Apart from the rumors in the Jiuqu Corridor, Cheng Fengtai actually had indirect contact with Shang Xirui once. Once he brought a business for someone, which was a batch of high-quality silk from Jiangnan to Manchuria. The silk was briefly transferred in Beiping. On the day the goods arrived, shopkeeper Li of Ruifuxiang went to Cheng's mansion to pick up the goods in person despite the scorching heat. Cheng Fengtai asked the workers to prepare a ladder for him to unpack and inspect the goods. Shopkeeper Li waved his hands repeatedly, saying that he would take nothing but two pieces of clothes.
Cheng Fengtai said with a smile: "Send the man to fetch it? The two clothes are worth running against the sun for a while. Could it be the Empress's Xiapei?"
Shopkeeper Li wiped the sweat from his brow, flapping his big fan loudly: "Almost. That's what it meant to serve Empress Wanrong back then."
Cheng Fengtai was curious and wanted to broaden his horizons. Shopkeeper Li asked someone to move down a camphorwood box with a red seal. It was such a big box, but it contained only twelve sets of Hanfu women's clothing, two sweat towels and two handkerchiefs. Shopkeeper Li put on his glasses, laid them out one by one on the table, inspected the stitches and threads carefully, and said to the freight worker from Hangzhou, "You have to check it out. Old rules, please return the original box." .”
The freight worker said with a smile: "I know, I know! The old rules! The girls in our embroidery workshop have been embroidering these clothes for nine months. Take a look, the shopkeeper, the gold threads are all made of real gold, and they are not fake at all. Then look at this Peacock feather… "
Cheng Fengtai became more and more curious, he leaned closer and pulled the hem of the clothes, the clothes were really gorgeous and luxurious, the red satin was embroidered with a golden phoenix, and the feathers of the phoenix were fully visible; the beads on the tassels seemed to be genuine. The Fan family can be regarded as the richest man outside the customs. When the second grandmother married him, she had never worn such a fine attire. In the other sets, there are hundreds of butterflies flying around, and there are auspicious clouds and clusters of flowers. The butterfly's wings reflect the soft light of the satin, as if it were a living thing. The embroiderer must have used all her life's skills in it. Just cut a piece of material and frame it, it is a delicate and beautiful painting.
Cheng Fengtai clicked his tongue and praised: "It's amazing! The emperor and his wife are going to return the court?"
Shopkeeper Li smiled and said, "How can I do that! The second master can't see it? This is a costume for an opera."
Cheng Fengtai thought to himself that it's no wonder the colors are so bright, and he doesn't know which famous actress can wear such delicate clothes: "I heard that there is a famous actor in Beiping, who used to be in the Nanfu Opera Troupe, but now he has left the palace. Lord of the Eight Banners, is it his? Didn’t he close the mountain and stop singing?”
Shopkeeper Li said: "No. You are talking about Liyuan Shangshu Ning Jiulang! Boss Ning was a celebrity in front of Lafayette back then, and he came out of the palace. How much are these costumes worth?"
Cheng Fengtai thought about it, and said: "I think, it's worth a thousand dollars..."
"Eight hundred, just enough for these few beads and gold thread!" Shopkeeper Li stretched out four fingers in grief, and poked Cheng Fengtai in front of him. Cheng Fengtai let go of his clothes, smiled in surprise: "Which club is this? It costs more money than me."
"He's a newly promoted famous actor. Shang Xirui. The second master must know him." Shopkeeper Li didn't find anything wrong, and folded the clothes as they were in the box.
"Shang Xirui from Pingyang? Hey, I know so well!" Cheng Fengtai sighed: "In this world, those who work hard can't get enough to eat, while those who sing and perform are so rich!"
Shopkeeper Li glanced at him, thinking that it's not bad for a poor worker to say that, how can you, Cheng Fengtai, have the face to lament the world? If it weren't for the chaos in this world, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of the chaos to make money, and said with a smile: "Shang Xirui doesn't show off in other places, but he is willing to spend money on costumes. As long as the clothes look good, no matter how many oceans you buy Make!"
