box of hearts

Chapter 37: Welcome the Cyclamen (2)
Qingtian only felt that when she woke up, it was already a new world, only her, and everything within her reach was aging crazily, the old cat, the old bed, the old whore, the days passing between the fingers were all the same.Despite this, she still managed to get a new lover, her lover was only the size of a palm, hidden in a white paper bag.She stuffed the paper bag into a drawer, and then locked the drawer.But every late night, no matter who she sleeps with, or sleeplessly hugs the cat alone, she can hear her lover calling her in the drawer, seducing her, and saying all the most beautiful sweet words in the world.Several times, she couldn't help getting up in the deep, sitting in the dark and touching the paper bag over and over again, wanting to peel it off, just like peeling off the coat of a man she likes, and kissing deeply.

Suddenly, before everything happened, every time she couldn't bear it any longer, she thought about her little tailor, but whenever she thought about this little paper bag, Qingtian felt that she could hold on for a while.

Now the only consolation in her life is this bag of arsenic.

2.
Near the middle of August, the first-class small class had to settle the accounts of this section as usual, so the business was much lighter, but a group of top ladies who were so popular were busier than usual.Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the rich and embroidered households have to walk around to celebrate the festival, and the noble families and officials' wives have to respect their identities to avoid strangers and cannot socialize with their husbands, so men often go to brothels to serve wine and socialize.If there is a banquet at home, it is often necessary to invite prostitutes who are good friends to come to add to the fun. These prostitutes are called "the heads of the upper hall".

Qingtian is the head of the line, he often goes in and out of the homes of the three old guests, so he is also acquainted with their inner family.Mr. Feng's original partner used to be a young lady raised in a deep boudoir. She always came to read Buddhism and eat vegetarian food. At first, she made a big fuss by adopting Qingtian as a goddaughter for the old man. Later, she also admitted that Qingtian came to the door during the New Year and holidays. This "godmother" He often seals a big red envelope to her.The wife of Liu Yanei was young and thin-skinned, she called Qingtian "Sister" when she saw Qingtian, and she was extremely courteous, two or three times when Qingtian left the banquet, Madam Liu kept sending her to the sedan chair.Qiu Yushi's grandma is very different. This grandma Qiu was originally from a small household in the market. Although she followed her husband and wife, she did not change her aggressive and promising nature. Not jealous, but distressed about money.Grandma Qiu has a nickname in official circles called "teapot and money jar", which means that she has a small mouth and a big belly, and she can hold as much as she wants. Aunt Qian, girl, you don’t sleep, you have to hide the silver bills secretly and spend money to sleep outside. I don’t believe that Duan Qingtian in Huaihua Hutong has borders on his head? Gold borders or silver borders?” But every time Qingtian came to socialize He was so angry that he closed the house, so Qingtian and Qiu Yushi have known each other for several years, but he has never met his grandmother.

Recently, Qiu Jinqi's immediate boss was promoted, and he was promoted to Zuodu Yushi in sequence.From the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, the Qiu Mansion held banquets, firstly to celebrate the festival, and secondly to thank all the colleagues who came to congratulate.

The sky was beautiful and the moon was about to be full. The banquet was held in the garden of the mansion. A group of high-ranking officials wrote round tickets to summon their good friends, Bao Liuniang from Yuhualou, Xiuxing from Wulingchun, Huaiyatang All the flowers are here, but the shadows of the candles are all in the same color, and the singing and laughter are noisy together.Qingtian is called Tiaozi by the master's house, she is like a half-hostess, she should be there first, so that she can greet everyone and offer cigarettes and tea, but she arrives later than anyone else.It turned out to be the joy of He Qiujinqi's promotion. She sang a set of tragic songs upside down with her pipa in her arms.Qiu Jinqi didn't look good, and asked everyone to coax the wine, Qingtian took the red sea bowl without changing his face, and drank three bowls in one go, making everyone in the garden dumbfounded.She took out her handkerchief and stamped the corners of her mouth, pressed herself down, and went out of the garden to board the sedan chair.

Before the sedan chair had been lifted half a mile away, Qingtian was already vomiting so badly that his stomach was nauseated, Mu Yun hurriedly turned back to Huai Ya Tang.Duixia and Fengqin are all in the same hall, when they heard it, they immediately left the guests and ran upstairs, "Why do you drink like this?"

The old lady brought the hangover soup, and Xiangxia brought it up. One end helped Qing Tian to feed her, and the other end was already crying, "Sister, my mother told us about your situation two days ago. I'm sorry, sister, we will see you soon." You have a bad temper these days, and you still complain about you behind your back, but you don't know the pain in your heart. Sister, you have always been strong. If you don't tell me, we dare not ask more questions. Seeing you like this today, I really can't help but say something. The man is gone, and we still have a group of sisters. If the poor boy hires someone else, let him hire another one. We will find a loving and righteous one to remarry. Based on your reputation, sister, if you are really willing to say the word 'marry' , how many princes and dukes lined up to help post, the titles of 'Madam of the County King' and 'Madam of the University Scholar' are all up to you to choose, how much is the 'Madam of the Champion' worth? Why bother to practice yourself like this? Your business is good, there are many The villains are hot-eyed, and this can only make them laugh for nothing. Sister, don't worry about that Joe—"

Before she could finish speaking, Qingtian, who had been looking drowsy all this time, suddenly stood up, spit out the sour soup in her mouth with a "poof", stared straight at her eyes, and overturned the bowl in Duixia's hand , jumping out of bed with bare feet, smashing things, biting people, and slapping people with laughter and screaming... Hardly drove everyone away, even the cat Zaiyu kicked out of the room.

