At 10 o'clock at night, the performance hall of the theater started to get noisy.
The audience wearing various hats sat on seats covered with brown velvet, chatting and laughing under the bright gas lights around them. They talked a lot about the performance just now, and they all showed interest in the next new play.
"The Blonde Magpie," starring a new female star of the Grand Theater, is a year-end event in the Paris opera world and a major event in the minds of all men who like the Grand Theater.
As time passed by, the chatter, laughter and whispers in the performance hall slowly gathered together, as if guided by a legendary conductor, and unified into one name: "Sarah" Na~"
The shouting is clear and loud enough, but it is restrained within a very subtle limit, so that people will not feel bored listening to it.
"Excuse me..." The man was walking in the aisle of the VIP side compartment, with this name in his ears, but his eyes were always staring at the usher girl in front of him, admiring her figure greedily, "This Who is Sarana?”
The girl can clearly feel the gaze coming from behind her, or it can be said that everyone who comes here can't help but look at her. It is regarded as an appetizer before the main meal, or a substitute. She has long been used to it. This feeling:
"Sir, you're not from Paris, aren't you? You don't know Sarana?"
Edouard fine-tuned his pronunciation, losing part of the German accent he picked up in Vienna, and explained: "Well, I haven't been back to Paris for a while."
"She was discovered by the boss at the beginning of the year, and she has already become a star in just half a year." The usher girl stated the facts, with a hint of jealousy unavoidable in her words, "There was a report on the front page of Le Figaro today, and it was less than 8 p.m. It’s almost full, just to be able to see her performance as soon as possible.”
】
Edward, who was walking behind her, still looked at her, but his mind began to weave a picture of another woman he had never seen before: "So this is it..."
"Sir, your seat is here. There are drinks and snacks next to it. If anything happens, you can shake the rope here and a waiter will be here soon." The usher girl took him to the VIP box and sat down. "Is there anything else you can ask for?" Order?"
"When does the new play start?"
"There's still half an hour left."
"Salana is backstage?"
"should be."
Edward looked at the excitement in the audience, turned around and asked calmly: "If possible, can you let me see her? Just for a while, I won't waste too much of her time."
"this......"
The usher girl does not need to be beautiful, but she must have a good figure, because men look at her back rather than her front face before taking a seat.
Usher girls can also be illiterate, but they must be smart enough to distinguish the status of visitors, so that the theater does not miss any money-making opportunities.
The person in front of Edward was a typical usher girl. At first glance, he could tell that this man was different. He was definitely not comparable to the entrepreneurs, bankers, speculators, writers and ordinary politicians in the other boxes.
Edward's clothes were not outstanding, and he didn't have a servant with him, so he looked a little poor.
But as long as you stay in this circle for a long time, you will know that true status is not entirely reflected in clothing and appearance. The value of some people has already been subtly embedded in every aspect of Paris, and the man in front of her gave her this feeling.
The most direct evidence is the money.
The VIP tickets for this show have long been sold out, and it is obviously impossible to add a temporary seat. The only available seat is the owner Mignon's private box.
The boss's judgment is never wrong.
She had heard Edward's request no less than 30 times today, and the answer was always the official answer - no time. However, Edward's mysterious identity forced her to change this pattern without authorization: "The actors are very busy before the performance, so I can only try, but I may not be successful."
"I understand this."
"What's your name, please?"
"Edward, Edward Drouin de Lehuins."
After hearing the name, the girl immediately remembered who he was, and said with a smile: "If Miss Sarana doesn't have time before the performance, I will try my best to persuade her to meet you after the performance, but she is the one who makes the final decision."
"Okay, I'll just wait here for good news."
Edward, who considers himself to be the most influential person in this circle, still has some regrets. He regrets not leaving behind the "Beauty Guide" that the train conductor took out two days ago, which made this city that was so familiar become a lot stranger.
