Chapter Thirty-Eight: Dance in the Moonlight
As dusk settles, the lights in Muxiyuan Garden are lit up one after another, illuminating the ornate garden mansions with their carved beams and painted rafters.
The winding corridor is surrounded by clear water, where lotus lanterns float, their flickering shadows casting shimmering golden light on the surface. Flowers and trees line the banks, swaying gently in the breeze as if welcoming guests.
In the spacious courtyard in front of the main hall, long tables made of rosewood were set out, laden with a dazzling array of delicacies. Amber-colored wine shimmered enchantingly in the light, served in crystal goblets; exquisitely crafted pastries, each uniquely shaped and lifelike, graced carved porcelain plates. Elegantly dressed waiters moved about among the guests, the air filled with the fragrance of ambergris.
The guests sat or stood, chatting and laughing. Four young masters and ladies surrounded the lady, talking with several dignified, silver-haired elderly men in the center of the main hall, while Butler Xing and his entourage stood by solemnly.
As night deepens, the scenery in the garden becomes increasingly enchanting. The pavilions and towers, illuminated by lights, resemble a fairyland; the reflections in the water complement the real scenery, making one feel as if they are in a painting.
After the banquet, the group watched the dance. Following the butler, they filed out on the carpet with lotus patterns. As they stepped over the threshold, they stirred up the ash of unburnt ambergris from the cracks in the main hall floor tiles, which mingled with the scent of tuberose wafting from the west garden.
As the guests took their seats on the sandalwood bench overlooking the water in front of Lanyue Hall, the Madam, along with her eldest son and his family of three, and the other young masters and ladies, also took their seats.
The young master's wife was gently telling the child in her arms to be quiet. She glanced at the newly renovated stage of Lan Yue Hall and thought of the stunningly handsome young man she had met in the madam's courtyard a couple of days ago. She couldn't help but look forward to tonight's performance.
When the drumbeats first sounded, they didn't come from any visible instruments. Instead, the rhythm of a musician striking a bronze chime came from a crack in the stone at the corner of the platform, transmitted through underground copper pipes. The stage spotlight suddenly dimmed, leaving only the cool white moonlight filtering through the openwork carvings of the dome, pouring down like water and spreading around like ethereal mist.
As the ethereal and melodious music played, the stunningly handsome young man leading the dance emerged gracefully from under the moonlight. Yun Yao, clad in a moon-white robe with wide sleeves, seemed to float on the wind, detached from worldly affairs. The white jade hairpin in his hair gleamed warmly in the moonlight, making him appear like a celestial being banished from the moon from a painting from a thousand years ago.
The deep, plaintive sound of the xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) rose and fell. Yun Yao slowly raised his chin, his eyes slightly closed, his long eyelashes casting butterfly-like shadows beneath his eyes. His slender fingers gently stretched out, as if trying to touch the unreachable moon. The movements of his fingertips were delicate and gentle, carrying the unique grace of classical dance.
He opened his eyes, and it was as if he were an innocent child who was meeting the moon for the first time in a thousand years. His gaze toward the bright moon was so joyful and sincere, clean and pure.
May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart.
As the ethereal and melodious music played, the boy's body spun, stretched, and leaped... Every movement was clean, crisp, light, and graceful, like a pure and intelligent soul drinking wine under the moon, inviting the moon, confiding in the moon, and dancing with the moon.
The uniquely classical dance movements, combined with the boy's sincere expression, vividly portrayed the complex emotions of sorrow, joy, and heroism felt when confiding in the moon. It evoked the romantic sentiment of "meeting in the distant Milky Way," and deeply moved the audience, allowing them to feel the loneliness yet carefree spirit of facing the bright moon.
Suddenly, the drumbeats rose sharply, like a sudden rain pattering on banana leaves. The young man lightly touched the ground with his toes, spun around, and rose into the air. His wide sleeves billowed like flowing clouds, and as his clothes fluttered, it seemed as if moonlight was flowing through them. He frowned and looked up, his slender fingers outstretched like orchids, grasping at the bright moon in the sky as if he wanted to treasure the fleeting moonlight in his palm.
As he spun, his figure was like a jade tree in the wind, his long hair flying wildly, each flick of his sleeve carrying the force of thunder, yet without losing his elegance.
