Cheng Fengtai had long heard of the name Sheng Xirui. He was the leader of the Opera group called Shuiyun Tower and was one of the most famous actors with his famous
roles as Huadan and Qingyi
Fans who chased after him were as much as the stars in the sky. There were always people queuing in front of the ticket box. The length of the queue could sorround the whole of the City of Beiping.
When asked, people would acknowledge that Shang Xirui sang so well and they would inevitably tell the story of Ning Juilang from Lingyuan Shangshu, the Opera group who sang for Empress dowager Cixi.
When Shang Xirui first came to Beiping with his Shuiyun Tower, he became famous only with three shows. After listening to Shang Xirui's singing, Ning Juilang sighed, resigned from the stage and eventually retired giving up his title as the most famous actors are that time to Shang Xirui.
Some people say that Nang Juilang was so devastated after hearing Shang Xirui's voice that he finally resigned saying that the voice of the young phoenix was clearer than his own, the old phoenix. So he saw no meaning for him to continue to perform on stage.
Others said after leaving the palace where he sang for twenty years to the Empress dowager, he had already accumulated enough wealth and planned to wash his hands in a golden basin but his plan failed because of Shang Xirui. Whatever the real reason was, the fact was that Ning Juilang had already put down his crown making Shang Xirui's reputation even more glorious without an equal.
Everyday, whether big or small there was always news about Shang Xirui in the news papers. Fans who held tickets and shouted hysterically gathered around thr theater gate, praising him to the heavens, such praises even exceeded those given to the president of China.
Cheng Fengtai's first impression of Shang Xirui was that he was an extraordinary Jiao er.
But that was not so for Cheng Meixin, Cheng Fengtai's sister. In her eyes, Shang Xirui was a flirtatious fox in sheep's clothing and because this fox is a male fox, so it was ten times more vicious than the female fox.
But why did Cheng Meixin hate Shang Xirui so much?
Cheng Meixin was the sixth wife of commander Cao, a warlord from the northwest. Commander Cao travelled a long way to attack Ping Yang city. When he was almost through the city gates, Shang Xirui wearing a beautiful costume sang an unforgettable farewell song above the City gate, singing heartily without fear of being shot by bullets.
Everyone was shocked to the point of forgetting to fire his weapon, pointing at Shang Xirui and shouting. "That man must be crazy! Really crazy!"
Commander Cao looked at him from under the tower. Shang Xirui sang the sentence Concubine Yu had once said.
Han has invaded our country. Sorrounded by enemies, the king has left. I don't want to live anymore
Shang Xirui sounded like he was praising Commander Cao. His voice was very clear and refreshing. Commander Cao was captivated instantly.
"Don't hurt him! Concubine Yu, I want you alive!" Commander Cao shouted.
Nobody dared to fire his weapon carelessly. Finally, It took an extra hour for Commander Cao to break through the city gates. After the City of Ping Yang was conquered, unlike the loyalty of Concubine Yu who had just been sung, Shang Xirui was arrested by Commander Cao and he had to go obediently.
Under Cheng Meixin's nose, Shang Xirui sang day and night for Commander Cao making her heart burn with jealousy. Fortunately, in the end, victory still went to Cheng Meixin. She succeeded in getting rid of Shang Xirui and later became Mrs Cao. But whenever she remembered the part, hatred for Shang Xirui was still rooted in her heart.
Cheng Meixin came from a Western educated family in Shanghai but due to the years she had spent as a high class prostitute and mistress of Commander Cao, her mouth and mind had changed to become more violent. Whenever someone mentioned Shang Xirui's name while chatting, she would only say two sentences, the first was an unpleasant comment about Shang Xirui and the second would be a warning to every man in the family not to interact with Shang Xirui but aside from her husband Commander Cao and her younger brother Cheng Fengtai, she had no other male relatives to warn. Of course she couldn't dare to force her opinion on her husband the Warlord, so her warning could only be aimed at Cheng Fengtai.
In the afternoon, in the spacious hall of a house in Beiping, there were several enamel vases filled with peacock feathers, carved mahogany furniture, some orchids and chrysanthemums on the walls, all original furniture was from the palace.
Someone was smoking inside the house, the orange sunset was blurry behind the smoke. The whole scene looked like one from a gloomy painting. Cheng Meixin put one of her elbows on the armrest. The other hand held a cigarette pipe made of ivory. She looked at Cheng Fengtai with warning.
"You can't hang out with those Beiping men who act on stage especially those with big eyes who are good at seducing rich and powerful men. If you don't listen to me, I will be angry, you hear?"
Cheng Meixin's laid out her strong point. Though her heart was filled with poison, her soft and feminine tone typical of Jiangnan women did not change.
