Chapter 56: Ge Mansion
During his few days on the ship, Chu Wang spent his free time catching up on his Chinese translation classes, translating classical Chinese texts into vernacular Chinese, and vice versa, following his old teacher's instructions. While he was doing this in Mrs. Ge's room, Mi Qiu and Li Qi would curiously gather around her, chatting with her. Suddenly, the place felt more alive and full of life, something he had never experienced at Mrs. Qiao's.
"What is the girl doing?"
"Why are we maids interfering with the girls? Be careful not to disturb the girls."
"The only person who often hangs out at the Ge Mansion is Miss Xie. She doesn't bother to pay attention to us. My niece is gentle by nature. Although she doesn't talk much, she makes people feel closer to her."
Occasionally, she would chat with the two maids and learn that Miqiu and Liqi were originally English names: Miqiu was Michael and Liqi was Lizzy. This was done to accommodate the overseas Chinese and foreigners who frequented the mansion. Later, the names were translated into Chinese to accommodate Shanghai guests from mainland China.
Although Mrs. Ge didn't quite approve of Chu Wang going to the boat's dance hall, she would always take Chu Wang along when there were Peking opera or Kunqu opera performances, and she would also bring Zhenzhen along. Chu Wang didn't understand Peking opera, so she could only watch the actors clattering back and forth at the beginning, their green robes revealing red linings, the green and red all in a garish display. When the others cheered, she would clap along. There were quite a few foreigners on the boat, and it wasn't clear if they truly understood the performances or were just there for the fun, but their clapping and shouting were louder than anyone else's. After clapping, the group of foreigners would gather together and laugh.
Zhenzhen's sharp eyes swept through the Peking operas and Kunqu operas, finally cracking melon seeds and making a comment: "Others spit and cough up pearls, but these are like fishbone stuck in the throat, blocking it." She had sung for several years at home with famous female roles, so her criticism must be quite pertinent. Mrs. Ge listened, glanced at her sideways for a while, laughed, and then went back to the theater.
The most successful person on the boat was Young Master Xie, who lived next door. After Mr. Huang's family dispute that night, Chu Wang hadn't seen him much since. In Mrs. Ge's words, "It was the perfect time for him to go wild."
After Chu Wang finished his homework and spent three days with Mrs. Ge enjoying the food and entertainment on the boat, the ship gradually moved from offshore to the harbor. Amid the roar and applause of the approaching dock, Chu Wang lacked the excitement he had felt the previous time he sailed into the harbor. Amid the cheers and screams of tourists visiting Hong Kong for the first time, Huang Mark leaned against the opposite door and whistled, saying, "This trip is the calmest. Their ocean liner is almost entering the Indian Ocean, right?"
Xie Zeyi heard this, opened the door and said, "The Indian Ocean is quite nostalgic."
Qiao Maling asked, "What happened to the Indian Ocean?"
Mr. Huang explained, "When international students in Europe talk about the Indian Ocean, they all know the same thing: the storms are intense and fierce, and on the ship you can't even eat for days. Beyond the Indian Ocean comes the Red Sea, which is calm, and then you'll reach port. Therefore, the Indian Ocean is associated with vomiting memories."
Qiao Ma Ling uttered an "oh," "I'm afraid my uncle and second sister will suffer, especially my second sister——"
The other side was busy moving things, while this side was moving things calmly. Zhenzhen was sweating for Mrs. Qiao. Chu Wang followed Mrs. Ge and leisurely ate dried mangoes.
As soon as I got off the boat, shuttle bus drivers rushed up to solicit passengers. Suddenly, a familiar girl's voice was heard from the crowd, calling out from afar: "—Brother, over here!"
Chu Wang and Zhen Zhen both thought the voice sounded familiar. Following the voice, they looked over. Xie Miya was wearing a white shirt, her curly chestnut hair tied in a sunny ponytail. She stood out in the crowd, attracting many men's heated glances. Zhen Zhen scoffed and turned away, and Chu Wang smiled, sharing half of his dried mango with her, barely calming Miss Xue's anger.
But Xie Miya's side was really eye-catching.
Xie Zeyi asked, "Where's my father?"
Xie Miya smiled and said, "Father is busy with business and has recently gone to Malaya. But Mother Four, Mother Five, and Mother Seven are all here. You are really honored."
She pointed to a place not far away where four or five Dodges were parked on the dock, and three or four charming middle-aged white women came down slowly.
Xie Zeyi's face darkened for a rare moment, but he forced himself to cheer up and walked over to greet her, "...Long time no see, the mothers have become even more beautiful."
Chu Wang smiled. Meanwhile, the cars from the Qiao and Ge mansions had also arrived. Mrs. Qiao reluctantly exchanged pleasantries with Mrs. Ge and asked, "Why don't you come with us to the Qiao mansion? She has a lot of stuff there."
Mrs. Ge hugged Chu Wang's arm and smiled, "Leave those things with you. She can use them when she comes to stay with you occasionally. Why would she need old things when she comes to stay with me?"
Mrs. Qiao also chuckled: "That's true. Zhenzhen will get bored easily staying alone at my place. Chu Wang, remember to go to the next door more often."
