Lin Su returned with a libretto of "The Peony Pavilion" that was beautifully bound on both sides. A simple stage had been set up on the Linshui terrace not far from the pavilion, and the not-so-large dining table was filled with more than a dozen famous dishes made with crabs. vegetable.
Quietly sitting down at the same spot, Lin Su waited for the maid standing next to Simon to softly introduce all the dishes on the table to the man, then handed over the songbook and said: "Mr. Westeros, this is " The original words of "The Peony Pavilion", I don't know which Chinese language Mr. Westeros studied, so I chose the traditional and simplified versions."
Simon picked up a volume and glanced at it. It was the traditional Chinese version, and it was not changed. He opened it casually.
Although they cannot write it, reading traditional Chinese is not a problem for Chinese people at all. Even if they have changed their identities in two lifetimes, the same is true for Simon.
In fact, Simon prefers traditional calligraphy because it is easier to show the structural charm of Chinese characters.
When Lin Su saw that Simon had chosen the traditional Chinese version, her eyes flickered slightly, but her tone was unchanged and she said: "The play "The Peony Pavilion" is divided into fifty-five parts. It cannot be completed in one meal, so I chose the best one." The famous "Dream of Dreams", Mr. Westeros, do you think it's okay?"
Simon read the opening chapter of "The Peony Pavilion" with great interest, and upon hearing this said: "A little earlier, and save "The Dream" until after the meal."
Lin Su was stunned for a moment, looked at the dishes on the table, understood immediately, nodded and said, "Okay."
After a while, the sound of silk and bamboo came from the terrace not far away.
Girl A listened to the tune in her ears and watched a maid demonstrate how to use the eight pieces of crab. Finally, she glanced at her boss next to her who was already using the tools to eat crab while talking in a low voice to Ms. Lin.
Even though she has seen too many unique things about him, from last night to now, Alison is still surprised that her boss can speak Chinese proficiently.
Moreover, compared to other countries, Alison can easily detect the special things her boss has about China.
The boss doesn't like Japan, not because he was kicked out by the Japanese yesterday, but because he doesn't like it instinctively.
Regarding China, although a certain man was obviously hiding something, she could still feel the natural closeness.
This reaction is exactly the opposite of how Westerners view Japan and China.
Girl A cannot possibly think in a certain direction, so she is inevitably more curious.
However, after following him for so long, she has accumulated so much curiosity. Alison feels that most of her doubts may never be answered.
Chen Qing, the translator next to her who was roughly the same age as her, saw Girl A in a daze and reminded her in English with a smile: "Ms. Norris, if you think peeling crabs is too tedious, you can try this Snowflake Crab Fight. It should suit you." Western taste.”
"OK."
Alison looked away, smiled and nodded.
Chen Qing diligently handed over the tableware and introduced the dish in English again. Seeing Alison start to enjoy it, she slightly withdrew her attention from the girl next to her and glanced at Simon and Simon who were talking while peeling crabs. Lin Su and Lin Su had some disappointment in their eyes. She was chosen to serve as Simon Westeros' translator. Unfortunately, the big man didn't need an interpreter at all. She could only serve as his assistant and had no chance to talk to him.
"Chen, what's the problem?"
Miss A's voice came to her ears. Chen Qing quickly looked away, shook her head with a smile, and asked the maid to also take a piece of Snowflake Crab Dou on her plate. After thinking about it, she didn't use chopsticks, but mixed it with Alison. Use the cutlery and forks specially provided for guests together.
When the meal started, everyone talked a lot less.
More than half an hour later, the meal was over and the maids cleared the table. Simon washed his hands with tea and picked up a cup of warm ginger tea before focusing on the stage not far away.
Lin Su's arrangement was very coincidental, and he happened to arrive at "Dream of Dreams".
"The orioles are chirping in my dream, and the chaotic years are everywhere. People have set up small courtyards and deep courtyards. The smoke has disappeared from the sticks, and the remaining embroidery threads have been thrown away. The feelings of this spring are just like last year..."
I had never heard Kun Opera before, so Simon thought it would be a dialect.
After Lin Su explained it during the meal, he discovered that most of the libretto of Kun Opera was close to Mandarin, and the one he chose today was the Northern Kun Opera that further removed the dialect elements. Simon could basically understand it without the need for antiphonal libretto.
Lin Su had been quietly paying attention to the performance of the man next to her, and found that Simon didn't look at the libretto at all. He seemed to be very immersed in it, and doubts flashed in his eyes.
When "Dreams of Dreams" ended and the performance on stage was still going on, she couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Westeros, what do you think?"
