When Spring Burns - Chapter 9

In the quiet guest room, the faint, mosquito-like sound of a young girl’s sobbing could be heard.

A woman’s pleasant scent drifted over, her warm palm gently pressed against the girl’s cheek.

Sheng Tingmian stared at her in a daze, her heart suddenly stirred by an indescribable emotion. “Sister He?”

He Jianxue hummed in response.

Being comforted like this, a strange warmth bloomed in her chest. Sheng Tingmian’s tears gave way to a smile. As she lowered her gaze, her eyes swept past He Jianxue’s legs and settled on the hand before her.

The slender, jade-like fingers were soaked with her tears, dampening Sister He’s palm. Sheng Tingmian’s hands, which had been resting on the edge of the bed, unconsciously tightened their grip on the sheets. She sniffled softly.

Noticing a towel on the bedside table, Sheng Tingmian reached for it. Gently taking He Jianxue’s hand, she pursed her lips and carefully wiped it dry.

“Sister He, I’m sorry. I cry so easily, I’ve made your hand all wet.”

He Jianxue let her continue, a faint smile playing on her lips. “You really are the most tearful girl I’ve ever met.”

Sheng Tingmian pouted secretly but remained silent, turning He Jianxue’s hand over to wipe the palm.

Noticing the IV needle taped to the back of her hand, He Jianxue said, “Rest here tonight. I’ll have someone take you back tomorrow.”

Sheng Tingmian gave a soft acknowledgment, then suddenly remembered something. “Sister He, with such a large-scale event, will you even make any profit?”

He Jianxue: “Why are you worrying about that?”

Sheng Tingmian looked genuinely concerned. “I can’t let you end up with nothing.”

“Should I withdraw my investment then?”

As He Jianxue made to pull her hand back, Sheng Tingmian quickly grabbed it with both hands. “Ah… no!”

“Sister He, you can’t withdraw your investment,” Sheng Tingmian pleaded, looking at her with pitiful eyes. “If you do, the theater troupe will fall apart.”

He Jianxue chuckled at her expression. “You don’t want me to withdraw, but you also want me to make money. What exactly are you hoping for?”

Sheng Tingmian was at a loss. “I don’t know… I don’t understand business. I’m just afraid you’ll think it’s too much of a loss later and decide to pull out.”

“Where did all that courage you had when you claimed it wouldn’t be a loss go?”

Sheng Tingmian muttered, “Who goes around asking for help by pointing out the bad instead of the good?”

Of course, she had to emphasize the positives to persuade someone to invest. As for the outcome, she hadn’t really thought that far ahead.

“But, Sister He, you don’t need to worry too much. You still have me, a lifetime free performer for you to enjoy.”

Sheng Tingmian thought she was subtly reminding He Jianxue that she wasn’t getting nothing in return.

He Jianxue let out an amused, soundless laugh, touched that the girl was genuinely concerned for her and not just using her. “Alright, these matters aren’t for you to worry about. They’re for us investors to consider. Get some rest now.”

Seeing He Jianxue’s assistant enter and step behind her, ready to wheel her out, Sheng Tingmian quickly added, “Sister He, you should get some rest too.”

As He Jianxue reached the doorway, she heard this and tilted her head slightly, casting a soft glance toward the graceful figure now lying in bed.

Sheng Tingmian lay down, her heart filled with a sweet warmth. Suddenly remembering her aunt, she quickly sat up again. Fortunately, her phone was on the nightstand. She picked it up and sent a message to her aunt to let her know she was safe.

Mian Bao: Auntie, I’m staying at Sister He’s tonight. Don’t worry about me. Sister He has already forgiven me. [Happy] [Happy]

When Sheng Xiaoyun read the message, she turned back from the old residential area, closed the umbrella she had been holding, and thought to herself, It really had to be Mian’er.

The next morning, Sheng Tingmian received a text from her aunt, explaining that since she was considered a member of both theater troupes, Uncle Guan and her aunt had decided to adjust her performance schedule based on the two troupes’ timetables.

If the He family wanted to listen to her sing, she would have to go there in the morning and return to Changyuan Theater in the afternoon.

Sheng Tingmian had no objections to this arrangement. After finishing her morning routine, a maid came to invite her for breakfast.

“Ah, alright, I’ll be right there.”

She changed into her own clothes and headed to the dining table. As expected, Sister He was already seated there.

“Good morning, Sister He.”

Sheng Tingmian sat cheerfully across from her. Seeing Sister He, as elegant and poised as ever, even the way she sipped porridge carried an air of grace, she couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

Truly a delight to the eyes.

Sister He was truly the most affluent and refined woman she had ever met.

“Sister He, Uncle Guan mentioned that you’d like to listen to an opera today. Do you have any particular piece in mind?”

He Jianxue set down her bowl and thought for a moment. “Then, let it be ‘Liangzhou Diqi.'”

Upon hearing “Liangzhou Diqi,” Sheng Tingmian immediately considered the issue of the costume. “Ah, if Sister He wants to listen to this, I’ll need to go back home first.”

