The horse carriage again stopped in front of Luoyu Fang, but my mood was completely different. This time I entered Luoyu Fang as the master of the amusement house.
That morning I just found out what Shenxing had arranged. I even suspected that Shenxing was deliberately toying with me, but from his emotionless face I could see no malicious intent.
When he saw that I kept looking at Shenxing, Jiu Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry! This matter was suggested by Old Wu to Shenxing, he must have told Hong Gu, he won't trouble you." He also said to Shenxing, "In recent years, old Wu's skill at imitating catfish has become more and more adept."
Shenxing only looked uneasy, but Shenyan looked annoyed, while sipping tea, Tianchao said casually, "The past few years have been hard on him, his suffering is unspeakable".
While I was thinking about the events of that morning, Master Wu's entourage had already come forward and knocked on the door. The door was opened immediately, Hong Gu was dressed luxuriously, his face full of smiles like flowers, he saluted me and Master Wu, I quickly pulled him up to his feet, "Hong Gu, you won't blame me? I also didn't expect things to turn out like this".
Hong Gu smiled and said, "I am not a fool, now that I have a good standing in Chang'an, why complain?"
Mr. Wu said, "After this, you two should work together to take care of this entertainment house well, I'll go check out other shops, I'll be going first". After speaking, he led his attendants away.
Hong Gu took me to the back house I used to live in, "I'll tidy up the room I recently stayed in, in this guest house often unexpected things happen, when you can't go back to Shi Mansion, you will have a place to rest, If there's anything you need, just let me know." I nodded my thanks.
After I entered the room, Hong Gu pointed at the pile of bamboo slats on the table, "Last year's bookkeeping is here". I asked, "Has Big Brother Shuangshuang left yet?"
Hong Gu sighed, then sat down on the bench, “He has already left, and not only him, but Linglong who was close to him also followed him away. Xiao Yu, the burden on your shoulders is not light! the selfish one is excited, after all, you are the one sent by the lord, so to speak, I have found a shady tree to take shelter in".
Now I'm thinking about the meaning of Jiu Ye's words this morning about old Wu who is good at acting like a catfish, I not only help him solve problems, but also help him clean up the mess in this entertainment house, or does he also intend to drag Shenxing and the others to join us? wallow in the mud? Jiu Ye intended to let the entertainment house business die by itself, while old Wu let me try to restore the glory of the entertainment house business, of course not because he felt that a little girl like me could do it, but because he saw my relationship with Jiu Ye.
Worried that the outcome would disappoint me, Jiu Ye explained to me that this business was a game, which I could play to my heart's content. However, the end goal of me and old Wu is actually the same, which is to make the Shi Corporation better, so that we can 'take advantage' of it.
"......Shuangshuang and Linglong have left, the other ladies are also the same, wanting to disobey. Fang Ru is quite capable, but she has no will, she doesn't like dancing and singing, her talent is also limited. With Under these circumstances, we can support ourselves, but I don't think you just want to earn enough to eat and drink, what do you think we should do?"
I quickly thought, then said, "Fang Ru's problem isn't that difficult, threaten someone with death, then he will fight for life, feed him some strong medicine! Tell him to come see me". Hong Gu looked at me in surprise, then called out for the servant girl and ordered her to summon Fang Ru.
"On other matters, we don't need to rush. First, we will slowly look for girls who are good looking. Second, relying solely on singing and dancing skills to attract visitors is too limited, a beautiful and talented woman we can find." , but it can't be searched, it won't be bad if we improve our appearance, so that it can attract people's attention. If our reputation is good, how come we have to worry about famous artists that we can't invite here?"
Hong Gu calmly thought hard for a while, "What you're saying is true, but attracting people's attention is easy to say, but hard to do".
I pointed at myself, then pointed at Hong Gu, "Everything depends on the two of us, these next two days, secretly take me around the other entertainment houses, besides, at the same time we will discuss the rules of this house." . One person's mind is limited, but two people will be able to think longer, together we will be able to find the right solution."
