Winter Begonia, Chapter 3: The Gossiping men

Winter Begonia 《鬓边不是海棠红》Bin Bian Bu Shi Hai Tang Hong
Winter Begonia, Chapter 3: The Gossiping men

At the mahjong table, Cheng Fengtai and his brother-in-law Fan Lian sat opposite each other, the other two being the wives and ladies of the rich and noble families. There were six tables in two bright lighted halls. They are a class of people, once the evening is lively, one by one birthday treats to the banquet, one by one concubine went on to move children, to put it bluntly, is the name of the congregation to eat and drink, not a sky.


Cheng Fengtai was playing cards, and Cha Cha’er, wearing a red dress and skirt, sat beside him peeling grapes and eating his own food, and was eccentrically quiet amidst the din. Cheng Fengtai turned his head from time to time to ask for grapes to tease her, but Cheng Fengtai didn't pay any attention and occasionally shoved one into his mouth.

Fa Lian laughed as he said forgetting the rules and lit a cigarette. Before he could take a sip in his mouth, Cheng Fengtai glared at him, ''Pinched. There's my sister, she's going to cough."

Fa Lian fondly extinguished his cigarette and complained, "Brother-in-law - I'm not talking about you, let's play cards, why did you bring out the third sister? It's late then, the little ones have to sleep."

Cha Cha'er stopped eating grapes when she heard someone talking about her, and under the snowy light, a pair of big brown transparent eyes stared straight at Fan Lian, two cold lights, and the red dress on her body showed a kind of piercing fright. Fan Lian was uncomfortable with her look, he had long felt that the child was a bit evil, eerie, and never spoke. The eyebrows and five facial features are beautiful, but the beauty is a killing aura and sharpness, somehow raised. It is said that her mother was a foreign woman from the southern frontier, could it be a Hmong? That's toxic.......

The women next to them immediately complained, "Yes, Masters, with a child here, we're not allowed to smoke, it's suffocating.”

"More than just playing cards and carrying my sister, Second Master carries her everywhere he goes. The last time I talked business with my lord, I also took it with me."

"''I said Second Master, is Third Miss really your own sister? The two siblings look nothing alike. Besides how any brother can hurt his sister like that, don't you lie to us?"

Speaking of which, everyone laughed with ulterior motives. Cheng Fengtai was joked by them like this and smiled as he swept his eyes over them: “No nonsense! The joke is so lacking in virtue." One wrapped her arms around Cha Cha’er's shoulders: "Little sister, come and draw a card for me."

Cha Cha’er pinched one in her hand, the grape juice in her hand smeared on the card, sticky, and Cheng Fengtai wiped it on his clothes, flipped it over, and waved. He cupped Cha Cha’er's face low and kissed it.

"Aha! You know why I'm carrying her, she's my Lucky Star!"

Fa Lian lost his chips and said indignantly, "Don't be proud! I have a sister Jinling too, so next time I'll bring my sister Jinling with me."

Cheng Fengtai said, "Speaking of the sister, Brother Lian, let me ask you, why is my wife’s name is Fan You and your name is Fan Lian, only the sister has a golden character (Jin) in her name? Isn't that a mess of words?" [1] Both Cheng Fengtai wife Fan You and Brother in law Fan Lian have two names but the third sister a middle name in Chinese most children will share the first and second name like Mu Yifan, Mu Yihang only the last name is changed but for Fan Jinling, she has a middle Jin character

Fa Lian said, "When my third sister was born, the grasslands were full of locusts and the harvest was not good, so I lost a lot of money. The fortune-teller said it was because there was too much water in our two sisters' names and too much gold in the water, so my father got anxious and added a gold to the third sister's name."

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief. The small things that come out of a famous clan are all very interesting to hear.

The lady on the right asked, "Is there still a meadow at Second Master Fan's home to the north?"

The wife on the other side then looked at Fan Lian and smiled at the young lady, "Not only the grasslands, but also several mountains and their own guard. The Frontier King! Whoever marries him, that's the Crown Princess!"

The young lady blushed when her heart was touched, and she couldn't see Fan Lian as a modern gentleman, how could the family be doing such a primitive business.

