Rose Lock - Chapter 5

Fenghai Dance Hall.

“Hey, Xiaoxiao, how’s your mother’s health?”

“She’s fine, she just caught a chill. I took her to get a few doses of medicine yesterday, and the doctor said she’s nothing serious.”

“That’s good. Hey, Xiaoxiao, let me ask you something…” Li Zhen, who always loved to gossip, found a moment to slack off, quietly pulled Jiang Xiao aside, and lowered her voice to ask, “Did Gong Ma bring back a girl last night?”

Xiaoxiao: “…Yes.”

Li Zhen: “Who is she? I haven’t seen her before.”

Xiaoxiao: “It’s that girl who caused such a big scene a couple of days ago. She seems to be a young lady, a daughter of the Hua family or something…”

“Why did Gong Ma bring her back? The commotion that day was so huge. If that guy surnamed Zhao hadn’t been arrested, who knows how it would have ended.”

“Gong Ma’s business is not for us to gossip about, A Zhen. You should hurry up and do your work.” Xiaoxiao carried several sets of clothes upstairs, pushed open a door, and went in.

“Sister Fang, just call me Manyi. Calling my full name is too formal.”

“You girl… Alright, I’ll call you Manyi from now on,” Fang Yu stood next to her, stroking a handful of black hair and sighing, “I have to say, your hair is well-maintained, black and shiny.”

Hua Manyi looked at herself in the bronze mirror and smoothed a strand, “Not at all, it took three years to grow it out like this. It was quite a hassle.”

Xiaoxiao pushed the door open and entered, “Miss Hua Manyi, these are the clothes Gong Ma asked me to bring you.”

Seeing someone arrive, Fang Yu stopped talking nonsense, “Xiaoxiao, just put them on the chair. Manyi, take a moment to get ready, and once you’re done, come with me to the dance studio downstairs to practice.”

She had arrived after all. By agreeing to Gong Ma’s offer to become a dance girl here, she probably couldn’t shake off the identity of a dancer for the rest of her life.

Hua Manyi looked at the woman in heavy makeup in the mirror with complex emotions, a mature contrast to the naive girl she was yesterday.

“Alright, Sister Fang.”

…

“It hurts so much, Sister Fang Yu, please be gentle…”

“Your body is too stiff; you need to practice more.”

“But it really hurts…”

“Manyi, you can’t be like this. You’ve been practicing for a week. How can you improve without putting in effort? Gong Ma is coming to check in a couple of days.”

Hua Manyi pressed her leg down, turned sideways, and smiled with her eyes, “I know, I’ll try my best, Sister Fang. Don’t worry, I will definitely satisfy Gong Ma. What delicious food is there tonight, Sister Fang?”

To encourage the girl, Fang Yu had been preparing some snacks every day. Now, instead of encouragement, the girl was just looking forward to the food every day.

Sister Fang shook her head, “You… You need to put effort into this! Your leg isn’t even fully pressed down.”

“Look, look, I’ve pressed it down! This is as far as I can go.” Hua Manyi bent her waist, trying hard to press her slender waist against the leg propped on the barre. Even so, there was still a large gap.

“Sigh…” Fang Yu rubbed her forehead, “If you keep this up… Gong Ma will definitely scold you when she sees this.”

At that moment, a figure entered the dance studio. It was Xiaoxiao, who anxiously said, “Sister Fang, Gong Ma is back. She said she wants to see how Manyi’s practice is going.”

Fang Yu was caught off guard by the news, “Didn’t she say she’d come on Sunday? It’s only Friday…”

Xiaoxiao shook her head, “I don’t know either. Gong Ma will be here any minute. Sister Fang, what should we do?”

Hua Manyi had been clever with her words these past few days, getting acquainted with everyone in Fenghai. Although she was indeed trying hard, it was far from enough. Considering that Hua Manyi was once a favored daughter of the Hua family and had never endured hardship, they hadn’t forced her too hard, thinking she would eventually succeed.

Now Gong Ma had made a surprise inspection, and they were doomed.

Hua Manyi patted Fang Yu’s shoulder, looking completely unconcerned, “Sister Fang, don’t worry. Don’t I still have me? Even if someone gets scolded, it’ll only be me.”

“This…”

“Gong Ma?” Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke out, startling the two inside. They all looked towards the door and, sure enough, saw the tall, slender figure, graceful and exceptional, followed by Fu Bo.

A familiar cigarette was held between her two fingers. The neon lights outside flashed, illuminating her back, making her look noble and lazy.

“Gong Ma…” Fang Yu stepped forward. Gong Ma nodded without a word, found a chair, sat down, and crossed her long legs. “I came to see how your teaching is going.”

