A few days later, in a game of cards, rich and idle people gathered together to eat, drink and have fun. Cheng Fengtai told Fan Lian about the matter of the Huibin Building, including the scolding from the second mistress, and Fan Lian clapped his hands and cheered: "My sister is so refreshing! I always want to scold you when I see you messed up on weekdays." Scolding, but I dare not. In the end, my sister is happy!"
Cheng Fengtai smiled and said: "You dare to scold me! I am grateful to your sister, you have no temper, what are you!"
Fan Lian also said: "You can't say it like this. I think back when I bought my sister's dowry—oh! What is a dowry? Give me your empty shell. Did I, a brother, say anything? This is my affection for you, brother-in-law! You have to miss me."
Cheng Fengtai slapped him on the back vigorously: "You are a little wife, what can you say? No one cares about you."
Fan Lian slapped it back: "I'm the only one raised here by my little wife? You have something to say about me!"
On this day, the owner’s house is also a Chinese-style house, which was the former forehead mansion. Those royal mansions in the former Qing Dynasty have now been bought by their new wealthy businessmen. The two of them were joking and teasing, turning around the two corridors, Cheng Fengtai caught a glimpse of a young man in a white coat sitting in the flower hall across the pond, elegant and handsome, seeing Cheng Fengtai from a distance, he nodded with a smile.
Cheng Fengtai lost his eyes and said: "Whose family's scholar is this? Why... Heh, he looks like a little actor."
Fan Lian took a look at his glasses, and was amused: "Aren't you just a little actor! Brother-in-law! Or should I lend you my glasses? You just talked about people for a long time, and now you don't know each other?"
Cheng Fengtai was still confused, Fan Lian patted him on the shoulder: "This is Shang Xirui!"
Cheng Fengtai frowned and looked carefully, then shook his head: "It's him? Not like, not at all."
"What's different?"
"When I saw him that day, he acted like a woman, and the look in his eyes was like Concubine Yang. Today, he has become a little scholar."
Fan Lian nodded: "That's right. This is an actor."
Standing in the corridor, Cheng Fengtai took another careful look at Shang Xirui.
After dinner, the host's family played a game of cards. The three connected living rooms were played by drummers and mahjong and bridge players. In the garden was a dance hall, where all kinds of entertainment were available, and it was very lively. Cheng Fengtai played two decks of bridge before being caught by Fan Lian to play mahjong. Shang Xirui has been sitting with his master in the ear room listening to the Dagu book, beating the beat and humming along while listening, he likes all plays, and knows a little bit of all plays.
The owner of this house, Mr. Huang, is an old man in his sixties. He lives in a deep house in the former Qing Dynasty with a full house of Western furniture. He wears a double-breasted jacket and eats Western food. He is neither Chinese nor Western. This is very similar to Cheng Fengtai. Master Huang is very old, his old eyes are dim, his face has lost all luster, Shang Xirui is still a handsome young man, the two of them sit snuggled together, they look like a pair of father and son.
Master Huang patted the back of Shang Xirui's hand and said with a smile: "How about, Boss Shang will sing us a big drum too?"
Shang Xirui said: "Every line is like a mountain, I'm so rude, how can I do it?"
The girl who sang the big drum script tilted her head slightly, listening to their speech. Master Huang shook Shang Xirui's hand and said with a smile: "You don't know him? This is Shang Xirui, Boss Shang."
The girl was full of surprise, then looked at Shang Xirui, her eyes widened: "How can I not know you! I'm still a fan of Boss Shang's drama!" Stamping her feet, she complained: "Oh! Master Huang, you just asked me to come today." To make fun of me! Make me lose face in front of Jiaoer!"
Everyone laughed. Shang Xirui also laughed, took his hand away from Master Huang and bowed to the girl: "Don't dare to act, don't dare to act. It's the same sentence, every line is like a mountain. The girl is also a character on the other side of the mountain."
Shang Xirui usually only knows that he keeps his head down and plays, and in order to protect his voice, he doesn't often attend such noisy banquets. In the final analysis, he cannot be regarded as a person in the sensual field. So there were quite a few people present who only heard about Shang Xirui but never met him, today they saw Su Yan's true colors, how would they let him pass, they tried to strike up a conversation with him one by one, and had to ask him to sing when it was over. Shang Xirui really doesn't want to sing, the weather has turned cold these two days, he has an old illness and his voice is not very clear. But this cannot be dismissed, no matter how popular he is, he is still just an actor, and it is his duty to pretend to add excitement.
Shang Xirui stood up slowly and said: "What do you guys want to hear? How about the peach blossom fan?"
