Gu Xi led them around for an unknown amount of time. Xia Xingran leaned against the window with her hand, watching the surrounding trees gradually turn into red flowers and green willows, thinking to herself that it was really hard for Gu Xi to find such a remote place.
When the Wuzang Temple sang about the empty city strategy, my appetite was whetted. Gu Xi finally slowed down and slowly backed the car into the parking space.
"reached!"
Gu Xi unbuckled her seat belt, raised her arms above her head, and stretched firmly. Xia Xingran lowered his head and looked at the time. The journey took more than an hour.
Xia Xingran opened the car door and faced a brick gatehouse facing south and north. In the middle was a glossy black door leaf with two iron door knockers inlaid on it. There is a double-sided brick carving on the top of the door with overhanging eaves, and the four characters "Guest at Home" are engraved on the lintel. The frame is decorated with bats and peonies.
"This looks a bit like the gatehouse of the Humble Administrator's Garden." Xia Xingran grew up in a water town in the south of the Yangtze River and has deep memories of it.
Gu Xi gave her a thumbs up, walked over with a smile and said, "You are the one who has the knowledge after all." After saying that, she reached out and pushed open the door, and the heavy door made an old-fashioned sound, like a good show. The curtain is slowly opening.
"Wow!"
When the glossy black door leaves were completely placed on both sides, Xia Xingran couldn't help but cry out excitedly.
There is a cave inside the narrow door, even though a rockery blocks most of the view. But Xia Xingran still caught a glimpse of the pavilions and the gurgling water inside.
This dining area is actually a replica of a Soviet-style garden!
Xia Xingran happily walked in. She couldn't love all the things in the garden, and for a moment she only regretted that she had lost a pair of eyes.
There is a winding verandah at the entrance, and the stones under the steps form a corridor. Green willows hang down all around, there are several gatehouses with hanging flowers, and there are verandahs on all sides. In the garden, the corridors connect each other and the mountains and rocks are dotted.
The houses in twos and threes along the way are private dining rooms. There are several pear trees and banana trees planted around the house, as well as some trees that Xia Xingran couldn't name. It was midsummer at this time, and the lush green dots all around covered the houses, which looked like something out of poetry and painting.
There was a sound of footsteps approaching from far away, and Xia Xingran looked around.
There are two or three girls, wearing bamboo spring green tops with short stand-up collars and large inverted sleeves, long off-white lace skirts, and a pair of lead white low-heeled leather shoes. Her long black hair was tied into two strands with an orange bow tied on top.
When they walked over, Xia Xingran seemed to see the youth of the old era.
"Hello, do you have an appointment?" The leading girl smiled, with beads of sweat hanging on her forehead, and her voice was clear and clear, as if she had drank a bowl of refreshing herbal tea.
Gu Xi shook her head and said, "It was a last-minute idea. I forgot to make a reservation. Are there any seats left?"
The girl said "wait a minute" and took out her tablet to draw a few strokes. After a minute or two, she held the tablet in her arms and said a little apologetically: "Yes, yes, but the location is not good. It's not a good place to listen to music."
"Listening to music?" Xia Xingran asked curiously.
Another girl hummed and pointed to the corridor on the artificial lake not far away: "At two o'clock in a while, we will sing "The Peony Pavilion" on that water pavilion."
Xia Xingran was really surprised and couldn't help but widen her eyes. She has a little-known secret, which is that she has been fond of acting since she was a child. Occasionally she would hum a few words when no one was around.
"Since this is the case, there is nothing we can do. It would be nice to have a seat. Please take us there." Gu Xi could see the desire in Xia Xingran's eyes, but it was obvious that she couldn't have both at the moment. She thought, no matter what, it would be better than the hero running on a white road.
Xia Xingran naturally had no objection, so the group followed the girls and walked forward.
Not long after walking, two people walked down the stone steps. Judging from their appearance, they looked like a mother and son. When the young man among them saw the group of people going uphill, he paused, turned back and said, "Miss Xia?"
For a moment everyone stopped.
Xia Xingran followed the sound, blinked, and shouted with some surprise: "Teacher He!"
I saw Han Chenluo's face suddenly turn into a gloomy purple-black color.
, rolled his eyes at the two of them angrily. He was leaning alone on a rockery not far away, sulking with his arms crossed.
He Man looked Xia Xingran up and down with interest, and while nodding his head frequently, an ambiguous smile gradually appeared on his face.
Gu Xi stood aside and observed calmly, listening with her ears and watching with her eyes. Years of professionalism allowed her to quickly sort out the relationships between several people, and she was naturally well versed in the various turbulent emotions.
It turned out that He Siyuan and He Man were also eating here today. The place where they ate was in a pavilion on the mountain, facing the veranda where they sang for a while. It was an excellent location for listening to music and viewing the scenery. He Siyuan said that an invitation would be better than a chance encounter, so he wanted the two of them to sit at a table and have dinner together.