Cheng Fengtai put his hands in his pant pocket and flashed a perfunctory smile. "Yes, I've heard but what is so exciting about a male opera performer?"
The point of this sequence was because this Opera performer was male, then he was not interested but if the Opera performer was female, he might change his mind.
Cheng Meixin glanced at her sister in law who sat next to her. Second Lady, Cheng Fengtai's wife noticed. She put a slim cigarette in her hand, threw him a handful of cigarette and stared coldly at Cheng Fengtai.
Cheng Meixin quickly added. "You would not only be interested in the Opera Singer but also in a prostitute. My daughter in law is very beautiful. She has already given you two sons. If you're not satisfied, then it means you have no conscience!"
Cheng Meixin forgot that Cheng Fengtai's biological mother, the Cheng family's second wife was an opera singer.
Luckily for her, Cheng Fengtai didn't really care. He offered her a candied orange. "I see! Sister, you rarely visit but whenever you come, you spend half your time cursing opera performers, the other half nagging your brother. Your nature is becoming more and more like brother in law"
While talking, Cheng Fengtai lit his wife's cigarette with a lighter. There was a slight smile in Second Lady's eyes. She liked intimate things like this. For example, like when her husband bowed his head and flattered her.
Second Lady blew out the smoke from her tobacco and she said. " butI don't care if he sleeps around with cheap women but I won't forgive him if he has an illegitimate child"
Cheng Meixin took a bite of her orange and said. "My brother would never hurt his wife"
Second Lady glanced at Cheng Fengtai showing him an expression not to look down on her but the smile on Cheng Fengtai's face did not change. They kept talking. The Shanghai accent and the northern dialect were spoken one after another by the two women.
In a back room, the third sister Cha Chaer woke up from sleep, rubbed her eyes, lifted the curtain and came out. When she saw her first sister Cheng Meixin, she froze for a while before turning away.
Cheng Fengtai hurriedly gestured and called out to her. "Cha Chaer, come here"
Cha Chaer walked reluctantly towards Cheng Fengtai. She was a loner and had never personally dealt with her sister since she was little because she looked down on her sister's personality and style.
Cheng Fengtai tapped his knee signalling Cha Chaer to sit. She sat on her brother's lap and bured her face in his chest not once looking at Cheng Meixin.
Cheng Fengtai rubbed Cha Cher's back frowning as he said "Sister is here. Why don't you say hello?"
There was no reprimanding tone in. Cheng Fengtai's voice. Cha Chaer just muttered but didn't answer. If this happened while they were still in Shanghai, Cheng Meixin would have already scolded Cha Chaer but she was very familiar with Cheng Fengtai's temperament. Even though he loved all his siblings, only Cha Chaer was hus favorite.
Cha Chaer lay in Cheng Fengtai's arms like a small doll, she had accompanied Cheng Fengtai through the most depressing moments of his life. Cha Chaer occupied the most special place in Cheng Fengtai's heart. Cursing Cha Chaer as an illegitimate child who does not have manners like her barbaric mother. A bunch of cheap breeds.
With a smile, she looked at the two siblings who were embracing each other in front of her, then said with the disgusr in her heart.
"One is thr son of a singer, the other is the daughter of a barbarian. Both were the same"
While the Cheng family still lived in Shanghai, their father died and his factory went bankrupt and had to be shut down. Not long after, their grand mother passed away due to devastation.
None of the children from the Cheng family were from the same mother. Chen Meixin was born from the eldest wife.
She was only eighteen years old and had one younger brother and two younger sisters.
Cheng Fengtai's mother was an opera singer in Shanghai. After giving birth to Cheng Fengtai and staying home for a while, she went to Hong Kong to continue her career.
Cha Chaer's mother was a woman from the Uighur tribe. She disappeared without a trace. Cheng Meixin rarely saw her. She heard from someone that Cha Chaer's mother now lived in France.
And the fourth wife, the nother of her fourth sister who was still very small came from a very poor family.
Later, the bank sent someone to confiscate the valuables in their home to pay off the debt. Election fans, silver wares, even the marble displays in the garden were confiscated by the banks. Seeing this situation, the servants quit their jobs. Cheng Meixin stopped them at the gate of the house barring them from leaving. She shouted at the top of her lungs until her throat almost tore.
"I'll pay you later. Don't leave!"
But what could Cheng Meixin do?
To keep the house from being confiscated by the bank and to pay the servants, she turned into a high class prostitute.
Cheng Meixin might not be the prettiest among the rich ladies in Shanghai but as a Western educated girl who spoke English, wore modern dresses and most importantly was the eldest daughter of the Cheng family, she was a phoenix everyone wanted a taste of.
Cheng Meixin's first experience was with a man who was the same age as her father. An old man whom she always called uncle. At that time, she got 6000 Yuan.
