Still pity the grass and trees

"Aren't you going to the appointment tonight?" Xie Wufeng asked for the third time.

The sachet presented by Zi He lay quietly on the table, a small one, but it seemed to fill the whole room, no matter where the sight was cast, one could feel its presence strongly.

"I just inquired with the inn clerk. Miss Zihe is only 20 years old. She is very good at singing, dancing and singing. She has only received guests for a few years, and she is still tender. Don't let her down on her kindness."

Every word he said was with a smile, but Ji Tanyin always listened to it with a bad taste, and said slowly: "But she... is a prostitute."

"What about prostitutes?" Xie Wufeng sat up straight suddenly, his body suddenly left the back of the chair, and fell back after a while, as if to cover up the fluctuations in his heart, his tone was deliberately indifferent, "Prostitutes are the best in the world Women are far more affectionate and righteous than those noble ladies in deep houses."

"how do you know?"

"Of course I know."

A hot breath rushed straight to the top of his head, and Ji Tanyin blurted out: "Okay, then I'll go see Miss Zihe! Don't regret it!"

As soon as these words came out, both of them were startled.Xie Wufeng tucked his fingers in the wide sleeves uncontrollably, his face calm: "I have nothing to regret."

Ji Tanyin bit her lip and turned her face away.

When it was time to light the lanterns at night, Ji Tanyin didn't need to eat, just put the sachet in his hand, and was about to go to Furong Garden to find Miss Zihe.Seeing him get up, Xie Wufeng also arranges his clothes, intending to go with him.

Ji Tanyin sarcastically said: "They didn't throw a sachet at you, what are you going to do?"

Xie Wufeng said: "Joke, is she the only girl in Furongyuan?"

In the past day, the two have been talking heart-to-heart for three or nine days-sneering words.At this moment, Ji Tanyin couldn't argue with him, and walked ahead with a cold snort.

Yuewen Street at night is much more lively than in the daytime. The doors of the brothels are open and the lights are shining brightly. From a distance, it is dazzling and resplendent.After passing the archway, the sound of silk and bamboo orchestras has never stopped for a moment. The children of wealthy families in brocade clothes, those riding horses and those sitting in sedan chairs, stepped into the gates of Furong Garden, Sanchunliu, etc. amidst the voices of servants shouting and clearing the way. Those dressed in shabby clothes went deep into the streets and alleys, looking for the prostitutes who were young and old.

Amidst the flirtatious laughter and the drumming of pipa and zither strings, Ji Tanyin could still clearly distinguish Xie Wufeng's footsteps.Knowing that he was still following her, Ji Tanyin straightened her body upright and stepped into the gate of Furong Garden with arrogance.

Just after crossing the threshold, before he had time to look up, four or five girls stuck up together, Ji Tanyin was so frightened that he took a step back and bumped into Xie Wufeng's arms.

Xie Wufeng pushed him gently, jokingly said: "Slow down."

A few girls covered their mouths and giggled, and a girl in a light green gauze skirt said first: "You are so handsome, I'll be mine tonight!"

Others were dissatisfied: "Why? He clearly looked at me!"

Ji Tanyin was dizzy and dizzy from the smell of the powder, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, he bowed to them and said, "Sisters, I'm here to find Miss Zihe."

"What do you want her for?" These girls are not very old, and they are chattering with each other, and they really can't understand Zihe's nobility in their words.

The commotion at the door attracted several women in red and green, and one of them said softly, "He's here! He's here! Hurry up and inform your sister Zihe!"

Ji Tanyin said softly: "I'm here to return her things..."

However, the crowd didn't listen to his excuses and pushed him straight up the stairs.Ji Tanyin tried to keep a distance from them, but they were all surrounded by an iron bucket, and their slender hands were groping on his shoulders, back, and legs.

"What's going on!" A slightly deep and majestic voice suddenly sounded, and the girls around Ji Tanyin immediately calmed down, stood with their hands down, and called "Mother and Son".

