Qiong Yin lingers

Chapter 9
What Meng Huaxiang is most afraid of is that the actors in the troupe lose their confidence and give up on themselves.

If tea drinkers prefer pop music, and everyone puts on performances perfunctorily, in the long run, it will be a matter of time before the Qiong Opera sinks.

As an old man who sticks to the Qiongju opera career all his life, Meng Huaxiang has always firmly believed that even if there is only one audience in the audience, Qiongju opera actors must complete the performance without any difference!
What's more, in Qiongju opera, not only stories are sung, but also rich connotations and philosophies.

It is precisely because of this that there is a saying that "the play has already begun, and eight parties come to listen, one party is human, three parties are ghosts, and four parties are gods!".

"Could it be that the treasures left by our ancestors are really not worthy of the attention of our descendants?" Meng Hua's fragrance is hard to appease!
The stubborn Li Dongming curled his lips and rolled his eyes, muttered and added: "The tape recorder plays pop songs, everyone applauds and even sings along; when we perform on stage, some people below cover their ears and think we are noisy. Qiongju, sooner or later Be eliminated……"

Meng Hua's fragrance made his heart sting, he almost couldn't breathe, his whole face turned red.

Seeing this, Huang Simei quickly gave Meng Huaxiang a back, and patted her chest to promise that the troupe would rehearse, and then comforted her.The old man has been in charge of the troupe all his life, and he is used to the management mode of the troupe with orders and prohibitions.

Times have changed, and the young people in the troupe no longer respect their seniors like they did back then.The windows were open and fresh air came in, as did flies and mosquitoes.

This is inevitable.

What Huang Simei can do is to try to balance both sides, but Qiongju opera needs precise inheritance, which cannot be discussed or discounted!All members of the troupe were called together, and Huang Simi had a round of in-depth communication with everyone.

After the troupe changed to the private contracting system, five or six people have left the Dongfang Qiong Opera Troupe.

Huang Simei has been advising Meng Huaxiang that twisted melons are not sweet, and those who stick to the troupe must have sincere love: day after day, hard training of basic skills, singing, and more excitement on stage than off stage will indeed bring a huge sense of loss. Without sufficient preparation to sit on the bench, you can't stick to it in the troupe.

Today is different from the past, the glory of the troupe going abroad to perform has no longer existed.

However, to do one line is to love one line.If someone really doesn't want to stay in the troupe, they can choose to change careers and go overseas, and she fully supports it.But those who stay must be responsible for their own choices, and even more so for the audience.

Qiongju opera, the emphasis is on excellent singing and writing, so that empathy is like an opera.If one look is missing, one dialogue is missing, it will lose its charm.

*
Huang Simei appeased her mother-in-law, and then, as the new head of the regiment, organized everyone in the regiment to have a heart-to-heart talk.After the conversation, several youngsters in the theater troupe were all moved and asked if they could follow Zhang Shennian to Sanya to set up a stall.

Although Huang Simei was reluctant, she still nodded and agreed to their request. The business of Qiongju opera requires love to stick to it: in the past, some people joined the group for the sake of making a living, but now some people find a better livelihood, and they will naturally leave.

Huang Simei only hopes that those who are willing to stay will abide by the rules of the troupe, and also keep their original love of singing.

*
During the days when Wang Yunfei lived in the Dongfang Qiong Opera Troupe, watching the life of the Dongfang Qiong Opera Troupe, he felt infinitely sad: Every day when the cock crows, the troupe actors get up on time to practice and rehearse; During the daily operation of the teahouse, when they are in the mood, they will go directly to the stage and sing without emotion.

Their voices are like their own speakers. As long as they open their voices, the whole teahouse will be loud and melodious without using a microphone.

Sometimes people in the audience became addicted to the drama, and without accompaniment, they would directly "play the ring" in every corner of the teahouse and sing duets to each other.

So every day, in every corner of the wooden attic, there will always be ups and downs of singing, which amuses the tea drinkers.

Here is "Happy Reunion" pouring out its sorrow, the sadness is gentle and heartbreaking:

"Speaking of Pingyang, say Pingyang, there is a Zhangjiazhuang in Pingyang. In Zhangjiazhuang, Zhang Wenyuan married a wife and gave birth to two sons; Zhigao and Zhiping have two brothers, one is like a father and the other is like a mother; the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and grandson are happy to eat glutinous rice balls. When I went to the examination room, my tears shed tears on the Biluo River; I waved goodbye to the ten-mile long pavilion, and the husband never returned. .”

