Winter Begonia, Chapter 7: Its the Theatre

Winter Begonia 《鬓边不是海棠红》Bin Bian Bu Shi Hai Tang Hong
Winter Begonia, Chapter 7: Its the Theatre

Cheng Fengtai entered the card room, followed closely by Shang Xirui behind him, and everyone in the room looked up at them, not understanding how the two talked about heads had come together. Fan Lian was particularly attentive, his eyes darting around them twice without making a sound. His eldest nephew gave Cheng Fengtai a seat, smiling that he had won two pairs and lost one. Cheng Fengtai grabbed a chip and put it in his pocket to thank him, then asked someone to put a chair next to him and let Shang Xirui sit next to him. The crowd saw this situation, but also stared at them endlessly.


Cheng Fengtai lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth, saying, "Boss Shang, want to play some cards?"

Shang Xirui said, "Not really."

Cheng Fengtai said, "It won't matter. Just touch a random one for me later."

When it came time to draw the cards, Shang Xirui was still a little afraid, they were all throwing in a lot of money, a deck of cards was enough for him to sing for months, what would he get for a bad draw?

Cheng Fengtai said, "Nothing. Just pick one. There's nothing to be afraid of now that I've lost."

Fa Lian also smiled and said, "Yes, Brother Rui can take one at random, so that my brother-in-law can die and be born sooner."

Shang Xirui hesitated for a moment and picked a card to hold in his hand. Cheng Fengtai wrenched his palm for a glance, and suddenly showed a joyful expression on his face as he gouged out the cards and threw them on the table, smiling and saying, "Forty thousand. Nonsense!" Then grabbed Shang Xirui's hard hand and shook it, "I think, my luck has come!" It had been too long since he had tasted victory, and he was happy as a child.

Shang Xirui said in his heart that I was sitting next to you and no one dared to summon me, so I was summoned by you alone. However, the card he played for Cheng Fengtai later turned out to be even more powerful than the one he played for Cha Cha'er. The other table's players stopped playing, and all came to see Mr. Cheng's and Xinna's Lucky Star, and the other table's players complained about Cheng Fengtai's cheating by hiring outside help.

Cheng Fengtai smiled, "Don't talk nonsense, playing cards with me is the rule. Otherwise you can hire someone to draw the cards."

People on the sidelines smiled and said, "How can we live with this nobleman's help? Either Boss Shang sits over or does not participate?"

Before Shang Xirui could reply, Cheng Fengtai pressed his hand firmly on the tabletop: ''No one moves a finger! That's my man!"

This joke caused the crowd to snicker, and only Fan Lian heard the other meaning. He raised his eyes to look at Cheng Fengtai and then at Shang Xirui. Shang Xirui touched his eyes, and the two nodded and smiled. Fan Lian is a very experienced fan, they have known each other for a long time when Shang Xirui and Chang Zhixin Jiang Mengping were in Pingyang, they had such a loud fight, but Shang Xirui and his enemy Chang Zhixin's cousin were still very polite and friendly.

Fa Lian rushed Shang Xirui and beckoned, ''Rui, Brother Rui, why do you just help my brother-in-law but not me? We're old friends. You come to me. I'll give you a commission."

Cheng Fengtai looked at Fan Lian and without saying a word, took off the sapphire ring and put it on Shang Xirui's hand to shake the piehead. Does that mean you have money for him and I don't? He and Shang Xirui are both masters of ten fingers, with generally long, slender fingers, and the ring was originally a women's conversion, worn on the ring finger. Cheng Fengtai turned Shang Xirui's hand over and showed it to everyone, smiling, ''Eh? You guys say, does that look like a wedding ring?"




Shang Xirui would have felt lightly humiliated if someone else had said that, but coming from Cheng Fengtai's mouth, it was that dark humor joke. Everyone smiled again. Some people said, "If you say so, Master Cheng has a lot of wives. Who here, madam or lady, hasn't won a ring from the Second Master's ring collection?"

Quite a few female guests quietly touched the ring on their hands upon hearing this.

Shang Xirui sat beside Cheng Fengtai in the middle of the night and didn't talk much. He would smile and listen to whatever they said, but often someone would come to talk to Shang Xirui on an excuse. The group of people who are chattering on the back of their hands are still holding Shang Xirui like a movie star, and everyone wants to come over and rub hands on him - a rare thing that has become so popular. They're just such a boring bunch of people, who use gossip as a form of entertainment and actually have no bad intentions to disgust or hurt anyone. Cheng Fengtai knows that there are also people talking about him in the background, and it is no less than talking about Shang Xirui, from Shanghai to Beiping, the teenager has a lot of love debt, and the topic where people talked about him is also wonderful.

