Rose Lock - Chapter 12

Two days later, Sister Fuling left Fenghai. Her room was tidied up impeccably, just like the person she was—refined and capable, never causing trouble for others even when leaving.

Xiaoxiao hid in her room and didn’t see her off. Hua Manyi and the other sisters downstairs saw Sister Fuling off, and the enormous dance hall quickly returned to its original vitality and bustle.

Every morning, the snow piled thicker than the day before in front of the door, but it was quickly shoveled away in time. Soon, the sisters noticed that Xiaoxiao had been looking glum for the past few days, and they thought something had happened at home, so they all came forward to express their concern.

Xiaoxiao could only force a smile and reply to them one by one. Only Hua Manyi knew what was going on. Two days ago, she went to the street and heard the news that Sister Fuling had gone back to her hometown to get married. Xiaoxiao probably knew about it too, otherwise she wouldn’t have lied these past two days that her eyes were swollen from being frozen the night before.

Hua Manyi saw it all, her heart filled with mixed emotions, but she didn’t want to interfere, as doing so would only make her seem gossipy and meddlesome.

“Manyi, tonight you, Consort Gong, and I are going to Paramount. Remember to dress up beautifully.” Sister Fang suddenly approached her and told her this.

Hua Manyi was surprised, putting down the lavender sachet she had just finished sewing. “Paramount? What kind of place is that?”

Fang Yu replied, “It’s also a dance hall.”

And it was more luxurious and extravagant than Fenghai. Standing four or five stories high, it was a distinctly Baroque building with white bricks and tiles, arched balconies, uneven colored glass windows, and an extreme sense of symmetry.

When Hua Manyi stepped out of Gong Yan’s Ford car, this was the sight that greeted her. The main entrance was tall and grand, and above the “PARAMOUNT” plaque was an arched string of English letters. It was night when they arrived, the sky was pitch black, but the building was as bright as day, glowing golden from top to bottom. This was Haicheng’s largest social venue.

Consort Gong was waiting for her in front. Seeing this, Hua Manyi hurried forward in her high heels, cautiously taking her arm. Gong Yan glanced at the slender hand hooked onto her arm but said nothing, simply assuming Hua Manyi hadn’t seen a scene like this before and was feeling timid.

Sister Fang stood on the other side, covering her mouth with a laugh as she watched her. She really was a little imp, this underage girl was full of youthful vigor.

All three of them were exceptionally attractive: one young and charming, one languid and haughty, and one mature and elegant, with not much of an age difference apparent between them.

The number of affluent guests tonight was double the usual. In front of Paramount, there were private cars dropping off wealthy young masters and their concubines. They chatted merrily, but when they saw beggars approaching as they got out of the car, they all turned their faces away in disdain, looking arrogant, and ordered their servants to quickly drive away these vagrants, lest they stain their eyes.

“Auntie Meng Si, I heard your son came back from studying abroad. After a few years of foreign education, when will you bring him out for us sisters to meet him!” A brightly dressed wealthy lady held one concubine’s hand in her left and another in her right, and the group was entering Paramount together.

Auntie Meng Si was secretly annoyed. These women were clearly trying to make a spectacle of her and her son, wanting to see if her son still had a place in the family after returning. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction!

“He’s been learning the ropes of the family business with his father these past few days. It’s so convenient to deal with foreigners when you speak fluent English. His father can’t do without him now, so let’s talk about it when he’s less busy in a couple of days!”

“Really?” The initial wealthy lady who asked the question was a little skeptical. The Meng residence had three other concubines, each with a son, and their tactics were not bad. They usually seemed quite shrewd; why would they tolerate a returning son from abroad intruding?

Auntie Meng Si smiled proudly, “Would I lie to you?”

“Boss Sun must be getting impatient. Come on, come on, it’s freezing outside, let’s hurry in.” Another concubine, Auntie Chen, couldn’t stand it anymore. These two only knew how to poke at each other’s sore spots; it was so annoying. “If you two aren’t going in, I’ll just go by myself.”

“Don’t!” The two said in unison, glaring at each other before quickly following her.

Inside Paramount, the center of the hall had a stage raised by one brick, with steps on three sides. The stage was covered with a red carpet, and behind it were winding stairs going up from both sides. Dance girls stood on the stage singing, and a panel embedded beneath the stairs emitted lines of light that radiated outwards from the center, resembling a giant seashell.

Hua Manyi realized that this was the real “gold sink” of Haicheng. Compared to Fenghai, this was entirely the social venue for the upper class, where seeking pleasure was commonplace.

They sat with Consort Gong at a table on the left, and a waiter poured them wine.

Hua Manyi finally understood. It was Boss Sun’s fiftieth birthday, and he had invited all sorts of dignitaries and wealthy figures to attend. No wonder Butler Fu had handed them a gift when they entered. It was Consort Gong’s gift to Boss Sun.

“It is my honor and good fortune to have all of you attending my fiftieth birthday…” The man on the stage, who seemed to be Boss Sun, was now holding the microphone. He spoke a lot of conventional pleasantries, and the audience politely applauded and echoed his sentiments.

“I, Sun, promise to treat everyone with the highest hospitality. All expenses at Paramount tonight are on me! Please enjoy yourselves, ladies, young masters, and young misses!”

“Boss Sun is generous!”

Soon, everyone experienced what Boss Sun meant by the highest hospitality.

The music on the stage changed. A clear, gentle melody emanated from a woman facing away from the audience. The woman was graceful and slender, her indigo sleeveless qipao swaying gently with the music. The complex and symmetrical patterns added a touch of nobility.