Fang Yu quickly looked at Hua Manyi, “Ah, okay! Manyi, come here. Perform ‘Spring Flowers as Brocade’ (Chun Hua Ru Jin).”

“Spring Flowers as Brocade” was not a difficult song to sing. In fact, Hua Manyi’s voice was outstanding and unique, giving the song a special flavor. Seeing Gong Ma engrossed in appreciation, Fang Yu was slightly relieved.

However, the relief was short-lived. Just as the chorus began, Hua Manyi stumbled in her planned dance moves, tripping herself, and failing to open her folding fan successfully…

At that moment, Fang Yu’s and Xiaoxiao’s hearts nearly jumped out of their throats.

Hua Manyi staggered and almost fell to the floor.

No one in the dance studio dared to make a sound. The silence was unnerving.

“Gong Ma, I…” Hua Manyi clutched the folding fan, wanting to explain but not knowing how.

“Miss Hua Manyi,” the woman sitting on the chair spoke, her voice ice-cold, “I think you should know that Fenghai doesn’t keep idle hands.”

Hua Manyi: “I…”

“Especially not one like you.”

“Gong Ma, I…” Hua Manyi was overwhelmed with shame, “Please let me explain…”

“Explain what? Explain how you’re using this place as a refuge, smiling and goofing off every day?”

Seeing the girl in front of her getting teary-eyed from the scolding, Fang Yu couldn’t help but intercede for her, “Gong Ma, it’s all my fault. I didn’t teach her properly.”

“Fang Yu, how long have you been at Fenghai?” Gong Ma’s gaze fell on Fang Yu, and she gave a sneering smile.

“Two… two years.”

“It seems those two years are no match for the few days you’ve spent with her. Fu Bo, bring out her contract of indenture. From now on, you, Fang Yu, will have no further association with Fenghai.”

Fu Bo responded, “Yes, Madam.”

Fang Yu was completely panicked and immediately knelt before Gong Ma, “Gong Ma, I didn’t mean that. I know I was wrong. Gong Ma, please don’t kick me out…”

“Don’t make things difficult for her. I’ll leave, alright, I’ll leave!” Hua Manyi’s tears poured down, but she stubbornly held her head high, her throat choked with sobs, “This is my fault. I didn’t practice the dance well; I am slacking off. The worst that can happen is I leave Fenghai!”

“Leave?” Gong Ma scoffed, as if she’d heard something ridiculous, “You’ve signed the contract of indenture. You can leave, but you’ll pay ten times the liquidated damages.”

Hua Manyi was dumbfounded. She finally remembered that she had signed the contract with this woman a few days ago after returning from the Yuelai Hotel. Ten times the liquidated damages was a sum she absolutely couldn’t afford.

“Do you know what you look like right now?” Gong Ma took a puff of her cigarette.

Hua Manyi instinctively felt that the next sentence from her mouth wouldn’t be pleasant.

“You look like those ruffians on the street. Even the haulers at the dock are a hundred times better than you.”

The scorching humiliation poured over her, shattering Hua Manyi’s last shred of self-respect. Hua Manyi trembled all over, suppressing her immense grievance. Wiping away her tears, she tearfully and vehemently retorted, “Then why did you bring me here? Go find those ruffians instead—”

The air instantly went silent. Even Fang Yu was stunned by her outburst.

Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in disbelief that someone would dare to talk back to Gong Ma while she was lecturing.

She truly admired her.

Gong Ma extended her cigarette towards an ashtray nearby and tapped off the ash, “I don’t see you putting so much effort into your dancing, but you put your full effort into talking back.”

Hua Manyi angrily lifted her chin. She was still enraged. She had never endured such humiliation and disdain in her life.

Gong Ma stood up, glanced at everyone in the room, her gaze settling on the defiant wildcat in front of her. She frowned slightly and turned to Fang Yu, saying, “Fang Yu, from today on, if she fails to complete her task, she is not allowed to eat. I will come back to inspect in three days.”

“Ah?” Fang Yu was momentarily stunned, but quickly realized that Gong Ma was letting them off, giving them another chance. She was instantly grateful, “Thank you, Gong Ma! Fang Yu will definitely teach her diligently.”

After Gong Ma left, only Hua Manyi, Xiaoxiao, and Fang Yu remained in the dance studio.

“Manyi…” Fang Yu was about to speak, but Hua Manyi stubbornly sniffed and cut her off, “Sister Fang, you don’t need to say anything. I’ll practice hard. If I can’t do it tonight, I’ll just skip dinner.”

…

At seven or eight in the evening in Haicheng, the kitchen staff ate in shifts. As soon as Xiaoxiao finished eating, she rushed to bring food to Fang Yu’s room, “Sister Fang, you have a performance tonight. Hurry up and eat while it’s hot.”

