Chapter 68
"Can't go? Why can't I go?" Zhou Li actually knew the answer, but he just wanted to hear what Tang Jing had to say.
Seeing Zhou Li's indifferent expression, Tang Jing's lips drooped for a moment, and her expression was not very good. She pursed her lips. She still had the confidentiality principle as an intelligence officer. Some things that could not be told to the outside world could only be kept in her stomach. The more Zhou Li knew, the less safe it would be for her.
Zhou Li knew Tang Jing's dilemma from the look on her face. The strong wind made Zhou Li's robe billow. He smoothed his sleeves and said calmly, "They provide food and lodging, and I only need to do a little labor. I think it's quite suitable."
Tang Jing looked at Zhou Li, and Zhou Li met her gaze. Her eyes were slightly curved, and her pupils were clear, like a quiet river in the night.
Zhou Li pushed her sleeves under her hands to prevent the wind from blowing them up to her elbows. She lowered her head and fiddled with her sleeves. "If you're here to sleep, I welcome you. If you want to talk about anything else, I'll have to ask you to leave."
Raising her face, Zhou Li still had the smile on her lips. She looked straight at Tang Jing, her eyes full of invitation. Tang Jing had come out tonight to take a risk, and she should have gone back after staying for a while, but how could she refuse Zhou Li's invitation?
The window was slammed shut with a snap, and a pair of figures were inseparable on the window grille. The whimpering wind outside the window suppressed the whispers inside the house. Suddenly, a flash of thunder and heavy rain poured down.
The fight in the house ended at some point. Zhou Li lay lazily on the bed watching Tang Jing get dressed. Her slender white fingers fastened the buttons one by one, and under the light, they looked like jade. Zhou Li felt a little itchy in her heart, but she didn't move, just watched.
Tang Jing put on his clothes and listened to the sound of rain outside the window. The raindrops gradually became smaller. The wind was strong and the rain was heavy, but it should stop in a while. Zhou Li did not go to see Tang Jing off. After seeing Tang Jing leave the door, she lay on the bed with her head in her hands.
Before closing the door, Tang Jing glanced at Zhou Li.
She couldn't persuade Zhou Li, and Zhou Li couldn't persuade her either. Their relationship was not even that of lovers. They were not friends before, and now they were just bed partners. Tang Jing was very clear-headed.
Tang Jing closed the door, and a cool breeze came in from outside, blowing through Zhou Li's hair. She tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled lightly.
She was still very satisfied with Tang Jing in bed, but it was a pity...
Zhou Li sighed again, rolled up the quilt and went to sleep.
It’s raining tonight, and it’s just right for me to fall asleep to the sound of rain.
During the day, after the rooster at the post station crowed three times, a loud voice was heard, and the rooster started crowing again, as if competing with Zhou Li in voice.
Dapeng was practicing his legs vigorously, and when he heard the sounds of Gongji and Zhou Li singing one after another, he couldn't help laughing.
"Master, is this rooster dissatisfied with your louder voice?"
A big rooster stood proudly on the wall of the post station, its bright red comb facing Zhou Li, its chest puffed out, as if it was ready to continue competing with her if she opened her voice again.
Zhou Li picked up a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his face. He shook his head and said, "It's almost time. Let's go in and pack up our things and go to Guiyi Hall."
Dapeng nodded, and Zhou Li turned and went back to the room.
Zhou Li stood in the house for a while. When she woke up in the morning, she smelled an inexplicable fragrance in the house. It should be left by Tang Jing. She had opened the window during her morning exercise. At this time, the fragrance in the house had dissipated. Zhou Li packed the package and went out without any reluctance to put the things on the carriage.
There were many of them, so they loaded the things onto the carriage in no time. Zhou Li got on and Dapeng drove the carriage. When they passed the alley, they smelled the aroma of buns, so Zhou Li bought a round of buns to share with everyone.
The capital city was very bustling in the early morning, with the sounds of hawking being heard everywhere. Zhou Li sat on the carriage and took a quick look around. After a while, he arrived at Guiyi Hall.
The restaurant opens late and usually does business at noon and in the evening.
But Zhou Li had already made an agreement with the shopkeeper of Guiyitang yesterday. As soon as Zhou Li and his companions arrived, a waiter opened the door. Zhou Li moved his things in and arranged accommodation before the shopkeeper finally arrived.
When he arrived, he bowed and said some polite words.
The people in Zhou Li's troupe were all straightforward people who traveled around the world. They couldn't get along with the shopkeeper. Even if they did, they couldn't talk to each other much. It was very awkward. Seeing this, Zhou Li took over the conversation and asked, "Shopkeeper, is there something wrong?"
The shopkeeper's face showed embarrassment. He touched his head and said, "It's true."
"You might as well speak frankly." Zhou Li said, "I will definitely help if I can."
The shopkeeper then smiled and said, "Originally, I wanted to let Mr. Zhou rest for a day, but a distinguished guest came to our Guiyi Hall tonight and asked to hear your performance. The price is negotiable, but I wonder if Mr. Zhou is ready to rest?"
The shopkeeper raised three fingers, and Zhou Li asked, "Thirty taels?"
The shopkeeper shook his head and whispered, "Three hundred taels."
Zhou Li raised his eyebrows. This evening's guest was quite generous.
Zhou Li said, "I don't have anything to say. I just told you yesterday that your stage is too narrow. If I want to perform some tricks, I'll have to do a somersault and then leave the stage. It's really not convenient for me to perform. I can't really show off my skills. I guess I can only sing a few songs tonight."
