Where the wind chimes sound, there is a god

Chapter 49 Pipa Song

When he returned home, Chengze and others had already returned home and were soaking the bamboo in the medicine jar.

This step is to prevent the oil-paper umbrella from being moth-eaters and moisture-proof. The medicine jar uses the Wang family's unique secret recipe, which makes it more resistant to moisture and corrosion than umbrellas made by ordinary umbrella makers.

Naturally, this secret recipe was only passed on to Chengze, and no one else knew it.

Chen Beimo watched their skills from the side and nodded, “Not bad, Dabao and Xiaobao learn quickly.

Wait a few days and then learn the techniques of making umbrella ribs, such as rubbing bamboo, scraping bamboo, splitting bamboo, threading bamboo, and splitting bamboo. "

"Yes, Master!" Da Bao asked with a smile, "Master, are you going to teach me your special skills?"

Chen Beimo chuckled, "As long as you are loyal and work hard, there will be a way out."

When Dabao heard this, his mind became active and he nodded in agreement.

Xiao Bao was only sixteen years old now, and asked curiously: "Master, why are you still holding a few strands of hair in your hand?"

Chen Beimo put his hands behind his back, hiding them in his sleeves, and said mysteriously, "These are a few cat whiskers I picked up along the way. They will run away as soon as I let go."

Chengze's eyes widened with curiosity, "Master, where did the cat whiskers come from? Let me see one."

Others don't know the young master's abilities, but he knows that his young master is very capable.

"Wait, I'll give it to you when I'm free." Chen Beimo said seriously, "You guys keep busy, I'm going back to the mansion to rest first."

He walked slowly back to the mansion, closed the door of the main courtyard, and then let go of his hands. Dozens of raccoon cat whiskers flew up and ran around.

Chen Beimo recited: "Metal and water are connected, and Wu earth is born in the middle of the tiger. The earth defeats the wind, and the energy of metal and water is imprisoned."

The pale yellow water light in his hand floated and captured the beards.

The raccoon cat demons practiced the Wu Earth sect, and this beard was very important to them. But now that it has been taken away, I’m afraid they won’t be able to walk steadily for a long time.

Since the four legs cannot keep the ground steady, there is naturally no ground to rely on, and most of the spells that can harm people are useless.

Chen Beimo refined it with Ren water, sorted out the evil and human blood in it, and then added autumn water to it to imprison its Qi.

He took a clay pot, put the beard in it, sealed it with water Qi, placed it in the canal and left it there for three days and three nights, and then he was able to gain some knowledge of Wu Earth.

As it was getting dark, a maid came to call him to have dinner in the waterside pavilion.

Chen Beimo frowned, the issue of dining had to be resolved.

It was already getting dark, and a maid was holding a lantern in front of him to lead the way. In the yard, cicadas were chirping tirelessly, using up their last bit of strength in the autumn.

The fallen leaves fell on the road, and the half-green and half-yellow banana trees stood motionless on the roadside. Chen Beimo sighed as he walked along the road: "It's autumn."

Luo Xiang, the maid who led the way for him, said with a smile: "Master, it's almost October now, the weather is getting a little cooler."

"Are you maids still used to living in this mansion?" Chen Beimo asked out of boredom.

"Of course I'm used to living here." Luo Xiang turned her head slightly. She had a crabapple pearl flower on her hair, and it was obvious that she had dressed up carefully.

"The garden that the mansion has provided for our servants is large and spacious. Even in the old days, even in the mansions of high officials, it was not as spacious as it is now."

"That's good. Once you get used to living here, you can do your work with peace of mind." Chen Beimo said lightly.

"Yes, young master." Luo Xiang's cheeks turned slightly red. Wasn't this also a reference to herself?

There were only the young master and Master Shen in the mansion, not even a mistress or housekeeper. Moreover, the young master was as handsome as an immortal, and he was easy-going. Except for Mrs. Lou and Mrs. Xu, which maid in the mansion would not be secretly attracted to him?
Nowadays, being a slave or a maid, even if you become a concubine, is like flying up to the tree and becoming a phoenix.