He immersed himself in the context created by the dance, using highly expressive body language to perfectly combine the continuity of life with the subtle changes in emotions, bringing the audience a visual and auditory feast and allowing them to feel the unique charm of classical dance and the profound cultural heritage contained in poetry.
As the music ended, the boy slowly stopped, his lowered eyelashes casting delicate shadows beneath his eyes.
He was slightly out of breath, with beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, yet a faint smile played on his lips, reflecting the bright moon in a breathtakingly beautiful way, as if all the splendor of the world had been concentrated in him alone.
That night, the clouds drifted like the bright moon, reflecting in everyone's hearts.
Below the stage, the crowd was stunned for a moment, then burst into enthusiastic applause. The second young master, Xu Zhi, was visibly excited, his eyes burning with passion. He was completely captivated by the dance; he truly hadn't expected Yun Yao to bring such a surprise. Yun Yao was more than just a little interesting.
Thinking about why Yun Yao was here, Xu Zhi couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, the people who are best at discovering treasures in this world are merchants.
He turned to say something to his elder brother, but saw that his brother was holding a wine glass but hadn't drunk from it. He just kept his eyes down, seemingly lost in thought, and didn't even notice his little daughter tugging at his clothes.
Instead, his sister-in-law looked at him excitedly and said amidst enthusiastic applause, "That dance was wonderful, so beautiful!"
The third young lady, Ming Xiao, looked at the young man on the stage, a smile appearing on her usually indifferent face. She knew that this performance would be a great success. She had watched Yun Yao prepare and choreograph this dance all the way, and no one knew better than her how amazing Yun Yao's dedication and talent were.
Meanwhile, the fourth young master, sitting on the other side, was leading the enthusiastic applause. He smiled and then secretly glanced at his wife, who was sitting in the center of the crowd. Seeing that his wife's deep eyes were fixed on the young man on the stage with great affection, he felt a little melancholy. He vaguely thought that if he could be as outstanding as Yun Yao, he would definitely make his wife like him even more.
...
A week has passed since the banquet and dance performance. Since that day, Yun Yao can clearly feel the change in the attitude of everyone in the garden towards him.
Butler Xing stopped referring to him as his apprentice and instead privately encouraged him to continue his dance career. The Third Miss and the Fourth Young Master began visiting Lan Yue Hall more often to watch him practice. Even the Eldest Young Master's wife struck up a conversation with him during a chance encounter, and Yun Yao learned that this young lady was named Lou Yingying, a rather straightforward and cheerful woman who currently worked at a hospital in the central city.
Of all the people, the one whose attitude towards Yun Yao changed the most was the second young master, Xu Zhi. This guy, who used to be nonchalant and dismissive, has now become Yun Yao's inseparable shadow. Although it's impolite to say it like that, Yun Yao really couldn't stand Xu Zhi's self-absorbed affection any longer.
He always appeared suddenly and displayed excessive enthusiasm, such as wanting to take Yun Yao to play somewhere, and occasionally giving Yun Yao expensive gifts, etc. This feeling reminded Yun Yao of Qin Rao from back then, they were almost identical. However, Xu Zhi was a man, and a junior of the lady, which made Yun Yao even more troubled by this.
Xu Zhi didn't dare to go too far. He always seemed to be walking on some kind of ambiguous relationship boundary, slippery and difficult to criticize directly, and it was unclear what he wanted to do.
Yun Yao had no choice but to avoid this troublesome person as much as possible. Whether he was acting crazy or trying to use him to get closer to his wife, Yun Yao simply ignored him and didn't engage with him.
Days passed by as Yun Yao tried to keep a low profile. Besides staying by his wife's side and helping with some of the assistant's work, Yun Yao spent his days practicing dance in Lan Yue Hall and Yuan Yang Pavilion. Anyone wanting to find him had to go to either his wife's main courtyard or Lan Yue Hall in the West Garden.
As for dance performances, Yun Yao was well aware that as his wife, she could not participate in public competitions or performances like other normal dancers; this was not permitted.
No matter how well he dances, he can only be like a bird locked in a nobleman's golden cage, unable to show off his beautiful feathers to the world.
