Rose Lock - Chapter 46

“On the back mountain, the bamboo forest was lush, and in a shady corner, a tomb and a gravestone stood. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting the carved words onto Hua Manyi, who stood before the grave wearing a garland of flowers.

The simple and elegant lily-of-the-valley qipao always gave off a sense of a graceful girl next door. Hua Manyi had removed the heavy makeup from the previous night and came here to mourn her parents who had passed away suddenly. That old friend of her father’s had indeed not lied to her. The names on the tombstone were those of her father and mother. If not for an old friend, who would take such great effort to erect a fake gravestone and transport the ashes all the way from Nancheng to be buried in the back mountain of Haicheng?

This spot offered a full view of the entire Haicheng. She looked up and could see the Hua family mansion, which had been sealed for almost a year, the perpetually prosperous Zhengyuan Street, and the Fenghai Dance Hall, where neon lights constantly flickered every night.

The next day, the female owner of a tattoo parlor welcomed a special customer.

“What do you want to get tattooed on your shoulder?” The owner carefully examined Hua Manyi’s snowy shoulder. There was a scar just below her shoulder blade, which looked like it was caused by a gunshot.

Hua Manyi glanced at the scar through the mirror, smiled, and said, “A wild rose.” It would perfectly cover the ugly mark.

“Alright. It might hurt a bit later. Try to bear with it.”

Coming out of the tattoo parlor, Hua Manyi looked completely drained. It took her half a month for her skin to peel and recover.

…

A month later.

“Manyi-jie! Not good, someone’s causing trouble!”

Hua Manyi had just returned to Fenghai when A Qiang said anxiously, “Young Master Wang and Second Master Yang are fighting over Manyi-jie as their dance partner for the day after tomorrow!”

The day after tomorrow, the Xu family, who made glass in Haicheng, was hosting a banquet and had hired many people. Both Young Master Wang and Second Master Yang had come today to invite Hua Manyi to be their dance partner, but they ran into each other.

Young Master Wang verbally provoked Second Master Yang a couple of times, and Second Master Yang retorted with equal sarcasm. Finally, Young Master Wang, infuriated, started a fight. Second Master Yang was not to be trifled with either, and the two began wrestling in the dance hall, a scene that quickly escalated out of control.

Hua Manyi frowned, raised her hand, and walked into the dance hall in her high heels, “I know.”

A Qiang was still a little uneasy. Although Manyi-jie seemed to have become a different person in the past month, always able to resolve issues well, this time it was two young masters fighting. Helping either one would offend the other, making it impossible to please both.

“A Qiang, come check the accounts and see if the liquor is correct.” An old master delivering liquor drove up with a cart. A Qiang had to go out to verify the accounts before having people move the bottles into the dance hall’s liquor cabinet one by one.

“The count is right, Master, here’s your wage.” A Qiang was about to return to the dance hall after finishing the work, but Li Zhen had just walked over to the bar. Seeing him return from outside, she excitedly pulled his hand, stopped cracking her melon seeds, and rattled off a whole stream of words.

“You said Manyi-jie slapped Young Master Wang?!” A Qiang suspected his ears were playing tricks on him. In that case, wouldn’t Young Master Wang hate Manyi-jie to death?

Li Zhen saw his confusion and laughed at his lack of worldly experience, “So, she slapped Second Master Yang too!”

“!!!” A Qiang’s eyes widened in shock, “This…”

“Isn’t she offending both of them?!” A Qiang felt things might have escalated too much. No, he had to tell Mother Gong to come back and handle the situation, or Fenghai might be smashed up tomorrow!

“What are you panicking for,” Li Zhen pulled him back, stopping him from making the call, “A Qiang, you just don’t get it. Not only did Young Master Wang and Second Master Yang not hate Manyi-jie, they even shed tears and said they were grateful to her. Thanks to her slap that woke them up, and those words also enlightened them.”

A Qiang was curious, “What did Manyi-jie say?”

Li Zhen took out her melon seeds and started cracking them, “Manyi-jie originally didn’t plan to go to that banquet, plus she’s Mother Gong’s person and can’t casually agree to be anyone’s dance partner. So she scolded Young Master Wang and Second Master Yang, saying she, a mere dancer, wasn’t worth it, and then brought up stuff about business partners not being able to fall out, and such. When I heard it, I thought she said it so decisively, leaving absolutely no room for rebuttal.”

