My Wife Is The Final Boss-Chapter 928 - 513: Xu Chang’an Likes to Watch Opera (Double - , Part 2)
It seems that my sister needs to develop a thicker skin; otherwise, with Ms. Qing’s personality, dealing with those shameless sisters at the Flower Moon Building might result in a big loss.
Ah Qing also realized her response was a bit hasty, so she calmly said, "The young master said this umbrella is an item from the Immortal Sect and not his."
She had requested its ownership from Zhu Pingniang, and it was essentially not a gift from the young master.
So the little girl mustn’t make irresponsible remarks.
"Tch." The girl in yellow mumbled, "If my sister says so, then it must be the case."
Such things can just be mentioned to outsiders, but with her, it has a bit of the effect of a sheer veil covering the face.
But it’s precisely this way that makes her like Ms. Qing.
"Alright... you’ve got me." Ah Qing gently rubbed her eyebrows with her fingers: "Is there still a shortage of a Qingyi under Auntie’s command?"
"There always has been." The girl in yellow nodded, "Among our sisters... which one seems like a Qingyi?"
Don’t be fooled by the Zither Master sister on stage looking so proper; right now, who knows which corner she’s doodling in... In this big dye vat of the Flower Moon Building, even if you came from the right background as a Miss, once you integrate into this warm place, you cease to have the aura of a Qingyi.
Only the solitary Ah Qing from back then, with her gentle and refined demeanor, is most suitable.
"Why me?" Ah Qing asked.
"Because it suits you, sister."
"And you, what benefits did Auntie promise you?"
"..." The girl faltered, with a hint of guilty conscience: "Ms. Qing, don’t say that. I... I didn’t ask for any benefit; I just thought having the role of a Qingyi would be quite... quite good for you, sister."
"..." Ah Qing.
Alright.
She probably had some unspoken thoughts about this little girl.
When the girl in yellow saw Ah Qing staying silent, her mood darkened.
The so-called lowly jobs still have their hierarchy.
It seems the ancestors of theater didn’t favor girls, so operatic arts were passed more to men than to women, and there were no women in proper Pear Gardens, all the roles taken by men.
In the rules, in the opera industry, there wasn’t any place for girls, and all roles played by females were done by men.
So.
In this world, if a girl aspired to sing opera, the only place to do so was in brothels.
That’s simply how it is.
If people came to know you were a woman who sang opera, they would automatically label you as a "prostitute."
And such women are looked down upon by others.
Indeed, people often say baginis are heartless, opera singers are unfaithful.
And what the girl in yellow was doing was persuading Ah Qing, a courtesan, to learn operatic arts, which really defined the saying: [Courtesan-turned-singer, heartless and unfaithful].
Yet no matter what others think, these girls tried their best never to look down on themselves.
And Ah Qing’s hesitation made the girl feel uneasy.
Could it be that even Ms. Qing looked down on opera-singing girls?
But... she had been learning to be the female lead role since she was a child.
So she softly asked, "Ms. Qing, do you dislike girls who can sing opera?"
"...?" Ah Qing gave her a puzzled glance, "Dislike? When did I ever say such a thing?"
She had previously said she quite enjoyed listening to opera, so how could she dislike girls who sing it?
Moreover, wasn’t the little girl in front of her a female lead role?
Relieved, the girl in yellow stopped holding back and directly said, "I thought you would look down on girls who sing opera too, sister."
"..." Ah Qing was momentarily speechless.
Is a woman’s heart always this delicate?
"Ni Zi, I’m a Half-Demon," Ah Qing stated.
Under the sun, only others looked down upon Half-Demons. How could it be the other way around?
"I don’t care; either way, this Qingyi job, sister must take it. Auntie even mentioned that it seems from your stance that you have the potential," the girl in yellow insisted.
Since Ms. Qing didn’t dislike it, everything was negotiable.
"I’ll think about it." Ah Qing shook her head. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
She actually had no objection to learning operatic arts; she had always intended to integrate into the community, and this was not a bad way to do so.
As for the notion of lower-class professions in the world, when did Ah Qing ever care?
