The girl took two steps at a time, and her movements were so fast that it was difficult for Wu Hui to catch up with her. There was no sound of her footsteps, just like a cat's. Only Wu Hui's awkward steps made the stairs creak.
Part of the two floors is open, and the railings on the second floor can be seen from the first floor, and then they are closed up. There are still many tables and chairs on the second floor, but there are fewer than on the first floor, and the stage is more spacious. When there are no performances, these two floors are usually used for dining. But the cost may be too high, so it is not the first choice for nearby residents, and when there are no programs to watch, no one will come all the way to eat.
Wu Hui remembered that the last time he and Bai Leng were at a nearby large hotel, the waiter there said that they supplied Feiyunxuan. In other words, all the big and hard dishes should be outsourced here. Didn't they hire a dedicated chef? Wu Hui pondered secretly.
Although the five-story theater is majestic, if you have seen a little bit of big scenes, you will feel a little cramped. Sure enough, the continued operation of this place is partly supported by its historical reputation. Some of the traditions they adhere to leave them with no more energy and funds to consider other things.
Sure enough, the third floor became a little more lively, but they were all Feiyunxuan staff. Even though there was no performance today, everyone was still carrying various things, walking in a hurry, busy here and there, and busy with things that Wuhui couldn't understand. Maybe many people don’t know what they are busy with. Because Wu Hui noticed that the two people sitting at the table talking were the focus of everyone's attention, consciously or unconsciously. They are all looking at this side.
"Yu? You ran away again." The woman among the two said.
"Who is it this time?" said the man of the two.
"He must be a guest. You should pay more attention to what you say and treat him with courtesy."
The woman said this and stood up and saluted her. Wu Hui hurriedly bent down to respond. Her manners were very good, and the pendants of her jewelry and the tassels of her clothes barely swayed, even though she was dressed much more complicatedly than the girl called Yu.
Immediately afterwards, another man stood up and nodded slightly to greet her. His eyes were more indifferent and sharp, but they did not fall directly on Wu Hui. Whether it was him or the woman, Wu Hui felt a slight sense of alienation equally.
"Why isn't Brother Zheng happy?" the girl said, "Are you talking bad about eldest sister behind your back again? You haven't had much work lately, so you should be happy."
The man and woman quickly sat back down. Without waiting for the man to answer, the woman scolded in a sharp voice:
"You girl, you want Bai Lai to open her mouth and starve to death."
The man didn't answer the girl's question. He only said: "Yu is so happy, it seems he likes today's guests very much."
The woman sighed: "Whenever something doesn't go her way, she will show her temper on her face, and she can't hide it at all!"
Her tone was a little unhappy. Wu Hui didn't know if she was targeting him or if this person was like this.
The girl retorted: "I don't show it on my face. It's just that I don't want to talk to anyone if there are people I don't like."
The woman shook her head gently and said nothing more.
"Please stay for a moment. We have something to say to you. This guest should be able to go upstairs by himself, right? The fourth floor is where the disciples practice. Don't disturb them. Just go to the fifth floor to find Mr. Liangyue. Don’t go to any other rooms.”
After that, the girl sat next to her, and the three of them started talking about something. They lowered their voices, and Wu Hui couldn't hear them clearly on the already noisy third floor. She wanted to ask herself what to do, but she couldn't get in the mood, so she had to go up alone. Wu Hui thought in her mind that she could tell just by their names that these three people belonged to the five famous disciples. But she wasn't interested in singing or playing music, and the impression left by these people was ordinary. She just felt that they were no different from ordinary people.
On the fourth floor, more rooms appeared. Wu Hui could feel that the layout of this entire floor was very regular. Each corridor is an axis of symmetry, and the rooms are neatly arranged. Standing in the corridor, you can hear the sound of musical instruments coming from individual rooms. Through the thick wall, she could only hear intermittent and irregular low humming.
The corridor on the fourth floor had few lights and no windows. She looked up the stairs, and the fifth floor was completely dark. There was no one to guide her. She was told not to wander around in other places, but it was difficult for her to even find the target location.
You can probably tell from their mouths that they are not the first person to come to visit with invalid theater tickets. Will the last one be Mo Weiming? Has he arrived? How long has it been since? Is he really already on the top floor? She still had many questions hanging in her mind, but the only answers she could get were the vague and distant sounds of music.
"Meow."
Something soft brushed against her ankle. Before she was frightened, the cry that appeared in her ears had already made her heart drop. When she lowered her head, a large ginger cat stopped at her feet and looked at her with its head raised. She carefully knelt down and touched its head. It didn't resist and even narrowed its eyes.