There came the joyful aria of "Spring Grass Breaking into the Hall", which was joyful, lively and cheerful:

"This Lingluo is hard to find in the palace, so I will give it to Grandma Hu's house to pretend to be a gift. This leather bag is made of precious mink fur, and I will give it to the magistrate as a reward; this old wine, a special product of Shaoxing, has a mellow taste. Take it with you and give it to you. Colleagues; this bag is a famous sugar cake in the capital, for your little Jiaojiao; this rouge is for the beauty of autumn flowers, and teaches her to thank me for spring grass; here is the goose feather hat for Li, please Take it with you."

……

Just in response to the sentence "When the string is pulled, the throat will itch".No matter where the actors and orchestra of the Qiong Opera Troupe are, their love and liking for Qiong Opera is integrated into their bones.

Qiongju facial makeup is divided into: Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Ugly. Loyalty, treachery, good and evil are clearly distinguished. During the performance of the main drama, people often use exaggerated techniques to interpret the characters.

But in the daily life of the teahouse, they do not have the label of facial makeup, they appear more relaxed and at ease, and their expressions and limbs are more natural and stretched.

Coupled with this kind of impromptu performance, it is more like the "Baidu Zhai" of Qiongju Opera in the early years. It uses "Tongtian Yun", that is, the form of singing directly after memorizing the rhyme of the opera words, which is more lively, catchy and easy to spread.

In the teahouse, there were singing and dancing, the actors of the troupe sang to their heart's content, and the tea guests who echoed in the audience also interacted happily.

For several days in succession, Wang Yunfei sat in the corner of the wooden attic, watching the joyful state of the Oriental Tea House, secretly amazed: such seemingly disordered and chaotic sounds overlapped together, but wonderfully produced a thrilling sense of joy , as if flowing all the beauty in the world.

Watching Huang Simei shuttle through the crowd again, when he raises his hands and feet, he has the gentleness of a lady in the opera; his eyes are full of shyness, timidity and generosity of a retro boudoir. Unknowingly, he looks crazy again. go.What's annoying is that he went out for a walk last night. In Dongfang Basuo, there is not even a flower shop, and roses can't be bought.What a pity!
Of course, Wang Yunfei did not regret this trip: seeing the beautifully made Li Jin, establishing the Li Jin studio, and seeing such a vibrant theater troupe, he felt that Li Jin's creations had a steady stream of materials, just like the past few days with Huang Simei. For discussion, March [-]rd in Erxianling, Luhuitou in Sanya, Wuli Village in Wuzhishan, Ding'an [pǐ] girls, including the vibrant theater troupe in front of you, the steaming life scenes...

Island treasures are everywhere, which is an inexhaustible and inexhaustible source of Li Jin and Qiong Opera creations.

Having sung a play for a lifetime, even in daily life, the actors can't help but think of the situation in the play, and they can't help singing: Zhang Shennian used to say that "the economic base determines the superstructure". I have a little knowledge, but now I know: life is good to be in a good mood!

The troupe now pays 300 yuan a month, which is almost equal to the salary of the cadres.Huang Simi also made a dividend plan. After the Chinese New Year, they will still receive a large amount of "year-end bonus".

Such a beautiful life is worth singing about!

*
Wang Yunfei returned to Erxian Village to experience life, and all he saw was the beautiful natural scenery and cultural scenes. In contrast, Zhang Shennian, who worked hard, felt completely different.

When he first came back to the village, Zhang Shennian didn't think much about the operation of the teahouse: How can it be considered a good business if the parents make some snacks and make tea for a short time?

Unexpectedly, after taking over the business of the teahouse for a few days, he found that it was faster than setting up a stall to get money!
It's just that it's refreshing to make money from this job, but the work is also detailed and complicated. Zhang Shennian has only taken over from Huang Simei for only a few months, and he can't wait to return to Sanya immediately: This is much more tiring than setting up a stall!

Every day when the cock crows, all members of the troupe get up to hang their voices, do exercises, and then split up.Zhang Shennian took over as purchasing, coordinating and directing.

The seemingly simple management work, but Zhang Shennian was so tired from morning to night that he would not touch the ground, and he often shouted in a hurry to ask Huang Simei to help.Lying on the bed every night, he complained repeatedly, "Ouch, ouch", and asked Huang Simei to massage his whole body to soothe and relieve him.

Thinking that his wife not only manages the teahouse but also farms the fields every day, Zhang Shennian sincerely admires his wife, and expresses his feelings by singing an opera before going to bed every day: "Madam, you are so hardworking, and you are good at managing teahouses! Practice in the morning and farm in the afternoon. The teahouse is busy in the afternoon; Qiqiaoxin, Linglong people, Zhang Jiazu's grave has good Fengshui! Husband is incompetent, wife is tired, and I will repay you more in the future."

