Zhigao grasped her hand and called to her.
"Dandan! Dandan!"
She really didn't want it to be Zhigao.
Song Zhigao started singing at the Tianle Theater in Tianqiao, always performing the opening act, such as Lü Bu in "Feeding and Banquet," where Diao Chan pours him wine, and he sings the Xipi Yaoban tune.
"The Marquis of Wen's fame spread throughout the land; even those in their boudoirs, hearing of him, often admired and praised him, their hearts filled with unspoken feelings..."
Their eyes met, and Zhigao, the Marquis of Wen, was completely captivated by her charming smile, leaving her "blushing and speechless," and he even forgot to drink his wine.
Heroes and beauties, those are merely the glitz and glamour of the stage. With a flick of his pheasant feathers, the audience cheers, but once the play is over, the feathers remain, silently bearing their unspoken sorrows. There are no forced vows of eternal love in this world. Even the half-drunk Wen Hou seemed to awaken in the end, only to find it unbelievable that Diao Chan was not his. And Dan Dan was not his either. Though his Red Hare traversed the world, his painted pole shook heaven and earth, invincible among ten thousand generals, the most powerful under heaven, the auspicious day ultimately vanished like a dream. What of today the thirteenth, tomorrow the fourteenth, the day after tomorrow the fifteenth… finally, they agreed on the sixteenth of this month, when Wang Yun would send his daughter to his residence for the wedding. —Neither Diao Chan nor Dan Dan were his.
The play was over. Dandan walked with Zhigao by her side. It was drizzling a little at night. On the way, they met a woman whose child was sick. She said the child had offended a passing spirit. The mother was holding the child, burning incense, and calling out to the spirit in a high-pitched, mournful voice.
Even after walking far away, you can still see a tiny incense stick burning in the dark, quiet night, like a small, almost imperceptible hole in your heart, which can be easily punctured and never repaired.
"Brother Cut Cake, I'll be grateful to you for the rest of my life for helping me with this!"
"That's too dangerous."
“It’s not dangerous. Just give me Huaiyu’s address, and I’ll find him myself. Don’t worry, I’m not crazy. I’m more disciplined than you. I’ve been running around since I was a few years old.”
Is there anything he doesn't understand?
Indeed, he remembered that when she was ten years old, she already dared to wander around the Yonghe Temple—otherwise, he wouldn't have run into her.
"I'm going to find him! Brother Qiegao, don't be ashamed of me for telling you this." Dandan said, her eyes reddening with emotion. "I miss him so much. I've known him since I was ten years old."
Zhigao felt a pang of bitterness in his heart: Weren't we all acquaintances? How could things have turned so badly?
"Then how will you tell Master Miao?"
I said I was already eighteen years old.
"He did raise and take care of you, after all. Why did you just leave like that and not go to the Shi family with him?"
Dandan gently twirled her long braid:
“I’m reluctant to let them go either, but we can always contact them again later. Besides—I wasn’t originally part of their family.”
Zhigao was somewhat pleased—Dandan wasn't really one of his people to begin with. Sigh.
"Brother Cut Cake, we're at your place. Give me your address," Dandan shouted.
Somehow, it was like an arrow on a bowstring, aimed, released, and never to return.
Zhigao only regretted that time flew by too quickly; a young man like him should never grow up; once he grew up, happiness ended. Everything he did was a mistake. What's meant to be his will be his; what isn't, how can he keep it?
His heart was in turmoil, like a bowl of medicine slowly simmering; the bitterness would gradually seep out, and then he grew old.
It was a moonless night.
There was no moon, so he couldn't see clearly. He was quite relieved.
They gave Dandan Huaiyu's address. It was all unfamiliar to her—Shanghai? Baoshan Street?
She was like a tiny black dot on the edge of the world. She firmly believed that once she found him, he would have no choice but to take care of her. After all, what chance did she have? Where in the world could she truly find a reliable place to settle down? —But her heart had already wandered far away. She had no other choice.
Zhigao suddenly looked up and stared directly at her. It was good; there was no moon, so he couldn't see clearly. Only then was he completely relieved.
"Dandan—has Huaiyu ever kissed you?"
Dandan stared in disbelief, as if a ferocious beast had suddenly burst into the silence, leaving her stunned.
"No?" Zhigao guessed probably not. "Can you kiss me?"
For no reason at all, Dandan was extremely agitated. She felt she had wronged him; she wanted to stomp him into the mud and kill him without leaving a trace. She threw herself into Zhigao's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. It was a first for her.
Zhi Gao laughed: "Don't be like Shan Li'er's plaster."
Dandan had no choice but to kiss him again.
Zhigao pleaded sadly, "Let me kiss you too, okay? Just once."
What good are a thousand words? Finally, she was in his arms. Zhigao shamelessly kissed Dandan. Not quite happy to stop, but the play had to end, so he left through the exit. Dandan thought he was very cute and rubbed her face against his lapel.
Zhigao knew in his heart that he was trying to tie the wind down with a rope—such a wishful thinking was impossible. He clearly knew he couldn't keep Dandan; he truly knew it when he saw Huaiyu off at the train station. She waved fiercely in the wind and smoke, chasing after him, but it was too late.
"Brother Huaiyu! You must come back! If you don't come back, I will come looking for you!"
—So it was all premeditated from the beginning.
At that time, Zhigao became less talkative. Who knew he could hold back so much, yet in the end, he couldn't even keep a single word to himself, even accusing her of being presumptuous. He could only laugh it off, let go of Dandan, grabbed her shoulders, and gave a forced smile:
"Okay, you kissed me, and I kissed you back. I'm one step ahead of Huaiyu. So I'm not at a loss. How can you do business at a loss? Right?"
Then he forcefully stuffed a small cloth bag into Dandan's hand.
That was the money he had saved up, bits and pieces. When he had saved up enough, he exchanged it for a silver dollar. He kept exchanging it, so that he would have some savings when he got married.
Since it can't be done now, I have no choice but to grant her wish.
"You don't need to thank me. Anyway, I can't go that far. You can use it for self-defense."
"I have a little money too—"
"Why is money too much? Even if we can't find it, we'll at least have enough for travel expenses. But we have an address and people here, so we won't be unable to find it."