For the girls of Hua Manor, this was their first time wearing such peculiar clothes and performing such novel talents, so everyone took this rehearsal very seriously.
"For this Oiran competition, Hua Rao will start and Ah Lian will finish! Hua Rao’s dance is energetic and can set the atmosphere, so it’s best as an opening act. Qing Lei, Leng Qing, Yi Ling, and Qiao Qiao will perform in that order, with Ah Lian finishing. At that time, Madam Chen will host and everyone should follow her instructions. Understood?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, clearly satisfied with the arrangement. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
Since the Oiran competition would attract guests based on Ah Lian’s reputation, it was only natural for her to perform last. With the final act settled, the order of the other performers didn’t matter much.
Xin He nodded: "Alright! Let’s do a rehearsal now. Everyone, get ready!"
"Yes."
Following the designated order, the rehearsal began, with the musicians already prepared.
Xin He sat below the stage, carefully observing the performances. As the only audience today, she was genuinely engaged.
Shulan hurriedly approached her, whispered a few words in her ear: "Miss Qiaoqiao seems to be in a bad mood and refuses to come downstairs. She says she is confident in her performance, and since she has never done a rehearsal before, she doesn’t need one this time."
Xin He softly replied: "Then just leave her be. After all, she’s performing the ancient dance, so even without rehearsal, it shouldn’t matter. Let her have her way."
There was no need to indulge anyone’s whims. Under this simple principle of survival of the fittest, Qiao Qiao wasn’t even comparable in appearance or temperament. Giving her the opportunity to perform was already a favor, but she still acted ungrateful, which was too much.
"Yes."
After a cursory rehearsal, Xin He made some suggestions to address their minor remaining issues and further improved their coordination with the musicians and dance partners. By the time everything had concluded, it was already dusk.
Settling into the horse carriage to return home, Xin He’s face showed fatigue, but her eyes were bright with excitement: "I was actually worried that it would be difficult for them to adapt to the new performance styles, but it seems that I underestimated them. Their performance has genuinely exceeded my expectations, and it’s bound to be outstanding!"
Xiaoyu laughed: "Madam, with all the effort you’ve put into preparing this feast, how could it not be a success? Rest assured."
"Before heading back, let’s go to Qinghe’s shop."
It had been a while since they moved out, and due to the busyness of Hua Manor, they hadn’t even had time to heat any wine. Being so busy meant that she hadn’t seen her big brother for a while, nor had she visited the shop to check on things. Today’s rehearsal was over, and with some time to spare, she thought to visit the shop.
"Yes."
Soon, the horse carriage stopped in front of Qinghe’s small shop.
However, it seemed there was a small gathering of people at the entrance. While the crowd wasn’t large, their whispering seemed out of the ordinary. Xin He frowned slightly and got off the carriage with Shulan’s help.
"Big brother." Xin He quickly went inside, only to see Ji Dong seemingly cleaning up something - broken porcelain and spilled wine littered the floor. Xin He’s expression turned even more unpleasant.
"Xin He? Why are you here at this hour?" Ji Dong was startled and slightly flustered.
"What happened? Did you break a wine jug?" Xin He inquired.
Ji Dong hesitated: "It’s nothing, really. I just accidentally broke a small wine jug just now."
Xin He looked at Ji Dong’s demeanor and sensed something was off. Her eyes turned sharp: "If you’re not going to tell me the truth, I can just go ask the people outside. There are so many onlookers at the door, it shouldn’t be difficult to find out."
Ji Dong quickly stopped her: "Ah, it’s not a big deal. Ji Xiulan came by earlier."
Xin He coldly replied: "Ji Xiulan sure has become bold, even daring to cause trouble on my territory."
"She came with that Master Sun. No harm was really done. She just made some cutting remarks, seemingly lost her grip, and dropped the wine jug. What could I argue with her about? She claimed it was an accident, and Master Sun was generous enough to compensate for the loss. So I figured we could just let it go," Ji Dong advised.
Xin He looked at her honest big brother and couldn’t help but shake her head. Ji Xiulan was not a person who could be dealt with by conventional means – Ji Dong was just too naïve!
However, Xin He understood that Ji Dong must have already been upset. Now was not the time to dwell on this matter, so she instructed: "Next time she comes, don’t be afraid. Just chase her out. Our family doesn’t owe her anything, so why should we suffer her abuse?"
Ji Dong smiled: "Don’t worry, I have a big heart. She can’t get to me."
After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice: "But today, I caught a glimpse of the man she married, and he’s really a wretched old man. Despite his advanced age, he’s still taking concubines. I really don’t know what Ji Xiulan was thinking, she’s not afraid of losing face."
Xin He chuckled: "Having married him, Ji Xiulan doesn’t have any face left. Today she even dared to bring him to show off in front of you. Big brother, when dealing with shameless people like Ji Xiulan, you can’t care about saving face. Letting her bully you shouldn’t be an option!"
Ji Dong nodded, smiling: "Don’t worry, I understand."
——
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Xin He didn’t take Ji Xiulan’s incident to heart, seeing her as a mere clown trying to steal the show. She advised her big brother and then put it behind her, as there were more important matters to deal with now.
On this day, Xin He did not go to Hua Manor but went directly to Guilin Residence first.
As she approached the entrance of Guilin Residence, she saw Shopkeeper Wu about to go out.
Xin He raised an eyebrow: "Shopkeeper Wu, in such a hurry, do you have some urgent matter?"
Shopkeeper Wu almost jumped when he saw her: "Oh, my dear young lady, apart from your business, what other urgent matters do I have? When are we going to start advertising that Hua Manor? The grand opening is in three days!"
Xin He laughed: "That’s exactly why I came to see you. Let’s go inside and talk."
Shopkeeper Wu couldn’t wait to run over, eagerly agreeing and following Xin He into Guilin Residence and up to a private room on the second floor.
"So, are we going to start advertising today? Oh dear, I knew it was a bit late, but you don’t seem to be worried about it. That’s odd..."
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