Cheng Fengtai forgot that he had met Shang Xirui in person, at several gatherings, in poker games. But everyone knows the hatred between Cheng Meixin and Shang Xirui for taking their husbands, also knows Cheng Fengtai's banditry and Shang Xirui's madness, they are afraid that if one is not careful, the fight between the two will not end well. Therefore, no one dared to let them meet, even if they were in the same place, they were intentionally separated.
Shang Xirui took off his makeup, he was just a quiet and handsome boy, because he was young, he still had a round and immature look on his face, and the clothes he wore were plain long gowns that were old and not old, very inconspicuous. Cheng Fengtai passed him by several times, but Cheng Fengtai didn't notice him. Shang Xirui knew Cheng Fengtai, Cheng Meixin's younger brother, and heard him joking and telling jokes loudly. Wherever he went, there was excitement. A man, with a three-point smile even when he has nothing to do, his eyes are full of seductive lights, he is more an actor than an actor, like the kind of person who depends on his face for food.
The first time the two of them met face to face was at the Huibin Building.
That night, Cheng Fengtai took Chacha'er to connect with two old men in the business field. It's nothing more than gathering together to eat, drink and gossip. The old men couldn't eat much or drink much, so they left the dinner early and proposed to go to the theater. Cheng Fengtai has no interest in listening to operas and the like, it's not his tune, he just wants to find a game to play mahjong twice, or find a beautiful woman to have a glass of wine. But it's rare to meet each other, and it's not easy to brush off the old man's wishes. When asked where to listen, the old men seemed to have been prepared for a long time, and they named Huibinlou in unison: "Tonight is Boss Shang's finale "The Drunken Concubine", and we must not miss it."
The other said: "That's right, me, I haven't heard Shang Xirui's voice for three days, and my meals are not delicious."
Cheng Fengtai took the old man's crutches and said with a smile: "Okay. Let's go to the theater."
Chachaer looked at his brother with wide eyes, as if asking where he was going, but he was still unwilling to speak. In fact, after coming to Peiping, he went to do as the Romans do, and the Cheng family has held many church meetings, but Chacha'er has never seen a real theater. Cheng Fengtai patted the back of his sister's head: "Take you to a very fresh and lively place."
The lights in the Huibin building were just lit up, and on the water sign at the door, the three characters "Shang Xirui" stood out, just like the people in the rumors, barking their teeth and claws to domineeringly, and next to him stood the names of the actors who acted for him in small pieces, very small Poor and pitiful. The misty and smoky atmosphere inside the theater, the cheers and applause shook people's liver and gallbladder, and it was so lively that it seemed that it would explode at any time. The driver Lao Ge got out of the car and saw the "sold out" notice on the ticket counter, and whispered to Cheng Fengtai: "Second Master, you don't know if you don't listen to the show. Where are the extra tickets for Shang Xirui's venue? Standing tickets were sold out at twenty-eight yuan a piece.”
Cheng Fengtai said: "Can't buy it anymore?"
Lao Ge said, "Of course I can't buy it."
Cheng Fengtai looked at the two old men in the car, and said: "Go to the box and ask one by one, as long as you are willing to give up your seat, money is not a problem."
Lao Ge negotiated with the ticket inspector at the door for a while, and then with Cha Xiaoer for a while. After a while, he replied helplessly: "I asked several times, and everyone told me that I won't let you pay any money."
Cheng Fengtai frowned and said: "Impossible. Could it be that the price has not been negotiated."
"Money doesn't work, Second Master! Deputy Chief He and Director Li are both listening to the opera there, how can they let it go!"
Originally, people who could afford a box in Shang Xirui's place had considerable wealth, so there was absolutely no reason to be popular halfway through the show. Cheng Fengtai's caravan travels north and south, there is no place in the whole of China that his hands can't reach, even under the eyes of the Japanese, he has the ability to go back and forth a few times, he didn't expect to encounter difficulties in front of a little actor today, that would be terrible Lost face.
An old man behind him put his arm around Cheng Fengtai's shoulders, and said with a smile: "Boss Shang's ticket can be bought as soon as you buy it, Second Master Cheng might as well borrow Commander Cao's light."
Cheng Fengtai understood, it turned out that the two old men couldn't book a box, so they purposely asked him out today, wanting to sit next to Commander Cao's brother-in-law and listen to the show. Shang Xirui really didn't just become popular easily, money alone can't get him a place, he has to be a little powerful.
