Chapter 198

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

While chatting, Chai Mi learned that this time the Dragon King Shadow Play for the rain prayer was hired by Zhou Fang himself.

Liu Zhanggui said Zhou Fang felt that after being away from his hometown for so many years, he should contribute something to his hometown and let the elders watch a shadow play.

Chai Mi: Heh heh! The whole show is paid for by Young Master Zhou... this guy, what's he pretending to be?!

Could it be that when he was buying eggs, he was also pulling in customers or something?

Chai Mi was familiar with the tricks of doing business in the countryside: recognize relatives, pull connections, chat about family matters, small favors, and finally make them long-term customers.

One day he should give Zhou Fang a warning; this kid is getting a bit full of himself...

Zhou Fang was originally someone who left the village, so the trick of recognizing relatives was probably the simplest thing for him. Since everyone was from the same village, they all knew each other.

Besides, last time Zhou Fang was hung on a tree and beaten by the Village Chief, so the villagers knew him all too well.

Then came the time to pull connections and chat about family matters.

Chai Mi figured this guy was asking everyone to watch the shadow play for two days straight; once the Village Chief promoted it, wouldn't Zhou Fang become a celebrity of Sanjiacun?

After all, the minimum standard for a performance was three days; an opera troupe eating and being fed, all the food and lodging added together, would cost at least five or six thousand yuan.

That was no small amount of money.

You have to know that ordinary people growing corn these days got only two or three cents per unit. That was equivalent to the money from twenty or thirty thousand catties of grain. Taking Chai Mi's family as an example, ten or so mu of land, last year's total harvest was only thirteen thousand catties of corn...

Zhou Fang hiring people to watch a play would cost Chai Mi two years of crop harvest.

The problem was, it had to be a bumper harvest year.

"A bit wasteful." Chai Mi muttered in a low voice.

"Who?" Song Qiushui didn't hear what Chai Mi muttered, so she asked.

"Nothing." Chai Mi brushed it off, then asked Liu Zhanggui: "Which troupe was hired? Now that it's not raining, there are too many places praying for rain. I heard someone is organizing a performance; opera troupes aren't easy to find these days."

Praying for rain was a traditional culture of this era.

Hearing this topic, Liu Zhanggui immediately straightened his back: "This is a troupe from Lingyuan County. There's a dan role player in the troupe who is a clansman of our old Liu family. They moved there before the liberation, named Liu Changsheng. That's how it is; since they are clansmen, they agreed to come to our village. Otherwise, no troupe could be found at all. Several nearby villages are performing, everywhere they're performing Dragon King Shadow Plays, and no troupe can be found."

Regarding this issue, Liu Zhanggui even explained to everyone how his clansman ended up in Lingyuan County.

Before the liberation, half of Sanjiacun belonged to Lingyuan County of Rehe Province, and half belonged to KLQQ of Mongolia.

Later, after the liberation, it was unified as Ke County of Liaoxi Province.

From the early liberation to 1958, LN Province was divided into Liaodong Province and Liaoxi Province. That's why the place where Chai Mi was often called Liaoxi, because where she was was the former Liaoxi Province. Although Liaoxi Province existed for a short time, everyone basically kept using the name Liaoxi.

Before the liberation, Sanjiacun was under Mongol-Han separate administration, and only after the liberation did Mongol-Han intermarriage begin. Previously, Mongol-Han separate administration made Ke County very special, with a very small territory. Like Sanjiacun, separated by one road, to the north was Jianping County, to the south was Jianchang County, to the west was Lingyuan County, and itself belonged to KLQQ.

Later, because of this particularly chaotic situation, Ke Left Banner was separately established in 1958, abbreviated as Ke County.

Anyway, Liu Zhanggui spoke in a very chaotic way, but Chai Mi seemed to understand a bit.

It was this shadow puppet troupe called the Xu Family Troupe, and the troupe leader was called Xu Ruixiang...

It seemed he was called Xu Ruixiang, or possibly Xu Ruixiang.

The troupe leader had a disciple named Liu Changsheng. This Liu Changsheng was originally from Sanjiacun; long ago, several decades ago, Liu Changsheng left with the shadow puppet troupe that came to perform in Sanjiacun. Back then, according to Liu Zhanggui's words: there were too many sons in the family, they couldn't afford to raise them, so they didn't treat the son as a son and directly threw him to Xu Ruixiang, who came to perform and sing opera.

Liu Changsheng was indeed a clansman brother of Liu Zhanggui. Since being taken away by the opera-performing Xu Family Troupe, Liu Changsheng grew up step by step and became talented; not only did he become the lead dan of the current troupe, but he also married the daughter of the troupe leader Xu Ruixiang.