Fang Yu finished changing and put an earring on her ear before coming to the table, “Coming, coming.”

Xiaoxiao served her. Fang Yu picked up the bowl of soup and took a sip. Remembering something, she put it down again, “Xiaoxiao, is Manyi still practicing?”

Xiaoxiao nodded, “Yes, she is. That girl is really stubborn. She’s really not eating if she can’t get it right. No matter how much we try to persuade her, it’s useless.”

“Is that so…” Fang Yu looked worried, “The child is probably hurt by Gong Ma’s words and is sulking.”

Xiaoxiao: “Exactly.”

She looked so wronged, she was practically ready to run home to her parents to complain.

“Forget it, I can’t eat any more. Xiaoxiao, please clear these dishes. It’s almost time. I’ll go check on that stubborn girl after my show.”

Xiaoxiao stared at the barely touched food, dumbfounded, “But, Sister Fang, you haven’t even had a bite! How will your body cope!”

“It’s fine, didn’t I just drink the soup?” Fang Yu didn’t intend to argue with her. She stood up, grabbed the shawl from the sofa, swayed her hips, her small high heels clicking, and went downstairs, gently fanning herself.

Xiaoxiao looked at her retreating back, helpless, “Sister Fang…”

The Fenghai Dance Hall was as lively and noisy as ever, with people coming and going until midnight, when the crowd gradually dispersed.

The light in the dance studio was still bright white. A petite, slender figure was dancing non-stop, repeating the movements over and over until they were standard. Sweat dampened the hair on her forehead, sticking to her cheeks, her small face showing an unyielding determination.

Suddenly, her foot twisted, and she plopped down onto the wooden floor. A sharp pain shot through her ankle.

The figure inside sat on the floor, groaning in pain and clutching her ankle, “Ugh…” She took a small sharp breath. After a short while, she seemed to try to stand up through the pain, but she quickly sat back down again.

A long time passed without any movement. Listening closely, one could hear the sound of suppressed crying echoing in the practice room, with large, tear-like droplets falling onto the floor in front of her.

It was a heartbreaking sight.

With a creak, the door was pushed open. Hua Manyi quickly wiped away her tears, trying to stand up, “Xiaoxiao, you don’t need to try and persuade me. I meant what I said.”

“Silly girl, are you still sulking with Gong Ma?” Fang Yu walked over, helped her up, and used a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, “Besides, you’ve sprained your ankle. Why are you still being stubborn? Aren’t you afraid of not being able to walk in the future?”

Feeling the big sister’s care, Hua Manyi felt even more wronged. She threw herself into Fang Yu’s arms, hugging her tightly, “Sister Fang, woo woo woo, I’m so sad. How could she say that about me? She said I’m like a ruffian, worse than a dock hauler… Woo woo, am I really that bad? Am I very unlikeable?”

Fang Yu patted her shoulder and consoled her, “Oh, you child, you just have too much pride. Gong Ma scolds everyone like this when they make a mistake. No one is an exception. You need to look on the bright side. At least Gong Ma didn’t kick us out.”

“She couldn’t bear to part with the ten times liquidated damages,” Hua Manyi continued to cry.

“If she truly hated you, she could just sell you to someone else. That ten times liquidated damages means nothing to her.”

“But last time I came here, she let me go without asking for 1,000 silver dollars.” Thinking of this, Hua Manyi was not comforted but even more convinced that Gong Ma disliked her from their first meeting.

Fang Yu: “…”

Fang Yu started to get a headache, “Alright, alright. Whether she dislikes you or not, you’ve still stayed, haven’t you? Does your foot still hurt? Let’s stop practicing for today. Go back to your room and clean up. Xiaoxiao has saved some food for you.”

Hua Manyi’s stomach rumbled, and her foot hurt. She hesitated for a few seconds but finally gave in, choosing to go back to her room to rest and eat.

However, just as she left the dance studio, she ran into Xiaoxiao and the woman standing in front of Xiaoxiao.

“Gong Ma?” Fang Yu, supporting Hua Manyi, was surprised, “You’re not asleep yet?”

Gong Ma was wearing silk pajamas, a cigarette still in her hand, “Hmm.”

After the “Hmm,” Hua Manyi clearly felt a gaze fall upon her. She didn’t dare to meet it, afraid her swollen eyes would be mocked.

“What are you two doing?” Gong Ma asked casually, seeing their posture.

“Manyi sprained her ankle while practicing. I’m helping her back to her room.”

Hua Manyi listened with her head down as Fang Yu explained for her. After the explanation, there was a long silence from the other side. Hua Manyi couldn’t help but look up to meet the other person’s gaze.

The moment she met it, she regretted it. The word “delicate” was clearly hanging in the other party’s lazy eyes.

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