Chapter 15 play the piano with a light

The moonlight on the thirteenth day of the lunar calendar is humid, not cold, but not clear enough, adding to the thousands of alleys and alleys in the southern city of Beijing.Between the black and white silhouettes, a ferocious animal head occasionally appears, or a tree of red pomegranate flowers, as if there are countless living creatures hidden in the silence, ready to move.So I listened attentively, under the dead silent blue tile gable, those five-color undercurrents surged up, those drunk breaths stirred up, the blood-red lamp, the green wine, the jade phoenix with the hairpin head, the golden lotus under the feet, the cloud grate The festival is broken, and the colorful clouds return after dancing.The indescribable prosperity and gentleness are all hidden under the ambiguous moonlight.

Gradually, the singing faded away and the colors faded. In the depths of Nancheng, all that was entangled were some alleys and scattered lamp shadows.The moonlight passed through the narrow alleys, and the gaps in the bluestone roads were filled with stagnant water, giving off the sour smell of rotten vegetable leaves.After turning a few turns, in the deepest part of the alley, there is a half-toppled wooden gate.Through the wooden gate, there was originally an ancestral hall in disrepair.Because the incense has been cut off, no one is watching.The paint on the peach-stalk puppets in the ancestral hall has faded, and the ones with missing arms and legs can't be seen as sacred.The door is closed, as if no one has visited it for a hundred years except for a few rays of moonlight on the mud floor.

The crippled man who lost his legs and lived in a secluded ancient temple sat in the courtyard staring at a pair of black eyes, still unable to sleep at night. In the second half of the night, the already dim moon suddenly lost its light.In the thick night, the wind suddenly blows, and the sky is filled with dark clouds.The window sash on the attic was slapped, and a little lamp was like a bean, struggling in the cold wind. "It's going to rain." In the yard, the disabled man murmured. This was an ordinary night, and every alley in Nancheng was slightly drunk.Xiao Laosan of Happy Square gradually felt dizzy in this slight drunkenness.In the eyes, that person has won a few rounds.Xiao Laosan couldn't count, and he didn't need to.Happy Square is a famous big gambling game on the black market in Nancheng. Every night, there are so many voices shouting and shouting, how many yellow and white things come in and out, how many people are ecstatic, and how many people are looking for death and life.Xiao Laosan has been a gatekeeper for twenty years and has seen a lot.The man won three nights in a row, shouting and yelling among a group of sweaty gamblers.With a pale face, he looks young, but his clothes are rumpled, and his eyes are red. He also wants money or life.The old three hundred looked on boredly, this man won money purely by his extraordinary eyesight and ears.With such skills, but wasting money in the casino, it can be seen that he is a poor master.

It was late at night, and the sound of rain woke up the third child.He rubbed his confused old eyes, and saw the man with the blue face staggering out of the crowd, his hands trembling, grasping the skirt of his chest, which was full of copper tin. "It's raining, I have to go back quickly." The man said to himself. As soon as he disappeared into the rain outside the door, three or four people immediately followed him out. Xiao Laosan sneered. It was raining heavily, and in the sound of the rain, people were shouting and fighting, and several black shadows twisted together at the corner of the street.The man had already been pushed down by a few hooligans, and he had no chance of fighting back. He rolled around in the muddy water with his head in his arms, protecting the copper tin in his arms.

No one noticed that a green cloth car stopped at the side of the road at some point.The old coachman jumped down, and a big "Li" was written on the lantern, walking towards this side. "Run, someone—" A little gangster with sharp eyes whistled, and a group of people ran away immediately. The blue-faced man struggled a few times on the ground, but couldn't get up.The old coachman frowned and bent over to pull him.He grabbed the old coachman's arm and sat up, still groping all over the floor, cursing: "This gang is damned, I haven't left a single one of them." Suddenly the rain stopped on his head, and he just heard Someone sighed slightly.The blue-faced man raised his head, and a beautiful woman in a royal blue dress stood in front of him, holding a plain white umbrella in his hand.The blue-faced man couldn't help blowing out a burst of cold air from his nose.