Cheng Fengtai, he just played two games of cards, the police department director Zhou came over with a puff of a cigarette: "So Boss Shang originally sat with them people here, I was looking for you." He said while glancing at Cheng Fengtai, who was in possession of the play, and Cheng Fengtai acted like he just didn't notice. Shang Xirui got up to give up his seat to Director Zhou, was pressed down by Director Zhou, so the hand was also naturally placed on his shoulder not to move away. Cheng Fengtai looked at the hidden hints underneath his eyes with discerning eyes, his expression was very disdainful, and the director of Zhou only ignored it. After more than a decade as a local snake, Director Zhou is now repeatedly bullied by Cao Siling, a powerful dragon.

"The bastard who stirred up your performance the other day, I had someone give him a bit of a hard time and is still jailed there. I'm going to lock him up until Boss Shang lets out all of his steam, okay?" Director Zhou's fingers darkly pressed hard and squeezed Shang Xirui's shoulder. Shang Xirui, as if unconscious, did not move his eyes at all, and when he heard this, oops, he said, "Actually, it's no big deal, we're on stage to do a play, what scene has not gone through - you have to release the person!"

"Why? It's no big deal, the people down there said he was delivered to the police station like a blood gourd, it all saw blood! It's all right without any more roughing!"

Shang Xirui smiled, "That's it, where's the common sense in locking up people who have been beaten and injured again?"

Director Zhou stared at the top of Cheng Fengtai's head and smiled coldly, "It's to imprison one anyway. The one who beat him, we can't afford to lock him up, but still we'll have to lock him up and take a beating." Cheng Fengtai touched a card with a calm demeanor, pretending not to hear it, thinking that Shang Xirui's reputation had probably been spoiled in this way. There were so many people who held him up, and once he was offended by something, he was made a big deal of by the attentive people. But if such things are recounted in the future, Shang Xirui will certainly be blamed for not being able to take the advice and leaning on others. This red horn is really hard to figure out.

Shang Xirui felt it was not good arguing with Director Zhou and sat silently speechless, Director Zhou rubbed him for a while and walked away. Nearly all of the people present knew about Shang Xirui being poured with boiling water two days ago, they were too embarrassed to bring it up to his face for fear of embarrassing him because of the incident. Knowing that he was simple and honest, Fan Lian smiled and said, "Brother Rui, why the silence? The throat's not secure? Or were the words to be said added to the Noble Consort Yang play and you have none left?"

Shang Xirui thought for half a day, ''The throat is definitely not a problem anymore, my precious throat, you have heard of me singing just then. But still the rough words......."

"Who changed and put in the rough words?"

Shang Xirui said slowly, "Ah, that ah, I filled the words out myself......."

Fa Lian gagged, "Why not use Lei Xiaohai's and the others to rewrite the play?"

"None of them are as good as Du Qi."

Fa Lian thought to himself, "They're no better than you? Then, Shang Xirui must be a grown man who can't read more than 7 or 8 words, is he not fooling around when he changes the words of an opera play? It's still too belittling to be poured hot water on, and it's wrong to throw acid. What a sacred and noble person is Noble Consort Yang to exist in the minds of theatre fans! What is ‘theatre’?”

"I remember that when you first came to Beiping, you acted with Ning Jiulang in an 'Imperial Maiden Flower', which was written by Du Qi, and it was written in beautifully, and I can still recite several lines to this day."

Someone on the sidelines interjected, "How come you haven't heard of this play?"

Fa Lian smiled and said, "Rui Ge'er and Ning Jiulang wrote it, and it was only played once in the past in Qi Emperor's residence." He then suggested to Shang Xirui, "Brother Rui, why don't you invite Du Qi here again and make sure your singing is foolproof and safe from having people throw things at you"

Someone asked, "What kind of person is this Du Qi, is he so great?"

Everyone made fun of him that he didn’t know Du Qi. Cheng Fengtai listened for a long time and said, "I don't know Du Qi either, what kind of character is named like this, it's a sin not to know him?” Cheng Fengtai asked Fan Lian, "Who the hell is he?"

