Ah Fa saw that Neumann's eyes were shining with friendly warmth, but he did not trust him, and shook his hand very reluctantly. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Okay, okay, let's go have tea together." Ah Fa nodded perfunctorily, dismissed this strange guy, turned his head to look at the singer, hesitated, and said, "Do you know my name?" ”

The singer nodded and said in a low voice, "Mr. Qin said it that time, and I remembered it." Thank you for saving me. ”

Ah Fa blinked, sighed silently, and said, "My house is not far away, you can go with me to wash it, or go to the doctor." ”

The singer raised her head and asked with some concern, "My face is ugly now, isn't it, I know that there is a lot of blood, will it break the phase?" ”

"Probably not." Ah Fa comforted: "Rest for a few days and you'll be fine." ”

"Take me to the wash, I'm going to look in the mirror." The singer said with some eagerness, tears in her eyes.

Ah Fa nodded, for a young woman, it seemed understandable to care about her appearance.

The singer slowly followed behind Ah Fa, paused for a while, and said faintly: "My name is Yao Fangbao, Mr. Chen. ”

"Oh." Ah Fa replied without looking back, and said casually: "Well, good name, how old are you?" ”

Yao Fangbao stopped, her eyelids were swollen, she looked up at Ah Fa, and said with some grievance: "Seventeen years old according to the Chinese, sixteen years old according to the foreigners, you hate me, don't you?" You haven't been to that restaurant since, because I'm disgusted by what I do besides singing. ”

Ah Fa frowned, looked at Yao Fangbao and said vaguely, "No, it's not like that. I've been busy lately, you, you sing really nicely, really. ”

Yao Fangbao blinked, as if she was distinguishing between what this fake foreign devil said was true or false. After a while, she smiled reluctantly, and as she laughed, her body cowered in pain.

Looking at Yao Fangbao's still somewhat childish face, those purple blood spots and wounds that were still slightly oozing blood, a wisp of warmth floated in Ah Fa's heart, he imagined that he reached out to wipe the blood on her cheeks, he felt guilty for his original pure determination, as if his alienation and indifference to her was a betrayal of her. However, now that he had saved her from the thugs, he was relieved and happy about it.

Back at home, the newly hired maid Ah Guo showed great hostility towards Yao Fangbao, repulsing the same sex, or she knew Yao Fangbao's profession, there was clearly a disdain in her eyes, Ah Fa didn't know why, and she didn't bother to ask.

Sitting on the chair, he watched Yao Fangbao wash his face with the water that Ah Guo called, gently wiped his swollen eyes, and then sat down silently, carefully wiping the wound on his lips, touching the purple blood spots on his cheeks, and carefully looking in the mirror.

"What's going on with those green and red gangs? Why are they hitting you? Ah Fa asked.

Yao Fangbao sighed softly and said, "That fat man's name is Wu San'er, he is a small leader of the Qing Gang, and when I lived in the French Concession, I always paid protection money to the Qing Gang. But after moving into the public concession, he changed to pay to the Red Gang. But Wu San'er asked me to pay money to the Qing Gang as well, and I couldn't bear to pay money to both sides at the same time, so I always delayed, and finally annoyed Wu San'er-"

Ah Fa pondered for a while, he was not too familiar with the Qinghong Gang, but ** characters, it is really not easy to mess with, what will Yao Fangbao do in the future?

Yao Fangbao continued: "Everyone pays the Qinghong Gang in order to be protected. Everyone who runs a shop, a restaurant, a businessman, an opium shop, a singer, or even a hawker has to pay. ”

"You paid the Red Gang, but they didn't protect you from being bullied by the Green Gang?" Ah Fa said in a low voice.

"The Green Gang is getting stronger, but if I don't pay the Red Gang—" Yao Fangbao shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, "I don't have that much money to pay on both sides." I wish they could decide it soon, so that everyone would know who to pay. ”

It should be that the Green Gang will eventually grow stronger, even if he was born overseas, Ah Fa is very sure of it, he lowered his eyelids and was silent.

"Do you want me to leave now? Or—" Yao Fangbao asked in a low voice.

Ah Fa was stunned for a moment, looked up and saw her staring at him inquiringly, and couldn't help but shake his head slightly, and asked, "Will they still catch you?" I think that fat man is very vicious, what are you going to do? ”

Yao Fangbao shook his head, gently stroked the wound on his mouth, and whispered: "I gave him money, and you are like - he shouldn't touch me for the time being." But you're not going to want me, are you? My face is ugly right now, you, you don't want me to look like this, do you? ”

Ah Fa hesitated a little, "Send her away immediately, don't defile your body", a cunning and thoughtful voice quietly sounded in his head. But his mouth involuntarily said, "You, how can you do this?" ”

"To be a singer?" Yao Fangbao smiled, but there was mockery in the laughter, and his eyes were a little gloomy, "My parents sold me." ”

Ah Fa's heart sank, and he looked at Yao Fangbao sympathetically. In Shanghai, he had seen many little girls obediently standing in rows waiting to be bought like slaves. He was shocked and angry about this, but he felt the pain that he could not do anything about it.

This was a way for the Chinese people at that time, and this way they would inevitably accept it, and once they accepted it, it would continue to continue. If there is any change, it will be at least after the big change that toppled the whole society, but is that kind of big change really worth looking forward to? As far as he knew, the sale of sons and daughters, and even the use of children in famine years, continued for a long time.

Yes, everything has been cast, everything is so old and primitive, and it seems that all the generations that succeed them will inevitably fall into the orbit of tradition and never be able to pull it out.

"I was sold into a theater company, and the master was very good to me." Like a female student, Yao Fangbao is proud of her achievements, saying: "I started by studying with a few actors, and I was able to perform. ”

"Yes, you sing very well and have a very good voice."

Yao Fangbao pursed the corners of her mouth, and her smile was suppressed before she could show it, "But the troupe later went bankrupt and disbanded." They wanted to sell me to a brothel, so I stole a little money and ran away. It was in Tianjin, and I boarded a ship to Shanghai, which was my first time on a steamer, and I was terrified. After I arrived in Shanghai, I became a singer. ”

……………