Rose Lock - Chapter 22

Early the next morning, Hua Man Yi was woken up by the gray sunlight outside the window. Her mouth felt a bit sore and dry, but the wound on her shoulder hurt even more. As soon as she lifted the blanket, she felt a chill, and looking down, she realized she was only wearing a dudou (a Chinese-style brassiere) and underpants. White gauze was wrapped from her right armpit to her left shoulder, and she could even smell the scent of alcohol disinfectant on her back.

Hua Man Yi covered the gauze on her chest. It was wrapped tightly. Her mind was still a bit hazy, What happened last night? She knitted her delicate eyebrows, recalling carefully.

She remembered now. Last night, she absolutely refused anesthesia and endured it all the way through, and later… later she must have passed out.

Hua Man Yi rubbed her temples, put her legs down from the bed, and looked around. She didn’t know whose room this was, but the decor was quite tasteful. She wasn’t in the mood to examine it closely; her throat was terribly thirsty. Seeing a teacup and tea on the coffee table, she went straight over, poured herself a cup, and drank it.

One cup was not enough to quench her thirst, so she poured another. Only then did she manage to slowly recover. It was only now that she realized losing so much blood could cause such thirst.

Holding a ceramic teacup of tea, Hua Man Yi slowly sipped it while curiously looking around. On the west wall of the room hung a few Western prints; the content looked a bit abstract, and Hua Man Yi frankly didn’t understand them. She took a couple more steps and suddenly caught sight of a framed group photo on the wall out of the corner of her eye.

The photo showed two women, one standing and one sitting in a wheelchair. The standing one was Consort Gong (Gong Ma), clearly revealing the youthful charm of her early twenties. As for the other, her features resembled Consort Gong’s, but her temperament was entirely different from Consort Gong’s languidness. At first glance, she gave the impression of being intelligent and virtuous, a woman with inner scholarly grace, her gaze placid, radiating a faint air of erudition.

Hua Man Yi watched for a while. She had finished the tea in her hand and was about to turn back to pour another when a mirror on top of a sandalwood wardrobe caught her attention. Rather than the mirror itself, it was her swollen lips that drew her notice.

Leaning close to the glass mirror on the wardrobe, Hua Man Yi touched her swollen lips, feeling a little incredulous. Her lips were a defined “M” shape with a cupid’s bow, neither thick nor thin, but when brightly colored lipstick was applied, they were particularly seductive. Now, however, she could barely recognize them as her own. They were so swollen, with a cut on them.

They looked as unsightly as could be.

Hua Man Yi rubbed her lips a couple of times. In a flash of insight, a blurry memory surfaced in her mind—she vaguely remembered biting her lip when the bullet was being removed last night because the pain was too intense.

That, then, explained it.

She put the teacup away. Since she was lightly dressed, she began to feel a bit cold. She glanced at the chair nearby, where a neatly folded set of clothes lay; they must have been prepared for her.

A narrow, long, high-necked pale purple jacket, with two tailored Peter Pan lace collars on the shoulders, and a clean, plain white skirt without embroidery.

It was poles apart from a glamorous and elegant qipao, as if belonging to a different age. This new outfit looked exactly like something a well-bred, naive young lady would wear. However, she couldn’t wear a qipao now anyway, as it was too tight and would easily rub against her wound.

Having no choice, Hua Man Yi reluctantly put the clothes on.

…

At the Fenghai Dance Hall, Gong Yan had just informed Fang Yu that Hua Man Yi would not be able to perform on stage for a while due to personal reasons.

“So Man Yi is with you?” Fang Yu had been worried, thinking something had happened to Hua Man Yi. Hearing that Consort Gong had personally come to ask for leave for her, she felt relieved. “Alright then, I won’t schedule her shifts for the time being.”

Gong Yan nodded and was about to turn to leave when Fang Yu hesitated and called out to her, still concerned about the girl, “Consort Gong, can you tell me what happened to Man Yi?”

“She took a bullet for me.”

Fang Yu was startled, then quickly connected the news she had heard today: the notorious bandit Feng Wu appeared at the North Street church, three innocent nuns were killed, and Chief Zhao urgently led his men to successfully eliminate the bandits.

Those of them in Fenghai who heard this news only felt afraid, thinking what if that bandit scourge had been on the street instead of in the church; how many would have died or been injured.

Just as Gong Yan reached the ground floor, Steward Fu hurried over, trotting.

