Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Wang Pu stood up, cleared his throat and said in a pretentious tone: "Alright, today General Ben will sing you a little tune - Walking to the West Pass."

  Brother Russia goes west mouth

  Little sister is worried

  My elder brother went west from the mouth of the river

  Alas, little sister, your tears flow endlessly

  Older brother walks west from the mouth of the river

  Little sister sees Russia off

  The hand on his shoulder was his brother's.

  Alas, it was sent out just at the gate.

  Little sister doesn't drop hands

  There are two sentences of words that know one's heart.

  Oh, little sister, remember this.

  ……

  Wang Pu's powerful voice, combined with the slightly melancholic lyrics of "Mian", perfectly interprets the desolate atmosphere inherent in Shaanbei folk songs. The girls seem to see the desolate and barren Loess Plateau from this song, and see people struggling for survival on that land.

  Men leave their homes to make a living, women see them off at the village entrance, reluctant to part with each other, tears in their eyes...

  When Wang Pu sang to the emotional part, Chen Yuanyuan couldn't help but stretch out her small hand and gently grasped Wang Pu's palm. In Wang Pu's beautiful eyes, watery tenderness had already flowed out. Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan were even more moved by Wang Pu's desolate singing voice, and two lines of clear tears had already flowed down their powdered faces.

  The reason why Shaanbei folk songs can move people is not just because of the singing skills, but mainly due to the desolate and impoverished flavor inherent in the folk songs themselves. Wang Pu was obsessed with Shaanbei folk songs when he was studying at university in Xi'an, often running to Shaanbei for no reason, and with his talent, it's easy for him to make young girls cry.

  Wang Bo finished singing one song, and the carriage was quiet and silent.

  After a long while, Li Shiniang let out a soft sigh and asked: "General, what is this little tune? Slave's heart feels uneasy listening to it."

  He let out a sigh and said in a serious tone, "This is a Shanxi folk song. Shanxi is a poor place, unlike the fertile plains of Jiangnan where people often go hungry and men frequently leave their homes to venture out and make a living, this is what they call 'going out to the west'."

  Wang Pu's words are half true and half false. The poverty of Shanxi is not a lie, but at that time, the Shanxi people had no intention of going to Xi'an because the Ming Empire and Mongolia were still in an enemy state, so it was impossible to carry out large-scale trade activities, so there would be no story about Shanxi people going to Xi'an.

  Li Xiangjun's eyes showed a hint of unbearable pain, and she asked in a soft voice: "What about that woman?"

  "The women just stay at home." Wang Pu sighed again and continued, "The road to the west is filled with the bleached bones of Shanxi people. The vast majority of women can never see their husbands or sons again after sending them off, but they cannot not send off their loved ones because that land is really too barren to support so many people..."

  "Today is a happy day, let's not talk about this heart-wrenching topic." Li Dangnu wiped the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, and her face had already regained its charming demeanor. She said to Wang Pu, "Now I announce that General has successfully passed the tenth daughter's test. Which young lady will ask the next question?"

  "Mother." Li Danni's words had just fallen when Yu Jing stood up and said, "Yu Jing has something to say, but I don't know if it should be said or not?"

  Li Daigne said: "Yu Jing you say."

  Yu Jing gave Wang Pu a charming glance and said in a sweet voice: "Yuan Yuan and the general are newlyweds, it's the time when they should be inseparable. Today, sisters have had enough fun and trouble, let's not continue to bother them anymore. Why don't we let Yuan Yuan and the general go back and rest early?"

  "Ah, Yu Jing is right, it's indeed not early now. The general and Yuan Yuan will have to get up early tomorrow to rush on the road, so let's disperse today."

  Wang Pu smiled and said: "Then thank you all for sparing my life."

  "This time, I'll let you off, brother-in-law. Next time when you and Yuan Yuan come back to Jiangnan for a wedding banquet, my sisters will give you a hard time again, hehe."

  "That's settled then." Wang Pu smiled and said, "When General Ben and Yuanyuan return to Jiangnan for their wedding ceremony, you can use whatever tactics you like, General Ben will take them head-on."

  Chen Yuanyuan got up again and bid farewell to her sisters. The sisters saw Wang Pu and Chen Yuanyuan off at the entrance of Wai Xiang Ge, watching as Chen Yuanyuan boarded the sedan chair and exited Wu Yi Xiang before returning to their respective residences. Liu Ru, who was staying with the Li family, returned to Nuan Xiang Ge together with Li Dama, Da Shi Niang, and Li Xiangjun.

  Let's talk about Nuan Xiang Ge first.

  Warm Fragrance Pavilion was originally maintained by only one person, Li Danni. At that time, Li Danni was not yet a madam, her stage name was Li Zhenli, and she was also a famous Southern Opera diva on the banks of Qinhuai River. Unfortunately, as she grew older, she couldn't find a suitable man to marry and settle down with, so later on, she simply bought Warm Fragrance Pavilion herself and became a madam.

  Later, Li Dangui's distant cousin Li Shiniang was confiscated due to her father's crime, and Li Dangui spent a lot of money to redeem Li Shiniang. With her extraordinary beauty and talent, Li Shiniang quickly became a famous courtesan on the Qinhuai River, and this Warm Fragrance Pavilion also became the second home of the two Lis.

  Two years ago, Li Dang's adopted daughter, Li Xiangjun, also turned sixteen and grew into a heavenly beauty. She was skilled in poetry and composition, singing and dancing, especially with her petite figure and skin as white as jade. The wind and rain guests gave her the elegant nickname "Xiang Shan Die Er". In less than two years, Xiang Shan Die Er's reputation spread throughout Jiangnan.

  Li Daigne sighed softly and said, "Alas, Yuan Yuan's fate is indeed good to have met General Wang, such a perfect husband."

  Liu Ruyi and Li Shiniang each thought about their own affairs, silently without speaking.

  Li Xiangjun's eyes showed a look of admiration, and she replied in a gentle voice: "General Wang only brought over a thousand men and horses to dare to enter Liaodong alone, and was able to return unscathed. He risked his life to rescue Yuanyuan, even offering himself as a hostage to the Taohu Lake bandits, and was still able to return safely. Truly, he is both brave and clever, with both emotion and righteousness. Only someone like Yuanyuan, an immortal goddess, could be worthy of General Wang."

  "It's not just that." Li Shiniang said with a sigh, "If you say he's a martial artist, he can compose poetry. If you say he's an unrefined person, he can say some strange yet reasonable things. If you say he only knows how to lead troops and fight battles, he can sing melancholic and desolate little tunes... What kind of man is this?"

  That night, Li Danniang, Li Shiniang, Liu Ruzi and Li Xiangjun all lost sleep.