Chapter 20 You poor people have more tricks up their sleeves
The performance of Miss Wen Yuan was not in the building, but in one of the several courtyards behind the Miaoyin Pavilion, called "Qinxiang Garden". A moment after the gong started ringing, the literati who wanted to join in the ceremony hurried over.
Although Chen Ju and the others came immediately after hearing the sound, they only took a central position, with four people sitting around a round table. There is no cost to come here to watch the show, but this simple table is expensive and is a symbol of identity and status. There are about ten or twenty tables like this in the small courtyard, and those who arrive later, even if they have money, can only stand in the corridor.
“It’s quite lively.”
Liang Yue looked at the dense crowd of figures in the corridor. Everyone’s eyes were very eager, as if they were chasing stars.
"Hehe, the popular musicians in Miaoyin Pavilion are different from the good girls outside." Chen Ju smiled and said: "The popular musicians are very popular."
"Oh?" Liang Yue asked: "What's the difference? ?”
Chen Ju said with a smile: “Those good girls outside basically sell them for money. These popular musicians, you have to be diligent when performing your talents and give rewards. Spend more money to attract her attention, and then get the opportunity to talk to her more often, and the two parties will have a good time."
"So the difference between them is. Are you talented?" Liang Yue tried to summarize.
"Well..." Chen Ju pondered for a moment and replied, "It is more expensive."
Liang Yue smiled, his words were really concise and to the point.
He came to Hongxiufang just to inquire about the situation with Chen Ju. He was not interested in any oiran girls. He only followed her to see her talents and see the world. Therefore, he was extra calm and seemed a little out of place in the crowd.
Not long after, a gauze screen was erected on the stage in the courtyard. The phoenix queen came on stage and said delicately to the guests below: "Dear guests, this is Miss Wen Yuan. Everyone was so enthusiastic about my second performance after Miaoyin Pavilion. It seems that everyone has heard of her name. In the previous performance, because Miss Wenyuan was too beautiful, the guests were not interested in listening to the music. This time she asked to cover up her appearance. Only those who choose to talk can see Miss Wen Yuan's face. "What else are you looking at?" Some dissatisfied people started to shout.
"Okay, just do it." Feng Niang gave a charming look, turned around and walked off the stage, and behind the gauze screen, there was already a shadow of a sitting figure, only You can see a head full of hairpins, smooth shoulders and neck, slender jade fingers, but no facial features and body shape.
But for some reason, just such a shadow makes people feel that this must be an outstanding beauty.
Sometimes beauty is a feeling, not just a sight.
Many people present came here because of the reputation of being as beautiful as a fairy. Seeing that this person didn't even show his face, they were very unhappy, but this emotion was quickly forgotten.
Ding——
As she plucked the strings, a sound like running water rippled out, and in the blink of an eye, the heated place calmed down.
It wasn't a quiet scene, but everyone closed their eyes slightly and was immersed in a fresh and elegant atmosphere. The sound of the piano seems to have magic power. When I close my eyes, I seem to see mountains, flowing water, blue sky and white clouds, and my childhood lover.
It seems like a reflection of the past, as graceful as a startling shadow.
The song ends, and the lingering sound lingers for a long time.
After a long while, everyone slowly opened their eyes and exclaimed: "Miss Wen Yuan's piano sound is just like fairy music. I have never heard it in my life."
" God, I think of running under the sunset that day, that was my lost youth..."
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Chen Ju raised his face sadly.
"What's wrong with you?" Liang Yue asked.
“I just closed my eyes and saw the woman I once loved deeply.” Chen Ju said with a cry, sobbing: “Miss Wen Yuan, can you play another song?”
"I can't tell you are still a lover. Do you want to miss me again?" Liang Yue said.
"No, as soon as the music started playing, their figures flashed past one by one, and the music was not finished yet. This song is too short and not enough to watch!" Chen Ju shouted.
Liang Yue: "..."
The girl Wen Yuan behind the screen took a short rest and played two pieces in succession. Each piece of piano music can bring people into a scene that fits it. With his miraculous performance, people have even forgotten the original purpose of coming here.
Everyone who listens to the piano seems to be here to listen to the piano, immersed in the intoxication of the music.
Until Feng Niang came back to the stage, she said with a smile: "Dear guests, Miss Wen Yuan's talent has come to an end. Guests who want to have a chat with her should seize the opportunity. .”
dang——
After that, the sound of gongs pulled everyone back into Qinxiang Garden.
"Miss Wenyuan!" Looking at the shadow behind the screen, the excited people shouted one after another.
Now, even if she doesn’t care about her appearance, she has captured the hearts of many literati with her piano skills alone, not to mention her reputation as a fairy.
Who doesn’t want to see it?
For a while, the atmosphere in the hospital became lively again, and everyone was gearing up. A boy was walking in the courtyard carrying a copper plate.
......
“Master Guo rewards you with a pair of South China Sea Pearls!”
“Master Zhang rewards you with a flawless white jade!”
“Master Qin rewards you with two pieces of gold. Twelve!"
"..." The waiter's shouts began to sound one after another. Whenever someone placed an item on the copper plate that was of extremely high value, he would shout loudly.
"What are you doing?" Liang Yue asked.