Fa Lian laughed, ''What Frontier King, it's a long time ago, but not anymore! When the Japanese came, they robbed my family of a large village, and the children and soldiers of the family fought with them every day. I am a scholar, and I am most afraid of these knives and guns, so I took my younger siblings to Beiping and sought refuge with my sister."

Cheng Fengtai took a puff of smoke and squinted his eyes as he puffed out smoke and scolded, ''You still have the face to bring that up, wimp! I don't even keep my own house, I just give it to the people below! If it's my turn, how dare the Japanese try a straw from my land? I will gut them!"

Fa Lian nodded and laughed, ''Of course then. Who doesn't know your temper, Second Master Cheng.”

The ladies were not interested in the war, and those who knew the details joked: "No wonder Brother Lian is crying poor because he has never won tonight. Don't believe him. Fan's soldiers can fight against the Japanese, can it be any worse? He has been out of school for a few years and is used to seeing the world of flowers, but when he comes back to the wilderness of the Fan Family Fort, he is just as desperate and has come to Beijing to enjoy his happiness."




Fa Lian laughed without retorting, probably hitting the nail on the head.

The wife at the other table turned around and asked Fan Lian, "Mr. Fan, how is Miss Jinling's marriage to Mr. Sheng Li? Do you have a score? When is the wedding wine?"

Cheng Fengtai said, "Yeah, how are things going with Jinling? Your sister asked me - about your family, she asked me. Heh........"

Fa Lian shook his head and shook his hand with a look of impatience: ''Don't mention it, don't even mention this matter again. I solemnly declare: my sister Fan Jinling has no relationship with Sheng Ziyun, the sixth son of the Sheng Family - other than studying in one class. It's a wedding! Where's the wedding from? Which one of these good people is gossiping about? It's bad for my sister's reputation!"

Cheng Fengtai, the man of good deeds, raised an eyebrow in denial.

Fa Lian's words triggered a lot of speculation and curiosity, and everyone in the room pricked up their ears and waited for him to say something, even the sound of the cards being played was reduced. However, Fan Lian was silent and did not speak.

Cheng Fengtai couldn't resist first, Sheng Ziyun, the sixth child of the Sheng Family was the younger brother of his old classmate, he had come to Beijing to study, and Cheng Fengtai was responsible for his guardianship: "What happened to the Sheng Family boy?"

Fa Lian said, "... the sixth boy of the Sheng Family..... he is not my sister's favorite, but I can't have such things."

"Oops, you're going to rush me! What happened to Young Master Yun?"

Fa Lian struck a card and looked around in surprise, ''What, you all didn't know? Sheng Ziyun has been crowned a playboy."

Everyone sighed and lamented that the little youth did not learn well.

Cheng Fengtai said, "A showman? Such a big boy, a showman?"

Fa Lian snapped his wrists: "Ah! It's a winner! Do you know who it is? The winner is Shang Xirui! Running to the theater every day, and writing biographies for Shang Xirui in the newspaper, crazy!"

Another round of sighs from everyone. Falling into the hands of the big-name Shang Xirui, the kid was kind of ruined.

Cheng Fengtai said, Shang Xirui? It's him again!"

Fa Lian said, "Does brother-in-law know him even if he doesn't listen to the play?"

Cheng Fengtai said, "Who doesn't know about Beiping's first famous dancer? I know a lot more than that."

Someone on the sidelines laughed and said, "So the Second Master can tell us?"

"Second Master Cheng is just good for gossip."

Cheng Fengtai shook his head, ''Some people refer to him as Su Daji, others as Ma Wencai. I can't say. Cha Cha’er, touch another one for my brother."

Next to her, Mrs. Liu slapped Cheng Fengtai's hand: "Don't let Miss Third touch again, she will win once she touches Second Master."

Cheng Fengtai turned her eyes to see her faintly smiling, "So, Mrs. Liu touched one for me?"

