Masked Girl
The early summer sea breeze blew obliquely, bringing with it a salty smell and the sound of calls from the distant dock. It was a very ordinary noon in Ganzhou City.
Chen Yu, dressed in white clothes as white as snow, was walking towards the second floor of Liufeng Pavilion with vigorous steps.
The mutton-fat jade pendant hanging around his waist made light tapping sounds as he moved.
"I heard that Miss Xian Ning is waiting for me."
He stood in front of the carved door, a nonchalant laugh in his voice.
The maid inside the door responded,
"please."
He pushed open the door and was first greeted by a faint scent of agarwood mixed with the faint aroma of herbs.
The maid went out and knocked on the door gently from the outside.
The room is elegantly decorated.
Chen Yu glanced at the dressing table, where there was a gilded hairpin with loose pearls, obviously put on in a hurry.
What’s even more interesting is the plate of osmanthus cake on the table. The bite marks still have sesame seeds on them, clearly having been eaten secretly.
A female voice came from behind the colorful bead curtain.
"Please wait a moment, sir. I will change my clothes and come back."
Chen Yu sat at the round table. He raised his eyebrows and tapped the corner of the table with his fingers.
"No rush."
Picking up the teacup, he caught a glimpse of a beige skirt hem peeking out from the gap in the beaded curtain.
He deliberately placed the teacup heavier, and the corners of his mouth curled up even deeper.
"I've heard that Miss Xian Ning plays the zither very well. I wonder if I'll have the pleasure to hear her play today."
The sound of the piano suddenly arose, but it was half a beat faster than ordinary music.
Chen Yu listened quietly, his knuckles lightly touching his lips.
The force with which he pressed the strings clearly showed the foundation of a martial artist.
Aren't the fingers of girls in brothels supposed to be soft?
Where can one develop such strong muscles?
Then he put down the teacup and stood up, deliberately creating a gust of wind when he lifted the curtain.
The woman behind the bead curtain stepped back in a hurry, and the pearl hairpin in her hair hit the gauze hook, making a tinkling sound.
"The girl's hand speed doesn't look like she's playing the piano, it looks like she's practiced."
Chen Yu leaned against the dressing table and smiled.
"Or is it that the top performer in Liufeng Pavilion is a martial artist?"
The woman froze.
She could not help but clutch the handkerchief in her sleeve and said reluctantly through the gauze curtain,
"The official is joking."
Chen Yu walked over and gently lifted the hanging bead curtain with his fingertips.
The woman leaned back subconsciously, but forgot that there was a dressing table behind her, and the pearl hairpins on her temples fell onto the diamond-shaped mirror.
The bright sunlight leaked in through the window lattice and fell on her veiled face.
Chen Yu's breathing paused.
That was not the heavily made-up courtesan he had imagined, but a plain face.
Her eyebrows were as dark as distant mountains, her eyes were like hanging pearls, her skin was white and translucent, but her pupils were darker.
Although she was wearing a veil, he accidentally caught a glimpse of her eyes and eyebrows when the bead curtain was lifted just now.
Clean and neat, unlike any other woman in this brothel.
"He was born clean."
His eyes flashed slightly, and he bent down to pick up the ball, stroking the water marks on the surface of the pearl with his fingertips.
The tips of the woman's ears turned red, and she hurriedly pulled off her veil and tried to grab it.
"Give it back to me!"
She has a small nose, pink lips like flowers, and a hint of anger at the corners of her mouth.
Chen Yu took two steps back and turned the hairpin in his palm.
"I just thought it looked nice, so I borrowed it to take a look."
"Give it back to me!"
The woman raised her hand to pick up the teacup on the table and pretended to smash it, but stopped at the critical moment.
Chen Yu raised his eyebrows.
"What? Don't you dare?"
The woman bit her lip, but ultimately did not take action.
But she just stared at him with a wary look in her eyes.
Chen Yu lowered his head and smiled, suddenly finding this girl quite interesting.
She was not like the women in brothels who were used to flattering others. Instead, she exuded an unknown stubbornness.
"There's something different about the girl."
He asked seemingly casually.
“It’s none of your business!”
The woman frowned, obviously not wanting to say more, and just said lightly.
Then she quickly stood up, lifted the curtain and walked to the window.
Suddenly, a shrill sound was heard outside the window, and the woman, who was just angry, changed her expression slightly.
Then the second sound was heard, and the woman glanced towards the window seemingly casually.
Chen Yu followed closely and came in front of her, pursing his thin lips, with a sense of oppression in his silence.
Slowly he took a step forward, and the two of them almost bumped into each other.
Probably not expecting him to be so reckless, the woman took a few steps back in shock, almost bumping into the window beside her.
"That was a close call."
Chen Yu lowered his head and sniffed her hair.
The woman then realized that they were very close to each other. She could see his Adam's apple rolling and smell the scent of ambergris mixed with gunpowder on his clothes.
This is not a businessman at all!
"You are outrageous."
The woman pushed him away unhappily.
"If you hug me again, I'll be rude to you!"
"Oh, really?
"Miss Xian Ning."
There was a hint of temptation in Chen Yu's calm eyes. He leaned forward with his hands naturally behind his back.
He looked at her angry expression. He had come here to investigate arms smuggling, but he didn't expect to meet such an interesting woman first.
I'm afraid this trip won't be boring.
The woman turned around unnaturally and walked quickly to the round table.
"I was confused for a moment, I hope you will forgive me."
She picked up the white wine glass that was already filled with wine and drank it all in one gulp.
"happy."