Li Zhen shook her head and sighed, “But then again, Manyi-jie’s demeanor is so much like Mother Gong…”

That weary elegance, that suddenly sharp look in her eyes… she would be even more like her if she had a cigarette in her hand.

The news of Hua Manyi slapping Young Master Wang and Young Master Yang without any consequences spread quickly, and the number of people who came just to see her increased daily, which greatly boosted Fenghai’s business.

Two days passed like this.

“Xiaoxiao, please bring me up a bowl of congee.”

“Alright, Manyi-jie.”

Half a year had passed, and Xiaoxiao had not waited for her Fuling-jie. She had broken down and cried bitterly on a rainy night, but in the end, she gave up hope and returned to Fenghai to work steadily.

On days when she wasn’t scheduled to perform, Hua Manyi usually stayed in Fenghai to catch up on sleep and maintain her appearance. Occasionally, those wives and young ladies would invite her to play cards and go shopping, and she would accompany them, though she disliked the contemptuous and disdainful looks from those wives. However, she especially enjoyed their expressions when she won the card games.

This evening, Hua Manyi was thoroughly drunk in the dance hall. Xiaoxiao, according to Hua Manyi’s instructions, came at the appointed time, ready to find an excuse to pull Manyi-jie away. If she didn’t, Manyi-jie might be taken advantage of.

However, as she was about to approach, a hand stopped her.

“Mother Gong?” Xiaoxiao was surprised, “When did you get back?”

“Just got back today.” Gong Yan was still wearing a beige overcoat, looking travel-worn but always maintaining an air of graceful weariness. “Help me with this.”

“Oh…” Xiaoxiao quickly took her bag. Looking up, she saw the figure walk unhesitatingly toward Manyi-jie’s table, calmly picking the person up. She probably said something like “excuse me” and then walked out with the person in her arms.

Xiaoxiao watched as Mother Gong walked past her with the person in her arms, swallowed, and retracted the speech she had prepared to get the person back. She followed them upstairs and entered Manyi-jie’s room, “Mother Gong, should I leave this bag here for you, or take it to your room?”

The woman inside replied, “Just put it on the table.”

“Okay.” Xiaoxiao put the bag down, closed the door, and left.

“Mm…”

The person in her arms groaned uncomfortably and clutched her arm. Her whole face was flushed with seductive allure. Gong Yan, passing the coffee table with the person in her embrace, casually put out her cigarette. After placing the woman on the sofa, she couldn’t help but recall the night in Nancheng when she heard Lai Qiu say that Hua Manyi had left the Gong residence without a word. She then sent people out to look, but they couldn’t find her anywhere, as if the stubborn girl had been determined to stay away from her.

It wasn’t until two days later that Fang Yu sent a telegram saying Hua Manyi had returned to Fenghai and was back on stage performing as normal.

“Xiaoxiao, I don’t feel well.” Hua Manyi rested half her face on her arm. Her lipstick-stained lips were tinged with red wine, the color of fresh blood. “Help me run a hot bath, Xiaoxiao.”

Gong Yan stared at her for a long time, then finally chuckled, stood up, and went to the bathroom to run the hot water. After about three minutes, feeling it was ready, she prepared to turn back and call the person. However, as she turned around, a dudou (a Chinese bodice) came into view. Fair collarbones, fragrant shoulders, and a slender waist were exposed right before her eyes. The woman, with her slim, well-proportioned legs bare and unshod, swayed as she walked in, bending over to take off her bikini-style panties and stepping into the bathtub.

Gong Yan’s red lips tightened, and she looked away. In that brief moment of distraction, she heard the sound of water splashing from the bathtub. The woman in the tub expertly undid her dudou with one hand behind her back and threw it at Gong Yan’s feet.

“Manyi…” Gong Yan saw the clear hot water in the tub. The light steam didn’t conceal much of the alluring view. She instinctively turned her gaze away and cleared her throat to cover her embarrassment, “I’ll go out first.”

But the next moment, the woman in the bathtub spoke with a soft, sweet voice, “Good Xiaoxiao, would you please bring the makeup remover from the dressing table and help me take off my makeup?”

Gong Yan paused, seemingly considering it. After a few seconds of thought, she gave a silent laugh. It was just makeup removal. Why would she be so petty with a girl? Especially when the girl was working hard to perform for Fenghai.

“Alright.”

