"I'll give you sheer stockings?"
“I’m not going to wear it. It looks awful. Wearing it is like not wearing anything at all. I’d be running around with my legs bare.”
"Why not take advantage of a free lunch?" Zhigao suddenly had a brilliant idea. He ran to a magazine and a shop, looked thoughtful, and then secretly smiled. Huaiyu and Dandan had no idea what he was up to.
It was a cosmetics shop called "Lifang." On the counter were two enormous glass bottles, one containing hair-combing oil and the other cold cream. Inside the counter were displays of Two Girls brand floral water, in both large and small bottles, produced by Shanghai Guang Sheng Hang. There were also spices and scented powders, some in expensive bottles, others loosely sprinkled on cotton paper. Exquisite small stone mills, wooden files, copper spoons, sieves, and funnels were also available for sale. Various embroidered purses adorned the shop.
As Zhigao approached, the shopkeeper scooped up some fragrant powder with a small shovel, blew on it, and sprinkled it on him. It smelled of jasmine and scattered in the wind. The shopkeeper asked, "Would you like to buy some fragrant powder to give to the young lady?"
Zhi Gao smiled mysteriously:
"No, I want to buy perfume."
"Oh, a big customer here, please take a look." He took out three bottles, one of which was particularly luxurious. He proudly introduced it: "This is the best perfume in our shop, from Japan." In the markets of Beiping, Dong'an Market had the most foreign goods, including British, French, German, and Swedish products. However, at this time, Japanese goods often had the upper hand and flooded the market. Many people did not like to use local products, so the most respectable items were actually Japanese goods.
Huaiyu quickly said, "Don't buy Japanese goods!"
Zhigao couldn't afford it; all he could manage was a small bottle of Two Sisters brand floral water, a long strip of red cotton paper for rouge and lipstick. After buying them, he instructed the shopkeeper to wrap them in patterned paper. He used all the money he received as a gift to buy the gift bag. The shopkeeper's expression was also different from before.
Seeing his mysterious demeanor, Dandan asked, "Who is it for?"
Zhigao said shyly, "...This is a tacit statement, don't ask. It's either you or me."
It was supposed to be a gift for the young lady, yet he was still putting on airs. Who was he giving it to? Dandan remained silent. Who had he recently met? Why was he being so hesitant? Usually, he would cluck like a hen laying an egg, as if afraid no one would know. Now that he'd kept it, who was the giver? Dandan felt a pang of jealousy. Everyone gets their share; who's superior to whom? —Who was the giver?
"Say it!" The voice froze.
Huaiyu also wanted to know, but seeing that the situation was not good, she said, "Don't force him if he won't tell you. He'll be eager to tell you on his own, he can't keep lying for long."
"None of you can fool me!" Dandan suddenly grabbed Huaiyu: "Brother Huaiyu, you said you'd steal some dates for me again for Mid-Autumn Festival?"
They found fault with him. They also took the opportunity to let Zhigao know.
Huaiyu smiled bitterly; they couldn't do anything about her.
She was always asking for things, and they would always say, "Okay, whatever you want." They never felt pressured, firstly because her requests were adorable, and secondly because she was an adorable person. If it could easily make her happy, they were all more than willing to give it to her.
However, I really forgot about the dates.
Huaiyu could only comfort her, "Another day, definitely. Consider it a debt I owe you!"
"Alright, let's see if you can escape! You'll lose your teeth if you have a liar's tumor!"
Zhigao, carrying his secret gift bag, took two or three steps ahead and suddenly shouted, "Dandan, come and see!"
There were several medicine vendors nearby. One of them was selling toothache medicine. He had medicine bottles, some simple tooth extraction tools, and an enamel plate with extracted diseased teeth on it. Zhigao pointed to the plate and said, "Look, these are all Huaiyu's teeth. He often lies. Count them!"
Dandan laughed so hard she bent over, and Huaiyu gave Zhigao a hard punch. She then grabbed Dandan's braid and made her turn around.
