Not The Sideburns I Know Chapter 4

In addition to the rumors in the Nine-Curved Corridor, Ryan actually had indirect contact with Ervin once. Once he brought a business for someone else, which was a batch of high-quality silk from Jiangnan to Manchuria. The silk was transferred briefly in Peking. On the day the goods arrived, Li, the shopkeeper of Ruifuxiang, braved the scorching heat and went to Cheng's house to pick up the goods. Ryan asked the workers to prepare a ladder for him to open the box and inspect the goods. Li waved his hands repeatedly and said that he would not take anything else, but only two pieces of clothing.

Ryan said with a smile: "Why don't you just send the waiter to get them? Two pieces of clothing are worth your running in the sun. Could they be the empress's shawl?"

Shopkeeper Li wiped the sweat off his forehead and fanned himself with a large fan: "That's about the same. It was like this when I served Empress Wanrong."

Ryan was very curious and wanted to broaden his horizons. Shopkeeper Li asked someone to take down a camphorwood box with a red seal. It was such a big camphorwood box, but it only contained twelve sets of Hanfu women's clothing and two sweat towels and two handkerchiefs. Shopkeeper Li put on his glasses, laid them out on the table one by one, carefully inspected the stitches and threads, and said to the freight forwarder from Hangzhou: "To test them, as usual, please return them in the original box."

The freight forwarder smiled and said, "I know, I know! It's the same old rule! These clothes were embroidered by the girls in our embroidery workshop for nine months. Look, boss, the gold threads are all made of real gold, not fake at all. Look at the peacock feathers..."

Ryan became more and more curious. He moved closer and pulled the edge of the dress. The dress was really gorgeous and luxurious. The red satin was embroidered with a golden phoenix, and the phoenix feathers were clearly visible. The beads on the tassels seemed to be real. The Fan family was the richest outside the Great Wall. When the second grandmother married him, she had never worn such a gorgeous dress. There were other sets, some with hundreds of but.terflies dancing, and some with auspicious clouds and flowers. The but.terfly wings reflected the soft light of the silk, and it was lifelike like a living creature. The embroiderer must have used all her life's skills in it. Any piece of material cut and framed would be an exquisite and beautiful painting.

Ryan exclaimed: "It's incredible! Is the Emperor going to return to the court with His Majesty?"

Shopkeeper Li laughed and said, "How could it be possible? Can't you tell? This is a costume for an opera."

Ryan thought to himself that it was no wonder the colors were so bright. He wondered which famous actor was worthy of wearing such exquisite clothes: "I heard that there is a famous actor in Beiping, who was originally in the Southern Palace Opera Troupe. Now he has left the palace and moved from the Minister of Finance to the Prince of the Eight Banners. Is it his? Didn't he retire and stop singing?"

Shopkeeper Li said, "No. The one you're talking about is Henry, the Minister of Opera! Mr. Ning was a favorite of the Empress Dowager back then. He came from the palace, but his wealth is not as great as this one. Second Master, guess how much these costumes alone are worth?"

Ryan thought for a moment and said, "I think it should be at least a thousand or eight hundred..."

"A thousand and eight hundred, just enough for these beads and gold thread!" Shopkeeper Li stretched out four fingers in pain and poked Ryan in front of him. Ryan spread out the corner of his clothes and laughed in surprise: "Who is this idiot? He spends more money than me."

"He's a new celebrity. Ervin. Second Master must know him." Shopkeeper Li didn't find any fault and folded the clothes into the box as they were.

"Ervin from Pingyang? Oh, I know you too well!" Ryan sighed, "In this world, those who work hard can't even have a full meal, but those who sing and perform are so rich!"

Shopkeeper Li looked at him and thought that it was okay for a poor laborer to say this, but how could you, Ryan, have the nerve to sigh about the world? If it weren't for the chaos and lawlessness in this world, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of the chaos to make money. He smiled and said, "Ervin doesn't show off in other areas, but he is willing to spend money on costumes. As long as the clothes are good-looking, any amount of money is worth it!"

