nycdaug Chapter 381 It’s too late to meet
Chapter 381 It’s too late to meet
Under the gentle breeze and the moon, the capital of Jingsong State is still prosperous as always. Outside Fengqifang, there is a constant stream of traffic and laughter. In the square, there is the sound of zither, and bursts of gentle and soul-stirring singing can be heard.
"On a cold night, I climb the tower alone, speaking against the north wind, sighing at the world, with no sound, dark clouds covering the moon, while the moon's light shines; Kunpeng hangs alone in the sky, spreading its wings and looking proudly at the mountains and rivers, looking down on the cicadas and sparrows, the summer insects are short, snobbish and indifferent to ambition."
The central hall was packed with guests, bells were ringing, and a graceful figure in red gauze was dancing on the stage with pearl curtains hanging, singing the new lyrics with great emotion.
The literati and swordsmen in the audience were all moved by the unique clarity and lofty ambition expressed in the lyrics, and they once again admired Miss Hongqing's superb singing and dancing skills.
In the past, Hong Qing rarely showed her singing voice. She always sang and danced with Cai Yi in the workshop. But three months ago, Cai Yi suddenly caught a cold and became seriously ill. It was just a minor cold and not a big deal, but the woman was still worried that Hong Qing would take this opportunity to retaliate against her. So she was attacked by both physical and mental illnesses and died in less than half a month.
Caiyi had a beautiful voice but was not good-looking. She was suspicious and had two different faces in front of and behind people, which made her very unpopular. Therefore, the people in Fengqifang were indifferent to her sudden death from a cold, and no one felt sorry for her.
Although Hong Qing's lyrics tonight were well-liked by aspiring literati and swordsmen, they were very disappointing to those nobles and rich young men who sat in elegant rooms and only wanted to come to brothels to seek pleasure and have fun.
When Mama Yun went upstairs to pour wine and entertain guests, a young man who was flirting with a girl in his arms could not help but smile at Mama Yun with drunken eyes and asked:
"Mother Yun, which scholar wrote the lyrics that Hong Qing sang tonight?"
"This was written by a new friend of Hong Qing and given to her. She tried to change it into a dance music. Does it sound okay to you, Mr. Zhao?" Mother Yun came to the young man with a smile on her face, bowed and smiled back.
"Ms. Hongqing's singing and dancing are impeccable, but the lyrics..." The young man smacked his lips, then drank the sake that Mama Yun had added, and couldn't help but chuckled, "I think that if Miss Hongqing wants to sing in the future, she can just sing some songs about beautiful women. How can such lofty ambitions be suitable for such a place of pleasure? It's not something a brothel girl like her should sing! If everyone has lofty ambitions and is busy making great plans, your Fengqifang will probably be deserted."
Although the last two sentences were jokes, Yun's mother couldn't help but feel a little shocked when she heard them. Yes, this is just a place for selling jokes, and it is really inappropriate to be so ambitious. Although these poems are very popular with many literati downstairs, Fengqifang still has to rely on the guests upstairs to spend money lavishly if it wants to make money.
Just after noon the next day, Liu Jiangxi was about to go out with a maid when he was bumped into by Liu Jingxing who had just come out of the study.
Liu Jingxing looked at the maid holding the food box, obviously going out, so he frowned and looked at his daughter:
"We just had lunch, why are you running out instead of resting in the room? You can send the cakes later. Isn't it time for Madam Zhuo to take a nap at this hour?"
Since the Chinese New Year, his daughter, who never liked to go out and loved to stay at home, often went out. Liu Jingxing thought she was going to accompany the old lady Zhuo next door, but over time he couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Why did his daughter go to the Zhuo Mansion so frequently? If you didn't know, you would think she was the daughter of the Zhuo family!
"My daughter will be back soon." Liu Jiangxi did not explain to her father. She just smiled faintly, bowed and said goodbye, and continued to walk out of the house.
"This child..." Liu Jingxing shook his head. He was feeling sleepy so he didn't think about it anymore. He just yawned and walked towards the room.
At this time, Hong Qing also left Fengqifang and secretly came to the house that Mu Liang had left for her. Hong Qing had originally wanted to keep this house as a memory, so she did not change any of the plants or trees in it.
It was the Grain Rain season, and the weather was sunny and calm. Hong Qing sat comfortably under a tree in the yard with her eyes closed to rest. Now, only this yard could give her a moment of peace.
The last time I saw Brother Liang was when he came to inspect the shop a few years ago. The two of us exchanged a few words in this courtyard and then hurriedly said goodbye. It has been almost half a year now. I wonder how he and Master Li are doing in Jiangnan?
"Miss, Miss Liu is here." With a creaking sound, the courtyard door suddenly opened, and Hong Qing's personal maid Dafeng led Liu Jiangxi into the courtyard.
"Why did you bring something?" Seeing Liu Jiangxi carrying a food box, Hong Qing hurriedly stood up and walked forward, smiling.
"I had nothing to do at home today, so I learned to make some pastries. Would you like to taste them?" Liu Jiangxi seemed to be familiar with this courtyard. Without waiting for Hong Qing to come closer, she walked towards the back kitchen of the house.
Not long after, Liu Jiangxi placed a plate of delicious-looking pastries on the stone table under the tree. Hong Qing couldn't wait to pick up a piece and put it into her cherry mouth.
"How does it taste?" Liu Jiangxi asked hurriedly.
"It's just the right amount of sweetness and moderately soft. I never thought that the same hands that you use to write articles could also cook and make pastries. You're really amazing!" Hong Qing smiled at her with surprise and admiration.
"Thank you for the compliment." Liu Jiangxi also smiled slightly. Hong Qing was not the first person to praise her. It was precisely because the food she cooked was delicious that she thought of giving it to her to try.
It is said that one of them is a daughter of an official family, and the other is a famous prostitute in a brothel. They would not have any intersection due to their different status. Moreover, after Liu Jiangxi and Li Yunye were forced by the prince to listen to his lovemaking with Hong Qing, she inexplicably developed a disgust for brothels and avoided Hong Qing even more.
But on the eve of New Year's Eve, Liu Jiangxi met Yan Cairong, who had admired her for a long time, at the temple fair. This Mr. Yan had always been timid in front of his sweetheart, but on that day, he had the courage to express his feelings to her. However, Liu Jiangxi's immediate and cold rejection deeply hurt his self-esteem, so he couldn't help but get angry and ridiculed him in public.
Liu Jiangxi had never taken Yan Cairong seriously. When the Yan family sent a matchmaker to propose marriage, she hadn't even thought of his appearance. At this moment, Liu Jiangxi still turned a deaf ear to this man's malicious slander and wanted to turn around and leave, but was stopped by the other party.
Just when she was at a loss, Hong Qing appeared in time to rescue her. She also calmed down Yan Cairong's anger while chatting with him. He even took the initiative to apologize. This made Liu Jiangxi surprised and admire Hong Qing at the same time.
Liu Jiangxi immediately expressed her gratitude to Hong Qing. After a conversation, the two of them got along very well and felt that they had met too late. From then on, they became good friends, often exchanging private letters and gathering in this courtyard.