Back in the Dream
Back at his empty home, Yuan Ge tries to clear his mind from the chaos of the day.
He had scolded Qiuchen for the gas leak, only now when he has calmed down, he noticed that Qiuchen had cleaned the entire flat and that on the kitchen counter there are vegetables that had been neatly chopped and sliced but not yet cooked. Judging from the variety and knife work, they had been prepared with considerable care.
He opened the box and found that Qiuchen had actually finished watching the entire series of Cixi and Her Old Lover, and the money he gave him this morning is sitting untouched on top of the TV stand. It seems that he had stayed indoors all day, just watching TV, doing his chores and preparing dinner at home dutifully, really behaving like his servant boy.
This silly child … hope nothing will happen to him.
Yuan Ge blames himself immensely. Thinking of how happy he looked after his shower yesterday and how insistent he was when he massaged his legs at night, he could only pray that the dramatic event played out at the "yamen" - police station - tonight would shock the demented boy back to his senses and perhaps he would remember how to get home …
***
"Well sung!"
A sudden cheer broke the silence around him.
Yuan Ge looks around and realises that somehow he has landed in a theatre, with bright sounds of Jinghu[1] accompanied by loud gongs and drums, and a large red theatre stage crowded with crazy opera fans. Emperors, generals, gifted scholars and beautiful ladies from classical tales are all weaving across the stage like a merry-go-round, playing out their heroic tragedies and heart-breaking romances.
Amidst wild cheers and accolades, a stunning opera singer comes on stage with light dancing steps. He has an unforgettably beautiful face, a sight to behold in itself: a delicate little face sets off perfectly by a light foundation; skin as soft and smooth as gelatine, warm and clear as jade; cheeks and eyes painted with an intoxicating red rouge; slightly upturned lips dotted with cherry red, giving this handsome boy a flirtatious charm; coupled with a light and supple body, a high, melodious voice, beautiful costumes and sparkling accessories, the boundaries of gender are completely blurred. But none of this can compare to the expressiveness of his eyes. These tender eyes seem to have the ability to transform into a thousand different shapes and flavours of amorous feelings, as if they have extracted the moonlike souls of a thousand beautiful women in an instant. Together with his delicate hands and slender fingers half-hidden in his sleeves, just one glance is enough to make people believe that he is the rarest of the treasures of the world.
It is Rong Qiuchen! Rong Qiuchen has come out on stage!
With the experience from the previous two times, Yuan Ge knows that he is probably in a dream world again. Only this time, he finally saw the magnificent Rong Qing on the stage. And without thinking he knew that that face was bound to look exactly like the little loony boy!
Yuan Ge heard him sing:
"Beauty queen gave her heart to the wrong man
Blind passion was born from the wrong place
…
The jade pipe and golden flute sank into the water
The peerless beauty threw herself into the river
…"
It is an act from the opera Du Shiniang Angrily Throwing Priceless Treasure to River[2].
His singing voice, sometimes tender, sometimes poignant, his every smile and expression revealed an indelibly lonely and noble soul. In a trance he is like the reincarnation of Du Shiniang, even more beautiful and single-minded. And that heavenly voice is just as moving as the one Yuan Ge heard that night when 'Rong Qiuchen' sang the opera selection shown on television.
Yuan Ge knows he is in a dream, but he is paralysed, as if a ghost has pinned him to his bed, unable to move or wake up. All he can do is to look up at the beautiful stage, at the famous opera star surrounded by people, not knowing who he is in this dream.
Yuan Ge hears people whispering vaguely.
"Qiuchen is only sixteen years old and is the fourth disciple in the most prestigious Jinyu Troupe in the capital. Now that Her Imperial Highness the Empress Dowager has ranked all the outstanding singers on the opera stage, and all seven brothers of the Jinyu Troupe are on the list, and this Qiuchen has been named as the First Flower on the Opera Stage. What an early success! What an unparalleled fame! Even princes and nobles have to wait for days to see him perform!"
"Even so, he's only an opera singer. How could he be called having a noble soul?"
"Well, this Qiuchen has vowed to stay true to his heart, to remain pure and devote himself only to opera. That's a real wonder!"
Yuan Ge listens to the chatter of the crowd and stares in amazement at the charming Qiuchen on the stage. He cannot tell what he is feeling in his heart.
The famous star on stage is too distant from himself. It feels so surreal.
Does that "Qiuchen", who called himself his "servant boy" last night and sat humbly by his side with an innocent face, really exist?
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[1] The jinghu is a Chinese bowed string instrument in the huqin family, used primarily in Beijing opera. It is the smallest and highest pitched instrument in the huqin family. The jinghu has a tone similar to that violin but raspier.
[2] Du Shiniang Sinks Her Jewel Box in Anger is a popular story and theatre plot in China. The plot concerns the courtesan Du Shiniang, who falls in love with a literati, Li Jia, and is eventually betrayed. She sinks her jewellery box and denounces this betrayal before throwing herself into the river. This story reflects a theme used by Chinese romantic authors for centuries - the self-sacrificing love of a woman for a man whose family and position from which she must be excluded. It was said that Dumas used the themes of this story to create Camille and Verdi La Traviata.