DCFRP Extra 2

TL: Hua

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“Wait a minute, General Hu.” Seeing that Hu Haibing’s men were about to rush up and seize people by force, Qi Fengjian narrowed his frosted eyes; his livid face was tighter than before, and his beard seemed to be about to prick people. He used the long pipe in his hand to block the approaching people.

“Although I was born as a lowly entertainer, my ancestors have been singing opera for the emperor for generations and have gained the favor of high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. I have some connections and friendships. General Hu, please let my two disciples go today so we can still be on good terms in the future.”

“Master Qi.” Hu Haibing interrupted Qi Fengjian’s words and said arrogantly,

“Don’t mention the past to me. The people in the capital, the emperor, are long gone. Even if you bring a prince here, it’s useless.”

After he finished speaking, he said to his underlings, “What are you still standing there for?”

After Hu Haibing finished speaking, the two burly men received the order, picked up their pistols, and swung them at Qi Fengjian’s head.

“Master!”

Qi Xiaoyu quickly stretched out his right hand to block Qi Fengjian’s head and pulled Qi Fengjian back a step.

The others were also frightened and took a big step back.

“Hiss!” Qi Xiaoyu gasped in pain when the handle of the gun hit his forearm.

“Xiaoyu, let me see your hand!” Qi Wanrou quickly grabbed Qi Xiaoyu’s hand.

Qi Xiaoyu lowered his eyes, held Qi Wanrou’s hand, and did not let her lift the sleeves of his costume. He ignored her anxious eyes and just looked up at Qi Fengjian and Hu Haibing, saying, “Don’t be nervous, Master. General Hu invited me and my senior brother over, so I’m sure it must be his love for Peking Opera.”

Hu Haibing heard the implications in Qi Xiaoyu’s words. His small eyes flickered, and he nodded in approval, “Mr. Qi, you’re very right.”

As he spoke, his eyes turned from Qi Xiaoyu to Gu Zizhen. Qi Xiaoyu was still wearing stage makeup, looking young and pretty. Gu Zizhen was wearing a long robe that gave him a scholarly air.

Hu Haibing laughed and said, “But my little beauty, don’t play tricks with me. Tonight, both of you have to come.”

Qi Xiaoyu’s heart sank. He originally wanted to negotiate and let himself be the only one that had to go, but he didn’t expect this old pervert to keep an eye on them so closely.

He could only smile at Hu Haibing again, “That’s fine. But General Hu, we need to change clothes and tidy up a bit. I’m afraid it will take some time and keep you waiting long. In this case, why don’t you leave two people here to escort us back later?”

Hu Haibing was already fascinated by Qi Xiaoyu tonight. Now seeing Qi Xiaoyu’s gentle smile and his well-behaved appearance, he nodded in agreement, “Well, then I will go back and prepare to wait for you, but you have to be quick; don’t let me wait too long.”

After Hu Haibing and his soldiers left, the backstage exploded. Xi Yun cried out, “Xiaoyu, how could you agree with him? That place is a tiger den. You can’t leave after you enter.”

Qi Wanrou was still holding Qi Xiaoyu’s hand that had just been hit, her eyes red with tears. “Dad, everyone can see what Hu Haibing is thinking; why don’t we escape now? We have already escaped all the way from Beiping; it shouldn’t be a problem if we escape a little further.”

Qi Xiaoyu hurriedly shook his head, “No, we have already suffered a lot after escaping from Beiping. The situation outside is chaotic; there is nowhere else for us to go.”

They had relied on their years of singing opera to make their living in Peking more and more prosperous, but when the war broke out, they fled from place to place, and by the time they arrived in Shanghai, they had nothing left except their costumes.

No, even their costumes were messed up. The silver flower from yesterday was dirty and worn out. If it were in the past, he would buy a new one, but Qi Xiaoyu was reluctant to throw it away now, so he washed it and continued to use it.

Qi Wanrou turned to Qi Fengjian again and sobbed, “Dad, is there any other way?”

Qi Fengjian tightly grasped the long pipe in his hand until his bony joints protruded. “When you two arrive at the general’s mansion, try to delay time. I will look for someone to help.”