Seeing my face, Hong Gu also became excited, "Your words are reasonable, previously I only cared about the stars in this house, and didn't make any of those other efforts"
Before Hong Gu could finish his sentence, Fang Ru's soft voice sounded outside, "Hong Gu, I'm coming"
Hong Gu said, "Come in!"
Fang Ru walked in and paid respects to Hong Gu and me. I stood up and pulled her to my side, smiling I said, "You could say that we are both destined to enter this house together, and also study art together."
Fang Ru looked down and said nothing, Hong Gu glanced at me with a helpless face. I said "I know you don't want to stay here, today I have taken over this house, and don't want to force you, if you want to go home, come home!"
Fang Ru suddenly raised his head and stared at me without blinking, his face filled with disbelief. To Hong Gu who was stunned by my side I said, "Take her sales contract and give it to me, no matter how much money it takes to redeem it, I'll bear it all, I'll find a way to pay for it".
Hong Gu was stunned again, then jumped up and went to look for the contract, not long after, he came back with a piece of cloth, after reading it at a glance, I gave it to Fang Ru, “From now on, you have no relation with Luoyu Fang. may go".
Fang Ru accepted the cloth, "Why?" I smiled dryly, "Didn't it say that we are meant to be? After all, our entertainment house doesn't want to detain people who don't want to work here".
Fang Ru looked at Hong Gu, then tearfully said, "Can I really go?" Hong Gu said, "The contract is in your hands, you can of course go".
Fang Ru knelt down and prostrated before me, I quickly pulled her up, "Fang Ru, in the future, if you need me, come find me, we are brothers after all". Fang Ru nodded with all her might, then ran out of the room clutching her sales contract tightly.
Hong Gu sighed and said, "Since entering this house, I have never seen him stride so nimbly". I also took a deep breath.
Hong Gu asked, "Are you sure he will come back?" I shook my head and said, "What matters in this world can be completely ascertained? As long as we can get half of our hard earned money, that's fine, after all, these matters are seven or eight parts depending on fate".
Hong Gu smiled and said, "My bookkeeping needs to be changed, Fang Ru's purchase money, please master pay it back within a few months, food and clothes money must also be returned".
With a headache I said, "I haven't made a penny yet, but I already have to bear this debt. Ai, ai! Money, oh, money! Thinking of you makes my heart hurt."
Hong Gu smiled victoriously, "Whether or not you're grieving or not, I don't know, but soon you'll feel pain elsewhere".
I saw his eyes staring at my ears, I quickly covered my ears with my hands, then took a few steps back while looking at him warily. Hong Gu shrugged his shoulders "You can't blame me for this, you already escaped, then came back on your own accord, since the rice has turned to mush, after this you have to be the face of this entertainment house, you can't hide".
The wind whistled, the water grew cold, a warrior left, never to return. I thought about how back then Da Yu was controlling the flood, he sacrificed his family three times, while I only sacrificed my ears.
When I returned to the Bamboo Hut, covering my head, I tiptoed and slipped into my room. After that I lit the lantern and watched myself carefully in the bronze mirror. Ugly as hell! No wonder when Uncle Shi saw me, his eyes narrowed to a slant.
I gently touched my ear, inwardly I sighed, A Die was determined that I shouldn't be a flower, but now I'm actually managing the flower business. However, if what I was doing could make the worried frown on Jiu Ye's forehead lessen a bit, then it would be fine. If only I could think the way I am now, if only I could help A Die strategize, everything would be me
suddenly shook his head, and said to his own reflection in the mirror, "People who have died can't come back, you've spent more than a thousand days and nights in sorrow and regret, I have to forget it and welcome the future, didn't A Die also say that?" ? Mistakes in the past are so you don't repeat the same mistakes. You are an adult and can help the people you care about carry burdens and reduce sadness".
I heard that Xiao Feng came to deliver food, but I, who usually greeted him as soon as I smelled the fragrance of rice, this time I was still kneeling on the bed.