He Jianxue frowned slightly, looking puzzled.

Sheng Tingmian explained, “Because the costume and headdress for this opera belong to my aunt. I need to go back and fetch them.”

For this performance of “Liangzhou Diqi,” her aunt would likely lend her the costume and headdress.

“That’s fine,” He Jianxue replied, not very familiar with such details. “I’ll have the chauffeur drive you over later.”

“Thank you, Sister He~” Sheng Tingmian responded sweetly, picking up the warm glass of milk beside her. She noticed that every time she had breakfast at Sister He’s place, there was always a glass of milk waiting for her.

Yet, there was none beside Sister He.

Suppressing her slight curiosity, Sheng Tingmian lifted her long, delicate eyelashes. “Sister He, what did you think of my performance of ‘The Jade Hairpin’ yesterday?”

He Jianxue glanced over. “What? Want my critique?”

Sheng Tingmian smiled, her dimples showing. “Feel free to share your thoughts, Sister He. If there’s anything you think could be improved, I’ll work on it right away.”

He Jianxue looked into her bright, deer-like eyes. For a few seconds, their gazes met, and it almost felt like she was raising a young fawn.

After finishing breakfast, He Jianxue adjusted the black leather coat draped over her shoulders. “I don’t know much about opera, but…”

“But what?” Sheng Tingmian couldn’t resist pressing, leaning forward slightly, her eyes fixed intently on her.

“It’s the best rendition I’ve heard so far.”

Hearing the praise, Sheng Tingmian’s lips curved upward, but reason told her not to appear too proud. She tried to suppress her smile, though her eyes still sparkled with joy.

“Thank you for the compliment, Sister He. Compared to the seniors, I still have much to learn.”

Sheng Tingmian then brought up another topic. “Sister He, do you know whether the scholar I performed with was a man or a woman?”

He Jianxue leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she watched Sheng Tingmian chatting animatedly instead of eating. “From your tone, if it were a man playing a male role, it wouldn’t be anything unusual worth mentioning. So that leaves only one possibility, a woman?”

“Wow, Sister He, you’re so sharp!” Sheng Tingmian had intended to keep it a mystery but was seen through instantly. She admitted cheerfully, “Yes, exactly, a woman playing a male role.”

“Because the scholar Pan Bizheng couldn’t find a suitable male dan actor, my aunt had previously trained me for a male dan role. But she thought it didn’t look right or harmonious, and I was even a bit taller than the actor. Later, she arranged for the tallest actress in the troupe to perform opposite me. Many audience members couldn’t tell the difference.”

He Jianxue tried to recall the scholar’s appearance but couldn’t quite bring it to mind. Her mind was filled only with Sheng Tingmian’s image, a charming female Taoist priest in a pink opera robe and blue checkered cloak, gracefully holding a horsetail whisk.

“I couldn’t tell either,” He Jianxue said.

“Next time, Sister He, you can pay closer attention.”

After breakfast, Sheng Tingmian got into the He family’s car and left their residence.

Returning to her community, she hurried upstairs.

When Sheng Xiaoyun heard her niece confess to having secretly taken her kingfisher-feather jeweled headdress and embroidered opera costume to perform last time, she felt a momentary surge of anger. But the next second, she remembered this rascal had done it for her troupe.

The scolding on the tip of her tongue was forcibly swallowed.

“Auntie, don’t be angry, I was wrong,” Sheng Tingmian knew her aunt would be upset and quickly hugged her coquettishly. “See, I confessed this time.”

“You should have confessed last time too.” Sheng Xiaoyun, a forty-year-old woman with her hair tied up in a messy bun, shared the same bone structure as her niece, though compared to the younger woman, she bore more traces of time and a mature charm.

She poked her niece’s forehead with feigned annoyance. “Your aunt isn’t unreasonable. I always planned to give you this opera costume after I retire. If you had just asked, I would have lent it to you.”

“Okay, okay, I told you this time. Sister He is waiting to watch the performance.”

“Sister He, Sister He…” Sheng Xiaoyun muttered the title curiously. “How did you manage to get her forgiveness yesterday?”

Sheng Tingmian, sensing her aunt had softened, turned to fetch a box from her room. “I’m not sure either. It started raining later, and I passed out on the ground. When I woke up, I was at Sister He’s house. She even called a doctor for me, I was on an IV drip all night.”

Sheng Xiaoyun leaned against the doorframe, her heart aching at the first part of the story about her niece fainting. But by the end, her sympathy vanished. “A sympathy ploy?”

Could that investor, Miss He, really fall for such a simple trick?

Sheng Xiaoyun watched her niece’s slender waist as she crossed her arms. “What’s with this ‘Sister He’ title anyway?”

Sheng Tingmian crouched in front of the box, her aunt’s shadow falling over her. As she opened it to inspect the contents, her mind drifted back to last night, how Sister He had wiped her tears, how her own tear-soaked “bean curd puffs” had dampened the woman’s hands.

Biting her lip, she leaned into the box to check inside, her voice soft. “I don’t know either. She just… suddenly asked me to call her sister.”