Chapter 757 - 755 Good Luck Falls Down
Chang Yuan arrived at the backstage of the teahouse just as the manager, with a troubled expression on his face, had called back the three singers and had a storyteller go up on stage to save the day.
"Old Master Ye, you may not be aware that our teahouse’s patrons are all regulars, and any newcomer is bound to face some difficulties at first. Once they get through the initial trials, and everyone becomes familiar with them, there’s usually no more trouble. But with your intervention, those people are less inclined to be cooperative, and from now on, the three singers will likely be scrutinized by the customers even more," the manager explained to Ye Hongyang, wanting to complain further but not daring to.
Ye Hongyang listened and was somewhat stunned, "I, I meant well." He looked at the young woman who was singing again, sympathy and tenderness appearing in his eyes, "Actually, it might be for the best. Singing songs and pleasing others in such a chaotic place is hardly a sustainable plan. Here, I have ten taels of silver; you can take it and start a small business to make a living."
As he spoke, he looked towards Changxing.
Changxing’s face stiffened. His entire personal fortune wasn’t even worth ten taels, including his private savings, which were meant for emergencies. Certainly, he couldn’t bring himself to pull out those scattered pieces of silver, which would be embarrassing for the Duke.
He turned his gaze towards Chang Yuan, who was his lifesaver. He had been counting on Chang Yuan’s return as an additional contributor to the pool.
Chang Yuan did not disappoint him and reached into his bosom as if to pull out silver.
Before Chang Yuan could take anything out, the hand clapper kept bowing to Ye Hongyang non-stop, "I am truly grateful for the kindness of the noble, but we have been performers for generations, genuinely incapable of doing anything else. We can only make a living from this. Your kindness in offering us ten taels of silver is appreciated, but once we’ve spent this silver, we will still have to return to our old trade. We dare not accept the noble’s silver."
The man who played the huqin beside the hand clapper fixated his eyes on Chang Yuan’s hand, while the young woman stole a few glances at Ye Hongyang before bowing her head and remaining silent.
Ye Hongyang’s eyes wandered back and forth a few times between the two middle-aged men and the young woman, truly empathizing with the young woman’s plight.