Notes on Longevity

Chapter 33 Some want to keep a caged bird, while others don't understand a daughter's heart.
"You left at seven quarters past 5 pm today, and then a few people came and said that their young master wanted to invite you to his mansion to sing."

Inside the pear orchard, the young woman led Xie Xiaoshuang briskly through the backyard leading to their usual residence.

"Isn't going out to perform a song all the time? Why are you all so nervous?"

As soon as the gate opened, Xie Xiaoshuang saw the scene in the garden and asked a question before the woman beside her grabbed her and pulled her towards the backyard.

On the way, she asked the woman for the reason, but she felt puzzled after hearing the woman's words. Although the place for singing was fixed, the singers were alive. Sometimes, in addition to singing in the opera house, they would also be invited to people's homes. Xie Xiaoshuang did not think there was anything wrong with this.

"It happens often. But what they say isn't just about watching a show..."

The woman's voice grew softer and softer, but she raised her lantern higher and higher, and her steps quickened.

Ahead is a set of stairs that rises from low to high. After walking up these stairs and around a courtyard full of flowers and plants, you will reach your accommodation.

"What do you mean?"

Xie Xiaoshuang quickened her pace, staying close to the woman. She was quite confused by what the woman was saying.

"They said that his young master wants to keep you in his household..."

After the two men carried her up the last step, the woman turned to the side and looked at Xie Xiaoshuang with a serious expression.

"Impossible!" In the reception room of the Pear Garden disciples' residence, a man in his thirties, sitting in the main seat, stood up angrily and roared at a group of young men in black guard uniforms in the hall.

“Master, do you know how much good fortune your opera troupe has accumulated that my young master can come to your place to watch a play? Besides, we're not imprisoning your daughter! My young master said you can visit him at your residence every day, and you'll give him money every day. What's wrong with that?”

The young man speaking had sharp eyebrows and cold eyes. Although he was patient, his words were full of impatience.

"How dare you!" The troupe leader, already furious at the man's words, launched into a tirade: "You scoundrel! I don't care who your son is. Go back and tell him that even though my Pear Garden is now in decline, it was still named by the late Emperor. Moreover, I have an article personally written by the late Emperor. Even if it were the Crown Prince, I would dare to petition His Majesty and ask him to make a decision."

When the man heard that he was being petitioned by the emperor, his heart skipped a beat, and his previous somewhat impatient demeanor instantly turned into that of a frightened bird.

"This..." The man glanced at the troupe leader, pondered for a moment, and then immediately put on a smiling face. "The troupe leader misunderstands. When my servant came to listen to the music today, he was simply moved by the young lady's singing and wanted to listen to it more. Well then, I'll go back and tell the young master that we'll come back later."

After saying that, he smiled obsequiously at the troupe leader, took two steps back, and then immediately turned around, frowned, and walked out.

"Father, are you afraid they'll come back, so you have people guarding the door?"

In the living room, Xie Xiaoshuang sat on the chair next to the main seat with a distressed expression, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the equally distressed troupe leader in front of her.

"What I said was just to scare them. If he really is the Crown Prince, even the late Emperor's writings might not be effective."

The troupe leader sighed repeatedly, his face full of worry.

"After each emperor ascended the throne, they would announce the establishment of a new reign title and write an edict to clarify their will. In essence, it meant that the era of the previous emperor had ended and that they were now in charge of the world. Although there were instances where fathers and sons were of one mind, they were extremely rare. You have often heard me speak of the previous emperor; he was a rare and wise ruler. But what about the current emperor? He was so infatuated with women that he almost brought about the downfall of the country. Although we have learned from this example, I am using the previous emperor's edict to pressure the current crown prince. Even if His Majesty spares our dignity, it will only harm us." Tears welled up in Xie Xiaoshuang's eyes as the troupe leader spoke. If what her father said was true, wouldn't she really be treated like a caged bird, fed and cared for by that man?

The class teacher saw Xiaoshuang lower her head and remain silent. She shook her head and comforted her, "I was just saying that. I'm not really the Crown Prince. Even if I were the Crown Prince, I would risk my life to protect you."

"father."

Xie Xiaoshuang finally couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears, while the troupe leader continued to comfort her.

The woman outside the hall and Shuping, who had just arrived at their residence, stood facing each other after looking at the scene inside.

"I didn't expect something like this to happen so soon after we went out. If I were there, I wouldn't care who he was, I would have beaten him up first."

As Shu Ping spoke, he turned around indignantly toward the entrance of the courtyard.

"Yes, yes, yes," the woman said, looking up at the dark night sky with a disdainful expression. "You're just an idiot."

"Huh? Zhang Wanyi, what do you mean by this?" Shu Ping was a little annoyed that the woman had called him a fool for no reason, and he didn't think he was a fool at all. Besides, this wasn't the first time. But he just couldn't understand why Zhang Wanyi always called him a fool for no reason. He didn't understand, he really didn't understand.

"What an idiot." Zhang Wanyi rolled her eyes at Shuping and said to him irritably, "Get some rest. There's a performance earlier tomorrow."

After Zhang Wanyi finished speaking, she didn't give Shuping a chance to speak. Almost as soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and left.

Shu Ping, however, stood there blankly, at a loss for what to do.

He was puzzled and confused. He frowned and glanced back at the father and daughter in the hall, one crying and the other comforting. He thought to himself, "Master, Shuping will definitely repay the young lady's kindness in taking me in. If those people come again tomorrow, I will make sure they never leave."

Shu Pingyuan was originally an actor in a small opera troupe. Unlike the Wuli Pear Garden, they didn't have a fixed venue; instead, they traveled around, taking on various roles to make a living. But the chaos that swept the country a few years ago almost cut off their livelihood.

In the midst of that chaos, the troupe, which originally consisted of seven or eight people, was reduced to only two or three. In search of a way to survive, they went their separate ways. Shuping stumbled and fell all the way to the capital, where he was eventually rescued by the troupe leader.

Because Shuping had this skill, they allowed him to stay in the garden and become an actor again.

It was late at night, and the full moon hanging high in the night sky had begun to slowly descend to the other side.

Shu Ping returned to his room, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep. But in his dream, a woman's figure appeared. He couldn't see the woman's face clearly, but he heard her open her mouth and call out to him, "Idiot."

The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, he slowly opened his eyes amidst a shoving and pushing.

(End of this chapter)