As Commander Cao's brother-in-law, Cheng Fengtai borrowed his brother-in-law's name, there is nothing to say. The director of the theater revealed his identity and immediately got a box specially reserved for warlord commanders to receive orders. Several people sat down in the box on the second floor, and a table of tea, fruit and snacks was set up. Cheng Fengtai stretched his eyes, and saw Vice President He's family sitting in a box diagonally opposite, and there was Sheng Ziyun in the last seat. Sheng Ziyun and Mr. He Si are college classmates, so they must not be able to get a ticket. He begged He Si to take him with him. He was still wearing a black student uniform with a stand-up collar, and he was sitting upright, as if he was attending a class. It's just that the expression is infatuated, unable to extricate itself, and is seriously ill.
Fan Lian said that Sheng Ziyun held the actor, which really caught the current trend. Cheng Fengtai gave him a hard look.
Shang Xirui didn't come out for the first few plays, the stage was a literary play. Cheng Fengtai crackled and crackled the melon seeds, and after cracking the sweet melon seeds, he kneaded the watermelon seeds. He didn't understand a line sung in the play, and he wasn't interested in understanding it. When my father was alive, the family dressed up to go to a concert on Sundays, and when the lights dimmed in the clubhouse, he dozed off. His mother's musical talent had not been passed on to him in the slightest. But sometimes Cheng Fengtai also likes to listen to Chopin and Beethoven, and even hired a piano teacher for his younger sisters, not to cultivate their sentiments, but just to imitate the scene at home in Shanghai. He knelt for a while, and realized the benefits of Chinese drama. Performing on the stage and eating off the stage, he felt free and at ease, unlike Western operas where there are so many rules of sitting upright, which suits his temperament very well.
The two old men were already drunk, they closed their eyes, shook their heads and hummed continuously, as if they were singing a duet on and off the stage. Cheng Fengtai knocked out the melon seeds and started chewing the plums, he was hungry after chewing the plums, just now he was drinking and talking with the old man, but he didn't eat decently. He snapped his fingers to ask for a bowl of noodles with fried sauce, Xiao Er bowed his head to wait for the servant, Cheng Fengtai didn't have the nerve to say so after all.
An old man saw Cheng Fengtai's boredom, and said with a smile: "Second Master Cheng, listen to the play with us, are you bored?"
Cheng Fengtai smiled and said: "To be honest, I don't understand much."
Another old man said, "That's right. Master Cheng is from Shanghai. He likes to listen to Shanghai Tanghuang and Shaoxing opera, right?"
Cheng Fengtai said: "I don't listen to that either. My late father was from the group who came back from studying in the West. My siblings and I have listened to Western music since we were young. I don't really understand these plays. But it's the appearances, the people, it's very lively to watch, interesting."
The old man stroked his beard and smiled: "Second Master already half understands what he said." He sighed again: "The world has changed, and young people in your generation don't like to listen to operas anymore. None of the young masters and misses in my house If you want to listen to an opera, but you like that one who doesn't sing, what's his name?"
Another interface: "A drama. Is it a drama?"
"That's right, drama, drama! Tell me, they don't like the things left by their ancestors anymore. If they go to learn from that Westerner, the country will perish."
The two old men sighed for a while when they talked about sad things. After a while the stage performance was over, Shang Xirui came out, dressed in rich imperial concubine makeup, the jewels on his head dazzled. Cheng Fengtai looked at him and thought that this is Shang Xirui, why he is so colorful and looks very thin. On the contrary, Chacha'er was more excited, holding a cup of tea, staring at Shang Xirui intently, thinking that his jewel-like eyes were very beautiful.
As soon as Shang Xirui came out, someone threw oceans and jewels up, applauding one after another, he hadn't sung yet, it was obvious from below, only Shang Xirui got this treatment.
It was the first time Chacha'er saw this way of playing, and his eyes sparkled as if he was very interested. Cheng Fengtai smiled, touched his body, he didn't bring any money, besides, throwing money was meaningless. A watch, a watch will break if you throw it away. He took off his middle finger and put an emerald-encrusted gold ring into Chacha'er's hand: "Come on, Chacha'er will also have one."
