TL: Hua
When Xun Qian came to pick him up, the Red Moon Troupe was receiving guests, one in the front hall and one in the back hall.
The one in the front hall was Huang Jue, the owner of Huanxi Garden.
Huang Jue brought a whole box of gifts, various head decorations, and armor accessories. His attitude was very humble and sincere.
With a smile on his face, he lit a cigarette for Qi Fengjian, saying that he was too impulsive last time, and he also said that he wanted to invite Qi Xiaoyu to go on stage again. All the ticket money would go to the Red Moon Troupe, and he would not take a penny.
But everyone knew Huang Jue’s real intention at a glance. He just wanted to use the Red Moon Troupe to restore the reputation and business that Huanxi Garden had lost in recent days.
His previous use of the Red Moon Troupe’s stage to showcase Bai Shuixian was widely known in the industry, and it significantly damaged his reputation.
Then, the Red Moon Troupe became popular overnight on the Laurel Stage and took away a lot of business.
Compared with the bustle of the Laurel Stage, Huanxi Garden did seem a bit too desolate these days.
Huang Jue was spending more than he earned, so he had to come and apologize.
But it was too late.
Qi Fengjian didn’t accept a single thing, not to mention agreeing to let Qi Xiaoyu return to Huanxi Garden to perform again.
Seeing Huang Jue’s face start to collapse, the other apprentices in the Red Moon Troupe hid behind to watch the fun and laughed.
The guest in the back hall, in fact, could not be called a guest. He was a little boy that Gu Zizhen picked up on the way back from the hospital.
The little child was covered in dirt all over his body. His hair mixed with mud and clumped together. He was wrapped in a robe that couldn’t distinguish its original color, and two big holes were worn on his arms and knees.
According to Gu Zizhen, he was so hungry that he was looking for leftovers in the trash can to eat, which was really pitiful, so he couldn’t bear it and brought him back.
However, although the child looked dirty, he looked very pretty after being washed and changed clothes by Gu Zizhen.
Sitting at a table, Gu Zizhen asked a question, and he answered it in a low voice.
According to the little boy himself, his name was Gu He. Like the others in the Red Moon Troupe, he followed his parents to Shanghai from Beiping. Unfortunately, the child’s parents were unlucky and contracted a disease on the road and died one after another, leaving him alone, without relatives and friends, and living on the streets.
The other people in the Red Moon Troupe originally wanted to persuade Gu Zizhen to send the child to an orphanage, but now, after hearing his life story, they all felt a sense of sympathy.
All the apprentices in the Red Moon Troupe were fatherless and motherless. They were either sold to the opera troupe by their families or picked up from the roadside.
Therefore, when they saw Gu Zizhen picking up the child and wanting to keep him, no one had any objection.
After Gu Zizhen inquired about the child’s basic situation, he asked a disciple to take him to rest while he carried the child’s belongings to the backyard for cleaning.
Seeing this, Qi Xiaoyu hurried over to grab the bucket from him. “Your waist is not good; let me do it.”
They stood in the backyard, washing things and talking. At this time, Qi Xiaoyu heard the loud barking outside the wall.
Then, he looked up and saw the familiar Lincoln parked on the path outside.
The two headlights in front of the Lincoln flashed twice and turned off.
Xiaohei leaned out of the rolled-down window, wagging his tail, sticking out his tongue, and barking at him. By the look of his anxious tail, if the window was not too narrow, he would probably jump out immediately.
Gu Zizhen also saw this and immediately guessed who came.
He looked at the car and then at Qi Xiaoyu. “Is he here to find you?”
“Yes.” Qi Xiaoyu nodded and felt a little embarrassed. Although Xun Qian had mentioned this to him at the Laurel Stage the night before, when he suddenly appeared in the backyard today, it appeared as if they had a secret meeting.
He glanced outside and said, “Senior Brother, I’ll go out for a while.”
Gu Zizhen whispered in his ear, “Master will beat you if he knows.”