"Great swordsman, are you being bullied by little hooligans here?" Li Ren sarcastically asked. The blue-faced man got up suddenly: "What about the great swordsman, did you recognize the wrong person?" He turned around and walked into the rain without looking back. When the beauty heard this, her hands trembled, and the plain white umbrella fell to the ground, was blown by the wind and tumbled a few times, and fell into the muddy stagnant water. She opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. That person has disappeared in the depths of the alley in the vast white rain.

"Master Yu, it's raining heavily, please come back quickly." The old coachman whispered. The red building looks cold across the rain, and the beaded foil lanterns return alone. Piao Deng Ge Kong has the reputation of being so light and quick.But everyone in Nancheng knows that this theater has always been an unclear place.In the early years, they only sang Kunqu opera, and the poor theater troupe with clear soup and little water could not afford to hire two more waiters.Later, she was taken down by a woman named Cao Meiniang.It is said that Cao Meiniang was originally a prostitute, and she was quite popular in the Jianghu when she was young.I don't know why she is so talented that she got the support of Cheng Ling Haicheng, a big celebrity around the emperor. From then on, no matter what she sang in Piaodeng Pavilion, there were people who cheered her on. Her fame grew and her arrogance became stronger and stronger , and the business is getting bigger and bigger.At present, the most popular "Moon Shines Yellow" in Nancheng refers to the two pillars of the Piaodeng Pavilion-Tan Xiaohui in Tsing Yi in front of the stage and Yu Liusu, the luthier behind the scenes.As a woman, Tan Xiaohui went to the Liyuan, not much more skillful than those male actors, but her handsome appearance and exquisite figure are beyond the reach of the male actors.People who listen to operas also have eyes.Tan Xiaohui, a beauty in Tsing Yi at Piaodeng Pavilion, has a lot of praises, so it's hard not to be popular.And the luthier Yu Liusu, who is hiding behind the curtain, has earned a great reputation all over the city thanks to the cultivation of ten fingers.Yu Liusu played the huqin superbly with one hand, that's all.It's rare that she can play the lyre.It's not just meeting, it's Bo Ya reincarnated, Zhong San revived.For old fanciers who come to Piaodeng Pavilion to listen to operas, they must order "Qin Tiao" in order to listen to Yu Liusu playing the piano.Among ordinary theater troupes, how can they afford such tricks.I can't guess where this jade tassel, a prostitute, learned the piano.However, she is also a student of Liyuan, Yu Liusu is very arrogant, even if she is a veteran of Piaodeng Pavilion every day, it is rare to see her real face in Lushan.The applause couldn't be louder, and when she thanked the stage, Baolan's shirt flashed on the corner of the stage, showing her face.It is said that Yu Liusu, the female luthier, is not inferior to Tsing Yi Tan Xiaohui in appearance, so shadowy and shadowy, it arouses people's discussion.This argument raised the value of the female luthier even more.There is such a cash cow, Cao Meiniang is absolutely unambiguous.When the price is released, there is a play of Master Yu playing the piano, and it will be three cents more expensive.A single point of jade tassels and a qin melody require fifty taels of silver to wrap around the head.In this romantic scene, there has never been a shortage of people who pretend to be elegant.Master Yu is often overwhelmed even though he has played a thousand pieces of gold.In addition to money, Pearl Baby collected a lot of money.Over the past few years, people say that this jade tassel with two slender hands can earn back ten Piaodeng Pavilions, and he can be counted as a "rich man" in Liyuan.

But these are superficial matters, which can be seen by the idlers in the theater during the day.In the night of Piaodeng Pavilion, if there is something undercurrent, no one can tell. It rained heavily that night, and the play ended early, leaving a small corner door open. Cao Meiniang was sitting on a small footstool, smoking a cigarette. "Ouch, Master Yu is back." Cao Meiniang greeted her with a smile, and held up an umbrella for Yu Liusu, "I also said that with such a heavy rain, Li's residence must have guests." She blinked her eyes as she spoke. The old coachman set up his horse and drove, and said coldly: "When did our old censor Li keep the people in the hall?"