Hua Manyi heard the surrounding men excitedly calling out a name, something like “Jiang Yin.” She wasn’t quite sure, so she looked up at the stage. The woman on stage turned around, revealing a face as beautiful as a lotus emerging from water. Hua Manyi immediately felt an air of fragility about this woman. Her skin was a few shades paler than the average person, her collarbones were noticeably thin, and the protruding bones, along with her snow-white skin, formed a thin, delicate line that was beautifully eye-catching.

She was very thin, very fragile, but she didn’t give the impression of being too thin; it was as if she was simply meant to look that way.

Hua Manyi couldn’t help but look twice, feeling a sense of familiarity, but she couldn’t quite place it.

She couldn’t help but ask aloud, “Who is she?”

But the woman sitting opposite her seemed not to hear. Her legs were crossed, she was smoking, and her eyes, as languid and weary as usual, were fixed on the stage from start to finish.

It was as if the person on stage had utterly captivated her attention.

Hua Manyi was stunned. Something flashed quickly in her mind, but before she could grasp it, the thought was interrupted by Sister Fang, who was sitting next to her.

“Her? She’s called Jiang Yin, Paramount’s top songstress and the most famous singer in Haicheng. Even film directors have tried to hire her for movies.”

Fang Yu glanced at her, perhaps thinking Hua Manyi was feeling discouraged. “Although she sings well, Manyi, you are not inferior to her.”

Each had their own distinct charm.

Otherwise, this girl wouldn’t have attracted most of Paramount’s customers when she first sang on stage that day.

“Oh…” Hua Manyi replied distractedly, her gaze slowly shifting from Consort Gong’s face back to the stage. That graceful figure reflected in her pupils, causing her to lose herself in thought for a moment.

“Here, drink.” Fang Yu poured Hua Manyi a glass of wine, urging her to drink some, but was sensible enough not to disturb the woman next to her. “Manyi, do you know what this wine is called?”

Hua Manyi forced her attention back to Fang Yu and smiled. “What is it called?”

Fang Yu raised her glass and swirled the wine. “It’s called Fakepulan Wine. Try it, isn’t it delicious?” (Note: The Chinese name given is Fǎkèpǔlán Pútáojiǔ, which appears to be a fictional or non-standard translation based on the search results. I will keep the Pinyin as it appears in the text).

Hua Manyi took a sip and savored it. It was slightly astringent at first, like an ordinary wine, but quickly, before it even reached her throat, a sweetness burst open in her mouth, like a white plum blossoming suddenly in the cold night.

It was a very peculiar sensation.

Hua Manyi’s eyes instantly lit up with surprise. She loved this wine and was mentally calculating whether it was expensive. If it was expensive, she would ask Consort Gong to stock more of it at Fenghai. If she went out to entertain customers, she could conveniently recommend it to those gullible spendthrifts and get to drink it herself—killing two birds with one stone.

Her little scheme was rattling away loudly, but Fang Yu spoke leisurely again, “This is made from Consort Gong’s Luhe Winery.”

“Made by Consort Gong?” Hua Manyi was astonished and looked at the woman opposite her with confusion, but Butler Fu was standing beside her, and she was slightly turned away, seemingly giving instructions.

Butler Fu nodded and turned to leave.

Consort Gong turned back to look at the two of them. Before Hua Manyi could speak, Consort Gong spoke first, “I’ll have Butler Fu take you two back tonight.”

“What about you?” Hua Manyi asked subconsciously, but Fang Yu accepted the arrangement without any objection. “Fang Yu will take good care of Manyi.”

Hua Manyi held her wine glass, speechless, not knowing what to say. Asking too many questions would make her seem disrespectful.

As the banquet was nearing its end, the woman on the stage received a bouquet of flowers—a romantic bunch of Plumbago auriculata (Cape Plumbago/Cape Forget-me-not, often a blue flower), which looked especially unique among the brightly colored red and white rose bouquets.

As Hua Manyi and Fang Yu were leaving, preparing to head back, Hua Manyi inexplicably turned her head for a look. She saw the delicate, fragile woman holding the bouquet, and as she put down the microphone, her eyes were fixed on a spot below the stage, revealing a faint smile.

“What’s wrong?” Fang Yu noticed her unusual behavior.

Hua Manyi shook her head, suppressing the uncomfortable feeling in her heart, and replied casually, “Nothing, Sister Fang, let’s go back.”

It was snowing outside. Consort Gong’s Ford car was covered with a thin layer of snow. Butler Fu drove them back to Fenghai. The wind and snow whistled behind the car, and the two headlights shone in the vast, cold night, like solitary night travelers.

About an hour later, the car stopped.

“We’ve arrived, Miss Fang Yu, Miss Manyi,” Butler Fu opened the car door for them.

Fang Yu calmly got out. “Thank you for your hard work, Butler Fu.”

Butler Fu humbly accepted. “It’s what I should do.”

Fang Yu walked two steps towards Fenghai, then suddenly realized that the person behind her hadn’t followed. She couldn’t help but turn back.

She saw Butler Fu being stopped. Hua Manyi was standing in front of him, her willow-like eyebrows furrowed as she quietly asked, “Butler Fu, will Consort Gong be coming back tonight? Are you going back to Paramount to pick her up later?”

Butler Fu replied a few words, then drove away.

Snow fell on the girl’s head, shoulders, and even her rosy face. That instant of confusion and loss made her look like a little girl lost in the snowy night.

Fang Yu frowned, feeling as if she had overlooked something.

“Let’s go back, it’s almost closing time, Manyi,” she couldn’t figure it out, so she called out to Hua Manyi.

“Oh, okay.”

Seeing the girl follow her, Fang Yu decided not to dwell on it. It was freezing cold, and she wanted to quickly take a shower and get into bed.

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