There is no empathy in this world unless you really experience it.

After Zhang Shennian took over the teahouse, he really understood the difficulty of his wife. He not only praised his wife sweetly every day, but also behaved in front of his mother: "The idea of ​​this teahouse with Qiong opera is really good! Mom, it's all thanks to my good looks." Heavenly fairy, a good wife with seven orifices! Thanks to the grandma, you are here to take care of the baby, so that the wife can fight without worry! You two, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are really women! In ancient times, you were the ones who went to war on behalf of your father Hua Mulan, Mu Guiying who fought bravely against the enemy! Incredible! Awesome!"

The corners of Huang Simei's lips couldn't stop rising, and she gave him an angry look: "Your compliments don't seem to be asking for money! How can I dare to compare with heroines like Hua Mulan and Mu Guiying? I was thinking Yes, it’s just to help grandma stay with the theater troupe, and make a living by the way. The teahouse can be popular, it all depends on the policy! Thanks to the spring breeze of reform and opening up, and the clarion call of modernization. Otherwise, we would still be touring in ten miles and eight towns every day !"

Husband and wife have been together for a long time, like brothers.

Zhang Shennian put his arms around Huang Simei's shoulders, and gave thumbs up again and again: "You don't need to be modest! You should be praised as a hero among women! My wife is half the sky of our family and our Oriental Theater Troupe!"

Meng Huaxiang glared at her son: "What's the proper way to hug in public?"

Zhang Shennian let go of Huang Simimei, and put his arms around his mother: "Grandma, your thinking is backward again. You have to keep up with the times. We have to keep up with the changes of the market economy so as not to be eliminated by society!"

The son travels thousands of miles and the mother is worried, Zhang Shennian is in Sanya, Meng Huaxiang is always in agitation, looking forward to his return every day.

But after returning home, his son talked about the market economy, and Meng Huaxiang wanted to whip him with a broom.

After the mother and son laughed and quarreled for a while, Meng Huaxiang advised Zhang Shennian to stay and not go to Sanya: now that the teahouse business is booming, there is no need to go far away to Sanya.

Zhang Shennian insisted and continued to set up a stall.

The reason is that Huang Simei chose to stick to the Dongfang Qiong Opera Troupe at the beginning. Now she not only keeps her original intention, but also introduces a new model of market economy, which makes the troupe full of vitality.As the pillar of the family, he must compete with his wife: "Don't worry, Mommy, Amei is doing it for the betterment of the troupe, and I set up a stall for the betterment of our small family. We are all using our own strength, Keep up with the tide of the market economy and contribute to the four modernizations!"

Meng Huaxiang doesn't know what the tide of the market economy is, but she knows that her son is too old for her mother, and now her only comfort is her caring daughter-in-law and well-behaved grandson.

As for the son, he should be picked up and let him go!
After living for most of her life, no matter how high-minded Meng Huaxiang was, her edges and corners were smoothed.Sometimes, she would persuade herself: she once prevented her son from setting up a stall in Sanya, but his son's success was reported frequently, and in the most difficult time, he subsidized the troupe like a bottomless pit, so that the troupe survived; she once stopped her daughter-in-law from opening up wasteland and using propaganda vehicles After advertising, the theater troupe is booming, and the income of the teahouse is also rising...

Maybe Zhang Shennian is right, reform and opening up, seize the day and night, as long as the Oriental Qiong Opera Troupe is not reformed, so that those who have sung operas all their lives can continue to sing, she will be blind or deaf.

Seeing his mother's downcast eyes and unhappy face, Zhang Shennian brought out the embarrassing things about him when he was a child: "Grandma, do you still remember when I was five years old?..."

When he was five years old, the troupe ran out of ammunition and food, and he was so hungry that he sat with his eyes half-closed and half-opened to beat flies. Fortunately, Huang Simi stuffed him with two hot sweet potatoes, so he didn't faint from hunger, but because he was "so hungry." He became the laughing stock of the village with the stalk of “slapping flies”.

If he gets older, when the farming is busy, the family can't even drink dried sweet potato soup. As he grows, he can only drink well water to satisfy his hunger. Thanks to Huang Simi who brings dry food to help him from time to time...

Those pictures were forever imprinted on the tip of his heart.

And Huang Simei has also become the eternal light from childhood to youth to youth and then to adulthood: "If it wasn't for Simei's help, my son wouldn't live to be an adult to marry a wife. Now if it wasn't for Simei's hard work at home, it would be okay for me to set up a stall." I won't feel at ease. But, Mom, I can't let her follow me and continue to suffer like this for the rest of my life..."

(End of this chapter)