Бездействующие цветы и тени

Глава 46

His high-pitched voice was drowned out by the overwhelming cheers, but the man turned around in surprise, knelt down and kowtowed twice, and he actually heard it.

Not long after he left, three or four actors came up again. For some reason, the air in the hall suddenly became much warmer. Su Chen felt as if he could hear the suppressed breathing of the women everywhere. Liu Tinglin said in a trembling voice, "Sister He, look, this is Brother Zhang Jiu and Xiao Jian'er. The one in red is Madam Xie, the Flower Butterfly!"

Screams erupted outside. The three bowed to each other on the stage. Zhang Jiuge waved his hand, revealing a gleaming long iron sword. Drums and gongs sounded. He tilted his head back and raised his hand, swallowing the iron sword inch by inch from tip to tip, just like in the TV series.

Su Chen dared not look, turned her head and closed her eyes. She heard the women in the hall exclaim in surprise. After a while, she opened her eyes again. Zhang Jiuge had swallowed the iron sword, with only the hilt showing between his lips.

How terrifying… Su Chen felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, but everyone around her was screaming. She inadvertently glanced at Liu Tinglin, whose face was also pale. Fortunately, at this moment, the little acrobat was halfway through his performance. He spat out a bright red water arrow that shot several feet straight out of his mouth. Then he opened his mouth again and shot out a blue water arrow. Su Chen’s heart was in her chest. She couldn’t help but clap along with everyone else. Liu Tinglin said from the side, “The little acrobat can spit out five-colored water. Who can afford to hire so many famous actors?”

As they were talking, Madame Butterfly waved her colorful flag, and suddenly hundreds or thousands of butterflies appeared out of thin air, fluttering around the flag in a dazzling display of colors. With a flick of her hand, the butterflies split into five groups, each with its own formation, and each color had its own group, dancing around the flag.

In an instant, the swirling energy suddenly surged, forming several large characters that could be vaguely discerned: "Peace and prosperity for all people, tranquility throughout the world."

Cheers erupted all around, the air seemed to ignite, the fervor was almost scorching, yet the eunuch still trotted over, shouting in authentic Kaifeng dialect, "A reward is given! Five hundred strings of cash, and an audience with the Emperor!"

The three people on stage were overjoyed and flustered, not knowing what to do. The audience below cheered and shouted wildly. After bowing, they hurriedly left the stage and followed the eunuch.

The program that evening was something He Su Chen had never heard of or seen before. She was completely captivated and utterly awestruck. As for what was eaten in the hall or who was present, she paid no attention at all, and none of the young women in the hall paid any attention to matters of etiquette.

She didn't know how late it was, but the banquet finally ended. She followed the maid who had led her in out of the palace and was about to get into the carriage when He Su Shi, who was disheveled and reeking of alcohol, was helped over by several servants. Granny Sun, who had been waiting by the carriage, turned ashen-faced when she saw this. It was impossible for He Su Shi to ride a horse in that state, so he could only squeeze into the carriage with Su Chen.

As Su Chenfang stepped onto the footchair, she suddenly realized that He Ziyuan was nowhere to be seen. She asked Granny Sun in surprise, "Why hasn't Father He... come home yet?"

Granny Sun helped her upstairs, saying, "Your father has been detained by the Emperor and will not be able to return until tomorrow. You should go in first."

She withdrew her foot, and Granny Sun sat down by the carriage door, closed it, and the carriage drove away. Yet, she could still seem to hear the lingering sound of singing.

"Wanting to emerge but not yet shining hot"

The mountains and valleys are ablaze with fire.

In a moment, he ascended to the heavens.

"Chase away the shooting star, chase away the moon."

Meanwhile, after she had finished playing to her heart's content and got into the carriage, the Jiying Hall was still brightly lit. Emperor Huizong had ended the banquet, leaving behind a few ministers, and only came out after changing into civilian clothes.

As for the place to rest, there is a couplet written on the large pillar in front of the desk: "Reading is good, doing business is good, and being efficient is good; starting a business is difficult, maintaining it is difficult, and it is hard to know whether it is difficult or not."

The blank spaces on the wall are inscribed with the words "When the youth are wise, the nation is wise; when the youth are wealthy, the nation is wealthy; when the youth are strong, the nation is strong; when the youth are independent, the nation is independent; when the youth are free, the nation is free; when the youth progress, the nation progresses."

The handwriting is extremely messy, yet the skill in writing is remarkably mature.

It must have taken eighty or ninety years of practice to reach this level.

Chapter Eleven, Heart Disease

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now! She sank back into the car, where only she and He Su Shi remained.

Although separated by a thick wooden barrier, the almost burning air from outside still fiercely rushed in. She turned her head and saw countless heads crowded together. Under the illumination of lanterns, there were street performers, people selling acrobatics, setting up stalls to play with snakes, singing folk songs, and performing shadow plays. Everywhere was packed with people.

As she looked around, she noticed that almost all the people had a strange object stuck in their heads, resembling a tiny torch, but not quite a torch. It seemed to be an iron rod with a small ball strung on the top, and the ball was still burning.

