Chapter 9
"It's dawn," Nian Qing stretched lazily and watched the foggy sky gradually break into daybreak.
Smoke was curling in front of the door. Li Shisan wrapped his coat tightly, holding a long-handled pipe, and huddled on a small stool to look out.
"What are you doing?" Nian Qing walked over and patted Li Shisan's shoulder. Frost had formed on his clothes, but it shattered at Nian Qing's fingertips and turned into water.
"Didn't you sleep all night?" Nian Qing asked him.
"Yeah." Li Shisan took a puff of his cigarette and answered in a muffled voice.
"Stinky." Nian Qing fanned himself and took a step back, disliking the smell of tobacco.
“If you don’t sleep, your body will be disturbed and you won’t live long.” Nian Qing poked him and pinched his nose.
"Go away, little girl, what do you know..." Li Shisan chased her away, "It's just... I can't remember some things, and my heart feels empty."
"What is forgotten is certainly dross. It is better to forget it. Why bother searching for it again?"
"Childish temper." Li Shisan smiled.
A golden glow gradually appeared on the mountains over there, the night tide receded, and the dawn was approaching.
"It's a bit sad, but it's better to remember it." Li Shisan said calmly.
"I was in the kitchen yesterday?"
Nian Qing nodded, "Yes, it's been a busy day."
"Has anything big happened recently?"
"The chickens and dogs are flying, but I sleep peacefully."
Li Shisan hit Nian Qing with his pipe, scolding him jokingly, "You're the only one with a quick tongue. Stop being so surly and help prepare the food."
"Okay." Nian Qing didn't dodge and took a hit. She watched Li Shisan stand up cheerfully and walk into the kitchen. In her peripheral vision, the sunset rose from the mist.
Li Shisan said, "It's a bit sad, but it's better to remember it." What does that mean?
People are so complicated.
But my heart sank.
Nian Qing still called out to Li Shisan: "Master Thirteen."
Li Shisan turned around, looking confused.
At least he stopped crying.
"What?"
"It's okay," Nian Qing arched his eyebrows, clenching and unclenching his fists, "I'll help you prepare the food."
"Wow, why have you learned your lesson today? The sun is rising from the west." Li Shisan mocked her.
Nian Qing came over and put his hand on Li Shisan's back, pushing him inside. "Go in."
"No, if something seems out of place, there must be something fishy going on. Tell the truth, little girl..."
The door was closed, the sun was high in the sky, the barking of dogs and the crowing of chickens were heard, and it was another day.
Yesterday is in the past, today is happening, and we look forward to tomorrow’s song.
·
"Miss, please get dressed." Qiu Niang said as she picked up an emerald hairpin.
"Okay." Gu Luoyan sat in front of the bronze mirror and waited for Qiu Niang to tie her hair.
Lipstick painted red, rouge spread. Gu Luoyan looked at the person in the mirror and suddenly said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of the lunar month."
"Yes," Qiuniang replied, still combing her hair.
"By the way, the owner of Miaoyinfang asked me to ask the young lady what song she will dance today." Qiu Niang glanced at the person in the mirror and adjusted the position of her hairpin on her temples.
Gu Luoyan waved her hand, asking Qiuniang to stop. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment, then took off the emerald hairpin and said, "Dance today and sing tomorrow."
Qiu Niang looked at her, her eyes darkening slightly. "Then I will go back right away."
"Thank you for your help, Aunt Qiu." Gu Luoyan stood up, looking through the door, a smile on her lips. She ignored him and just watched Qiu Niang leave.
Gu Luoyan turned and walked into a long wooden corridor. She wore a conch-colored tasseled shirt with flowing sleeves, a crane-colored skirt, and flowing ribbons, like a fairy from the mortal world. A maidservant put a decorative sun-patterned ring on her head and tied a ribbon and rope around her waist.
She went straight to the corridor.
Thick curtains blocked the view ahead, and a cliff appeared at the end of the corridor.
There was a constant noise from the drinkers outside, but suddenly a bell rang, the noise gradually died down, the guzheng and pipa began to play together, and Kuiji's dance was about to begin.
Gu Luoyan took a step into the air and fell from the cliff. The curtain opened, and the ribbon hanging from her waist lifted her up, allowing her to dance in the air.
