Chapter 74:
演戏是门技术活
‘Acting is a skill for living’
The north wind swept the dead leaves on the ground, and the crowd covered their faces with their sleeves to avoid the dust, falling to the east and the west, but none of them left.
On the high stage, the De Quan class didn’t let the crowd wait too long, the class master led the theatre troupe members in a flurry of gongs and drums to build up momentum for the throwing of the embroidered ball, and for this reason, a good time (auspicious occasion) was specially chosen.
“Say a few words about the rules of grabbing the embroidered ball, this depends entirely on fate.”
The class master stepped forward to explain that if he relied on snatching, there was no chance of bloodshed, and to avoid accidents, the first person whose hand touched the embroidered ball and held it in his arms meant that he was hit by the embroidered ball.
“Fine, we already know!”
A burst of cheers came from the crowd, Little Peach Blossom walked up to the high platform, he was wearing a blue unlined upper garment with a jade pendant in the shape of a peach blossom hanging from his waist, waving to the crowd with a cordial smile.
Li Haitang frequently shook her head, tall, thin, beautiful androgynous, this kind of misogyny would fit the aesthetics of the people of Daqi, forgive her, she felt that she was really blind.
Looking back (self contemplation), her husband, tall, with deep features, slightly darker skin, at first glance, it’s a qi, no wonder he was said by the village people that he was a savage.
What else can she do but sing and babble? Find a woman more like yourself, not feel inferior complex?
Other people come to stake-out, all with food and tea, Li Haitang always feel shortcomings, she opened the small bag with her, from inside, flicked out a glutinous rice cake filled with bean paste, put it into the mouth, this kind of glutinous rice cake outer skin wrapped in bean powder. This side of people called it donkey roll.
“Husband, this donkey roll is good.”
Li Haitang took a bite, the delicate sweetened red bean paste was overflowing, the real thing (ingredients and skill), she regretted not buying more.
Xiao Lingchuan had no expression, he just embraced Li Haitang in his arms, using his tall body to block the cold air that came to his face.
On the high stage, Xiao Taohong (Little Red Peach) stood for a moment, grabbed the embroidered ball and threw it at the stage. The embroidered ball carried a strong wind and flew into the crowd.
For a moment, the peach blossoms waiting in the front row to grab the embroidered ball froze, because the throw was too high, if they didn’t know how to do light kung fu, no one could leap up out of the air, they could only follow the direction of the embroidered ball with their eyes open, praying in their hearts that it was best if there someone who break the rules, so that they could do it once again.
Li Haitang was enjoying the food, when she suddenly saw a small child in front of her fall, the careless parents next to the small child were just watching the crowd, the parents didn’t see this scene at all, the crowd was surging as she looked at the people next to her, she grabbed on the arm of the small child.
“You stand still, don’t move!”
In an instant, Li Haitang threw away the roll (a form of usury in which the borrower has to pay interest on interest once the debt is overdue; snowballing usury) rolling in her hand, pushed away aunt beside her who was trying hard to squeeze forward, and pounced on the child to hold him, while Xiao Lingchuan could only follow behind to protect him at all times.
The embroidered ball drew a parabola in the air, heading straight for the little baby’s head. Li Haitang had no choice but to raise her hand, wanting to knock the embroidered ball out.
“This little lady in plain clothes is so lucky, grabbing the embroidered ball!”
Everyone looked at Li Haitang with envious eyes, individuals were eyeing the ball, if it wasn’t in plain sight, they really wanted to break the rules and snatch the embroidered ball.
Li Haitang wrapped her arms around the embroidered ball, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, she really didn’t have the heart to sing and compete with others, just now, the tassel on the embroidered ball wrapped around the disc button of her collar, if she didn’t want to go expose herself, she could only take it.
“You again?”
Little Red Peach narrowed his eyes, he was impressed with Li Haitang, for her to appear here, he was afraid that she was really just passing by to buy some soy sauce.