As they were talking, they arrived at the waterside pavilion.

Among the eight newly hired maids and servants in the house, there were two cooks, one called Lou Pozi and the other Xu Pozi, who happened to know how to cook both northern and southern dishes.

When Chen Beimo saw Shen Baoniang, he greeted her first before sitting down. The ancients attached great importance to rules and filial piety, and they would visit their parents every morning and evening. The more powerful and wealthy a family was, the less they could think of sleeping in every day.

On the water pavilion, four lamps were lit next to the pillars, and an incense burner was also lit to drive away mosquitoes.

There were eight dishes on the table, including stir-fried, steamed, boiled and stewed, and the meat was colorful and fragrant.

Shen Bao Niang held a round cattail leaf fan in her hand and fanned herself gently, saying with a smile, "Why don't you eat all day? You need to eat to nourish yourself when practicing martial arts. Practicing without eating will damage your qi and blood."

Chen Beimo waved his hand, and the three maids standing in the pavilion retreated with a look of understanding. He deliberately said when most of them had left but could still hear his voice, "Auntie, I want to practice Taoism and learn from those Taoists to fast and not eat."

"Practicing Taoism?" Shen Baoniang was stunned. "Which Taoist sect do you want to be? Zhengyi, Quanzhen, Maoshan, Laoshan, Huashan, Wudang?"

When she asked this question, Chen Beimo was stunned. "Auntie, how do you know so many sects?"

"Haha, when receiving guests from all over the world, you naturally have to know everything from astronomy to geography. You don't need to be proficient, as long as you can chat with them casually." Shen Bao Niang smiled and said, "It's not easy to practice Taoism. There are many Taoists in the world, but most of them are quacks who cheat people for money. If you can't find a true Taoist, you will only be cheated out of all your wealth."

Chen Beimo shook his head and said, "The way I practice is not these orthodox religions, but the Immortal Liu showed me in a dream not long ago, asking me to practice fasting. Therefore, I need to eat less or even no food every day."

"Liu Xian?" Shen Bao Niang asked in surprise, "But is there anyone with a hall?

Don’t let it be contaminated by any unclean evil things!”

"Don't worry, aunt. I can tell what is good and what is evil. Now in the south, I naturally cannot set up a sect. But the fairy Liu has great magical powers. If you have anything you want, he will grant it to you in your dreams." Chen Beimo explained.

"That's good, you know right from wrong." Shen Baoniang breathed a sigh of relief and said slowly, "It's all because of your ability that my aunt can sit here freely today.

If there is anything missing or inconvenient, please tell me. Don't worry that Auntie will not be able to accept it."

"Yes, thank you for your understanding, Auntie."

At this time, Chengze also arrived and started eating after he greeted and sat down.

Shen Baoniang smiled and said, "I see that you wear more dark blue and green clothes, Mo'er, and you should wear more brightly colored clothes on weekdays.

It’s a dark blue color. People can wear it when they are young, when they are middle-aged, and when they are old.

But if you don’t wear those bright clothes when you are young, you won’t have the chance to wear them when you are old.”

"Well, I like to keep a low profile on weekdays. I don't want to attract too much attention when I go out on the street." Chen Beimo couldn't help laughing.

"That's true." Shen Bao Niang nodded and said, "If Mo'er really gets dressed up, then all the girls in the 12th Street of Xifang will be obsessed with you.

I went to the clothing store today and picked out a set of clothes, especially for you. I will have someone send it to you later. The teahouse will open on October 8th, and I will need you by then."

"Oh? What kind of music does Aunt want to arrange? Opera or dance? I don't know how to do any of these." Chen Beimo asked.

"You read a lot, do you know any interesting ancient poems?" Shen Baoniang asked with a smile, "There are mostly common people in the teahouse, and not many of them can read. I'll pick some easy-to-understand poems for you to read. I'll also ask a few girls to arrange a piece of music so that we can attract more people."

