You are unlucky and I am tough

Chapter 223: Sign

Cheng Shuang, Qin Suyue and others were arranged to sit at the table with the villagers, and at the next table was Cheng Jinxiu and the daughters of various business families.

It's funny to say that the business ladies that Cheng Jinxiu met knew that Fu Ya Zhai's soap was very popular, and they all praised the soap they received, but none of them knew Qin Suyue. They were still several levels away from Qin Suyue's circle.

This was the second time Cheng Jinxiu had met Qin Suyue, and she only thought she was a lady that Cheng Shuang had made friends with in the provincial capital. She was probably the daughter of a merchant who ran a small business in the city.

In addition to Cheng Shuang and the other three, there were Qian Xifeng and her daughter, Cheng Xiaohe and Qian Xifeng, and a woman who was the daughter-in-law of the village elder's third uncle. The third uncle had a cough and was not feeling well these two days so he didn't come and sent his son and daughter-in-law over.

Amidst the laughter and noise, the play on the stage began. The opening gong sounded clear and loud, attracting the attention of the guests below the stage, and all their eyes were focused on the stage.

The curtain slowly opened, and the Hua Dan was seen walking lightly to the center of the stage amid the sound of stringed instruments. She was dressed in a theatrical costume and had pearls and jade on her head, her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque and her figure was graceful. After slightly turning sideways to get into position, she flicked her sleeves, opened her red lips slightly, and her eyebrows and eyes were full of affection.

The melodious singing voice was like the sound of a yellow oriole singing out of a valley, with the lingering sound lingering in the air. The guests were silent for a moment, completely attracted by the actress on the stage.

Even the old scholar who had initially disagreed with inviting the opera troupe was now stroking his beard and listening with his eyes closed.

After a while, people began to speak.

The atmosphere at the table became more lively.

Cheng Shuang held her chin with one hand and looked at the people on the stage. It seemed that she was listening to the opera very seriously, but her thoughts had drifted to another thing.

Seeing her infatuated look, Qin Suyue laughed and teased her, "If Wei Langjun saw you like this, I'm afraid he would be jealous."

Cheng Shuang came back to her senses, curled her lips and murmured softly, "I'll go to the back and ask him for an autograph. From now on, he will be my goddess, oh no, my idol."

The sound of opera singing in the yard also spread outside. Some villagers passing by were attracted and ran outside to listen, unwilling to leave for a long time.

Soon, the banquet began with the sound of opera.

The old scholar invited the apprentice of the chef of Taibai Tower to make lotus-flavored crispy chicken, drunken duck, black fish fillet with pickled cabbage, steamed pork with lotus leaf rice flour, braised pork intestines, braised meat platter, scrambled eggs with shrimps, stir-fried lamb with green onions, fresh vegetables, and a pot of champion porridge for each table.

The dishes were in no way inferior to those from the wealthy families in the city. As each dish was served, the guests raved about it.

The wine was also served, in exquisite wine jugs, and delivered to each table.

The ladies' seats were all filled with fruit wine. Cheng Shuang picked up the glass and took a sip before losing interest. She didn't know if it was because of the backward brewing technology, but the taste was really not that good.

At the men's table, Wei Qinglang and Zhao Xiuwen were already drinking, but Cheng Mingli didn't drink and was concentrating on eating.

After finishing his cup, Wei Qinglang looked at the performers on the stage and asked casually, "I still remember the first time I came to the capital, Brother Zhao took my wife and me to see an opera at the Baixi Garden. I guess it was fate."

"Brother Zhao loves opera so much, he must be a fan of this Young Master Lan, right?"

Zhao Xiuwen shook his head. "This Master Lan has only been at the Baixi Garden for less than three months, and I only heard his play for the first time not long ago."

"What about before? He was very famous, hasn't Brother Zhao heard of him?"

"Of course I've heard of it."

"When you first met him, what did Brother Zhao think was so special about him compared to other actors?"

Zhao Xiuwen thought for a moment and raised his glass. "Does it count as being particularly good-looking?"

Wei Qinglang smiled and reached out to clink glasses with him, "Okay."