Chacha'er went to the railing and leaned out, took the ring at Shang Xirui and threw it hard. She only had eyes on Shang Xirui, and every throw at him was too accurate. The ring hit Shang Xirui's brow bone, knocking his head slightly, his eyes quickly slipped past Fengtai's box.
Cheng Fengtai thought badly, the gold ring was very heavy, it might be bruised after smashing it. Chacha'er also panicked, ran back and grabbed his brother's sleeve, a little panicked. Instead, the two old men laughed and said: "Miss San is so lucky! This hand is not weak, and the boss is not too weak!"
Cheng Fengtai felt very strange, and thought to himself, aren't they Shang Xirui's movie fans? How could he be so happy to see Shang Xirui being smashed? Think again, hi! This place is regarded as an opera house in Shanghai again. Here, actors and prostitutes are people on the same level—not people, but toys, things that can be rubbed casually if you have money.
Thinking of this, Cheng Fengtai felt uncomfortable. At home in Shanghai, in his father's education, he would thank the servants for bringing him a cup of tea, so he couldn't get used to the Chinese people's sense of dignity. Patting Chachaer on the back made her sit down, and said: "It doesn't matter, we Chachaer didn't do it on purpose, brother will take you to apologize to him later."
The two old men were quite familiar with Cheng Fengtai's style, they secretly smiled knowingly, and said to themselves that the apology was false, and that Second Master Cheng was looking for someone to watch an actor, right
The blow Shang Xirui took seemed to hit Sheng Ziyun's heart, he stood up awkwardly and looked towards the culprit. Cheng Fengtai was talking with his head tilted, his face was unclear. He kept on researching it speciously, but when Cheng Fengtai finished speaking, he suddenly turned his face and caught his gaze, Sheng Ziyun had no choice but to come over to say hello.
"Second Brother Cheng."
The old men pushed their glasses and asked, "Who is this?"
Cheng Fengtai said: "My old classmate's younger brother, Sheng Ziyun, the sixth son of the Sheng family in Shanghai, is now studying in university in Peking."
For the Sheng family's reputation, the old men set up Sheng Ziyun to praise the handsome young man, and Sheng Ziyun greeted them one by one with a shy face.
Cheng Fengtai said: "Okay, the show is about to start, Master Yun go back and sit down."
Sheng Ziyun agreed, and as soon as he turned around, Cheng Fengtai grabbed him by the hem of his clothes and dragged him down, leaned into his ear and gritted his teeth: "Wait for me to ask you something!"
Sheng Ziyun panicked for a while.
On stage, Shang Xirui babbled and sang, his voice bright and clear, as mellow as a warbler's cry. Cheng Fengtai has watched the drama of the drunken concubine several times with others, but he only understands two sentences in it - "The ice wheel on the island is just turning, and the jade rabbit is seen, and the jade rabbit has risen eastward. The ice wheel is far from the island, and the universe is very bright."
Further down, Cheng Fengtai can't remember much. But although Cheng Fengtai didn't know the words, he listened to the voice quietly, and gradually realized the meaning of the voice, and hummed softly. Then I discovered another advantage of Chinese drama compared with Western drama - Huqin has a high-pitched voice, which can lift people's spirits, and even people who don't understand can't fall asleep.
A tune was sung, and there was a sudden commotion in the audience. Many people left their seats angrily, and some people booed.
Cheng Fengtai didn't know what was going on, the old man next to him sighed: "Hey! Where is this going! It's a good drunken concubine!"
The other said: "Don't watch it. Let's go too!" After saying that, he said goodbye to Cheng Fengtai and made an appointment for the next meeting, with a very disappointed expression on his face.
Cheng Fengtai followed them all the way to send them down, and said with a smile: "What's wrong with this show? You two old men are so generous?"
The old man said: "This Shang Xirui, relying on being a character, changed the playbook seven times and eight times, so many colleagues and fanciers didn't want to see him. I haven't seen it before, but I caught up with it today!"
"In the early years, he went to a cave in Shanghai. When Shanghai people saw this problem with him, they called him a 'playing monster', and he was proud of it! A drunken imperial concubine! Dare to change this! The country is about to perish!"
When the spectators who went out together heard these words, they agreed in unison, and made many complaints and opinions. Cheng Fengtai didn't understand their comments, so he politely sent the old men to the car, and went back to the box to find his sister.