There is nothing bad about it below. Shang Xirui began to sing. His voice pierced through the house like a broken silver bottle, and the sound of dancing in the garden was overwhelmed by the play. The young man stopped dancing and looked at the sound. On this late autumn night, with a bright moon in the sky and few stars, coupled with a clear voice that goes straight up to nine days, there is really a sense of openness, freshness and clarity. What kind of waltz serenade, compared with Shang Xirui's, it immediately becomes the sound of chaos, it's unbearable to listen to. Only Shang Xirui's ice-snow voice is worthy of the bright moon and the breeze, Chang'e in Guanghan Palace stretching her sleeves, heaven and earth share this song.
The chatter in the card room gradually quieted down, people were all listening to Shang Xirui singing. The voice was so clear that the smoke in the room seemed to be blown away by it. Cheng Fengtai was listening with a cigarette in his mouth. Listening to Shang Xirui's opera this time, I felt a subtle feeling of meeting an old friend for the first time, and felt very cordial.
After singing for a while, young masters and young ladies who were dancing outside rushed in. The leading girl took a deep look at Shang Xirui, then threw herself on Master Huang and hooked his neck, coquettishly said: "Papa, Papa, lend us this opera singer for a while, just for a while."
Master Huang patted her: "Call Boss Shang!"
"Okay, Boss Shang, Boss Shang. I'll take Boss Shang away, and I'll pay you back later!" He said, kissing her father on the cheek.
The boys and girls could not help but push Shang Xirui out the door. Master Huang touched the cheeks that had been smacked by his daughter, and said to the people around: "This is so strange, when will these young people know how to listen to operas!"
The man said with a smile: "I don't listen to the opera because I haven't seen any good ones. When I see good ones, like Boss Shang, who looks beautiful and plays well, who can't love it?" These words were heard by everyone. Inexplicably, there was an ambiguous meaning. Master Huang thought he agreed with it, and smiled with his beard curled up.
Cheng Fengtai watched as Shang Xirui was swept out of the hall by them, with a thin moon-white figure, as handsome and graceful as a frost-covered new willow, and when Miss Huang clung to him, she immediately looked Round waist and thick shoulders, rough breath, like a silly big sister. They passed the mahjong room, Miss Huang saw Cheng Fengtai, ran over and put her arms around his neck and said: "Second Brother Cheng, come out and dance with me later."
Cheng Fengtai was thrown forward by her, the cigarette butt in his mouth almost burned the back of his hand, he took two quick puffs of the cigarette, then extinguished the fire: "No!"
Miss Huang said coquettishly, "Why, why! You dance so well!"
Cheng Fengtai pinched her face, said with a smile: "Yes! I've already danced so well, what's the point of dancing. I want to practice card skills now!"
Others said with a smile: "Miss, don't pester the second master. He didn't bring his sister out tonight. Without this lucky star, he has lost since the beginning of the game. He is so red-eyed. He must never leave the poker table."
Miss Huang raised her chin: "Then, Fan Lian, come out!"
Fan Lian sat opposite Cheng Fengtai again today, staring at the cards with incomparable concentration, it seemed that he was the one with red eyes: "I'm not going either!"
Ms. Huang raised her eyebrows: "Hey! You!"
Others laughed again: "Brother Lian is very lucky today. It looks like he is going to lose his brother-in-law like a pair of pants! He can't leave the poker table anymore! Miss, let's go outside to play, it's smoky here, don't choke looking at you."
Miss Huang glared at Fan Lian, let go of Cheng Fengtai and went out to play. After a while, Shang Xirui's ice-snow voice brightened up again, he didn't know what he was singing, it seemed to be Yutangchun.
Cheng Fengtai lit a cigarette, and looked sideways at Fan Lian: "Why don't you go out to play? Are you afraid that Miss Huang will take a fancy to you?"
Fan Lian glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about in other people's houses! I don't go out to play, because I want to win back all the losses in the past. What about you, you stand firm in such a miserable situation, really want to be pants?"
Cheng Fengtai said: "Me? I don't like being with children."
Aunt Huang's wife at the next table heard this, turned her head and said, "That's not true, our lady is only seventeen this year. Where's Second Master Cheng? Twenty-two or twenty-three? It's only a few years away. Just sell it to the elders."
Cheng Fengtai sighed: "Don't talk about age. I always feel that I am old enough to be a father to Ms. Huang." This sentence is obviously eating human tofu. Mrs. Huang's aunt turned her hands behind her back and slapped him twice with a smile: "Being her father, you are so beautiful."
Fan Lian followed him and sighed, "I always like hanging out with you, so I feel old."
The two sighed at each other again.
Cheng Fengtai's young family has gone through the ups and downs of human relationships, and then he struggled in the business world to support himself, and countless years have surged in his heart. And Fan Lian, as the bastard son of an old-style family, grew up with high eyebrows and low eyes since he was a child, and his mind and personality are quite clever and sophisticated. Although they are only in their early twenties, they are socialized among a group of middle-aged people, and they are all well-rounded, and no one dares to underestimate them.
