Kapitel 2: 第2章：The Lady In Red

Chaoyun looked at the woman who had held her hand. Even for a brief moment, she nearly wondered how she could have fell. With a bottle of much less volume, she pushed herself up. Clear that she had also fallen into the spilt wine. Helping herself up, even if it was the most unusual thing that has happened to her. Since it almost never did.

"Are you okay?" A young man went over, as he set aside the guqin. One which he used to entertain them. Clear that everyone turned their heads over, since he stopped distracting them.

He was called Qingshuang, who brought a guqin with him the first time he came. Her mother told him the truth of how it was here. The difference of it all. They were friends, while he had taken to entertaining them. Impressing officials with his skills, even if he never admitted where he came from. Not at all, as difficult as it was for her to know that he had many siblings. And many said that she had a knack for forcing secrets out of others.

"Fine, I don't need your help." Although she did and should get a change of clothes. Since it was wet and soaking. Not much of a choice at this point, since it was wine. Even water will have her own mother rushing her to get a change of clothes. Although she might nag her first, something that she doesn't want to. It was bad for her ears to have to do this.

"And I'll help you by taking the eyes of them off you." He returned to the guqin. Which as though had more an effect, as they all returned to him. As though nothing has ever happened, although her own mother could not have ignored it. But at least make it less glaring.

"That is the most useful way to help me." Not making it obvious that she was drenched was to make them think that nothing happened. Although it was nothing serious, other than some gossip around town. Besides, she started it from a few years ago and was known because she knew a lot when it came to making others remember her. With her personality, considered both unique and sincere. Never too forceful, but neither simply waiting for something to happen.

A reason why she was given so much free rein, and yet never seemed to have gotten herself involved into any scandal yet. Her mother kept it that way, because it made sense. As much as it was solid, even during such occasions. And never seemed keen on arranging her marriage as of yet, apart from being too young had been a disinterest on her part at all.

Sneaking her way up, slowly as she looked down onto him. Most of the crowd had simply focused back on him. Before she snuck off into the corridor, before she came face first to her own mother. She stared at her own mother, with a big grin on her face.

"You are dripping wet." It was obvious, with the rather large stain. With the exception of her hair. The only thing that had been dry as it was. Since there wasn't enough to go by at all, if her hair was wet, it must have been raining wine.

"I at least expected you to be more careful than that." She rolled her eyes, knowing what was in store for her from now. And made it clear why she hasn't even decided to show up, saving her from an embarrassing moment. Knowing that nothing was going to help it, as she went towards the other edge. Slowly taking the chance to just tune herself out, knowing what she said.

After all, she had no fault in this at all. Because all she intended to do had been to avoid a single person, it wasn't entirely her own fault. As she hear her mother recite the same kind of advice again, prevalent in each time she screwed up. It was something that she never had managed to avoid even once. Far more annoying than it had been productive, to her it was so much of a truth rather than a lie.

But in this line, she couldn't afford to anger a single customer, the main reason why her mother went to such lengths. Lengths that few will ever understand, or even fathom. Because her livelihood depended on this restaurant.. That it wasn't even a must; it was a necessity.

It all stopped when her mother let her into the room, where she closed the door. Releasing her breath, as it meant that her ears didn't need to suffer again. She opened a small trunk set aside for her clothes. Seeing that so few of her dresses were available, since she had just washed them today. Most of them were still wet, and hung outside. As it was raining the previous day. Leaving her with dresses which were gifts.

She was slender, so it was easy to have all of them fit. But many of them, were not all too suited. One was black, better worn to a funeral rather than anything. The other was red, where she never liked the color. In the end, she chose a dark blue dress. Just like the night.

Blue was a color that worked for her from the start. As she tied the belt, getting herself down. Her hair was not wet, meaning that she will not even need to do anything in that regard. It will take a lot of time spent, apart from the fact that it was late in the night as it was. Pointless to have even tried, as her mother will lecture her. And tomorrow will have been set aside to wash it.

She went out, with her hair in the same hairstyle. A tight braid with only a few strands loose. Deciding to just have the braid worn loose at this point. It seemed rather pointless with most of her braid in shambles. Instead tying it into a loose ponytail.

Finally, arriving just a level above the ground.In the upper staircases, where a few special tables were. Able to watch the man perform his final solo piece. One which was traditional and old, as much as it was seemed to enchant them. After they clapped, so did she. She heard another sounds from the woman beside her. Remembering what she had forgotten to give her. That bottle of wine. Which was not here any longer.