Of course, Xu Ruixiang also had sons and other daughters. So Liu Changsheng was just a son-in-law, not a live-in son-in-law.

The main reason Liu Zhanggui mentioned Lingyuan County was because at that time Sanjiacun on this side had not yet been liberated and was under the jurisdiction of that side. His clansman brother Liu Changsheng also went there at that time.

Although Liu Changsheng had traveled south and north for decades, he ultimately wanted to return home to take a look. Taking advantage of not being old and dead yet, he specially led the troupe and his wife together, preparing to return to his hometown to perform opera.

Thus, he connected with Liu Zhanggui.

Both parties hit it off immediately...

"Hmm? Village Chief, why do I feel something isn't quite right? You say this troupe was originally going to come to our village, but you just said Zhou Fang hired them with money; that's a bit contradictory." Chai Mi asked with furrowed brows.

Liu Zhanggui spread his hands: "No contradiction... originally the troupe didn't plan to take wages, just provide food and drink. As a result, at noon, I met Zhou Fang; he was collecting eggs, and he had a sudden impulse, saying he would cover the food and drink and also pay money, but with a condition: to hang a banner, with words written on it: Buy eggs, find Zhou Fang, Sanjiaren don't cheat Sanjiaren..."

Chai Mi slapped her forehead: My goodness... such a dog-blooded advertisement, this guy actually put it up... So indeed he spent money to hire people to perform opera for rain prayer, just to advertise.

But it had to be said, this kid really had some brains. Truly my... running dog.

Song Qiushui had a face full of disdain: "This won't do; I came here to watch the play properly, why should he advertise... Dad, you spend money, we'll sponsor one too, and also put up an advertisement, just write: To marry a wife, find Song Qiushui, a once-in-ten-thousand-years great beauty absolutely won't cheat people..."

Song Qingshan was completely stunned: "Daughter, don't make trouble. Our family doesn't have that much money, and most importantly..."

I, Song Qingshan, can't afford to lose that person!!!

How can an unmarried daughter advertise like that?

It's just too damn losing face!

It's not like she can't get married...

"Qiushui, why spend that money; this advertisement only runs for two or three days, and it won't even leave the village. When they go to another place to perform shadow play, they'll forget you. Not worth it..."

Song Qiushui hehe laughed, saying she was just joking.

She also said she wouldn't marry in the future, just stay to support her parents and see them off to the end...

Chai Mi slapped her forehead: Indeed very Song Qiushui... never mind anything else, first sending her parents away, the train of thought is very clear.

Song Qingshan didn't think so much; on the contrary, he felt his daughter was filial, all thinking about not marrying in the future but also supporting him and his wife to the end; this was truly the most filial daughter...

Living this life, isn't it just to leave in a grand and glorious way?

Now that the daughter is so filial, when the time comes to leave, he and his old partner will definitely be especially "peaceful."

Song Qingshan and his wife had only this one daughter; usually they held her afraid of touching her, kept her in their mouths afraid of melting her.

They liked her beyond measure.

The couple are in their sixties, still working so hard — for what? What are they after?

What they're after is having someone to care for them in old age and see them off when the time comes, a hundred years from now — though it's a bit early to say that... still, that's their daughter thinking ahead for them.

Many people, when they're young, feel life offers many choices, many paths. But once they reach a certain age, they come to accept their own mediocrity, and their parents' ordinariness. When they grow older still, all they can visibly think about is what happens after they're gone; for themselves, it's just a matter of eating their fill and staying warm, leaving all their hopes for the moment of death, that it might be grand and glorious.

Song Qingshan is exactly that kind of person.

Song Qiushui didn't know her old man's mind was running so deep; she was really just saying it casually.

As a few of them were chatting, an old man wearing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, somewhat cheap suit trousers, and leather shoes walked over. The old man still walked with vigor, not looking too old, his face somewhat ruddy, a large wart at the left corner of his mouth; when he spoke, his voice was steady: "Village Chief, do you think we should start at eight or seven-thirty?"

The old man was precisely Xu Ruixiang, the troupe leader of the shadow puppet troupe; he was already over seventy, and had devoted his whole life to shadow puppetry.

It could be said he dedicated his entire life to the shadow puppetry trade.

The shadow puppetry around Ke County, one could say, was mainly transmitted from inside the Pass.

On this Northeast land of white mountains and black waters, there are many types of cultural traditions. For instance, Northeast Northeast Errenzhuan, Yangge, stilt walking, Pingju opera, Liaoxi Taiping Drum, shadow puppetry, and so on — all have strong local characteristics.