I saw that the man was dressed luxuriously and his hair was full of pearls and emeralds. Although his lips were rubbed bright red, he could still tell that he was older, probably nearly forty years old.

A prostitute said: "Mother Tang, this little brother is the one who took Sister Zihe's sachet today. Sister Zihe has been sitting by the window and waiting for it since sunset. Let's take him up."

"Hmph, relying on her own social status, she pretends to be sick with me all day long and doesn't pick up Joe. She's used to it! In the past few years of her youth, she doesn't save some money for the future, and she thinks about it." The old bustard glanced up and down at Ji Tanyin. , as if about to peel off a layer of skin, "It's a good-looking person, and young, and uses more than Li Yuanwai, no wonder she misses spring."

Ji Tanyin was speechless, unable to speak, but felt stiff all over, with thorns on his back.

"That's not right," Xie Wufeng had been standing at the door with his arms folded to watch the show, then he approached the crowd and said calmly, "Youth is just a few years old, not spending time with the one you love, and dealing with fat-headed idiots every day. What's the matter?"

The old bustard didn't know that there were still guests in the lobby, so she quickly put on a smiling face and said, "This master is right—"

The voice stopped abruptly, Mother Tang looked at Xie Wufeng, and the corners of her stiff mouth slowly moved: "Wufeng?"

Xie Wufeng smiled slightly at her: "Sister Qiu, after so many years, you are still so sharp."

Tears welled up in Mama Tang's eyes, and all the young girls looked at each other, not daring to show their anger.

Only Mama Tang choked up and said, "Aren't you dead yet?"

"Fate is big, I have survived until now."

At this time, another three or five young masters walked into the Furong Garden shoulder to shoulder, and without mother Tang's orders, the girls surrounding Ji Tanyin dispersed in a rush, twisting their waists and scrambling to meet him.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Mama Tang took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes, she regained her composure when she looked up again, she asked Xie Wufeng: "Are you with him?"

Xie Wufeng nodded, and added in a strange voice: "It's just that I'm not as lucky as him, and I can get the blue eyes of Furong Garden."

Mother Tang laughed and scolded: "You just haven't come here for many years. Are there still few girls who liked you back then?"

Mama Tang's maid Hong Xiao led the way, and the group walked up the stairs.Mama Tang and Xie Wufeng stood side by side, and Ji Tanyin followed behind. Seeing that the two were very familiar with each other, she felt unhappy and guessed their relationship randomly.

There are two three-storey small buildings in Furong Court, which are connected by carved corridors. Mama Tang lives on the third floor of the small building behind. there.

Along the way they passed many doors, some open and some closed.In the melodious and low-pitched piano sound, there were many lewd voices mixed in, which made Ji Tanyin blush.

Xie Wufeng suddenly said with emotion: "It really hasn't changed at all."

Mama Tang smiled, and the powder clearly outlined the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.She said: "That's right, a prostitute in running water, a brothel made of iron."

When passing by a room named Nuanchun Pavilion, there was a sudden "bang" inside, and at the same time the door trembled violently.Ji Tanyin happened to be standing next to her, and she was taken aback, fearing that the girl inside would be poisoned by someone, so she asked foolishly, "Does it matter?"

Mother Tang laughed so hard: "What's the matter with beating, it's fun."

Sure enough, the door panel began to vibrate at a faster and more intense frequency, and the rough and delicate panting overlapped, making the ears feel hot just listening to it.

Tang's mother was not surprised, she took a careful look at Ji Tanyin, as if she had found some fun, and asked Xie Wufeng, your friend is still a boy!

Xie Wufeng glanced at Ji Tanyin, he stood there helplessly, wishing to plug his ears, but his flushed cheeks revealed a trace of curiosity and anticipation.

"Yes," Xie Wufeng said to Tang's mother, "ask Miss Zihe to use some dim sum."

While talking, she had reached the small building at the back, and Zihe's maid stood respectfully by her side, said hello to Tang's mother, and wished Ji Tanyin a blessing, saying that Miss Zihe invited him in to sit down.

