Painter

Chapter 208 57: Flying Lantern
Jiang Ru's question was directed at the right master.The song "Desperate Words" was only a flash in the pan at the Ichthyosaur meeting this spring, and the audience at that time could only restore the original song with this glimpse. It is said that the song sung in Yujing City is the first Cheng Yulong Spectrum.But since Xue Jian left, Wudan Qisheng has almost been lost in Dayongguo, and has traveled thousands of miles. It is conceivable how much of this song can still retain its original appearance.Apart from Li Chan, the only person in the world who knows the original score is probably Xu Yingqiu.

Of course, it is inconvenient for Li Chan to reveal her identity. Facing Jiang Ru's question, she just nodded, "I heard it a few times when I passed by Xuandu, but I don't have much impression." After listening for a while, she said with a smile: "It should be There are some differences, but it’s hard to say exactly where they are. Unexpectedly, Xuandu is more than 6000 miles away from Yujing, and this song has been passed on.”

"It's also because of the sage's westward journey, and most of the affairs of Xuandu were brought to Yujing." Jiang Ru said, and the song "falling into the pearl dust" was being sung on the stage next to the wall, so she stopped. Mouth, listen carefully.

Xuandu's opera style can be considered long and gentle, but compared with Yujingcheng's opera, it can be regarded as bright and brisk.Apart from the sound of opera in the room, there is only the gurgling sound of the old woman boiling water.Jiang Ru ate melon seeds.Tsing Yi, who was singing the opera, stretched the word "yin" at the end extremely long, even if he stopped the sound, the lingering sound would still last for a long time.

Although this song is quite different from the original song, it really brought back Li Chan's memories.Looking at the snow outside the window, he thought of Nie Er, Gu Jiuniang, and their orphan.Jiang Ru looked out of the window, "Feng Chenwei, who came to Yujing to play, also looks like this when he hears the local accent. This song can make you homesick, and it seems that he sings well."

Li Chan nodded and said yes, followed by a moment of silence.The two are considered neighbors, but they have never walked around.The discarded bricks and tiles in the garden were originally belongings of the General's Mansion, and they were all taken care of by the Department of Housekeeping.Li Chan said: "When we first moved to Guangzhaifang a few months ago, we seemed to have met once."

Jiang Ru recalled that night overlooking the ghost garden again, she smiled, glanced at the old woman in the house, and did not point it out, "I used to go to that garden when I was young, but now this garden has an owner."

Li Chan said with a smile: "If you want to come now, you are welcome anytime."

"I heard that you were a little unreasonable, but I saw it tonight." Jiang Ru looked at Li Chan.

"Who said that?" Li Chan asked.

Jiang Ru didn't answer, "Speaking of which, what painting did you show Xie Ningzhi in Bishuixuan to make him boast like that?"

Li Chan said: "It's just a portrait, and it deceived him by pretending to be fake."

Jiang Ru was surprised and said, "With Xie Ningzhi's eyesight, it's not easy to fool him."

Li Chan chuckled, paused for a while, and then changed the subject, "I saw Princess Lingbi entertaining guests in Tingxiang Tower today, why isn't you there?"

Jiang Ru smiled and said, "You can only be a spectator upstairs, but it's fun downstairs."

Li Chan laughed and said yes.There was another moment of silence, the two were not familiar with each other, they sat at the same table by chance, and there was almost nothing to talk about.It was already dark, and the old woman took the scissors to cut off the crackling lanterns in front of the table, and the snow outside the window reflected the lanterns and moonlight.

When the lanterns were cut twice, the partition wall had finished singing "Desperate Words" and was singing another play in the middle, only to hear Hong Sheng's resonant voice piercing through the wall: "Little lady, I am a scholar. With a body of nearly a thousand pieces of gold, I was overjoyed. It’s just that the two of us originally established friendship through writing, not for the sake of lust. Miss Wang is a little calmer, for fear of hurting her morality.”

This play is about a scholar and a woman in his boudoir who become pen pals by chance. After finally meeting, the scholar sees that the woman is ugly, so he sings such a passage.

There was a burst of laughter in the theater. Li Chan didn't think it was funny at first, but as if affected by the laughter, he also laughed.

And Jiang Ru also laughed out loud, and she said, "This play has to be performed every year."

"You watch it every year?" Li Chan asked.

"I've seen it three times, and it's more interesting to watch than to listen to."

Li Chan originally just passed by the theater and had no intention of going to the theater, but at this moment she became more interested, "When I crossed the street, I saw that the theater was no longer crowded."

"It's easy." Jiang Ru led Li Chan out of the house, took a lantern, jumped up the low wall in the alley, and took advantage of the momentum to get on the roof.The roofs of the nearby houses are connected into one piece, with uneven heights.There is a roof that is just blocked by the higher black tile hard tops on both sides, which becomes a shelter from the wind.There are some blue tiles on the roof, like a place to sit. Jiang Ru called Li Chan over and said, "This house has been around for decades, and Yujing was here before it became the capital of the emperor. This is where the theater troupe lives." , as soon as the play started, there was no one here."

Li Chan looked down at the blue tiles at his feet, "Do you come here often?"

Jiang Ru said with a smile: "I ran away from home when I was young, and there are too many people in Yujing City who know me. I was seen by people when I was watching a play in the theater, so I found this remote place."

Li Chan turned her head, it happened to be facing the side of the stage, and she could see the actors in colorful clothes under the lanterns on the stage.

"It's a sneak peek."

"Of course, if people in the theater see it, you will inevitably be scolded. But it's dark now, and besides, I have paid a lot of rewards."

As Jiang Ru said, Li Chan sat on the other side of the pile of rubble.

