Chapter 77: Dance House
Chunni was excellent at cooking, assisting Chun E the whole time and receiving her lavish praise.
Finally, Chun E stepped aside from the chef’s position, handing it over to her. Then she and Su Yaoguang became the assistants.
"Sister Chun’e, isn’t your husband coming back for dinner?"
"He’s an escort master; he’s gone on an escort mission. He’s won’t be back for several months," Chun E said. "I’m used to being alone now. Whether he’s here or not, life goes on."
Su Yaoguang noticed something was off with Chun E’s expression and refrained from further questioning. She changed the subject to business, discussing the clothes in her Clothing Shop.
"Those clothes are just outdated in style, but the fabric and craftsmanship are excellent. I’ll draw up some designs later, and you can follow my illustrations to make new combinations. Try promotions like buy two get one free to clear out the stock, then acquire better materials to create even finer garments. Transform the shop into the most popular Clothing Shop in town."
"Since meeting my sister, I realized I’m not suited for this business."
"Why are you not suited?"
"I’m not keen on distinguishing beauty from ugliness. If I had your aesthetic sense, I wouldn’t have managed the shop this way, which is why I say you’re my lucky star."
"Don’t underestimate yourself, sister. You’ve been in the industry for so many years; how could you not be suited for it? As long as we put our heart into what we do, we’ll succeed. There aren’t as many geniuses in the world as you think; most rely on hard work to compensate for shortcomings. You only see me matching outfits, but you don’t know how much I’ve suffered for it."
Chun E understood Su Yaoguang was comforting and encouraging her, and she accepted her kindness.
The three women prepared a dinner of three dishes and a soup in a humble room, happily enjoying their meal.
After dinner, Su Yaoguang suddenly wanted to explore the night market. Chun E, who had seen it many times, wasn’t interested, so she let them go by themselves. Su Yaoguang then went out with Chunni.
"Cousin, I didn’t expect such bustling activity in the city at night. So many people, and the food—I haven’t seen these before."
"Boss, two portions, please."
"No need, cousin, we just ate; I’m not hungry."
"I’ve already ordered them, let’s eat! I haven’t tried them either and want to."
Chunni chuckled, "Then I’ll eat with you, cousin."
Chunni was only thirteen, thin and small, looking like a ten-year-old girl. When she first arrived, she resembled a frightened little rabbit; even raising her voice slightly would scare her, fearing she might be chased away. Since then, no matter how busy she was, she paid attention to her tone to avoid frightening the little rabbit.
Now, she finally had the innocent smile of a child. When she received things, she still instinctively observed her, but she was no longer as timid and fearful as before.
"Dance hall," Su Yaoguang stood in front of the sign.
"Cousin, it’s quite expensive here," Chunni blushed, looking at the people coming in and out, "Also, most of the patrons here are men."
"This is a dance house, not a brothel, no need to be so tense." Seeing veiled hats for sale across the street, Su Yaoguang bought two, and after putting them on, they entered the dance house.
Inside, as expected, it was predominantly men, with a few bold and frivolous women who seemed rather indelicate.
Once they had sat down, some of the men started to bother them.
"Young lady, since you’ve come to such a place, why wear a veiled hat? Take it off and let your brother have a look; all the drinks are on me today."
Su Yaoguang grabbed the man’s wrist as he reached out to her. With a snap, the man cried out in pain.
"Miss, please let go," the shopkeeper hurried over upon hearing the commotion to stop her. "We have private rooms upstairs. How about bringing you ladies to enjoy the music and dance in a private room instead?"
Su Yaoguang released the man.
The man fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
Su Yaoguang casually said, "This is a dance house. Both men and women are free to find enjoyment here. Why should I, a woman, be forbidden to enjoy the music and dance?"
With that, she led Chunni upstairs.
As they headed upstairs, they bumped into another veiled person.
Su Yaoguang was heading up while the other person intended to go down to the bathroom. They collided, causing Su Yaoguang to stumble, but the person grabbed her wrist. Initially intending to let go dismissively, he noticed the face revealed by her flaring hat veil.
He tightened his grip and pulled her up.
"Thank you," said Su Yaoguang, "These stairs are too narrow."
He nodded and continued downstairs.
After Su Yaoguang and Chunni went upstairs, the man emerged from the corner and asked the shopkeeper, "Which private room are those two ladies in?"
"Mudan Pavilion."
Zhong Chushan searched for a while before finally locating Zhou Wangshu, who had just exited the bathroom.
"Brother, we need to rush back to the academy. You’d better get your piece played!"
"Yaoguang is here," Zhou Wangshu frowned, "I’m worried..."
"Your little wife? Does she know you can play?"
Zhou Wangshu shook his head.
"That’s good! She doesn’t know you can play, and with the veil, how can she recognize you?" Zhong Chushan said, "Hurry up, don’t waste time."
As Zhou Wangshu passed Mudan Pavilion, he heard voices from inside.
"Chunni, come see, there are men among the dancers here, and they’re pretty good-looking."
Zhou Wangshu: "..."
Ah, getting money has led her to seek fun. Looks like women and men are alike; once their basic needs are met, their thoughts stray further.
Zhou Wangshu went next door, sat at the piano, and began to play.
When Zhou Wangshu played, the songs and dances paused, and the dancers cleared the stage.
Listening to the music, Su Yaoguang felt her tense spirit relax after a long day. She leaned back on the recliner, nibbling on pastries as her mind wandered far away.
Chunni didn’t understand the music but knew it sounded beautiful.
The entire hall fell silent.
An attendant entered to refill tea for Su Yaoguang and her companions.
Su Yaoguang stopped him and asked, "What’s the name of this piano master? His music is very good."
"The piano master is known as Young Master Zizhan," the attendant replied, "He’s a piano master we hired with a large fee."
"Does Young Master Zizhan play here often?"
"Not really. Miss, you’re lucky to catch him today. He comes rarely. See all our guests below? Most are here for him. Although they don’t know when he’ll appear, they come hoping for that chance."
Someone shouted from below, "Young Master Zizhan, I admire your musical talent and would like to invite you to perform at my mother’s birthday banquet. Name your price."
"Sorry, but our Young Master Zizhan never performs at private residences," another cheerful male voice replied, "You’d better find someone else."