Fa Lian explained, "When it comes to Du Qi, he is quite the character. The nephew of Du Tanhua. Du Mingwen was ordered by the Western Empress Dowager Cixi to write new words for the Southern Opera Company. A twenty-eight-page book, 《The Romantic Pass 》. The talented men in the field of opera writing said that the written song is a 'good song on the stage', comparable to Guan Hanqing! Du Qi was Du Ming's own nephew, so that's not something you can say you don’t know! Brother Rui - it's been a long time since I've seen Young Master Qi."

Shang Xirui crooked his head and listened, Fan Lian said all these details, he and Du Qi who were extremely close didn't even know each other: "Du Qi fell in love with a girl who sang opera and chased after her to France."

The moment this was said, everyone came in spirit.

"Nonsense, his family will not allow it!"

"When was that? We don't even know!"




"What's the girl's origin? What's an Opera singer doing in France?"

The man next to him gave Shang Xirui a sharp shove, and Shang Xirui, with his body tilted, leaned against Cheng Fengtai. Cheng Fengtai smiled at the cold fragrance of that red plum on his lapel.

"One day Du Qi came to my house early in the morning and told me that he suddenly found Fan Aling's voice so beautiful that he could act for me in his stead, and that he was going to go to France to learn from her... I don't know much about the rest."

People are still guessing how long ago there was a beautiful-voiced actress named Fan Aling in Peking. Cheng Fengtai reacted first, holding back a smile and said an English word to Shang Xirui, asking him, "Was this what Du Qi said he was looking for back then?"

Shang Xirui nodded, "Yeah."

Then Fan Lian burst into laughter, and the moderns and men present burst into laughter. Shang Xirui guessed that he had made a cowardly comment and was so shy that he turned red and asked Cheng Fengtai in a low voice, "What are you laughing at? What happened to the Fan girl?"

Cheng Fengtai still couldn't stop smiling, "That's one not a girl, I'm afraid."

"What is it?"

Cheng Fengtai thought about it and didn't know what to say to him. Shang Xirui's eyes only have drama in mind, and his mind has not turned in any dynasty or generation. He's so far behind the world, with all the new and interesting things in the West that he has nothing to say.

"This..." Cheng Fengtai spurred on, and said: "That is a huqin play by a foreigner’s tune, but it was clamped and pulled around his neck." [1[] A Guitar

"What kind of voice?"

"The music they danced and played in the garden a while ago, that one was Fan Aling's."

Shang Xirui recalled and shook his head, "That's not good. The strings are too heavy, not open at all, and I can't resist voice over." He sighed, "Du Qi has gone to learn from him for nothing."

Cheng Fengtai didn't understand this line he said and smiled faintly as he looked at him, saying in his heart that this was really a playful and amusing little showman, and also so heartless and dull. Shang Xirui sat for a long time with nothing to do, his eyes watching Cheng Fengtai play cards, his mouth grumbling and yawning, like a cat calling for spring. Cheng Fengtai listened carefully, and when he focused it turned out that the man was singing the opera, it was really a tune that couldn't get out of his mouth. He also found that his hands were still under the table, the same position that Yang Yuhuan took a whiff of a flower when the noble consort was drunk. It was only half a night ago that Cheng Fengtai felt that Shang Xirui was not as formal and distant a person as before, and looked at him now, sitting happily beside him singing!

Cheng Fengtai picked a card and was just about to hit it out when Shang Xirui suddenly called out.

"Don't fight this!"

Cheng Fengtai said, "Huh?"

Shang Xirui said, "You don't put this, put that."

Cheng Fengtai would believe it and said, "Boss Shang originally played cards?"

"Been sitting here for half a day and saw what happens."

"You can figure things out just by looking?"

Shang Xirui was momentarily embarrassed to hear that Cheng Fengtai was questioning his judgment. In fact, without familiarity to the point where he is never talkative with people. But somehow, with Cheng Fengtai by his side, it was a shame that he just disappeared in the cacophony of noises. Shang Xirui gave a vague reply, not distinguishing, not explaining, and his pulse smiled speechlessly. Cheng Fengtai looked at him and said, "Still listen to Boss Shang." Then the cards were dealt as Shang Xirui said, and after a while, it was all over the line.

"Boss Shang is so smart."

Shang Xirui smiled at him.

