OBS Chapter 154 Lin Yudie, A Belated Affection
Chapter 154 Lin Yudie, A Belated Affection
Chapter 155 Lin Yudie, A Belated Affection
"sit down."
Lu Cheng, sitting in the main seat, didn't even raise his head.
Today he was wearing a very plain gray cloth home coat, with the cuffs rolled up, and he exuded a lazy feeling as if he had just woken up in the morning.
After achieving the Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing, every inch of his skin became as smooth and warm as jade, and his breath was so long and deep that it was almost imperceptible.
Sitting there, he was like a deep, still pool.
"Master, they've laid a trap outside! Those Japanese are trying to catch us like turtles in a jar! How can we possibly escape?"
Lu Feng gritted his teeth, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
"How about I take a few brothers and fight my way out first, to create an opening for you?"
"Nonsense."
Lu Cheng picked up the large, rough porcelain bowl in front of him, took out his bamboo chopsticks, picked up a piece of gabacai covered in sesame paste, and slowly put it into his mouth.
"Slurp."
He chewed very carefully and slowly, as if there was nothing more important in the world than savoring this breakfast.
After swallowing his food, Lu Cheng finally raised his eyelids and glanced at his two disciples who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.
Even if the sky falls, I still have to swallow this hot meal.
""
Lu Cheng's voice steadily calmed the restless hearts of his two disciples.
"We are opera singers, and we also practice martial arts."
"No matter if it's raining knives or hail outside, you need to nourish your blood and energy, and fill your stomach. If you're hungry, how can you belt out that high-pitched tune on stage? How can you fight someone with knives?"
He pointed with his chopsticks to the steaming fried cakes on the table.
"Eat it while it's hot. If it gets cold, the crust of the fried cake will become tough and the red bean filling will harden, which will upset your stomach if you swallow it."
"Things in this world are like eating."
"You can't rush it."
"What's meant to happen will happen. Since they've set the stage for us, let's just enjoy ourselves and then go up there and put on a spectacular show."
Seeing their master's composure in the face of imminent collapse, Shunzi and Lu Feng's panic miraculously subsided.
Yeah, if Master isn't afraid, what are they afraid of?
At worst, one might die. To be able to die alongside such a living deity is a blessing earned in this lifetime.
"Why."
Shunzi responded heavily, pulled out a chair and plopped down, grabbed a set of jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes), and took a vicious bite, smashing the fruit fritters inside to pieces with a "crunch".
Lu Feng loosened his grip on the knife handle, picked up the gabacai (a type of vegetable dish), and began to swallow it in large gulps.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the slurping of food.
The sounds of chewing, full of the warmth of everyday life, forcefully kept the suffocating chill and shadows of death outside the window at bay.
"Excellent, what a magnanimous spirit!"
Just then, a clear, light laugh, tinged with admiration, came from the inner room of the suite.
The heavy, carved wooden door was pushed open.
Mei Lanfang, dressed in a well-fitting dark blue long gown and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, walked out slowly.
-
This renowned king of the opera world, despite pressure from all sides, stayed overnight in the heavily besieged National Hotel last night, just to give Lu Cheng his last breath.
"Did you sleep well last night, Boss Mei?" Lu Cheng put down his chopsticks, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting.
"With Boss Lu, this true Buddha, keeping me safe, even if there are guns blazing outside, I can sleep soundly."
Mei Lanfang walked to the table and sat down, looking at the breakfast on the table with a smile in his eyes.
"I haven't had Tianjin-style fried vegetables in a long time. Today, thanks to Boss Lu, I can finally satisfy my craving."
As they were talking, the door to the inner room was pushed open again.
A hunched, thin figure wearing sunglasses slowly walked out, fiddling with an old erhu in his hand.
It was none other than the blind musician, Abing.
Ever since his eyes were able to see some light and shadow under Lu Cheng's true qi, Ah Bing has become much more lively.
Today, he wasn't wearing that tattered jacket; instead, he had changed into a clean gray long gown, and his hair was neatly combed.
"Master Lu, Boss Mei." Ah Bing bowed slightly in greeting.
"Master A Bing, please have a seat." Mei Lanfang quickly stood up to greet him.
In the world of Peking Opera, the performer and the stage are as inseparable as fish and water.
Mei Lanfang was an expert; he had long heard of Abing's superb qin skills, which were truly honed through hardship.
"Boss Mei is making this blind man suffer."
Ah Bing groped his way to sit down on the chair, his fingers gently stroking the soundbox of the erhu, a smile appearing on his weathered face.
"Last night, I heard Boss Mei hum a section of 'The Universe's Edge.' The twists and turns in that melodious tune captivated me. I couldn't resist imagining myself playing a piece on the bow."
Mei Lanfang's eyes lit up, as if he had met a kindred spirit.
"Oh, Master A Bing was also proficient in the tunes of old male roles in opera?"
"I wouldn't presume to be an expert; I just used to make a living all over the capital in my early years, so I heard a bit of everything," A Bing said modestly.
