Rose Lock - Chapter 9.1

Successfully taking three silver dollars from Madam Gong’s hand, Hua Manyi rolled down the car window, “Mo Zihao, come here for a moment.”

Mo Zihao’s eyes lit up, thinking she had come to her senses, “Manyi, have you thought things through?”

“No.” Hua Manyi placed the three silver dollars in his hand, “This is what I’m returning to you, for buying me steamed buns last time and for helping me find a job. See you later.”

Although the job fell through later, she was still very grateful for his kindness.

“Eh?”

Mo Zihao held the heavy three silver dollars, and before he could say anything, the Ford car in front of him started moving and quickly disappeared around the corner.

“Are we going back to Fenghai?” Hua Manyi saw the road didn’t seem right, “Sister Fuling hasn’t come back yet, she’ll worry if she sees I’m not there.”

Gong Yan’s hand, holding the cigarette, paused, “…… To Manxiu Hall.”

Uncle Fu: “…… Understood.”

A quiet atmosphere fell over the car, and no one spoke. This actually surprised Gong Yan; she turned to look at the young woman beside her, only to see Hua Manyi resting her chin on her hand, staring intently at the cigarette in Gong Yan’s hand.

The copper-gold cigarette holder, with faint carvings on it, held between red lips, exuded a captivating allure.

“Want a smoke?”

This time, Hua Manyi didn’t hesitate like the first time, but blinked, “Can I?”

Gong Yan didn’t speak, took out her handbag, and was about to hand it over, “Take it yourself.”

A pale, delicate hand suddenly rested on hers, warm and soft. Gong Yan watched as she skillfully took the cigarette from her hand, mimicking her posture, and pretended to skillfully put it to her mouth to smoke.

Her thin lips, painted with deep red lipstick, closed tightly around the cigarette holder. Opening and closing, on only her second try, she was already able to adapt to the cigarette’s pungency, lightly exhaling a faint milky white smoke.

She smoked with style.

For some reason, seeing this scene, Gong Yan let out a silent, amused laugh.

They picked up Zhou Fuling on the way. At first, Zhou Fuling dared not get into the car, fearing she would overstep. Later, it was Hua Manyi who, in the presence of Gong Yan’s expressionless face, pulled her into the car. She sat in the front passenger seat, nervously.

“Madam Gong, your car is empty anyway, and Sister Fuling isn’t an outsider, right? It’s so cold outside, and it’s snowing, letting her sit for a bit is no big deal.”

Gong Yan: “……”

When they returned to the Fenghai Cabaret, it was already evening. Tonight, Fenghai had an unusually large number of guests; the entrance was nearly overflowing.

“Where is Miss Hua Manyi?”

“Why isn’t Miss Hua Manyi coming out yet?”

Many people craned their necks, eagerly looking at the stage. Half of these people had heard the news and wanted to come and catch a glimpse of her beauty and enjoy her heavenly voice. But after waiting for an hour without seeing a soul, some gradually became impatient.

When Hua Manyi got out of the car with Gong Yan, someone with sharp eyes recognized her, “Miss Hua Manyi is here!”

A single stone sent ripples across the water. The crowd turned their heads and flocked over, most of them holding something: roses, famous wines, necklaces, famous watches, bracelets…

“Miss Hua Manyi, please accept this……”

“Miss Hua Manyi, don’t look at his broken flowers, mine is the latest precious gem necklace……”

If it weren’t for people blocking them, Hua Manyi might have been torn apart and divided by the crowd in public. Hua Manyi was slightly startled, but she also observed that there were many more guards at the entrance of Fenghai. It seemed that this woman, Madam Gong, had long prepared for such a situation.

With this layer of protection, Hua Manyi’s back immediately straightened.

“Thank you, I appreciate the thought.” Following behind Gong Yan, she did not take the gold, silver, and jewels offered before her eyes, but just nodded politely, composed and graceful, with impeccable bearing.

“Miss Hua Manyi, you are so beautiful…” Someone was mesmerized and exclaimed.

There were even entertainment reporters in the crowd. One held a new style camera, and another held a notebook, planning to ask some questions.

“Madam Gong, when will Miss Hua Manyi perform on stage again?” A male reporter wearing a grey plaid octagonal cap eagerly asked.

Madam Gong stopped. Hua Manyi stood next to her. The person holding the camera immediately decided to capture this moment; tomorrow’s entertainment front page would be them!

Gong Yan’s expression was indifferent, with a completely dismissive tone, “Hua Manyi will not be on stage temporarily these few days. If she performs, there will be a separate announcement.”

“Ah? Okay, excuse me—” The male reporter quickly jotted down this sentence. When he looked up, intending to ask more questions, the people had already disappeared into the crowd. He could only sigh wistfully. However, this news was enough for tomorrow’s newspaper to sell out. He now had to rush back to the newspaper office, write the article, and make it in time for tomorrow morning’s publication.

