CH 30

Translate by Hua

After lunch the following day, at one o’clock in the afternoon, Qi Xiaoyu set out to find Xun Qian.

As a result, no one answered the door after knocking for a long time.

Qi Xiaoyu felt strange. Xun Qian usually never left the house and never stepped out of the door, just like an unmarried young woman. Where was he today?

He leaned over the window sill in the corridor and opened the window, craning his neck to look out into the front and back yards, which were empty and deserted, except for the cold wind blowing wildly across the lawn.

He searched for a while and was about to close the window when Mama Li, who was downstairs in the kitchen, happened to see him and looked up to ask, “Xiaoyu, you’re looking for Third Master?”

Qi Xiaoyu nodded. “Where is he? Have you seen him?”

Mama Li pointed to the window next to the bedroom and said, “Third Master and Butler Cheng are in the cloakroom. They even had lunch there just now.”

Why are they staying in the cloakroom for so long?

Qi Xiaoyu became even more curious, knocked on the cloakroom door, and walked in.

Inside, Xun Qian was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a leather coat with fur lapels, which made his waist slim and his skin as smooth as tofu. In addition, his newly trimmed hair hung gently by his ears, making him look like a noble son of a wealthy family.

Qi Xiaoyu glanced at Xun Qian, then looked down at his own clothes. He thought about going out to unwind. Since the weather is cold and being spontaneous is the most important thing, he wore a black hooded down jacket, which was light and warm.

It’s a bit shabby compared to the magnificently dressed Xun Qian.

Xun Qian saw the person coming in from the dressing mirror, lowered his head, and concentrated on stroking the smooth tuft of fur on his sleeves without looking at Qi Xiaoyu.

Butler Cheng, who still had a few coats hanging on his arms, glanced at Qi Xiaoyu several times and was a little confused. “Aren’t you going to the theater?”

Qi Xiaoyu was also a little confused. “Yes, it’s almost time to set off now.”

Butler Cheng showed an angry expression. “Is this what you’re wearing?”

“…”

Butler Cheng shook his head and took out a black coat similar to Xun Qian’s style from his arm. “How about trying this one? Third Master just tried it on, and it’s a bit small under the armpits. It should be just right for you… This one is all cashmere, has a beautiful style, is warm, and is more comfortable than a down jacket.”

After saying that, he put it in Qi Xiaoyu’s hand.

Qi Xiaoyu could only change his coat under Butler Cheng’s burning eyes and was pulled by Butler Cheng to praise for almost five minutes before he left with Xun Qian.

*****

The Peking Opera House is in a beautiful antique-style building with old brick walls on the outside but very modern on the inside.

There are three floors of viewing seats, and the top floor is a box.

There is a special passage to enter the box.

The lady in charge of checking tickets dragged her hands again and again, her eyes flicking back and forth between Qi Xiaoyu and Xun Qian four or five times. Although Qi Xiaoyu wore a mask and half of Xun Qian’s small face was covered by the fur collar, the young lady still decisively concluded that they’re wearing a couple’s clothes. The face value is comparable; they must be a pair!

It’s a pity that one of them is in a wheelchair and has limited mobility… It doesn’t matter, though. It proves that love is as deep as the ocean and as strong as gold!

Qi Xiaoyu touched his nose through the mask and hurriedly pushed Xun Qian into the box under the overly eager gaze of the ticket inspector.

The private room is very spacious, with two sofa chairs and a small table in the middle, as well as tea sets and fruit plates.

The two sat down, and the show hadn’t even started yet.

Qi Xiaoyu made tea first and poured a cup for Xun Qian and himself.

Xun Qian picked it up, smelled it, put it on his lips, and took a small sip. He was wearing a fur coat. His long finger, with neatly trimmed nails, was holding the cup to his full pink lips. When he lowered his eyes, there was an indescribable sense of nobility, just like the aristocrats of the Qing Dynasty in the last century.

Xun Qian took a sip of tea and asked, “Are you joining the crew tomorrow?”

“Uh-huh. It’ll probably take about ten days of filming.”

“Oh.”

“The filming location is not far away. You can always call me back if anything happens, Third Master.”

“Well. You…”

Then, before Xun Qian could finish his words, the music started playing, the curtain opened, and Zhang, the leading actor in “A Dream in the Spring Boudoir,” came on stage wearing pink pleats.

Qi Xiaoyu’s attention was completely captured.

Xun Qian also picked up the teacup and drank while watching.

“A Dream in the Spring Boudoir” tells the story of the warrior Wang Hui, who was forcibly recruited into the army just after his wedding in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and died of an arrow wound. His wife, Zhang Shi, waited at home all day long, accumulating thoughts into a dream.

Today’s performance is the twelfth most classic scene, which vividly expresses Zhang Shi’s longing for her husband:

“”Pity the poor crossbow charging the front line, through all the winds and frosts and ten thousand harpships;

Hungry, cold, fed and warmed by no one, sleeping and eating alone!”

Qi Xiaoyu slowly followed the beat while watching. He couldn’t help but follow along and harmonize a few lines.

He was a little envious.

In his era, there were frequent wars and social turmoil. The opera troupe was always short of musicians who could play the erhu1 or allegro2, so the members of the troupe were trained to play almost any musical instrument.

It’s not like now, where a band is in full order and there are backups when they get tired.

But he was slightly disappointed.

Zhang Shi’s costume is a bit out of place.

His master once said that pink is frivolous, so Zhang Shi’s costumes should be in light yellow or lake blue, not pink.