“Can you give the opportunity to someone else?”
Li Haitang was troubled, she was unable to sing in tune, at this level, how could she sing opera? It’s a disgrace to her grandmother’s house.
Working with a popular idol, a slightly inferior performance would have to draw a chorus of curses, she didn’t want to seek disaster.
For others, being able to share the same stage with Little Peach Blossom was a good thing that fell from the sky, but this, however, definitely did not include her.
“Are you sure you want to get off my face?”
Little Little Peach Blossom carried his hands behind his back, smiling brightly, but every word was squeezed out from between his teeth.
He kindly gave the private room’s theatre tickets but was unexpectedly turned around by this person to make a thousand taels of silver, Little Peach Red could hardly describe his feelings at that time, the first time he saw someone who completely did not think highly of him.
Those pretentious girls in the Capital fought over his theatre tickets, and some threatened that they would not marry if not with him.
So what if the actor (opera singer) was the humble profession? He had the ability, silver money, and backing behind him, and he could be just as dismissive of those daughters from wealthy families.
“This ….”
One thousand taels of silver that matter, Li Haitang is in the wrong, with the silver ticket, she bought the courtyard in Deer City, now let her spit out, she must have felt pain for a long time.
Being wide-eyed at the sight of money — greedy, anyone who had such shortcomings, for the sake of the silver, she could agree.
“I’m afraid that I won’t perform well and drag you down.”
Li Haitang explained with a red face, there are at least tens of thousands of people under the stage. If she is reluctant, she will be spurned by ten thousand people, so she can only pretend to be cheerful or in high spirits but her heart is more bitter than Huanglian (Chinese goldthread /rhizome used in medicine).
“This, you can rest assured, you will not drag your feet.”
Little Red Peach had a certainty on his face, and had the theatre troupe’s handyman write a contract, Li Haitang and Little Peach Red on the same stage would receive one hundred taels of silver for the performance.
One hundred taels of silver!
From grassroots to a first tier star! Li Haitang once again succumbed in front of money, she saw nothing wrong with the contract and pressed her handprint.
“This is what you said, one scene, appearing for less than an hour, one hundred or two hundred silver.”
Li Haitang waved her hand, acting badly has nothing to do with her, this is what Little Red Peach insisted on working with her, she had already refused before!
“That’s right, what I said, there is no need for you to sing in the theatre, you don’t have a single line from start to finish.”
Little Red Peach hooked the corners of her mouth in amusement, a hint of derision flashing in her eyes. He threw the embroidered ball, he couldn’t control the accuracy at all, and he didn’t expect that it would hit the young lady that he had met once.
That day, the two of them met by chance, he gave her the theatre tickets for the private room, did not think much about it, just as a charity, to be in the Fu Xiang restaurant voice the day, he was in the back alley of the restaurant, she fooled the butler of a large family to buy theatre tickets, sighed that she has a quite a business mind.
“No lines (dialogue)?”
Li Haitang used a smooth hand to smooth her chest, she was relieved when there were no lines.
“No, why no lines?”
A few moments later, seeing the face of Little Peach Red not harbor ill intention, Li Haitang realized in hindsight, but the contract is signed, it will be too late to repent.
“Playing as a corpse, what lines do you need? Have you ever seen a dead person talking?”
Seeing her stiffen in place as if she was struck by lightning, Little Peach Red couldn’t help but laugh out loud and couldn’t wait to roll on the ground a few times.
In the past few years being held up too high, whenever going out, always pay attention to the image, Little Peach Blossom will rarely exaggerate and laugh hard.
Northland is not Capital, the theater fans are enthusiastic, but will not pry into his privacy. I remember once, he sang in a large family, during which he ate and have stomach ache, kept running to the toilet, and so run the fifth time, he found that something was wrong, the original, there is a small hole in the wall of the toilet, the opposite side of a pair of eyes are peeping.