“What is it?” Gong Yan pulled a cigarette out of her purse, and Zhou Laifu quickly took out a lighter to light it for her.

Steward Fu put the lighter away and respectfully said, “Madam, your younger sister has arrived at East Shore Wharf. She asks that you go pick her up.”

“What is she doing in Haicheng?” Gong Yan slightly furrowed her brows as she got into the car. “What is that woman doing coming here when she should be staying properly in Nancheng?”

Steward Fu silently listened to Gong Yan’s complaints and wisely replied, “Your subordinate does not know. Should we go now?”

Gong Yan spat out two words in a grumpy tone, “The wharf.”

East Shore Wharf was in the prime of early spring, the sea fish were abundant, and many fishing boats were out trawling nearby. In an open area of the wharf, a huge white steamboat emitted a long, drawn-out blast. Tourists disembarked one after another from the deck: men in suits and leather shoes on business trips, young foreigners coming to Haicheng for a holiday, and scholars and writers in long robes with short haircuts.

The gray morning weather had dispersed, and the vast, blue sea reflected the azure sky. The sun was bright and scorching.

Gong Yan had Steward Fu deliberately park in a shady spot. As soon as the car stopped, the woman in the wheelchair amidst the bustling crowd immediately caught her eye.

A man in a long gown and mandarin jacket was pushing the wheelchair from behind. Seeing the Ford car, he slowly pushed the wheelchair directly toward it.

Gong Yan, smoking a cigarette, slowly rolled down the car window, looking at the woman only separated from her by a single pane of glass, “What are you doing here?”

Gong Shulan returned her gaze placidly, nodded, and her voice was like snow, “Long time no see, Elder Sister.”

…

“After several years, don’t you miss me, Elder Sister?” Gong Shulan sat next to her, their postures strangely similar.

Gong Shulan had injured her leg during a kidnapping when she was a child. She had been receiving treatment abroad, but it showed little effect. Everyone with an eye could see that it was beyond recovery, but their father insisted she continue treatment while constantly seeking famous doctors.

Logically, she should not be in Haicheng now.

“Does Father know you’ve come to Haicheng?” Gong Yan glanced at the leg hidden beneath her skirt, though she couldn’t detect anything unusual.

Gong Shulan smiled and said, “If I came back without telling Father, would Elder Sister write a report?”

“Mm.” Gong Yan answered directly and unapologetically, “Steward Fu, when we get to the wine estate, please call Father for me and ask him.”

Steward Fu, driving the car, was silent for a few seconds, contemplating whether the order was a joke or to be taken seriously.

Gong Shulan, knowing she was no match for her, spoke calmly, “I came to see Jiang Yin.”

A scoff escaped Gong Yan’s lips, “Are you finally telling the truth?”

Gong Shulan didn’t want to talk to her much and lowered her eyes to look out the window.

The green gate of the Luhe Wine Estate was opened, and the Ford car slowly drove in. After getting out of the car, Gong Yan turned and instructed the maid to prepare food and reminded her of what to avoid eating.

In a blink of an eye, the woman who was supposed to be in the drawing-room was gone. A query revealed she had gone upstairs. Gong Yan was about to let her be when she suddenly remembered something, pursed her lips, and turned to go upstairs.

“Oh, and Steward Fu, please brew a pot of tea for me and bring it up.”

“Yes, Madam.”

The drawing-room on the second floor was slightly more refined than the one downstairs. To the right was a sunlit Western-style balcony, and the drawing-room was to the left. Against one wall was a wine rack, and the rooms were further inside.

Gong Shulan pushed her wheelchair in front of the master bedroom door, looking as if she either already knew someone was inside or was still unaware.

Gong Yan strolled up to her, took hold of the handles of the wheelchair, and coldly asked, “Gong Shulan, did you see?”

Saw that there was someone in her room, a woman.

“Mmm…” Gong Shulan looked at the drawing-room getting closer, a slight amusement in her voice. “I see her. That girl has a lovely figure, but will the wound wrapped in gauze cause any delay for…”

Gong Yan squeezed the brass handle, her voice lazy, “There’s nothing between her and me.”

A soft but distinct sound of a door closing came from behind. Gong Yan and Gong Shulan turned their heads simultaneously, only to see a tall, slender figure standing at the bedroom door. The pale purple jacket and skirt added a touch of elegance and nobility to her. Her usual heavy makeup was removed, and her hair was no longer the seductive, mature wavy style pressed close to her head, but had been changed to European-style court curls, just past her shoulders, not without a hint of playfulness.