Ryan forgot that he had met Ervin in person, at several gatherings and card games. But everyone knew about the hatred between Lily and Ervin for stealing her husband, and also knew about Ryan's banditry and Ervin's madness, and they were afraid that if they were not careful, the two would clash and it would end badly. Therefore, no one dared to let them meet, and even if they were in the same place, they were intentionally separated.

Ervin took off his makeup, and he was just a quiet and handsome boy. Because of his youth, his face still had a bit of round and tender feminine features. The clothes he wore were all plain long gowns that were neither new nor old, and they were very inconspicuous. Ryan didn't notice him when they passed by each other several times. Ervin knew Lily's younger brother Ryan, and heard him joking with others and telling jokes loudly. Wherever he went, the place became lively. A man who would smile even when there was nothing to do, with a sparkling and attractive light in his eyes, more like an actor than an actor, like the kind of person who makes a living by his face.

The first time they met was at Huibin Building.

That night, Ryan brought Cha Chaer to build relationships with two old men in the business world. They just gathered together to eat, drink and gossip. The old men couldn't eat or drink much, so they left the dinner early and asked to go to the theater. Ryan had no interest in theaters or the like. It was not his style. He just wanted to find a place to play mahjong or find a beauty to drink a little wine. But it was a rare meeting, so he didn't want to offend the old man. When asked where to go, the old men seemed to have been prepared, and they all pointed to Huibinlou in unison: "Tonight is the finale of Mr. Shang's "The Drunken c0ncubine", which must not be missed."

Another said: "That's right. For me, I can't hear Ervin's voice for three days, and I can't enjoy my meals."

Ryan took the old man's walking stick and said with a smile: "Okay. Let's go to the opera."

Chachaer looked at her brother with big eyes, as if asking where they were going, but she was still unwilling to speak. In fact, after coming to Beijing, the Cheng family had done as the locals did, and had held many party performances, but she had never seen a real theater. Ryan touched the back of his sister's head and said, "I'll take you to a new and lively place."

The lights in Huibin Building were just coming on. On the sign at the door, the three characters "Ervin" were standing in a triangle shape, just like the man in the rumors. The names of the actors who acted with him were standing on the side in small and shabby shapes, looking very shabby and pitiful. The theater was filled with fog and smoke, and the cheers were so loud that it seemed like it would explode at any time. As soon as the driver, Lao Ge, got off the car, he saw the "Sold Out" notice on the ticket counter and whispered to Ryan: "Second Master, you don't know until you hear the opera. Ervin's theater, where are there any extra tickets to buy? Standing tickets are sold out even at 28 yuan a piece."

Ryan asked: "Can't buy it?"

Lao Ge said: "Of course you can't buy it."

Ryan looked at the two old men in the car and said, "Go to the box and ask them one by one. As long as they are willing to give up their seats, money is not a problem."

Lao Ge negotiated with the ticket inspector at the door for a while, and then negotiated with the waiter for a while. After a while, he replied helplessly: "I asked several people, and they all said that no matter how much money I pay, they won't let me go."

Ryan frowned and said, "That can't be possible. Maybe we didn't agree on the price."

"Money is useless, Master! Deputy Director He and Director Li are both there listening to the opera, how can they give it up?"

In fact, those who can afford to sit in the box in Ervin's place are all wealthy and powerful, and there is absolutely no reason for them to sell out for a little money. Ryan's caravan travels all over the country, and there is no place in China that he cannot reach. Even under the noses of the Japanese, he has the ability to go back and forth a few times. I didn't expect that he would be in trouble in front of a little actor today, which is really embarrassing.

An old man behind him put his arm around Ryan's shoulder and said to him with a smile: "Mr. Shang's ticket is not something you can buy just by saying so. Second Master Cheng might as well borrow Commander Cao's help."

Ryan understood that the two old men could not book a private room, so they deliberately asked him out today, hoping to listen to the opera with Commander Cao's brother-in-law. Ervin did not become famous easily. Just having money is not enough to get a seat, he must have some influence.

