Chapter 71
There was a mirror on one wall of the room. The dark green curtains were drawn open, and bright, warm light shone through the window onto the floor. The light was then refracted through the mirror into the shape of broken gold, shining into the eyes of the person in the center.
Pei Xingzhi was in the center of the room, his hair hanging down on his forehead, partially covering his eyes. His curled eyelashes cast shadows on his lower eyelids. The light of broken gold reflected in his calm eyes, like the beautiful scenery of shimmering waves on the surface of a lake.
He held an unfamiliar instrument against his collarbone. In his right hand, he held a bow, rhythmically moving it up and down the strings. Sounds like flowing water flowed from the strings. His eyes were downcast, his face calm, as if he were completely immersed in the music.
The rest of the people were scattered around, listening quietly. Meng Wanqiu then realized that this was Pei Xingzhi's solo. She had never seen Pei Xingzhi like this before.
Meng Wanqiu stopped where she was, strands of golden threads reflected on Pei Xingzhi who was playing music. The slightly fluttering hair, the well-defined fingers, the elegance in every gesture, every detail was deeply imprinted in her heart.
Time slipped by quietly, and the gentle, mountain-flowing music suddenly shifted, becoming sharp and powerful. In that instant, the scene before Meng Wanqiu shifted to the roaring, cascading Milky Way waterfall and the vast, boundless desert at dusk.
In a trance, she smelled a moist, hazy vapor on the tip of her nose, and heard the melodious and lonely sound of camel bells in her ears...
When the music stopped, Meng Wanqiu was still immersed in the charm of Pei Xingzhi's music.
Pah pah pah——
"Beautiful, one more song!"
"Bravo——" Jiang Peiran shouted, and the people next to him patted him with a smile.
If this happened in the outside world, this group of people would have been beaten up dozens of times, no matter how good or bad they were. But in July 15th, this place was like a pure land, a paradise where they could display their talents and develop their personalities.
Pei Xingzhi smiled slightly, half bowed to express his gratitude, and put away his violin.
Pei Xingzhi was stunned when he saw Meng Wanqiu standing quietly at the door with a lunch box in her hand. He didn't know how long she had been there.
"Why didn't you call me when you came? How long have you been standing there?"
Pei Xingzhi hurried over, took the food box from Meng Wanqiu, and then pulled her in.
"Seeing you were all busy, I didn't say anything. I haven't been here long." Meng Wanqiu smiled and greeted everyone. "I know you are rehearsing, so I made some snacks. Come have a try."
Everyone in the technical department knew Meng Wanqiu, but they had never talked much.
"Oh, thank you, Xiao Meng, for your trouble."
"Thank you, Xiao Meng."
"Thank you for your hard work. You are pregnant. Sit down quickly. I am very thoughtful."
"Haha, we have to thank our Engineer Pei. We are really relying on him." Jiang Peiran is a funny guy who can make people laugh wherever he goes.
Everyone was polite and they all sincerely thanked Meng Wanqiu and praised Pei Xingzhi for marrying a good wife.
Pei Xingzhi gave Meng Wanqiu an ambiguous look, handed the lunch box to Jiang Peiran, and pulled Meng Wanqiu out. "Everyone, eat first. We'll go out for a while."
Hearing Pei Xingzhi's words, everyone present smiled knowingly and jokingly said, "Go ahead, come back early, or you won't get any of those delicious snacks."
"Hey, this is made by Comrade Xiao Meng. Mr. Pei can eat it anytime."
"Tsk tsk, it's great to be young. The lost youth will never come back."
Jiang Peiran said, "You are old, but I am still young. A man is in his prime at 31, and I am still in full bloom."
"Go to hell, you don't even care about your dignity." The others laughed.
Pei Xingzhi pulled Meng Wanqiu into the next room. The light inside was dim, and the air was filled with a faint smell of old wood. Glancing towards the corner, Meng Wanqiu realized that this was a storage room, filled with all kinds of sundries.