The sky and the earth were spinning, and people kept falling down, into a black hole as deep as ten feet deep, and she was the only one left in the whole world.Covered his head in the quilt and curled up into a ball, tearing the quilt with his teeth, biting his hair, something was stuck in his throat, after all he couldn't hold it down, and spit out with a "wow".

It was past noon the next day when he woke up, and Qingtian found himself lying face down in the wine vomited up the night before, and his face and head were smeared with filth.She just moved her numb hands and feet numbly, and then lay on the bed full of garbage, and she didn't think much of it.What a joke, why does she think so?She herself is trash.The sun was shining on her body, and there was a clear smell of decay.

The old mothers pinched their noses to tidy up a brocade quilt that Begonia was sleeping in, Qingtian scrubbed his face and long hair indiscriminately, barely swallowed two mouthfuls of porridge with dried shrimp skin and vegetables, and stood by the window with his elbows in a daze.

Downstairs, from far to near, there was a Hanako shaking a rice bowl singing the song "Lotus Falling": "On the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, the temple gate opens, bull heads and horse faces are lined up on both sides, the big ghost holds the book of life and death, and the little ghost holds the spirit card. Sitting in the middle of Lord Yama, a gust of wind blows in a little ghost. He runs down the ground like a paper on his head, and the respectful voice of Yama understands that in the next life, he will ask me to be reborn as a cow, horse and dog, and never give birth to a female skirt. One year old and two years old in the arms of a mother, three and four years old Li Niang pregnant, five and six years old running on the street, seven and eight years old mother loves me, nine and ten years old sold me. I didn't earn money, my mother beat me hard, soaked the whip in water and kicked me out, and beat me like a ghost , the leather whipped until the skin and flesh were split, and was sold on the spot at ten 34, and was happy at a young age. Three days without food in the world, five days in the underworld, a reed mat, rolled up the slave's house, and threw it in the wilderness. No one buried it. The crows came to peck at the slave's eyes, and the vicious dogs from the north scratched the slave's arms. Ask the king of hell which crime you said I committed, and whether I should be treated like this. I would rather be a cow or a horse in the next life than a woman in the underworld. "

The singing was rough and joking, and at the end of the song, a few female voices "Fuck your mother" and "Get out of your father" were mixed in. It was the girls from the next flower building who leaned out and laughed and cursed, but Qingtian was stunned when he heard it, until It was hot in the waist, and the soul came back suddenly, "Huh?"

A little girl tied a satin skirt on top of her single silk clothes, and shook off a small jacket, "Grandma Qiu Yushi is here!"

Immediately there was a woman on the stairs shouting and asking: "Which one is Duan Qingtian?"

Qingtian was caught off guard, but he could hear the hostility in his voice, he hurriedly straightened his clothes and stepped out of the house.

A menacing woman came along the corridor, leading seven or eight servant girls and old maids, and went up the stairs with a ring of pendants.The woman is quite old, wearing a golden-colored double-breasted jacket and a pearl pleated skirt, a five-beam crown with emerald gold threads on her head, and a pair of small soybean eyes on a slender horse face, covering Qingtian from head to toe. Take a hard look.

"You are Duan Qingtian?"

Second Sister Duan was not there, all the aunts and maidservants in Huai Ya Tang panicked, no one dared to stop them, they just surrounded the second-rank lady of the imperial court to be courteous, "Grandma Qiu is here, she has not been far away to welcome you, please forgive me." Grandma Qiu, you sit in the room, standing here carefully is a draft." "Grandma, if you have anything to say, just tell me."

Qingtian was still hungover, his half-wet hair was only messing around in the back of his head, he was already frustrated, but he was hit by such fatigue, he rushed straight to the top of his head, and asked knowingly: "I am Duan Qingtian ,who are you?"

Grandma Qiu stretched her eyes, and a pair of little beans almost rolled out, "Well, you flirtatious pheasant, you only care to confuse our master by fluffing your fluffy hair, so you don't recognize me?"

I don't know which one, anyway, the servants of the Qiu family and Huai Yatang's own old lady were all buzzing: "Tsk, this is Grandma Qiu." "Sister Qing, why don't you say it? This is Mrs. Yushi." "Qiu Yushi's main wife, I must recognize her now."...

Every word you said made Grandma Qiu's fireworks even more exciting, raised her eyebrows, and raised her chin at Qingtian.

Qingtian didn't take it seriously, and just stretched his hands to the back of his neck to smooth his hair, "I don't know what advice grandma can teach me?"

With a "swish", Grandma Qiu pulled her right hand out of her sleeve and spread it forward, "Where is my master's salary last month? Here!"

Qingtian pulled out the long silver hairpin that locked the bun, bit the hairpin horizontally into his mouth, twisted his damp hair again, and said inarticulately: "This is amazing, your master's salary What has it to do with me?"

(End of this chapter)