Qingyun's Love: Tiger Boy Falls in Love with a Pretty Lawyer

Ran Mo suddenly felt something strange. He looked over and saw the three young men looking at him in unison. Their gazes, postures, and expressions were all the same.

Hu Ling jokingly said, "Qingsheng, don't just stare at him. Don't you want to say a few words to Ranmo?"

"No one listens to me. Why bother to go against the wall?" Qingsheng replied.

Hu Ling smiled and said, "People are afraid of not saying it out loud, but thinking about it constantly in their hearts." Then she said seriously, "As your elder sister, I sincerely offer you a word of advice: cherish the people around you. I also hope that the story of 'The Folding Fan Mistake' that I told you today can be of some inspiration to you."

A few people were silent. Then, Young Master Wu came out and invited everyone to dinner. They all went into the back hall. The dishes served were mostly fresh vegetables, refreshing and light on the fat. The elegant setting added a special touch of charm to the meal.

At the banquet, Wu Shao and his friends toasted a few glasses of wine. Hu Ling and her friends drank tea instead. Wu Shao looked at Hu Ling, his eyes slightly red. He couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or from the memory of the previous story.

The others weren't as talkative as usual. The atmosphere was like the story and music, a progression from high to low.

After dinner, everyone returned to the hall. Young Master Wu suggested concluding the first half with piano music and opening the second half with song. He invited Master Ranmo, a master of rhythmic music, to perform a song. Everyone responded with applause.

Ran Mo agreed with a smile. She wouldn't pretend to be her own poets like some people did, but singing a popular song wouldn't be a problem.

Before she started singing, she briefly explained that the song was sung in a local accent, so it didn't matter if you didn't understand it, as it basically described the joys and sorrows of life. Then she began to sing in a pretentious manner:

"The cloud is respected and wants to beat the people, it's better than that, ah, fighting for the forest. Love is squatting in the plum ditch, starting to pull and listen, it should be pulled. Love has always been a plan to praise, love has always been a plan. Love makes the sun crooked and flat, wide and rolling..."

Everyone was stunned. It was like listening to a foreign language. At first, they giggled, but as the song progressed, they became more and more immersed in the melody and mood of the song.

After the song was over, everyone applauded. They asked Ranmo what the song was about and what language it was in. Ranmo could only tell them that it was a dialect from the distant Lingnan region.

She didn't understand Cantonese very well. When she first learned the song, she sang along using the phonetic notation someone else had put on it. Her pronunciation wasn't accurate. Fortunately, they didn't understand her either.

Ran Mo said that this song mainly talks about a man and a woman who want to meet each other but don't want to meet each other, want to separate after meeting each other, and want to meet each other again after separating.

Everyone was confused. Only Qingsheng seemed to understand something. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. Ranmo was so frightened that he quickly turned his head away.

After the commotion died down, Master Wu asked everyone to continue. He turned to look at Qingsheng, who stood up without hesitation. He said this was a story about betrayal.

Azan and Xin'er gasped. "The endings of all the stories we've told today aren't very good." Ranmo thought, "It seems everyone understands the beauty of tragedy."

Young Master Wu asked him to sit down and speak, but he refused and insisted on standing up. So they let him go.

"In a northern border kingdom, there lived a general who fought bravely and valiantly for his country. He made many military achievements. His only flaw was that he couldn't control himself emotionally. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe him as a playboy and a philanderer."

When everyone heard this, they thought, well, Qingsheng is quite good at insulting people.

"During one of his campaigns, he rescued a local girl and developed feelings for her. And then, the two of them did something like that."

Everyone pricked up their ears. Wow, that's pretty explosive. This is the only one of the stories so far that involves sex between a man and a woman.

Ran Mo wondered, when did this kid become so open-minded? Suddenly, he remembered something. His face flushed slightly, and he quickly lowered his head.

"The general was a man. He brought the woman back to his palace. Life was peaceful. One day, the king discussed something with him. To reward him for his service in defending the territory, he decided to marry the princess to him.

The general hesitated. He had originally intended to marry the foreign woman he had brought back. Now that the princess was interested, he was torn. After careful consideration, he finally compromised. He married the princess, citing the difficulty of disobeying the imperial decree.

The princess entered the mansion, and naturally could not bear to have the woman stay with her. She forced the general to send the woman away. The general once again showed his manly side, and after saying many kind words, he asked the woman where she wanted to settle down.

There was another small commotion among the crowd. Who would have guessed Qingsheng was so sarcastic when he spoke?

"The woman's eyes welled with tears, knowing that the situation was irreversible. The vows they had made that day had long since been thrown into the dust. She told the general that she wanted to return to her homeland, and the general agreed.

What she didn't tell the general was that she was already pregnant with his child. And so, she was sent back to her homeland in Mobei alone, or rather, with her unborn child.

When everyone heard this, they all sighed with sympathy for the woman's tragic experience. Ran Mo seemed to be moved, but he remained silent.

Time passed. Life went cyclical. The woman and her child took root in the Mobei steppe. After enduring hardships, the child grew into a sturdy man and became a general of this country.

Meanwhile, this country and the general's country were at odds over a border dispute. Wars were raging and fierce. During one war, the opposing generals, young and old, faced off on the battlefield.

The old general, relying on his vast combat experience, nearly led the young general into an ambush. Fortunately, the young general, with his extraordinary wisdom and heroic spirit, averted danger and turned defeat into victory. He also captured the old general, that old scoundrel.

The soldiers brought him into the tent for questioning. The young general stared at him and asked, "Do you know who I am?" His eyes were dim, and he only said, "You are a general of the Mobei Kingdom."

The young general snorted. Then he asked, "Do you know who my mother is?" The old man shook his head. The young general whispered a name. He asked if he knew it.

The man was struck by lightning. It was the woman he had abandoned! And this person before him? He studied her carefully. The young general's features and figure were clearly similar to his own.

He understood instantly. He collapsed to the ground, beating his chest and crying. He exclaimed that this was karma.

The major general gave him two choices: either commit suicide and die for his country as a hero, or go back with him to see his mother and stay with her until old age.

The reason why he was given more ways out was that although he failed to treat his mother and son well, his mother always had feelings for him and only said that the decision she made at the time was forced.

The old general was filled with resentment and was about to throw himself headfirst into the nearby iron frame. However, the soldiers quickly stopped him.

Seeing that he was repentant, the Major General gave him a few days to reflect on his mistakes. Meanwhile, he sent a letter to his mother by express horse, informing her of the situation.

Her mother burst into tears after hearing this. She had originally planned to come and question him in person, but she was too weak to do so after the long journey. So she sent a soldier back with a letter.

At this point, Qingsheng paused, as if he was thinking, or perhaps trying to keep the conversation a secret.

Everyone was unhappy and asked him to quickly tell them what happened next.

Qingsheng chuckled and said, "There's nothing down there." He looked around and said, "Because the letter is still on its way and hasn't been delivered yet."

Everyone accused him of playing tricks. Ranmo thought this blank-out approach was a good one. It was like an open ending. Everyone could choose the outcome they wanted based on their own understanding and imagination.

Qingsheng also expressed this idea, letting everyone guess or create their own reasonable, even unexpected, ending.

The crowd finally calmed down a bit. Each of them pondered their own thoughts. Some suggested the young general should execute the unfaithful man. Others suggested he should be made to apologize to the woman. Still others suggested that since the two countries were at war, the young general should simply continue leading his troops to conquer the other nation.

There were many different opinions. The enthusiastic atmosphere brought today's poetry and prose gathering to a climax.