It can jump.
The kitchen had prepared the food, but Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua hadn't gotten up yet, and Zhang Chenglin wasn't very hungry either, so he told the kitchen to keep the food warm until they got up.
Zhang Chenglin sat on a chair by the window in his study, reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," a book he had read countless times.
Late November in Shandong was unusually cold. The servants came twice to add coal to the stove. Xin Jie was so warm and cozy in the house that he almost fell asleep. He could only half-heartedly stare at the embers in the stove and recite pi to himself...
After an unknown amount of time, the study door was pushed open from the outside, and He Zhonghua walked in disheveled, his hair messy, and his face full of sleepiness.
"I'm freezing! It's so cold!" she said, and then shivered at just the right moment.
Then, without any hesitation, he walked over to Xin Jie's side and took over the warmest spot where Xin Jie had been sitting.
Xin Jie's expression instantly turned extremely aggrieved. He looked at Zhang Chenglin with pleading eyes, hoping that Zhang would show him some consideration and uphold justice for him.
Zhang Chenglin had a book draped over his lap, his right index finger tapping lightly on the book, his face showing an expression of detached amusement.
Where is Ji Yuxing?
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Chenglin finally spoke, and his words still chilled Xinjie to the bone.
"I don't know," He Zhonghua said, warming his hands in front of the stove, his mind completely focused on it. "I just saw him come out, but I guess he thought it was too cold outside and went back inside."
Zhang Chenglin remained silent, placed the book on the table, and stood up. Xin Jie, being very perceptive, brought him his coat.
"Hey, where are you going?" He Zhonghua saw Zhang Chenglin put on his coat and quickly stood up as well.
"Let's go see how young master Ji is enjoying his happy winter life," Zhang Chenglin said, opening the door and walking out.
He Zhonghua followed Zhang Chenglin and Xin Jie, and stood in the small courtyard of Zhang Chenglin's house, remaining silent with Zhang Chenglin.
The room where Ji Yuxing was located was dark.
He Zhonghua blinked hard, afraid he was seeing things: "...No, he was clearly up when I came out, and I even saw him."
So he went back to sleep right away?
Zhang Chenglin called over the family's servants and asked, "Has Ji Yuxing gotten up for dinner yet?"
Maid: "Mr. Ji asked us for two roasted sweet potatoes."
Zhang Chenglin nodded, unsure whether he was speaking to He Zhonghua or to himself: "Let him be."
Zhang Chenglin and He Zhonghua strolled around the snow-covered courtyard twice, chatting about many things. He Zhonghua's hands and feet were shivering from the cold. He really couldn't understand why they couldn't talk about these things in a room with a stove burning.
Is it more poetic to stand in the snow and talk on a freezing snowy day?
Just as Zhang Chenglin was about to go back to his room to sleep, He Zhonghua suddenly called out to him, "Hey."
"What?" Zhang Chenglin turned to look at him.
He Zhonghua walked up to Zhang Chenglin and said mysteriously, "I heard from Lao Ji that you often stay at that Huayuelou after you came to Shandong."
Zhang Chenglin: "..." I'll find a needle and sew Ji Yuxing's mouth shut tomorrow.
"Going tomorrow?" He Zhonghua raised an eyebrow, his eyes no longer filled with the anticipation and expectation of his youthful days. "Take me, your brother, along to broaden my horizons?"
"Go wash up and go to bed early." Zhang Chenglin didn't even look at him. "Put away those unrealistic fantasies."
"Hey, what do you mean by unrealistic fantasies?" He Zhonghua persisted, quickening his pace to catch up with him. "Old Ji is already married, so his fantasies are unrealistic. You and I are both old bachelors, what's unrealistic about that?"
Zhang Chenglin: "..." No one will think you're mute if you don't speak.
*
The next morning, when Zhang Chenglin got up, Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua were already having breakfast.
The two of them were whispering to each other, but it was unclear what they were saying.
Zhang Chenglin got closer and then heard He Zhonghua say, "Hey, be careful or I'll tell Xue-jie on you."
Ji Yuxing frowned: "Are you bored all day? I only go to Huayue Tower to accompany Old Zhang."
“Hmph,” He Zhonghua didn’t believe him at all: “Your intentions are obvious to everyone.”
"Bullshit!" Ji Yuxing rolled his eyes at him: "Are you going or not? I'll risk my life to accompany you today."
"Go!" He Zhonghua lowered his head at the opportune moment, but not completely: "Go with Lao Zhang, not with you."
Ji Yuxing: "..." Are you being polite?
“Look at He Zhonghua, an old bachelor, he knows that married people shouldn’t go to brothels.” Zhang Chenglin walked over and sat down. “Unlike some people who have no sense of propriety at all. Be careful that He Zhonghua and Sister Xue don’t tattle on us.”
Sister Xue, Chai Feixue, is Ji Yuxing's wife. She grew up in the Ji family and can be considered Ji Yuxing's childhood sweetheart. The two have a very good relationship and got married at the beginning of last year. However, Ji Yuxing is busy traveling for the Party and the revolution, while Chai Feixue stays in Northeast China with Ji Yuxing's family. The two of them can only see each other a few times a year.
Although Zhang Chenglin, He Zhonghua, Zheng Mingzhe and the others had only met Chai Feixue a few times, they had heard her name countless times from Ji Yuxing over the years, so they all affectionately called her "Sister Xue".
Zhang Chenglin's words indirectly offended two people.