As Commander Cao's brother-in-law, Ryan had nothing to say about borrowing the title of brother-in-law. He revealed his identity to the theater manager and immediately got a box reserved for warlord commanders to receive orders. Several people sat down in the box on the second floor, and a table of tea, fruits and snacks was set up. Ryan glanced and saw that the He family was sitting in the box across the street. There was even a Sheng Ziyun at the last seat. Sheng Ziyun was a college classmate of Mr. He Si, and he must have been unable to get a ticket, so he begged He Si to take him along. He was wearing a black student uniform with a stand-up collar, sitting upright, as if he was attending a class. But his expression was infatuated and intoxicated, and he was very ill.

Lucas said that Sheng Ziyun was praising an actor, and he really caught him in the act. Ryan stared at him fiercely.

Ervin did not appear in the first few plays, and the stage was performing a literary play. Ryan cracked melon seeds, then watermelon seeds. He did not understand a word of the singing in the play, and he had no interest in understanding it. When his father was alive, the family dressed up to go out to listen to concerts on Sundays. When they arrived at the clubhouse and the lights dimmed, he fell asleep. He did not inherit his mother's musical talent at all. But sometimes Ryan also liked to listen to Chopin and Beethoven, and he also hired a piano teacher for his sisters, not to cultivate his sentiments, but just to imitate the scenes in his family in Shanghai. He cracked melon seeds for a long time and felt the advantages of Chinese drama. The performance was on the stage, and the audience ate, free and unrestrained, unlike Western operas with so many formal rules, which suited his personality very well.

The two old men were already drunk, and they closed their eyes, shook their heads and hummed, like a duet on and off the stage. Ryan cracked all the melon seeds and started chewing plums. After chewing the plums, he felt hungry. He just accompanied the old man to drink and talk, and didn't eat properly. He snapped his fingers and wanted to order a bowl of noodles with soybean paste. The waiter lowered his head and waited for him. Ryan didn't dare to ask for it after all.

An old man saw that Ryan was bored and said with a smile: "Second Master Cheng, you are bored from listening to the opera with us, right?"

Ryan laughed and said, "To be honest, I didn't quite understand."

Another old man said, "Is that so? Mr. Cheng is from Shanghai. He likes to listen to Shanghai folk songs and Shaoxing opera, right?"

Ryan said, "I don't listen to that either. My father was one of the students who came back from studying abroad in the West, and my siblings and I have been listening to Western music since we were young. These operas------don't really understand them. But the costumes and the people are very lively and interesting to watch."

The old man stroked his beard and smiled: "I already understand half of what you said, Second Master." He sighed again: "The world has changed. Young people of your generation don't like to listen to operas anymore. None of the young masters and young ladies in my house want to listen to operas. Instead, they like the one without singing. What's its name?"

Another interface: "Drama. Is it a drama?"

"Yes, yes, drama, drama! Tell me, they don't like the things left by our ancestors anymore, and they want to learn from the Westerners. Isn't this the end of our country?"

The two old men talked about sad things and sighed for a while. After a while, the warm-up performance was over, and Ervin came out, dressed in a rich and gorgeous imperial c0ncubine's makeup, and the jewels on his head were dazzling. Ryan looked at him and thought that this must be Ervin, why is he so colorful, and looks so thin. Chachaer was more excited, holding a cup of tea, staring at Ervin, thinking that he was very beautiful with his jewels and bright eyes.

As soon as Ervin came out, people threw dollars and jewels at him, and cheers rang out. He hadn't even started singing yet, but people could tell it was going to be great. Only Ervin was treated this way.

This was the first time Chachar saw this kind of game, and her eyes sparkled as if she was very interested. Ryan smiled and felt around. He didn't have any money, and throwing money around was meaningless. The watch would break if he threw it. He took off a gold ring with jade on his middle finger and put it in Chachar's hand: "Come on, Chachar, have one too."

