Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде

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After a while, the pimp came out and said, "Miss Youlan invites you in." Then he watched us go in expectantly. Inside the door, Shanshan was already waiting there.

"It really is you, Miss has been waiting for you." When she saw me, Shanshan looked at me for a while before recognizing me, then smiled and warmly led me, Zinuo, Ganlin and me upstairs.

After passing through several corridors, we stopped in front of a room with an exquisite sign that read: Youlan. This was Youlan's room. Shanshan knocked on the door, and only went in when Youlan's voice came from inside saying "Come in." Ganlin and Zinuo exchanged a glance and stayed outside, so I had to go in by myself. It was indeed a bit inconvenient for them to come in.

Youlan was sitting upright at the table, dressed in simple white clothes, which made her look particularly elegant. When she saw me come in, she was slightly surprised: "Why are you dressed like this?"

I shook my head and laughed, "I've run away from home. Why don't you take me in for a few days?"

Youlan immediately smiled and gently shook her head. I said seriously, "However, if I really need to stay here for a while and have nowhere to go, I wonder if this place can accommodate me?"

"Really? But you're a girl, you can't stay in a place like this." Seeing that I was serious, Youlan frowned and began to think.

I quickly smiled and said, "Let's not talk about that now. Didn't I say I was going to give you a piece of music? Would you like to hear it?"

Youlan nodded: "Your music is naturally good."

I felt a little embarrassed, after all, it was all plagiarism. But considering I helped them spread their work in another world, they shouldn't blame me, right? After all, more people have come to know their music.

He took out his flute and played "The Fairy of the Heavenly Maidens," a piece he had given to Youlan, meant to be played for her. After he finished playing, Youlan said, "It is beautiful, though it lacks the tender and poignant beauty of 'Three Variations on Plum Blossom,' it has its own kind of free and unrestrained charm."

I nodded and smiled, "This melody would be even better with lyrics, but unfortunately I have to play the xiao (vertical flute), so I can't do both at the same time."

"It's alright, you sing and I'll play, let's see how it goes with the music." Youlan really loves music. As she spoke, she sat down at the zither and started playing casually. This piece should be much easier to play than "Three Variations on Plum Blossom".

As the zither music began, the breathy sound of the flute was replaced by the brightness of the zither. I recalled the lyrics and began to sing: "An ice maiden descends to the mortal world, first meeting the clear sky by West Lake. Right and wrong are hard to understand, like a shadow. A heart full of love and a body full of hatred, a wisp of breeze and a trace of soul. Wielding a sword and carrying wine, I wander the world. How many grudges are drunk in my dreams? Suddenly looking back, all is empty. Several layers of curtains, several pines, several distant mountains, several tolling bells."

As the music faded, crisp applause rang out from outside the door. Shanshan opened the door and saw not only Ganlin and Zinuo, but also another handsome man in fine clothes. He was handsome, but his beauty was somewhat effeminate. Seeing him reminded her of Yu Jia, the "number one male prostitute" she had met once in the capital. In comparison, Yu Jia was much more refreshing than her.

"Young master." Shan Shan hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, and You Lan also stood up and bowed to the man, saying, "Young master, this is Miss Mo who taught me the Plum Blossom Melody." She then said to me, "My boss, Young Master Li."

I looked at him with some surprise. I had assumed he was a regular customer of Youlan's, but it turned out he was her boss. So this Drunken Smoke Pavilion was his business. Looking at his effeminate appearance, what a strange transformation of a grown man. Could he be someone like Dongfang Bubai? I secretly glanced at his figure and frowned slightly.

Young Master Li also looked me over with great interest. Outside the door, Gan Lin coughed heavily, and I smiled, clasped my hands in greeting, and said, "Young Master Li."

Young Master Li chuckled and gracefully clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Miss Mo is indeed extraordinary." His salute improved my impression of him, and I explained: "I have dressed like this for many years and it has become a habit. Please forgive me, Young Master Li."

After exchanging pleasantries, Young Master Li remarked that the previous piece of music was beautiful and asked if there were any other pieces. Hearing this, an idea came to me, and I smiled and said, "I do have some pieces, but I have a favor to ask."

"Speak freely and let's see what your requirements are," Young Master Li said after a moment's thought.

"In order to avoid some trouble, I have to stay in Qingzhou City for a while, but I don't know where to settle down. I would appreciate it if Young Master Li could help me make a decision."

Young Master Li smiled slightly: "This matter is not difficult for me in Qingzhou City. I just wonder what requirements Miss Mo has for the house?"

"As long as it's near water and cool, that's fine." The best place would be by that nameless lake.

“This…” Young Master Li frowned slightly, seemingly thinking about where there were houses that met these conditions.

Youlan suddenly interjected, "Young master, why don't you let Miss Mo come to my place? Anyway, I live alone and it's quite empty. It would be good for Miss Mo to keep me company, and it would be convenient for the two of them to discuss music together."