Ji Tanyin clenched the sachet in his sleeve tightly, showing hesitation, and subconsciously glanced at Xie Wufeng.

Xie Wufeng rolled his Adam's apple twice, but finally did not speak.What is he going to say?You can't teach the art of the room, not to mention, Miss Zihe must know better than him.

The two looked at each other, rooted under their feet, waiting for the other to move first.

Zihe's maid came in without knowing it, and urged: "Young master, please, my sister has been waiting for a long time."

Ji Tanyin caught a glimpse of a table full of fruits through the half-closed door, and felt even more uneasy.When she was about to refuse, Mother Tang suddenly asked Xie Wufeng: "Would you like to sit in my room?"

Xie Wufeng said: "Alright."

Ji Tanyin watched him and Mama Tang hold hands affectionately, turned the corner and disappeared, turned her head to stare at the door in front of her, and pushed gently.

Zi He is indeed a beauty, with almond eyes, upturned nose, small mouth, and good figure, but her waist is not enough to hold.She applied light makeup and powder on her face, and only wore one or two pieces on her head and face. With a pink and white dress, she was extraordinarily elegant and refined.

Ji Tanyin bowed deeply to her and introduced, "I'm next Ji Tanyin."

There was a sense of decency in every gesture he made, Zi He was taken aback for a moment, adding to his admiration, and replied: "It's a shame!"

"I'm lucky enough to be favored by a girl, and I gave you a sachet as a gift. I'm so affectionate, I'm ashamed, and now I return it to Zhao." Ji Tanyin took out the sachet and offered it with both hands.

Zi He stared at it bewilderedly, with glistening tears pouring out continuously, she covered her face and said: "My lord despises me for being a prostitute!"

"No," Ji Tanyin panicked, and wanted to persuade her, remembering the discipline that men and women are taught not to be intimate, and it's not good to stick too close, so she said out of nowhere: "Did you hit the wrong person?"

Zi Heben cried bitterly, and laughed through his tears when he heard his nonsense: "Young master, how can you belittle yourself. Since you entered Yuewen Street, I have been looking at you, and the more I look at you, the more I like you."

Up to the last two words, the voice was as thin as a mosquito, revealing the shy look of the little girl.

Ji Tanyin was moved in his heart, and a feeling of pity arose.

"But...you don't even know who I am, how can you like me?"

"When I first saw the young master, I was so happy. What does it matter if I recognize you or not? Although it's only one time, it's enough to remember for a lifetime." Zi He boldly stepped forward, wanting to pull Ji Tanyin's hand, Ji Tanyin hurriedly took two steps back, He smiled awkwardly at her.

Zi He said: "My lord, do you already have someone in mind?"

"I..." The bright moonlit night, the swaying carriage, and Xie Wufeng's calm profile appeared in Ji Tanyin's mind, and he suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Seeing this, Zihe understood everything, and silently wiped away her tears.

Ji Tanyin put down the sachet and bid her farewell. Zi He, regardless of face, tightly grasped Ji Tanyin's sleeve, begging him to drink two glasses of water and wine, and listen to some music before leaving.

"If not, the sisters in Furongyuan might laugh at me!"

Ji Tanyin glanced at the door, and sat down in Liangwu: "Okay, I'm sorry, sister."

Tang Rongqiu, the bustard of Furong Court, lives at the end of the corridor. The room faces south and is luxuriously decorated.

Xie Wufeng walked around in the open room, looked at the embroidery and calligraphy hanging on the wall, and said casually: "You have earned a lot of money these years."

Tang Rongqiu snorted lightly from his nose, took the emerald porcelain jug and two big golden cups, poured the wine swiftly, and said, "How long have we not seen each other?"

"I'm afraid it will be [-] or [-] years."

Tang Rongqiu handed him a glass of wine and sighed: "I thought you were dead, and I burned paper for you on Ching Ming Festival. I didn't expect to meet you today. It's really... Sigh. Seeing that your body is much stronger than before, and your cold disease has been cured. gone?"