However, her expression lacked any playfulness. She wore a light apricot-colored lipstick on her lips, making her look clean and delicate. She stood there for a long time; it was unclear if she had heard anything. After a few seconds, she glanced at Gong Yan, lowered her eyes, and emotionlessly called out, “Consort Gong.”

“Mmm,” Gong Yan replied faintly, but couldn’t help but scrutinize her outfit, which surprisingly suited her quite well.

Hua Man Yi walked over. She was slightly surprised to see the woman in the wheelchair, but only slightly, quickly regaining her composure. Only then did she meet Gong Yan’s gaze, “I’m ready to go back to Fenghai. Thank you for your care last night.”

Gong Yan frowned, feeling that something was amiss but couldn’t quite place it. She focused her attention on the present, “You don’t need to go back to Fenghai this month. I’ve asked for leave for you, with pay.”

“Thank you, Consort Gong, but I still want to go back to Fenghai to recuperate.” The words “with pay” sounded harsh to Hua Man Yi, and coupled with the phrase “There’s nothing between her and me,” it only confirmed her suspicion that, in Gong Yan’s eyes, her treatment was merely due to her taking a bullet for her.

“A-Yan, you’re back?” Jiang Yin’s voice came from a guest room that had been opened in the left corner.

However, her normally delicate and fragile expression subtly paused upon seeing the woman in the wheelchair beside Gong Yan. When she spoke again, she forced a smile, “Shulan, you’re here too?”

Gong Shulan nodded at her and smiled, “Jiang Yin, long time no see.”

Gong Yan didn’t notice the shift in emotion between the two. She pushed the wheelchair to Jiang Yin, “Jiang Yin, it’s good you’re here. Shulan came to see you this time. Take her around and show her the place.”

With that, she let go of the handle. Jiang Yin looked down at the handle, remaining motionless for a long time. It wasn’t until her eyes accidentally met Gong Shulan’s indifferent gaze that she was jolted awake, reacting and taking hold of the handle to push the wheelchair around.

Before long, only two people remained in the drawing-room. Hua Man Yi smelled smoke and coughed twice. Because the bullet hit her shoulder blade, the coughing tugged at the nerves there, causing a sharp bout of pain. Her shoulder hurt intensely, and her graceful, willow-leaf eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

A shadow swept past her, walking straight towards the coffee table. Hua Man Yi turned her gaze while still coughing, only to see the woman who had been smoking stub out her cigarette right in front of her.

Hua Man Yi was slightly stunned, a complex mix of feelings stirring in her heart.

“Feeling better?” Gong Yan had approached her without her noticing. She subconsciously raised her hand to pat her shoulder, but Hua Man Yi turned her shoulder, dodging the gesture.

Gong Yan stared intently at her. This woman seemed different since last night. She had covered the bite mark on her mouth with rouge-colored lipstick; if one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t notice the wound.

“Consort Gong, Fang Jie and Xiao Xiao must be worried about me at Fenghai. I need to go back.” Because of the coughing, Hua Man Yi’s face was pale and ashen. Even the powder she had just applied couldn’t conceal the pallor. Her small face was tightly drawn, but she still spoke politely, “I apologize for the trouble I caused you last night.”

“Hua Man Yi!” Seeing her turn to leave, Gong Yan grabbed her hand and took a deep breath, “Do you have to be so distant with me?”

She had been so passionate last night, yet the next day she was like a completely different person.

Hua Man Yi didn’t look at her, gazing at the floor, her expression calm, “Consort Gong, you are the owner of Fenghai, and I am merely a dancer. We should maintain a distance.”

“Then what about what happened last night?” Was that what she meant by maintaining a distance? Everything was done except for the final step.

Hua Man Yi looked up in confusion, paused for a moment, and realized she must be referring to the church incident. “If you’re talking about me taking a bullet for you, I already told you last night that I, Hua Man Yi, was just unlucky enough to get shot.”

She didn’t intentionally take the bullet for her. She put away those few inappropriate thoughts. Anyway, in Gong Yan’s eyes, there was nothing between them.

“Who said anything about that?” This remark, however, still made her feel uncomfortable.

“Then what else could it be?” Hua Man Yi felt increasingly unable to figure out this woman. Her words were profound and cryptic; who could possibly guess?

Now it was Gong Yan’s turn to narrow her eyes, looking at the confused little face before her, which didn’t appear to be feigned. A bad premonition surfaced in her mind. “How much do you remember about last night?”

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