When her father was still alive, her mother squandered 6000 Yuan on a mahjong table and now for that same 6000 Yuan, she had replaced her virginity.
Cheng Meixin still rembered. That night, she held in her sadness and anger. The next morning, even though she felt sick and tired, she still walked a long way to buy a chestnut cake from Kaisling and take it home.
In the past, she used to have breakfast with milk and cakes so she bought this not because she loved her siblings but more for herself. She did not want to be sad to death, languishing because of loss of wealth. Her efforts last night was one of the many things she was capable of doing in other to desperately mantain her status as before.
Cheng Meixin pushed open the dining room door with a cake in her hand. All walls in the dining room had floor to ceiling doors and windows.
Morning sunlight came in casting it's light over her brother, Cheng Fengtai covering his hair and skin making him look holy and beautiful.
Cheng Fengtai only wore a white shirt as he sat on the dining table embracing Cha Chaer's nanny. His face sank into the woman's chest unmoving. The woman seemed to be enjoying something, her hand squeezing Cheng Fengtai's shoulder as she closed her eyes moaning softly.
The scene before her eyes was very erotic reminding Cheng Meixin of the incident which tore her body and soul overnight. She stood still for a moment watching them till she finally realized Cheng Fengtai was not doing the same thing as he was drunk.
Cha Chaer was very young at the time. She sat on the side with her legs hanging, staring blankly at her brother and the nanny, then she turned to look at her sister.
Cheng Meixin was trembling with anger. She had swallowed her dignity and slept with that old man outside while Cheng Fengtai, her only younger brother was busy hugging his sister's nanny at home. Such a shameless cheap human. Does he think, she would sell her body just so he could live comfortably as a young mater? He would have to think again.
The nanny noticed Cheng Meixin when she opened her eyes. She screamed, gathered her clothes and ran out. Cheng Fengtai jumped down from the table looking at Cheng Meixin with shame. Blushing, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeves. "Sister..."
Cheng Meixin swallowed back her anger and smiled. She put the chest nut cake on the table and called Cheng Fengtai by his English name "Edwin is naughty huh? A big boy still drinking milk from his sister's nanny. You're hungry aren't you? Here, eat cake"
At the dining table, Cheng Meixin thought of all the ways to use her younger siblings. Her two younger sisters were too young to sell their bodies. Her younger brother was very beautiful, even more beautiful than her but unfortunately, he was a man. She didn't know of any rich businessman in Shanghai who loved to sleep with boys.
Finally, she remembered someone from the northern border, someone who could save their family.
She grabbed Cheng Fengtai's hand and said in a sincere tone "Edwin, i think...I will ask Miss Fan, your fiancee from the north to come to Shanghai to marry you"
Cheng Fengtai frowned, he almost spouted milk from his mouth, he pulled his hand and hit the table.
"No way!"
Cheng Meixin took Cheng Fengtai's hand again. "I know Miss Fan is several years older than you and she's a girl the village. When our father mentioned this marriage, I was also on your side and opposed it but now the situation is different. We have two younger sisters, if you don't marry her, this family will die!"
Cheng Fengtai shouted. "How can I live with a girl like that! Sister doesn't understand, she...she even still has Lotus feet."
The servants and the fourth wife who saw the siblings arguing immediately took the children away from the dining room. Cheng Meixin had tears in her eyes, thinking about how she would make her younger brother understand. She unbottoned her shirt showing the traces left behind from last night. She lamented with tears in her eyes.
"You are a big. Do you know where these marks come from? Do you know where these marks come from? You know where and what sister did last night? Oh my dear brother, if it wasn't for my sacrifice, we would have lived on the streets. Now is the time for you to sacrifice as well. Isn't it?"
Cheng Fengtai felt very sad. He could not say anything anymore. The following year, he married Miss Fan Jia making her Second Lady. Soon their lives returned to what it was before. They became even more richer than when their father was still alive.
Cheng Meixin ate her last piece of orange. If it wasn't for you her clever arrangements, how could these two breeds live well now?
She laughed "Third sister seems to have grown up. What if she starts studying at school?"
"Cha Chaer is still very young. I will ask private tutors to teach her at home. After two years, she can go straight to middle school"
Second Lady blew out cigarette smoke and interrupted lazily. "What good is a foreign school? Girls gather and play. After graduation, the Cheng family cannot possibly let Cha er go and work outside the home"
Cheng Fengtai disagreed with Second Lady's opinion but he was lazy to argue so he only said. "We'll see if Cha Chaer likes to go to school. If not, she can stay at home"
Cheng Meixin smiled at Second Lady. "Second brother still planning our third Sister"
Second Lady looked at her husband and smiled.

Comments
Post a Comment