"Yu Jiejie, do you want to eat or not? Jiu Ye is waiting for you!", Xiao Feng whispered behind the door.
I frowned, "You help me bring a potluck snack, I feel a bit unwell, I want to eat alone in the room".
Xiao Feng asked "Are you sick? Let Jiu Ye take a look! My grandfather's illness was cured by Jiu Ye".
I quickly said, "No, no, it's not serious, a little rest is fine." I was secretly surprised, Jiu Ye also understands medicine.
Xiao Feng grumbled to himself, "You women have a lot of illnesses, I'll come bring food soon."
I want to wait for my ears to heal, then talk about bookkeeping with you, no need for today.
After dinner, I was thinking about how to manage the entertainment house, from outside the door came a knock. I was in deep thought, and carelessly replied, "Come in". As soon as I finished saying those words, I immediately felt that I had done something wrong, and quickly looked for something to cover my head, but I couldn't find it, and Jiu Ye had also entered in his wheelchair, so I quickly covered my ears. , but because I wasn't careful, I pulled the strings on my ears and cried out in pain.
"What are you sick? Is it because you are wearing thin clothes that you are cold?" Jiu Ye asked while looking at me. I shook my head, he looked at me for a moment, then smiled, "Hong Gu got your ears pierced?" I bit my lip and nodded.
He smiled and said, "Remove your hand. Didn't Hong Gu tell you, that in about ten to twenty days, you can't touch your ear with your hand? If it gets infected, it'll be really troublesome".
I remember Hong Gu saying, that if it gets infected, lest the threads should be removed, and after my ears are healed, they will be pierced again, so I quickly pulled my hand away.
Seeing my face that was about to cry, Jiu Ye smiled and shook his head then turned his wheelchair and walked out of the room, not long after he came back with a porcelain bottle in his lap, "This is distilled wine, after years of storage, this wine has become very hard , very efficacious for treating infections".
As he spoke, he took a white handkerchief and dipped it in the wine, then motioned for me to tilt my head, I obediently knelt on the bed, straightened my body, then turned to face him. His icy fingers gently rolled across my ears, almost imperceptibly touching my cheeks, but my ears and cheeks didn't feel cold and instead felt burning hot.
While applying the wine, he said, "When I was small, my ears were also pierced." Dumbfounded I asked, "Why?" I turned to look at his ears.
"Don't move", he stretched out his hand, about to support my chin, when I turned away, accidentally my lips touched his palm, my heart shook, I immediately turned away, I calmed myself by looking at my dress spread on the bed.
For a moment, his hand paused in midair, then went back to work, after finishing rubbing the wine in my ear, he said, "That's enough". I quickly turned around so my face was facing her, but her hands still didn't stop working, she also continued her previous subject, "When I was little my health was very bad, mother heard that if I get my ears pierced like a girl's, my health will improve, so when I'm five years old, mother pierced my ears……the wine has finished being rubbed. These few days before going to bed don't forget to apply it".
To make a hole, Hong Gu deliberately made a knot in the thread attached to my ear, I pointed at the two knots, "Did your ears also hang these ugly things when you were little?"
He bit his lips, "To persuade me, mother deliberately painted it so that it becomes colorful". I looked at him sympathetically, he must have been much more embarrassing than I was then.
He turned his wheelchair and came out of the room, I was still kneeling on the bed for a while, then suddenly I jumped up and danced on the bed while spinning, until finally my body fell limply onto the blanket, while burying my face between the blankets, I smiled stupidly. As a child, wolves know that if they get hurt, their wounds will be licked. It turns out that being taken care of by others is so warm, if being human is so fun, I am willing to be one. A Die, A Die, now I'm so happy!