The shopkeeper understood and said, "The world is very tight, and there's really no time to modify the stage. Boss Zhou has a wonderful voice, and even just a casual singing would surely be wonderful."
Zhou Li smiled, "Thank you for the compliment."
She is often praised by others. Although she is happy to hear these words, Zhou Li never takes them to heart. If she really accepts their compliments, she will be hurt instead. They only see her brilliance on the stage, but cannot see her hard work off the stage. Only if she works very hard off the stage can she perform effortlessly on the stage.
After agreeing, Zhou Li thought about what he would perform in the evening, took out his costumes, and went to walk the stage.
After all, it was a strange place, and Zhou Li was afraid that he would miss a step if he didn't walk on the stage.
After walking around the stage and getting familiar with its size, it was noon and people started to come into the store. Dapeng came to call Zhou Li to eat.
They ate in the backyard. The food in the restaurant was well-equipped, with vegetables, meat, and soup. Dapeng had someone bring the food. Zhou Li was busy all afternoon and was hungry. Just as he took a bite, he heard Dapeng mutter, "This restaurant is really strange. There don't seem to be many people sitting in the front, and yet there are several large pots of fried meat. I wonder where they are going to be sent."
"Did you see it?" Zhou Li asked, putting down his chopsticks.
Dapeng nodded and said, "When I went to carry the food, no one paid any attention to me. Luckily, I went straight in."
Zhou Li seemed to be thinking about something, but didn't say anything.
"Eat first."
Dapeng lowered his head and took a big mouthful of rice.
In the afternoon, Zhou Li walked around the restaurant and saw that it had a back door. The alley behind the back door was extremely quiet and almost no one was around. She looked at the location of the back door and entered the restaurant. She found that it was a warehouse with a big lock on it.
Zhou Li was looking at the lock when a man suddenly appeared and asked warily, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Zhou Li had a smile on his face and looked completely defenseless.
"I was invited by the shopkeeper to perform. I'm staying in the guest room up front. I just woke up from my nap and came out for a walk."
The man had dark skin and alert eyes. He carefully checked the lock and found it had not been touched. He then looked Zhou Li up and down and said impatiently, "Don't you know that this is a key area of the warehouse? Don't come here again!"
Zhou Li smiled and asked curiously, seeing him carrying two large buckets covered with white cloth, "What are you going to do?"
The man asked vigilantly, "What's it to you?" He was holding the key in his hand and was obviously trying to open the warehouse door, but he didn't move when Zhou Li was there.
Zhou Li smiled helplessly and said, "I don't have any ill intentions. Since you don't like me so much, I'll just leave." After that, he turned around and left. When he walked behind a tree, he looked back and the person in front of the warehouse was gone.
This Guiyi Hall really has a secret, and it’s a huge secret!
Zhou Li narrowed her eyes and smiled relaxedly. She had a hunch that the secret here must be related to the old prince.
When Zhou Li returned, the shopkeeper was waiting for her and asked her how her preparations were going.
Zhou Li said it was no problem, and the shopkeeper gave her repeated instructions before leaving. It seemed that this guest in the evening was extremely important, otherwise the shopkeeper would not have looked for her again and again.
In the evening, Zhou Li did not dress up fully as he usually did when he went on stage. Instead, he simply drew a picture and went on stage.
The restaurant's business was average in the evening, but the door of the private room on the second floor was wide open. Zhou Li took a casual look, not knowing which table of distinguished guests the shopkeeper was talking about. She glanced at them one by one, and spoke lightly. The people who were having dinner were startled and all looked over.
For a small stage like this, you don’t need too many instruments; a erhu is enough.
Zhou Li flicked her sleeves lightly, and the words came out of her mouth naturally as if they were emerging from her body.
Zhou Li's eyes were bright as she casually spun around on the stage, waving her sleeves. Her movements were natural and her lyrics were playful but not frivolous.
The shopkeeper who was originally working at the cashier on the first floor couldn't help but run up to see what was happening. Zhou Li ignored everyone and looked down at everyone with a gaze like that of a Bodhisattva in a temple.
After the song, there was sparse applause. Zhou Li bowed slightly as a thank you and slowly walked off the stage. The shopkeeper came over and gave a thumbs up, "You really are this!"
Zhou Li twitched his lips slightly, poured himself a glass of water to moisten his throat, and said, "Who is the distinguished guest you are talking about?"
The shopkeeper pursed his lips, "The one at Tianziyi is the one with the best view in our store. Our boss came here in person to accompany us."
"Your boss? A distant relative of the prince's housekeeper?" Zhou Li was puzzled.
Zhou Li hasn't seen this person much in the past two days.
The shopkeeper nodded, with an expression of disbelief on his face: "This is a big deal, bigger than our boss's other businesses."
"Then your boss is quite powerful." Zhou Li smiled.
The shopkeeper was proud: "That's right, our boss got this year's salt permit, you... cough..." He suddenly became alert: "You performed well, anyway, this money is indispensable, this distinguished guest likes our culture."
Suddenly, things got busy downstairs and the shopkeeper ran away.
Zhou Li pondered the meaning of his words. Do you like our culture?
Our own people wouldn't say such things, only outsiders would.
Thinking of the foreigners he had met in the provincial capital, Zhou Li's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that there were foreigners sitting in that room?
She looked over, but her eyes were blocked by the bamboo curtain, and the shadows were blurry and unclear.
Zhou Li frowned. If that was true, then they were probably doing something very dangerous.
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