Yu Liusu didn't think it was disobedient, so she turned her head and asked Cao Meiniang, "I'm cold and hungry, do you have porridge?" "I asked Mother Tan to warm it up for you." Cao Meiniang took the piano from Yuliusu's arms while being courteous, "This baby, did it get wet? Master Yu, did you get caught in the rain too?" Yu Liusu hurriedly said: "This Qin - I just take care of it myself, I don't dare to bother my mother." There is a spoonful of honey in the porridge, which is warm and sweet.The light was dim, and Yu Liusu was sitting on the small stool of Tan Ma, the cook, sipping porridge while gazing at the pool of bright red on the ground.Seeing the clear eyes of the female luthier, Tan Ma hurriedly threw out a rag to cover up the redness.

Yu Liusu put down the porridge bowl and stood up. Tan Ma was so frightened that her knees trembled, and she knelt down in front of the luthier: "Master Yu, Master Yu..." He shook for a long time but said nothing. Yu Liusu felt suspicious.When he wanted to ask more questions, he couldn't bear to frighten this old servant, after all, she was also Tan Xiaohui's biological mother.In the end, he could only say: "Tan Ma, you are getting old and confused. You killed the chicken, but you didn't wipe off the blood on the ground. Let the class leader see what he said."

Yu Liusu suffered from haemorrhage, she glanced at the blood stain, feeling sick, and hurried away.Tan Ma fell to the ground. The water in the copper basin exudes the scent of jasmine, and the jade tassel holds a handful of water and splashes it on the face, allowing the thin warmth to soak the cold face of the cold rain.The mist dissipated, and a delicate oval face was reflected in the water, with clear eyebrows as if drawn with ink.The jade fringe after removing makeup has a white and greasy complexion, but it is not the kind of clear white, with a little turbidity, stagnation, like white sand that has been deposited in the water year after year. The name of the piano is "dumb", and it is quietly pillowed on the desk.The dark green velvet slides slowly over the ancient texture, the flowing ice silk.The rosin is rubbed on the strings, and it makes a low buzzing sound, as if complaining and weeping.Yu Liusu concentrated her attention, and raised her finger, and picked it up with a clank. "The green leaf listens to the pelicans, and it's even more nasty. The partridge's voice is still, and the cuckoo's voice is sharp. When it returns to spring, there is nowhere to find it. The bitterness and hatred are all gone. The world is farewell before it arrives. Immediately close the pipa to the black, the longer door, the emerald green The chariot resigns from the golden gate. Look at Yanyan and send it back to my concubine." "It's a good song of "Golden Hazel." A faint sigh came from outside the curtain.Tan Xiaohui also took off her makeup, she tied her bun loosely, and wore a pine-colored gown slantingly, her face was faintly peachy. "It's a great night, you actually have time to come to my place?" Seeing that it was her, Yu Liusu stopped playing and laughed. Tan Xiaohui smiled shyly: "Sister, I'll sleep with you tonight, okay?" "It's up to you." Yu Liusu said lightly, "This rainy night... I'm afraid it will be very cold!" Yu Liusu came back late, and hadn't heard about the entanglement between Cao Meiniang and Tan Xiaohui, but she guessed a little bit from the scene.Xiaohui refused to go out to sing at the concert tonight, drinking with guests, and offended a wealthy businessman from Anhui.As a result, it is inevitable to have a big fight with Cao Meiniang again.It's not the first time for this matter.Yu Liusu saw it in her eyes and had her own thoughts.She never said anything in front of people, and there was nothing she could do to persuade Xiao Hui in private. But tonight, Yu Liusu was a little restless and treated Tan Xiaohui coldly.Tan Xiaohui was sitting in front of the jade tassel dressing table in a daze, looking at the figure of the luthier in the mirror while hesitating.She should have stayed in her room.The man was clearly exhausted, but he still fled to himself.What else does she want, what else does she lack.He said a lot of things, and each of his secrets shocked her, but she couldn't be afraid.Finally he was tired and fast asleep and held her hand.She couldn't bear to look any longer, put down the mandarin curtain, rolled up the blood-stained clothes, quietly went to the kitchen, and asked Tan Ma to burn it.But I heard Tan Ma say what Master Yu saw.Her heart was moved, she looked at a lonely lamp upstairs, and came up. Yu