It's hard to understand why someone would wear a burning iron rod on their head.

As they struggled forward, they suddenly saw the three delicate flowers—it was the old woman who sold tea and snacks. She was waving a large palm-leaf fan, and besides the three flowers, she also had the same iron stick as everyone else stuck in her hair. She was calling out, "Selling tea and snacks, selling tea and other unusual items!"

Su Chen was utterly bewildered. What was the purpose of that iron rod? Lighting it on his head—wasn't he afraid of burning his hair? It looked truly strange. She didn't notice her clothes being tugged at. Looking over, she saw He Su Shi pulling at her hem. Just as she was about to call for Granny Sun, He Su Shi gave her a look, signaling her to be quiet. He then sat up cleanly and efficiently, his eyes completely clear, showing no trace of his previous drunkenness. Just as he was about to say something, the carriage door suddenly opened a crack. He Su Shi casually mumbled in his sleep, turning his back to the door, seemingly too drunk to move. Granny Sun, who had opened the door, was both amused and annoyed. She leaned in and said, "Old Lady Cui in front is selling tea. This carriage is stuck in traffic. I'll buy your brother some tea to sober him up. Do you want some melon seeds?"

"What is 'diancha'? Is it just tea?" She truly didn't understand. Granny Sun laughed and said, "How would you know? Well, just buy some and try it, then you'll know." With that, she closed the door and went on her way.

Su Mo paused for a moment, then He Su Shi turned around. The two looked at each other and finally burst into laughter. However, there was a coachman outside, so they couldn't laugh out loud and struggled to hold it in. They laughed until tears were almost streaming down their faces, but soon they both fell silent.

After a night of revelry, amidst familiar feasts and unfamiliar watches, a disorienting feeling of being both part of the celebration and yet completely out of place was indescribable.

In the heat of the moment, the indescribable emotions that had been building up within them slowly rose from the depths of their hearts, and burst forth as soon as they met.

A faint sadness settled over the carriage.

Outside, a bustling crowd thronged. The sounds of hawking, laughter, and cries mingled, a raw, everyday life. Yet inside the carriage, a quiet silence reigned. Separated only by a single layer of timber, it felt as if a world, a century, lay between them.

In fact, it's been more than a century.

Through the window, one could see Granny Sun walking straight towards Granny Cui. Granny Cui, wearing three flowers in her hair, looked surprised and delighted upon seeing Granny Sun. The two chatted for a while. Then, Granny Sun took something out and handed it to her, half-concealing it. She then returned with a food box.

Granny Sun handed over the food box. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Guazi, take care of your brother. I'll just sit outside. If we try to squeeze in, it'll be difficult for everyone in the cart." Seeing Su Chen examining the box, she smiled and said, "Although this is just tea for lower-class people, not as good as what we have at home, it's still a good way to sober up. I was in such a hurry today that I forgot to tell someone to bring tea cakes and pills. I can't brew them myself. Since we're out here, we can't be too picky. It's good to try something new."

Since she wasn't coming in, Su Chen confidently pulled He Su Shi up. The two opened the food box. Inside were two large, rough earthenware bowls of strong-colored tea, two small dishes of "crispy jade leaves," and various dried fruits. After glancing at them, she directly picked up a bowl of tea and tried it herself. The taste seemed somewhat like oil tea from later generations, with a salty and spicy flavor. At first sip, it was indeed very strong and refreshing.

Seeing this, He Su Shi also picked up another bowl and started drinking. Su Chen took the thin, golden-yellow slice called "Su Qiong Ye". It melted in his mouth as soon as he put it in his mouth. It was very sweet, a little cloying, but the flavor was rich and mellow, making it the perfect match for this so-called "tea".

The two ate in silence, and after some time, He Su Shi suddenly called out, "He Su Chen."

She looked up.

He softened his voice and said, "I was born without a home; peace of mind is my true home."

She smiled and softened her voice, saying, "There's another saying, 'Fallen leaves return to their roots.'" She put down her Chinese teacup. "I never knew why elderly people overseas would say this, but now I do."

He Su Shi then remained silent.

As they neared the mansion, he seemed to have made up his mind and asked, "You studied tourism, how much of what you remember from before?"

He Ziyuan returned around noon the next day. As soon as he entered the hall, Madam Wu hurriedly left her two children, who were listening to her, to greet him. Su Chen and his companion quickly followed and bowed. However, He Ziyuan was extremely exhausted, smelled of a hangover, and was extremely pale. He was staggering as he walked, and the servant carefully supported him to prevent him from falling.

Seeing this, Madam Wu was extremely anxious and hurriedly instructed Xiao Xian, who was standing nearby, "Go to that small rosewood cabinet in the room and get a small black porcelain bottle. Bring it back carefully and quickly."

Seeing that He Ziyuan was struggling to hold on, Su Chen felt sorry for him and asked, "Father, would you like some hangover tea? I'll have someone make some, okay?" Although she sounded awkward, she did ask. Su Shi nodded and said, "Father doesn't seem to be feeling well. Since his body can't take it, it's best if he drinks less."