Seeing this, Lu Cheng smiled and gave instructions to Shunzi.
"Go and fetch Master Abing that sandalwood jinghu (a two-stringed bowed instrument used in Peking Opera). We're enjoying a rare moment of leisure today, so please, Boss Mei and Master Abing, play us a harmonious piece."
Before long, the Jinghu (a two-stringed bowed instrument used in Peking Opera) was brought out.
A Bing put down the erhu, took the jinghu, and gently plucked the strings with his fingers.
"Zheng—"
With just one note, the clear and bright sound of metal and stone resonated throughout the room.
Mei Lanfang closed his eyes slightly and tapped his fingers gently on his knees.
Ah Bing took a deep breath and pulled his arm.
It wasn't the decisive and ruthless "Rapid Wind" that usually accompanied Lu Cheng, but rather an extremely poignant and desolate piece...
Interlude to "Erhuang Manban".
The music was plaintive and sorrowful, as if tearing open a rift across time in this chilly early spring, slowly pouring out the joys and sorrows of the nation and its people a hundred years ago.
Mei Lanfang slightly opened his eyes, and instead of singing in a high-pitched voice, he lowered his voice and began to hum softly in a magnetic and captivating male tone.
"Alas, the Yang family, loyal to the heart, protected the Great Song Dynasty—"
"Now, all that remains is blood staining the battlefield—"
These are lyrics from "Si Lang Visits His Mother," but they were sung by a top-tier artist like Mei Lanfang in an almost whispering manner, accompanied by the sound of Abing's zither, which had endured countless life-and-death hardships and seemed capable of tearing one's heart apart.
Two completely different artistic realms, yet converging on the same goal, merged perfectly at this moment.
Mei Lanfang's singing style was refined to the extreme, a "courtly sound" that had been honed through countless trials.
Abing's qin (a seven-stringed zither) was rooted in the soil, a "voice of the martial world" stained with blood and tears.
One is elegant, the other is vulgar; one is gentle, the other is strong.
In this desperate situation surrounded by swords and spears, the music and singing showed no fear or retreat.
There is only one kind of backbone and composure that belongs uniquely to Chinese culture.
Shunzi and Lu Feng were stunned. They even stopped chewing, feeling a lump in their throats and their eyes burning.
Lu Cheng sat there quietly.
He toyed with the celadon teacup in his hand, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
The "Exquisite Heart" quietly begins to operate at this moment.
He was "listening" and "understanding".
He understood the perseverance in Mei Lanfang's singing and the indomitable spirit in Abing's violin strings.
This is culture, this is the backbone.
The Japanese wanted to break this backbone with guns and cannons, and wanted to trample the face of Chinese martial arts into the mud on the stage.
"wishful thinking."
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Lu Cheng's mouth.
That smile revealed an overbearing arrogance that looked down upon the world.
"Knock knock knock".
As the music ended and its lingering notes echoed, there was a gentle knock on the suite door.
Outside the door came the slightly broken Chinese voice of Pierre, the detective of the French Concession police.
"Mr. Lu, Mr. Lin Shiyuan has come to visit."
The door was pushed open.
Lin Shiyuan walked in heavily, leaning on his gold-inlaid sandalwood cane.
This once-powerful business tycoon in Tianjin seemed to have aged ten years overnight, his eyes sunken and filled with sorrow—
Redness on the skin.
Behind him followed the butler, Lao Liu, carrying two heavy leather suitcases.
Further behind her was Lin Yudie, her eyes lowered and her expression complex.
Today, Lin Yudie didn't wear those fashionable Parisian dresses, but instead wore an extremely simple moon-white cheongsam, without even a single piece of jewelry.
She looked at Lu Cheng, who was sitting at the table in a gray shirt, and then at the famous Boss Mei next to him.
In this room, there were no glittering decorations, no arrogant foreigners, only an indescribable air of refined elegance that made her feel ashamed of her own inferiority.
"Nephew Lu————"
Lin Shiyuan walked up to Lu Cheng, let out a long sigh, his voice filled with deep weariness and guilt.
"This old man—I am ashamed!"
After saying this, the famous comprador in Tianjin actually clasped his hands together and was about to give Lu Cheng a grand salute.
Lu Cheng reacted quickly, extending his folding fan and gently supporting Lin Shiyuan's arm with a burst of strength.
"Mr. Lin, what makes you say that? Please have a seat."
Lin Shiyuan sat down and looked at Lu Cheng's calm face, feeling even more guilty.
"Yesterday at the flour mill—"
Lin Shiyuan gritted his teeth and said, word by word.
"It was Song Ziqi who was blind to talent, and it was also my own poor judgment in judging people that almost led to a disaster."
"If it weren't for your divine intervention, Nephew Lu, not only would my Lin family's business be lost, but the lives of those three hundred workers would also have been lost at the hands of those beasts."
He turned his head and glared fiercely at Lin Yudie standing behind him.