For Yun Yao, the opportunity to choreograph and perform a complete dance like last time was rare and precious. Muxi Garden couldn't possibly host that many banquets; now, when he went to Lanyue Hall, he mostly just practiced dancing to pass the time.
However, such days were rather monotonous and confusing for Yun Yao, who was not yet twenty-one years old. Perhaps the Madam had the same consideration, so one afternoon, she called Yun Yao back as he was about to go to Lan Yue Hall.
The lady told Yun Yao that younger members of the family, around his age, could choose to intern at various institutions or even receive training in formal organizations before taking on mid-level management positions. She asked Yun Yao if he was interested, saying she could arrange it for him. In truth, Yun Yao knew that while the lady seemed to be offering him choices, his decisions would inevitably have to be within the framework of her approval.
Sure enough, the lady told Yunyao that the clan had resources in various fields, and the younger generation had all received invitations. For example, the most enthusiastic second young master, Xu Zhi, whose family had connections in the science and education field, strongly invited Yunyao to intern at one of his family's well-known book publishing companies.
It was only then that Yun Yao realized that the seemingly unruly and playful second young master actually came from a family with a number of scientists and educators, and that his family had been quite strict in his upbringing. Is this a case of how people tend to gravitate towards what they suppress as they grow up, going against the grain?
Yun Yao has been avoiding the Second Young Master Xu Zhi lately, so of course he wouldn't walk into the line of fire. Therefore, he didn't consider it at all, even though the internship opportunities at this well-known book publishing company were extremely valuable, and many top university students were scrambling to get them.
“Alright,” the lady said, patting Yun Yao’s cheek affectionately when he refused. She then brought up another invitation, “Chi’er told me the other day that there are also nominations in the logistics department of his unit. That’s a pretty good position.”
Yun Yao looked at Madam with some surprise. He hadn't expected the eldest young master to have invited him as well. Since that banquet, Yun Yao had rarely encountered the eldest young master at Muxi Garden. In the few times they did meet, they were just nodding acquaintances as always, and he had far more opportunities to meet with Madam Lou.
The lady had her assistant give Yun Yao a detailed introduction to several positions, including one recommended by the eldest young master. Yun Yao felt a little dizzy listening to the explanations. If these positions were offered elsewhere, they would be fiercely contested. This included not only easy, high-paying, and high-benefit positions, but also some promising, key development roles—resources that would likely be highly sought after by second- or third-generation rich kids in smaller towns.
Yun Yao listened to these introductions with a frown, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.
He could neither accept favors from the second young master's family nor the eldest young master's recommendation. He also couldn't accept easily obtaining these job opportunities simply because he was the mistress's person.
None of these paths were what he wanted to choose. It wasn't that he was being pretentious, but that he couldn't. He always remembered the lesson of his father's imprisonment and his original intentions.
After listening to his assistant's introduction, Yun Yao pondered for a moment and then said to his wife, "Madam, thank you for your kindness and everyone's. However, these are not things I want to do or can do. I think, if I have the opportunity, I would like to go back to school and study more."
The lady was momentarily surprised. Few people could be like Yun Yao, willing to remain calm in the face of so many temptations. However, it wasn't surprising that Yun Yao made such a decision. The lady thought affectionately, Yun Yao has always been such a good boy; he's so obedient.
She sighed softly, hugged Yun Yao in her arms, and said gently, "Studying is good too. There is no end to learning."
The lady kissed Yun Yao's smooth forehead. "Then, Yun'er, what major do you want to study, and which university?"
Yun Yao was also troubled by the question his wife had asked. He had already graduated from the dance academy, and he was at a loss as to how to study again. "Madam, I haven't thought about it yet."
The lady looked at Yun Yao and said affectionately, "Yun'er, don't worry. Just treat this as further study. Learn more other knowledge and enrich yourself, and that will be enough."
The lady has already made a plan: Yunyao can attend a special postgraduate course. Coincidentally, a prestigious university in the city center provides such places to the upper class every year.
That's how it was decided that Yunyao would go to school.
Sometimes the lady would tease Yunyao, saying, "Yun'er, now that you're with me, all you can do here is read and dance. Don't you get bored?"
Yun Yao replied sincerely, "How could that be, Madam? If we could dance and read every day, that would be like living the life of a god."
He added silently to himself, "It would be even better if I had more freedom."
What he wanted was always very simple.
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