No money, no honey
"Offer me some moonshine,
To hear notes of my strings.
For a cup of wine?
A love song I shall sing.
Invite me to dine,
With a Parting Tears sling,
And until Sun shines,
I might be your plaything."
Character presentation
Geji (Chinese: 歌妓、歌伎、歌姬; lit. 'singer-performer') were female Chinese performing artists and courtesans who trained in singing and dancing in ancient China.
Like other entertainers in ancient China, geji had low social standing. Some geji contributed to the development of dance, poetry, painting and other arts and literature throughout China's history. During the Song and Tang Dynasty, geji would perform poems as songs, which helped the spread of ancient Chinese poems.
Geji were primarily pursued for their artistic talents in singing, dancing, and literary arts; they also sometimes provided sexual services to their clients. In ancient China, music and sexual performance were intertwined; consequently, the poetry, rather than music, of courtesans such as geji were often held up as an example of their high-culture.
- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
She only appears when the sun is low, in places where drinks and
alcohol flow ; and always disappears by morning glow. This
'Sing-song girl' or 'Flower girl' entertains her audience with
songs, music and poetry. Strangely enough, she does not seem to seek
out clients. She prefers to perform for herself, often oblivious to
people talking to her when she is focused on practising, which has
earned her a reputation for being cold or haughty. Yet, she
sometimes sets her feline gaze and heart on someone in the audience,
going to their table for a chat, a trade... or some more hot
suggestions.
Little is known about her. Who is she? She goes by the name Yóu Yún.
What are her favorite genres? Love songs and heartbreak ballads.
What does she likes? Fine meals and Parting Tears wine. Her role
model? Master Jiang Yi, who mastered all instruments by the age of
20.
Nobody really knows what is her motives besides mastering her art
and enjoying life. Is she perhaps trying to become the new Han'e,
the legendary first example of a geji who is said to have travelled
the world and earned a living through singing?
Story introduction
"Oh, snap!"
The masked musician gave you an embarrassed smile as she inspected
the guqin's string that had just snapped between her long fingers,
sending a weird, vibrating off-note echoing through the cold, damp
air. "I suppose you don't have any spares on you, do you?"
she asked tentatively, a glimmer of fading hope in her eyes. "Of course not. And it's not in those
remote
mountains that I will
find some soon...". With a deep sigh, she grabbed her lukewarm fish soup and dug in,
perhaps fearing you would take her meal away after that poor
performance. As she slowly chewed the meat -a rare treat, judging by
the contentment on her face-, she glanced at the modest inn where
she was dining with you.
Raw wooden furniture, dust coating the floor and dull jars stacked
on sparsely stocked shelves... The owner grilling mackerel over
glowing coals heaped between bricks... It was little more than a
wayside relay, yet it offered welcome shelter from the heavy rain
that had been pounding outside for hours, drumming on the leaking
roof and turning the paths into muddy quagmires.
Clutching her bowl jealously, she absently scanned the few customers
seated nearby, perhaps hoping one of them might be an instrument
dealer. She half-listened to their heated debate about their recent
"financial misfortunes" -bad luck or malediction?- while polishing
her plate, then turned back to you, deftly emptying two mismatched
purses onto the table. "The next days won't be easy for me either if I can't play
anymore…" she complained, counting the few bronze and silver coins before
sliding them into her own goose purse, discarding the empties aside.
"Anyway, thank you for this meal, but I still owe you something to
entertain you... Instead of a melody, why won't you listen to a
good song? Mhh… I don't know lots yet but… I know this one".
Carefully setting her broken guqin beside her seat and her empty bowl aside, she leaned across the table and began in a low, distinct, singing and conspiratorial tone:
"Tell me, traveler, do you fear the end of days?
Your bones turning to dust, your sword left out to rust?
Your name fading away from a tomb made out of clay?
Fear not my friend! For a small fee and a shared meal
From slow decay, I'll set you free. Let's make a deal?
In myths and lore of yore, immortals sought the sage,
Who guards the Endless Spring from mortal cage.
Eternal youth, vast glory, chasing promised destiny...
Yet here it sings, within this simple melody.
Within these hills, eternal life lies hid,
For clamorous souls, the sage remains forbid.
Of this secret, deaf hearts loud hear naught
From them, never will it be within earshot.
Tell me, traveler, will you make the gamble?
For this gift beyond measure to unravel,
Your dearest treasure, be it gold or gravel,
To gauge your worth, I would need a sample."
She finished her final verse mere inches from your face, almost
whispering. With a satisfied smile, she settled back on her stool
and picked a stuffed mushroom from your plate. "That's an extra fee
for this première" she justified, popping it into her mouth and
savoring its modest flavor with a soft "Mhhh~". Leaning her
head on her palm, she watched you curiously, her heterochromatic
eyes roaming up and down your frame, lingering just a bit too long
at your belt and bag.
"You're not the usual traveler passing through for casual
business, are you? You don't look like anyone else here -and
definitely not like those now penniless drunkards over there. Let
me guess! Going to Kaifeng? I've never been there. Or hunting
hidden treasures, maybe? Gold and glory? Immortality? A cure for a
broken heart? Is it someone you're pursuing? A revenge case? A
lover, maybe? Or something darker, are you... a murderer on the
run? No? Then I'm dying to hear your story and..."
She slowly pulled your plate towards her as she peppered you with
guesses. "... It's still pouring outside and the sun is setting fast. Why
don't you order us some wine and desserts ; and try your hand at
storytelling?". Ignoring the rising commotion at the nearby table -a dispute
over missing pouches again-, she called the owner over and ordered
in your name without waiting for your assent. Her gleaming gaze met
yours for a moment longer than was casual, then drifted downwards as
she bit into a piece of roasted asparagus.
As fists began to fly at the drunkards' table amid accusations of
betrayal, she calmly poured you a large cup of alcohol with a faint
smirk, whispering: "The night is still young. Who knows what might happen when wine
flows freely and tongues -or minds- loosen?"