Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 272 Theater

The word "painter" suddenly raised Pei Ye's eyebrows.

Li Mingqing was also startled. She looked at the young man and stared at the stage together, with no intention of leaving after listening for a while.

This play went on for an hour.

It is impossible to find the quiet and happy atmosphere in a serious theater here. There is only non-stop noise. There were only a small number of theatergoers, and the rest were all women and elders taking their children somewhere to have fun.

But the ones who listened most attentively were these children, big and small, many of whom were not even accompanied by adults. They had their trouser legs rolled up and their feet black, and their braids were covered with the dust of the bustling city of Qiujiu. They chatted and discussed the plot and lyrics in a serious manner. , and from time to time they would even learn to sing a few lines along with them - it was they who added a layer of noise to the theater that could not be eliminated.

But even so, few people left the table. Those theatergoers who came from other places seemed to have become accustomed to this atmosphere. Even the two leading actors on the second floor listened quietly to the whole performance.

Pei and Li sat in such an atmosphere until the end, but their initial expectations were in vain.

This is indeed the story of the love between the snake fairy and the painter, but the two did not find the elements related to Dongfang Tian in it. There was no genius becoming famous, no one month in the mountain, and no scroll of immortality. In other words, the "painter" The characters actually don't get much writing at all in this play.

He is more like a tool or a thin symbol. The entire play only focuses on the perspective of the White Snake Fairy, singing that she was born with the fate of serving celestial beings, singing that she wanted to move her mortal heart to meet the painter, and singing that she fell in love with him. Falling in love, the immortal grass will wither. She wants to transform into mortals with the painter for the rest of her life, but is eventually captured by the immortal. The two will be separated in pain forever. As for the painter, the ending is not even explained.

"Brother, is this painter from Xiangzhou?" The girl asked the opera guest next to her again, "I heard that there was a famous 'Western Tian' thirty years ago."

"Ah? Who is Dongfang Tian?" The actor turned his head blankly with red eyes.

However, this play is indeed as sad as Xiaosheng said. The touching part is not the true love between the white snake and the vague painter, but the sadness of the dilemma in the heart of the white snake girl herself.

This play has a long monologue by the female protagonist, the music and lyrics are beautiful and precise, and the images picked out are mostly cool and lung-filling things like night dew and morning mist, and fairy grass and white snakes. Therefore, once you listen to this play, you will feel like you are in a cold mist. On the bone-piercing high cliff, I watched the white snake girl make a painful choice between two roads. One side leads to the cold and distant sky, and the accompanying fairy grass will wither. It should abide by the oath of birth and feed it with saliva and blood; the other side falls to the warm and complicated world of mortals, and the man with whom she has a white head is anxious. Looking for her.

No matter which side, the audience is worried.

"It should break off its relationship with the painter and go back to feed the fairy grass." The girl leaning on Pei Ye's shoulder suddenly whispered.

Pei Ye was startled for a moment and smiled: "Why do you always have different thoughts from normal people?"

"The fairy grass will die without it, but it won't die without love." The girl laughed softly.

It's a pity that this is a book that praises love. Here, true love can always defeat fate. The white snake girl on the stage still chose the path to the human world, but in the end she failed to stay with her sweetheart for a lifetime. The immortal forcibly took her back to heaven. , imprisoned next to the fairy grass all his life.

When this tragedy came to an end, the girl who was immersed in it softly buried her head on Pei Ye's shoulder.

Pei Ye hesitated for a moment, stretched out his arms, and gently hugged her waist from behind: "Didn't you say you wanted her to go back to heaven?"

"I mean she should, not that she will be happy." The girl muttered, "And she didn't do it voluntarily."

Then she whispered: "This play is so good, I want to move it back to Bowang."

"Actually, there is a way to have both worlds," Pei Ye raised his head and thought about the solution to the problem seriously. "It can steal the immortal's skills first, practice secretly to become better than the immortal, bring the immortal grass down to the mortal world, or bring the painter to the world. In heaven, you can have the best of both worlds.”

Li Mingqing rolled her eyes angrily.

"You can't see anything from this play." The girl stood up and looked at the sky outside. "You can buy a copy of the play from someone and look at it. You can also take it back to Bowang."

Pei Ye nodded in agreement: "Are you leaving?"

"I sent a message to Bixiao Pavilion in the morning and made an appointment with their boss in the afternoon. There are only two quarters of an hour left." Li Mingqing smiled and reminded, "Acting is the treasure of the theater, especially such a good one. Most people don't want to sell plays, so remember to be polite and don't be stingy with your money."

"How much does that cost?"

"Generally speaking, it is calculated based on ten to twenty times the revenue of a play, but the money for the play here is very cheap." The girl thought for a while, "Probably the early ten taels is a fair price, and the price is anywhere from 20 taels below. can buy."

Pei Ye took a breath: "Thank you."

Then he thought for a moment, picked up the black cat and put it on the girl's shoulder: "Okay, then take this with you."

Li Mingqing was confused: "Huh?"

"You can send a message."

".?" The girl turned her head and looked. She saw this quiet and beautiful kitten lying motionless. She hesitantly reached out her hand to touch it, but was avoided.

"You guys get along well." Pei Ye said seriously, not knowing who he was admonishing.

----

After the theater ended, the noise suddenly reached a level. Many children swarmed up to the stage, helping to move tables and lift stools. The female actor who sang cool lyrics did not leave the stage either. At this time, she smiled kindly, answered the children's questions, and put her hand in her hand. Candies and snacks were distributed to them one by one.