Qi Xiaoyu lowered his eyes and soon raised them again, with a smile on his lips, looking at Gu Zizhen. “I made an appointment with him.”
“Senior Brother, please don’t tell Master.”
Gu Zizhen smiled, “Alright, you go.”
Qi Xiaoyu quietly went out the back door.
As soon as Qi Xiaoyu came out, the car door opened.
When Xiaohei saw him, he couldn’t wait to pounce on him, almost throwing Qi Xiaoyu to the ground.
Xun Qian also got out of the car, stretched out his hand to grab the collar on Xiaohei’s neck, and pulled the excited dog back. Then he looked at Qi Xiaoyu with a smile: “Let’s go.”
He took Qi Xiaoyu back to the commander’s mansion on Baochang Road.
The time flew by as they played with Xiaohei during the car ride, arriving at their destination surprisingly quickly.
Qi Xiaoyu had been to the Commander’s Mansion several times, and now he was familiar with it. Following Xun Qian, he almost didn’t need to look at the road. He entered the gate, walked through the corridor, followed him upstairs, and went to the bedroom.
Butler Cheng came and took the clingy Xiaohei away.
Xun Qian went to the cloakroom to look for something. After a while, he called him in through a beige gauze screen.
Qi Xiaoyu felt that the atmosphere was a little ambiguous.
The shadow of the sycamore tree fell on the windowsill, casting a green shadow. It was a good early summer afternoon, suitable for talking about love and doing all romantic things.
He walked around the gauze screen with light and nervous steps.
Inside, Xun Qian brought an ironed suit and some accessories for him.
Seeing him come in, Xun Qian put down the suit, tie, and scarf on a black walnut table. “When you’re done, come out and show me. I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Alright.” Qi Xiaoyu nodded and stood there, waiting for Xun Qian to go out. Through the screen, he saw Xun Qian walk into the bedroom and sit down on a single sofa.
Qi Xiaoyu turned his back, took off his robe, put on the shirt first, buttoned it up one by one, then put on the white suit pants, buckled the belt, and then put on the vest.
When he was putting on the vest, Xun Qian’s low, hoarse voice sounded outside, “Do you want my help?”
Qi Xiaoyu’s face turned red for no reason. His hand trembled slightly as he lowered his head to button the vest. He glanced at the scarf and necktie and said softly, “Yes.”
Qi Xiaoyu was buttoning the third button of his vest when his finger was caught by Xun Qian.
Xun Qian said, “Don’t button the third one.”
Qi Xiaoyu was confused and looked at Xun Qian, holding his hand, “Hmm? Alright then.”
Xun Qian stood in front of Qi Xiaoyu with a blue and white pinstripe tie in his hand, looking at him and saying, “I’ll help fasten the tie.”
“Yes.”
Qi Xiaoyu lowered his eyes and watched Xun Qian’s slender, jade-like fingers swaying flexibly on his Adam’s apple and chest and quietly swallowed his saliva.
Xun Qian demonstrated to him how to tie a tie: “Put it through here and tighten it.”
Qi Xiaoyu didn’t know what to say besides, “Hmm.”
After that, Xun Qian took a silk scarf of the same pattern and taught him how to fold a pocket square and where to put it.
Qi Xiaoyu didn’t move, didn’t dare to look around, and only nodded gently.
The wind blew through the leaves of the sycamore, making a rustling sound.
Xun Qian finally helped him fix his tie and pocket square and asked him, “Look in the mirror; do you like it?”
Qi Xiaoyu raised his head, and then the tip of his nose touched Xun Qian’s chin. Everything about Xun Qian was right in front of him.
Cheeks, chin, Adam’s apple, Xun Qian’s whole person.
A perfect and impeccable whole person, carrying a faint fragrance.
Such close proximity, deeply tempting him, made his whole heart fly away, like a sycamore leaf in the warm breeze of a summer afternoon, unable to control himself.
Qi Xiaoyu wanted to step back.
But Xun Qian hooked his chin and held his shoulder with one hand, “Don’t move.”
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