This is a very old cat. It may not be a long-haired cat, but because of its age, its hair is dragging, and some parts show a dull white color. Even so, it's still sleek and smooth. The background color is like ginger peel, with orange-yellow tiger stripes overlapping on its body. Its body feels soft and warm.
This big old cat has almost no vigilance at all, probably everyone in Feiyunxuan is very careful with it. She was a little less prejudiced against the people here, but not much. Before touching it twice, the old cat suddenly raised its head, as if it suddenly noticed something or suddenly remembered something. It suddenly stood up and jumped onto the steps leading to the fifth floor. Looking at that vigorous figure, it can be said that he is getting stronger with age.
But it stopped and looked at Wu Hui on the steps, then lowered its head and licked its paws. Is this the posture of waiting for someone? Wu Hui looked at it puzzledly for a while. The cat didn't urge her, and after licking its paws, it just stared at her blankly.
"Meow."
It barked again. So she followed her, and the cat jumped up a few more steps with confidence and continued to look back at her.
Under the leadership of the old cat, she arrived at a door on the fifth floor step by step. Her attention was so focused on the cat that she didn't even have time to pay attention to the structure of the fifth floor. Stopping in front of this door, the cat stood up, pulled up with its paws, and made a rustling sound. Looking down, that area is really riddled with cat scratches. It seems that this door has been through many battles, and not every door can receive such a medal.
The door is unlocked. She wasn't sure if anyone was inside, but seeing the cat's relentless production of shavings, she decided to help extend the door's life. She thought to herself that based on the density of the scratches and the age of the cat, there were many "old timers" who had retired due to work-related injuries in front of this door.
I don’t know how many mice can be taken, but it looks like this cat can dig holes.
"excuse me……"
Wu Hui knocked on the door gently, and the door opened by itself. There was a squeaking sound, which was a bit scary. The old cat is strolling in the garden, content and contented. Wu Hui tentatively walked in. This room is quite spacious, and the interior looks as antique as it looks from the outside, like the kind of decoration that only existed in the deep mansions of wealthy families in ancient times. Wu Hui couldn't help but wonder if the Yu family's house looked like this.
Walking through the space that looks like a living room, there are thick wooden carved screens and curtains cutting the space. There was a row of curtains made of turquoise crystal beads, with several figures sitting vaguely inside. The old cat ran over with hurried steps. Wu Hui followed, opened the curtain, and saw it jumping into someone's arms.
"I wonder why this kid disappeared again."
Man in wheelchair strokes old cat's head. He didn't know why he was unhappy with the touch. The old cat nibbled his hand, but he didn't change his expression. The brown, ridged burns on his face frightened Wu Hui.
Opposite him sat Mo Weiming. When Mo Weiming saw her, there was a hint of surprise on his face. Their eyes met, and before they could say anything, the man sitting next to them spoke first:
"Haha, Dong Dong is old enough to be a grandfather a long time ago."
What a weird cat name.
Wu Hui looked at him. This man looked kind-faced, at least gentler than the others on the second floor. He also spoke softly and was not pushy. With the presence of an acquaintance, Wu Hui relaxed a little.
It's time to hold some people accountable.
"Why did you leave me and run away? You didn't even say hello."
Liang Yuejun and the man looked sideways at the same time, as if they had heard some terrible gossip.
Mo Weiming's expression was a little confused.
"Did I not make it clear? I didn't seem to say I wanted you to come last night."
"Didn't you agree before? If you want to come, I will come too."
"You are really... Anyway, the situation has changed a bit. I didn't plan to call you again, but now that you are here..."
"How much have you said behind my back?"
The atmosphere was not tense, but somewhat anxious. The man on the side saw that the situation was not good and quickly came out to smooth things over.
"Hey, young lady, please don't get excited. Mr. Mo has just sat down and hasn't chatted a few words yet. Look, the tea on the table is still hot. You arrived just in time, and you didn't miss the key part. "
He spoke much more politely than the previous ones, but his attitude was not humble, but rather leisurely and calm.
"you are……"
"You can call me Horn. Along the way, you probably met my other brothers and sisters. Except for the eldest sister, who is not downstairs."
Big sister? In terms of seniority, she is a woman named "Gong". The youngest girl is called "Yu", the man downstairs is "Zheng", and the woman must be "Shang". In this way, there are five well-known disciples. Wu Hui was thoughtful.
The gentle man gestured to the people sitting and said, "This is Qiaolan Yize Liangyue-kun. If anything happens, just communicate with him. I am just a small witness, Just pretend I don’t exist, and please speak freely.”
Liang Yuejun rested his hand lazily on the small table next to him, and took the trouble to smooth the old cat's fur with the other hand. The old cat with the strange name stretched out his limbs and rolled over where his patella was not.
