Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Suzhou, Jinbi Garden.

After Jia Cong and Zou Min'er arrived in Gusu, they asked Jiang Liu to take people to the dock to look for the boatman Zheng Xiaohai.

Not long after, Jiang Liu came back and said that Zheng Xiaohai was not in Gusu. He asked the people at the dock and they said that Zheng Xiaohai had left for a ship yesterday and might not come back for a day or two.

Jia Cong was not surprised to hear this. Zheng Xiaohai had been sailing in Suzhou and Yangzhou all year round, so it was normal for him to be away from Gusu for a while.

Fortunately, he was only sailing on short-distance ships, and he would return to Gusu in three or two days at most.

Normally, when Jia Cong arrived in Gusu, he would go to Panxiang Temple to see Zhishao.

However, when he went from Shenjing to Gusu, no one would notice his movements, let alone know that he placed Zhishao in Panxiang Temple.

But this time he went from Jinling to Gusu, and many people knew about it.

Ever since the five new cannons were shipped to the capital, official exchanges between the Firearms Bureau of the Temporary Capital and the Ministry of War have gradually increased.

There was frequent exchange of personnel and documents between the two government offices.

His trip to Nanjing with his beautiful wife had become a romantic affair in Qingyin Pavilion. The news would surely spread, and Zhang Kangnian, the right vice minister of the Ministry of War, would most likely know about it.

He couldn't guarantee whether there would be spies from Nanjing following him to Gusu to find out the truth of his trip.

He didn't want anyone to know about the connection between Panxiang Temple and him, and he didn't want anyone to know about Zhishao's existence.

Just in case, he decided to be patient for the time being and not visit Panxiang Temple when he went to Gusu this time.

……

Since he accompanied Zou Miner to Suzhou to accompany her in shopping for actresses and musicians in Suzhou, he naturally played his part well on the surface to conceal his tracks.

So, the two of them arrived in Gusu, confirmed where Zheng Xiaohai was going, and then went to Jinbi Garden near Gusu's Changmen.

The areas near Jinbi Garden are the most prosperous streets in Suzhou, with numerous shops and vendors peddling their wares, making it a very lively place.

Jia Cong casually bought some local specialties such as silk, embroidery, paper fans, and Su cakes, and asked Jiang Liu and two personal soldiers to carry the dazzling array of goods and follow behind him and Zou Min'er.

He acted like he was traveling to Suzhou with beautiful girls.

Jinbi Garden is the most famous theater in Gusu and is well-known throughout the six states and one prefecture in the south of the Yangtze River.

Many outstanding local opera troupes in Suzhou would line up here to perform on stage.

When they arrived at Jinbi Garden, it was already afternoon, and the theater was not performing at this time.

As soon as you enter the gate of Jinbi Garden, you can hear many soft and melodious sounds coming one after another. They are the opera troupe's voices warming up their voices for the opera.

Jia Cong only felt that these singing styles, with different pitches and clear and turbid tones, collided and intertwined in the Jinbi Garden in the afternoon, which sounded quite lively and interesting to his ears.

Zou Min'er was not like Jia Cong, who just listened for fun. She studied the art of playing the zither and the tones with Du Qingniang, and was an expert in music theory. She could tell the pros and cons of the singing styles of these actors.

As long as one can hear the beautiful singing voice, the light in one's bright eyes will flow back and forth in search.

At this moment, among these throat-stretching singing styles, a graceful and charming voice suddenly sounded, clear and transparent, soothing the heart, lingering and lingering.

"It turns out that all the beautiful flowers are left to the broken wells and dilapidated walls. What can we do about the beautiful scenery? Who can enjoy the joyful scene in the yard..."

The voice was free of any artificiality or impetuousness; it was fresh, bright, light and soft, like a newly blooming magnolia on a branch, or like ripples caused by a dragonfly flying over green waves.

With her light and graceful voice, she stands out among those singing styles that require straining the throat.

……

Jia Cong, an outsider who was just listening to the fun, and Zou Miner, an insider who was listening to the details, were both amazed by the voice and looked at each other in unison.

