Chapter 73 抛绣球
[Throw an embroidered ball (traditional Zhuang flirting game at festivals)]
As the light of day dawned, the two of them continued to set off on the road, taking the official road, and when they entered the gates of the border city in the northern land, there was another big blockade, so they could only move slowly.
“This big sister, what happened?”
Li Haitang opened the window of the carriage, surrounded by blackness, a sea of people, more lively than the lantern fair on the 15th day of the first month.
“Little lady, you still don’t know yet, right? De Quan ban (the whole virtue class) is casting!”
A large woman carrying a small basket, filled with tea steamed buns and melon seeds, looked like she didn’t intend to go home for a while, ready to squat and wait.
De Quan Ban is going to open a new play in the Northland, the first time to star in a play that none of the nobles in the Capital have seen before, just to repay the passion of the Northland theatre fans.
In order to allow for better interaction, Xiao Tao Hong (Little Peach Blossom) and the class master studied the idea of casting a character among the people to be his partner.
“So that’s how it is.”
Li Haitang was speechless, this is the so-called audition. Little Peach Red is worthy of being an opera singer, really a playwright, easily mobilizing the whole population, when the time comes, he can snatch a fortune in silver.
“Then how to choose ah? I don’t know how to sing opera either.”
Li Haitang knew the Peach Blossoms’ skills and didn’t dare to say that Little Peach Blossom was half bad, so she could only pretend to sigh in frustration.
She wasn’t interested in watching the opera anyway, the key is that with that ticket silver, she might as well buy more delicious food to make herself comfortable.
“Don’t be discouraged, anyone can choose, it depends on luck!”.
The elder lady walks with the wind, carrying the basket and squeezing forward, not forgetting to turn around and greet Li Haitang, “Little Peach Red is throwing the embroidered ball to choose someone, it doesn’t matter if you can sing or not!”
As long as you are chosen, it is a great honour, not only can you dine with Little Peach Red, but you can also get extra money for opening your voice.
In ancient times, there were embroidered balls to recruit a bride (take a man into the family as a son-in-law), Li Haitang heard for the first time that embroidered balls were used to recruit an accompanist to sing, it simply overturned her previous knowledge.
Little Peach Red brought her a thousand taels of silver, she wasn’t too heartless, for the sake of money, Li Haitang had to pretend to be a fan.
“I’ve never seen a man more handsome than Little Peach Red, if he can be my husband, in this life, I didn’t live in vain.”
A young lady covered her chest with both hands and looked at the distant high platform with a deep emotion.
Li Haitang looked in the direction she was looking, on the high platform, there was a red carpet, lights decorated with lanterns and colored banners and colours were put on, De Quan Ban’s people were setting up the scene, but Xiao Taohong was nowhere to be seen.
“You don’t feel ashamed? You’re all betrothed. For Little Peach Blossom, I didn’t even agree to the Zhao family’s marriage!”
Another little lady with a maid, her family’s condition should be good, she was full of shyness, holding a purse with a pink peach blossom embroidered on it.
Li Haitang had seen this purse before, and at that time she thought that it was a thousand times the same, but now she realised that it was an accessory worn by the Little Peach Blossoms.
“Whoever marries Little Peach Blossom, then they won’t be able to listen to the theatre whenever they want!”
A man was very envious, but looking at the group of women’s flamboyant appearance, he was quite contemptuous, “Little Peach Blossom doesn’t look at you mediocre fans!”
“Who are you calling vulgar? Try saying that again!”
The man said the wrong thing (improper remarks) and was surrounded by seven or eight little ladies among them; there was a tall and big lady; the lady raised her arms and shouted, “This dead ghost cursed our peach blossom so what should we do?”
“Fight (Hit!)!”
A few young ladies surrounded the man in the middle, collectively went up to greet him, those who couldn’t beat him scratched with their hands, Li Haitang personally experienced the scene of a tragedy.
