The first volume of pearl curtains rolls up the western mountain rain at dusk Chapter 66: Pretty Good
Li Diudiu himself did not expect it would turn out like this. On his first day performing in the teahouse, he became a celebrity in a small circle and had a loyal fan like Mrs. Sun.
Mrs. Sun called her sisters over from the first day, and this circle is constantly expanding.
The next afternoon, when Li Diudiu arrived at Yunzhai Teahouse, he was shocked. The teahouse was already full and there was not a single empty seat in the lobby.
And they are all women.
What Li Diudiu didn't know was that the ladies who had come yesterday had eaten here at noon and grabbed seats at the same time. Or rather, grabbing seats was their main job and eating was just a side job. The men who were used to taking a nap had no place to sit when they came again.
Madam Sun saw Li Diudiu coming over with a large package on his back. His body formed a sharp contrast with the size of the package.
"I'm coming!"
Mrs. Sun immediately stood up and went out to greet them, which made Li Diudiu feel flattered. Although she seemed polite, she was actually very nervous inside.
About dozens of feet behind Li Diudiu, little Gao Xining secretly followed him out. She didn't know what Li Diudiu was going out for. Recently, Li Diudiu no longer asked her to go out to sell candy, and he was deliberately distancing himself from her. She guessed that her grandfather must have talked to Li Diudiu again, or that her grandfather had asked Yan Qingzhi to put pressure on Li Diudiu again.
This made her very unhappy. Children of this age have already started to become rebellious, and the more their family members forbid them to do something, the more they want to do it.
Besides, Gao Xining, who grew up in an academy, actually has no friends. Except for Li Diudiu, no other disciple in the academy could get along with her so casually.
Either they keep their distance or they are fawning.
Only Li Diudiu is like a breath of fresh air.
So she felt more and more uncomfortable these days. She asked herself why she felt uncomfortable, and then explained to herself that it was probably because she couldn't go back on her word. She had promised to arrange other people's marriages, so how could she give up halfway?
So she was moved by it . Such a good reason was really just.
When Li Diudiu was leaving the academy carrying the huge package, Gao Xining was already following behind. She didn't dare let Li Diudiu discover her, so she tiptoed like a thief who had stolen hearts. Perhaps she was a thief whose heart was stolen without even realizing it.
When Gao Xining saw Li Diudiu being welcomed into Yunzhai Teahouse by a very beautiful woman, her little face turned ugly.
When she saw that all the people in the teahouse were women, the ugliness on that little face became extremely interesting.
Li Diudiu walked into the Yunzhai Teahouse in a somewhat embarrassed manner under the gazes of a group of women. For a moment, he wanted to turn around and leave, but at the same time this thought came to his mind, another sentence came to his mind.
I have done nothing wrong.
So he took a deep breath, walked through the crowd, and went to the small area that temporarily belonged to him. There was a table and a chair there. Isn't this his own world?
He didn't express anything too much, nor did he make any extra movements. He just sat down, took out the instruments one by one and placed them on the table, then showed a standard smile and asked.
"What do you want to listen to first today?"
Madam Sun said, "Young Master Li, just play your music. Anything is fine."
Li Diudiu leaned forward slightly to express his gratitude.
Most of the people were here for the first time, and they thought that such a handsome little boy sitting there was a perfect match for the lazy afternoon sunshine.
"Well, I'll do it myself."
Li Diudiu took out a flute, and after a moment of silence, began to play it. As soon as the melodious music came out, cheers were heard in the teahouse.
Madam Sun became anxious and said loudly, "Don't shout, don't shout, listen carefully, don't disturb Young Master Li."
Although Gao Xining really wanted to rush in and pull Li Diudiu out, she didn't dare. She didn't know what she was afraid of, but she was definitely not afraid of that group of women.
She hid outside the window and watched secretly, not looking at the women but only at Li Diudiu. She noticed that Li Diudiu's eyes were not looking at anyone. He was very focused and he knew what he was here to do.
After a song was played, the ladies began their performances. The competitive spirit among women was terrible. The first person to throw out the coins would feel a little proud. If the next person to throw out the coins did not throw more than the previous person, they would feel embarrassed that they had lost.
Li Diudiu stood up, bowed slightly, then went over to pick up all the copper coins, one by one. At that moment, Gao Xining felt that his heart, which should have been very big, felt a little painful.
He is here to make money, he is only here to make money.
Is it shameful to make money?
Just at this moment Gao Xining heard someone talking behind her. The voice was very soft, but it still scared her. She turned around and saw that it was instructor Yan Qingzhi who had come behind her without her knowing.
"He had earned enough money to buy a house for his master, but after a trip to Tang County, he met a friend who was in great difficulty. He gave most of his earnings to that friend."
Yan Qingzhi looked at Li Diudiu who was picking up the coins from the window. After a moment of silence, he continued, "I know you might blame him for looking at him like this, but I don't think he looks embarrassed when he bends down to pick up the coins, nor do I think he has lost his dignity."
Gao Xining shook his head vigorously: "I didn't... He wasn't embarrassed at all."
