Zhao Hao sat at the desk, unfolded Ma Xianglan's letter in the afternoon sun, and read it word by word.

From those neat and tidy lines, he learned that Ma Xianglan was just a little-known courtesan at that time, and was still worried about her shallow poetry skills. She said that compared with those quick-witted women historians, her poems were unbearable to read. So she wanted to offer a gift of tuition, become Zhao Hao's apprentice, and learn how to write poems and lyrics from him, and she was willing to endure any hardship for this.

After the letter, she also attached a piece of Xue Tao paper with her "humble work" written on it, and begged Zhao Hao to "correct it".

Zhao Hao read the poem titled "Parrot" and said:

'I watch parrots all day long, and they live in a golden cage. The green parrots are good at brushing their feathers, and the red parrots are good at keeping their voices.

The soul of the Long tree should be broken, and the Wu sound should be formed. I cherish you, the snow-white clothes, and I will always accompany you with my love.

"With this level, you are more than qualified to be my teacher..." Zhao Hao couldn't help but smile bitterly. This poem "Parrot" uses objects to describe people, and expresses the pain of the poet being trapped in a cage and unable to control his own behavior. Even if I study poetry for ten years, I may not be able to write such a poem.

Even so, Ma Xianglan was still troubled by the poor level of her poetry, and she didn't know what kind of beautiful poems those "quick-witted" Qinhuai ladies would write.

No wonder Monk Xuelang looks up to them.

"Alas, it's a pity that I'm just a plagiarist. How can I give you any guidance..." Zhao Hao smiled awkwardly and put down the letter.

However, if there is a chance in the future, he still wants to help Ma Xianglan.

All of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai possessed top-notch character and talent, but each had her own unique characteristic. Ma Xianglan's characteristic was "foolishness".

When Zhao Hao read history, he felt quite sympathetic towards this unfortunate infatuated woman, and he also hated the "Wang Gou Caizi" who had seduced her and then abandoned her because he had hurt her so deeply!

Although Zhao Hao didn't have any improper thoughts about Ma Xianglan, he also hoped that she could have a good outcome and not meet a scumbag again.

After counting on her fingers, she should not have met the killer named Wang yet... It seems that she met Wang later because she wanted to learn poetry, but in the end, she ended up ruining her whole life.

I think, if she had a few famous poems, the Wang family would not have the face to pretend to be a great talent with her!

"Giving you a few poems is a piece of cake..." However, Zhao Hao, who never wanted to do business at a loss, was in distress again. "But there are only so many masterpieces from the Ming and Qing dynasties. If I give you one, there will be one less. It really hurts..."

While she was worrying, she heard the voice of Shopkeeper Fang outside: "Qiaoqiao, is the young master taking a nap?"

"Who knows..." Qiaoqiao's voice was a little muffled.

"What's the matter? Come in and tell me." Zhao Hao shouted to the outside and put Ma Xianglan's letter back into the box.

"Yes, sir." Fang De responded, and walked into the west room, bowed to Zhao Hao, and said softly: "Sir, based on my past experience, if the restaurant invites a lady who plays the piano and sings lyrics, it will be very helpful to attract customers, and customers will accept higher prices for dishes."

"Of course." Zhao Hao nodded, thinking, isn't it just a performance to liven up the atmosphere?

"So I took the initiative the other day and asked Mr. Jia to invite a few well-known singing girls in the North City to come and meet them today." Fang De looked at Zhao Hao's face and said with a smile, "Play a few songs for the boss, and then ask the boss to make the decision."

"Oh?" Zhao Hao readily agreed, "I have nothing to do anyway, let them come over."

But he completely forgot that he had planned to write a book in the afternoon...

~~

Fang De went out to greet them, and the old captain led several singing girls into the courtyard.

The restaurant couldn't afford a band, so they had to ask the singing girls to play solo. So they either held their pipa or their lyre, curiously looking at this small courtyard, which was newly decorated but still looked shabby.