Zou Min'er and Jia Cong came to Suzhou, although they only used the name of purchasing opera girls as a cover, but if they really met a good one, they would not want to miss it easily.

What's more, the song about the garden party just now was sung surprisingly well. Zou Miner really wanted to see what kind of person the singer was.

The two followed the clear and sweet voice and entered a small courtyard in the back garden of Jinbi Garden.

The small courtyard was only about ten steps in radius and looked very dilapidated. There were two simple bungalows in the courtyard. Through the windows, one could see a lot of miscellaneous items piled up inside.

The yard was filled with hemp ropes, on which were hung freshly washed clothes. In the bright afternoon sunshine, the clothes fluttered in the breeze like flags.

There was a pile of laundry in the middle of the yard. A little girl of about twelve or thirteen was busy scrubbing the laundry while singing the song "Garden Tour" over and over again.

The voice was clear and beautiful, and seemed to linger in this dilapidated courtyard for a long time.

Zou Miner was surprised by what she saw. She thought that with such an outstanding singing voice, he must be the best in the troupe. It should be Runcha singing with flowers, which is what should be seen.

But what we see before us is that this person with such exquisite singing voice is actually just a little girl washing clothes.

You have to know that the actors in a troupe don't do rough work like washing clothes. These chores are done by the low-level servants in the troupe.

The little girl noticed someone entering the yard and turned to look over curiously.

When Jia Cong saw the little girl's appearance clearly, he was greatly surprised.

Although she was young, she was already very pretty, with brows like spring mountains, skin as fair as jade, eyes like autumn water, a thin face, a slender waist, and a graceful figure.

What's even more bizarre is that this girl looks 70% similar to Daiyu.

Zou Miner smiled and said, "Little sister, you sang the song "Garden Tour" very well just now. Which troupe are you from?"

After hearing this, the girl raised her slender and delicate eyebrows slightly, looking a little cold and stubborn, and asked, "Who are you? I don't know you."

Zou Miner was stunned when she heard this. She didn't expect that this pretty girl was a little arrogant and not easy to talk to.

Jia Cong, who was standing aside, looked at the little girl's appearance, as if thinking about something.

……

At this time, another little girl of eight or nine years old, holding a pile of clothes in her hands, staggered into the yard.

He said, "Xiao Fu, why don't you wash your clothes quickly? If the boss finds you lying here, he will beat you again."

When the girl who was washing clothes heard this, she snorted slightly, with an expression of stubbornness and defiance on her face.

The girl who brought the clothes in seemed to have a good relationship with her and comforted her, "Don't be angry, you broke your flower crown and the owner is angry, the master has gone to mediate.

You have to suffer a little to appease the boss. When I have finished warming up my throat, I will come over and help you wash it."

The little girl put down her clothes, turned around and was about to leave the yard, and didn't care about the appearance of Jia Cong and Zou Min'er.

The little girl who was washing clothes shouted, "Adou, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything today. Can you help me find some?"

The little girl named Adou skipped away without even turning her head to respond, "I know."

After hearing this, Jia Cong smiled slightly and took a box of newly bought Zhen'er cakes from Jiang Liu.

He said to the girl, "Aren't you hungry? I'll treat you to some Zhen'er Cake."

The girl glanced at Jia Cong, and seemed to be infected by his gentle smile. Her raised eyebrows relaxed, but she still did not take the box of Zhen'er cake.

He said, "I don't know you, so I won't eat your snacks." Jia Cong smiled and said, "You just sang the song "Garden Tour" very well. I listened to such a good song for nothing. This box of snacks is my thank you gift for listening to the song."

When the little girl heard Jia Cong praising her singing, her words were very sincere, and she felt happy. She smiled and asked, "Does she really sing well?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Of course it's true. This is the first time I've heard someone sing so well. If you refuse to eat this box of Zhen'er cake, it means that I have no vision or hearing, and I think I'm not singing well."

When the girl heard this, her eyebrows slightly raised, and her big watery eyes opened wide, looking very smart and lovely.

She looks quite confident and will never admit that she sings badly.