The party lasted until a quarter past ten, Shang Xirui sang and stopped in the garden. Cheng Fengtai lost more than 3,000 yuan in the house, his butt hurts from sitting, and his head is a little swollen. He drank the remaining tea in the cup, put out the cigarette butt, and beckoned to a nephew of the Huang family: "Come on! Eldest nephew will take a pair for me, and I will relieve my emergency."
Mrs. Huang's wife wanted to beat him again: "What big nephew, he is three years older than you! You are so kind!"
Fan Lian slapped the table anxiously and shouted: "Brother-in-law, don't leave! You are desperate to lose!"
Cheng Fengtai grabbed two chips and hit him on the head.
The garden outside was filled with colorful lights, the girls and boys stopped dancing, they gathered in a circle to watch Shang Xirui sing. Cheng Fengtai looked at them, and found that their eyes were drunk, obviously they were watching people more than watching theatre. On Shang Xirui's moon-white skirt, someone has spotted his eyes, and there is a bright red early plum on the hairpin, a little red in the white snow, like a well-matched brooch, very unique and eye-catching. He took a folding fan to swim all over the colorful world, which was more tiring than singing in the theater, because there was no stage and no rest.
"Miss Huang, I really can't sing anymore."
Miss Huang said: "Then let's dance!" After speaking, she reached out to Shang Xirui and wanted to dance with him.
Shang Xirui was stunned for a moment, he didn't accept Miss Huang's invitation, he would rather sing than dance: "Then... I'll sing for you all."
Cheng Fengtai looked amused, this group of student ladies are new style, they are the most shameless, Shang Xirui is about to be embarrassing to death by them. So he decided to do the good deed of sacrificing his life to save the beauty again. He parted the crowd and said with a smile: "Master Huang waited for Boss Shang for a long time, but you still detain him? Let's go and listen to it in the theater later." The young lady fell into a verbal confrontation, stepped forward and grabbed Shang Xirui and left. Miss Huang hurriedly opened her hands to grab two handfuls of the little actors, but she couldn't catch them, so she stomped her feet angrily.
Shang Xirui's wrist is only a little thin in Cheng Fengtai's hand, slightly cold, like meat made of jade. The expression on his face is also cool, sometimes he is absent-minded, speaks slowly, without the slightest charm of the rumors, he is simply more bookish than serious college students like Fan Lian Sheng Ziyun.
Cheng Fengtai took him through the garden and crossed the small bridge to a secluded place by the pond, and said with a smile: "Boss Shang really followed them and sang for over an hour. I was so tired listening to you."
Shang Xirui smiled and wanted to say something, but his throat couldn't get up as soon as it stopped, his brows choked up. Cheng Fengtai waved his hands: "Hey! Don't talk. I escaped too. Let's just stay here quietly for a while." At the same time, he called a passing maid, and smiled slightly: "Miss, please bring me a cup of hot tea. After a while the maid brought hot tea, Cheng Fengtai took it with his own hands and handed it to Shang Xirui. Shang Xirui never eats tea and snacks outside, for fear that someone will spoil his throat, it's not that he is seriously suspicious, Ning Jiulang, who is also his teacher and friend, has been hurt like this before. In Vanity Fair, I have to be careful. But the cup of tea that Cheng Fengtai gave him today made him feel at ease for no reason, sitting on the stone bench and drinking it slowly, his voice became much more comfortable. Cheng Fengtai picked up a handful of stones and stood on the edge of the pond to play with the water. The reflection of the moon condensed on the water surface into a glowing jade plate, which he smashed as a target. The two of them really did not speak quietly, and there was the sound of noisy amusement in the distance. They were here with the breeze of the lotus pond, cool and quiet, but it felt like a dream. Looking at Cheng Fengtai's silhouette under the moonlight, Shang Xirui thought to himself that Cheng Meixin's younger brother was nothing like Cheng Meixin. Such straightforwardness, heartiness, thoughtfulness, and chivalrous heart, and she looks better than Cheng Meixin... It's really good.
Cheng Fengtai suddenly turned his head and met his eyes, smiled and weighed the stone in his hand.
They were quiet for a while, and someone came to him immediately. The person walked and slapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Ah! Second Master Cheng is hiding here! Your brother-in-law is calling people all over the world to arrest you!"
Cheng Fengtai raised his eyebrows at Shang Xirui, smiled wryly: "I have to go back, I have to be pants today. What about you?"
Shang Xirui said: "I'll go in with you. I've pushed Master Huang several times, and I'm sure to accompany him to the end today."
Cheng Fengtai said with a smile: "Then you sit beside me, I'm sure no one will dare to order you again."
Shang Xirui nodded.