Seeing this, Chen Yu clapped his hands lightly, and the smile on his face deepened.
"The girl is also a straightforward person."
Then he walked towards the round table, sat back down without a second thought, and started eating with his chopsticks.
The woman lowered her head, suppressing her displeasure and smiled faintly, her pink lips revealing a chill in her bones.
"Is it delicious?"
Hearing this, Chen Yu raised his head and held the chopsticks in his hand, his eyes clear.
"Try it?"
The woman stared at him motionlessly.
"Sir, your kindness is great, but I will not trouble you."
Seeing her gloomy face, Chen Yu smiled, lowered his head to fill his glass with wine and took another sip, and couldn't help sighing,
"This wine is very spicy!"
Then he stood up quickly, his clothes fluttering.
"Since it's inconvenient for you today, I'll have to come back another day."
He turned around and took a step and then turned back and said jokingly,
"Next time you want to steal some food, remember to clean it up."
"Hmph, you lecher!"
The woman looked out the door, her face showing a mixture of anger and resentment.
"Next time we meet, I'll make sure you pay me back with interest!"
She is Shangguan Fuyao, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and today she is entertaining guests on behalf of her good friend Miss Xianning.
She didn't expect to meet such a man, who not only saw through her disguise, but also stole her favorite pearl hairpin!
Chen Yu looked up at the second floor from downstairs and suddenly felt that this trip to the small county town was quite interesting.
Fuyao walked quickly to the window in the house and threw a square handkerchief under the window.
After a while, another woman climbed up from the side of the fence.
"You're back!"
Seeing this, she hurriedly reached out from the window and pulled it up.
"Fuyao, I'm sorry for the delay."
The girl who was pulled up looked guilty.
"It's okay, Sister Xianning, have you seen your brother?"
Fuyao asked anxiously.
"No."
Xian Ning lowered her head with a look of loss.
Fuyao thought, could it be another money-swindler?
Be careful not to meet the person who brought the letter again next time, and I promise not to beat him to death!
Xian Ning turned her head and saw the round table covered with food and wine, then she suddenly remembered that she had a visitor today.
Then he looked up and exclaimed,
"Has that official been here?"
Fuyao nodded. What official? He was just a robber. It was the first time she saw someone coming to a brothel to rob things.
If it weren't for the inconvenience here, she would have made him cry and beg to return the things to her!
In order to prevent people from noticing that Xianning was going out, Fuyao dressed up according to her usual attire.
But Xian Ning did not come back as agreed, and the robber had already arrived. In a hurry, she could only grab the veil beside the bed and put it on.
In the end, not only did she let him see her face, but she also stole her hairpin.
This was the first time she felt so aggrieved, and Fuyao secretly swore in her heart that she would pay it back sooner or later.
But in order not to make Xian Ning worry, she just smiled and said,
"Yes, he came, but he left soon after something happened, don't worry.
I need to change my clothes quickly, Uncle Yu is waiting."
As she said this, she winked mischievously and went behind the gauze curtain to change back into her own clothes.
Everything was ready, and Fuyao jumped out of the window.
"My dear, you are finally here."
Uncle Yu, who was anxiously waiting under the window, saw her coming down and expressed his concern.
"Don't worry, you taught me how to do this."
Fuyao asked knowingly,
"Although you came back a little late, I have already dealt with it."
Uncle Yu knew that his young lady was anxious to help Miss Xian Ning find her long-lost brother, so he changed the subject.
"We've dealt with this, but we'll see how you handle the situation with the lady later."
Fuyao's face, which had just been smiling, immediately became serious.
"go home!"
Looking at the young lady's graceful figure walking away, Uncle Yu shook his head gently, his slightly dark face full of doting.
He knew that she was open-minded and kind-hearted, and even though Miss Xianning was just a musician, she treated her like a sister.
The two of them sneakily jumped down from the high wall in the backyard, turned their heads and looked around, and the yard was quiet.
Fuyao turned back with a proud look on her face,
“Look, don’t worry.
I heard the shop has been very busy lately, so it's unlikely that A Niang would come back so early."
Then he strode towards his own courtyard without any burden.
As she walked up the bluestone steps and entered the courtyard, she couldn't wait to shout,
"Lime, I'm hungry."
The door creaked open, and the maid Qing Ning came out with a troubled look on her face.
"Young lady."
At the same time, the little hand quietly pointed behind him.
Following her finger, Fuyao saw A'niang sitting at the desk, and her heart, which had been relieved, became heavy again.
She immediately stepped forward with a smile and tugged at Madam Tong's collar.
"Mother, why did you come back so early today? I heard from Second Aunt that the shop has been very busy recently."
"Aren't you punished by copying the Book of Poetry at home?"
The woman in simple clothes spoke, with no obvious emotion on her face.
"I'm tired from copying, so I asked Uncle Yu to accompany me out for a walk to relax!"
Fuyao said as she squatted down in front of the woman, placed her little face on her knees, blinked her eyes and said,
"Mother, since Fuyao worked so hard on copying, can you please forgive me this time?"
Seeing her acting like a spoiled child, the woman finally couldn't help but smile and reached out to touch her forehead lightly.
"This won't happen again."
Then he raised his hand and took his daughter's hand and said earnestly,
"You have just passed the age of 15 and are now an adult. Remember to be careful with your words and actions and don't do anything too out of line."
"Yes, sir."
Fuyao said happily while holding A Niang's hand.
Although Madam Tong did not blame her, she still punished her by not allowing her to go out for half a month.
If you don't want to go out, then don't go out. It's okay to practice martial arts at home and listen to the birds singing.
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