When Jia Cong saw her expression when she was talking to others just now, he probably saw that she had a stubborn and obstinate personality, so he used those words to provoke her. Now it seems that he was right.

Jia Cong smiled and handed her the box of Zhen'er cakes. The girl smiled shyly, but did not refuse. She took the box of snacks and said softly, "Thank you, young master."

Zou Miner, who was standing aside, looked at Jia Cong and couldn't help but frowned. She didn't expect that Jia Cong, who was usually serious, was very good at coaxing girls.

It is said that children of wealthy families are all dissolute, and it is indeed true. When he sees a pretty girl, this man becomes so smooth-talking.

"Xiaofu, you are still being lazy here. Why don't you finish washing the clothes quickly? Watch out, I haven't finished settling your account yet!"

The girl named Xiaofu was startled when she heard this and the snack in her hand fell to the ground.

Her eyes were slightly red, she bit her thin lips, pursed her mouth tightly, lowered her head and said nothing, picked up the clothes in her hands, and rubbed them hard again.

Jia Cong picked up the snacks on the ground. Fortunately, the paper box was not broken and the snacks were not dirty.

He raised his head and looked at the person who came with a somewhat unfriendly expression.

When that person saw that Jia Cong and Zou Min'er were dressed elegantly, he did not dare to underestimate them. He worked in an opera troupe, where they often interacted with the rich and powerful, and he knew how to curry favor and read people's expressions.

The two people in front of him didn't look like ordinary people, so he smiled and asked, "I wonder what the two guests are doing in Jinbi Garden? It's not time for the show to go on stage yet."

Jia Cong was somewhat dissatisfied with the girl he had just scolded. He frowned and said, "We are from the Shenjing Jiaofangsi. We are not here to listen to operas, but to buy opera girls and singing girls. Who are you?"

When the man heard that they were from the Imperial Music Bureau and were here to buy actors, his eyes lit up.

He saw that although Jia Cong was young, he had a noble bearing and great authority, and must be an official.

Zou Min'er was beautiful, elegant and cold, not like an ordinary official's daughter. Since he was in the opera industry, he had seen several musicians in the Imperial Music Bureau, but none of them was as outstanding as Zou Min'er.

They said they were from the Shenjing Jiaofangsi, so there was no falsehood in their words. To put it bluntly, pretending to be someone from the Jiaofangsi was not a glorious thing.

Because for people like Jia Cong and Zou Min'er, it is not surprising to say that they are the sons and daughters of aristocratic families, let alone the Jiaofangsi.

The man said quickly, "So you are the superior of the Jiaofangsi. I am so sorry for my disrespect. My name is Chen Youcai, and I am the owner of the Suzhou Opera Troupe Jinkui Pavilion.

Since you want to buy actresses, I may be able to help you. Please come to the front hall for a chat."

When Jia Cong left, he handed the box of Zhen'er cakes to Xiaofu and said to Chen Youcai, "This Miss Xiaofu hasn't eaten for a day. I'll give her a box of cakes. I hope Mr. Chen has no objection."

Chen Youcai had something on his mind and wanted to use Jia Cong and Zou Miner. He was busy trying to curry favor with them, so how could he reject Jia Cong's intention because of these trivial matters?

He quickly said, "No problem, of course no problem, Xiaofu, why don't you take the snacks given by the nobleman?"

Jia Cong stuffed the box of Zhen'er cake back into Xiaofu's hands and smiled at her again. He had an inexplicable liking for this girl who looked so much like Daiyu.

Although I had some doubts in my mind, the name didn't match, so it should be someone else.

……

In the front hall of the backyard of Jinbi Garden, Chen Youcai and Jia Cong exchanged a few pleasantries before getting to the point.

"The two superiors wanted to buy opera girls in Gusu, and it was a coincidence that they met me. I already have more than a dozen top-notch opera girls, and they have all studied opera in my class for more than three years.

They are all between nine and thirteen years old, and their looks, figures, and singing voices are all first-rate. I dare say that Shangguan will not find any other small operas as outstanding as theirs in Gusu."

Jia Cong and Zou Min'er looked at each other. They came to Gusu for other important matters and came to Jinbi Garden just to go through the motions. They didn't expect that business would come to them.