Seeing that He Zhonghua was about to lose his temper, Ji Yuxing stopped him in time: "Aren't we going to Huayuelou?"
After saying that, he added sarcastically and meaningfully, "Some people like me who have no sense of self-awareness might not be able to take you there."
"When you're under someone's roof," Ji Yuxing patted He Zhonghua on the shoulder and advised meaningfully, "you have no choice but to bow your head."
He Zhonghua's volatile emotions were instantly calmed down. He looked at Ji Yuxing, then at Zhang Chenglin, and finally spoke with a heavy heart, "Fine... this is Young Master Zhang's Shandong. I bow my head."
Whether it was because Young Master Zhang was kind-hearted and compassionate or because He Zhonghua was simply too difficult to deal with, He Zhonghua still showed up at Huayue Tower that afternoon.
Follow Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing.
Standing in the lobby of Huayuelou, He Zhonghua looked at the magnificent Huayuelou, which was entirely built with money. The shock in his eyes was no less than when he first entered the American slums.
He Zhonghua remained silent for a long time before turning to look at Zhang Chenglin.
Zhang Chenglin's eyes remained calm, but He Zhonghua still caught the evasion and panic in his eyes in that instant.
He Zhonghua then put aside his shock and forgave Zhang Chenglin for his actions that day.
He knew that Zhang Chenglin would never allow the common people outside to suffer from the elements and starve themselves, while the Flower Moon Pavilion was filled with singing, dancing, and drinking.
Zhang Chenglin has his own ideas.
He Zhonghua and Ji Yuxing quickly blended into the lively atmosphere and crowds at Huayuelou. Zhang Chenglin stood there for a few minutes, then looked up and saw Fengyue coming down from upstairs.
As usual, she wore a thin dress, revealing most of her fair skin.
Even in Shandong where the temperature drops to minus ten degrees Celsius in winter, I don't feel cold.
"gentlemen."
As Zhang Chenglin was thinking, Feng Yue had already walked up to him without him noticing, her attitude was humble and respectful, and her tone was gentle.
"Hmm." Zhang Chenglin nodded, responding in a somewhat unclear tone.
As before, Zhang Chenglin followed Fengyue into her room and randomly picked up a book to read.
The noisy music and dancing outside made it hard for Zhang Chenglin to concentrate. He would occasionally look up at Feng Yue, who was dozing off not far from him.
Perhaps it was Zhang Chenglin's gaze that was too intense, or perhaps Feng Yue was about to sober up, she suddenly looked up at Zhang Chenglin.
A pair of beautiful and affectionate eyes were filled with doubt.
"Do you know how to dance this?" Zhang Chenglin asked Fengyue, pointing to a spot in the book.
Fengyue peeked over from her side, and saw that the line in the book read—
"Dances that startle like swans in springtime by the waterside pavilion, songs that resonate with honored guests at dusk in the orchid-scented hall."
Zhang Chenglin's finger landed below the two characters "惊鸿" (jinghong).
Feng Yue hesitated for a moment, and Zhang Chenglin, thinking she wouldn't, simply said, "Alright then."
“Yes,” Feng Yue stood up and stood in front of Zhang Chenglin across the desk, and said again, “Sir.”
After saying this, Feng Yue went to the wardrobe, took out a bright red dress, rolled it up in her hand, and Zhang Chenglin couldn't see her face clearly.
Feng Yue took the clothes and went out. Zhang Chenglin's eyelashes fluttered, and he looked down at the book in his hand again.
My favorite book, which I used to love, is now impossible for me to read.
Zhang Chenglin sighed, whether out of criticism or helplessness, and said in a low voice, "Beauty can be a trap."
When Fengyue returned, Zhang Chenglin was already standing by the window, which faced the door. The moment Fengyue opened the door, Zhang Chenglin turned around.
The fleeting look of amazement in his eyes did not escape Feng Yue's notice. In all his years at Hua Yue Lou, he had seen far too many people show such amazement upon seeing Feng Yue.
But for Zhang Chenglin, that one glance was not just about the romance of women in red dresses, but also about love and the rest of his life that he himself could not understand.
Many, many years later, when Fengyue talked about Zhang Chenglin with the people around her, she said, "He didn't love me."
He spoke with such certainty and resolve.
This is not the fault of Feng Yue; even Zhang Chenglin himself did not know that this was love.
Zhang Chenglin had already noticed the guzheng placed in the corner of Fengyue's room, and after testing it briefly, he found the sound to be quite good.
So when Fengyue saw Zhang Chenglin walk to the guzheng and sit down, a question flashed through her mind.
The song ended.
Zhang Chenglin watched Feng Yue standing in the empty room, breathing softly, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.
After a long while, Feng Yue seemed to finally react, and suddenly looked up at Zhang Chenglin. Zhang Chenglin still had a smile on his lips and didn't say anything.
The two of them just looked at each other, as if they could see their final days in each other's eyes.
Zhang Chenglin stood up, walked to Fengyue and stood there, his words sounding like praise, yet not quite: "She can jump."
In that instant, Fengyue recalled the time he asked her if she could perform the "Flying Swan" dance, and she replied:
Yes, it will.
"gentlemen."
Zhang Chenglin has lived in Shanghai for many years and has also traveled to various cities for many years. He loves Jinghong the most and has seen Jinghong several times.
But the most captivating and unforgettable performance was the one performed by Feng Yue.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