It could be said every place has its own distinct points.

Many such inheritances have a great deal to do with special local living habits.

Among the masses, there are too many niche cultures.

Take Sanjiacun where Chai Mi is, for example — when people listen to shadow puppetry, they want to hear authentic shadow puppetry.

What constitutes authentic?

The local authentic style is habitually singing with a pinched throat, making the voice more penetrating. This especially suits the local characteristic of vast land and sparse population.

It also suits the characteristic of the local audience being relatively numerous.

Although this era already has electricity and microphones, people still use the traditional singing method, fundamentally not needing external tools.

That places a particularly severe test on the shadow puppetry performers' fundamental skills.

The sung lyrics carry far, and the voice is authentic — only then will the common folk be satisfied.

After all, a single performance might empty half the village, several hundred people listening together. Some at the scene, some climbing up tree branches, some on rooftops.

At such times, the venue is spacious, and only sufficient volume will do. So the local specialty of pinched-throat aria shadow puppetry was born.

Another aspect is the shadow puppetry figure props; the local specialty is donkey skin. Shadow puppet, shadow puppet — it's shadow figures made of skin, performing sung drama.

Donkeys are plentiful locally, so they use donkey skin.

Xu Ruixiang had traveled north and south for decades, who knows how many shows he'd sung. His troupe was called the Xu Family Troupe. The people inside were all his family — wife, sons, daughters-in-law, daughters, sons-in-law.

A typical family enterprise...

A whole family of performers, so there's nothing held back or hidden; each attends to their duty, no predicament of someone quitting halfway.

Actually, Xu Ruixiang also inherited shadow puppetry from his ancestors. Whether father, uncles, or the grandfather's generation — all were shadow puppetry performers.

It could be said Xu Ruixiang is the most famous shadow puppetry troupe within a hundred and eighty li of the surroundings.

No help for it — the Xu Family Troupe existed a hundred and eighty years ago; others really can't compare.

Liu Zhanggui thought a moment and said: "Then let's start early, seven-thirty."

The time to start the show actually has its particulars.

Generally it's after dark.

Choosing seven-thirty is because that's exactly when people come out after finishing listening to the News Broadcast.

Old peasants don't understand any grand patriotism, but they still want to know about major national affairs, so the News Broadcast must be listened to.

And after the News Broadcast comes the weather forecast.

For people praying for rain every day, this is very important.

Although TV penetration is very low this era, radios are relatively more widespread.

Households like Chai Mi's that don't even have a radio are, after all, a minority.

Xu Ruixiang nodded: "Alright, then in a bit we need to pay respects to the Patriarch Master; we'll go get busy, and start when the time comes."

"Alright, you go do your thing."

Xu Ruixiang went off to get busy.

"Performing a show still requires burning incense? First I've heard of it." Song Qiushui was a bit puzzled.

Liu Zhanggui told Song Qiushui: "Why wouldn't you burn incense... each person their own habit. When my wife was still alive, even going out to buy a popsicle, she'd burn incense."

Chai Mi: "Er..."

Song Qiushui: "Huh? Then you divorcing your wife was right, what do you need that old bitch for? Day to day living, not enough for all her incense and paper money burning."

Liu Zhanggui's face went awkward; for a moment he couldn't field Song Qiushui's such candid words.

Song Qingshan hurriedly poked Song Qiushui: "Don't talk nonsense, you child, how can you keep poking at the Village Chief's sore spot? The man's a confirmed bachelor already, and you're still deliberately making things difficult for him..."

Liu Zhanggui's face grew even more awkward: You two, grandfather and granddaughter, talk exactly the same, cut from the same cloth...

Chai Mi chuckled inwardly and said: "Hey, Village Chief, how's my aunt? The day before yesterday I heard Da Zhi took her to the city for an examination — what's the situation?"

"Sigh, the examination showed cervical tumor. But caught early, still benign, so they did surgery. Yesterday Da Zhi took his mom back to her mother's family; surgery was seven or eight days ago, just discharged, recovery's not bad. Da Zhi came home this morning too, from his tone, meaning it's fine. When it's done he says the money has to come from me..." Liu Zhanggui scratched his head: "Still says it's his mom's idea; you say, divorced already, and still making me spend money..."

"You're getting on in years, your head's not working too well." Chai Mi paused a moment and said: "Then my aunt's meaning isn't just that she wants to come back? That's why she had you pay. This divorce, they can remarry too... I feel what Qiu Shui just said is also right, Village Chief you're an old bachelor too, can't find a wife either, why not just take my aunt back. When the time comes, remarry, and it'll be just fine."