Chapter 79

When it was time to go to bed at night, Ye Hu was already lying in bed, but Ai Ye was still standing at the door playing with the light cord.

I pulled it once, and everything was pitch black. I pulled it again, and wow, it was bright! Brighter than the moon outside.

Ye Hu was very sleepy and just wanted to have a good sleep, but her elder sister was having a great time playing. She propped herself up, frowned and scolded, "If you keep playing like this and Aunt Liu sees you, she'll scold you."

Hearing Liu Ma's name, Ai Ye didn't dare to act rashly. She obediently turned off the light and crawled into bed. Although she was physically tired, she was so excited by what she had seen and heard that day that she couldn't sleep.

She called out to Yehu in a low voice: "Sister, why is Kunming so good? No wonder the young lady has been thinking about coming back. She really suffered in Yunxiang."

Ye Hu closed his eyes and said, "Miss, no matter where she is, there are people to serve her. She won't be wronged."

Ai Ye shook his head. "It's different. People in the mountains want to live in the plains, and people in the plains want to live in the city. The ladies in the Tusi Mansion have never seen life here. If they come and take a look, they definitely won't want to go back to Yunxiang."

Ye Hu scoffed at her words: "The second young master has seen it before. He went to the foreign territory and stayed in Yunxiang obediently."

Ai Ye said firmly: "It's because the Second Young Master is stupid. Doesn't the young lady often call him a fool?"

Ye Hu...If you have the guts, just say it in front of the Second Young Master!

The next day, after lunch, Yueming took two maids to Daguan Park to meet her good friend Xu Zhaoqing.

Zhaoqing had originally told her they wanted to meet at the bronze equestrian statue of General Tang Jiyao near Huapu Square, but when Yueming went to Yunxiang, the statue hadn't yet been shipped back from Italy, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to find it, so she simply arranged to meet at Daguanlou Park, south of Huapu. She couldn't go wrong with the Daguanlou with its long couplet hanging on it.

She wanted to call a taxi, but Lan Yingde told her to take his car.

Yue Mingqi asked, "When did our family buy a car?"

Lan Yingde asked Liu Ma's husband to call the car delivery company to drive the car over and send a skilled driver.

He sat on the chair and said calmly, "I ordered it in Siam last year and asked the trading company to bring it back. I didn't tell you because I wanted to give it as a surprise."

Yueming went to the appointment in her family's newly purchased Ford car. She asked the driver to park the car on the side of the road near Pu Road, and she led her two maids to walk to the park across the street.

The park was surrounded by willow banks, with mountains and waters complementing each other, and pavilions and corridors shining together, which made the two maids stunned.

Ai Ye stammered, "Miss... this... is it possible for servants like us to come here?"

Yueming said with a smile: "You've already come in, haven't you? Who would stop you if you bought a ticket?"

Zhaoqing had been waiting for her under the long couplet. The two girls, who hadn't seen each other for several years, saw each other and immediately ran towards each other and hugged each other.

Zhao Qing complained, "You are so mean, Lan Yueming! Didn't you say you were just going back to your hometown for a few days? How come you came back so late and didn't even write a letter?"

Yueming had a thousand words in his mind that he wanted to tell her, but he had no idea what to say. Finally, he choked up and replied, "I'm back, aren't I?"

Zhaoqing saw two rather reserved girls standing behind Yueming. Judging from their attire, they looked like maids. She asked, "Are they your servants?"

Yueming nodded: "I brought it back from my hometown."

"You have to tell me what you have been doing these past few years!"

Yueming took her hand and said, "I will definitely tell you exactly how many bowls of rice I eat every day. Let's talk while we walk around! After the park, you can accompany me to Huikang Department Store to buy some things."

"Why visit a park? We used to come here every time for the school spring outing. Aren't you tired of it?" Zhao Qing put her fingers together to cover her forehead. Kunming gets very hot as soon as the sun comes out, and winter is no exception. She didn't want to visit this damn park.

"Who among the wealthy still buys those common goods at Huikang these days? The most fashionable things right now are the Western-style dress shops on Xiaodong Street. They sell French goods, and they're very trendy. Let's go shopping first, and then take in a movie at the theater on Xiaodong Street. The Nanping Grand Theater is showing 'Wuthering Heights' today. I'll treat you."

Yueming and her friends used to go to the Grand Yile Theater on Guanghua Street to watch movies. Now, when Zhaoqing mentioned the Nanping Theater, she was surprised and asked, "Has a new theater opened in the past few years since I was away? Are there many new movies?"

