You are unlucky and I am tough

The maid quickly brought in paper and pen, and Wei Qinglang wrote the contract himself. Because he had not yet recovered from the cold, he coughed several times while writing.

Qin Suyue saw that he looked unwell, which was somewhat inconsistent with his tough appearance. She asked Cheng Shuang curiously, "Madam Wei, is your husband a scholar?"

Cheng Shuang suppressed a smile, "Do you think she looks like a scholar?"

Qin Suyue looked at him and shook her head, hiding her face with her handkerchief and laughing, "I think... not very similar."

Cheng Shuang discovered that Miss Qin's private personality was probably not as reserved as she appeared, so she whispered, "We are just ordinary villagers. He used to farm, then hunted, and now he grows vegetables."

"Why do you look unwell? Are you sick?"

"He's fine. He just accidentally fell into the village well the other day, so he caught a cold. He used to be as strong as a bull."

Qin Suyue covered her face and smiled again. The two of them started chatting. When she learned that Cheng Shuang was a few months younger than her, Qin Suyue began to call her "sister".

Wei Qinglang came over with two written contracts and saw that the two were holding hands and calling each other sisters. He couldn't understand the friendship between girls.

After both parties checked and confirmed that there was no problem, they signed and put their fingerprints on it, and Cheng Shuang picked up the box on the ground.

"Sister Qin, here are fifteen yuan. I'll have someone deliver another one tomorrow afternoon, about fifty yuan. Use these to open up the market for the next few days. Starting from five days later, I'll have someone deliver two hundred yuan every day. As for the payment, I'll settle it the next time I come."

Later, Cheng Shuang came up with another idea, asking Qin Suyue to arrange for the waiter to prepare water and dirty cloths at the counter, and to demonstrate the effects of soap on the spot for the first two days to promote the product.

Qin Suyue wrote them all down and made an appointment with Cheng Shuang to go shopping together next time.

It was still early when they came out of Fu Ya Zhai. Cheng Shuang was in a good mood after solving the problem of selling soap. The two of them strolled on the street, discussing whether they should go to Hu Shi Street. There was something that was almost time to be done.

They set off as soon as they said they would, and headed towards Hushi Street. Unexpectedly, just as they reached the next street, Cheng Shuang suddenly pulled Wei Qinglang and pointed forward.

"Wei Qinglang, look over there, isn't that Zhao Xiuwen?"

Wei Qinglang followed the direction she pointed and saw a familiar figure. Zhao Xiuwen had half of his long hair tied up and was wearing a white dress. He was quite eye-catching walking on the street. The little girls selling flowers on the street were all shyly looking at him.

"Shouldn't he be at home reading?" Cheng Shuang crossed her arms and touched her chin. "Why did he come to the city when he's not even fully recovered, and he's wearing so little?"

Hearing the last sentence, Wei Qinglang frowned and looked at the person next to him, "Why do you care about him so much?"

"Shouldn't I care about him?" Cheng Shuang glanced at him, "He saved your sister's life."

The two of them were also going straight, so they followed Zhao Xiuwen not too far away. Seeing that he passed by the bookstore but did not go in, they became even more confused as to why he came here instead of recuperating from his illness.

"Go in, go in, go and take a look."

After walking for a while, Zhao Xiuwen entered a store. Cheng Shuang hurried over and looked up, and it turned out to be Baixiyuan.

And it was the theater where they watched a play together last time they came to the capital.

The two looked at each other, and Cheng Shuang blinked. "Do you like watching opera so much? You even came to watch a show when you were sick?"

Wei Qinglang looked at the cashier at the door and said, "The entrance fee is only two hundred coins. He doesn't seem like the type to spend money recklessly."

From the street, one could faintly hear the sound of opera singing coming from inside. It was just noon at this time, and the theater seemed particularly lively. There was a group of people gathered outside the door, chattering about something.

Feeling something was wrong, Cheng Shuang stood on tiptoe to see what the people at the theater entrance were watching. After jumping around for a long time and still unable to see anything, she pulled Wei Qinglang and squeezed into the crowd.

After squeezing in, I found that the place was surrounded by a notice board put up by the Baixiyuan Theater, which listed the program schedule for the day. Cheng Shuang hurried to look at the one for this time period and saw that it said "Moon Over Maple Bridge" Hua Dan - Lan Gongzi.

"Have you heard? After Master Lan finishes his singing today, he will choose a guest to drink tea and play chess in the form of poetry."

"I heard about it too. It's said that Master Lan went out for an outing and climbed a mountain not long ago. On a whim, he wrote half a poem, and the remaining half has never been completed."