The scene could not bear to watch, she hurriedly closed the carriage window and took a deep breath, fortunately, she was extremely smart and sensible, if she said the wrong thing, the end would definitely not be
“Wife, the carriage can’t pass, we can only stop at the carriage house.”
Xiao Lingchuan counted the distance, two people walk over, about an hour, it is not too far.
The route to Chun Niang’s house had only one main road; they couldn’t change the route.
“Then let’s stop, there is a lot of noise, not sure until what hour?”
Li Haitang didn’t want to watch the commotion, but what she said didn’t count, as long as the husband and wife squeezed forward, they suffered all kinds of blank stares.
“We just want to go over, not pick up the embroidered ball.”
Li Haitang and the people around her explained in a nice voice, she really wasn’t interested in this.
“Hmph, do you see us as stupid?”
Someone had used this routine before, and one by one, shrewdly, they all crowded to the front, the chance of grabbing the embroidered ball would be much greater later, they would never fall for it again!
Unable to explain, the husband and wife were forced to mingle in the crowd, unable to move.
On the high stage, the class master of the De Quan Ban was speaking, the general meaning was that the Dequan Ban had come to the Northlands on this trip because they were touched by the passion of the Northlands theatre fans, and for this reason, they had specially arranged a new play to thank the fans.
“As long as I can stand on the theatre stage together with Little Peach Red, even if I am asked to hold up the props for two hours, I will do it!”
Someone shouted; the rest of the people are not willing to be lonely, expressing the idea, “Yes, I do not want silver, I do not lack silver!”
“Did Little Peach Red marry?I’m willing to be Little Peach Red’s concubine, or else a maid is also okay!”
There were excited purple-clothed little ladies who did not care about etiquette, shouting, presenting a state of madness, a handsome man like Little Peach Red, as long as one can be by his side and look at him from afar for a few moments, they are so happy that they are bubbling with pink bubbles.
“Really shameless, don’t even look in the mirror to see what kind of look you have!”
Someone blasphemes the male god in his heart, the rest of the people immediately argue, huffing and puffing, “Being a concubine or a maid, you’re not qualified either.”
“What did you say?You have good posture, a big pancake face, even as a chamber pot, Little Peach Red won’t use you!”
The purple clothed little young lady was being personally attacked, she was so angry that she rolled her eyes. A big pancake face is not as good as her, if Little Peach Red really wants to find a concubine, she would also have to look for the plain clothed beauty.
Li Haitang lowered her head and looked at the colour of her dress, she couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth, as she was in mourning. She could only wear plain and light colours, she was more conspicuous in the crowd.
She was married, her husband was standing by her side, she had no idea about Little Peach Red, and she was just being lynched (death of a thousand cuts (old form of capital punishment) by the crowd’s eye-knives. What an unexpected calamity;!
“Hmph! What’s the use of looking good? You have to be good in bed!”
Li Haitang was indeed good looking, others couldn’t say anything, but they immediately had more inexplicable hostility towards her.
“Husband, we didn’t read the yellow calendar (almanac) when we went out.”
Li Haitang covered her face, just now, she was stomped on hard, the top of her foot was numb at first, and then she felt severe pain, but there were too many people around, she couldn’t find the one who did the dirty work.
“Come here (to me).”
Xiao Lingchuan’s eyes chilled, frequently releasing cold air, the scars at the corners of his eyes became a little more hideous, he carefully embraced his own wife in his arms, isolating everything around him.
“Okay.”
Li Haitang lowered her eyes, gently leaned against his chest, hard, warm, with a hand, you can still touch the pectoral muscles. She liked the clean and crisp soapnut fragrance of his body, surrounded by chaos and complexity, only by entering his embrace, she was able to be at peace. Couples show love act as if no one else were present— did not get a few blank stares, anyway, do not rob the little red peach, of their own people, the crowd stretched their necks, hard to look at the high platform, no longer look at the two at a glance.