When the banquet ended and people started leaving, it was already late at night. When Zuo Zhen walked out from the club, Tang Hai had already ordered the chauffeur to wait at the main entrance. Helped him to put on his coat, Tang Hai asked worriedly, “Er Ye drank a lot?”
Zuo Zhen shook his head, actually he had not drank much today, but he wasn’t sure why, he felt a tad stuffy, and a the alcohol rushing up. “I’ll walk alone, you don’t need to follow.”
Zuo Zhen took a breath of the cool air, suppressing his tipsiness. He really wanted have some solitude in this cold night, the busyness of the past few days, entertainment in the night, the noise of the dance songs, the debauchery, he was truly sick of all these. Tang Hai was stunned and at a loss as he stood unmoving, wanting to catch up but not daring to do so.
It was already late in the night, why was Er Ye wandering around outside? Zuo Zhen came to a rest, surprised as he tilted his head to listen, it was from some kind of flute, a mellow melody. It was not far from Lion Grove’s backyard, he didn’t know how he ended up here. But from what he knew, there was no one living there, where did the music come from then?
He followed the sound and slowly walked towards it, stopping at the gates at the backyard of Lion Grove. The metal gates lay nestled among the lilac flowers, it was locked, the surroundings dark, blending into the night, with only the light scent of flowers hanging in the air. At this point, he could hear very clearly, it was unknown song, drifting from the garden. It was the flute.
From the gap among the flowers, he could see that the person blowing the flute at the south shelter, looking through the metal gate at this angle, he could not see clearly. Thankfully the moon was bright tonight, Zuo Zhen could recognize the long plait of the lady, who else could it be besides Jin Xiu?
She wasn’t completely facing the metal gate, her body was slightly turned, leaning on the railing, dressed in white, not certain if it were silk or satin, lightly swaying in the wind. She was blowing into a long purple bamboo flute, the flute was slightly tilted downwards, as was her head. Under the moonlight, she seemed to have been enveloped in the mist of the night, every feature of hers was so beautiful that they seemed like a dream, the hand holding on to the flute was snow white like jade, as though shimmering with a light glow.
The music from the flute was low and meandering, spiraling in the night wind. There was something on her mind, Zuo Zhen didn’t know anything about music, but, anyone with ears would be touched by the melancholy in the music.
In the dark, Zuo Zhen was unmoving. Rong Jin Xiu could actually play the flute so well? He still remembered when he saw her in Lion Grove, she did mention about knowing how to play the flute, but no one placed much importance on this, since this wasn’t a skill that could feed her. This rang in his ears, so what she said was true.
Zuo Zhen placed one hand on the metal gate, and couldn’t help himself but laugh. What irony, he and Ying Dong had actually made fun of Jin Xiu for not being able to play the piano. Back in her hometown, she was probably a lady who rarely ventured out, yet now she had descended into such a dirty place. The elites of upper cla.s.s society, Xiang Ying Dong included all prefered the luxuriousness of the piano. As for Jin Xiu’s flute, it was just like her intentions, difficult to receive Ying Dong’s appreciation.
Zuo Zhen’s heart was warmly swaying. All these years, making his mark along b.l.o.o.d.y rainstorms, moving between wealth and dest.i.tution, he had long forgotten the feeling of being moved. He was an orphan, abandoned by his parents since young, he had slept under bridges, and had been a beggar and thief before. At six he was adopted by his master and became a small follower of Qing gang. Now his position and wealth had come from the blood and tears he had sacrificed.
Although his life looked glorious, he knew that those were all emblemishments. To ingratiate himself with the hypocrisy of the upper cla.s.s society, he had to hide the truth in his heart. To escape the loneliness of the night, he used money to buy smiles every night, until he felt exhausted.
But just right here at the moment, at this time and place, he suddenly felt at peace. In the dark, the music was like jade, and had an unspeakable sense of peacefulness. Shrouded in moonlight, in the music from the flute, amidst the light scent of the flowers, every note spoke right to his heart. A foreign warm atmosphere floated all around. It was truly unimaginable, from a lady picked up from the streets.
Especially since there was already someone in heart, and that “someone” was actually his brother. Zuo Zhen couldn’t help but smile bitterly, what spell was he under? Just a girl, like what Ying Dong said, “a best grape juice”, how could she easily touch his heart? All the time he had spent in pleasurous quarters, he had seen all kinds of gorgeous beauties, what kind of woman not be putty in his hands, would he need to trouble himself over a girl like Rong Jin Xiu?
He was not so hungry to have to whet his appet.i.te with Ying Dong’s woman.