Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 390 - 390 391 Collective Spring Fever_1

Chapter 390: Chapter 391 Collective Spring Fever_1 Chapter 390: Chapter 391 Collective Spring Fever_1 Muniang stepped forward and patted Guo Yuehua on the shoulder, saying with a smile, “Not bad at all; this state is very good. Perform like this and once you make your debut, you’re sure to become a hit.”

Guo Yuehua nodded stiffly, yet struggled to ask, “You, you, you’re a woman?”

Muniang was taken aback for a moment before she remembered her male disguise from the day before, and she laughed heartily, “No helping it, women aren’t allowed in the brothel, so I had to don male attire yesterday.”

“Oh,” Guo Yuehua’s complexion didn’t look so good. Muniang found this exceedingly peculiar, “What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell? If you’re feeling unwell, just say so. Better see a doctor early than to have problems when you step onto the stage.”

“I understand,” Guo Yuehua replied with the urgency of escaping for her life and ran off.

Muniang touched her nose, feeling puzzled. Girls’ hearts are really hard to fathom, eh? How did she suddenly become like this? Could it be that she felt deceived? But that’s nothing serious, right?

Zhong Yulang’s face was streaked with dark lines. Who asked her to act so frivolously yesterday, playing the hero to save the damsel? Which girl could resist such temptation?

Muniang looked at Zhong Yulang in confusion, and he spoke indifferently, “She might be tired; she did practice a lot today. It’s time for her to rest.”

Only then did Muniang nod, “Mhm, as long as she is putting in so much effort, that’s enough. You also need to look out for her a bit more. After all, she’s a girl, so try to accommodate any of her needs, as much as you can.”

“I understand.”

Guo Yuehua was simply mortified. There was no way she would admit she had taken a fancy to a woman! It was simply, simply too embarrassing!

The business at Mei Garden honestly became an instant hit. For the first performance, everyone only came with the mentality of getting half-price tickets and seeking novelty, but afterwards, when the attendees went out, they began to spread the word about Mei Garden’s new play “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer”. This play appealed to both men and women; girls loved the romantic story, and men enjoyed the thrilling martial world. Unsurprisingly, through word of mouth, the play became an instant sensation.

“Do you know about the new play ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ at Mei Garden? It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s just that it isn’t a play you can watch in one sitting. You have to wait for each part, and my heart is all tied up in knots every day.”

“Getting in is tough, you know! I went early this morning to catch the newly released second act of ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’, but I couldn’t grab a seat—the place was packed, and I got stuck outside. I could only wait, heart in hand, to see the second showing at noon.”

“I’ve never seen this kind of play before; it’s simply too different from the traditional opera. The key is that the story is fascinating. Linghu Chong must end up with his little junior sister since he likes her so much!”

“That’s not necessarily the case. I went specifically today to see it. Yue Lingshan likes her little junior brother; it seems this match might not come to pass.”

Suddenly, this play became the talk of Chatu Town—conversation material for after meals and tea breaks. Wherever you went, people were discussing it. Some, unable to wait due to their heart-wrenching anticipation, ended up watching the same act twice in one day.

Muniang was truly making a merry profit these past few days: not only was each show sold out, but it also boasted high acclaim. She was thinking that when a new play is launched in a few days, she might need to open a few more venues. Otherwise, the seats would soon be in too high demand to meet the supply.

The day after tomorrow would be the time for the real heroine, Guo Yuehua, to take the stage, and the sensation it would cause was bound to be even greater. However, the role of Ren Yingying was destined to become a classic because of Guo Yuehua’s portrayal; she felt no one could be more suitable.

Muniang had just the chance to visit Mei Garden that day because watermelons in the field were in peak season. She brought several large watermelons to Lu Mansion, after all, Mr. Lu had taken such good care of her. Tianniu and Qingmei were both under his protection, so naturally, she thought to send over some good things when she could.

Since the young servants at the mansion all recognized Muniang, they didn’t stop her and let her in directly.

Muniang remembered Qingmei’s unusual behavior from a few days ago, so this time, she didn’t alert anyone else and went quietly to where Qingmei lived.

Although Qingmei lived in Lu Mansion under the status of a servant, because Muniang had specifically instructed, Mr. Lu did not neglect her. The room he gave her was private, and the house was quite large with decent decor. However, Qingmei always behaved like a servant. Lu Qi’er wanted to get close to her, but she was always fearful. Naturally, Lu Qi’er preferred the frank and hearty Tianniu; the two girls shared similar temperaments and played well together.

When Muniang walked into the courtyard, she saw clothes hanging to dry and several pieces still in the basin, apparently just washed. Muniang sighed. Even after living here for so long, Qingmei still treated herself as a servant. Why must she insist on doing these chores?

Just as Muniang was about to enter the house to find Qingmei, she heard some rustling from behind the rockery, accompanied by Qingmei’s voice, “Young Master, if you truly care for me, how could I not be willing?”

Muniang’s mind reeled. Were all the young children here so precocious, hitting puberty at the age of thirteen?!

But then, upon hearing a frivolous voice, she instantly felt distraught.

“Of course, my affection for you is as clear as the blue sky. Qingmei, how can you not believe me? If you are willing to be with me, I will immediately have my father agree to take you in as my wife. Come on, let me give you a kiss first.”

A chill ran down Muniang’s back, and her fists clenched inside her sleeves. If not for the sliver of rationality holding her back from acting rashly, she would have punched that man right then. But she needed to remain calm and assess the situation first.

Qingmei said shyly, “But I heard before that you liked Tianniu. How could you… like me as well?”

Lu Ziquan scoffed, “How could a woman with no manners be worthy of my affection? I couldn’t even be bothered to glance at her!”

Yet in his heart, he thought, if it weren’t for my failure there, why would I come to you?

Indeed, Lu Ziquan previously fancied Tianniu and even thought that as the son of the County Chief and she, just a country lass, she would be overjoyed and accept if he showed her the slightest favor. But to his shock, she beat him up instead and threatened to tell Lord Lu if he dared disrespect her again.

Resenting this in his heart, Lu Ziquan shifted his attention to Qingmei, a fellow villager of Tianniu. Once he had his way with this girl, he would boast in front of Tianniu, teaching her the meaning of a missed opportunity!

Hearing his words, Qingmei felt as if her heart were coated in honey: “You only know how to coax me with sweet talk.” After all, she was a young girl experiencing the first stirrings of love and was easily deceived. More importantly, Lu Ziquan was the son of the County Chief, and Qingmei had always felt somewhat inferior. Suddenly being confessed to by him, she naturally fell into the trap, blissfully thinking she was the Cinderella who had found her glass slipper.