After smiling stupidly under the blanket for a while, I got out of the blanket and sat down, I lightly took a silk handkerchief, then sat down at the table and wrote:
Happiness is a flower that suddenly blooms in the heart, it is charmingly beautiful, enchanting people, I'm afraid that one day I won't be able to remember today's happiness clearly, so I want to record everything that happened after this, until the time I old and unable to walk anymore, I will sit on my bed and read this silk handkerchief, read about my happiness, and, perhaps, sometimes about sadness, whether happiness or sadness, all are traces of my life, but I will try hard to be happy. "
While eating at Yipin Ju, I suddenly heard a beggar singing from outside, not like an ordinary beggar's alms song, but a song sung while accompanied by the tapping of a bamboo stick as he walked, every story he told was melodious, very attractive, inviting crowds people outside and inside the restaurant, the guests in the restaurant sat around the window to hear it, me and Hong Gu were also interested and listened at the window.
After he finished singing a few songs, the audience shouted their praises noisily, then opened their wallets and gave him some money, the money they gave was much bigger than what was usually given to beggars. Hong Gu and I looked at each other, our hearts moved, he tilted his head and thought hard for a while, then said, “Xiao Yu, that beggar can tell stories through begging songs, can we do that too.”
I quickly nodded, "Currently the dance accompaniment in Chang'an is very simple, if we can use dancing and singing to tell a story, we will definitely be able to attract the attention of many people". While talking, both of us got excited, regardless of the food, after closing the curtains we quickly returned to the house and looked for the dance director.
We have been talking about this for over a month, the story has been written, the song has been composed, when we were about to practice, Hong Gu suddenly hesitated. Flipping through the bamboo slats, he said with a frown, "Xiao Yu, are you sure that we can stage this story?"
"Why can't you? Don't you feel that this story is a touching story? One is a noble princess, but the other is just a groom, the two of them go through the ups and downs of life, then finally become husband and wife who love each other".
"Even though their names have been changed and times changed, even a fool would know that this is the story of the Great General Wei and Princess Pingyang."
"In fact, I want everyone to know! Otherwise, wouldn't all our efforts be in vain? After all, didn't we also spend a lot of money to compose the lyrics for this song?"
"I understand what you mean, you mean to use the story of General Wei that in general everyone in Chang'an knows, but in fact they don't fully know, to attract everyone's attention and satisfy their curiosity, but one of them is a general one who is in charge of many soldiers, while the other one is the older brother of the Son of Heaven who is currently in power, have you calculated their reaction?"
I lay face down on the table, pinched the food and stuffed it into my mouth, then said while chewing, “How are they going to react? Being born from a humble family, Great General Wei has suffered a lot since childhood, so he understands the plight of the commoners very well, after all. He is patient in nature and is a person who doesn't like to get into trouble. If General Wei hears about what we're doing, at most he'll just laugh and ignore it. As long as we invite him to dinner, he'll be able to understand our strategy and understand it. by Princess Pingyang, Princess Pingyang has always worried about the age difference between herself and General Wei. Although she pretends to be indifferent, in fact she is very concerned about other people's views. She really doesn't like it when others think that General Wei married her because the emperor ordered her to secretly he was worried that he was too old compared to the general. However, the focus of our drama is their love story, while regarding their palace affairs, I don't want to know. This drama will tell the ups and downs of the life struggle of the princess and her groom, in their hearts they are engaged, for many years secretly protecting each other, until finally the wise emperor finds out about this romantic love story, then with a decree, removes obstacles. that separated them, so they could marry and be happy. What a happy ending!"
Hong Gu nodded his head, then suddenly shook his head, "What about the emperor?"
Holding my chin I said "Good Jiejie, you really look up to me! This drama hasn't been staged yet, but you already feel that the emperor will hear about it, if the emperor finds out, we will become famous instead".
Hong Gu said, "I understand this business better than you, as long as we stage it, we will be famous in Chang'an".
I thought hard for a while, then said, "I can't guess the emperor's thoughts, but I have tried my best to avoid words that could provoke his anger, even going so far as to secretly insert words praising the emperor for being wise and far-sighted." , and succeeded in the civil and military fields.