In the teahouse, Li Diudiu picked up all the coins and returned to his seat. He picked up the second instrument and started playing it. He still didn't say much, and didn't even explain what song he was playing.
"Have not heard."
Gao Xining asked Yan Qingzhi, "Mr. Yan, did Li Chi learn all these pieces from you?"
Yan Qingzhi shook his head and said, "I haven't heard this one either."
Li Diudiu didn't say what song it was because he came up with it himself last night.
The entire teahouse fell silent. Even passers-by would stop to look when they heard the piano music. Gao Xining, who was standing outside the window, was listening to the music and a vague illusion appeared in his mind.
She seemed to see an old man and a young boy walking hand in hand on the dusty road in the yellow afterglow of the setting sun. There was no conversation or other movements, they just walked forward hand in hand.
After the song was over, Li Diudiu stood up again and bent slightly, but this time no one threw out copper coins.
Li Diudiu was slightly stunned and thought that the song he composed was not very good.
Then he saw Madam Sun take out a handkerchief and wipe her eyes. She said to herself, "Why... did you suddenly think of my father?"
The teahouse was so quiet. Mrs. Sun's voice, though soft, reached every corner. The confused people suddenly came to their senses. Didn't they feel the same way?
I miss my father.
Seeing the crowd's attitude, Sun, the shopkeeper of Yunzhai Teahouse, felt that someone had to speak up, so he shouted from behind the crowd, "Good song!"
After shouting, he picked up a copper coin and threw it out, and it made a crisp sound on the ground.
His shout was like waking people up from their dreams, and copper coins were scattered one after another, and the sound of them falling to the ground was as dense as rain hitting banana leaves.
Li Diudiu thanked politely as always, and bent over to pick up the coins one by one as usual. At this moment, he saw a beautiful and delicate little hand appear in front of him. He raised his head and saw Gao Xining's smiling face.
"I'll help you."
Gao Xining smiled, and Li Diudiu's eyes became dazed for a moment, as if he saw the newly opened jasmine flower covered with morning dew again.
"Thanks."
Li Diudiu smiled, revealing his white and neat teeth.
Gao Xining helped him pick up all the copper coins, and then returned to stand at the entrance of the teahouse. Many women looked at her, and for a moment Gao Xining actually felt a hint of unfriendly gazes.
She doesn't care.
Li Diudiu did not show such a bright smile to any of them. The smile just now was only given to her, so she felt a little proud.
"that……"
Li Diudiu cleared his throat and said with a hint of embarrassment: "It's two songs now. Let's take a break. I brought some other things. You can take a look and see if you like them."
He opened the package again, took out a lot of lollipops from it and put them on the table, saying, "This is what one of my best friends taught me to make. It tastes really good. If you want to taste it, you can come and try it. I sell one for ten cents outside, but friends here only need eight cents."
Shopkeeper Sun immediately stood up and said, "No, you can't sell your own things here without consulting me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Madam Sun's finger was already at his ear. Shopkeeper Sun immediately shrank his neck and said, "Okay, okay, but we still have to pay for it."
Madam Sun said, "They brought it themselves, why should we share the money?"
Shopkeeper Sun: “…”
But no one went up to buy it, and no one knew why. Maybe they liked Li Diudiu's music rather than the things he sold.
"I come!"
Mrs. Sun was the first to go up again. She took a lollipop and peeled off the candy wrapper while saying, "I'll settle the bill for you later."
She put the lollipop in her mouth and smiled: "It's so sweet."
The iron powder played a role again.
With Madam Sun being the first to buy, more people followed behind her. A few cents was nothing to them. They just put it in their mouths and tasted it, and it was very sweet anyway.
In less than a moment, all the lollipops that Li Diudiu brought were sold out.
Li Diudiu was just about to pick up his instrument to play the third song when a man who hadn't squeezed in shouted at the door: "Stop playing the song. What are you going to eat today?"
Li Diudiu: “Ah?”
The man said loudly, "I am not here to watch you play music, nor to see you sell candy, but to see you eat. If you eat like you did yesterday, I will reward you handsomely."
Li Diudiu looked at Shopkeeper Sun and said apologetically, "I have agreed with Shopkeeper Sun of Yunzhai Teahouse that we can only play for an hour and a half every afternoon, because the evening guests will arrive soon and I have to go back... So, we can't lose the music we agreed to play."
Shopkeeper Sun immediately said, "It doesn't matter! They are buying food from my house and they are paying for it, so I am fine with it."
Madam Sun glared at him fiercely.
Compared to yesterday's income, Li Diudiu's income today has doubled. He went back and counted it yesterday and found that he had earned several hundred copper coins. Today, he should be able to earn over a thousand. However, the exchange rate between copper coins and silver in Da Chu is getting lower and lower. In the past, one string of coins could be exchanged for one tael of silver, but now it takes about two strings.
And no one who sells a house is willing to accept copper coins, they all want hard cash.
But it doesn't matter, it should get better and better.
Compared to those common people who are still struggling for a living, earning more than one tael of silver in two days is already a very good thing, and you can earn nearly two hundred taels of silver a year.
fine.