"Why are you here?" Pei Xingzhi asked again.
Meng Wanqiu raised her eyes. He was still holding her hand, with inexplicable emotions flowing in his eyes. His cold voice was low, like the sound of water droplets gathering on the stone wall in the cave, and the sound of them hitting the stones on the ground when they dripped, still carrying an echo.
Looking at the man in front of him, Meng Wanqiu remembered how he played the violin just now, and the light of broken gold reflected in his eyes.
At that moment, her eyes and heart could only accommodate him.
"Why aren't you talking?" Pei Xingzhi lowered his voice and stepped forward, getting closer to Meng Wanqiu. His warm breath sprayed on her cheeks, and her ears felt itchy.
In Pei Xingzhi's sight, Meng Wanqiu's eyes were clear and moving, reflecting his reflection.
Her thick, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, as if startled by something, or perhaps in deep thought. The faint pink halo at the end of her eyes gave her a hazy, almost drunken feeling.
Unconsciously, Pei Xingzhi placed one hand on Meng Wanqiu's cheek, stroking her tender lips. He opened his lips slightly and said something threatening: "If you don't speak, I'll leave."
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Wanqiu hugged Pei Xingzhi's arm, shook it coquettishly, and said softly: "I came here specifically to see you."
Pei Xingzhi was stunned, his heart suddenly softening, as if he had been brushed by a feather. His expression remained cold, "Looking for me? What do you want from me? Aren't we in a cold war?"
Meng Wanqiu pouted and scratched Pei Xingzhi's arm with her fingers. Pei Xingzhi's heart trembled, just like a kitten.
Then I heard Meng Wanqiu say, "I missed you, so I came to see you. Don't be angry, I know I was wrong, please forgive me, okay, husband?"
Meng Wanqiu said the last two words with great shame, her toes curled up. Fortunately, the light in the room was dim, so her hot and red ears were not discovered.
Pei Xingzhi's head buzzed. He held Meng Wanqiu's face in his hands, his lips curled up, "Scream again."
Meng Wanqiu blushed and looked away, "Stop talking, let's go back quickly, or people will laugh at us."
Pei Xingzhi's heart almost melted. After being married for so long, this was the first time Meng Wanqiu called him like that.
In the past, Pei Xingzhi had no particular attachment to this title, but when he heard it from Meng Wanqiu's mouth this time, Pei Xingzhi did not expect that this sentence would be so powerful.
At that moment, Pei Xingzhi truly experienced what it meant to be overjoyed. The dim space became brighter, and the stale and stuffy smell dissipated.
"If you scream again, I will forgive you." Pei Xingzhi's face was full of smiles as he spoke, without any deterrent effect at all.
Meng Wanqiu couldn't help but look up at him, and this look made her laugh.
Pei Xingzhi was so tall, but he insisted on hanging on her, rubbing his nose against her face, and mumbling to her to scream again.
This scoundrel looks just as Sister Gao said, just like a child.
Meng Wanqiu buried her head in Pei Xingzhi's arms, suppressing her shyness as she called out in a low voice, "Hubby, let's go out."
Ha ha--
A hearty smile emerged from his thin lips, and Meng Wanqiu could clearly feel his trembling chest, as if someone was beating a drum inside.
Pei Xingzhi gently lifted Meng Wanqiu's chin and lowered his head, "Let's go, we'll leave later." The last syllable disappeared between their lips.
Not long after, the two returned, and Meng Wanqiu realized that Pei Xingzhi's solo just now was entertainment for this group of people in their spare time.
Everyone performed once, and Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi sat together and became audience members. They watched everyone show their talents and admired them so much that she became a clapper who could only clap.
Such Meng Wanqiu was also very cute in Pei Xingzhi's heart. The look in his eyes when he looked at her made Jiang Peiran on the opposite side see it and couldn't help rubbing the goose bumps on his hands.
Later, after Jiang Peiran sang "Our Great Motherland" loudly, everyone was in high spirits. Meng Wanqiu was infected by this atmosphere and held Pei Xingzhi's hand tightly.