The Great General of Wei was able to become an official, of course because he himself was talented, but more importantly, because the emperor had a keen eye and could recognize a hero, and the happy ending of this love story was possible thanks to the emperor's generosity and broad insight. . But even though I can almost be sure that there won't be any trouble, I don't dare to casually guess at the emperor's heart, because beside his majesty there are so many ears and mouths. I can only say that I will do everything I have to do, perhaps we can also only make a bet, it's better to die a brave death than starve to death as a coward, is Hong Gu willing to accompany me in this fight?" I stuck out my tongue and looked at Hong Gu with a smile .
Hong Gu looked at me, then sighed and said, "Miss Yu, your age is still very young, it's not strange that you're so bold, it's rare for anyone to think things through so thoroughly, perhaps our entertainment house will become famous. I've had enough in my lifetime like this, let's stage this play".
I smiled and said, “In Chang'an there are many people whose minds are far more intelligent than mine! It's just that they don't have the chance to make it happen. I can't say what will happen in the long run, Princess Pingyang and Great General Wei are much higher ranking from us, besides…” I smiled, then suddenly
suddenly stopped talking.
Just as Hong Gu was about to speak, the servant girl outside the room reported, "Miss Fang Ru wants to see fangzhu". Hong Gu looked at me, I nodded, then sat up straight. Hong Gu said, "Bring him in".
Fang Ru's face was gloomy, her eyes were not excited, as soon as she entered the room she walked straight in front of me, looked at me, then said firmly, "I want to go back".
I pointed at the bench in front of me, motioned for him to sit down, but he still stood unmoved, "I have burnt my sales contract, if you want it, I can sign a new contract".
I said "If you want to come back, from now on you will be a person of this house and will have to obey me". After finishing speaking, I motioned for her to sit down with my eyes, Fang Ru stared at me for a moment, then stiffly slumped on the stool. I poured him a cup of tea, then pushed it in front of him, without saying anything he held out his hand, about to drink it, but his hand kept shaking. Suddenly, "Bruk!", he put the cup on the table loudly, "You already knew I was coming home, now your point has been accomplished, are you happy?"
I looked into Fang Ru's eyes then slowly said "In this world only a child can blame others for something that happens to himself, you can't do that. Your stepmother and brothers abandoned you, this matter is your fault Why didn't you find a way out for yourself when your father was still alive? Besides, why did you allow your stepmother to control all of your family's property? And why didn't you try to win over your stepmother's heart, and instead made her hate you so much? you didn't fight, when you had to retreat, you didn't retreat. Now you have no home to return to, and this is all your own fault. As for me, when you wanted to leave I let you go, when did I wrong you? Your brother can't set you free. Even though Chang'an is wide, it seems like there's no place for you to take shelter. Is this all my fault? You should have known all of this beforehand, not only did your stepmother sell you to entertainment houses a day or two, but your siblings never showed up, you lied to yourself, was it all my fault too?"
Fang Ru looked at me, her whole body trembled, her lips trembled, she was about to say something but couldn't speak, she suddenly looked down and cried loudly, Hong Gu rushed forward and quickly took a handkerchief, then wiped her tears. Fang Ru, who had a lot of hostility towards Hong Gu, burst into tears in his arms.
After the sound of her crying gradually died down, I said, “When Hong Gu was six years old, his mother and father sold him so that his older brother could marry, while I don't even know who my father and mother are, aren't the sisters in this house the same way? Also, you have had a father and a mother for years. We can only rely on ourselves, you must also learn to do everything for yourself. Since I have given you the sales contract for you, you are now free. fine, you may leave anytime. However if you stay in this house, you must obey the rules of this house".
After Fang Ru was carried out by the servant girl, Hong Gu smirked at me, I said, "How does it feel to be a good person?" Hong Gu nodded and said, "That's good enough, before I always played the bad guy and people hated me, I'm hard to change." I smiled and said, "After this, I'm the one people will hate".