He Ye paused for a long time before saying, "Actually, it's 'Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can I do?'..."
Fu Yi's influence on me is not to be underestimated; he was my mentor in the field of art.
Generally, actors have specific roles. For example, those who look refined and steady can sing young male roles, those who look imposing can sing martial male roles, those who look androgynous can sing young female roles, and those who are really unbearable to look at can sing both civil and military clown roles.
Fu Yi is quite extraordinary. He has sung the roles of Xiang Yu, Zhou Yu, Mu Guiying, and Sun Erniang. He can sing both male and female characters, and can be both scholarly and martial. He is versatile and his roles make it difficult for me to discern his true self from his characters.
This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that after being exposed to many folk arts, such as pipa tunes and poems, I found that I could only understand Fu Yi's lyrics after comparison, which shows that his pronunciation was clear and accurate.
As the years flowed by, I discovered that the only art form I could understand was Fu Yi's muteness, which was causing me great anxiety as I was about to pass away.
After some consideration, I decided to go to Yangzhou with He Ye to rescue Fu Yi.
Before setting off, I went to say goodbye to Master San. As I passed by Master's house, there was a candlestick on the corner of the table. The candlestick was stained with candle wax, and the wick had burned a long way before it crumbled and fell, blowing across half of the table surface.
I said to the Third Master, "Keep an eye on Xiao Jiu and Da Feng, and make sure Da Feng doesn't push her over."
The three officials nodded.
I said, “Third Master, if Master returns, please tell him that I will be gone for a long time, so he can stay in the valley for a while longer.”
The Third Master glanced at me, then reached into the inner room and handed me a brocade pouch. “There are a few pills inside. Take them on the way.”
Throughout the journey, He Ye and I hit it off immediately. Like me, she had a profound understanding of traditional opera. So we chatted freely in the carriage, expressing our insights in a simple and accessible way. For example, when male actors perform opposite each other on stage, gazing deeply into each other's eyes, are there many homosexuals in such opera troupes? Another example: how do homosexuals, burdened with the stigma of having no offspring, survive in this society?
I could faintly hear the tinkling of bronze bells. He Ye said to me, "We've arrived."
I lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. I saw a single blue stone path winding its way to a house with a plaque that read "The small building remains the same." Over time, the red paint had peeled off.
I asked, "We haven't reached Yangzhou yet, have we?"
He Ye replied, "If you go north for another half a day, you will reach Yangzhou City. The young master found this place to be quiet and secluded, so he built a house here. Look, that's Anning Temple over there."
I looked in the direction she pointed and saw a tall tower with overlapping peaks not far away, rising up in tiers. I could almost hear the sound of monks in robes striking wooden fish and chanting sutras softly under the ancient Buddha statue and the flickering lamp.
I followed He Ye along the path.
A soft laugh echoed from the woods, leisurely and lingering. "Yiyi, you lost. Your husband will punish you with three cups of wine."
I leaned over and, through the swaying shadows of the trees, saw a young man dressed in a purple brocade robe embroidered with flying flowers and flowing clouds, his hair tied up with an ebony hairpin. He was leaning to the side, resting his chin on his hand, and smiling as he looked at the woman in plain clothes opposite him.
He Yiyi's face was hidden by the shade of the tree, and all that could be seen was Lou Junyan bending down to open the porcelain cup next to him and saying slowly, "I had someone bring a jar of your favorite white peach dew from the capital."
I whispered to He Ye, "Your wife and husband have such a good relationship. They leave their big house untouched during the day to come and enjoy nature."
He Ye paused for a moment, "The Fifth Young Master is good to the Madam."
Lin Zhonghe said, "Thank you, Wulang."
Lou Junyan still had a smiling expression, but his tone had become more stern and unyielding, "Don't call me Wulang, I'm your husband, aren't I?"
The mountain wind rustled the leaves, making their conversation difficult to hear clearly. What could be vaguely seen was that their figures were intertwined, with Lou Junyan holding He Yiyi's shoulder and pulling her into his arms. He Yiyi seemed to tremble slightly.
He Ye tugged at my sleeve, "Miss Qi, let's go wait inside the house."
Seeing that there was still no movement in the distance for a long time, I felt that the chances of the two of them taking the next step in this wilderness, where the sky was their roof and the earth their mat, were extremely slim. So I withdrew my gaze and stepped forward.
At dusk, I met Lou Junyan.
He looked me up and down with a smile, his gaze unfathomable, and said gently, "Aren't you the little girl that Xiyue used to keep by her side?"
Then, he turned to He Yiyi and said, "Since you are my friend, you should stay at the house for a while longer."
He took a couple of steps, then turned back and asked me, "We're going to Yangzhou in a few days. Would you like to come along?"
I was completely baffled and didn't understand.
Lou Junyan chuckled softly, glanced at He Yiyi, and then seemed to say to me, "Come on, let's all go together."
I looked at He Yiyi again and saw her face clearly. She was lightly made up, with delicate eyebrows and red lips. Although she was about my age, she had the demeanor of a mature woman. Her expression was calm. She paused for a moment and then said to Lou Jun, "Thank you, sir."
His voice was extremely soft, as if he were being polite to a stranger.
After dinner, I took a walk in the yard.
The house is decorated in a very elegant style, with a stream inside and a bamboo pontoon bridge across it.
He Yiyi, dressed in a lotus-colored gauze dress, walked barefoot across the pool, the water wetting the hem of her skirt. At this moment, she abandoned her usual aloof demeanor, her lips slightly upturned, revealing two dimples, making her very charming.
In a corner by the pillars, Lou Junyan quietly watched her, his gaze gentle, until He Yiyi returned to her room. He turned back to me, smiling, and said, "Is there something wrong with Junyan's appearance that made you keep looking at me like that?"
I was taken aback, covered my face and turned around, saying, "No."
Lou Junyan smiled faintly, "You don't remember me? Oh well, you were only twelve or thirteen years old then, so you probably don't remember me."
I replied, "Young Master Lou has probably mistaken you for someone else. The person you know should be my younger sister."
Lou Junyan's eyes darkened, and he pondered, "Oh—? If that's the case, then Junyan has been presumptuous."
I was about to turn back into the house when Lou Junyan called out to me, "However—"
He leaned down and looked at me, his gaze sweeping over the back of my hand, and asked, "How did you get this scar, young lady?"
[44] Flowers in the Mirror (Part Two)
From a young age, I wandered the streets with Qi Xiao, insisting on self-reliance. We were often arrested after we became self-reliant, leaving a scar that testifies to my restless and turbulent youth.
I said, "I got a scratch when I was little because I wasn't careful."