After boarding the Ge Mansion's car, they drove straight through the chaos and headed up the mountain. This time was different from the last time—even though she had taken care of everyone along the way, after getting off the boat, she still felt a sense of awe for the unknown world and a little bit of caution for the future, and had to force herself to stay alert. But this time, although she had a great time all the way, under the lazy sun, she fell asleep as soon as she sat down in the car, snoring like a kitten, which made Mrs. Ge laugh.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Ge Mansion, several maids came out to greet them, calling out "Madam" and "Madam". Mrs. Ge got annoyed and told them to keep their voices down. "The young lady is still sleeping in the carriage. Move the things back to the house and let her sleep a little longer before coming down to wake her up."
Suixi uttered a sigh, her face lit up with joy, "The girl is here too? I was thinking of waiting for a few days."
As the two were talking, Chu Wang, sleepily looking, murmured, "Are we there yet?"
Mrs. Ge said, "Since you're awake, go back to sleep quickly to avoid catching a cold."
Chu Wang walked behind Sui Xi and Mrs. Ge. As he entered, he first noticed the white marble doorposts. The dark purple-red door opened, revealing a European-style white staircase. Mrs. Ge initially headed to the kitchen to order dinner, but after a few steps, she remembered something and turned back to Li Qi, saying, "Since you're here, you should change your name to avoid clashing with your English name."
Chu Wang rarely told Mrs. Ge his English name, but she had memorized it. Li Qi smiled and said, "I'm thinking of changing my name, too. How about you pick one for me, young lady?"
In the spirit of a bit of risqué humor about a story that happened on the Titanic at the same time, I wanted to say "pork shreds", but when the words came to my lips, they became: "How about Luosha?"
Luosha smiled and said, "Green curtains and green gauze skirt, wonderful."
Chu Wang felt amused: The girls here with my aunt are all very smart and they are very good at finding a way out for me.
Mrs. Ge thought for a moment and then said, "I've prepared some clothes for you, suitable for all occasions. When Suixi takes you to your room later, you can try them on to see if they fit. It's okay if they don't fit, the tailor will be here tomorrow. Until the clothes are made, just try them on for now."
After Mrs. Ge finished her instructions, Suixi came forward to lead her to her room. Chu Wang followed her through the large reception room, a room with exaggerated landscapes, that he had seen before, and into a long corridor. The windows of the corridor were hollow and carved, and the shadows of pine, bamboo, and plum trees could be vaguely seen outside, just like in the story of the Western Chamber. After passing through the corridor, the first door opened. Suixi was waiting at the door, waiting for her to enter first. "This is the young lady's room."
Before entering the room, Chu Wang exclaimed: This is the legendary luxurious king-size bed suite with a view.
Suixi pulled open the curtains of the huge floor-to-ceiling window - behind the window, a plum tree emerged from a corner, and the panoramic view faced the lawn of her aunt's house.
The small living room, furnished with a few emerald green sofas, two rattan chairs, and a coffee table—everything was exquisitely appointed. Sui Xi explained, "When a girl invites her friends over, they can have tea and chat here."
There were two small doors, one leading to a study and the other to a dressing room. "Madam thinks the wardrobe is too small. Nowadays, girls from wealthy families like to use a room as a dressing room, so we specially bought one like this for you." Suixi said, pulling open the doors of the three dressing rooms for her one by one - all three cabinets were filled with colorful clothes. Suixi said, "These were made by the tailor according to your measurements before Madam went to Shanghai. Next door is the bedroom and bathroom - you can try them on first to see if they fit you. I'll wait outside. If you feel you need anything, call me."
Chu Wang nodded, and Sui Xi went out, closing the door for her.
She stared at the closet full of clothes: cotton, linen, gauze, silk, brocade, satin; nightgowns, wool sweaters, dinner suits, and bathrobes for home wear; golf shirts, badminton shirts, and tennis skirts for sports; sequined black champagne tango skirts, electric rumba skirts, and white ballet skirts for dancing; loose shirts, dresses, jumpsuits, and jacket skirts; dinner suits, evening gowns, and cocktail suits for social occasions and at home; short coats, long coats, and leather coats for going out; and a whole closet full of various shoes and bags to match these clothes... It had everything, and except for the cheongsam that needed to be very close-fitting, Chu Wang could not find anything else missing.
Is this what my aunt meant by "wear it for now"?
Seeing the full closet of clothes, she finally understood why Zhenzhen had complained about everything after visiting the Ge Mansion once. Compared to life in the Ge Mansion, life in the Qiao Mansion was indeed a bit rough.
The clothes in the closet seemed to have a magical power, and Chu Wang couldn't help but pick out a blue brocade sleeveless dress to try on. As soon as she held the clothes in her hands, she suddenly came to her senses and smiled: clothes really have a fascinating magic for women. No wonder Ge Weilong was one way before going to Mrs. Liang's house, but her life changed completely after seeing the clothes in the closet.
Thinking of this, she restrained herself, hung the dress back in the cloakroom, and only picked out a dinner dress to change into - it was a suitable dress. As for other clothes, there would be plenty of opportunities to try them on one by one in the future - on the most suitable occasions.
After changing her clothes, she felt a little lazy, so she simply pulled up the dark purple silk curtains and went to bed in her dinner dress - the bed was made of duck and goose down, layer upon layer, soft and comfortable to sleep in.
My aunt is such a nice person, she is certainly not Mrs. Liang.
Chu Wang thought to himself and closed his eyes, preparing to take a nap before dinner. "I have important things to do tomorrow. How can I be distracted by trivial things at this time?"
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