His words were deliberately ambiguous, causing everyone around him to laugh, and they all knew that Cheng Fengtai's mouth was not on the spectrum, and no one was serious with him. Mrs. Liu red-faced and spat at him. Hearing this, Mr. Liu from afar laughed with hatred and came over and pushed Cheng Fengtai hard: "Second Master Cheng! I'll tell the Second Mistress."

Fa Lian laughed, "It's no use telling her, my sister can't control him!"

The frolicking for a while brought the conversation back to the Sheng Ziyun and Shang Xirui scandal, but no one was paying attention to Miss Fan Jinling anymore.

Cheng Fengtai said, "Sheng Ziyun came to Beiping to study, but it's good that he went to the theater! That stuff costs more than a kiln tour. His brother found out and it was my fault. He asked me what the price was in Beiping. I think it was my brother and his family who wanted money. He is suspicious-Lian’er, you said, is this Shang Xirui, is it Su Daji or Ma Wencai? Such a scourge."

Others say that Shang Xirui has to carry a lot of legendary colors, and it's mostly hearsay, and the real ingredients are open to question. Fan Lian said Shang Xirui, credibility is high. Because when these anecdotes came out back then, he was in Pingyang. Moreover, he is the half-brother of the Second Mistress and is also related to Chang Zhixin in theory, no blood relative.

Fa Lian said, ''I say, Shang Xirui, he is both Su Daji and Ma Wencai. Back then, in Pingyang, ho! It was hilarious! Shang Xirui and my cousin's sister-in-law went their separate ways, so much so that all the pearly gardens in Pingyang went out of business. Pingyang is not like Shanghai, it's a dramatic scene! At the moment, the common people may not know which one of the pavilion masters have changed; which corner has sung which plays, and they know better than the genealogy. The opera singers say they don't sing or they don't sing, and the people of Pingyang are like a big smoker - there were fights every day in the streets in those days - they had no audience, they were impatient, they made fire by fighting."

Back then, the matter of Ping Yang had been discussed by them over and over again, but every time it was brought up, everyone was still excited.




Someone then asked, "What's the point of a collective strike at the Pear Orchard Act when they split up?"

Fa Lian said: "If you want to, two horns who hold a bull's ear, each with one vote. They fought, and their respective men took sides, so they gave a puff and made a fuss! Especially inside the Shuiyun Building, they were divided into two factions at that time, and there was a lot of infighting. The day my cousin's wife and my cousin left Pingyang, Shang Xirui couldn't think of anything else, so she went to the bell tower and sang all day and night. He saved the lives of the Pingyang people with his loud voice. The people of the city stood under the bell tower to listen to the opera to his praise, the road was blocked tightly, the market business also quit, and later alarmed Marshal Zhang with his troops rushed the people to disperse. Shang Xirui is still stubborn even when he coughs up blood, and when told to come down, he walks towards the edge, as if he is going to jump off a building. In the end, Zhang himself went up to the bell tower and coaxed him down like a cat - it was around that time that Zhang had his eye on him."

Cheng Fengtai said in his heart, first Zhang Dashuai, then Cao Siling. This Shang Xirui could hook a lord on one side every time he sang, so he didn't know whose turn it would be next.

"Supposedly Shang Xirui was crazy back then, really?"

Fa Lian said, "It's hard to say if I'm crazy or not. Zhang took him down from the bell tower and brought him into the Great Marshal's mansion. Later, I also left Pyongyang without ever seeing him again."

The protagonist of this segment, although two males, is very romantic and moving, and the female guests present have a little look of divinity on their faces. But there were also uncritical ones who hated Shang Xirui's extraordinary charm and said sourly, "Zhang Dashuai has met the White Tiger Star! You're asking for it. Otherwise, why did you say it was Marshal Zhang who lost to Cao Siling?"

Cheng Fengtai was interested: "Mrs. Han, tell us, how did Zhang Da Shuai lose to my brother-in-law?"

Mrs. Han only then remembered that Cao Siling's brother-in-law was present there, softened her voice and laughed, "I've heard that from others as well. --I've heard it said, there were about as few men on either side. However, Zhang Dashuai was lost in Shang Xirui, Shang Xirui! I don't know what kind of underhanded drugs he gave Zhang Dashuai to take, and he was so confused that he could not get up from the bed. That's why they are so helpless and defeated. Didn't you see Cao Siling surrender 30,000 troops from Marshal Zhang? If the marshal was sober, can he surrender without finishing his soldiers?"