Xie Wufeng shook his head: "We still rely on the "Fire Yang Sutra" and "San Gong Dafa" taught by Master to suppress."

"It seems that you have really improved your cultivation base. More than ten years ago, your skill was not strong enough. If you were not careful, you would suffer from a cold again. No matter how much hot water you soaked in, your lips would turn black and blue. How pitiful! I learned..." Tang Rongqiu was about to cry again as she spoke, she took the fan and slapped it a few times.

Xie Wufeng sat down opposite her, and said softly: "Okay. What are you talking about!"

"It's a coincidence that your mother threw a purse at your father back then, and today Zihe threw a sachet to that kid." She stared at Xie Wufeng blatantly, "Who is that kid?"

"No one." Xie Wufeng raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, and added, "Friends."

"Friend? You can't hide it from me?" The people rolling in the wind and dust all have a pair of sharp eyes. Tang Rongqiu had seen that Xie Wufeng and Ji Tanyin had an unusual relationship. Ever since Ji Tanyin entered Zihe's room, Xie Wufeng was anxious, even after a long separation. The reunited old friend is also absent-minded when talking.

The last time they met, Tang Rongqiu had already chosen a husband-in-law and decided to be a good man. Ten years later, she was still in Furong Garden and became a procuress. She experienced ups and downs. Xie Wufeng was so focused on Ji Tanyin that he couldn't think of asking. .

"That Zihe..." Xie Wufeng frowned, and asked with unclear meaning, "How is it?"

"He's the number one player, what do you think! He can play the pipa well, and his voice is mellow, and as for his skill in bed—" Tang Rongqiu dragged out her tone, looking at Xie Wufeng with a smile on her face, "Naturally, she's also very ecstasy."

Xie Wufeng paused in the air with his hand holding the golden cup, he knew that Tang Rongqiu said this on purpose to tease him, but he couldn't stop thinking about the situation in Zihe's room.How long has it been?What are Ji Tanyin and her doing?Drinking and chatting, or warming up with red silk tents?If Zihe's body is really touched, with Ji Tanyin's character, he might not be able to marry her, and then... until then... he can't do anything.

Xie Wufeng drank another glass of wine, drank it in a hurry, and coughed from choking.Tang Rongqiu stretched out her arms, patted him on the back symbolically, and sighed: "You also fell on love words one day. I really care so much. Why didn't you stop him from entering the purple lotus room just now?"

Xie Wufeng's tone was very aggressive, and the corners of his eyes and brows showed uncontrollable irritability: "How to stop?" Tang Rongqiu's surprised expression made him realize his gaffe, lowered his head to handle the wine cup, and added bluntly: "It's not that bad I like it, just keep it funny."

"Tough mouth!" Tang Rongqiu scolded him, "Why don't you imitate your mother's temperament of daring to love and dare to hate?"

Xie Wufeng said coldly: "Then what will happen to her?"

Tang Rongqiu was startled and didn't speak any more.The room was very quiet, and even the faint sound of burning red candles could be heard.Xie Wufeng felt suffocated, he couldn't stand it after holding it for a while, stood up and said to Tang Rongqiu: "Sister Qiu, I'd better go back to the inn."

"Going back to the inn, I don't have a room for you here! I haven't seen you for more than ten years, and I will leave after a few words. I am old now. Next time you want to see me, there is only a wild grave left! "

"Don't be crowed." Xie Wufeng persuaded her a few words, and suddenly remembered that Tang Rongqiu was going to be a good man, so he asked her about her situation after the farewell, and was complained by Tang Rongqiu all the time.

The two of them were talking nonsense here, when Tang Rongqiu's maid suddenly knocked on the door, and young master Dao Ji begged to see him.

Tang Rongqiu immediately glanced at Xie Wufeng, saw him slowly sitting back to his original position, pulled his sleeves to his elbows, and returned to his careless and frivolous appearance, suddenly felt it was funny, poked the back of his head with his index finger, and said to the maid: " Come in, please."