or doldrum.
As time passed by, the visage of the various characters seemed to blend and blur.
The music would come on, followed by a neat dance, and then her sweet voice. The girl in "The Divine Damsel of Devastation" seemed no different from the fisherman's daughter in "String of Pearls."
While the audience did not object, Yun Jin was not satisfied. "Is skillful singing and dancing all it takes to tell a moving tale?"
What broke her bottleneck was an opera named "Snow Treading."
It was a monodrama about a strenuous walk in the snow. It happened to be a snowy day when Yun Jin first performed the opera.
Having gone astray in the snow, the character felt lost and lamented her helplessness. Somehow, the snow in the story seemed to fall into reality. Yun Jin, who had also found herself adrift, felt as if she had become her character.
That was what she had been looking for, the feeling of leaving herself behind and walking in the shoes of the many characters she played.
To breathe, to live, and to smile just like them.
That was the opera she had wanted to sing, the story she had wanted to tell — one about true emotions, a world built on tens of thousands of individuals who live lives of their own.
Yun Jin could no longer recall how she returned backstage after the epiphany. All she knew was that when she finally had time to take off her costume, she found a Vision in her sleeve.