Liusu didn't ask any questions, she said or didn't say anything.The calm and indifferent face of the luthier in the mirror made her flinch.She thought of her "Witch Hazel", which was impassioned and inhuman, but she never played it in the hall, and only played it for herself in the dead of night.What a deep-minded woman this is, and what a bitter and bitter past she is.Xiao Hui felt that she was so strange for a while, and then realized that they all understood each other. "Still sleeping, what's going on?" Yu Liusu asked. Tan Xiaohui smiled wryly. Tan Xiaohui turned over, revealing a corner of her skirt, with a faint trace of blood.Yu Liusu frowned slightly, pretending not to see it. "I heard that the cook of Li's mansion makes good almond tea." Xiaohui chattered. Yu Liusu said: "Yes." "Old Yushi Li is a decent person, listening to the piano is just listening to the piano, and watching the theater is just watching the theater." Xiao Hui sighed, "It's no different from those old men outside who only regard this Piaodeng Pavilion as their hall!" "Are you complaining?" Yu Liusu said with a smile. "Don't be like this," Xiao Hui grabbed Yu Liusu's finger, "If sister doesn't complain, what is the purpose of keeping herself clean all these years?" Yu Liusu was silent, and after a long while, he said: "Actually, this Piaodeng Pavilion... was originally the Tangzi! We are just the girls they bought to serve others." Xiaohui smiled, and said quietly: "Actually, I really envy you, sister. In the same pit of fire, my sister would bite to death and not bow to the class leader, and would not sell herself as a performer. I just can't stand it. Once I stumble, what? It's over too." Yu Liusu stroked her hair. "But," Xiaohui said with her face up, "my sister is invisible to people. If I have fallen into prostitution, all I can think about is looking at the future, meeting that fateful person, and bringing me to the sea of ​​suffering. If I don't do this again The dirty business of selling laughter and company. From then on, I went boating in the rivers and lakes, and my husband and wife followed each other. Sometimes I look at my sister who is aloof and arrogant, and never takes people seriously. On the one hand, I am envious, but on the other hand, I can’t guess what my sister thinks. Tassel Sis, if men in the world are not in your eyes, how will it end in the future?" Yu Liusu's heart sank, but she turned to laugh and said, "It turns out that Xiaohui already has someone in mind." Xiaohui blushed and said with a smile, "It's a pity it won't last long." When Yu Liusu heard this, her heart couldn't stop falling. "Although it can't last long, it can be said that there is no regret." "He's thinking endlessly, but I've already understood the meaning here, and the young phoenix loses its male and female sex; before the end of his song, my thoughts become more concentrated, fighting for Naboluo and Feiyan, all without saying a word..." She leaned on the bed On Yu Liusu's shoulder, she sang casually. "Sister, when will we play "Qin Tiao" again, shall we?" Xiaohui said vaguely. Yu Liusu stared at the sky-blue tent, unable to close her eyes for a long time.After an unknown period of time, the blue color gradually turned into a bony human face that day. "You've got the wrong person!" He said indifferently. "Zhang Huabing! Even if you die and burn to ashes, I will recognize you!" Yu Liusu screamed. The man laughed wildly: "Don't you just want me to die? Well, I'll show you my death right now!" After saying that, he really pulled out a sword. The broken sword was bright and dazzling. In a blink of an eye, both the man and the sword disappeared, leaving only blood, blood all over the ground. "No—" Yu Liusu cried out. He sat up abruptly, drenched in cold sweat.It turned out to be a dream, and I was so shocked that I was out of breath. The sound of the rain gradually subsided, and there was a more drumming sound from the depths of the alley, one sound, one sound.Xiaohui next to her was already fast asleep. Yu Liusu was awakened by Cao Meiniang's crying and cursing.Tan Xiaohui was long gone.At that time, Cao Meiniang was throwing pots and bowls downstairs looking for death and life: "I treat this ungrateful little fan...ah, I worked so hard to raise her so big, teach her to sing songs, make her into a corner, and make her flowers bloom." Ordinarily... She recruited wolves to the house. God, she ruined our clean house just like that. There are old and young in this school, how will they live in the future. " Overnight, the Piaodeng Pavilion, where the singing and