Chapter 3 Brief Peace

Autumn Wind Teahouse had never been so busy. The hall was crowded with guests. Ci was beautiful and really great at playing Chinese lute, so the guests liked to listen to her playing a tune while drinking tea. Li Qiufeng earned a lot of money from it, so he treated Ci as the apple of his eye.

'From this we can see how important it is to have a special skill,' Ci thought to herself.

San also had a completely new appraisal of Ci. Although he often deliberately made things difficult for her, she never got angry; instead, she always gave him a faint smile and said, "Thank you for your help these days."

Besides, the old goat, Li Qiufeng, didn't make a pass at Ci.

At the end of the month, Ci got the first monthly pay. She went shopping and bought a pair of cloth shoes for San. San was an orphan and became Li Qiufeng's servant when he was a child. No one ever showed concern for him. San took one shoe and said with affected disdain, "Don't you think it's cool to have toes exposed in summer? The open shoe is called sandal."

It seemed incredible that sandal was first invented by San.

Ci thrust the other shoe into San's hands and said, "Try on the shoes. If they don't fit you, give them to me and I will go to the shoe shop and exchange them for another pair."

San held the shoes in his arms and ran back to his bedroom, and then burst into tears.

The other maids also received some small gifts from Ci. 'My salary is higher than theirs. It's good for me to establish a good relationship with them by giving them some gifts,' Ci thought and gave the rest of her copper coins to a beggar on the roadside. The beggar kowtowed to her with gratitude. 'Alas, we both have miserable fates. I'm naturally willing to help you,' Ci thought.

At dusk, all the servants were eating in the kitchen. For the first time San put some food into Ci's bowl with his chopsticks. The new shoes were comfortable to wear and San knew that Ci was kind to him.

When Li Qiufeng came to the kitchen, everyone stood up and greeted him, "Good evening, Master."

"Ci, do you enjoy the food?"

Ci nodded, "Yes. Thank you very much for your concern, Master."

"There are many guests outside." Li Qiufeng gave a little cough to attract San's attention and continued, "Ask the cook to prepare a dish especially for Ci from now on."

San immediately replied, "Yes, I will."

Ci put down the bowl and chopsticks and picked up the Chinese lute. "Master, I'm going to the hall to play the lute."

"Just sit down and eat up your dinner," Li Qiufeng said gently.

"It doesn't matter. After all, we shouldn't keep guests waiting." Ci lightly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and went straight to the hall.

There was a hubbub in the hall. When Ci walked in with the Chinese lute, the guests quieted down but soon the hall was full of noise again. These days Autumn Wind Teahouse got noticed by more people because of the beautiful woman Dong Ci and the tunes she played on the Chinese lute. Some guests who liked music could listen to Ci playing the lute. As for the guests who knew nothing about music theory, they were attracted by the beautiful woman. Li Qiufeng twisted the long hair in the fleshy nevus on his chin and felt delighted.

Ci's lute was handed down from the older generations of her family. It was made of red sandalwood and had a clear and melodious tone. Ci had a sweet and light voice. The first tune she played was Bidding Farewell to A Departing Friend. There was no need for her to sing because it was an instrumental, so she was twanging the Chinese lute with her fingers while staring blankly ahead.

"Gosh, there's a lot of noise. I can't hear the music," an angry, loud voice came from outside the door.

Stunned, Ci hit the wrong string of the lute. She raised her head and looked around. However, no one noticed her mistake.

A group of people who all looked cold and fierce stood outside the door. The speaker was a man standing in the middle of the group. Everyone in the hall quietened down at once and Ci also stopped playing the lute.

It seemed that the temperatures in the hall dropped suddenly. San, who was pouring tea into a guest's teacup, froze. Soon the cup on the table was full and the tea was running over and streaming down onto the floor like a small waterfall.

Li Qiufeng subconsciously twisted the long hair on his chin hard and plucked it by accident. He felt a sharp pain in his chin and almost let out a cry of pain but finally he held it back.