“When you left, the flowers on the street were like brocade, but today the willows on the roof of the building are green again.

Poor me is waiting in the boudoir, and the begonia has been blooming ever since.”

He had performed this section many times, and it was also the section he sang to Xun Qian that day.

Qi Xiaoyu sang softly to the beat, completely forgetting that there were other people around him until he heard Xun Qian’s voice say, “You can sing better than him.”

Only then did Qi Xiaoyu remember that Xun Qian was also here.

Qi Xiaoyu doesn’t mind. He’s always happy to be acknowledged. “Thank you, Third Master, for the compliment.”

His eyes returned to the stage.

Xun Qian, however, didn’t look away. Qi Xiaoyu tilted his head slightly, half of his body protruding from the box, his neck slender and demure, his eyes shining as he looked at the stage.

After a while, Xun Qian said calmly, “If you like it, why don’t you go sing in an opera?”

Qi Xiaoyu glanced at Xun Qian. It’s not that he doesn’t want to; it’s because he doesn’t have money.

He had long asked Yu Xiaosheng to help inquire about the situation at the Peking Opera Theatre. Although it may be the best era for humanity now, it seemed to be the worst era when it came to the Peking Opera.

The supporting facilities are complete, but the number of people watching Peking Opera is far less than what it was back then. Otherwise, box tickets for such a famous play would not have been sold the day before.

During this time, the tickets were sold out a month in advance.

With a smaller audience, he naturally earns less. The salary paid is far from allowing him to achieve financial freedom. However, Qi Xiaoyu put it more tactfully in front of Xun Qian: “I also enjoy filming and singing. I want to try them all.”

Xun Qian said nothing.

*****

It was half past five when they left the theater.

Butler Cheng called them on time, as if he had a third eye: “Mama Li is sick today, and there’s no one who can cook at home. Mr. Qi, why don’t you eat dinner outside with the Third Master before coming back?”

Qi Xiaoyu remembered Mama Li, who had enthusiastically given him directions in the cold wind this afternoon but didn’t expose the butler’s lie that was exposed at the first poke.

He already invited the person to watch Peking Opera, and it wouldn’t be too abrupt if he invited him to dinner as well, so he asked Xun Qian what he wanted to eat for dinner.

Five or six o’clock is the peak time for commuting from work. People come and go, traffic flows continuously, and people rushing home make the cold city full of sparks.

There are also pairs of couples holding hands going on dates in restaurants or bars.

It seemed like he hadn’t been so close to the crowd for a long time. Xun Qian looked at the bustling scene outside the car window and said, “I’ll treat you to a restaurant of your choice.”

“Then… let’s eat roast duck.”

“OK.”

So they didn’t go home until after nine o’clock that night.

In fact, Xun Qian didn’t eat much, probably because the roast duck was too greasy, so he took a small bite and put it down.

Most of the roast duck was eaten by Qi Xiaoyu.

Xun Qian ordered a portion of dumplings, took one bite, and lazily put down his chopsticks.

Qi Xiaoyu felt a little embarrassed on the way back and said politely, “I shouldn’t have chosen roast duck. It’s because I want to eat roast duck every time I finish watching a play, and I didn’t consider your preferences clearly. I’ll treat you to something else next time as compensation.”

Xun Qian said, “En, okay.”

Qi Xiaoyu, “…”

*****

After resting, Qi Xiaoyu brought his suitcase to the set the next day.

The filming location of the crew is at a film and television base in the southwest of S city. It takes just over two hours by car from Xun’s house. Qi Xiaoyu can go back and forth every day if he wants to.

But he thought that since he was a newcomer, he would appear spoiled and delicate if he went back and forth every day. When encountering night or early morning scenes, he would also be in a rush, so it would be more convenient to live with the crew.

Yu Xiaosheng met him on the set, helped him unpack his luggage, and went to the lifestyle producer to arrange accommodation in advance.

On the way, Yu Xiaosheng carried the luggage up the stairs and said, “Xiaoyu, the company is already hiring an assistant for you. From now on, you don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

“Thank you, Brother Yu, but didn’t you say that the company was in financial difficulty last time? It’s fine to slow down the recruitment of assistants if the turnover hasn’t improved.”

“No, you are the third male lead now. In this crew, even the Nth male lead is followed by two or three people. You can’t be taken lightly.”

Yu Xiaosheng looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he lowered his voice and said, “I’ve heard that this show is favored by many people. Those who can come in must have backgrounds or abilities. I heard that Jiang Feibai’s son, Jiang Sicheng, is also in this crew… Although we were recommended by Orange Juice Entertainment, we still have to do our best because there might not be after-sale service… In short, I will help you find a capable assistant, and I will come to see you often. Take care of yourself.”

Qi Xiaoyu nodded.

According to Yu Xiaosheng, with such a hidden dragon and crouching tiger3people of different backgrounds crew, Qi Xiaoyu, a newcomer, shouldn’t be assigned any good rooms. A standard room or a superior single room would be enough.

But when he went to get his room card from the lifestyle producer, he was given a room card for the VIP suite.

The lifestyle producer looked at him from behind his glasses. Whether it was out of curiosity or pity, he said, “Your room is in the VIP suite on the 9th floor. Go up there yourself. If you need anything, just ask at the front desk.”

Qi Xiaoyu glanced at the room allocation list in the hands of the lifestyle producer. There are only four VIP suites in total. The male and female protagonists must each occupy one. There are also the second male and female leads, two directors and producers, etc. Why was it his turn?

The author has something to say:

Xun Qian: Please, I have money.