Not The Sideburns I Know Chapter 3

At the mahjong table, Ryan and his brother-in-law Lucas Fan sat opposite each other, and the other two were the ladies of wealthy families. There were six tables in total in the two brightly lit halls. People of their class would become lively at night, celebrating birthdays and entertaining guests, taking c0ncubines and having children, and in other words, they would gather together to eat and drink under various pretexts, and there would be no empty table.

Ryan was playing cards, while Chachar was wearing a red dress, sitting beside him, peeling grapes and eating them by herself, strangely quiet in the midst of the noise. Ryan would turn his head from time to time to ask Chachar for some grapes to tease her, but Chachar would ignore him, and occasionally, unable to bear the annoyance, she would stuff one into his mouth.

Lucas laughed as he spoke, forgetting the rules and lighting a cigarette. Before he could take a puff, Ryan glared at him: "Pinch it. My sister is here, she's going to cough."

Lucas put out the cigarette reluctantly and complained: "Brother-in-law - I'm not saying anything bad about you, we were playing cards, why did you bring my third sister out? It's so late, the child needs to go to bed."

When Chachaer heard someone talking about her, she stopped eating grapes. Under the bright light, her big brown transparent eyes stared straight at Lucas. The two cold lights and the red clothes on her body also showed a dazzling horror. Lucas felt very uncomfortable when she looked at him. He had long felt that this child was a bit evil, gloomy, and never spoke. Although her eyebrows and facial features were beautiful, her beauty was murderous and sharp. I don’t know how she was brought up. It is said that her mother is a woman from a foreign ethnic group in southern Xinjiang. Could she be a Miao? That would be poisonous...

The women nearby immediately complained, "Yes, Master, you bring a child here and don't allow us to smoke. It's so suffocating."

"He not only takes his sister with him when he plays cards, but he also takes her with him wherever he goes. He even took her with him when he was discussing business with my master last time."

"Hey, Second Master, is Third Miss really your biological sister? The two siblings don't look alike at all. Besides, how can a brother love his sister so much? Don't lie to us."

At this point, everyone laughed meaningfully. Ryan was teased by them, and smiled and glanced at them: "Don't talk nonsense! This joke is too wicked." He put his arm around Chachar's shoulders and said: "Come here, little sister, draw a card for me."

Chachar picked up a card and smeared the grape juice on it, making it sticky. Ryan wiped it on his clothes and turned it over. He saw that he had won. He lowered his head, held Chachar's face and k!ssed her.

"Aha! Now you know why I brought her with me. She is my Lucky Star!"

Lucas lost his chips and said angrily: "Don't be so proud! I also have a sister. Next time I will bring my Jin Ling'er with me."

Ryan said, "Speaking of my sister-in-law, Brother Lian, let me ask you, why is it that my wife is called Fan You and you are called Lucas, but only my sister-in-law has the word "gold" in her name? Doesn't that mess up the generations?"

Lucas said: "When my third sister was born, there was a locust plague on the grasslands of my home, and the harvest was poor, so we lost a lot of silver. The fortune teller said that this was because there were too many water in our names, and too much water makes gold sink. My father was anxious and added the word gold to my third sister's name."

Everyone let out a long sigh of enlightenment. Even the most trivial things among prominent families are very interesting when spread out.

The lady on the right asked, "Does Mr. Fan have grasslands in his home in the north?"

The lady opposite looked at Lucas and said to the young lady with a smile: "It's not just the grassland, there are also several mountains and his own guards. Fanjiabao, the king of the frontier! Whoever marries him will be the princess!"

The young lady blushed when she heard what she had thought. She couldn't see Lucas as a modern gentleman at all, as his family was running such a primitive business.

Lucas laughed and said, "What frontier king? That title was given in a long time ago. It's gone now! When the Japanese came, they robbed my big farm. My soldiers fought with them every day. I'm a scholar, and I'm most afraid of these swords and guns. So I brought my brothers and sisters to Beijing to seek refuge with my sister."

Ryan took a puff of cigarette, squinted his eyes and blew out the smoke, cursing: "You still have the nerve to mention this, coward! You don't even guard your own home, but only know to hand it over to your subordinates! If it were me, if the Japanese dared to touch a blade of grass, I would stab them in the guts!"

Lucas nodded and smiled: "Of course. Everyone knows your temper, Master Cheng. You are a living bandit."

The ladies were not interested in the war between the family and the country. Those who knew the truth joked, "Brother Lian has never won tonight, no wonder he is crying poor. Don't believe him. The soldiers of the Fan family can fight against the Japanese, how can they be bad? He studied abroad for a few years and is used to the glamorous world. It's like a death wish for him to return to the wilderness of Fanjiabao. He went to Beijing to enjoy himself."

Lucas smiled and did not refute, probably he was right.

The lady at another table turned around and asked Lucas, "Second Master Fan, how is the marriage between Miss Jin Ling and Mr. Sheng Liu going? Is it going to be finalized? When will the wedding banquet be held?"

Ryan said: "Yes, how is Jin Ling's matter? Your sister asked me the other day - she actually asked me about your family's affairs. Ha..."

