Chapter 2409 - 2383: Beauty

Dalang comforted him, "Don’t worry, you’re not the only one, Bai Shan and Manbao are with you too. They’re sure to have Bai Shan drink a lot too."

Bai Shan: "...Big Cousin, you’re being unfair, we’re all family and friends, why should I be the only one to drink?"

After a while, Ji Yu finally brought the hangover soup, Bai Shan took it and asked curiously, "Why did it take so long?"

"The main kitchen was too busy to make the hangover soup, so it was cooked on the spot using the small kitchen, that’s why it took a bit longer."

With the help of Manbao, Bai Shan fed Liu Huan a bowl of hangover soup and asked, "Has anyone in the front greeted the guests? Liu Huan shouldn’t have to go out again, right?"

"Yes, it’s been reported to the Old Madam, and she told us to keep a close watch on the Second Young Master and the courtyard gate to make sure he doesn’t go to the front. She said the elder and the young masters in the clan can handle things there, and no outsiders are allowed into the courtyard either."

Ji Yu laughed, "The ladies and gentlemen must be tired too. The Old Madam asked someone to tidy up the side rooms in the courtyard, if you don’t mind, you can rest there for a while. Later in the garden, there will be performers dancing and playing music, and the Old Madam also invited two storytellers to entertain by the pavilion, the ladies and gentlemen can go to relax."

Zhou Liru asked curiously, "Which performers did you invite?"

Ji Yu smiled and said, "Miss Fenghua from the Imperial Music Bureau."

Zhou Liru’s eyes lit up, and she whispered to Manbao, "Auntie, Miss Fenghua’s dance is really beautiful."

Manbao asked curiously, "You’ve seen it before?"

Zhou Liru nodded repeatedly, "Last time when the school was on break, the Imperial Music Bureau sold tickets for a performance at Qingfeng Pavilion, and we pooled our money to see it."

Manbao asked, "How much did one ticket cost?"

"The main hall ticket was twenty wen, tea and snacks inside were extra," Zhou Liru said, "but we were all students and hadn’t started earning money yet, so we just went in to watch without ordering tea or snacks."

Zhou Liru beamed, "She danced only once back then, but it was so beautiful, truly beautiful."

Manbao also became interested, "Let’s all go and watch, shall we?"

Yin Huo didn’t quite understand, "Haven’t you seen dancing in the palace?"

"Liru said her dancing is excellent."

Yin Huo laughed, "No matter how good she dances, she can’t be better than the dancers in the palace. If she were that good, she’d be performing in the palace already."

Zhou Liru said, "Some say she might be selected to enter the palace this year. If that happens, it won’t be easy to see her dance again."

The Imperial Music Bureau is managed by the court, with the most talented performers sent to the palace, and the second-tier ones entertain the nobles outside.

So everyone decided to head to the garden to watch, and many guests from the front also moved there to continue drinking and enjoying the performances.

In the backyard of the Liu family, there was a lotus pond, and at this moment, a high platform was built using docks connected together. Seven or eight beautiful girls gracefully jumped onto the high stage from a boat, smiling and swirling to the four corners of the stage. A woman in a red dress flicked her red shawl and leapt out from among them, landing lightly in the center of the stage, her back facing them.

She half-covered her face and smiled back, with a flower ornament on her forehead, revealing only a pair of eyes as bright as stars.

Manbao was instantly captivated, as were many others at the table. Some even dropped their wine cups, staring blankly at the woman in the center of the stage.

She danced lightly like a deer in the mountains and gracefully like a lotus in the water, with a slight smile and clear eyes that made hearts beat faster.

Manbao covered her heart, wishing she could glue her eyes to her, making Bai Shan beside her keep looking at her.

Bai Dalang and Bai Erlang snapped out of it a moment later than Bai Shan, but quickly regained their composure, exclaiming, "So beautiful."

Yin Huo was puzzled, looked around, and asked, "Is it really that beautiful?"

Manbao finally tore her gaze away to glance at him, then turned to look at Bai Shan, who was staring at her with slight discontent. She then walked away from the two of them and stood next to Bai Erlang, exhaling, "You all are immortals, you don’t understand, this is what ordinary people like."

Bai Erlang nodded, glanced at Bai Shan and Yin Huo, and joined Manbao to appreciate the dance on stage, "It’s even better than Xi Bing’s dancing."

Manbao said, "Xi Bing’s sword dance is impressive."

"That’s true."

Bai Shan: "...She’s using sword dance steps."

Manbao, who had been staring at her face, reluctantly shifted her gaze to her footwork, then raised her eyes again to focus on her face, "Strange, I’ve seen prettier people, but her dance is mesmerizing."

Zhou Liru also clutched her chest until this dance was over. The performers left the stage, replaced by a new group, and she gently patted her chest, "It was truly beautiful, even better than when I saw her at Qingfeng Pavilion."

Bai Shan urged them, "Alright, it’s over. Let’s go back and see if Liu Huan has woken up."

"Let’s wait a bit, she might perform again, right?"

Bai Shan then called over an attendant and asked, "How many performances does Miss Fenghua have today?"

"Just one."

Bai Shan turned to Manbao and said, "Let’s go."

"But Miss Fenghua will sing a song later."

The previously disappointed Manbao’s eyes immediately lit up, "Really? How long till then?"

The attendant, knowing they were important guests of the Second Young Master, replied respectfully, "Not long. If you want to watch right away, I could report to the steward, and maybe they can have her perform sooner."

Manbao realized, "I have that much power? Can I privately meet Miss Fenghua?"

The attendant paused, then smiled, "For others, it might be difficult, but for you, it shouldn’t be a problem. Please wait a moment, I’ll go find the steward to arrange it."

He then offered to lead them to find seats.

Behind some flowers, Madam Tang stood up and called out loudly, "Manbao, bring your niece over to join us."

Manbao quickly stepped forward.

Seeing Bai Shan and the others follow, Madam Tang pointed at them and laughed, "Why are you guys tagging along? Are you afraid I’ll eat your senior sister and junior sister? Or are some of you uneasy and feel the need to watch over personally?"

The table of spouses laughed, looking at the three young men, "Oh, why chase them away? I think it’s nice to have them around to chat and keep us company."

Madam Tang teased, "Have the Count and Prince Consort keep you company instead. Have you had too much to drink?"

Madam Tang turned to Bai Shan and laughed, "Go on and enjoy yourselves, don’t worry, we’ll take care of your wife."

Everyone laughed as Bai Shan and his companions blushed and bowed before retreating. In front of Manbao, the women commented, "The Bai Family’s three young men are quite handsome. I wonder how the main family’s young men look, Lady Zhou, have you met them before?"