Peach blossoms bloom, and willows hang low. This small courtyard, located on the banks of the Qinhuai River and beside the Wuyi Lane, has welcomed new residents in recent days.

Qinhuai Wuyi Lane has always been a landmark in Jiangning City. The lane is not wide, and it cannot compare to the spaciousness and grandeur of Zhuque Street and Confucius Temple, but it lacks much of the vulgarity of the materialistic world, and has more of a literary atmosphere. For thousands of years, it has been favored by many literati. "The swallows that once graced the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary people." The elegance of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a thousand years of remembrance. In reality, since it became a symbol, many people come to visit and remember it every day. It is naturally impossible to be as quiet and secluded as imagined.

As the poem says, today's Wuyi Lane is no longer a wealthy place where families like the Wang and Xie families can live. However, due to its consistent reputation, the land here is still worth its weight in gold. Nowadays, only wealthy families with backgrounds are qualified to occupy a place here. If they are just ordinary nouveau riche who want to buy a courtyard to add a bit of literary atmosphere, it is extremely difficult without official connections. Therefore, although this courtyard seems unremarkable, those who can live in it naturally have a certain background.

The courtyard appears simple and unadorned, but it is only outwardly restrained. In reality, it has an elegant layout. The courtyard is ingeniously arranged, with not many bright colors, but it is full of literary and living atmosphere. It faces the river at the back, and the scenery seems ordinary, but the view is good, and it is refreshing at a glance.

At this time, there are still people moving things around in the courtyard. A middle-aged woman in a gray-blue cloth skirt frowns and shouts when she passes by, and only glances inside through the window when she enters the innermost room facing the river. The woman sitting in front of the bronze mirror has taken off her men's clothes and let down her hair, styling it herself.

The middle-aged woman knocked on the door and went in, trying to look unhappy—in fact, she was indeed quite unhappy: "Where's Chunmei? Why isn't she here?"

"She went to wash her face just now. I asked her to pour water, and then asked her to bring in some paper and ink. The things are piled up deep, so she's probably still looking for them." The woman smiled at the mirror. "Did Mom have a good time going out today?"

"Not good! I told you not to go out dressed as a man alone all the time, but you went again, you went again. That dead girl Chunmei is also, I told her to follow you but she didn't. I'll scold her when she comes back..."

"It's not Chunmei's fault. I left her behind. She was crying when I came back, probably because she was afraid you'd scold her... Besides, I didn't really go alone. I met Brother Yu today, and he followed me."

"Crying..." The middle-aged woman mimicked her words, scoffing. "She probably cried the first one or two times. You say that every time. She hasn't cried at all... That Yu Hezhong is not a good thing either. As soon as he sees you, he's like a dog trying to steal a taste, bowing and scraping..."

"Brother Yu is actually quite good. He's not like Mom says. Besides, it's cats that steal a taste, dogs don't steal a taste, dogs only..." The woman laughed here, not wanting to say those filthy words.

"Yes, like a cat trying to steal a taste, bowing and scraping... If it weren't for the fact that he's an old acquaintance of yours, I wouldn't even let him in the door. Alas, actually, I'm not an unreasonable person, but this Yu Hezhong is not worthy of you. It's okay for you to remember old feelings, and it's okay to invite him to a few gatherings, but his talent and family background are not as good as those people. You'll lose face for nothing, and you'll have to protect him. You protect him, and he wants to take an inch, thinking that Shishi, you really like him."

The middle-aged woman muttered: "People, once they have these extravagant desires, they will always be in pain if they don't get them. Actually, it doesn't matter if he's in pain. All those young masters in the capital like you, Shishi, but there's only one of you, so they're always going to be heartbroken. I don't care if those people live or die. Men who don't think about serving the country and spend their minds on women should just die! But you're soft-hearted. If Yu Hezhong is sad in the future, you'll feel guilty again. I'm always thinking about you. Be decisive, and let him give up this heart and this thought early. Look, he followed you here to relax this time, and you even went out with him alone. Isn't that like a lamb entering a tiger's mouth..."

"Brother Yu's home is here. It's normal for him to come over when he has free time... Besides, I'm just dressed as a man. I actually look quite awkward. If Brother Yu could get away with that, he'd really be too unselective..."

Amidst the laughter, the woman had already let down her long hair, and the rough removal of makeup was complete. When she dresses as a man, her chin looks a little sharp, and her forehead seems a little high. If she were really a man, she would look slightly thin. In fact, this is what she deliberately does. Originally, her forehead was a little high, but it was not obvious when she dressed as a woman. She could also apply some powder to cover it up when she dressed as a man, but she deliberately emphasized her high forehead and small chin. Although she was still beautiful, she looked a little awkward.

At this time, she restored her appearance, let down her hair, and returned to the gentle and delicate beauty, joking with her mother, with a lazy and clever smile. The door opened at this time, probably because the maid named Chunmei brought in the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. When she saw the middle-aged woman, she lowered her head. She put the writing supplies on a small table on the side and originally wanted to help grind the ink. Li Shishi waved her hand unobtrusively while speaking, and the maid retreated out, breathing a sigh of relief at the same time. She didn't have to be scolded by her mother.