Lucas shook his head and waved his hands with an impatient look on his face: "Don't mention it, don't mention it, don't mention it anymore. I solemnly declare: my sister Fan Jinling and Sheng Sixth Master Sheng Ziyun have no relationship - except that they are in the same class - there is no relationship at all. What marriage! Where is the marriage?! Who is the gossiper who spread this? It's ruining my sister's reputation!"

Ryan, a busybody, raised his eyebrows and refused to admit it.

Lucas's words sparked a lot of speculation and curiosity. Everyone in the room pricked up their ears to wait for him to tell the truth, and even the sound of shuffling cards became quieter. But Lucas fell silent and did not speak, which showed that there was something inconvenient to say.

Ryan was the first to lose patience. Sheng Ziyun, the sixth son of the Sheng family, was the younger brother of his old classmate. He came to Beijing to study and he was responsible for his guardianship: "What's wrong with the Sheng family kid?"

Lucas said: "The sixth boy of the Sheng family... well, my sister doesn't like him, even if she does, my family can't have such a son-in-law."

"Oh, you're driving me crazy! What happened to Master Yun?"

Lucas played a card, looked around, and said in surprise: "Why, you don't know? Sheng Ziyun is promoting an actor."

Everyone sighed and lamented that the student was not a good student.

Ryan said, "Praising an actor? A young boy like you, praising an actor?"

Lucas lamented: "Ah! He is praised! Do you know who he is praise? He is praise Ervin! He goes to the theater every day and writes reviews and biographies of Ervin in the newspapers. He is obsessed with him!"

Everyone sighed again. Falling into the hands of the famous Ervin, this child was ruined.

Ryan said: "Ervin? It's him again!"

Lucas said: "How can my brother-in-law, who doesn't listen to opera, know him?"

Ryan said: "Who doesn't know the most famous actress in Peking? I know a lot."

Others laughed and said, "Then can you tell us something, Master?" "Master Cheng just likes to hear some gossip."

Ryan shook his head: "Some people say he is Su Daji, some people say he is Ma Wencai. It's hard to say. Chachaer, draw another one for me."

Mrs. Liu next to him hit Ryan's hand and said, "Don't let Miss San touch it again. If she touches you, Master Er will win."

Ryan looked at her and smiled: "Then, Mrs. Liu, can you give me a touch?"

He deliberately said something ambiguous, which made everyone around him laugh. They all knew that Ryan was a talker, so no one would take him seriously. Mrs. Liu blushed and spat at him. Mr. Liu heard it from a distance and laughed in hatred. He walked over and pushed Ryan hard: "Second Master Cheng! You don't know the seriousness of this. Be careful or I will tell Second Madam."

Lucas laughed and said, "It's useless to tell him. How can my sister control him?"

After joking around for a while, the conversation turned back to the scandal between Sheng Ziyun and Ervin, but no one was paying attention to Miss Fan Jinling anymore.

Ryan said, "Sheng Ziyun came to Peking to study, but he went to support actors! That stuff costs more than visiting brothels. If his brother finds out, he will definitely blame me for corrupting him. Last time he wrote to me and asked me what the price level was in Peking, I guess it was because my brother always asked for money from home, so he got suspicious. Lian'er, tell me, is Ervin a Su Daji or a Ma Wencai? He is such a disaster."

When others talk about Ervin, they always bring a lot of legendary colors, and most of them are hearsay, and the truth is questionable. Lucas's talk about Ervin is very credible. Because when these anecdotes happened, he was in Pingyang. Moreover, he is the half-brother of the second grandmother, and he is also a relative of Nathan, but not a blood relative.

Lucas said, "I say, Ervin is both Su Daji and Ma Wencai. Back then, in Pingyang, wow! It was so lively! Ervin and my cousin parted ways, and the opera industry in Pingyang went on strike. Pingyang is different from Shanghai, where people love opera! The people may not know which president has changed, but they know which actors have sung which operas better than their family tree. The actors said they would not sing, so the people of Pingyang were like opium addicts. There were fights on the streets every day. There were no operas to listen to, and they were impatient and relied on fighting to vent their anger."

They had discussed the Pingyang incident countless times, but every time it was brought up, everyone was still excited.

Someone asked: "Since they are splitting up, why are the opera companies collectively boycotting performances?"

Lucas said: "You think, the two leaders each have a vote of supporters. When they fought, their respective people took sides, and it was a big fuss! Especially in Shuiyun Tower, they were divided into two factions at that time, and the internal strife was fierce. On the day my cousin and my cousin left Pingyang, Ervin couldn't let it go, so he ran to the bell tower and sang a play for a day and a night. His voice was like a long drought and saved the lives of the people of Pingyang. The people of the whole city stood under the bell tower to listen to the play and cheer for him, blocking the road tightly, and the street business was also closed. Later, Marshal Zhang was alarmed and led his troops to disperse the people. Ervin was still stubborn even when he coughed up blood. When he was asked to come down, he walked to the edge, as if he was going to jump off the building, which was very scary. Finally, Marshal Zhang went up to the bell tower himself and coaxed him down like a cat------Marshal Zhang probably took a fancy to him at that time."