What a beautiful picture of the Goddess of Luo River with her sleeves torn apart!
She looked down at the astonished spectators, her brows clear and her eyes clear, her fingertips suddenly pinched the satin on both sides, and her sleeves twirled, and she danced gracefully.
A line of lyrics came out of her mouth:
“Tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are.”[1]
"Don't look forward to tomorrow with too many worries, face the new moon and drink together."
Gu Luoyan looked at the VIP rooms on the second floor, then lowered his gaze to meet the lecher who was cheering and jumping for joy.
She landed on the drum-shaped stage, tiptoed lightly, and jumped up again.
The sound of stringed instruments is deafening, and the atmosphere is peaceful and harmonious.
She listened intently to the drunken chants of the crowd below her, their ribbons reaching for the round lantern hanging from the high ceiling of the hall. She bent down and fell, like a fish falling into water, with thousands of hands below reaching high, afraid that they would not be able to hold her as she fell.
What a greedy person, what a low standard.
The bone smoke didn't fall as they wished, and the last few feet of it were carried up again by the silk. However, a section of the silk was roughly torn off, becoming the center of the fight among the ugly faces below.
·
Nian Qing once again accidentally became her observer.
She was originally going to look for Gu Luoyan, but when she was in front of the door, she heard Qiu Niang's voice, so she avoided her, but met her again in the audience.
A single dance, a celestial being in mid-air, could send the entire room into a frenzy of excitement at a single glance. She seemed to understand the allure that captivated this sea of people.
Unlike the magic of a demon, this was a real person, a person who made Nian Qing bow his head and was so beautiful that it took her breath away.
For a moment, she seemed to be infected with a poison called "Gu Luoyan". She only wanted to sink under her skirt and raised her hands like everyone else, wanting to hug her.
Nian Qing's eyes never left Gu Luoyan. She followed her eyes and saw the curtained room on the second floor and the drunk man in the crowd.
The man raised his glass, toasting the "exiled immortal" in the sky. She felt an indescribable emotion, a knot in her heart. Nian Qing frowned as she stared at the slovenly-dressed man. She looked up at Gu Luoyan again, wondering how she could have flown so far.
It is so far away that I cannot hold it in my hands, and I cannot explain it. It is so far away that she really seems like a goddess who is not affected by the mundane world.
jealous.
I'm jealous that you don't look at me.
Gu Luoyan raised her sleeves and sang a lingering song. The drums and the ruan strings were at their most intense, but suddenly the music stopped. The person suspended in the silk sang:
"How many tomorrows can there be in a hundred years——
Please listen to my song of tomorrow! [2]
She watched as the crowd below cheered again, the curtain slowly falling, and the lecher in the crowd raised his glass to her a second time, though he didn't drink again. The slovenly man stood up, stretched, nodded at her, and then walked back out of the dance town.
How many tomorrows can a person have? Everything is ready, the east wind has arrived. I sing tomorrow, don't waste time, the time has come.
Gu Luoyan's figure gradually retreated into the curtain. At the last moment, she turned her head and looked at Nian Qing.
She looked at her and smiled, her lips moving as if saying something, and soon she disappeared behind the curtain.
Like a blooming rose, it stayed in Nian Qing's eyes. The flower had thorns, which cut through the wall of his heart, causing blood to flow.
But I am willing to do it.
Nian Qing saw clearly what Gu Luoyan said. She was calling her: "Little Fox".
Trembling all over, Nian Qing lowered her head and covered her ears with her hands. Unable to suppress her urge, her fox ears threatened to transform. A flush crept across her face. She must be drunk, even without drinking.
·
Back in the room, Gu Luoyan saw that the red leaf flowers in the porcelain vase had not withered, so she asked someone to change the water in the vase.
Just as she was taking off her headdress, a middle-aged woman knocked on her door. She immediately called in the maids and gave them small change. Then she came to Gu Luoyan, a look of joy on her face, and presented a jade pendant with both hands: "Congratulations, young lady."
Gu Luoyan was stunned, and when he saw the pair of double dragon patterns, he understood everything.
She said calmly, "Can you tell mother about this?"
"It was the master's order." The woman raised her head and showed a flattering face, saying, "If you are lucky enough to be appointed by the emperor like that lady, it will be a blessing from heaven!"