Cheng Fengtai exclaimed in surprise, ''There's more to it! Shang Xirui, this kung fu, not let Daji not be inferior to Bao Si!"

Mrs. Han's eyes slanted: ''What kung fu, scourge! You men love a fresh taste. Shang Xirui, he'll play the part, a little bit of Wang Baochuan and a little bit of Noble Consort Yang, they're so fresh."


Cheng Fengtai smiled and squinted his eyes at Mrs. Han, listening intently. Mrs. Han's eyes couldn't help but become entangled with him as he looked at her and forgot the rest of the text. Cheng Fengtai is like this, often disregarding the time and place, and the lady and his wife frowned at him, causing the others to sweat for him.

Fa Lian stared at Cheng Fengtai and coughed twice, meaning that brother-in-law, keep it, when there are so many people, you will be killed by your husband sooner or later.

Fa Lian and Cheng Fengtai had the same behaviors at first sight, closer than her sister. Cheng Fengtai has an affair on the outside and he helps hide it from his sister, so the Second Mistress doesn't believe in this brother and sees him as an accomplice in the conspiracy.

Someone took the opportunity to ask Fan Lian, "So now, Jiang Mengping is not singing?"

Fa Lian said, "She's really not singing. Chang Zhixin, whoever has a bite to eat, will not let his cousin-in-law show her face. Not to mention, my cousin-in-law didn't dare to come out for fear that Shang Xirui would look for ways to screw her."

Cheng Fengtai laughed: "It's been a few years since we moved, Shang Xirui is still thinking about it? What's the matter with you, a little showman looking for your relatives in the Fan family? Is he capable of that?"

Fa Lian said, "Don't know, right? The little showman may have endured. When something happened back then, the two sisters turned against each other, and my cousin's sister-in-law, who was also discouraged and cold, gave him Shuiyun Pavilion for his old love. Then one day, Chang Zhixin and I escorted our cousin's sister-in-law backstage to get some things, and the children who were studying drama saw her and shouted with joy. Shang Xirui held it and came in angrily from the outside to pick a curtain, a dozen face to face, tearing his face on the spot, pouncing on and pulling and dragging the couple into the street. Chang Zhixin, a young man's family, can't stand this. At that time, there was really no roof over your head and no place under your head......"

Cheng Fengtai, who loved to hear that he was nosy, immediately lamented, "I didn't catch up with that time, or I would have had to teach this little showman a good lesson. He wanted to say bitch, but Shang Xirui, who was not a woman, changed his words, "It's a shrewish thing!"

Fa Lian laughed, "You've still taught him a lesson, he's pretty good at spilling his guts, you haven't seen how Shang Xirui scolds people."

Cheng Fengtai gave a wicked grin, "He dares!" He said again, "Back then when you were in Pingyang, you just watched Shang Xirui bully people?"

Fa Lian pushed his glasses and laughed, "This matter, for one thing, emotional disputes, outsiders are not good to get involved. Chang Zhixin would rather leave Pingyang than have me help him. What's more, Shang Xirui's both a hateful and a wretched man, can't be pulled down!"




Fa Lian's code of conduct is to stand on the sidelines and watch the right and wrong, and even a playboy is not easily offended by the going-ons around him; it's the same as Cheng Fengtai.




Cheng Fengtai grunted and expressed his disbelief at Shang Xirui's pity, from the beginning to the end, he heard Shang Xirui fuming and fierce, and where was the slightest trace of pity. If his heartlessness towards his sister is counted as pity, then there are too many poor people in the world - all of them will have his pity for their failures. At that time, Cheng Fengtai did not have a good impression of Shang Xirui, even though he could not talk about it as if he had a grudge against him.

Shang Xirui was in the rumor mill, and what he did was legendary, as if he was far from Cheng Fengtai.





                                        ~ Winter Begonia ~




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