Or rather, for someone like her, the emperor sitting on the golden dragon throne and a girl serving tea in a brothel... were essentially the same, if not the latter being more endearing.
"Sister, what else is there to think about? Isn’t it a good opportunity?" The girl was a bit anxious.
"..."
Ah Qing didn’t hesitate.
You won’t believe it; her mind was currently wandering a lot, making it hard for her to articulate.
Learning opera might not matter, but if it meant frequent stage appearances... she might need some preparation.
Moreover, Xu Chang’an often frequents this place because of Zhu Pingniang, doesn’t he?
An occasional sword dance might be acceptable, but if he’s always seeing her perform on stage, she hesitated, because... the name of a woman like Ah Qing was already quite cheap.
"Ni Zi, how do you know the young master might enjoy opera?" Ah Qing suddenly asked.
"Just know." The girl in yellow nodded, "Just like everyone knows the young master favors Li Hua."
Some things don’t need a reason; they just know.
"Explain." Ah Qing said seriously.
"Oh." The girl thought for a moment and said, "The young master used to come here to find Pingniang and wouldn’t bother with the sisters’ dance, zither, or singing along the way."
Ah Qing nodded, thinking this was quite normal.
"But occasionally, when the sisters sang opera, he’d glance while passing by," the girl stretched out one finger, "And also, every visit, he’d frequently pet those felis."
So saying Xu Chang’an liked listening to opera and had a fondness for Li Hua, wasn’t that reasonable?
The girl left unspoken words.
What Xu Chang’an was listening to were the sings of opera, and not any other insignificant elements.
It was precisely the young master’s occasional attention to these opera-singing girls that made every girl in the garden, including her, fond of him.
After all, many courtesans themselves felt they were already doomed, and going into opera would be as degrading as hitting rock bottom.
Perhaps the young master only glanced over because the girls on stage were dressed appropriately, without worrying about causing scandal—these girls were always well aware of their boundaries.
But even those mere glances were enough to hold up many things.
"So at the very least, performing on stage, it would allow an opportunity to be noticed by the young master if he visits," the girl in yellow stated, suddenly realizing: "Ms. Qing, could it be you’re afraid of performing poorly and losing face before the young master?"
"..." Ah Qing raised an eyebrow, without a word.
"Alright, I won’t say it anymore." The girl in yellow ducked her head, "Ms. Qing, your demeanor is genuinely great. In the future... if you perform with me, I’ll follow your lead in everything."
"So that’s how it is," Ah Qing understood.
"You wish to perform on stage with me?"
"Yes."
Ah Qing then curled her mouth into a smile, and suddenly felt inexplicably happy... Yes, responding to a little girl’s expectations, this was what made her stronger than that woman from the Chaoyun Sect.
"Ni Zi, why did you learn opera back then?" Ah Qing asked.
"There’s no particular reason." The girl in yellow spread her hands, "Auntie said my fingers don’t spread apart well, not suitable for playing the zither, so there was no choice."
What she could pride herself on, perhaps it was only those few lines she could sing.
Thus, she hoped to perform on stage with Ms. Qing in the only valuable place.
This was the unique pure romance of a young girl.
Ah Qing gently pinched the girl in yellow’s cheek: "Thank you for being Auntie’s messenger."
"It’s for something I like... How could it be a burden?" blushing, the girl replied.
"If Auntie lacks a Qingyi, and gives an order, would I dare not follow?" Ah Qing asked.
"Don’t say such things, sister; you should know the way things work here." The girl gently nudged Ah Qing, clearly displeased with what she’d said.
Auntie never really forces them into doing anything they dislike.
"Got it." Ah Qing contemplated and said, "Today, don’t I have a sword dance to perform? If I can adapt on stage today, I’ll take the job."
"It’s set then." The girl grinned, confident her sister would never suffer from stage fright, and today would be no different.
Ah Qing thought she had agreed, needing a reason.
Otherwise, wouldn’t she care about her image?
Regarding her performance, it was just an excuse.
After all, performing on stage, she thought, wasn’t something she couldn’t adjust to.