Zhao Qing said proudly, "This theater just opened recently. It was spearheaded by Madam Long and Madam Zhu. Eight American companies provided the schedule, and those foreign films are shown simultaneously with American theaters. We can see even the most modern Hollywood releases that Shanghainese haven't seen yet. The theater even hired a translator to print the stories in the films and use slides to project subtitles on the screen, so even if you don't understand foreign languages, you can still follow them."

Yueming was deeply moved. Kunming might be located in a remote area, but it has a keen sense of fashion and keeps up with the latest trends. She hadn't been back for a few years, and the changes were truly earth-shaking.

She asked Zhaoqing, "How did you get here?"

Zhaoqing's family ran a matches factory and was quite well-off. When she went to school, just like Yueming, her family rented a car to take her to and from school.

"My brother drove the family car out, and I couldn't wait to call a taxi, so I hailed a rickshaw at the door. How did you get here?"

"I came here in my family car, which is parked on the road outside. You can take my car."

As the four of them left the park, rickshaw drivers approached to solicit business, surrounding them and asking where the girls were going. "Take my rickshaw. I'm a local and know the route well, so I can go fast." Seeing so many men surrounding them, Ye Hu and Ai Ye quickly shielded the two girls behind them.

The driver got out of the car and scolded them, dispersed them, and helped the group of girls get on the car.

In reality, buying new clothes wasn't the most important thing for Yueming; the most important thing was underwear. She'd always worn small tank tops when she was younger, but now that she was older, places like Yunxiang couldn't possibly sell new underwear. She'd resorted to the small, two-strap camisole worn by Dai girls.

Zhaoqing led her into a very modern fashion store. She whispered to the stylishly dressed female clerk and asked if she had any underwear.

The female clerk smiled and nodded at her, then led her to the fitting room, measured her bust with a tape measure, and then took out a few pieces of bra for her to try on.

She bent over as the clerk instructed, carefully pushing the two lumps of flesh from her chest into her bra and fastening the clasp at the back. Looking at her towering, gathered breasts in the mirror, she blushed. She quickly changed into her own clothes and left the fitting room.

Zhaoqing was sitting on the sofa flipping through a picture magazine. Two maids were standing behind her, looking around. They felt that two eyeballs were not enough to see these novel and beautiful clothes.

When Yueming came out, Zhaoqing put down the magazine in her hand and accompanied her to pick out the clothes one by one on the display rack. Soon, she had picked out a lot of clothes. Yueming tried on two pieces casually and stopped. There were some clothes that didn't fit her body, so the clerk took Yueming's measurements and sent them to her home after they were altered.

Ye Hu and Ai Ye helped Yue Ming carry the bags. Yue Ming then found a tailor shop specializing in cheongsams and Chinese gowns. The owner, it was said, had traveled to Shanghai to learn from a master tailor, and the silk fabrics in the shop were all authentic Suzhou goods. Yue Ming chose a piece of dark blue silk velvet for Lan Yingde. It was inconspicuous on the shelf, but when the owner shone a flashlight on it, it suddenly reflected a soft halo, like the Milky Way appearing in the night sky at dusk.

Yueming looked at the material with increasing satisfaction. Lan Yingde had never liked to wear jewelry, but this material was understated yet luxurious. It could be made into a long gown with a pocket watch on a long chain, creating a refined and elegant look that showcased his extraordinary demeanor.

She took her measurements at the shop and arranged with the owner to come to Lan Yingde's house the next day. As she left, she spotted a piece of dark blue silk with a peony pattern on the fabric rack. It looked a bit frivolous on Lan Yingde, but it was perfect for Yunkai. Yueming imagined Yunkai in a dark blue gown with peony patterns, standing in front of the moonlit gate, holding a folding fan and smiling at her. Her heart warmed. She told the owner she wanted all the fabric with that pattern.

After browsing the fashion stores on Xiaodong Street, they went to the cinema to buy tickets. The previous show had just started, and the next one still had to wait over an hour. Zhaoqing suggested going to a cafe for ice cream, so they went to the cafe across from the cinema.

While waiting for coffee, Zhaoqing winked at Yueming mischievously: "Tell me the truth, who did you buy that fancy material for?"

Yueming admitted openly: "I bought it for my fiancé."

Zhao Qing's eyes widened in shock. "Fiancé? You're engaged? Where is he from? Isn't it your hometown that you're going back to this time?"

Yueming nodded: "My fiancé's family belongs to Yunxiang."

Zhao Qing was speechless for a moment before she spoke with disappointment, "With your family's financial situation, you can find any good young man in Kunming, but why did you choose to go to the countryside to find one? Your father saw such a new and innovative person and doted on you, but in the end he still arranged it for you!"

This was unfair to Lan Yingde. He was also very depressed about Yueming and Yunkai's affairs. Yueming quickly defended his father: "It wasn't arranged by my family. I found it myself."