Gong Yan turned to fetch the makeup remover. After taking two steps, her eyes fell upon the two pieces of personal clothing that had just been thrown out. She frowned but eventually bent down to pick them up. Returning to the room, she also picked up the qipao from the floor and placed all three on a chair.

With the makeup remover in hand, Gong Yan, uncharacteristically, personally did the work of waiting on someone. She applied it to Hua Manyi’s face and rubbed her entire face. The person in the bathtub seemed to enjoy it. After rinsing with clear water, her face was like a lotus flower emerging from water—clear, white, and tender.

“Okay, Xiaoxiao, you can go out now. I’ll… I’ll bathe myself. I want to soak for a little while longer…” Hua Manyi’s eyelids couldn’t stay open, and her eyes were still hazy with alcohol.

“Fine.”

Gong Yan returned to the room, felt that her task was done, and was about to pick up her bag and return to her own room. She walked two steps but felt uneasy. She turned back to the bathroom and gasped for air—the woman in the bathtub was completely submerged under the water!

“Hua Manyi!”

She quickly pulled the person out, but the woman’s eyes were still closed. She had completely passed out from the intoxication. Gong Yan took a deep breath, clutching her forehead in frustration. It seemed this woman was teetering on the edge of death every day.

She quickly washed Hua Manyi’s body, then tossed her onto the bed and covered her with a blanket. Before leaving, Gong Yan gave her a deep, lingering look.

…

The next day, Hua Manyi woke up feeling extreme discomfort from her nose to her temples, as if she had inhaled water through her nose. She poured herself a glass of water, drank it, and felt slightly better.

“Xiaoxiao…” Hua Manyi changed her clothes and called Xiaoxiao a few times, but no one answered. She walked out to the long corridor, leaned on the carved wooden railing with both hands, and looked down at the dance hall. She didn’t see Xiaoxiao’s figure and muttered to herself, “Where did Xiaoxiao go…”

The hem of her qipao swished. As she took a step, she paused immediately. The woman she hadn’t seen for a month appeared before her without warning, still full of charm, a cigarette held between her red lips, looking down at her with a weary air. Hua Manyi’s gaze froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered, walked forward, expertly snatched the cigarette from the woman’s mouth, skillfully took a drag herself, elegantly exhaled a puff of smoke, and chuckled sweetly,

“Mother Gong, why are you back? Why didn’t you stay in Nancheng a little longer?” To spend more time with your ideal husband.

Gong Yan raised an eyebrow, watching her effortlessly natural actions, “What? You don’t welcome my return?”

“How dare Manyi not,” Hua Manyi put the cigarette back into Gong Yan’s hand, clicking her tongue, “Mother Gong’s cigarettes are just more comfortable to smoke.”

Someone was coming up the stairs—it was Xiaoxiao, followed by two men. Hua Manyi frowned and sternly rebuked, “Xiaoxiao, what are you doing? You know men aren’t allowed up to the second floor casually.”

Xiaoxiao quickly explained, “Manyi-jie, I didn’t call them. Mother Gong called them up. If you don’t believe me, ask Mother Gong.”

Hua Manyi turned with a puzzled look, “Mother Gong, what is this?”

“I called them up,” Gong Yan took a puff of her cigarette. “I plan to have these two tear out your bathtub.”

“Wh-What?” Hua Manyi was incredulous. “Tear out my bathtub? Why? I’m using it just fine. Why tear it out?”

“I don’t like it,” Gong Yan glanced at her and said coldly.

Hua Manyi quickly pleaded, “But I like it. Don’t you think soaking in a bath is very comfortable, Mother Gong?”

To her surprise, upon hearing this, the woman in front of her looked even more serious and declared directly, “Tear out the bathtubs of the other lead dancers as well.”

“…”

Hua Manyi closed her mouth, her face not looking good. No matter how much she liked the bathtub, she couldn’t save it. She wasn’t the mistress of Fenghai. Forcing the issue would only humiliate her. She could only pretend to be reasonable and generously comply with Mother Gong’s directive.

“Since Mother Gong wants it torn out, then tear it out. Mother Gong, I’m hungry. I’ll go downstairs for some congee first.”

Gong Yan pursed her lips, watching her thin and frail back with complicated emotions, and offered, “Manyi, if you’re hungry, would you like to have a meal together later?”

Hua Manyi waved her hand without turning back, “No need. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

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