"Youlan, you're so considerate." I glanced at Youlan with delight, awaiting Young Master Li's reply. After all, it was his business, and Youlan was his subordinate.

After considering it for a while, Young Master Li finally agreed, and didn't forget to remind him one last time: "Don't forget what you promised me."

I smiled and nodded: "Tonight, let Youlan play a new piece for our guests."

After Young Master Li left, I discussed it with Youlan again, and we finally chose "Half-Face Makeup." I taught Youlan the melody first, and then wrote the lyrics for her: The night wind gently blows, scattering the candle smoke; flying petals stir up sorrow; the love we once shared has become a wound. The face once flushed by peach blossoms, now hides tears; alone by the window, she faces the mirror, her countenance weathered. Supported by others, the moon leans against the wall; unforgettable events, who dares to be so foolish? Idle words linger in the flower-filled room, the night is long; alone, she ponders; the roles of the world are truly played for lies, she can no longer distinguish which is the truth. Her hair is streaked with snow, the autumn night is cool; for whom, then, is she adorning herself with half-face makeup?

Many women who heard this song that night quietly shed tears, and the story slowly circulated among their boudoirs.

That night, I took Zinuo and Ganlin to Youlan's "Lanshe" and began a life where I was temporarily free from my shackles and could finally enjoy true comfort.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 89

Chapter word count: 3511 Update time: 09-08-29 10:10

Youlan's residence was indeed located on the shore of that nameless lake, almost directly opposite our previous house across the water. With binoculars, we could see the sycamore trees behind the original house.

In the morning, they would brew a pot of jasmine tea on the waterside pavilion and work together on a new piece of music. In the afternoon, they would invite Gan Lin and Zinuo to play cards, which was a lot of fun. After all, they weren't really in the military anymore, so no one could bother them while they played cards. In the evening, they could enjoy a swim in the lake, which was a truly wonderful experience.

Besides Youlan and Shanshan, there were two rough-working maids and a guard in the Orchid Cottage. Our arrival added to the liveliness of the cottage. As the name suggests, the Orchid Cottage was filled with orchids: Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium ensifolium, Cymbidium faberi, Cymbidium sinense, Cymbidium kanran, Cymbidium lancifolium… you name it, they had it all. Red, yellow, white, green, purple, black… all sorts of colors. Various orchids were scattered throughout the Orchid Cottage, almost everywhere you looked, and the air was filled with their delicate fragrance. It was truly rare to see such delicate varieties grow so well in this northern land. Even rarer was that in such a place, there was a woman as graceful and beautiful as Youlan.

Life in Lanshe is truly delightful; I'm carefree like an immortal every day. If this continues, I'm afraid I'll really forget about home.

Youlan doesn't need to go to Zuiyan Pavilion tonight. She changed her clothes early this morning, saying she wanted to go for a walk. I looked up at the still-hot sun outside and asked, "Can you be back before noon? Otherwise, it will be too hot."

Youlan glanced at me and said, "Where do you think I'm going? I'm just going to walk around the streets and buy some things for girls."

I nodded, and Youlan then had Shanshan help me sit down on a stool, removing my men's hairstyle and re-tying it into a moon-worshipping bun. Youlan found me a light-colored dress of her own and tucked a small tortoiseshell beaded flower into my hair. I looked at my long-unseen face in the mirror and sighed inwardly. Women's clothes are still more beautiful, but unfortunately, there aren't many times when I can dress up like this.

Youlan touched my ears: "Why don't you have pierced ears?"

I shook my head and laughed, "I was raised as a boy since I was six, so naturally no one helped me get my ears pierced."

Youlan said "Oh," and gently put the pearl earring she had picked up back into the dressing case: "We can't keep raising him as a boy forever, can we?"

"Probably not." I don't know either. Who knows what will happen in the future?

"You'll have to get your ears pierced by then, that's what a real woman does," Youlan said.

"Hmm." As she spoke, Youlan found a thin silver chain with a small white jade lotus hanging from the bottom. Youlan tucked the chain into my temple, and the little lotus hung down just below my ear. At first glance, it really looked like I was wearing an earring.

I stood up, and Youlan made me turn around and look at me. Then she was about to ask Shanshan to apply some powder for me, but I quickly waved my hand and said, "No need, it's so hot, it'll all smudge when I sweat." Just kidding, I don't even like using modern high-tech powder compacts, let alone these big powder puffs from ancient times, they'd just clog all my pores.

Youlan didn't insist. Seeing that we were almost ready, she led Shanshan and me out the door. Before we stepped into the sun, Shanshan handed us two white gauze hats. These hats not only protected us from the sun and sand but also concealed our faces. They were essential items for women from the northern frontier, unlike women in other places who rarely had the opportunity to go out.