When I met Chen Youcai, he turned out to be the owner of a troupe who was eager to sell his opera.

However, Jia Cong and Zou Min'er did not object to this matter. After all, the reason they came to Suzhou was to buy actresses and singing girls.

When I return to Jinling, I will bring back a few actresses, so that the trip will be worthwhile and it will also help to conceal my tracks.

Jia Cong asked, "We do want to buy actresses in Gusu, but they must be first-rate and have a clean background. The Ministry of Rites and the Jiaofang Bureau are government offices, so they must do things clearly.

It seems that Mr. Chen is eager to sell the actress, but I don’t know why.”

Chen Youcai said quickly: "Don't worry, Shangguan, Jinkui Pavilion is a serious old opera troupe in Gusu. It has been passed down for several generations and has a good reputation in Gusu. You can find out by asking anyone.

The actresses in the class were all bought from good people's homes, there was no forced buying, and each of them had a tattooed contract signed by the government, without any mistakes.

In the past two years, Suyang has suffered from natural disasters year after year. God has not been kind to them. People can't even afford the government salt, and the number of ordinary people going to the opera has decreased significantly compared to previous years.

Although there are many wealthy people in the city who love to listen to opera, there are too many opera troupes in Suzhou. Now there are more people than porridge, and life is difficult.

My class had decent profits in previous years, so I spent a lot of money to buy and train young actors. But this year, if I keep more, I will be stretched to the limit.

Since the two superiors want to buy top-quality actresses, and I want to sell good actors, isn't this a win-win situation?"

After listening to Chen Youcai's words and seeing the eager expression on his face, Jia Cong finally understood why the other party was so eager to sell out the little actor.

When he was in Yangzhou, he heard Lin Ruhai lamenting the rampant smuggling of salt in the Huai River region in the past two years.

The reason is that natural disasters have occurred year after year, and people's livelihoods are becoming increasingly difficult. People cannot afford official salt and would rather take the risk to buy cheaper private salt.

As the world and people's livelihood declined, the general public had less desire to listen to operas, so opera troupes like Jinkuige naturally had a hard time.

Chen Youcai is eager to sell his small plays in order to reduce the population, save daily expenses, and get through the current difficulties.

Zou Miner said, "Since the Chen troupe mainly sells small plays, we also want to see if the talent is outstanding, so we call people out to sing and listen."

Zou Min'er had been in the Jiaofangsi for two years. Although she was only a pipa player, she had seen many outstanding actors in the Jiaofangsi.

Her teacher, Du Qingniang, was a top-notch singer of the time, so she naturally had a good understanding of singing skills and vocal styles.

Besides, she just wanted to buy a few actors to bring back to Jinling to make for a nice occasion, so there was no need to be too serious about it. She planned to let the actors come in and sing a few lines one by one, and then pick out a few that sounded nice and buy them.

When Chen Youcai heard Zou Min'er's words, he was overjoyed and immediately asked someone to call the female coach of the troupe to bring the little actors in to sing.

After a while, a middle-aged woman led a group of teenage opera girls and lined them up outside the hall. She brought them in one by one to sing songs.

It turned out that Chen Youcai was not bragging. The little actors in Jinkui Pavilion were indeed very outstanding, although they were all girls between eight or nine years old and twelve or thirteen years old.

But no matter her appearance, figure, singing skills, etc., she is outstanding. In the front hall, for a while, the graceful figures and beautiful voices are heard one after another, some are charming and gentle, some are sonorous and high-pitched, which is really pleasing to the eye.

Zou Min'er was delighted to hear this. Originally, she just wanted to buy four or five little actors to bring back to Jinling to liven up the scene, but now she was a little dazzled by the choices and didn't know which one to choose.

Jia Cong, who was standing aside, was slightly dazed, with an expression of inexplicable surprise on his face.

Because the female coach would only bring in one little opera girl at a time, and before each little opera girl started singing, she would introduce herself and say her stage name.

Fangguan, Wenguan, Ouguan, Qiguan, Baoguan, Aiguan, Kuiguan, Douguan... (End of this chapter)