Cheng Fengtai had already heard of Shang Xirui's name.
Shang Xirui, the class leader of Shuiyun Tower, one of the most famous actresses nowadays, plays Hua Dan and Tsing Yi. There are so many fans who follow him like stars, chest to back and back to back, they can go around the city of Peiping two hundred times, so Shang Xirui is praised as a round of ice moon on the sea island - hanging high in the nine days, silver light Universal shine, unattainable.
If you want to ask whether Shang Xirui really sings so well, the people of Peiping must mention to you Ning Jiulang, the Minister of Liyuan who was appointed by Empress Dowager Cixi. When Shang Xirui first came to Peiping with Shuiyun Tower, he became famous after performing three performances. After Ning Jiulang listened to his cosmic front, he sighed, and the troupe sealed the box and retired. The title was handed over.
Some people say that Ning Jiulang was overwhelmed by Shang Xirui's voice and sighed, as a theater idiot, he thought that the voice of the young phoenix was better than the voice of the old phoenix, and that the world could not tolerate two beautiful things, and he had no meaning to be on stage anymore. Some people also said that Ning Jiulang had been out of the palace for more than 20 years, he had already saved enough furniture, and he planned to wash his hands, but he just took advantage of Shang Xirui's limelight to find a way out. Regardless of the facts, Ning Jiulang's reclamation of the crown and Zen position has completely promoted Shang Xirui's reputation. Every day there are big and small lace news and life stories about him in the newspapers, and fanciers gather at the gate of the theatre, chasing and intercepting those who shouted loudly, advocating that he is more famous than the president. So in the beginning, Cheng Fengtai's impression of Shang Xirui was that he was a hottie, a red horn in a pear orchard.
But in Cheng Fengtai's sister Cheng Meixin's mouth, Shang Xirui is a vulgar and dissolute vixen, and because he is a male vixen, he is ten times more hateful.
No wonder Cheng Meixin hated Shang Xirui. Shang Xirui once hated her for taking her husband. At that time, Cheng Meixin was still the sixth concubine of Commander Cao, the Northwest Warlord. Commander Cao went all the way to the east to attack the city, and smashed the gate of Marshal Zhang. Ji, repeated those lines over and over again, singing so emotionally and forgetting himself—he was not afraid that the bullet would not catch his eye. The soldiers looked very surprised and forgot to fire their guns for a while, pointing and saying that the man is a lunatic, right? Must be crazy. Crazy and beautiful.
Commander Cao looked up from under the tower, and Shang Xirui was singing the phrase "The Han army has lost ground, singing songs from all sides", it sounded like he was singing the praises of Commander Cao, it was so fresh and powerful, Commander Cao immediately Fascinated, the whip pointed at Shang Xirui: don't hurt him! I want to live the concubine Yu! So the subordinates didn't dare to shoot at will, and spent an extra hour breaking through the city gate.
After the city was broken, Shang Xirui did not learn from Yu Ji's loyalty before committing suicide. He was taken away by Commander Cao obediently, and he was captured under Cheng Meixin's nose singing happily every night, driving Cheng Meixin mad with anger.
Fortunately, in the end, Cheng Meixin won the battle, ran away her rival Shang Xirui, and killed Commander Cao's original partner. She is now Madam Cao. But when he brought up the past, the old grudge was still hard to get rid of, and he went crazy with anger.
Cheng Meixin was born in a foreign-style family in Shanghai, but in recent years in her life as a courtesan and concubine, her mouth and mind have been tempered to be vicious and vulgar. Whenever Shang Xirui is mentioned behind her back, she will make a very nasty sentence. Harsh comments, and ordered the men in the family not to associate with it. However, apart from her husband Commander Cao and younger brother Cheng Fengtai, she has no other male relatives who can order her. Commander Cao is someone Cheng Meixin has tried her best to please, and she dare not speak ill of this warlord. This order fell on Cheng Fengtai.
This afternoon, in the large and spacious wing room of Beiping Cheng Mansion, there were several peacock feathers in the large enamel vase, mahogany carved furniture, and several pictures of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum on the wall, all of which belonged to the old palace. decorations. It was past noon, someone was smoking a cigarette in the room, and the setting sun was reflected in, so obscured by the smoke, everything looked like an old still life painting with dust. Cheng Meixin leaned on the Kang table with one elbow, held an ivory pipe in the other hand, stared at Cheng Fengtai sharply, and admonished: "You are not allowed to play opera like the men in Peking, those lowly performers on the stage, just stare at you. Seduce rich and powerful men with your eyes. If you don’t learn well, sister will not agree with you, did you hear me?”
Cheng Meixin is so strong, no matter how poisonous her heart is, she will not change her soft Jiangnan accent.
Cheng Fengtai put his hands in the pockets of his costume trousers, and responded with a perfunctory smile: "I heard, I heard, a male actor, what's the fun."
The point of this sentence seems to be that it is not fun because it is a male actor. If it were a woman, she would probably be interested in playing.