Cheng Fengtai played a dozen rounds in total, went through a load of cigarettes and tea, and this time really got up to flex his hands. As soon as he left, Shang Xirui put down the drama in his hands and hurriedly followed. Fan Lian's eyes then kept on the two of them.

Back in the corridor, Shang Xirui chased after Cheng Fengtai and stuck to his side, walking with his head down. Cheng Fengtai smiled and thought to himself, "He really won't move an inch when I tell him to follow himself, this little playboy is really obedient.

"Boss Shang, it's cold outside, you should quickly go inside. I'll be back in a minute." Cheng Fengtai said that and went into the inner room.

Although Cheng Fengtai promised to "be back in a while", he was in no hurry and had a cigarette before he came out after peeing. Then after he came out, Shang Xirui was still standing under the eaves waiting for him! It was already early in the morning, the sky was cold, and under the moon's shadow, Shang Xirui was covered in frost, and the plum flower of the hairpin on the lapel was so hard and brittle that it really became a precious pin.




Cheng Fengtai lamented, ''You're too honest too! Wasn't it a call to go back and wait?" He grabbed him by the side, took him by the arm and led him toward the house.

Shang Xirui hesitantly said, "Second Master Cheng, there's a matter, it's better for us to talk alone."

Cheng Fengtai froze and smiled, ''Then you speak quickly. It's cold in autumn in Beiping."

"It's still about the other day."

"What day?"

"It was the day the water was poured out... I know, that man has offended the Second Master, but he was beaten and shut down, so just let him go!"

Cheng Fengtai, the party involved in the brawl, didn't take it to heart, but Shang Xirui was still thinking about it.

"Didn't you say that it depends on whether or not Boss Shang is demoralized?"

Shang Xirui said helplessly, ''I'm not angry! I've been singing for over a decade, and I've seen everything like it, and I've seen people throwing bricks at the stage! There's no such thing as locking people up for this."

Cheng Fengtai said, "Even so, Boss Shang should go to Director Zhou for discussion. It's none of my business whether or not I let them go."

Shang Xirui wanted to say that Director Zhou's official word depends on Cheng Fengtai, who could still talk, so he smiled and said, "I have no friendship with Director Zhou, he may not care about my opinion."

Cheng Fengtai listened to the meaning of this, as if Shang Xirui and himself were very close friends, and thought again, "No, just now Director Zhou rubbed your shoulder very much, this friendship is not ordinary.

"Second Master, is it going to be done?"

Cheng Fengtai thought for a moment and smiled, “Boss Sheng. I'll have someone do some tidying up, there's nothing hard to do."

Shang Xirui said thank you and was about to leave when Cheng Fengtai called out to him, "Hey, Boss Shang, is this how you thank me?"

Shang Xirui didn't know how to thank him either. Cheng Fengtai went up to him, removed the plum blossom on his lapel, then donned it in the flowery eyes of the left lapel of his suit, looked him in the eyes seriously, and smiled, ''That's the thanks. Let’s go on in!"

Cheng Fengtai's love affairs are indistinguishable from his choices between men and women, and he feels like he has to tease the beautiful ones when he sees them. The two men came back and took their respective seats, unnoticed. Only Fan Lian noticed that the plum blossoms on the lapel of the little playboy had gone up to his brother-in-law's collar, so it was doubtful how it got up there. He kept staring at the flower, and Cheng Fengtai noticed and said, "Brother in law, why do you keep looking at me today."

"Look at you--because brother-in-law looks good—just look at this little red flower."

Cheng Fengtai was quite smug.

When the party broke up at 1:30 a.m., Master Huang was still in pretty good spirits, standing at the gate and escorting the guests into the car one by one. Cheng Fengtai's nose smelled the fragrance of plum blossoms, and he was always thinking of sending Shang Xirui, but he could not find him. When he asked Fan Lian, who veered towards the door and he decided to not say anything more. Cheng Fengtai looked at Master Huang with a spring breeze and thought back to Shang Xirui's previous sentence of “I will accompany you to the end”, and felt a bit surprised when the two sides connected.

“Shang Xirui... he does this business too? If he's so popular, is there anything he can't do? Is it a lack of money?"

Fa Lian said, "It has nothing to do with money, they're used to it - it's theater!"




Cheng Fengtai had nothing to say and sniffed deeply at the fragrance of the plum blossoms before sighing out deeply.







~ Winter Begonia ~





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