"Oh!" Zhao Qing became interested when she heard about the scene of mutual affection. "What is so special about him that caught Miss Lan's eye and made you ignore all these young talents in Kunming?"

Yueming thought carefully and realized that Yunkai had done a lot of bad things to her, and that he didn't have many good qualities. She racked her brains for a while before saying, "He's very handsome."

"Puff..." The coffee in Zhaoqing's mouth sprayed out, and the expression on his face was a little distorted: "I didn't know you were so lustful, judging men by their looks."

Yueming nimbly dodged Coffee's attack and said awkwardly, "Food, sex, and nature are all part of it!"

Zhao Qing wiped her mouth and said, "That's not right. If you are so lustful, why did you ignore the young master of the Du family who pursued you? Were you still not enlightened at that time?"

Yueming asked in confusion, "I'm only twelve or thirteen, and you're chasing me. Who's so perverted?"

Ye Hu and Ai Ye, who were engrossed in eating ice cream, simultaneously raised their heads and looked at their young lady with complicated expressions. "Second Young Master also attacked you when you were thirteen or fourteen. Is that considered perverted?" People shouldn't be so hypocritical.

Zhao Qing helped her recall, "He was the one who often came to ask about your homework when we went to the Youth Club for extra classes. He was tall, fair-skinned, and we all laughed our ass off back then. It would have been fine if he was an older student asking about the younger ones' homework, but he chose to ask about someone whose homework wasn't that good. Isn't that a hidden agenda?"

Yueming remembered that there was such a person. His family was in the tobacco business. He seemed to be the cousin of Senior Sister Gu Yan.

Let's not talk about this old gossip! Yueming changed the subject and asked Zhaoqing, "What about you? Do you have any romantic stories you'd like to share with my coffee? You were the most enthusiastic reader of those Mandarin Duck and Butterfly novels back then."

Teruharu took a sip of coffee and shrugged, "I've just read too many novels, so I don't find any man as pleasing to the eye as the ones in the books. My family is planning to send me to study in France, so we'll talk about it when I get back!"

The opening of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway made it much easier for Yunnan residents to travel abroad to Europe. Vietnam was a French colony, and most wealthy families sent their children to France. While many young men and women in Kunming speak English, many also speak French. The Vietnamese who lived in Xinchengpu, Guangma Street, specialized in brokering students seeking study in France.

After watching the movie, Zhao Qing looked at the posters and showtimes on the white wall of the ticket office and said happily, "Let's go see 'Spring Dawn on the Green Bank' tomorrow!"

Yueming shook his head: "I'm not free tomorrow. My family is having a dinner at Changmeiju. If you have nothing to do, why don't you come over?"

Zhao Qing declined politely, "No, let's make an appointment when you're free!" She glanced at the cars waiting on the roadside and chuckled, "Don't try to fool me with a bowl of cross-bridge rice noodles. I want to go to the small Western-style building on Xunjin Street for French cuisine. The kind that'll last the entire afternoon, from appetizers to dessert."

After sending Zhaoqing home first, Yueming returned to Zhuji Street to pay the driver today's wages, took the car keys and went home.

Lan Yingde saw Yueming coming home at this time, took out his pocket watch, looked at it and said with a smile: "I thought you came back after dinner, I have to ask Aunt Liu to add two more dishes."

Yueming placed the car keys on the table and called Yehu to bring over the clothes he had bought for Lan Yingde today. He took out a bamboo green plain satin robe and draped it over his arm to show Lan Yingde: "Dad, you should wear this tomorrow!"

Lan Yingde's smile deepened when he saw the clothes: "I'm already so old, why did you buy me such a pretty color?"

Yueming said angrily, "This color is so beautiful. Any greener and it would be too dark, any yellower and it would look frivolous."

Lan Yingde shook his head. "I can't argue with someone like you who can draw. Did you enjoy your outing today? Is the driver the car dealership recommended a reliable driver?"

Yueming handed the clothes to Yehu and asked her to fold them and put them in the master's room. She sat down in the chair next to Lan Yingde and said, "The driver is a good driver and a smart man. He even helped us drive away the rickshaw drivers when we came out of the park." She thought of the new movie theater she had visited today and said to Lan Yingde with great interest, "Dad, there's a new movie theater on Nanping Street that's really interesting. The front rows are high and the back rows are low. It's like watching a movie while lying down."

"What movie is it? Is it good?"

"Soul Returns to the Heaven of Separation"

Seeing Lan Yingde's puzzled expression, she repeated it in English: "Wuthering Heights"

Lan Yingde was so embarrassed. Why did he choose such a name? Such a good revenge film was given such a name, like a woman who was unwilling to give up and died with her eyes wide open.