dancing were flourishing, was turned upside down.The red lacquered gate was affixed with a large cross seal.The curtain on the stage was chopped into pieces by a big knife, and the strips looked like spirit-calling banners, and the tables, chairs, and household items were spread all over the floor.There was a group of men with knives standing at the door, all of them sullen, it is said that they were sent by Eunuch Cheng.The servants were so frightened that they hid under the stairs, not daring to move.Cao Meiniang's cries were partly vented by herself, and partly sang for the observers inside and outside the door.According to the usual practice, the people who came to listen to the opera were scared away, but they refused to leave. They wanted to watch the excitement, but they couldn't figure out that the backstage of the Piaodeng Pavilion was so tough, how could it be like this all at once? of. "Mom, don't cry, there is no unparalleled road." When Yu Liusu's plain voice sounded, Cao Meiniang stopped yelling, her eyes fell on the sapphire blue skirt, thoughtful. Yu Liusu looked a little awkward to her.Suddenly Cao Meiniang grabbed Liusu's hand: "Son, now Mom can only look at you!" Yu Liusu's heart shrank, but she calmly said: "What is it for?" Cao Meiniang pulled the jade tassels into the inner room, and said in a low voice: "Tan Xiaohui hid the assassin last night. I was still in the dark, but I arrested him early in the morning. Drag the man covered in blood from her bed came out. She herself was handcuffed with a big chain." "Assassin, who to assassinate?" Yu Liusu opened his eyes wide. Cao Meiniang curled her lips: "Isn't it aimed at that master? In this year, I have come and gone several times." When people in Piaodeng Pavilion mentioned Mr. Cheng, they all respected him and called him "Master". "But this time it landed on us, wouldn't the old man be angry?" Yu Liusu asked cautiously. "Isn't it!" Cao Meiniang said, "I turned my face immediately. Look at this Piaodeng Pavilion, it is more or less the grace of the Lord himself, and it was sealed immediately. In the past few years, we have followed the Lord, serving on the saddle, If there is no credit, there will be hard work. The master does not spare any affection, and does not give any way of life." "Mom, don't complain. From my point of view, I'm afraid there is still room for mediation." Yu Liusu persuaded, "You think, Yiye's means and temper, who will fall into this matter, not immediately copy the whole family. ? Master just asked someone to take the assassin and Xiao Hui away, and he hasn't pursued others, which is already a great grace. It can be seen that Master still cares about your mother's interests in his heart." Cao Meiniang blinked. Yu Liusu said: "Master calm down tomorrow, I naturally know that it's just Xiaohui's hoof that's dizzy alone, and we can't rely on all of us, but fortunately Xiaohui has never been a popular person in my heart, and I can't be bothered with her." The one who deserves to be killed, the one who deserves to be killed, Piaodeng Pavilion is still Grandpa's Piaodeng Pavilion. Grandpa can't be angry with anyone and can't be angry with mother. There is no such thing as a way to survive!" Cao Meiniang said disapprovingly: "That's so simple, it's really a little girl's mind." Yuliusu said: "Anyway, I have to wait for the master to calm down first." She smiled sweetly and said, "Actually, the matter on the master's side doesn't all depend on your ability, mother? You must go to the Beiji Pavilion alley and give him the old man's help." How many times can I invite An Luo?" "Damn girl!" Cao Meiniang said angrily, but her face froze, but she sighed with red eyes, "He won't see me for some days." Those chaotic cries and curses opened Yu Liusu's heart open one after another, bleeding.She grabbed a discarded jet rouge box on the corner of the dais and turned it over.The bottom of the box is densely marked.Jade Tassel pulled out the hairpin, and made one or two deep marks on the bottom of the box. Each scratch was deeply embedded with purple-black rouge, mixed with dust and dirt. Yu Liusu suddenly remembered something, and ran to the backyard thumping.The door of the firewood room was ajar, and it was so dark that it was impossible to see clearly.Yu Liusu thought for a while, kicked the chaimen open, and suddenly a huge thing floated over.Yu Liusu was startled, and when the man's dead white and swollen face turned around, there was a tinge of red at the corner of his mouth.Seeing blood, Yu Liusu couldn't help but vomit. It was Tan Ma who hanged herself.