Gu Xi and He Man laughed at the same time. An invitation is worse than a chance encounter, it's just a drunkard's intention is not to drink.
Han Chenluo heard this and naturally refused to agree. I walked back from the rockery in a hurry. Gu Xi became playful and wanted to see this real-life triangle drama, so she deliberately agreed to it first.
All the hosts said so, Xia Xingran couldn't refuse, and Han Chenluo had no room to speak. In this way, the two parties sat at a full table in the pavilion on the top of the mountain.
He Man wanted to help his son grow taller, but he was too generous. Xia Xingran sat between He Siyuan and Han Chenluo, looking at the hundreds of dishes on the red lacquered wood table. For a moment, she felt that the chopsticks in her hand weighed a thousand pounds and could not be lifted.
"Xiao Xia, aunt doesn't know what you like to eat. She only knows that you are from City A, so she ordered it. Come on, don't be polite. Whatever you like to eat, aunt will pick it up for you."
As He Man said this, he took the serving chopsticks and began to pick up the vegetables like stacking blocks into Xia Xingran's bowl. Frightened, Xia Xingran quickly stood up, saying don't dare, and quickly put a green cheese lotus cake into the bowl to end the disaster.
"The cooks here are all from Sioux City. Eat as much as you like." Gu Xi broke the awkward silence. Then she started chatting with He Man to divert her attention from Xia Xingran.
Xia Xingran glanced at her gratefully, lowered her head, and took small bites of the dazzling array of pastries.
When I was a little full after eating, the sound of music came through the sound of water. Xia Xingran put down her chopsticks, folded her hands under her chin, supported her head, and watched with interest as Du Liniang in a pink costume came into view.
"It turns out that the colorful flowers are blooming everywhere, but they are all left in ruins..."
A familiar tune sounded, and Xia Xingran beat the beat with her feet, immersed in the charming world of "The Peony Pavilion".
He Man's sharp eyes could see Xia Xingran's love for Kunqu Opera, and he could also see Han Chenluo's closeness to her. When the Zaoluo robe was about to end, she picked up the tureen and took a sip of tea, then smiled and extended an invitation to Xia Xingran.
"Xiaoxia, summer vacation is about to begin. Auntie holds several banquets every summer. Why don't you bring Xiao Han with you this year? Auntie also has a garden at home and knows many famous actors. Let's sit together then , wouldn’t it be good to just listen quietly for a few times?”
Gu Xi heard something in He Man's words, lowered her head and chuckled, but said nothing. She just kept refilling the tea, but kept glancing at Xia Xingran's face.
Xia Xingran was really embarrassed. He Man is the elder, and He Siyuan is Han Chenluo's teacher, not to mention helping him. It seemed too rude to refuse rashly, but she really hated the useless socializing in the flashy Vanity Fair.
"Most of the people my mother invited to the banquet are the same as me. It sounds like a small job fair. Han Chenluo is now a sophomore after his summer vacation, so it doesn't hurt to walk around and meet people."
He Siyuan knew Xia Xingran's temperament and concerns, and these words spoke to Xia Xingran's heart.
"Yes, yes. When the time comes, classmate Xiao Han will let Siyuan lead you, and you will follow me. Don't worry, I will make sure everything is properly arranged."
He Man was very satisfied with He Siyuan's success, so as soon as He Siyuan's last voice fell, she immediately pursued the victory. The mother and son cooperated tacitly, but it was really hard to see that there was a deep gap.
Han Chenluo's good cultivation was gradually exhausted by the harmonious mother and son. Xia Xingran noticed that Han
Something was wrong with Chen Luo, so he shook his head slightly, held his hand from under the table, and gave him a faint smile to comfort him.
"Thank you Aunt He for your kindness. But as you know, I am quite busy at work. It is still early and I am not sure whether I will be free. It would be rude if I have something to do."
Xia Xingran lowered his head slightly and said, "I think it's better to wait until the day is closer. If I have time, I will definitely take Xiao Luo there to chat with me."
Her words were sincere and thorough. Although it didn't suit her own liking, He Man couldn't help but feel more fond of her in his heart.
She is a very smart person, so she casually said: "Oh no, we didn't think carefully." Then she changed the topic and never mentioned it again.
In the midst of warmth and peace, Xia Xingran's cell phone suddenly vibrated rapidly and twisted violently in her pocket, as if something big had happened.
Xia Xingran looked at the caller ID, stood up, bowed slightly, and walked down to the pavilion to answer the phone.
Before they could exchange greetings, Chang Huan shouted eagerly: "Xiao Xia, your guess is indeed correct. The person who threw your parents downstairs is really not dead yet!"
