Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

Chapter 213 A Stroll Through the Paradise Pavilion (5)

The second program was only halfway through when most of the guests at Paradise House were already completely captivated.

Fangniang glanced upstairs and around the lobby, and seeing that the guests all looked satisfied, she left the lobby with peace of mind.

Next, she could confidently begin greeting the wealthy and powerful guests on the second floor.

Not long after, she arrived at Qiushuang Pavilion, where Lin Chunyi and the others were, accompanied by three waiters.

"How are you three distinguished guests? How do you like the pastries and fruits from our Paradise Pavilion? Are you satisfied with the performance?" Fangniang asked the servants to set out the dishes for them.

The three nodded in unison, indicating their extreme satisfaction.

"Thank you, Sister Fangniang. This is the first time we've ever eaten such delicious pastries and watched such a wonderful performance," Lin Lanshan said with a smile.

"Then let's try the next dishes. This is roasted lamb leg, crispy pigeon, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, jade shrimp, crystal meatballs, dry-fried winter bamboo shoots, fresh mushrooms and bok choy, stir-fried mixed vegetables, cold shredded chicken, and osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root."

"I won't serve you any wine. You're all still young, and drinking isn't good for your health. Have some tea instead," Fangniang said with a soft laugh, completely forgetting that most of the girls in the brothel were only fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen years old.

Yet he had already honed his skills, effortlessly navigating the comings and goings of guests, remaining sober even after several drinks...

The table was quickly filled with a variety of dishes, all looking and smelling delicious. The three of them stared wide-eyed, speechless.

Ning Linlan couldn't help but whisper, "So many dishes..." The three of them probably wouldn't be able to finish them even if they ate until tomorrow morning.

Fangniang was in an exceptionally good mood today, and her voice grew softer and softer: "Eat slowly, I won't kick you out. You can eat until tonight or even tomorrow, if you want."

"Sister Fangniang, could you be a fairy descended from heaven to be kind to us?" Lin Lanshan blinked her starry eyes and said to her with a touched expression.

"Your eyes are practically glued to the fish, so stop being so cheeky and hurry up and eat your vegetables," Fangniang said with a soft laugh.

She really liked Lin Lanshan. Even though she was old enough to be sensible and reasonable, she still acted like a child, so innocent, pure, lively, and adorable.

The other two also expressed their gratitude, and she nodded, saying, "Then Fangniang won't disturb the three distinguished guests any longer. If you need anything, just call Yulu over. Of course, you can also see me if you wish." She winked her right eye, showing a rare moment of playfulness.

The door to Qiushuang Pavilion closed again, and the three people inside began to take turns looking at the dishes and the performances, keeping themselves extremely busy.

Lin Lanshan felt that eating like this was too tiring, so she simply put a portion of all the vegetables into the empty bowl.

Then, holding a full bowl of food, he sat sideways, eating while watching the performance.

"Look, there's a new performance! This squirrel-shaped mandarin fish dish is so beautiful!"

Lin Chunyi and Ning Linlan followed suit, each holding a bowl of food in their hands, without paying much attention to what she was saying. They simply chewed on the meat in their mouths and nodded in deep agreement.

"Indeed, the meat is tender and there are no bones. It tastes really good."

"Me too, I love this sweet and sour taste!"

……

The beautiful young women were playing musical instruments, dancing, and painting.

The handsome young men included those who sang songs, recited poems, and even danced long-sleeved dances in women's costumes.

There are also choirs and group dances.

The performances downstairs were one after another, and none of them were the same.

An hour later, Fangniang changed her clothes and reappeared on the performance stage.

"Distinguished guests, have you enjoyed your meal and the sights at my Paradise Pavilion today?"

More refined scholars would not shout loudly in public, but would mostly nod slightly and take a sip of wine to show their satisfaction.

But some people are different. After a couple of sips of wine, they want to act like they're the king of the world.

"We're so happy! If Fangniang could summon Yanyue (the top courtesan), we'd be even happier!" said one of the men, who had drunk too much.

"Right, right, where's Yan Yue today? Let's call her out for a couple of drinks!" The two were quite drunk.

"..." Several people, who had drunk too much, were shouting.

Fangniang bowed and said helplessly, "Yanyue is not in the town today. If you wish to see Yanyue, you will have to wait until tomorrow."

"So Fangniang has changed into new clothes, could it be that she plans to replace Yanyue and personally perform the Green Waist Dance from back then?" The man, his face flushed from drinking, began to ramble on in his drunken state.

In every corner of the lobby, there stood burly, dark-faced men, a fact known to everyone.

So unless someone is very drunk, they might just exchange a few pleasantries, but no one would actually try to take advantage of them physically.

The laughter and chatter from the tables downstairs continued, and some people, getting excited, even started spewing vulgarities.

Fangniang smiled on the outside, but in her heart she wanted to curse their ancestors for eighteen generations: "I'm rich and have lots of clothes, I can wear two outfits a day without repeating! Unlike you guys, you wear one front and then the other back, you're really thrifty!"

I'll even dance the Green Waist dance for you guys! Aren't you afraid I'll break my back on stage and scare you to death?

It's true that money is hard to earn and life is hard to live!

Let's ignore the question for now and get to the point.

"Please be quiet, everyone. Today's performance is about to end. Fangniang has prepared a grand finale for you all. Now, please enjoy it." Fangniang said mysteriously before disappearing from everyone's sight.

Suddenly, the stage was covered by a black cloth that was spread down from above, completely obscuring everything and making it impossible to see anything.

The entire room fell silent instantly; not a sound could be heard.

"Tap tap..." The sound of musical instruments came from behind the black cloth.

The two sisters were somewhat surprised; that voice…

"What kind of instrument is this? It sounds so clear and crisp," Ning Linlan asked instinctively.

They answered in unison, "Pipa (a type of Chinese lute)."

It's the pipa from the line "The sounds of the pipa are mixed and varied, like pearls falling onto a jade plate."

"lute?"

As they conversed, the instruments continued to be plucked, and the black cloth slowly fell off the stage, revealing the person in the very center.

He was a man with an ethereal air, dressed in a light hibiscus purple robe with wide sleeves, a cross-collar, and a fitted waist.

He stood on the platform with a sword in his right hand, his soft purple robes unable to conceal his aloofness and pride.

His face was mostly covered by a mask, only the aloofness and indifference between his eyebrows and eyes could be seen, and his eyes were deep and seemed to have a cold light.

"Thump!" At that moment, the person holding the pipa behind the fan-shaped background played a rapid note.

The man then raised his longsword, twirled it in the air, and began the grand finale of the day's performance at the Paradise Pavilion:

Sword dance.

The combination of pipa music and sword dance is truly novel, yet it doesn't feel out of place at all.

The man's longsword weaved through the air like a dragon, sweeping overhead and flashing with silver and white light.

As he spun in mid-air, even the hem of his clothes and his wide sleeves danced along with him, reluctant to fall.

The pipa music was clear and melodious, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. His longsword, too, moved with the grace of a swallow at times and the speed of lightning at others.

The grand finale, truly deserving of the title!

The three of them pressed their heads close to the two windows, looking at them intently and carefully.

Others might think the man was performing a sword dance, but they could tell that...

This person knows martial arts, and his swordsmanship is superb...