It is hard to imagine that a restaurant owner would actually live in a place like this...

When they entered one after another, they were even more disappointed. The so-called boss was actually just a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old.

Isn't this nonsense?

Two of the singing girls turned around and left on the spot, and the rest also looked sullen.

If you don't have food to eat, who would go to a restaurant to show up and sing for a living? But I don't have time to mess around with a little boy...

They were unhappy, and Zhao Hao was even more unhappy.

Seeing them with thick powder on their faces and wearing bright red and green skirts, Zhao Hao frowned at their vulgar appearance.

Yu Jiachang and Fang De were both good at observing people’s expressions and words, so how could they not see that their boss was unhappy?

"Boss, our North City is a poor place. Who would want to work here for a living if they are pretty?" Yu Jiachang leaned close to Zhao Hao's ear and whispered, "Since you are here, you might as well listen. There might be some surprises."

"Yes, boss. As long as we sing well, the diners will buy it." Fang De also advised from the other side.

"Okay, please sing." Zhao Hao nodded and listened patiently.

The first singing girl bowed and sat down, playing the pipa and singing the tune of "Guazhi'er":

"I made an appointment with my lover. We agreed to meet when the flowers bloom. The peony terrace and peony fences have been repaired and are waiting for the flowers to sprout. It's almost Qingming Festival, but the stamens have not yet sprouted. It will bloom at this time. It's too late to wait..."

The lyrics are good, but for such a simple song, he obviously played several wrong notes. His voice is even worse, and he was out of tune...

Yu Jiachang was listening with great interest, but Fang De frowned. He used to run a restaurant by the Qinhuai River, so how could he tolerate such vulgar sounds?

Without Zhao Hao saying anything, Fang De quickly waved his hand and said, "Next."

As a result, the next person who played the piano was not as good as the previous one. He turned the soft and soothing "Drizzle and Pine Waves" into a flavor of war and iron cavalry.

"When the guests heard this, they thought we were going to chase them away..."

Fang De smiled bitterly and asked the man to leave.

After the remaining two singing girls finished their performances, Zhao Hao gave them some money and asked Yu Jiachang to send them out.

~~

When no one else was around, Fang De asked Zhao Hao, "Boss, are there any of these four that you are reluctant to meet?"

"What do you think?" Zhao Hao asked back.

"It's really hard to describe the level of the four of them." Fang De chose his words carefully, "If we have to pick the best from the short ones, I think the last girl playing the flute is not bad..." He thought, at least she doesn't have to sing, and it can cover up her ugliness.

"I don't want to make do." Zhao Hao shook his head and said, "Wei Ji Xian has to surpass Jiangnan Twelve Floors. The singing girls we invite have to be worthy of it."

"The situation in the North City is like this. If you want to catch the boss's eye, you'll have to go to the South City to find someone." Fang De said with a wry smile, "Like back then, my restaurant invited a not-so-famous lady from Qinhuai River to run it. She only played and sang seven songs a night, but she charged two taels of silver. Even then, she had to be picked up and dropped off by cars, beg and ask for favors, and give red envelopes to the maid who brought her in."

"One night is equivalent to a strong laborer's work for a month." Zhao Hao couldn't help but gasp at the words. "Is this not enough?"

"Oh, isn't it?" Fang De sighed, "It's all because of those rich people who spoiled them. So all the girls with a little bit of beauty and talent have gone to the South City. How much money do we have to spend to invite them to Caijia Lane?"

What Fang De meant was to persuade Zhao Hao to face the reality and be more particular.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Hao's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh hard and said, "Got it!"

Fang De grinned and said, "Boss, have you come up with a solution?"

"Well, I'll take care of it." Zhao Hao nodded confidently and said with a smile, "On the opening day, I guarantee a full house!"

"Okay, now that the boss says so, I feel relieved." After hearing this, Fang De was no longer worried.

ps. The second update is here, please vote for me and give me a review~~~~~