Until midnight, many people were so hot that they couldn't sleep, and the annoying heat made the girls' sleep extremely light, and many of them fell asleep in the second half of the night.

Around the ugly hour, the whole room fell silent.

Bai Ling opened her eyes, and she stepped barefoot on the ground, and slowly moved towards the door, which was not closed after the night because of the heat.

The tortoisepaws remained at the staircase below, and Bai Ling silently walked through her companions' beds, following the same path she had walked many times, up the iron ladder in the shadows.

The heavy lid door had already been opened, and before he could come out, Bai Ling saw Wei Ying standing in the corner of the cornices not far away.

She sped up to the roof, the night breeze ruffling her sweat-soaked forehead.

The gray-haired old man in front of him turned around at this time.

"I've been waiting." Bai Ling said softly.

……

The next morning, Ai Songqing gently pushed Bai Ling's shoulder, Bai Ling obviously hadn't woken up yet—I don't know when Bai Ling no longer got up early to wash the first water in the bath downstairs, and seemed to be the last to wake up in this room.

"Gotta go wash up, Bai Ling." Ai Songqing waited for Bai Ling to get up by the bedside, and she said softly, "You haven't been in good spirits these days." ”

"Well," Bai Ling shook his head, "I'm so tired." ”

“…… Also. Ai Songqing sighed, "The day after tomorrow is the ninth day of the new year, I'm a little nervous......"

Bai Ling wasn't listening, she hadn't fully woken up yet.

From today to the next three days, she temporarily stopped Wei Ying's training, and now she needs to sleep more than repeated practice on the roof and in the pear orchard.

Ai Songqing looked at the blue circles under Bai Ling's eyes, and felt a little distressed, "It's really hot during this time, can't you sleep at night?" ”

"Hmm."

"Later, when you go back, you can sleep for a while."

"Where are you going?" Bai Ling asked a little absent-mindedly.

"I'll go to the pear orchard again." Ai Songqing said softly, "I can't go to the dance workshop now, I can only go to them to borrow the piano." ”

"Okay." Bai Ling nodded, "Good work." ”

"......" Ai Songqing looked at Bai Ling a little worriedly, "Are you really okay?" Do you want to ask a bustard to ask a doctor to take a look? ”

"Don't worry." Only then did Bai Ling raise her eyes and glance at Ai Songqing, she patted the shoulder of the girl in front of her, "I know it in my heart." ”

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the tower's houses are basically empty during the day.

The trade of the tooth shop is imminent, and the bustard mother is finally willing to find an empty house, so that the girls can practice their gambling skills tomorrow. Although they knew that there was no point in this kind of contest, everyone could feel that they were secretly competing with each other.

This is the last part of their control that they can control.

After all, nearly half of them don't have to go on stage tomorrow night, they just go through the motions.

After this night, everyone went their separate ways.

This mood is very complicated, although the goodbye is imminent, everyone does not know how to say this goodbye, everyone is saying blessings and looking forward to the future, and the life after leaving is depicted in a thousand ways. But the drums beat in the hearts of all, and the encouragement and consolation that came from each person's mouth sounded like wind in the ears of the other.

No one knows whether it will be a blessing or a curse waiting for them - the flower code on their chests has shattered their last bit of hope, even if they really have the opportunity to meet their relatives in the future, they are afraid that this unconcealed identity will only disgrace their relatives and friends.

They have been exposed to this trade-off since childhood, but they never imagined that one day they would fall on the other side of the scale.

People were thinking about their own thoughts, and with the exception of a few, almost no one noticed that Bai Ling had slept all day in the hot tower.

……

In the early morning of the ninth day of the new year, all the girls were called up early.

They were led by the bustard mother herself, through the winding red fence corridor, and finally entered an elegant courtyard.

Here live some of the best combs in the Hundred Flowers - for tonight's dental business, Bustard Niang has put a lot of money into the makeup of all the girls. She just waited for everyone to come after tonight and ask which mother these girls were from, so that she could grow up with her "Xi" name.

Therefore, even the girls who are not on stage cannot be sloppy, they put on dignified and generous silk clothes again, and comb their hair in exquisite buns. Many people looked at themselves in the mirror, and for a moment they felt as if they were in a different world, and they couldn't help but cry - even they themselves were about to forget this appearance in the mirror.

These tears attracted an angry reprimand from the bustard.

Tears have spent, so much so that the makeup on the face has to be redone.

Since the afternoon, Ai Songqing has not seen Bai Ling again. But she wasn't in a hurry, she just obeyed the order of the comb lady here, and looked at herself in the mirror little by little being transformed.

Ai Songqing remembered that on the night when everyone got tattooed, Bai Ling once asked a master surnamed Ji to paint the glaze for her.

"The girl has long fingers, so beautiful." Comb Niang stood behind Ai Songqing, slowly combing her long hair.

In the afterglow, the comb lady looked at Aison's left hand, which had a thick cocoon like a pad of flesh on the belly of her little finger, and calluses on her index, middle and ring fingers, as if she had been plucked by plucking the strings.

"Fuzheng?"

"Yes." Ai Songqing nodded.

"Seven or thirteen?"

"It's going to be some."

"It's good to be able to stroke the kite," Comb Niang said softly, "If you have piano skills, you are easy to be liked by good people, and I heard that many people have been bought to be the violinist at home, and they can live a peaceful life." ”

Ai Songqing was stunned for a moment, in the past, when she heard praise, she would always habitually shirk and deny, but now, she suddenly felt a little calm.

"Thank you." Ai Songqing said softly.

……

"Ge Lao, don't sit in a sedan chair, come down and follow me, there are not many steps."

The side face of the sedan chair opened a slit, and half of Sun Beiji's face was revealed, "Don't shout anything here." ”

"Uncle Sun," Zhang Shouzhong changed his tone, he looked at the arched bridge that was crowded with people not far away, and his face showed helplessness, "You come down, I'll take you to another path - walk indoors, you won't be seen." ”

Sun Beiji also followed Zhang Shouzhong's gaze and looked forward - tonight's Baihuaya seems to be particularly crowded, if you really go in a sedan chair, maybe it will be more eye-catching.

"How long will it take?"

"At most, a cup of tea." Zhang Shouzhong assured.

The sedan chair landed smoothly, Sun Beiji got down from inside, and Zhang Shouzhong immediately stepped forward and supported Sun Beiji's left hand.

Today's Sun and Zhang are both wearing regular clothes, taking off their official robes and hats, and the two of them look so ordinary in the bright lights of this night.

Sun Beiji specially wore a small square hat to cover his steamed buns and white hair.

He was still a little cringe for the first time in his life, and he looked around before he could take a step forward.

"If I meet an acquaintance somewhere," Sun Beiji sighed, "Where will I put my old face......"

"Don't worry, we'll be behind the curtain in the wing room the whole time," Zhang Shouzhong said softly, "No one will recognize us—"

Before Zhang Shouzhong's words fell, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“…… Lord Zhang? ”

Both of them were stunned, and slowly turned around - not far away, Zheng Mi was also standing there in his regular clothes.

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