"No wonder so many scholars came today."

"What a pity, we rough guys don't have a chance."

After hearing what they said, Cheng Shuang whispered to Wei Qinglang, "Do you think Zhao Xiuwen is here because of that Hua Dan Lan Gongzi? Is he a fan because he likes to listen to opera?"

"How about we go in and listen to the opera too, and then go to the trade fair another day?" Wei Qinglang saw that her eyes were full of gossip, and he knew that she was interested and wanted to join in the fun.

Cheng Shuang smiled, "That's exactly what I want. This Mr. Lan seems to be very popular. I want to go see what he looks like."

The two men turned around, squeezed out of the crowd, walked to the theater entrance, paid the money and went in directly.

The courtyard was crowded with people, and cheers, applause and applause were mixed together.

The singing had already started on the stage. After entering the garden, you had to pay if you wanted a good seat. Cheng Shuang gave the waiter a hundred coins, and the two of them were taken to sit at the back.

As soon as we sat down, the audience burst into cheers. It turned out that the leading actress on the stage had appeared.

The actress appeared with her back to the audience, moving with graceful lotus steps and waving her sleeves like flowing clouds and water.

When she turned around in the middle of the stage, her face was as red as a peach blossom, her eyebrows were as dark as distant ink, her eyes were bright and beautiful, and her red lips opened slightly, and her voice was as melodious as the song of a nightingale, which went straight into people's hearts.

As soon as she opened her mouth, the audience cheered again. The actress's pair of white and slender hands gently hooked, picked and swung, and her eyes followed the flow of her singing, as if every move hooked the hearts of the audience.

Wei Qinglang recalled that the last time they came here with Zhao Xiuwen, they did not listen to the play of this Hua Dan, and they heard from people outside that this Mr. Lan came from somewhere else two months ago, so he should not be a drama fan. But why would Zhao Xiuwen come here specially to watch his play?

This person’s singing is really nice. Is it just because he likes listening to opera?

This doesn't seem like something Zhao Xiuwen would do.

I turned around to say something to Cheng Shuang, and found that she was looking at the actress on the stage with a serious look on her face.

Wei Qinglang nudged her with his elbow, and Cheng Shuang came back to her senses with an excited expression, "Oh my god, is he really a man? He's so handsome, isn't he?"

Wei Qinglang "............"

Yeah, I'm hooked on this one too.

The audience in the audience was mesmerized. Some of them swayed their heads to the rhythm, while others squinted their eyes, smiled, and immersed themselves in this wonderful melody.

After the play was over, cheers and applause rang out one after another, "Good! Great singing!"

"Wonderful! Master Lan's voice is truly amazing!"

Some people couldn't help but throw their tips onto the stage, and the silver coins made a crisp sound when they landed on the stage.

A few copper coins rolled to her feet. The actress stepped back and looked at the audience. She spoke in a normal male voice, "The performance is over. Next, I will drink tea and play chess with the guest who can answer the second half of the poem."

The audience suddenly became excited again. Cheng Shuang, who was watching the fun, sighed that this scene was no less than modern star chasing.

Master Lan on the stage spoke slowly, "Everyone, listen carefully. The first half of my poem is, 'Climbing high to broaden your horizons, clouds roll by your feet. The forest breeze brushes the green shadows, and the birdsong delights your heart and face.'"

"I'll come, I'll come."

"I'll come first, I'll come first."

It was not difficult to come up with the second half of this poem. After thinking for a while, the people in the audience started scrambling to come up with the second half, shouting one after another. Unfortunately, Master Lan on the stage was not satisfied.

"Beyond the hustle and bustle of this world, all vanity can be discarded. Leaning on the railing, I dream of the past, and the years will not pass by lightly."

After a while of noise, a gentle voice was heard. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who spoke was a young scholar who was quite good-looking.

When Cheng Shuang saw that it was Zhao Xiuwen, she whispered to the people around her, "He is here to chase stars as expected."

Wei Qinglang raised his brows slightly as he looked at the person pretending to be stupid. He didn't believe that she had forgotten about the masked man before. There must be some secret about Zhao Xiuwen.

Cheng Shuang met his gaze and glared, "Why do you care so much? I'm just under a lot of pressure from studying, and occasionally listening to a play is a way to relax."

Wei Qinglang curled his lips, wondering who on earth could not resist the curiosity and followed in to see.

The second half of Zhao Xiuwen's poem was the best one in the whole audience. Many scholars bowed to him and praised him, and Zhao Xiuwen politely returned the greetings.

Master Lan on the stage chuckled and said as he turned around, "It's you."