"Reward." Chen Ju explained for him: "Listening to the music is not free. After the musicians finish their performance, the servant will come down to collect the reward. Everyone can give more or less. It all depends on It’s just that when a musician chooses someone to talk to, he usually chooses the guest with the highest reward value. If he wants to talk to someone, he will be more generous.” Liang Yue sighed with emotion.
"Yes, I was not prepared before I came today. It seems that it will be difficult for me to take action." Chen Ju pointed to the confident literati in front of him and said, "If the action in front of me is special, The atmosphere, those behind it will generally avoid its edge, just forget about it.”
"How much does it cost?" Liang Yue touched his money bag.
After all, he had enjoyed three pieces of piano music, and the experience was indeed good, and he was not prepared to listen to it in vain.
“It won’t be shameful if you give me just ten or eighty taels of silver.” Chen Ju said.
"Ahem..." Liang Yue almost choked without drinking any water.
Is this what you rich people mean?
"Don't worry, I've prepared everything for you." Chen Ju said with a smile: "Come with me, how can I let you spend money."
"Not too good..." Liang Yue He looked around and asked, "Is it a reward of anything?"
Although they were friends, he still didn't want to take advantage of the other person's money.
"That's right, gold, silver, treasures, calligraphy and paintings, whatever is valuable will do." Chen Ju replied.
"Then I have a solution." Liang Yue smiled slightly.
He called the maid behind him and asked for a piece of white paper. He took out his homemade pen with a charcoal stick from his arms and began to draw on it.
Liang Yue was interested in criminal sketches before and studied painting for a period of time... About three days later, the teacher at that time was shocked and said that if he were an art student, he would definitely be top-notch.
But his interest was not here. After mastering enough technology, he did not delve further. When he came here, he still kept the habit of carrying a pen with him.
Chichichi smeared it quickly, and waited until the boy carrying the copper plate came over. Within a moment, Liang Yue's pen appeared under the pen of a picture of a beauty playing the piano behind a screen. It was Wen Yuan who just now The scene the girl performed was almost exactly the same.
The boy was startled when he saw it. He seemed to have never seen such a painting before and didn't know how much it was worth. He didn't yell after all, and went straight to collect the silver reward from Chen Ju.
Hu Peng and Gou You were prepared for this, but the ones in front of them were too fierce, and they were probably not prepared enough, so they put away all the treasures in their arms and replaced them with ordinary silver ingots.
"Although your painting is good, is it valuable?" Chen Ju was a little doubtful about Liang Yue. "If people check it later, it will be embarrassing if it is too perfunctory."
He is too. It was the first time I saw a painting like this. Although it was very restored, I felt a little strange.
Liang Yue looked calm, "You don't have to spend money on this thing, right? I'm very careful!"
"Hey." Hu Peng on the side heard it and sneered: "Liang Brother, if the priceless masterpieces like Chou Tan Hua and Xu Shangshu are placed here, their abilities will definitely surpass those of others. How much is the value of your temporary painting, no matter how hard you put it?”
"Okay." Chen Ju defended, "Anyway, you two are not arguing, so why not let's leave early before Feng Niang finds out."
"Okay." They hit it off immediately. .
The four of them stood up and left together. They walked through the courtyard with their waists bent, and it was quite slow to get through the crowd at the corridor. Although the people in the corridor had no hope of having a casual conversation, they still wanted to stay and watch the excitement, wondering which high-roller would win the beauty's heart.
Halfway through, I heard Feng Niang come on stage again. She shouted with a sullen face: "The guest that Miss Wenyuan has chosen to stay for a chat today is... Mr. Liang!"
< br>"Oh?" There was a burst of confusion in the crowd, and everyone looked around, trying to see who Mr. Liang was.
I guess it must be from the Liang family, one of the four great aristocratic families, but I didn't hear the shout just now. I wonder what was given?
But looking around, no one seemed to be standing up.
Feng Niang continued: "Where is Mr. Liang who gave me the autographed painting?"
"Huh?" Only at this moment did Liang Yue realize that something was wrong. Why did it sound so similar? Name yourself? He slowly straightened up and looked back. Sure enough, Feng Niang was holding a sketch on white paper and black pen in her hand.
“I don’t accept it!” Mr. Guo, who had presented a pair of pearls as a gift, stood up angrily, “Such a broken painting is more valuable than my South China Sea Pearls? Could Miss Wen Yuan be looking at it? Isn’t this guy handsome?”
Hmm...
Liang Yue gave the other party a look of approval. My friend, although your quality is a bit poor, your eyes are still good.
In fact, he himself had the same doubts.
On the stage, Feng Niang looked unhappy, as if she was holding her breath: "A thousand pieces of gold are easy to get, but a sincere heart is hard to find." Miss Wenyuan felt that Mr. Liang had put all his heart into this painting at first glance. The consistent standard for choosing people to talk to is attentiveness!”
As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar.
In so many brothels in Hongxiufang, there are countless good girls who are welcomed and escorted. They all want to be sincere in their words and have real gold in their hearts. This is probably the first time that Miss Wen Yuan has really chosen a worthless object.
Especially the two brothers Hu Peng and Gou You who were in front of Liang Yue turned around and looked at him with wide eyes. Their eyes seemed to say... This thing really doesn't cost money?
Chen Ju did not shy away from it. He gave Liang Yue a thumbs up with admiration and said, "You poor people have so many tricks up their sleeves."
(End of Chapter)