"Interesting? Popular?" Chen Beimo thought for a moment and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, I actually know such an article." "Oh? Which writer wrote this article?" Shen Baoniang asked hurriedly.

"He was a great poet during the ancient Zhou Dynasty. He died so young that few people know about him. I found this poem from an ancient book, so I'm happy to promote his name." Chen Beimo said with a smile, "This poem is called "Pipa Xing"!"

……

The days passed like flowing water, and ever since Chen Beimo found an excuse, he no longer had to eat every day.

However, he would still ask Dabao to secretly buy some desserts, cloud cakes and other food and secretly send them to the compound.

No matter how secretly you do it, someone will always see it.

In addition, he deliberately said that he was practicing fasting, so he didn't need to eat, so there were no loopholes in his performance.

The maids were discussing quietly, saying that Young Master Xiuxuan had agreed to practice fasting, not eating or drinking, but he unexpectedly asked someone to buy desserts to fill his stomach.

This is how Luo Yun secretly complained to Luo Xiang. They are sisters, so they can say such things in private.

Luo Xiang smiled and said, "After all, our young master is a god-like figure. He has already said that he won't drink or eat, so how can he break the rules openly? We should just pretend that we don't know."

Everyone thought that the young master was just pretending. Where in the world are there real immortals? Even if there are, they should be in famous mountains and Taoist temples deep in the mountains and old forests, not in this mundane world.
On the eighth day of October, Chen Beimo opened the clothes that Shen Baoniang bought for him. When he opened them, he saw a sea of ​​white powder everywhere.

It is embroidered with colorful clouds, with heavy cloud shoulders that are four short and one long and reach the waist with red tassels, and cloud sleeves made of long and wide gauze. The bottom of the hem is smudged with blue and gold colors, like a blue mist rising from the sky. The lower body is a waist-length skirt with three kinds of sleeves wrapped around the outside, supplemented by embroidery, and the inside is a smudged print with its own lining.

The cloud shoulders are decorated with pearl tassels and small bells, and matched with the fairy birds and white cranes on the cloud sleeves of the clothes, it feels fairy-like just by looking at it, and it is even more fascinating if worn on the body.

This set of clothes was made by the famous Yizi Pavilion in Yunzhou City, and was called Yunhe Xianque.

Chen Beimo changed into the clothes, and put on the jade crown that Fu Zhifu had sent him before. He tied his hair into a ponytail, straightened the sleeves of his clothes, picked up an agarwood fan, and looked at himself in the mirror. Even he was mesmerized.

It is true that clothes make the man. The beauty of clothes worn by ancient people far surpassed that of later people.

Today is the first day of the teahouse's opening. The name of the teahouse is "Auspicious Flowers and Full Moon", which means perfection. Just a few girls standing outside the teahouse attracted dozens of men to stop.

After all, these women were all former women of Zuiyue Tower, and each of them had been trained, with excellent manners, figure and appearance.

They smiled softly and said, "Today is the day of our grand opening! Tea and drinks in the store are all 50% off, please come in!

At the beginning of the evening at 11 pm, there will be a performance of the opera "Pipa Xing" written by the famous ancient Chinese opera master Bai Juyi. You can come and watch it without ordering tea! "

There are many children shouting in the streets and alleys: "Come to enjoy the beautiful flowers and full moon, and appreciate the various aspects of life. Drink the flower and moon tea, and you will be rich and prosperous."

These were all prepared in advance by Shen Bao Niang. The business wars in ancient times were no more lenient than those in later generations, and were even more intense. If a newly opened teahouse wanted to make a name for itself, it was not enough to just focus on the fragrance of tea.

After hearing the child's words with such profound meaning, many scholars and literati would remember the phrase "flowers are in full bloom and the moon is full" and know about this teahouse.

Regardless of whether people come to drink tea or not, we must first spread the word about this teahouse and let as many people as possible remember it. After a long time, they will eventually want to come and find out what it has to offer.

After attracting people, the next thing to come is the aroma of tea.

