Marriage First, Love Later / Reunited After a Long Separation
[Sharp-tongued, unruly stray dog x slow-paced, pampered little mute]
[Hong Kong playboy x Jiangnan Pingtan beauty]
1.
Wen Dongyi, the last disciple of Suzhou Pingtan master Wen, had been performing for just half a month, yet every show was sold out, with every seat taken.
Silky black hair, snow-white skin, dark eyes and rosy cheeks.
She often wore a simple tea-serving outfit and cradled her pipa. When she began to sing, her soft, lilting Wu dialect seemed to capture all of Jiangnan.
Yet outside of Pingtan, not even a fortune could buy a single word from her.
Almost all the audience knew the story and were understanding. Only one playboy from Hong Kong booked the entire show, ordered no songs and listened to no music. All he wanted was for Wen Dongyi to say his name.
The teahouse owner frantically signaled to Wen Dongyi.
This young master was no one they could afford to offend. Still young, he was already ruthless and notorious.
But Wen Dongyi gently set down her pipa and signed to him, plainly and decisively: [Can't.]
Then she left with unhurried grace.
Zong Lin lounged in the grand chair, an unlit cigarette between his fingers. He watched her unhurried retreat, his expression half a smile.
The owner hurriedly explained, "Mr. Zong, Teacher Wen hasn't been able to speak for more than ten years. Even though she's recovered now, she speaks more slowly than most people. Please forgive her..."
Zong Lin didn't wait for him to finish. He casually snuffed out his cigarette, rose, and followed her.
The others exchanged glances. No one dared follow, so no one saw what happened next...
The plum rains hung overhead without falling, the damp air thick as smoke.
Step by step, the man drove Wen Dongyi into the depths of the alley.
"You can't say my name?"
Zong Lin smiled faintly.
Then, with practiced ease, he caught her slender wrist as she kept signing, leaned down, and lowered his voice to a whisper:
"The day you first managed to speak, at No. 3 Wenxue Lane, on that wool rug in the attic, didn't you say it beautifully?"
2.
Zong Lin, the only direct descendant of the third branch of the Zong family, was known as the family's little heir. Because his birth chart was considered too strong, his late mother took him to the mainland for more than ten years before he returned to Hong Kong.
People in Hong Kong put great faith in feng shui and the occult. To obtain a protective wooden talisman for him, Old Master Zong donated forty-nine golden Buddha statues. The talisman was inscribed: [May all things go well.]
For the next ten years, Zong Lin seemed to enjoy divine protection. His luck turned, and everything went smoothly.
Not long ago, Zong Lin brought back the woman his late mother had arranged for him to marry in the mainland.
The Hong Kong media reported that although the future Mrs. Zong was graceful and stunning, she had once been mute. Young Master Zong had no feelings for her, and their "marriage" was held together only by his late mother's dying wish.
Later, at Old Master Zong's birthday banquet, Young Master Zong arrived with an arm affectionately around his new wife's slender waist. Gasps followed them everywhere.
The protective talisman Zong Lin had worn for ten years without ever taking it off was hanging in plain sight around the long, pale neck of the mute woman he supposedly had "no feelings for."
Someone kept their distance from her and quietly asked Zong Lin, "Young Master Zong, you gave away your protective charm. Aren't you worried your luck will turn and everything will go wrong?"
Zong Lin looked up as Wen Dongyi approached gracefully. He reached out, pulled her down onto his lap, and held her there before answering nonchalantly:
"With my wife by my side, all things go well."
#WinterSnow, the sound of jade fragments.
The synopsis was saved as a screenshot on 2023.7.27.
Theme: Slow to warm up, fond of peace and quiet, with plenty to look forward to.