"And this girl, thinking she's forgotten her ancestors after a few years of studying abroad. She actually trusted that spineless traitor!"
Lin Yudie's eyes instantly reddened when her grandfather publicly reprimanded her, tears of humiliation welling up, but she did not refute him.
Because she knew that her grandfather was right.
Last night, after returning to the Lin mansion, upon learning that Song Ziqi had secretly colluded with pro-Japanese factions in Nanjing, and that even the blockade of the flour mill was a charade orchestrated by the Song family in cooperation with the Japanese to seize the Lin family's assets—
Her worldview completely collapsed.
That gentleman, always spouting "science and civilization" and dressed in a suit, turned out to be a despicable villain who would betray his country and his fellow countrymen for personal gain, once he tore off his mask.
Lu Cheng, whom she despised and considered a crude brute, used his own flesh and blood to protect hundreds of innocent lives amidst a hail of bullets.
"Mr. Lu————"
Lin Yudie took a deep breath, held back her tears, walked up to Lu Cheng, and bowed deeply.
"sorry."
"I was blind, I was arrogant. I mistook a jackal for a gentleman, and a true hero for a brute."
Her voice trembled, filled with regret.
"That jade pendant—Yu Die is not worthy of it."
Lu Cheng watched as the proud young lady finally lowered her head, but his eyes remained completely calm.
There was no thrill of revenge, nor any pity of a beautiful woman shedding tears.
With his discerning eye, Lin Yudie was nothing more than an ordinary woman among the masses, blinded by the tides of the times and the false prosperity.
"Miss Lin, you flatter me."
Lu Cheng spoke in a calm tone, without even putting down his teacup, maintaining that awe-inspiring distance of "gentleman's friendship".
"No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes. It's good to see things clearly."
"As for that jade pendant, it was a rule set by our elders in the old days. Now that times have changed, the rules should change too. You can't force things. Just keep the jade pendant as a memento, and don't mention it again."
These words were swift and decisive, completely severing the last vestige of possibility between the two.
Untainted by cosmetics, untouched by dust.
Lin Yudie swayed slightly, her face turned even paler, and she bit her lip so hard it almost bled, but she could only silently retreat behind her grandfather.
She knew that for the rest of her life, she would probably only be able to look up at this man's back.
Lin Shiyuan watched this scene and sighed inwardly, knowing that he couldn't force it.
He waved his hand, and the butler, Old Liu, placed the two heavy leather suitcases on the table and opened them.
"Click".
The box contained neither silver dollars nor gold bars.
Instead, it was filled with extremely rare Western medicines.
Penicillin, sulfonamides, anti-inflammatory drugs, and even a few precious injections of morphine.
There were also several large bags of high-quality Yunnan Baiyao and top-grade Korean ginseng.
"Nephew Lu."
Lin Shiyuan's expression became extremely solemn, and he lowered his voice.
"I know the Japanese and the pro-Japanese faction in Nanjing have joined forces. They pressured the French Concession to change the 'Grand Performance' into some rubbish 'Sino-Japanese Martial Arts and Arts Exchange'."
"They've laid a trap, intending to kill you on stage, in front of consuls from multiple countries and Chinese and foreign journalists!"
Lin Shiyuan's hands trembled slightly.
"I, Lin Shiyuan, am a businessman. I don't have the ability to fight them with guns. But these medicines were obtained by me overnight through black market channels from a foreign hospital."
"You—you take this. It could be a lifesaver if you get injured on stage!"
Looking at the box of life-saving medicine, which was worth its weight in gold in this era, Lu Cheng finally felt a flicker of emotion in his eyes.
Although this old man Lin is a capitalist and shrewd, he still has a strong backbone and hot blood when it comes to matters of principle.
This is enough.
"Mr. Lin, I, Lu, appreciate your kind offer."
Lu Cheng did not refuse and asked Shunzi to put the medicine box away.
He stood up, walked to the window, and pulled open the heavy velvet curtains.
"Whoosh!"
The blinding sunlight poured into the room in an instant.
Outside the window, downstairs at the National Hotel, the densely packed Japanese spies and concession police were clearly visible, like ants.
You can even see the cold glint of sunlight reflecting off the sniper rifle scope on the rooftop across the street.
But there wasn't a trace of fear on Lu Cheng's face.
His gray cotton gown fluttered slightly in the wind, making him seem to blend into the world around him, exuding a divine aura.
"The Japanese want to break the backbone of our Chinese martial arts and culture on the stage, in front of the whole world."
A cold smile slowly appeared on Lu Cheng's lips.
Deep within those eyes, the true meaning of the White Tiger and the righteous spirit of Zhong Kui intertwined to form a golden light.
"it is good."
"I will grant their wish."
He turned around, looked at the shocked crowd in the room, and spoke each word clearly and forcefully.
"I'll take this role."
"It doesn't matter if he's a sword saint, a boxing champion, or even the Emperor himself."
"Tomorrow's performance."
"I, Lu Cheng, will teach them what it means to be on that tiny stage—"
"rule!"