Hearing that Hua Manyi would not be singing these days, many people were disappointed and left dispiritedly. Before long, Fenghai returned to its usual flow of customers, but if you paid attention to the entrance, you could still spot many men holding flowers, waiting at the door, hoping that Miss Hua Manyi might come out to take a look or pass through the lobby.

Fang Yu and Xiaoxiao shook their heads in the lobby, “Manyi is really popular.”

Xiaoxiao agreed, “Exactly. We just cleared a batch of flowers from the utility room, and it’s not even night yet; people are constantly sending flowers, we can’t clear them fast enough.”

“Manyi is going to have a headache.”

Fang Yu remembered something, “Xiaoxiao, you have to change how you address her from now on. Call her Sister Manyi.”

It was obvious to anyone that Madam Gong intended to promote Hua Manyi. It was almost certain that the number one star of Fenghai would be her. Although there might be some dissatisfaction, the fact was laid bare: who wouldn’t like a young and beautiful girl? She was getting old and couldn’t sing for much longer.

Last night, she nearly ran out of breath while singing and fainted on the stage. Madam Gong told her to rest well and have Bai Jing and Guan Ling cover for her these few days.

At nine o’clock in the evening, Hua Manyi got the wages she deserved from last night’s work. She counted it, and it was surprisingly 10 silver dollars. It was truly unbelievable that singing and dancing could earn so much money.

However, these 10 silver dollars were her first pot of gold in life. She had to find a box to put them in. After half an hour of searching, she finally found a jewelry box. She placed a dark blue handkerchief inside as a lining, carefully put the 10 clinking silver dollars in, and then covered them with the other half of the handkerchief.

The moment she closed the box, she instantly had the illusion that she was a little rich woman.

She warily looked for a hidden spot, ready to conceal it securely. Just as she finished placing it, she suddenly remembered that she had borrowed three silver dollars from that woman tonight.

“…”

These 10 silver dollars were already in her possession. Having to take out one-third of it, Hua Manyi felt a heart-wrenching pain for the first time. But she couldn’t be untrustworthy…

Gong Yan just came out of the bath, fiddled with the gramophone, and put on a black record. Soon, gentle music drifted out from the gramophone’s large speaker.

Knock knock knock

“Madam Gong, are you there? It’s Hua Manyi.” Hua Manyi’s soft inquiry came from the door.

Gong Yan glanced over, walked to the rattan chair, and sat down gracefully, “Come in.”

Upon hearing the voice, a flicker of cunning crossed Hua Manyi’s eyes. After entering, she closed the door behind her.

Gong Yan noticed her small action, slightly raised an eyebrow, and turned to light a cigarette, “Speak, what do you want?”

The gramophone was close to the door. At some point, the needle was lifted, and the music abruptly stopped. Silence descended upon the room.

“That southern breeze brings coolness That nightingale sings softly The flowers under the moon are all dreaming …”

Gong Yan’s hand, lighting the cigarette, paused. She looked with interest at the young woman in front of her, holding a folding fan. Under the bright lights, her slender, curvaceous figure swayed slightly with the melody. The dark purple cheongsam was embroidered with delicate rose patterns. The diagonal buttons ran from her swan-like neck, past her full bust, winding down to her suggestive waist.

A hint of vermilion gently opened, revealing a unique vocal line. Every word was clear, and every transition carried a certain alluring, intricate meaning, exuding a gentle and peaceful charm.

“Only that night jasmine Releases its fragrance I love this boundless night scene And I also love the nightingale’s singing Even more, I love that flower-like dream Embracing the night jasmine Smelling this night jasmine Night jasmine, I sing for you Ah Ah, I sing for you I think of you …”

Perhaps it was the smoke that blurred her vision, or perhaps it was the person who captivated her heart, but the lit cigarette in her hand remained still for a long time.

It wasn’t until a weight settled on her lap, and the delicate scent of jasmine wafted to her nose. The face, beautiful as jade, was close yet maintained a distance. As she sat on his lap, the curves of the young woman in front of her were fully visible.

“I think of you…” Singing the last line, Hua Manyi fanned the folding fan towards her chest, her eyes pretending to look into the distance, but from the side, her gaze was full of allure.

“Madam Gong?” Hua Manyi finished singing, turned her head, and found that this woman was actually lost in thought, captivated.

She couldn’t help but reach out and wave her hand in front of her twice, finally shaking her back to attention. Her eyes were momentarily sharp, almost making Hua Manyi stumble back.

“Tell me, why are you singing in front of me for no reason?” Gong Yan tapped off the ash, took a puff of her cigarette, as if she had already seen through her trick.

Hua Manyi stopped pretending and went straight to the point, “Well, didn’t I borrow 3 silver dollars from you tonight? I was thinking—”

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