Lou Junyan glanced at the chessboard and smiled, "I haven't been able to concentrate lately."
Lou Xiyue joked, "Ever since he married Fifth Sister-in-law, Fifth Brother has had far more days when he can't concentrate."
Lou Junyan stood up, glanced at me, and smiled, "Miss Qi, did you enjoy the opera yesterday?"
I said, "That's good." After thinking for a moment, I added, "No, I fell asleep."
He said slowly, "Then let Xiyue take you to listen to some folk songs. The current opera troupe has lost its leading actor and is not what it used to be." After speaking, he walked towards He Yiyi's room.
Lou Xiyue smiled at me. "Would you like to play chess with me?"
I moved closer and asked, "Have you really forgotten your secrets to protecting your heart?"
He paused for a moment, glanced down at the chessboard, and said casually, "Hmm, that formula is quite complicated. I used to write it down on a piece of paper and carry it with me, but I lost it once and couldn't remember it."
I grinned at him. "Your method isn't very good. You should prepare several copies." After thinking about it, I still felt something was wrong. "If you prepare several copies, someone else might pick them up and learn them, which wouldn't be good. You can write the mantra on your chest and recite it every time you look in the mirror."
Lou Xiyue looked at me with a smile in her eyes, "Then take a bath and it'll all be washed away, won't it?"
I said, "Then you should remember it. I have never heard of anyone practicing martial arts and writing it down on paper.
He chuckled lightly, "What do you mean there aren't any? What's the explanation for those martial arts manuals?"
I thought for a long time and then said, "Let's play chess!"
Halfway through the game, Lou Xiyue, supporting her forehead, said, "I just remembered something."
After speaking, she looked at me with a smile.
I placed a chess piece and asked, "What is it?"
Lou Xiyue laughed with interest, "Back when we were at Muxue Villa, you lost to me once."
I scratched my head. "When did this happen? I really can't remember."
Lou Xiyue said, "We need to set up a fortune-telling stall for three days."
I said, "Words alone are meaningless. Do you have any written proof? Do you have any?"
Lou Xiyue said, "..."
It was past noon, and Lou Junyan still hadn't come out of He Yiyi's room, completely depriving me of the chance to be alone with He Yiyi.
Lou Xiyue and I strolled all the way to Yihonglou, intending to watch another play.
This performance is of "Farewell My Concubine". Consort Yu sings with a smile, "I urge the king to drink wine and listen to Yu's song, to relieve his worries and dance gracefully". She then takes lotus steps, moves her water sleeves, and dances with graceful movements and expressive eyes.
I said to Lou Xiyue, "He Yiyi sang this part very well, even better than the actors on this stage."
Lou Xiyue nodded and said, "Of course, Fifth Sister-in-law sang in an opera troupe for a while back then."
I was surprised. "Isn't she the eldest daughter of the He family?"
Lou Xiyue unfolded her fan and, while listening to the opera, said, "Because of this matter, the He family was in chaos for a while, and she was locked in her room several times. But she refused and severed ties with Master He."
He thought for a moment, then added, "Fifth Brother met her when he was watching a play."
On stage, the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, and the singing gradually rose higher and higher.
Lou Xiyue looked at me with a smile, fanning herself as she said, "When you were twelve or thirteen years old, the Lou family held a banquet to invite an opera troupe. That was the first time Fifth Brother saw He Yiyi. He went to the back to see what she looked like without makeup."
I said, "How do you remember it so clearly?"
Lou Xiyue turned her face away, focusing her gaze on the stage, and remained silent.
We sat in the pavilions on either side of the platform, and our view was much clearer than that of the spectators in the ordinary rooms.
During a break in the procession, I saw a group of soldiers making soy sauce passing by with a clanging sound. Among them was a person whose face was covered by makeup, making it difficult to see their true features, but who looked somewhat different from the others.
Actually, they all wore the same clothes, had the same makeup, and even their catwalk postures were almost identical. After some thought, I concluded that the difference was mainly in their temperament. Some people, despite playing leading roles, are often overlooked by the audience because they possess an innate sense of being cannon fodder; others, even in minor roles, can still leave a lasting impression.
I can really empathize with the former's feelings, because I'm always the one who gets caught up in the chaos; and I'm very sensitive to these kinds of overbearing bystanders, so I thought this person must be Fu Yi.
"Clang—" The bronze drum struck once.
A soft voice whispered in my ear, "Because that was the first time I had ever seen you."
My heart skipped a beat, and I turned to look at the west moon reflected in the sky.
Lou Xiyue continued to look at the table with a slight smile, "I saw a little girl flick her sleeve, and an egg flew out. Then she jumped off the wall and ran away."
I was surprised, "Huh?"
Lou Xiyue continued, "Once during the Lantern Festival, you even stole my money pouch."
I was surprised again, "Huh?"
He tilted his head and stared intently into my eyes. "What do you think? If I hadn't let you steal it, could you have succeeded?"
I was speechless again. "Huh?"
A burst of cheers interrupted my train of thought; the play seemed to have ended, and the actors were leaving the stage one after another.
I said to Lou Xiyue, "I saw Fu Yi, let's go down and look for him." After saying that, I ran towards the dressing room.
A row of actors sat in the room, taking off their headdresses in front of the bronze mirror.
A man, his makeup half-removed, sat quietly on the west side of the dressing room, holding a handkerchief in his hand.