"Salana... I seem to have seen this name in there." Edward just flipped through it casually. Looking back, he couldn't remember the ranking in the booklet. "I'll have to find Minnie in two days." Weng Zhong will prepare a copy for me."
The performance started at 10:30, and with the overture by the musicians, the sound in the audience continued unabated.
They waved their arms like sparrows standing on the treetops in the evening, chirping endlessly. In order to express their enthusiasm, some people insisted on standing up and making various shouts, truly interpreting what a place for fun is.
They, even half of Paris, have been busy for this woman for a week, waiting for this moment.
As the curtain and "clouds" at the back of the stage dispersed, the 20-year-old girl finally appeared in front of everyone...
From the perspective of serious critics, this is not a good drama worth pursuing. Not to mention the classic "Faust", it didn't even touch the threshold of an ordinary second-rate drama. The only thing worthy of praise is probably the beauty of the female lead.
But if you look at it from another perspective, such as Edward or the men in the audience, this is definitely a good drama that can be included in their personal lists.
The most praiseworthy thing among them is Sarana's beauty. As for her voice and acting skills, they are things that can be polished later and are not worth mentioning.
"Should I go to your place, or come back with me?" Edward took Sarana's hand as he wished, and sent her to the carriage heading to the Happy Land, "If it's possible..."
Sarana blinked, withdrew her right hand, smiled brightly, revealing two cute dimples: "Just go to my place."
"good!"
...
The performance ended at 12:34, most of the street lights went out, and the theater began to disperse.
But for a small hotel with a goose-yellow exterior at the end of the street in the Pigalle district, now is the prime time to open normally.
Unlike the big theater where celebrities come and go, the guests in the hotel are ordinary guests, who just have more spare money than other working people. At 12 o'clock at night, there will be a few regular customers waiting for the lady boss to open the door, just like going to a cafe every afternoon.
They are not drunkards in the true sense. They have to get up and work the next day. They come here more to relieve the emotions accumulated throughout the day.
While drinking Berno liqueur (a type of liqueur brewed by the monks of the Berno monastery in the church next door), I sometimes teased the girls, and sometimes chatted seriously with the landlady called "Mrs."
There is no downside to such a pastime except that you lose track of time.
For this reason, the small church next door also specially added a midnight home clock for these people.
Every morning at 1:30 a.m., a monk will ring a bell that lasts for 10 seconds. In order to prevent the surrounding people from protesting, the sound is reasonably controlled within the range that ordinary people can tolerate. The time is short and the distance of transmission is also short. It is enough to remind them. .
Those men who passed midnight would go home and go to bed before two o'clock after hearing the bell.
Of course, there are those who remain, such as young people with strong needs and some guys who have money to spend.
My wife is a farmer, and she just got lucky and took over this place. However, it is not easy to survive in Paris, because Paris does not allow such establishments to operate. In her understanding, this is a deep-rooted "ideological bias", but she cannot resist it, so she can only choose to compromise.
However, this forced change of operating hours is difficult to gain the approval of some new customers.
"You can finally choose someone now, right?" Li Benku waited until now and finally saw the prices of these girls, "...Wait a minute, 400 francs a night? So expensive?"
"That's the top one. You can't see anyone before 2 o'clock. Do you know the rules? If you don't have money, don't pick on anyone. Just choose the one you can afford." The wife shook the wine glass in her hand, looking like she had seen through it but didn't say anything. , "I suggest you turn it over from back to front."
Li Ben had already identified the candidate he wanted, and the one at the top of the list was Laura, who was talking and laughing in front of everyone just now. But he also knew that such a beautiful girl would definitely cost a lot of money. Especially after seeing the book, he was even more convinced of his judgment.
We can only settle for the next best thing.
Should I choose Edita, who has a slightly worse face shape? Or Brinda, who is slightly bloated? Or the slightly older Zuo Yin?
70 francs...85...110...
Neither is cheap, but the wallet can afford it.
