Yumenglou

Meet me under the singing flowers? "

When she was whirling in the rhythm of the music with her eyes half closed, Qian Hui felt someone hugging her, and couldn't help but fell on her back in this person's arms.Opening her eyes suddenly, she saw that the guest just now was staring at her intently, which only surprised Qianhui. Are all warriors from famous families in Kyoto like this?Qianhui couldn't help thinking.For some reason, there was an expression on this man's face that made people feel so surprised and disappointed.I did the dance as he wished, but why does he look so...sad?

"Jun Zi,...you stay with me tonight." Qian Hui suddenly heard the whisper of the man on her shoulder. "...Okay." She blinked her eyes and didn't say anything else, just stroking Shanshita's head and helping him into her room.If it's just doing what he expects, I think it's an unsurprising request.But if there are other expectations, I'm afraid I don't know what to do with this person.What a strange idea, just say what you want, why is it so sad... Thinking of this, Qian Hui looked at the profile of the man in her arms, and remained silent, what do you think of me?Why do you smile because of me one moment, and feel sad the next second?

The ending of the so-called banquet, what kind of expectation is it, whether it is a short-lived prosperity, or annihilation of all thoughts, may be just a personal matter.

At this time, Chiyo, who had just removed her heavy makeup and stepped off the getai, was looking for someone among the crowd that was leaving.Before the moon recedes, before the sound of the piano fades away, her expectations are doomed to be fruitless.

Zhang Erchunyu

"Ah... so tired, I don't want to work anymore today!" Chiyo stretched herself and sat on the threshold of the yard, complaining to the lead geisha Utako. "Obviously only agreed to dance the first show, why would I be called to accompany that retainer who doesn't even know his name in the middle of the night! Let no one rest!"

"That's Mr. Xiao Sakai from the seat above. I heard that he is a very important person in the Kanda family." Utako leaned against the railing, slowly puffing out a cigarette, watching the impatient Chiyo who was pulling the door handle at random. weeds. "If you are an oiran, you should pay attention now, maybe it will be an old man's favor in the future. Well... But this group of guests from Kyoto only come once a year, so there is nothing to look forward to. "

"By the way, did you see Qianhui? After the second banquet yesterday, I didn't see her, and she hasn't come back." Qiandai couldn't help asking.I was so restless in my heart just now, I am afraid that most of them are due to this reason.

"Who knows. If you don't come back to sleep, then you are at the guest's place. Do you think everyone is like you, running away from the guest before dawn." Gezi tapped Chiyo's phone with a cigarette stick head.

"It hurts!" Chiyo quickly knocked down the cigarette stick with one hand, and hurriedly patted the falling ash. "That's not because she didn't come back, she obviously made an appointment... Hey! Qianhui!" It was Qianhui herself who walked out of the dressing room.Today Qianhui changed into her usual attire, and at this moment she opened the curtain and came out, seeing Chiyo waving, so she also ran over with a smile.When she saw Gezi, she saluted slightly, and then sat on the threshold.

"Where did you go, you just came out now! Didn't you make an appointment yesterday, and you won't come back all night!" Chiyo asked anxiously. "

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. It's all about work. The guest asked me to stay after asking me to dance." Chiyo said. "What a strange person."

"Really! After you danced, he still liked you very much and asked you to stay? Eh~" Chiyo opened her eyes wide in surprise, and saw Gezi giggling, "What's wrong!"

"Finally there is someone who likes Qianhui's dancing! Maybe it's my younger sister, Chiyo, who becomes the oiran first! Sure enough, a gentle and charming woman like Qianhui is more popular, right? An irritable half-babe like you!" Gezi knocked on a cigarette rod, and put it in his mouth again.

"Who said that!" Chiyo grabbed a handful of grass and threw it at Utako.Qianhui looked at Chiyo who was in a hurry, and couldn't help laughing.

After the first banquet, Yumenglou's business resumed its usual rhythm.Although no team came here, as long as they stayed in Liutiao City for a day, the figures of the warriors would not appear in Yumeng Tower for a day.At this time, most of the guests will directly name the geisha who are good friends, most of them are the geisha accompanying the wine that they met at the first banquet, and the geisha are also willing to give priority to receiving these distinguished guests.