Cheng Meixin glanced at her sister-in-law next to her. The second sister-in-law Cheng really paid attention, knocked the slender cigarette stick in her hand into the spittoon, poured out a handful of ash, and looked at Cheng Fengtai coldly.
Cheng Meixin hurriedly chased after her: "Not only are actors not allowed, but dancers and singers are also not allowed. Brother and sister are such great beauties, they have already given birth to two little daughters for you, aren't you satisfied? You can't be heartless!"
She forgot Cheng Fengtai's biological mother, the original second aunt of the Cheng family was a singer. Fortunately, Cheng Fengtai didn't pay attention, he peeled off a citrus and handed it over with a smile: "Got it! It's rare for you to come here once, Sister, half of the time scolding the actor, half of the time scolding my younger brother, this temper is more and more like brother-in-law It's gone." As he spoke, he lit a match and lit a cigarette for Second Mistress. There was a slight smile in Second Grandma's eyes, she really liked the small and considerate things her husband did for her, as if Cheng Fengtai flattered her very much. Second Mistress licked the shredded tobacco on the flame, but said in her mouth: "I can't handle you with a girl? A master, rushing to do some work of serving people, I don't know respect."
Cheng Meixin broke off a piece of orange and put it in her mouth, said with a smile: "My brother and sister don't understand now, my brother loves his wife."
Second Mistress glanced at Cheng Fengtai, expressing her disdain for him, but the smile on her face did not diminish. Cheng Fengtai always had a perfunctory smile, and he really felt happy after laughing. These two women, one with a Shanghai official accent and the other with a Northeastern accent, said each sentence together, as if they were singing a funny show. In the back room, the third younger sister Chacha'er woke up from sleep, rubbed her eyes and opened the door curtain and walked in. Seeing the eldest sister Cheng Meixin, she was stunned and wanted to retreat. Cheng Fengtai hastily beckoned to her: "Cha Cha'er, come here."
Chacha'er reluctantly walked up to Cheng Fengtai, she was a girl with a solitary personality, and she had been at odds with her eldest sister since she was a child, because she looked down on her character and style. Cheng Fengtai patted his knees, Chacha'er leaned over and sat on it, buried his face in her second brother's chest, confused, and didn't even look at Cheng Meixin. Cheng Fengtai supported her back with both hands and shook her back twice, frowned and said: "Sister Sister is here, why didn't you call someone? En?" But there was no trace of blame in his tone. Chacha'er snorted, as if she had asked her sister about it.
If this had been placed at home in Shanghai in the past, Cheng Meixin would have scolded her long ago. But she is well aware of Cheng Fengtai's temper, although she loves and cares a few sisters, the only one who really cares about her is Chacha'er. Chacha'er lay in Cheng Fengtai's arms softly like a little doll, and accompanied him through the most depressive and terrifying teenage years in his life. Chacha'er was raised by him, and the two brothers and sisters had the deepest affection. It's nothing to criticize Cheng Fengtai, but to criticize Chacha'er is tantamount to poking Cheng Fengtai's heart, he will be angry. Today is not what it used to be, Cheng Meixin didn't want to offend the rich businessman's younger brother, so she scolded in her heart, scolding Chacha'er, a bastard girl who doesn't know how to behave, and just like her barbarian mother, she is a bitch. Smiling, he looked at the two half-brothers and sisters who were hugging each other affectionately, and then thought contemptuously: one was raised by a singer, and the other was raised by a savage, but they are on the same road.
Back then, when the Cheng family was still in Shanghai, his father's factory closed down and went bankrupt, and his father died in a hurry. The eldest wife was heartbroken by the mess and hanged herself. None of the Cheng family's four children came from the same mother. Cheng Meixin was the eldest daughter, who was only eighteen years old at the time, and had a younger brother and two younger sisters. The mother of the younger brother Cheng Fengtai was originally a popular singer in Shanghai. After giving birth to her son, she couldn't get used to staying at home, so she went to Hong Kong to resume her old career. The Uighur mother of the third younger sister, Chacha'er, came and went without a trace, and Cheng Meixin had almost never seen her, and it was said that she had gone abroad to France. Finally, the fourth concubine from a poor family, the fourth younger sister who was an infant, and the servant, nurse, driver, and a large family. The bank sent people to move all the valuable things in the house to pay off the debt, including the piano, silverware, electric fan, and even the marble stand basin in the garden. Seeing this situation, the servants resigned one after another. Cheng Meixin stopped at the garden gate and refused to let them go. She tore her throat and shouted: "Wouldn't it be better to give you wages someday?" what to go!
But what can Cheng Meixin do? In order to keep the house and pay the servants, she became a high-level courtesan.
Cheng Meixin is definitely not the prettiest beauty among the rich ladies in Shanghai, but she has a Western style, speaks English and wears western clothes, and is good at flirting, enjoying, and making fun. The most important thing is that she is the eldest lady of the Cheng family. Everyone wants to get a taste of the fallen Phoenix. Cheng Meixin still remembered that her first time was with an old friend of her father, an old man she had always called her uncle. That time she got 6,000-6,000 yuan, in the past, it was just for her mother to play mahjong all night, but now she is asked to exchange her virginity.