A stall next door sold facial blemishes. These blemishes were raised bumps on the face; they didn't hurt or itch, but they were unsightly, so people often went to a blemish remover to have them removed. This stall had a portrait of a person with a face full of blemishes drawn on it, explaining the auspicious or inauspicious signs associated with where the blemish was located. Huaiyu dragged Dandan over here:
“Your master is wicked, he is wicked, I’ll give you some now.”
"No, no!" Dandan struggled. "He's burning hot, I'm afraid of the pain!"
"It won't hurt," the vendor hurriedly said. "It's just quicklime mixed with baking soda. There's not much water involved. If it doesn't work the first time, just apply it again in a couple of days. It'll be gone after three applications. Where does your penis grow?"
Dandan fled as if trying to escape: "No!"
From a distance, he cursed Huaiyu: "You've blinded me, who's going to give me my eyes back?"
It turned out Dandan had taken it seriously. She had never believed Huaiyu was a fake. Qi Zizai then settled the score: "Give me back!"
"Fine, if you really go blind, I'll give it back to you!"
Zhigao also said, "If he won't pay me back, I will."
"Go to hell, you two big-headed devils!" Dandan laughed instead of getting angry: "Give me back my four eyes, I have plenty, I'll have to take them to the market to sell!"
Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, and the autumn sun is unusually strong, feeling almost scorching on the skin. Although it's cool in the mornings and evenings, you'll still sweat even wearing a vest at midday. Everyone said:
"The world is about to change!" — It's true, I heard that flags are being flown in Northeast China now, but they're the big red Japanese flag with a dog-skin plaster on it.
The teahouse where the fighting was a daily occurrence didn't have any banners hanging up, as if the competition hadn't yet arrived. It only displayed a sign that read "Autumn Colors Are Worth Observing," an unexpectedly elegant phrase. "Autumn Colors" refers to cricket fighting, and "Worth observing" implies potential profit. These bright red invitations from the teahouses waved like national flags: seemingly refined, yet still a contest—people fighting, insects fighting, no one knew who would win, perhaps in the end both would lose their effort and time. There were quite a few people, carrying their cricket jars, ready to fight to the death.
As autumn deepens, the bleak autumn wind blows and yellow leaves flutter, all poised to burst forth.
That day, Huaiyu was practicing with his red-tasseled spear in the arena. Just as he was throwing the spear, leaping into the air, and landing to rest, the tip of the spear pointing downwards, suddenly a person came running up, calling out:
"Huaiyu, Huaiyu," she gasped, "Master Li wants you to go on stage right now!"
"what happen?"
"Let's go! Let's salvage the situation first. Salvage the situation and put out the fire." — It turns out Jinbao hasn't returned yet, and they've lost the show.
What happened to Jinbao? What happened to Master?
Huaiyu had no time to ask further questions. She simply told her father and then rushed straight to Guanghe Tower.
Outside the theater, a few symbolic pieces of food were always placed there; acquaintances would immediately recognize them. A large stone lock meant it was a performance of "The Bright Sun Tower," and the Green Dragon Crescent Blade meant it was a Guan Yu play. If something suddenly changed, there wouldn't be time to issue a notice. As for the actors, it was all about luck; without a certain affinity for the stage, the audience would jeer. Huaiyu had no time to worry.
The film "Burning Pei Yuanqing" was officially released.
The audience, unaware of the situation, were somewhat surprised to see it wasn't Li Shengtian, and a subtle tension arose. Huaiyu's ears were ringing; she couldn't hear anything, only focused on performing well. Qi Ba made his appearance, first unleashing a flurry of hammer blows to establish his authority.
Seeing that he was a new young man, his movements were precise and his steps were measured. He was handsome and agile, and people gradually began to applaud him. But when it came to the top of the swing, after tossing it high, he panicked and couldn't hold the fall properly, about to be booed…
No, Huaiyu immediately gave the master on stage a wink and a silent nod, then said, "Let's do it again." The audience, seeing he was about to do it again, held their breath and waited. The gongs and drums beat rapidly, and the hammer was tossed high into the air, spinning once—