For example, Chiyo, the surprise of the first dance undoubtedly brought her a lot of nominations, and now she has to deal with four or five guests a day, most of whom are retainers on the main seat and high-ranking samurai.The samurai would still come to the store to look for her, but not necessarily the retainers, like Xiao Sakai would make an appointment in advance for Chiyo's second night, and then send someone to pick her up in a sedan chair at dusk.As a result, Chiyo is busy with socializing, working most of the time, and doesn't have much time to be with Qianhui.

"Qianhui, shouldn't she tell her not to wait? I always can't go back, and when I go back, I'm so tired that I just want to sleep. It's good that I'm the only one doing things like the first dance geisha. Ah, I'm so tired." Chiyo thought drowsily in the bumpy sedan chair at night.What is she doing again?I really want to go back.

Finally, one night, the attendant of Xiao Sakai's family sent a letter to Chiyo saying that Xiao Sakai was going to have an all-night banquet with the master of Kanda's family tonight, and asked Chiyo not to come tonight.Thank goodness!Chiyo took a breath in his heart, and then took a rest.I can finally go back.

In the evening, both sisters returned to the bedroom to rest.It just so happens that we have nothing to do tonight, so we can be together.Qianhui is mainly a geisha to accompany drinks, most of them work during the day, and if there is no banquet or nomination at night, they can be replaced early.For example, when Chiyo walked into the room today, she saw Qianhui dancing in the room with her eyes closed, her hair loose and her belt in her hands.

Chiyo, who couldn't dance anymore, sat down with her knees hugged in a corner of the room, watching her younger sister Chie dance in the flickering candlelight.Looking at the slender figure constantly jumping on the wall, Chiyo suddenly seemed to return to the time when he and Qianhui were together a few years ago.At that time, in the fifth year after my father disappeared because of the conscription, my mother also died suddenly in the plague and poverty.When Qianhui was still crying and wanted to chase the group of men who dragged her mother's body out of the empty room, a great sense of urgency made Chiyo choose to drag her sister and flee desperately to a strange place where no one knew them.Take a ferry, sleep in a cave, hurry with your head down during the day, and hide in the shadows at night.This kind of escape has no destination and no end. I thought it could go on forever, until the first snow fell that winter, until they came to Yumenglou—the winter night surrounded by endless cold and darkness. When the only warm place to play and sing every night, as if they didn't know what a sad place is, Chiyo knew that they had to stop.

Looking at the face of Chie who is smiling and spinning with her eyes closed, the gorgeous kimono hangs down from her shoulders, revealing her white shoulders, but she is still dancing to herself - Chiyo is sure that she is happy, but for some reason she is not. Can't help but have a bitter smile.How much did I help my sister and myself when I ran away so crazy and persistently and made such a decision?At that time, what forced him to pull her away was the fear of fate?At most, they are sold as lowly female slaves, child prostitutes in brothels, or taken into concubines by others... But is the current fate the best we can hope for? what kind?Perhaps we are still caught by some cruel fate after we have escaped so hard?

——However, Qianhui was very happy.Qianhui is by my side.That's enough, isn't it.

Comforting himself like this, Chiyo no longer thought about this problem, stood up, walked to Qianhui's side and hugged her spinning body.

"Am I dancing well?" Chie who suddenly opened her eyes asked Chiyo with a happy expression on her face.

"Of course, it's almost impossible to take your eyes off."

"Really!" Qian Hui laughed and sat up slowly, her eyes sparkling.

"That's right, I didn't lie. The dance is as good as before." Chiyo also smiled and looked at her.Those many scenes of two people dancing in the deep alley at night broke into her dreams many times.Every time, for some reason, her heart would be overwhelmed by a burst of warmth but she couldn't help crying. When Qian Hui asked her if she had a nightmare after being woken up, she would always say, "No, I just dreamed of you. "

"That's fine." Qian Hui smiled brightly, "Sister, did you know that the guest said that I look like his sister when I dance?"

"How could it be?" Chiyo said.How can there be a man who comes to this kind of place and still thinks about his sister, what a lie to coax little girls. "You are my sister, how can you look like his sister?"

"In other words, it's probably because he was too drunk. I think this is also a weird person. It seems that it's better not to have anything to do with him." Qian Hui nodded as if saying to herself.

"By the way, did this person come to the store later?" Chiyo asked.

"I didn't pay much attention to it. I heard that someone named me," Qianhui said. I brought a few young geishas to accompany me for drinks, and most of the night they came down the mountain, because it was too cold, nothing to do