"It turns out that the colorful flowers are blooming all over the place, but they are all abandoned by the ruined wells and ruined buildings. The beautiful scenery in the good time is in the sky, and who can enjoy it? Flying in the morning and evening, clouds and green pavilions, raindrops and wind, smoke and waves painting boats, Jinping people are watching "This time is cheap," Simon recited softly silently, savored it for a moment, and praised: "The writing is amazingly beautiful, every word is exquisite."
Several people in the pavilion, except for Girl A, including the maid standing beside them, couldn't help but look surprised when they heard Simon's words.
"The Peony Pavilion" is most famous for its "A Dream". In "A Dream", the section "It turned out to be full of colorful purples and reds" is undoubtedly a jewel-level existence.
Lin Su had just been secretly wondering whether a certain man could really understand. Now seeing Simon being able to accurately capture the 'pearl' in the play, he was even a little shocked.
Moreover, can this idiom "Zi Zi Zhu Ji" really be used by a Westerner who has never set foot in China
Over the years, Simon has become accustomed to similar looks from people around him. Simon is no longer complacent, nor does he deliberately restrain himself. He is an anomaly in this world. In the eyes of others, normal is not normal, and abnormal is normal. normal.
After drinking the ginger tea in the cup, Simon said: "Okay, that's it for today."
Lin Su quickly put away the turmoil in his heart: "So, where does Mr. Westeros want to go next? There are many places worth seeing in Suzhou."
Simon stood up and said, "Let's see the rest next time. I'll go to Guilin in the afternoon. I remember, well, Guilin's landscape is the best in the world, right?"
Lin Su nodded: "In this case, I need to make arrangements."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but take a closer look at the man in front of him. This was really not an overseas Chinese who had returned to his hometown to seek his roots. He obviously had no Chinese ancestry at all.
Simon's private plane stopped in Shanghai, and the group returned from Suzhou.
Lin Su left for a few hours, on the pretext of arranging Simon's itinerary, including Chen Qing, who acted as Girl A's translator.
Simon didn't care what he could roughly guess.
After taking a nap for more than an hour at their residence in Shanghai, Lin Su and Chen Qing returned together at two o'clock in the afternoon, saying that the trip had been arranged.
The distance between Shanghai and Guilin is more than 1,200 kilometers, so we will definitely have to fly there.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, a group of people boarded Simon's private plane and flew from Shanghai to Guilin.
The journey lasted only an hour and a half, and Simon happened to use the independent communication system on the private plane to handle some things.
After the Rwandan government suddenly launched an attack on France last week, the quarrel between Rwanda and France continued.
However, the French government, which soon understood the reason, responded privately and quietly withdrew the special agent team operating in the city of Regio in southern Italy. Even two investigative reporters from Le Figaro were summoned back.
After arranging these, a high-level official of the French government quietly had a phone call with the Manor of Point Dume. Janet answered the phone, and the Igret portal subsequently removed the news about France's participation in the Rwanda genocide from a prominent position on its website.
Although this incident seemed to have eased on the surface, Simon understood that the French government's hatred of him must have deepened.
Not being envied by others is mediocrity.
Being hated by a country is really nothing to Simon now.
Lin Su and Chen Qing both came from very good backgrounds. However, the private plane was a luxurious private Boeing 767. This was the first time for both women to fly.
Because of the relatively special status of the two women, they did not go to the back cabin like other entourages, but were arranged in the middle of the cabin.
As for the front cabin, apart from Simon, only Girl A can enter at will, including the four personal stewardesses trained by the Westeros family, who have not yet obtained this qualification.
ABCD was originally trained by Janet as a stewardess. However, now the Westeros family's private stewardess will only be a private stewardess in the future. It is unlikely that she will be like ABCD.
From this point of view, the Westeros system becomes more and more like a country.
The initial stage of most countries is always full of various channels for advancement. As the national political structure continues to stabilize, the channels for advancement begin to narrow, forming a solidified class.
No ruler with any foresight wants to see the phenomenon of class solidification occur. However, when the vested interest groups are too large, the result is destined to be too big.
The Westeros system is still in the stage of rapid expansion, but Simon has often felt the tendency of class consolidation within the system.
Just like Nokia and Cisco, in history, Jorma Ollila and John Chambers brought these two companies to the top.
However, after the new century, because the two still controlled these two giants for a long time, they refused to take the initiative to give up their power.
In this world, there are only a handful of business managers who can maintain long-term ambition while keeping their personal business philosophy current.
Jorma Ollila and John Chambers have been in power for a long time, which largely led to the collapse of Nokia and Cisco's missed opportunities for industrial change and gradually fell into mediocrity.