Cheng Meixin still remembers that that night, she held back her grief and anger and had a good night's entertainment. She woke up in the morning very painful and tired, but she still made a long detour to buy Commander Kai's chestnut cake to take home. In the past, their family had milk and cake in the morning, so now they also eat it, and the whole family eats it. It wasn't out of love for her younger siblings, it was for herself. It turns out that with all the glory and wealth, if Cheng Meixin loses a little bit, she will die of heartache, and she has to desperately maintain the original state. In comparison, the effort of this night is nothing.
Cheng Meixin held the cake in her hand and pushed open the door of the dining room. One wall of the dining room was covered with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The morning light came in and shone on his younger brother Cheng Fengtai, illuminating his hair and skin, making him look holy and beautiful. Cheng Fengtai only wore a white shirt, and sat on the dining table with his arms around Nanny Chacha'er's waist. His face was nestled against the woman's breast, motionless. The woman seemed to be very comfortable being sucked by him, kneading his shoulders with both hands, squinting her eyes and moaning softly. The scene in front of her was very erotic, which greatly stimulated Cheng Meixin's body and mind that had been ravaged last night. She stood there blankly for a long while, looking at them, and suddenly realized that Cheng Fengtai was not doing that fornication - he was suckling!
Chacha'er was still young at that time, sitting on the side with his legs hanging in the air, looking at the second brother and the nanny expressionlessly, and then looked back at the eldest sister.
Cheng Mei was so angry that her heart was shaking. She swallowed her weeping and slept with the old man outside, Cheng Fengtai, her only younger brother, not to mention sharing something for her, was still at home hugging the nanny and breastfeeding! This shameless bastard! Did she sell herself just to let him continue to live comfortably as a young master? It's not that easy!
The nurse opened her eyes and saw Cheng Meixin, she covered her clothes with a scream and ran away. Cheng Fengtai jumped off the dining table in a daze, feeling quite embarrassed himself, blushing, wiped the milk from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve: Sister...
Cheng Meixin swallowed her throat, smiled kindly and put the chestnut cake on the table, calling Cheng Fengtai's English name: Edwin is so naughty, at such an age, she still competes with her younger sister for milk. Are you hungry? Tell them to burn some sweet cereal and they all come over for cake.
At the dinner table, Cheng Meixin thought about all ways to betray her younger siblings. The two younger sisters are too young to be sold no matter how beautiful they are. This younger brother is actually very beautiful, more beautiful than himself—it's a pity that he is a younger brother. I don't know any rich businessman in Shanghai who likes to play with boys. Cheng Meixin looked through all the wealthy people she knew in the north and south of the country, and finally thought of a person on the northern border, a person who was like a savior.
She held Cheng Fengtai's hand and said earnestly, "Edwin, I want... I want to call your fiancée from the north, Miss Fan, to Shanghai. Marry you.
Cheng Fengtai frowned violently, almost spit out the milk in his mouth, pulled out his hand and slapped the table: No way!
Cheng Meixin grabbed him again: My sister knows that Miss Fan is several years older than you, and she is also a country girl. When my father mentioned this marriage, my sister also stood by your side, didn't she oppose it for you? But...but it's different now, I can't help it. We also have two younger sisters, and this family. If you don't marry her, the whole family will die!
Cheng Fengtai exclaimed: How could I spend my whole life with that kind of girl! You don't know! She... She still has her feet bound!
The servant and the fourth aunt saw the quarrel between the siblings and took the children away, leaving only the siblings in the restaurant. Cheng Meixin shed tears silently for a while, thinking that if she didn't resort to some extraordinary measures, she might not succeed. She unbuttoned her chest, revealing the traces of the affair last night, with tears in her eyes, and said: You are already a big child, do you know how this came about? Do you know where my sister was, who she was with, and what she did last night? oh! My dear, if it wasn't for my sacrifice, we'd be on the streets. It's your turn now, right
Cheng Fengtai felt pain and regret in his heart, and had nothing to say. The next year, she married Miss Fan's family, who became the second grandmother of Cheng. The Cheng family has made a comeback and is richer than his father's generation.
Cheng Meixin ate the last piece of orange, and thought to herself, if it wasn't for my clever arrangement, how could these two lowly embryos have a good life now? He smiled and said, "Third sister seems to have grown taller again. Why don't you go to school?"
Cheng Fengtai said: "Chacha'er doesn't fit in with others, I hired a teacher to teach her at home. After two years, when she grows up, she will go to school and go directly to middle school."
Second Mistress puffed out a puff of cigarettes, and lazily interjected, "What's so good about a foreign school? Girls and boys hang out together. Even after graduating, the Cheng family can't let the third girl go out to work. What's the use of studying?" It's better to save it."
Cheng Fengtai didn't agree with Second Grandma's argument, but it was inconvenient to argue with her, saying: "Let's see when the time comes, Chacha'er will read it if it's fun, and come back if it's not fun, it doesn't matter."
Cheng Meixin smiled at Second Mistress: "Second Brother still dotes on Third Younger Sister."
Second Mistress looked at her husband and smiled.