“Go find Rong-beile[mfn]The title of nobility for the royal family.[/mfn],” Qi Xiaoyu said. “He is the only one who came from the capital and has power.”

Qi Xiaoyu paused and then said, “It would be best if he is willing to help, but if he’s not, you shouldn’t come either so as not to implicate other people in the troupe.”

Gu Zizhen nodded, “Yes, if you can’t find anyone to help, Master, Junior Sister, you two must not come. I will protect Xiaoyu.”

Xi Yun shouted, “Then I will go with you two. I can fight.”

The rest of the brothers in the troupe were also anxious. “If he wanted to listen to opera, why don’t we all go over?.”

Qi Xiaoyu, “Don’t, don’t make trouble; he has a gun in his hand. If we go one more or one less, there will be danger.”

While they were talking inside, an impatient, urging voice came from outside, “Are you two ready? If you delay any longer, it will dawn soon.”

Hu Haibing has a garden house in Shanghai, located on the south of Masi Road.

An old black Ford car carried Qi Xiaoyu and Gu Zizhen in.

Qi Xiaoyu glanced out the window, and saw that there were soldiers guarding the way from the gate to the door of the house. The defense is very strict.

Gu Zizhen also looked out the window calmly and felt the same as Qi Xiaoyu.

Both of them were nervous and determined to die, their hands tightly clasping together in the middle of the seats.

In an instant, the car stopped, and a soldier with a gun took them directly to the front hall.

In the front hall, Hu Haibing feasted on a table of wine and food by himself. While drinking, he stared at the two people escorted in by the soldiers with lustful eyes. He waved his hand and said drunkenly, “Come on, two beauties, sit here quickly and drink with me.”

Qi Xiaoyu and Gu Zizhen both wore the cleanest costumes and simple makeup, but in Hu Haibing’s eyes, they were like a piece of fat meat, prompting him to stare at them with greedy eyes like a wild beast.

Hu Haibing was already fearless when they were in the theater. Now in the mansion, his territory, once the door was closed, Qi Xiaoyu and Gu Zizhen were like two canaries in his palm. He didn’t care about anything else and already treated them like his own possessions.

Qi Xiaoyu smiled with gritted teeth, “General, don’t you want to listen to our opera singing? Let us sing first, and then we will accompany you to drink. Otherwise, if we can’t sing after drinking, it will ruin your mood.”

Although the matter has come to this point, he still needs to find a way to delay and see if his master can invite Rong-beile.

Captivated by Qi Xiaoyu’s beauty, Hu Haibing readily agreed to his suggestion, saying, “Alright, alright, let’s sing the opera then.”

Qi Xiaoyu and Gu Zizhen had a tacit understanding and chose a long passage from The West Chamber to sing, one singing the role of a mother and the other singing the role of Cui Yingying. They sang until Hu Haibing drank two cups of wine and still hadn’t finished.

Hu Haibing listened attentively at first but gradually became impatient and began to tap his fingers on the table.

Qi and Gu both knew that Hu Haibing would not let them go so easily, so they had to delay.

After delaying for another half an incense stick of time, seeing that Hu Haibing’s eyes were looking at them more and more exposed, finally, a soldier ran in and whispered a few words in Hu Haibing’s ear.

After listening, Hu Haibing’s small eyes drew downward, and he dragged his drunken voice to question, “Humph, Rong Qing? What is he doing here?”

Soldier, “He’s already at the door.”

Hu Haibing snorted, “Fine, let him in.”

Qi Xiaoyu and Gu Zizhen glanced at each other, their hanging hearts slightly relaxed, but their hands and bodies movements did not stop.

Rong Qing is the eldest son of the former Prince Rong.

Although the remnants of the Qing Dynasty amount to nothing nowadays, Rong Qing invested in a number of textile factories, as well as shipyards. He has real power and has people supporting him. The most important thing is that when he was in the capital, he often supported Qi Xiaoyu’s performances and attended almost every performance.

After a while, the door of the living room opened, and taking advantage of the chilly east wind, Rong-beile, Rong Qing, followed by two soldiers, lifted the hem of his jacket and walked in.

Rong Qing is about 30 years old, with a fair complexion and a very clean-shaven beard.