This middle-aged mother's surname is Li, and her name is Li Yun. She took in Li Shishi when she was five years old. How could she not understand her daughter's personality? Li Shishi's words about Yu Hezhong were just jokes, not a few serious ones. Naturally, these small actions at this time were also seen. She couldn't help but curl her lips. She didn't have the mind to scold this little maid now, she just shook her head:

"Not a single serious word. Yu Hezhong doesn't have the guts... Look, his poetry is mediocre, his character is ordinary, and now he doesn't even have the guts. What kind of people are you associating with, Shishi? Why bother with him... Besides, it's hard to say when a man will suddenly get ambitious and reckless, and go all out..."

The woman sat down at the small table. At this time, she poured tea into the inkstone and was grinding the ink, but she couldn't help but laugh out loud: "If he has the guts, what if I follow him?"

"With your current reputation, Shishi, that would be the death of him..."

"Being a ghost is also romantic."

The setting sun shone in from the window. A woman in a pink long dress sat at the small table, picked up a writing brush next to her, looked at it, and then stuck out the tip of her tongue, gently licking the tip of the brush. The movement seemed simple and elegant, but it also contained an unspeakable charm. Only the mother on the side frowned slightly: "Don't lick it back and forth. I've told you about this habit before..." But she saw the woman put the writing brush into the ink, and then began to draw on the white paper.

"...The world is difficult, and it's not easy to be a person, Mom. I also know that Brother Yu has this and that shortcoming, but is our profession really that precious..."

The middle-aged woman frowned: "It is a precious profession! Shishi, you are a precious person now. Everyone says so!"

"I don't think so." Back to her, sunlight shone in from the woman's front window. "It's just... just a profession, Mom. It's their own business if Brother Yu and the others want to follow me. If he feels happy, if he feels interesting, he has to bear the future things himself. I did as he wished and treated him as a friend and elder brother. Of course, he should be grateful to me. If it's really like what you said, Mom, and breaking off the relationship is good for him, he will only remember my bad things and won't be happy. Whether it's good or not is hard to say clearly..."

She thought for a while: "Others divide the affairs of this world into three, six, and nine grades. Like what you said, Mom, I am a precious person now, the top grade. If they come to our Fanlou and meet me, chat and talk with me, they will feel that they have also done top-grade things. It is regarded as a top-grade thing for me to associate with talents like Brother Zhou, and it is considered middle or lower grade to associate with people like Brother Yu. Mom, I rarely feel this way. I think everyone should be the same, but everyone thinks so, and I can't change it. Brother Yu feels it is very honorable to associate with me, and he feels he has done top-grade things, and I am also happy because I let him do these top-grade things in his life."

"If he has done top-grade things and has the top-grade happiness he feels, then he should have top-grade troubles and hardships. If he is in the middle grade all his life, gets married, becomes a small official in the future, and does ordinary things, and can't see a courtesan in the brothel, then he will naturally have middle-grade joys and sorrows. Shishi has grown up so much, and I don't know if she is top-grade, middle-grade, or lower-grade, and she always has her own troubles. If you look carefully, you will also have your own joy. I let Brother Yu and the others feel that they have become top-grade people. I gave others joy and satisfaction, and I also did something..."

"You say, Mom, that I should break off these things, and I also know that Brother Yu is not comparable to those great talents in your eyes. Of course, I also like the poems, conversations, and insights of Brother Zhou and the others. But what I like about Brother Yu is not these. I associate with him because Brother Yu is an old childhood acquaintance. Shouldn't old acquaintances be like this? Having this and that shortcoming, mediocre talent, and no matter how hard you try, you are just not a true genius. Who can be acquainted with geniuses like Brother Zhou, Brother Ji, and Brother Tao from childhood? When I was a child, I was also called a turnip head, hehe, Wang's turnip head... Li's turnip head..."

Mother Li frowned: "You were very beautiful at that time. Turnip head doesn't mean you were ugly..."

Li Shishi was painting, not answering: "I know Brother Yu, I have contact with him, and sometimes I also feel that I have a noble character, and I can not abandon such old acquaintances. When they talk about it, they will also say: 'Oh, why does that Li Shishi treat Yu Hezhong with such favor?' 'Don't you know? Because Yu Hezhong is a childhood acquaintance with her, so although he is a little worse, Li Shishi is very good to him.' They always think I'm very good, and I always feel a little happy..."

She said, smiling: "You also know, Mom, that ever since I started learning the zither, I have always liked these praises. I am a very vain person..."

"A lot of big道理, but it's still perfunctory..." Mother Li rubbed her forehead and sighed, "Let's not talk about this, you can do whatever you want... Well, you went to the old alley today, right? Did you see anything?"

"It's still the same, almost the same as before, but unfortunately the old man who taught me the zither is no longer there..." The woman's brush moved, and during the time she was speaking, a painting of that alley had already appeared on the paper. She thought about it and added a few figures on it. "Well, I only saw one person I used to know..."

************

Having Yunzhu and Jin'er before, it is really a bit difficult to draw a different outline of a famous courtesan. I killed a Shishi girl with a high-mindedness like a nun in the draft. Mourning for three minutes... (To be continued. Cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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