After she finished speaking, her smile became even more exaggerated: "When you become successful in the future, please remember me. It is our honor to carry your shoes."
"Hmph, you are really taking advantage of me." Gu Luoyan sneered, retracted her gaze, and continued to take off her makeup hairpin in front of the mirror.
"I dare not." The woman crouched even lower, vowing not to give up until Gu Luoyan took the jade pendant.
She looked at the jade pendant through the mirror, without reaching out, but tapped the table with her fingertips: "Step back."
"Yes." The woman put the jade pendant on the table, bowed happily and walked out of the room.
The room fell silent for a moment. Gu Luoyan wordlessly removed her headdress, the light in her eyes dimming. The red-leafed flowers in the white vase remained the same year after year, unchanged in the slightest.
As she combed her hair, she could see the dust particles floating in the air. Her eyes fell on the dragon-patterned jade pendant, and she felt as if they were burned, then she withdrew them for a moment.
Gu Luoyan stood up, walked towards the corridor, brushed past the gorgeous skirt outside, lifted the curtain, and a different scene appeared before her eyes.
The tulle is as thin as a cicada's wing, with a high neckline and minimal fabric, waiting for a plump body to interpret it. They hang there one by one, more like commodities that inspire reverie.
Gu Luoyan's fingers brushed across the dazzling desire, and she could feel her heart sinking little by little.
The robe peeled down to her ankles, and she raised her hand, selecting one of the peach-colored garments and putting it on. She would become a commodity.
When he came out again, he was already wearing a coat. A voice came from the rafters: "What are you doing in there?"
Gu Luoyan looked up and was stunned for a moment when she heard the voice. She saw Nian Qing lying on the beam, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his behavior.
A flicker of light flashed in his eyes, but they quickly returned to a deep, piercing depth. Gu Luoyan adjusted her tone and asked with a smile, "Why are you here?"
"But a certain lord said so himself. I can come whenever I want." Nian Qing jumped down and stood in front of Gu Luoyan. She had a serious demeanor, as if she was about to call someone to task.
Gu Luoyan looked at her and said, "Yes, come whenever you want."
Nian Qing suddenly leaned close to Gu Luoyan's neck and sniffed it, then covered her nose and said, "You smell like rouge."
Gu Luoyan raised an eyebrow: "How?"
"I don't like it." Nian Qing said with a pout, and then sat down on the rocking chair nearby, but his eyes were as fixed on her as when he was watching the dance, never leaving her body.
She asked her again, as if childishly seeking an excuse: "You haven't answered me yet, what are you doing in there?"
Gu Luoyan was stunned for a moment, a hint of barely perceptible sadness flashing in her eyes, but she still replied softly, "Try on some clothes, it's nothing special."
"Boring," Nian Qing said, jumping up from the rocking chair, still feeling very irritated. Then he casually asked, "Are you going out?"
"Um."
"Where are you going?"
"Let's have a drink of good wine and spend a wonderful night." Gu Luoyan's voice became softer, and she deliberately concealed the pale words and no longer looked at Nian Qing.
"Your Excellency is truly very elegant." Nian Qing encouraged her.
After a moment of silence, Nian Qing spoke again: "Can I not go?"
Gu Luoyan turned around and stared at her blankly, with a human figure reflected in her pupils.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I asked you if you could not go." Nian Qing came over, holding his breath, and pulled a strand of Gu Luoyan's hair around his fingertips.
"Why?" Gu Luoyan asked in a trembling voice.
"I saw your dance today," Nian Qing stared into Gu Luoyan's eyes, but couldn't find the final words. He lowered his head and said, "I just want to stay with you for a while."
"Pfft," Gu Luoyan grinned, "You little fox are really weird."
She embraced Nian Qing, closed her eyes and buried her head in her shoulder.
Soon released again.
"I should go now." Gu Luoyan said to Nian Qing.
Nian Qing stared at her infatuatedly, and fell silent. She heard Gu Luoyan say to her, "Next time I see you, I promise you, I'll wear less rouge."
She watched Gu Luoyan wrap herself tightly in her clothes and was about to open the door, but she turned back and called out to her:
"Nianqing."
"explain."
"If I ever enter the palace like that lady, will you remember me?"
"What kind of place is the palace? I can come to you."
"Okay." Gu Luoyan smiled and said, "I'll remember it."
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