Li Ben was still hesitating when suddenly the name of the woman he most wished to have appeared on a new page. He looked at Laura in disbelief, who was still drinking at the wine table. The men around her were just saying hello to her, but no one was interested.
Possible details raced through his mind.
Such a beauty was not named?
And it’s only 150 francs…
Li Ben was keenly aware that something was wrong, but his mind couldn't keep up with his body. The lower body was the basis for everything. He quickly took out three 50-franc notes on the counter, and hurried upstairs with Laura, whose whole body exuded the fragrance of jasmine, in his arms.
"He is indeed a newbie killer." A regular customer was about to leave when he saw the scene in front of him and couldn't help complaining, "Madam boss, you are really bad if you don't say anything."
"His eyes are always on Laura, I just help him." The wife took a sip of sweet wine and smiled, "A man still has to stumble to know the pain. I hope he doesn't regret it."
Just as my wife thought, newcomers always have to pay some price when they first come to Paris.
This was how she came here in the first place, and this new guest was also going through a similar process on the double bed in a small room on the second floor: "What do you mean?"
"I suggest it's better not to take off your top." Laura looks young, but her movements are very deft. She is already a veteran with rich experience. "Don't worry, you will be satisfied."
"Wait!" Li Ben asked, "Why not?"
Laura covered her chest with her hands: “You want to know?”
Li Ben was a little surprised, but he already had the feeling of being "deceived" in his mind. He knew very well that he would regret it once he broke the rules the girl said, but curiosity still prevailed: "You will be mine for the next six hours, of course I want to know."
“I don’t care, I’ve already paid for it anyway.” Laura put her hand on the button and reminded him again, “Are you sure you want me to do this?”
"Yes, I'm sure."
Ten seconds later, Li Ben regretted it. Some little things that should have stepped forward suddenly lost their strength. But he didn't hate this woman. Instead, he felt a kind of sympathy that he had never experienced before, just like sympathizing with himself for missing his right leg from an outsider's perspective.
"When did it happen?"
"The operation performed at the Main Palace Hospital two years ago was the same as my mother's. The only difference is that I survived." Laura put on her clothes and asked with a smile, "Did it make you feel sick?"
"That's not true." Li Ben patted his right leg, "I'm not qualified."
...
At 8 o'clock in the morning, Laura stretched herself out of the room.
She didn't do anything that night. She just slept and earned 60 francs. She also received the comfort of a pervert, which was quite surprising.
However, mental comfort can't change anything. She still has to face the competitive pressure from her colleagues around her and the reality that her "money-making tool" is damaged, just like she faced the decision of whether to have surgery or not.
Also facing reality and choices are the girl lying on the bed in the Main Palace Hospital and her parents.
Half an hour ago, her stomach hurt again, which was different from the severe pain of the previous two days. It was like a razor pushing and pulling in her stomach repeatedly: "Mom, mom!
! "
"What's wrong?"
The mother was still waiting for the director of the obstetrics department to make her rounds when she suddenly heard the girl calling her, and then she returned to her side. Less than ten minutes after she left, my daughter's pale face was already covered with beads of sweat, and she seemed weak even when she spoke: "My stomach hurts so much... It hurts so much..."
"I'm going to find a doctor now."
"mom......"
The girl raised her hand and held her mother's sleeve. Just as she was about to say something, she felt dizzy, her eyes darkened and she fainted. She could still hear her mother's screams in her ears, but she never had the strength to open her eyes. It wasn't until she heard the doctor's voice that she completely lost consciousness.
When she woke up again, she had already left the ward.
In front of him was the dazzling candle light, surrounded by spiral circles filled with people. The tip of her nose was drowned by bursts of bloody smell, and her ears were filled with the sound of various metals colliding.
"I...where am I?"
She moved her lips feebly, but the replies from the doctors around her were dark masks: "Sleep a little longer, you'll be fine soon."