Wearing a pair of small round-framed glasses and the braid hairstyle of the Qing Dynasty[mfn][/mfn], he wore a black jacket with an old-fashioned but elegant style. He glanced at Qi Xiaoyu, then clasped his fists towards Hu Haibing, showing a decent smile, “General Hu, long time no see. I hope you are well.”

Hu Haibing shook his fat belly, stood up from his seat, and smiled, “I hope Rong-beile is fine. It’s so late today; why did you think of coming to my place?”

Rong Qing put his hands in his sleeves. “I just happened to pass by and saw that the house was brightly lit. I remembered that I had been waiting for a long time to meet General Hu, so I came to say hello.”

“Hahaha, thank you, Rong-beile, for your concern. From the capital to Shanghai, Rong-beile, how is everything?”

“Thank you for asking, General. Everything is fine.”

The two exchanged pleasantries.

Hu Haibing then said, “Rong-beile came at the right time today. I happened to invite two gentlemen from the Red Moon Troupe to sing a song. Let’s listen together.”

Rong Qing lowered his eyes and said lightly, “Good.”

Then he turned to Qi Xiaoyu, “Mr. Qi, can you sing an excerpt from “Spring Boudoir Dream” ? I haven’t heard it for a long time since I came to Shanghai.”

Hu Haibing glanced at Rong Qing, snorted in his heart, but did not show it on his face. He was a little cautious about Rong Qing.

Qi Xiaoyu agreed, bowed to Rong Qing, and changed the song to Spring Boudoir Dream.

After the song ended, Hu Haibing did not speak. His fingers tapped on the table from time to time.

Rong Qing sat upright and also did not speak.

After a while, Hu Haibing lost his temper first. “Rong-beile, since the song has finished and the time is getting late now, I’ll send someone to take you home.”

Rong Qing asked, “What about the two people from the Red Moon Troupe?”

Hu Haibing snorted, “I invited them; of course I will be responsible.”

Rong Qing lowered his head, touched the green jade ring on his thumb, and said, “I want to take Mr. Qi with me.”

Qi Xiaoyu suddenly looked up at Rong Qing. Rong Qing only said that he would take him away, but what about Gu Zizhen?

At this moment, Hu Haibing suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, “Since Rong-beile likes Mr. Qi so much, then please go.”

“Good.”

Rong Qing stood up after he finished speaking and walked to Qi Xiaoyu in three steps, trying to grab his hand. “Xiaoyu, follow me.”

Qi Xiaoyu took a half step back to avoid him. He looked at Rong Qing, thinking that his master should have made it clear to him.

Rong Qing also looked at him and repeated, “Follow me.”

Gu Zizhen’s eyes swept over the two of them. He bowed to Rong Qing with both hands and said, “Then please trouble Rong-beile to send Xiaoyu back to the troupe. I think General Hu still wants to hear me sing. I will go back later.”

Hu Haibing seemed very satisfied with Gu Zizhen’s words and laughed.

Qi Xiaoyu felt a chill of despair in his heart. If Rong Qing came, he could only take him away. What would Gu Zizhen do then?

Rong Qing tried to pull his hand again, which was shaking slightly.

He couldn’t think of any other way. He was too useless. Apart from singing, he had no other skills. There were so many soldiers outside, and he couldn’t think of any way to save his senior brother.

“Senior brother.” He shouted in despair.

Gu Zizhen turned his face away, but the corners of his eyes were red, as if to tell him that this was supposed to be the fate of theater actors and actresses and that they couldn’t fight anything.

“Bang” At this time, a gunshot suddenly sounded outside.

The three people standing in front of the hall all took a step back in the direction of the wall. Hearing the gunshot, they knew that the visitor was not to be messed with.

Hu Haibing’s eyes widened, and he cursed, “What’s going on?”

No one answered him.

On the contrary, the gunshots went all the way from the outside gate, through the garden, to the living room.

Hu Haibing cursed and hurriedly took out a gun from his pocket.

Accompanied by the gunshot, a man in a green military uniform, a belt around his waist and a military cap, led a dozen people and rushed in from the door with a brand new Type 38 rifle.

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Husband at the rescue finallyyyy