Chapter 351: Honest people suffer

The stage was set up in a small square not far from the food market.

There were bunches of people joining in the New Year festivities. At this hour, the large area in front of the stage was already crowded. People have all occupied the benches placed for guests in the middle of the stage. Those without benches stood around and watched.  

When they arrived, the performance on the stage seemed to have been going on for a while.

Good seats were taken, so the party could only stand on the outermost periphery to watch. With Liu Yusheng as the shortest in the line, she could only tiptoe and watch through the gaps in the crowd to watch.

Xue Qinglian stood behind her, stroking his chin in amusement as he watched the young girl’s shaky and strained appearance on her tiptoes.

And then he looked at the group of villagers who came. Each of them was also stretching their necks.

A bunch of idiots.

He stretched out a finger and tapped the young girl’s shoulder. “I’ll leave for a while.”

Liu Yusheng’s attention was all on the stage, so she nodded perfunctorily.

Xue Qinglian was an adult and would never get lost.

It was her first time to watch an ancient stage.

The opera singers wearing robes on stage with their faces painted with heavy makeup were so far away. Together with the rowdy discussion of the spectators nearby, she simply couldn’t hear what exactly they were singing.

But she was interested.

She attempted to picture the atmosphere.

Fu Yuzheng had watched opera troupes in the capital, but then the atmosphere was different from now.

Back then, she felt nothing when watching the opera. However, she was brimming with novelty and excitement now, because the people accompanying her were different.

Just listening to the young boys and girls of Xinghua Village talking to each other was interesting to her. Their vitality was easily infectious, and this was something their living environment had molded.

Today’s Xinghua Village has no shortage of food or drink. Their families were rich and happy, and they were living a carefree life, making their temperament entirely different from other villages and households.

You couldn’t see sadness or depression in them. The peace they permeated made others want to get closer to them.

“This play tells the story of a poor scholar and a rich lady. Because of the disparity in their status, the affectionate couple were separated. Later, the scholar became a top scholar. The lady has already been forced to marry someone else while the scholar married the maid beside the rich lady. Each married their spouses and lived with peace of mind in distant places.”

Looking at the two women who were watching with relish, Liu Zhixia explained to them.

“You’ve heard of it?” Fu Yuzheng asked.

“No, I’ve seen the play script.” When he was in the academy, there were often students who went to listen to the opera. He wasn’t interested in it, and it was only in his spare time that he occasionally looked at the opera scripts to relax himself.

Liu Yusheng, on the other hand, wanted to hammer her elder brother.

This was a spoiler, right? She hated spoilers when she was watching a play!

It completely killed the sense of anticipation.

“Pop, pop!” A sudden burst of applause came outside of the crowd, and then someone shouted, “Whoever can give up a few inner seats can go to Wanjin Restaurant for dinner in the evening and get the bill waived!”

Liu Yusheng, “…” She was confused.

What was happening?

Wanjin restaurant – wasn’t it the largest restaurant in town that Qian Wanjin opened?

Why were they suddenly engaging in this play? If she heard correctly, the voice just now should be the restaurant’s boss, right?

Liu Zhixia and Fu Yuzheng glanced at each other, and then looked towards the crowd outside.

The person who clapped and repeatedly yelled there; wasn’t he the shopkeeper?

He was giving a free account, so a commotion immediately arose in the most crowded spot in front of the theater. Soon the crowd moved, and really gave way to some empty seats and empty stools.

Xue Qinglian appeared again from nowhere and gestured towards them with his chin. “Let’s go. Go over there and take a seat.”

Together with his partners from Xinghua village, they all got preferential treatment and ranked among the best positions.

The crowd that had previously given way had already gone to the restaurant shopkeeper and asked about the exemption at the restaurant.

Liu Yusheng sat comfortably on a stool and raised an eyebrow at Xue Qinglian. “It’s you, isn’t it?  If Qian Wanjin gets to know that you used his restaurant to waive the bill, he would be furious with you.”

“If he were here, not only would it be free tonight, but he could also do it more exaggeratedly.” Xue Qinglian snorted. That guy, Qian Wanjin, was wealthy, but he could spend his entire fortune for Liu Yusheng.

Now, it was just a free account for a meal in the restaurant. What did it count?

Xiao Shuanzi was sitting behind Liu Yusheng and heard the two’s conversation. He immediately perked up and looked at Xue Qinglian with eyes so bright. “Brother Qinglian, you are so resourceful!”

If it wasn’t for him, their group would still be squeezing in outside to watch the fun.

Sister Nannan was right. Experts always had some quirks, but they did have top-notch means.

Xue Qinglian glanced sideways at him. “It’s not that I’m resourceful, but it’s you guys who are too stupid.”

Each of them were persevering, but what was the use of keeping one’s dignity and self-discipline?

Dull with and lacking adaptability.

“We’re not stupid. We’re honest.”

“Honest people suffer.”

“…” He actually left people speechless.

Liu Zhiqiu pulled Xiao Shuanzi, who had been rendered speechless, back. “Don’t stigmatize him. The craftiest person in our family is him. Unless he didn’t think of it, there’s nothing he wouldn’t dare to do.”

“Indeed.” Xue Qinglian nodded.

For example, there were many ways he could sit in a good position in this situation in front of him. The aftermath wouldn’t be too good, however. 

The gentlest way was to use money to solve it.

It just so happened that Qian Wanjin had money.

“But this solution is really good, I did not expect Qian Wanjin to be so easy to use. I will follow suit in the future.”

Liu Yusheng was silently smacking her forehead. She didn’t know why the three views of the people around her were so strange.

The movement here has long attracted the attention of the front row of the theater.

There were several long tables set up in front of them, with hot tea and snacks on the table. The people present were men, women and children, all dressed in glamorous clothes and bejewelled with gold and silver.

People who often hang out in town knew that these were all the families of wealthy families in Cangwu Town.

They invited the opera troupe to celebrate the New Year.

“Who are those people? They are all shouting at a play. They have no manners.” In the middle of the front row, a girl in a warm lotus cape frowned, dissatisfied with the unrest of the crowd behind.

“Sister Ziyu, don’t be annoyed. Those are country bumpkins who don’t know how to behave. They are rude, but they don’t have any bad intentions. You should take it easy, and don’t bother with them.” The gentle voice of persuasion was a young girl also draped in an aqua blue fox fur cloak.

The two girls were both lushly young, graceful as water and charming as flowers. Their beauty was equally shared, without match.

It was just that the girl with the aqua blue cape looked pleasingly gentle, while the girl with the lotus cape looked arrogant.

“You’re just too nice. Are there any bad people in your eyes?” Kang Ziyu snorted.

The young girl hid her lips and smiled. “Maybe I’m just lucky. Everyone I met were all good people.”

“Yue’er, you invited Miss Kang over to watch the show, so you should entertain our distinguished guest well on behalf of the family. Don’t be negligent,” a noblewoman in brocade interjected.

“I know, Grandmother.”

Kang Zi Yu smiled at the noblewoman, “Elder Li, Junyue and I are friends. There is no need to entertain me specially.”

“Good, good. It’s rare for you two to hit it off, as long as you’re happy.”

While they were talking, the girl in the middle seemed to look back inadvertently. Her eyes swept over the location of the Xinghua villagers. Her eyes flashed brightly, and a pale blush immediately appeared on her white cheeks.