Ruhua Bar was small and simply decorated. Its facade suited the old street of Liuying Lane perfectly. Amid the city's neon lights and revelry, it looked dated and staid, lacking a little in style and individuality but possessing a distinctive charm.
Business at the bar could only be called average. Aside from its proprietress, Bi Shenghua, it had just one regular server. The resident band was hardly famous either, made up of young people who had ventured out to pursue their musical dreams. For some reason, the band had not come that day, and a young woman had been brought in at short notice to fill in.
When Qingmu returned, the bar was just beginning to get lively.
A ring of people surrounded the little stage, appraising the girl singing there. She ignored everyone around her, gazing into the distance with vacant eyes. Her voice carried a deep sorrow, as though it had weathered all the vicissitudes of the world.
Customers occupied two or three tables by the entrance, and Xiao Qi, the server, was setting down their drinks. Seeing Qingmu return, he smiled at him. "Looks like we'll be busy today."
Qingmu stretched. "Ah, looks like I've got work to do today."
When the bar was busy, Qingmu doubled as a server. This was something he had agreed on with Bi Shenghua, as compensation for his overdue rent. Of course, he could drink as much as he liked, and if he did well, he could also knock something off his food bill.
Qingmu's appearance and getup inevitably drew sideways glances on the street, but in a bar full of artsy young people, the more unconventional he looked, the more he fit in.
First, he went to the counter to check in with Bi Shenghua.
Bi Shenghua brought out a platter of fresh fruit and put it in a corner for the crow to eat.
Boss Coal cawed happily and went to eat the fruit, then glanced several times at the fish tank nearby, mumbling through his mouthful, "Hurts our feelings, hurts our feelings."
There was no telling whether he was reminding himself or warning Qingmu not to say the wrong thing.
Qingmu snapped his fingers, picked up a tray, and got to work.
When the girl finished her song, applause broke out. She offered no words of thanks and did not interact with the people around her. She merely adjusted the way she held her guitar slightly and began the next song.
"That laughter reminded me
Of those flowers of mine
In every corner of my life
They quietly bloomed for me
I once thought
I would stay by her side forever
Today we have already left
Amid the boundless sea of people
..."
Moved by her singing, the people around the stage fell quiet. Only the tables by the entrance remained noisy.
Seeing that no one was ordering, Qingmu went to the entrance for a smoke.
"Hey, even the servers here have style!" a customer said, looking at Qingmu.
Qingmu smiled at him and continued smoking.
Another customer said, "Sure, 'style' if you're being nice. If you're not, it's called being chuuni!"
"That's where you don't get it," the first man said. "Look at his lighter. A commemorative S.T. Dupont Ligne 2. Those cost well over ten thousand!"
"Oh, come on. Think about it. Could a bar server afford one? It's probably some street-stall knockoff."
"Fair point."
Another man said, "Why do you care whether some server has style? If you ask me, that chick onstage is the real hottie!"
The first man said, "What's so great about that kind of chick? Looks like she's at a funeral. The type who wouldn't even move in bed."
"Hey, there's a pretty girl and you won't look at her, but you insist on staring at some ugly-ass server. You're not gay, are you?"
The others at the table laughed maliciously.
Someone said, "Hey, I think that young guy mixing drinks inside looks pretty good. Such soft, smooth skin."
Someone beside him immediately pointed out, "That's no young guy. That's the proprietress."
"A woman?" the whole table exclaimed.
"Absolutely," the man said. "You'd better not get any ideas about her. She's famous on this street for being someone you don't mess with. A while back, some guy caused trouble in her bar, and she chased him down three streets with a knife. Chased him straight into the police station."
"Come off it. Like she's that tough! Just watch me in a minute. I'll go tease her. Server, six more beers!"
Qingmu threw away his cigarette butt and went inside to get their beer.
Whenever customers needed him, Qingmu attended to them. When they did not, he returned to the counter to wait for the show. But even as midnight approached, no one came to tease his proprietress.
Having missed out on a good show, Qingmu felt very disappointed.
A light rain began pattering outside. The customers seated by the entrance started clamoring for the servers to move their food and drinks indoors. Some paid and left, while those who had ordered expensive liquor went to the counter to have it stored.
Xiao Qi called Qingmu over. The two of them bustled about for quite a while before settling all the customers in, then brought the tables and chairs inside as well to keep them from getting wet.
The rain grew heavier and showed no sign of stopping. The customers dwindled accordingly, and all the shared umbrellas by the entrance had been borrowed.
The bar grew empty. Only the girl onstage was still singing her haunting, far-reaching songs.
Qingmu lit a cigarette and leisurely exhaled white smoke. He thought he would take Boss Coal upstairs to bed once he finished it.
Xiao Qi leaned over an empty table, sipping a drink, his eyes fixed on the singing girl.
"Taken a liking to her?" Qingmu asked.
Xiao Qi shook his head and gave a bashful smile.
Bi Shenghua watched the rain pouring outside and stretched. "All right, business is a bust today. Let's close up."
Xiao Qi was about to start cleaning when Qingmu stopped him and looked toward a corner. "There's still a customer."
It was the darkest corner of the bar. Unless they went closer, it really was impossible to see clearly from the counter.
Bi Shenghua told Xiao Qi to ask whether the customer needed an umbrella. If he did, they could lend him one.
Xiao Qi went over and soon returned. He told Qingmu, "That person wants you to come over."
Both Qingmu and Bi Shenghua looked surprised.
"What a pain."
Reluctantly swaying his languid body, Qingmu shuffle-clopped over to the corner.
He saw a woman sitting there.
The lighting kept him from making out what she looked like. All he could smell was a faint, orchid-like fragrance, delicate and elusive, threading out of the alcohol-laden air and into his nose and pores.
This was a woman with a subtle fragrance.
"How may I help you?" Qingmu assumed the manner befitting a server.
"The greatest hermits hide in the city, yet you can't conceal your scent. Do you think you look like a server?" The woman's soft voice drifted over.
Qingmu rubbed his bird's-nest hair. "Ha, maybe not. But what do you need?"
The woman pointed to the seat beside her, motioning for Qingmu to sit down and talk.
Qingmu hesitated, but sat down anyway.
The woman leaned in, very, very close to him, close enough for them to hear each other breathing.
That distinctive fragrance grew stronger too, while the bar's murky smell of smoke and alcohol was dispersed until it was barely noticeable.
Qingmu felt his heart stir and narrowed his eyes to look at her. Although they were closer now, his view of her grew even more blurred.
"Miss, what are you trying to do?"