The conversation between the two was just ordinary chatting and did not attract the attention of others. Zhao Xiuwen also looked normal from beginning to end.

Wei Qinglang always had a feeling that the relationship between these two people was not simple.

Reason told him that no matter what secrets Zhao Xiuwen had, it had nothing to do with them and they should not meddle in other people's business.

But many things were connected together, and curiosity made him unable to control his thinking.

The play "Dragon Following the Moon" lasted for nearly an hour before it ended, and the banquet was almost over after the play ended.

Cheng Wanpeng was in a very good mood. He loudly asked the troupe to go to the backyard to rest first, and he would reward them later.

Not long after the people on the stage left, Cheng Shuang, still thinking about getting Mr. Lan's autograph, asked Qin Suyue, "Do you want to go to the backyard with me?"

"I'm not going." Qin Suyue saw that she really wanted to go and shook her head.

"Then you just wait here until I come back to you."

After saying this, Cheng Shuang pulled Wei Xinyi away from the table.

Along the way, she asked the servants she saw, "How do I get to the courtyard where Master Lan is resting?" The servants in the mansion didn't know how to get there, so they looked at her curiously after she pointed out the way.

Arriving at the courtyard, Cheng Shuang saw the opera troupe members sorting things in the yard. She walked in and asked directly, "Which room is Master Lan in?"

The people in the troupe were puzzled, but they still raised their hands and pointed to a room with an open door.

Cheng Shuang thanked him, ran over quickly, and peeked inside the door.

Wei Xinyi followed her example and peeked down below.

Lin Zelan had already taken off her costume and was removing her makeup. When she heard the noise and turned around, she saw two heads at the door. When he looked over, they stretched out their hands and waved at him.

Lin Zelan stood up and asked doubtfully, "Who are you?"

Cheng Shuang pulled Wei Xinyi inside. "She's from Chengjia Village, her name is Cheng Shuang. She's my sister. Is it free for you, Master Lan?"

Lin Zelan, with her face half-made up, said calmly, "What do you think?"

"Sorry, please continue. I'll talk about my business later."

Cheng Shuang pulled Wei Xinyi and turned around, but did not leave. Instead, she walked to the desk in the room, spread out a piece of paper, and then began to grind ink.

Lin Zelan sat down and continued to remove her makeup. Through the mirror, she could see what the person behind her was doing.

He didn't like being disturbed, but this woman had a clear gaze and didn't give him a disagreeable feeling. He was a little curious about what she was going to do.

After removing her makeup, Lin Zelan stood up and walked towards the two people who were still in the room.

Wei Xinyi looked at the person approaching and opened her eyes wide. "Wow, this brother looks even better up close."

Lin Zelan had long been tired of hearing these compliments, and his expression was indifferent. "What on earth do you want?"

Cheng Shuang smiled brightly and gestured with her hands towards the pens and ink spread out on the table. "Nothing, I just want you to sign for me."

Lin Zelan tilted her head, expressing her confusion.

Cheng Shuang explained, "It's just an inscription, and then your name is added."

Lin Zelan's eyes darkened. "Miss, don't you know I'm an actor? My calligraphy is worthless."

"No, I don't care how the world looks down on actors." Cheng Shuang said seriously, "Anyway, the young master's inscription is with me, and it's worth a thousand gold!"

In the front yard, the banquet had ended. Wei Qinglang saw Qin Suyue alone and asked, "Miss Qin, where are my wife and sister?"

Qin Suyue's expression when looking at Wei Qinglang can be described as sympathetic and indescribable.

However, he still told him the truth about where Cheng Shuang had gone.

Wei Qinglang asked the heavens speechlessly, pinching his brows, "Miss Qin, please wait here for a while. I'll go get her back."

As soon as he turned around after saying that, he saw two familiar figures coming towards him. Cheng Shuang was holding a piece of paper in her hand, and the corners of her mouth were almost raised to the sky.

Wei Qinglang stood there with his arms folded, waiting for someone to come over. Based on his understanding of Cheng Shuang, he could feel that her behavior was not just a simple infatuation, but had other purposes.

But he was just very unhappy. It was true that this guy had ulterior motives, and it was also true that he was happy to get the autograph.