The clown on the stage was singing: "Don't mention it again! That scholar looks romantic, but he is honest. He talked about poetry and Taoism for a whole day. It's nothing more than flirtatious things, even romantic talk Can't say a word. I can't get up, I can't get down..."

The sound of laughter came with the wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder smoke and lamp oil.There is a very faint fragrance here, and Li Chan glanced to the side, and saw the blue hair on the back of Jiang Ru's neck reflecting the light of the lantern.Tu Shanxi occasionally uses hibiscus leaf and tea seed decoction to bathe her hair, which also has a similar aroma.Suddenly Jiang Ru turned his head, and Li Chan realized that his eyes were a little frivolous, and pretended to be looking at the stage casually.Jiang Ru smiled and turned his head away.

"It's okay, I have another emergency solution. Let's wait for a night, and then make sense." The play came to an end.

After a while, another scene started, singing "Purple Sachet", which was about loyal ministers, filial sons, loving mothers and chaste wives.After the play, Li Chan could distinguish the smell of peach branches and cypress leaves in the aroma.Jiang Ru moved the lantern to his feet and yawned.

The gongs and drums rested on the stage for a while, and the spectators under the stage dispersed a little. Li Chan suddenly realized that it was time to go home, so she said: "There is a lot of trouble tonight, I should go too."

Jiang Ru stood up holding the lantern, and said with a smile, "We are destined to meet tonight. If you and I are classmates in the future, we will know each other earlier."

Li Chan smiled and bid farewell.As soon as he walked a few steps, the fragrance from his nose dissipated immediately.He looked back at Jiang Ru, and Jiang Ru said, "What's wrong?"

Li Chan looked at the stage, "I passed by Xuandu, and I also heard the song "Desperate Words", but I just remembered something."

"Is there a difference?"

"Not quite the same."

Jiang Ru sat back on the pile of green tiles again, and said with a smile, "Then I will listen with all my ears."

Li Chan also sat back, cleared her throat in front of the moonlight lantern, and sang without the lute or harp.

If we say that the song on the Wangque Stage back then was the swan song written by the ghost of Miaoyinniao for Gu Jiuniang.Li Chan at this time is a bystander who tells the story of Gu Jiuniang's life.It sang the singer's journey from triumph to despair, fortunately meeting her beloved, resolutely dying for love, and finally crawling out from the depths of the Nine Nethers, questioning the gods and ghosts in all directions.

Jiang Ru listened carefully, and at some point there was a new play on the stage, and she had sung for a little while, but she didn't notice it at all.When the song was over, there seemed to be a lingering sound in her ears. She said, "I was in Yujing tonight, but I heard the song six thousand miles away." Glancing at the moon, he laughed, "It's almost three o'clock, come on, come with me." He lifted his body and landed on another roof.

Li Chan was a little puzzled, but followed.Pass over the houses, silk and satin shops, and wine shops, pass the potter's wheel street, and go to the Yunqiao in Xingguofang.Arriving at the bottom of a very tall flying building, Jiang Ru looked up, and then climbed up through the eaves of the tower. He was dressed in white clothes as flexible as a silver mink, and even the fire in the lantern in his hand didn't flicker.

When she reached the top of the flying building, she smiled and pointed down, "Look."

Li Chan looked down and saw that she could overlook the neighboring ten squares, "What are you doing here?"

"You showed me the music of Xuandu, and I will also show you Yujingcheng." Jiang Ru's tone seemed to be that of a child showing off his possessions to others.

Before Li Chan said anything, Jiang Ru said, "Hurry up, close your eyes."

"Close your eyes?" Li Chan was startled, and looked down at the edge of the tower eaves at his feet.

Jiang Ru said, "Afraid that I will push you down?"

"That's not true." Li Chan smiled and closed her eyes.But when Jiang Ru said this, he still kept his eyes open and listened carefully to the movement around him.He heard Jiang Ru's breathing, other than that, she didn't make any other movements.The night wind blew, and the ritual and music in the night tour palace was still solemn, and there were bursts of noise from the Xingguo Square below.

After more than ten breaths, Li Chan asked, "Are you ready?"

"Wait a little longer." Jiang Ru said.

After almost another cup of tea time, the place below became more and more noisy. Although Li Chan closed his eyes, he felt that the outside of his eyelids was brighter.He was about to ask a question, but Jiang Ru finally said, "Look quickly."

As soon as Li Chan opened her eyes, she was stunned by the sight of lanterns.I don't know when, the mid-air has been filled with lanterns.The world has changed in front of my eyes, it seems like the lights of the entire Yujing City are flying up, and it is also like the stars from the sky are sinking down, circling the Yeyou Palace, slowly whirling.

Countless lanterns floated in front of my eyes, within reach. Li Chan raised her finger and poked the carp lantern that was floating in front of her eyes. The carp lantern flickered slightly and drifted away.

"How is it?" Jiang Ru smiled not far away, his eyes and hair were shining with lights.

"As expected of Yujing City." Li Chan sighed, looking at Jiang Ru, her heart throbbed inexplicably.

Suddenly he went to the temple ground below from the corner of his eye. The monsters below must be looking up at the flying lanterns just like the people of Yujing at this time.It was already the third watch, and they had been waiting for several hours.

Jiang Ru said: "It's a pity that I don't know how to ride a wheel. If not, I could even fly through the sky with flying lanterns."

Li Chan smiled and said: "With your endowment, you will definitely be able to learn it when you enter the Qianyuan Academy in the future. Thank you, little lady, for showing me Yujing City. I still have work to do, so I should resign."

Jiang Ru was taken aback, and said with a smile, "Alright, the Spring Examination of Qianyuan Academy is approaching, see you then."

"Goodbye." Li Chan clasped his hands, jumped off the eaves of the tower, and disappeared into a sea of ​​lights.

(End of this chapter)