The building has three floors. The first floor is the hall. There is a stage in the front, which can be used for performances, crosstalk, and ventriloquism. There are nearly a hundred seats in the hall.

The second and third floors are private rooms. There are many tables and chairs in the corridor, and you can clearly see the stage downstairs.

There are twelve kinds of tea. The first six are common teas, the middle three are expensive teas, and the last three are famous teas.

The three types in the middle are for wealthy families, and they emphasize the fragrance of the tea and the delicious taste.

The last three are for real tea connoisseurs and tea experts.

A famous storyteller was invited to the teahouse, and he was currently telling a story about a fox woman and a demon falling in love on the stage.

The guests in the audience were all listening with great interest. After all, just by saving a fox, they could get its gratitude, and gain fame and wealth without any effort. Everyone loved to listen to such a refreshing story.

During the day, there were only a few dozen people sitting in the teahouse hall. After all, there were not many people who really wanted to drink tea. Although the girls were beautiful, they could only be admired from afar and not touched.

Until night, when the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, many people came to watch the fun.

After all, it was an opera that could be watched without ordering tea, and the girl was so beautiful. Besides, the autumn harvest was over and there were many idle people, so the teahouse was crowded inside and outside.

Even the corridors on the second and third floors were filled with spectators. Among them were some distinguished people who knew the relationship between Shen Baoniang and Chen Beimo and naturally came to show their support.

When the time came, the playful Qingyu girl stepped forward and struck the gong. The scene instantly became quiet. She said in a clear and penetrating voice: "Welcome all the audience and tea drinkers to Hua Hao Yue Yuan.

The teahouse is opening today, and we have specially performed a play for everyone to enjoy.

The song is called "Pipa Xing" and was written by Bai Juyi, a great poet named Datang during the ancient Zhou Dynasty thousands of years ago.

It tells the story of a Sima who is about to take office and a Pipa girl who is married to a merchant.

Ladies and gentlemen, the show is about to begin! "

After saying that, she struck the gong again without any hesitation, and with a clang, she turned around and walked off the stage.

A dozen servants standing in the building turned off the lights at the same time. Suddenly the building became dark and everyone exclaimed.

But then a lantern was lit on the stage, and a sky lantern slowly rose up. A woman holding a pipa walked out from the darkness. This woman was Shen Bao Niang.

At this moment, her face is stained with rouge and her makeup is rosy. She is already beautiful and looks like a beautiful woman. Although she does not have the cuteness of a young woman, she has a unique beauty with mature charm. This kind of mature and charming beauty is often more attractive to men than the agility of a young girl.

Another sky lantern rose up, and two men in official uniforms walked out from the other side of the stage. They looked like officials.

At this moment, a light suddenly lit up somewhere in the corridor on the second floor, and Chen Beimo walked out in a fairy-like cloud-shoulder dress. The soft light shone on his fairy-like clothes, making him look like a real immortal.

He began to sing slowly, and at the same time, Shen Bao Niang on the stage downstairs began to pluck the pipa in her hand, and clear and crisp sounds instantly rang out.

At the same time, several girls behind the stage also started playing, assisted by the sound of guqin, drums, bamboo flutes and other instruments.

"I send off my guests at night at the Xunyang River, the maple leaves and reeds are rustling in the autumn.

......"

All the music sounded at the same time. Chen Beimo's voice was as gentle as jade, with the unique clarity of a young man and a hint of magnetic sound. Coupled with the exquisite pipa music, everyone couldn't help but listen attentively.

When singing the sixth part of "Chu Wei Ni Chang", Chen Beimo turned his back, waved his shoulders lightly, and the lights went out.

The lights on the third-floor corridor were lit again, and a man in opera costume walked out and sang in a unique opera voice: "The sound of the big strings is like a torrential rain..."

The change in the singing and the sound of the pipa immediately made everyone's hearts flutter and ripples appeared. They couldn't help but immerse themselves in the vocal music, as if they really saw the pipa girl under the moon thousands of years ago expressing her melancholy.

(October 8th)
(End of this chapter)