Likely given out on the street, since it was already so little that it was useless. Until of course the man came up with the same bottle.

"I paid for this." He took a sip from it, not that much was left. "Your mother's wine is still one of the unforgettable."

She gave him a wry smile. "It's only has around one third of a bottle."

"All the better since I can't be drunk all the time." And he didn't blow money off, but enjoyed the taste of wine. And he rarely could afford.

"Nonetheless, I am surprised that he took it despite the amount." The woman she was about to serve. As she put on a smile, not something which she wanted to.

"What is your intentions for staying anyway." Not that he had that good of a reason either, but because he was close to her.

"I'm just interested in this town. And she is a very interesting girl." This had to be her first time here, as she wasn't seen around. Even in recent years more people had eventually moved here, as some had went further out of it. Even a scholar who had become popular in the imperial court in recent years.

Perhaps she has heard of her before, but didn't expect her to serve her.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Chaoyun." She answered with ease.

"That girl said to have charm and said to be one of the best when it came to servers." That was true, at the very least.

"What about yours?"

"Feiyu."

"So you have heard of her." He put down the wine bottle.

"Well, anyone will if they listen to a little gossip."

"There are some interesting things about the town but it really isn't all that special, at least when there is Luoyang, Chang'an for you to look at.."

"One is a nice city, but it is in the south. The other was a little too devastated to continue as a capital." Although Chaoyun only had a little idea what it was about, one was a city in the west, and said to have been the beginning of the silk road for centuries before it passed to Kaifeng. The other was an ancient capital, and still was a bustling city now.

"But it is decades more ancient than this."

"Ancient doesn't always interest people, besides this town has some interesting things."

"What about you?" She looked towards Chaoyun. Wondering about her own thoughts since she spent a long time here. Nothing fully special, but nonetheless was something which piqued her own curiosity. The night market was always full of strange items and trades, some which she partook and some which she avoided. It was up to the person's discretion to avoid making a wrong bargain.

"I grew up here." Which was the expected answer. That it had never been anything special. Apart from the traveler who had made his way here, and into her mind each time. Each time someone passed, they came here. Listening in as she could and those enriched her lives.

Although she was about to ask another question.

"There isn't anything that is really interesting about the town. But rather the people it attracts and those that pass by." She knew most of them, the places and the stories. But the names and faces had begun to fade, but it was what she took to satisfy herself.

"Have you spoken to most of the travelers?"

"If I didn't why will I make a friend out of him." He was also the same as many, not saying anything about their pasts. They came here to have a fun time, and rarely anything else or on a personal journey which was their own. Not anyone could say otherwise.

"Well, she knew a lot of them. Many of them gave gifts to her after all." At least when they decided to leave and everything, deciding to give her a nice farewell gift which always consisted of plenty of ornaments, sometimes items which were far more worth than anything else. She didn't use them much, because she never could find much use of them from a logical perspective at all.

"I forgot a lot of their faces and names, but plenty of what I do have is their stories."

"Which was one of the reasons why she is also so beloved around here." Beloved by the travelers who hoped to have a single soul which listened to their tales offering empathy rather than judging them. That their story wasn't about having a good life, but something which drove them to wander around.

"You enjoy listening to tales?" The woman asked once more. A question that to few will have made sense, but to her it did.

"Certainly, perhaps it is just something which I have craved since the very beginning." Something which to others was worthless and useless, but to her it seemed to have carried all the weight it did.

"To be like them and be able to go to the edges of the world."

"Exactly." The woman smiled at her, perhaps even the same dream was in her. Even if she didn't fulfill it now, instead turning to listening to all of them. As much as possible.

"Well, there are those who don't want that," he said.

"Sometimes it seems that no one should, that it is forbidden, but some will not ever stop doing what they like or enjoy." Chaoyun looked at her, wondering how much she went when it came to her. That understanding, the dream that she wanted had been the reason why she did her work to be the best.

"If you want to talk, please show yourself out." Her mother interrupted them, because she was about to close the shop.

"How about I take you through the night market?" Chaoyun offered.

"I never seen it, so I'll go with you."

"Count me in as well." The moment he somehow dealt with the guqin he brought, knowing that it was just under some table making Chaoyun chuckle. Leaving the place, as they went deep into the streets. Sometimes else awaited them, and it was an interesting night.

"Welcome to the night market of Xing Le town."