Chachaer walked to the railing, leaned out, pointed the ring at Ervin and threw it hard. She only had Ervin in her eyes, and threw it too accurately. The ring hit Ervin's brow, causing his head to tilt slightly, and his eyes quickly slipped to Ryan's box.

Ryan thought to himself, "Oh no! That gold ring is very heavy. If it's hit, it might be bruised." Chachaer was also panicked. She ran back and grabbed her brother's sleeve, a little panicked. The two old men laughed and said, "Miss San is so lucky! You have a strong hand and a good aim!"

Ryan felt very strange, thinking that they were not Ervin's fans? Why were they so happy to see Ervin being hit? Then he thought, hey! They thought this place was the Shanghai Opera House again. Here, actors and prostitutes are of the same level - not people, but toys, toys that can be rubbed at will if you have money.

Ryan felt uncomfortable when he thought of this. In his family in Shanghai, his father taught him to say thank you when the servants brought him a cup of tea. Therefore, he couldn't stand the Chinese people's sense of hierarchy. He patted Chachar's back and asked her to sit down, saying, "It's okay. Our Chachar didn't mean it. I'll take you to apologize to him later."

The two old men were quite familiar with Ryan's style, and they smiled secretly, thinking that the apology was fake. Was Mr. Cheng looking for a way to see an actor?

The blow Ervin received seemed to hit Sheng Ziyun in the heart. He stood up and looked at the culprit. Ryan was talking with his head tilted, and his face was not very clear. He kept studying it, and Ryan suddenly turned his head after he finished speaking, and caught his gaze. Sheng Ziyun had to come over to say hello.

"Second Brother Cheng."

The old men pushed up their glasses and asked, "Who is this?"

Ryan said: "My old classmate's younger brother, the sixth son of the Shanghai Sheng family, Sheng Ziyun, is now studying at a university in Peking."

Because of the reputation of the Sheng family, the old men lifted Sheng Ziyun up and praised the young talent. Sheng Ziyun shyly greeted them one by one.

Ryan said, "Okay, the show is about to start, Master Yun, please go back and sit down."

Sheng Ziyun agreed, and just as he turned around, Ryan grabbed his clothes and pulled him down, leaning close to his ear and gritted his teeth, "Wait for me to ask you a question!"

Sheng Ziyun felt a little flustered.

On the stage, Ervin began to sing with a clear and melodious voice, as graceful as the song of an oriole. Ryan had watched the play The Drunken c0ncubine with others several times, but he only understood two lines from it: "The ice wheel on the island is turning, and the jade rabbit is seen. The jade rabbit rises in the east. The ice wheel leaves the island, and the world is exceptionally bright."

Ryan could not remember much of what happened next. But although he did not understand the words, he listened to the voice quietly, gradually understood the meaning, and began to hum along. Then he discovered another advantage of Chinese drama over Western drama: the huqin and the sharp voice can keep people alert, and even those who do not understand can not fall asleep.

After a tune was sung, the audience suddenly became agitated. Many people left their seats in anger, and some even booed.

Ryan didn't know what was going on. The old man next to him sighed, "Hey! What's going on here? It's just a scene of the imperial c0ncubine getting drunk!"

The other said, "No more watching. Let's go too!" Then he said goodbye to Ryan and agreed on the next time they met, with a very disappointed look on his face.

Ryan followed them all the way down and said with a smile: "What's wrong with this play? Why are you so generous to recruit two old men?"

The old man said, "Ervin, relying on his status as a leading actor, has changed the script many times, causing many of his colleagues and fans to dislike him. I have never seen him before, but I have seen him today!"

"In his early years, he performed in Shanghai. When Shanghai people saw his problem, they called him a 'drama demon', but he was proud of it! A good play of the Drunken c0ncubine! They dared to change it! It's going to destroy the country!"

When the spectators who went out together heard this, they all agreed with it and made many complaints and opinions. Ryan did not understand their comments, so he politely sent the old men to the car and went back to the box to find his sister.