Fortunately, both companies are now owned by Simon. After all, the Westeros system is not a country. This time, Simon will definitely not let history repeat itself.
The Boeing 767 landed at Guilin Airport at 4:30 pm.
Simon did not stop in downtown Guilin. He had prepared a cruise ship in advance and planned to set off from Guilin, go up the Li River, and stay in Yangshuo for the night.
China's tourism industry is far from developed, and the Li River does not show the grand scene of cruise ships later. It is already the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it happens to be another cloudy day. Although the south does not have the decadence and loneliness in the autumn in the north, the air is inevitably transparent. It feels a bit cold.
On a ten-meter-long white cruise ship that was not too luxurious but was very clean and tidy, Simon sat on the window side of the second floor of the two-story cabin. His mood was not disturbed by the weather, and he savored the scenery on both sides of the strait that had not been affected by the noise of the world. of stunning scenery.
Next to him is a short table.
Lin Suzai personally demonstrated the tea art to Simon, and Chen Qing sat on the other side. Instead, Girl A was squeezed in without a trace in the position farthest from the man opposite Simon.
Alison had been attracted by the scenery on both sides of the Li River and did not pay attention to these small details. Within ten minutes of setting off, the camera in her hand had already changed several rolls of film.
Over the years, even though she has followed Simon to many places, it was still the first time for Girl A to experience such shocking natural beauty.
After brewing a pot of tea, Lin Su poured a cup and handed it to Simon, saying softly: "Mr. Westeros, please give it a try."
When they met again in the afternoon, Simon discovered that Lin Su's originally casual "you" to him had become "you". Another Chen Qing, who Simon sent to Girl A as a translator, was obviously more proactive and warm towards him. .
Finding it interesting and not deliberately correcting this change, Simon took the tea from Lin Su, took a sip and nodded: "Very good."
Lin Su waited for Simon to finish his drink, helped the man refill it, and asked: "Mr. Westeros, what do you think of Guilin?"
Simon smiled and said: "I will come again."
"In that case, I hope I can serve as Mr. Westeros' guide next time."
"I'm looking forward to it too."
Lin Su paused and then said: "Mr. Westeros came here from Japan. So, which one do you think is better, Japan or China?"
Simon looked at the woman and said, "It depends on what we are comparing."
Lin Su thought for a moment and said, "What about culture?"
Simon shook his head and said: "Japanese culture is just an extension of Chinese culture, and there is no comparison."
Chen Qing, who was standing next to me, interrupted: "Mr. Westeros, it seems that you admire Chinese culture very much."
Simon ignored Lin Su's slight frown because of Chen Qing's interruption, and his tone remained gentle and calm, saying: "Yes. In my opinion, Chinese literature, painting, folk art, etc. have reached a certain extreme, which is even more rare. What is unique is the continuity that has not been interrupted for thousands of years, which is unmatched by other ancient civilizations in the world."
"Oh, thank you for the compliment, Mr. Westeros."
Simon looked at the oval-faced girl next to him and added with a smile: "She is also beautiful."
Chen Qing immediately showed shame, and gave Simon a look back without leaving any trace, her eyebrows curved: "Thank you."
Of the two girls, Lin Su, who has an oval face, looks mature and intellectual, and also has the softness and elegance of a Jiangnan woman, while Chen Qing has a delicate oval face, charming almond eyes, and dimples when she smiles, which is somewhat similar to Simon's Memory There is a Chinese actress whose name is also 'Qing'.
Simon didn't think this was too much of a coincidence.
Ugly people are ugly in their own ways, but the standards of beauty are not much different. Just like the acting department of the most famous film school in China, the girls who are selected every year have a high degree of similarity in the group photos taken.
Lin Su watched the small interaction between the two and became even more dissatisfied with a girl whose thoughts were not pure.
On the surface, Chen Qing was cute and lovable, but in private, Lin Su couldn't praise her.
Just at noon, Lin Su was called over by her leader. First of all, she was criticized. She felt that she was too casual in front of Simon Westeros. This might easily increase the distance between her and him, but it would inevitably lead to a loss of respect.
This is not what the above wants to see.
Although she leads a team, the only one who knows about her relationship with Simon Westeros is the girl opposite.
What happened is self-evident.
Afterwards, the leader specifically told her to give Chen Qing more opportunities to contact Simon Westeros, and to think about the country first and not have any selfish motives.
Lin Su felt aggrieved and helpless.
What selfish motives could she have
Looking at the situation in front of me, even if there was one, it was obviously not her.