Pei Xingzhi turned his head and saw Meng Wanqiu's appearance. An idea came to his mind and he asked, "Do you want to go up and give it a try?"
"I?"
Meng Wanqiu pointed at herself and shook her head, "No, no, I don't know any of these."
She doesn't know how to play any instrument, whether it's the harmonica, violin, erhu or guzheng.
Pei Xingzhi shook his head and pulled him up. "Who said that as long as Jiang Peiran can play an instrument, he can sing?"
Meng Wanqiu pulled Pei Xingzhi and said, "Stop it, I can't sing either."
Pei Xingzhi laughed and said, "You can't sing, but can't you sing opera?"
Pei Xingzhi only recently discovered that Meng Wanqiu could sing opera, because Uncle Feng next door had a new radio at home and often played opera channels.
The two families were close to each other, and Meng Wanqiu had sharp senses, so she could hear clearly whatever Uncle Feng said as long as he turned on the radio.
She was originally an old-fashioned person who liked to listen to and sing operas. After listening to them many times, she couldn't help but sing along. Only then did Pei Xingzhi realize that Meng Wanqiu could sing operas.
Seeing the two people's movements, everyone understood and said, "Come on, let our Comrade Xiao Meng come too."
"Okay, welcome, welcome."
"Come on, it's okay, it's okay, everyone is just entertaining themselves."
Pei Xingzhi smiled and asked a man playing the erhu, "Mr. Huang, please play the song 'Selling Water' for me."
Mr. Huang is a master craftsman in his fifties. He treats Pei Xingzhi and Meng Wanqiu as his own children. Although he is old, he knows a lot of things, including the famous Peking Opera piece "Selling Water".
"Okay, let's go, Xiao Meng. Let Uncle Huang accompany you today."
Meng Wanqiu glanced at Pei Xingzhi and, without further ado, walked neatly to the center, raised her arm and gestured to Huang Gong, "Please."
Mr. Huang responded cheerfully, "You're welcome." He picked up the bow, and the erhu's graceful and mellow tune began to resound on the strings.
Meng Wanqiu paused as she began to sing, her fingers waving in the air. "Why do I look in the mirror when I wake up this morning? What kind of flower fragrance do I get when I comb my hair? What kind of pollen do I put on my face? What kind of red rouge do I put on my lips..."
The neat and skillful opera postures and the melodious tunes made everyone look serious.
I didn't expect Comrade Meng to be so skilled, and I couldn't help but like him even more. Especially the very old master, he looked at Meng Wanqiu with the same kind eyes as if he was looking at his own junior, with extremely kind eyes.
Pei Xingzhi stood aside, watching Meng Wanqiu singing the opera seriously, his face full of smiles, and the pride and pride in his eyes were not concealed at all.
Just now, when Pei Xingzhi was performing, he felt no emotion when he heard everyone's praise. But when it came to Meng Wanqiu, he completely forgot how to write the word "modest".
After the song was over, loud applause broke out. Meng Wanqiu smiled faintly and stepped back to Pei Xingzhi, asking quietly, "How's it going? I made a mistake in singing a certain part just now."
Pei Xingzhi put his arm around Meng Wanqiu's waist and whispered in her ear, "Great! I think I should go learn to play the erhu from Mr. Huang. Next time you sing, I'll accompany you."
Although he is very proud, Pei Xingzhi also hopes that he will always be the one standing by Meng Wanqiu.
Meng Wanqiu couldn't help laughing, revealing two dimples on her face and her eyes became crescent-shaped. She looked inexplicably silly, but Pei Xingzhi loved her from the bottom of his heart.
I thought this was just a small episode, but I didn't expect it to come in handy at the July 15th party two days later.
Qu Miao, who works in the Propaganda Department, hated Su Lili, Meng Wanqiu and others because he was not selected as the host. He used his power to do some small things in private, causing some trouble to Meng Wanqiu.
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