Ryan thought, first it was Marshal Zhang, then Commander Cao. Every time Ervin sang, he could attract a local lord, but he didn't know who would be the next one.

"It is said that Ervin was crazy at that time, is it true?"

Lucas said: "It's hard to say whether he is crazy or not, but I think he is pretty serious. Marshal Zhang took him down from the bell tower and brought him to the Marshal's Mansion. Later I left Pingyang and never saw him again."

Although the protagonists of this segment are two men, it is very romantic and moving, and the female guests present all have a little fascination on their faces. But there are also some unkind people who are jealous of Ervin's extraordinary charm and say sourly: "Marshal Zhang has met the White Tiger Star! He asked for trouble. Otherwise, why do you think Marshal Zhang lost to Commander Cao?"

Ryan was very interested: "Mrs. Han, tell me, how did Marshal Zhang lose to my brother-in-law?"

Mrs. Han just remembered that Commander Cao's brother-in-law was present here, and she softened her tone and laughed, "I also heard it from others. Second Master, please don't let the Commander know. What do we women know? ------ I heard that the troops of the two sides were about the same at that time. But Marshal Zhang had bewitched Ervin. Ervin didn't know what kind of vile medicine he had made for Marshal Zhang to take. He was confused and couldn't get up from the bed. That's why the group was leaderless and the army was defeated. Didn't you see Commander Cao surrender 30,000 troops from Marshal Zhang? If the Marshal was awake, would he surrender without finishing off the troops?"

Ryan was surprised and said, "There is such a thing! Ervin's skills are not inferior to Daji and Baosi!"

Mrs. Han squinted her eyes: "What kind of kung fu is this? It's a scourge! You men just love to try something new. Ervin can act in a play, sometimes Wang Baochuan, sometimes Yang Guifei, with a thousand different roles, so fresh."

Ryan smiled and looked at Mrs. Han sideways, looking very serious. Mrs. Han was so fascinated by him that she forgot what was going on and her eyes could not help but entangle with him. Ryan was like this, often flirting with the ladies and wives regardless of time and place, making others worry about him.

Lucas glared at Ryan and coughed twice, meaning to say, "Brother-in-law, please be more restrained. There are so many people here, and sooner or later you will be beaten to death by their husbands."

Lucas and Ryan hit it off right away, and they were closer than to his sister. Ryan had a romantic affair outside, and he helped to hide it from his sister, which made the second grandmother no longer trust her brother and regarded him as an accomplice in the conspiracy.

Someone took the opportunity to ask Lucas: "So now, Emily doesn't sing anymore?"

Lucas said, "She really doesn't want to sing. If Nathan had a bite to eat, he would never let his cousin's wife show up. Besides, his cousin's wife doesn't dare to come out, for fear that Ervin will bring bad luck to her."

Ryan laughed: "It's been several years since the incident. Ervin is so upset, but he still thinks about it? What about a little actor who wants to bring trouble to your relatives in the Fan family? Does he have the ability to do that?"

Lucas said, "You don't know? The little actor may have been patient. Something happened that year, and the two sisters turned against each other. My cousin's wife was also disappointed and cold. She gave Shuiyun Tower to him because of the old feelings. She was afraid of him and compensated him. Later, one day, Nathan and I escorted my cousin's wife back to the backstage to get some things. The child who was learning opera saw her and shouted for joy. It happened that Ervin heard this. Ervin came in from outside with a curtain in anger. When he saw each other, he tore his face on the spot, rushed over, pulled and dragged the couple to the street. Nathan was a young master, how could he bear this? His dignity was swept to the ground! At that time, he really had no roof over his head and no place to stand..."

程凤台平生最爱听是非管闲事，顿时惋惜道："我是没赶上那个时候，不然非得好好教训教训这个小戏子。简直是泼......"他想说泼妇，但是商细蕊却不是女的，改口道："简直是欠揍！"

Lucas laughed and said, "You are still teaching him a lesson. He is very powerful when he throws a tantrum. You haven't seen how Ervin scolds people."

Ryan laughed viciously: "He dares!" He then said: "Back then, when you were in Pingyang, did you just watch Ervin bully others?"

Lucas pushed his glasses and smiled: "First of all, this is a matter of emotional disputes, and it's not easy for outsiders to get involved. Nathan would rather leave Pingyang than ask for my help. What's more, Ervin is not only a hateful person, but also a pitiful person. I can't do it!"

Lucas's code of conduct is to keep to himself and observe what is right and wrong. He is unwilling to offend even an actor easily. He and Ryan have completely different personalities.

Ryan snorted and laughed, expressing his doubts about Ervin's pitifulness. From the beginning to the end, he only heard Ervin getting angry and fierce, without any trace of pity. If his love for his senior sister can be considered pitiful, then there are too many pitiful people in the world - everyone has their own pitiful parts. At that time, although Ryan didn't hate Ervin, he didn't have a good impression of him.

Ervin is a man of rumors, and everything he does is legendary, as if he is very far away from Ryan.