Pei Ye said goodbye to the girl, then raised his sword and went backstage. He looked up while walking and saw that the two leading figures on the second floor were still sitting still.

Stepping into the backstage, the big screen blocked out the skylight, and the noise was also separated by a layer. Several laborers were busy and had no time to pay attention to him, so Pei Ye went straight to the inner corridor to find someone.

But then I realized how deserted the theater was. The further inside I went, the less people there were. It turned out that several employees were already busy at the front desk.

After walking for a while, Pei Ye paused and finally heard voices.

"Two coins are two coins. This has been said for a long time and no one can change it." A rich old voice said tiredly through the thin wall, "I have calculated with you that there are three people in the family, and the man is going to the dock to help. , if you do a good job, you only get eleven or two copper coins a day, but if you are a woman weaving clothes, you can get an extra four or five coins a day. Two coins per play, in Qijiu City, this is the highest price."

Pei Ye paused for a moment. The place was getting quieter and quieter. He held his breath for a moment. The joyful noise outside and here seemed to be two different worlds.

"There were sixteen or seventeen coins that day. Let's mention four coins, even three coins."

"Ji Yun!" The old voice was louder, "Don't pretend to be stupid! A person who earns sixteen or seventy taels of silver a day can easily spend three or four taels for entertainment; but a person who earns sixteen or seventeen copper coins a day dares to earn three or four taels of silver. Want to go have some fun?"

The room fell silent.

"Then what can we do?" The young man's voice also became louder, with a hint of crying, "Master, it's not like everyone in Qijiu City is a laborer! Who among our brothers is not really capable? Raise the price to ten Even though the venue is still full!"

The old man was silent.

"If it doesn't work, let's move out of Qijiu City and stop being angry! Go to Dongcheng and raise the price to thirty yuan!" The young man became more and more excited as he spoke. "I have heard of all the theaters in Xiangzhou City. Our abilities are comparable. Who is worse!"

"."

".You can also collect reward money." The young man's voice lowered, "It's not like sewing and mending all day long now, and there are always people escaping in to listen to the show."

"Didn't we tell him that if he wants to escape, just let him know-" the old man said softly.

"Is that what happened?" The young man interrupted excitedly.

Then the room became completely quiet. "Ji Yun, I know everyone is suffering." After a while, the old man's gentle voice rang again, "I also said when you started, you learn skills from me, and I will teach you on the ground. After you finish learning, you Feel free to go to other theaters to make a living, but Ji Yun, I came to Qijiu City just to act in a play that costs two coins a piece."

"There is no shortage of operas in Xiangzhou City for those who can afford them." The old man was silent for a while and whispered, "That's all."

"But it's not that we want to make money now," the young man said in a hoarse voice, "it's that if we don't make money, we have to -"

He took a deep breath: "It's your theater anyway, I won't leave anyway if you decide."

It was at this moment that Pei Ye gently knocked on the door.

After accepting the request, he came in. It was a large and messy room, with costumes and props placed everywhere. At first, a young boy looked over with a serious expression. It was the character who had just played the role of painter.

Further inside is an old man with a stern face and a thin body, leaning on a theater table, looking at the ground with lowered eyebrows, holding a cigarette rod in his hand, sparks flickering and smoke filling the air.

He raised his head when he saw someone coming in and looked at him in surprise.

Pei Ye first clasped his fists and saluted: "For the excuse of interrupting me, I just listened to your house's "White Snake Love" and I admire it very much——"

The young man suddenly looked a little annoyed: "Isn't Junior Sister Yi outside?"

Pei Ye was stunned: "—I want to buy a playbook."

"Huh? Oh." The young man named Ji Yun was stunned for a moment, "Sorry."

But a smile appeared on the old man's face: "What do you call your little brother?"

"My surname is Pei, and I'm from Bowangzhou. I just listened to a performance of "White Snake Love" and thought it was very good, so I wanted to move to Bowangzhou to perform it."

The old man knocked on the cigarette rod, got off the table and walked to the side with a smile: "Does little brother Pei also open a theater in Bowang? How is the business?"

"Ah, I'm not a martial arts practitioner. It's my friend who needs to be more knowledgeable. She said this show is very good and she wants to move back." After hearing the girl's advice, Pei Ye prepared an explanation, but the old man's kind and free-spirited attitude failed him. To his surprise.

"Really? Where's the best place?" The old man's eyes were as clear as clear waves. Hearing these words, he narrowed his eyes and smiled, and he was so excited. "You have to find out, do you like this show or our roles?"

Pei Ye was a little embarrassed: "They all like it, they all like it"

The old man squatted down and rummaged through the cabinet, his voice muffled into the cabinet, but still full of laughter: "Which part of ours does little brother Pei like the most?"

Pei Ye thought for a moment and was also infected by this attitude. He smiled and said, "I think the discount on 'Bie Xiancao' is very good."

The old man's eyes lit up and he laughed: "You have vision! What else?"

Pei Ye made another two points, and all the old people agreed. He couldn't help but stop what he was doing and said: "Little brother, I see you also know how to play. Please be your judge. I will sing a part of 'Farewell to Fairy Grass'." ’, which one is better than the one I just wore?"

Pei Ye waved her hands quickly: "I haven't heard a few scenes!"

"Yes, then you are born with a good ear and a good heart!" The old man laughed, "Just listen for a moment, it won't matter."

After speaking, he flicked his sleeves and a voiceless sound came out of his mouth.

Pei Ye's eyes suddenly widened and his hair trembled.

The attitude of the old man in front of him actually showed the softness and elegance of a woman. His voice was like a clear flute breaking through the clouds, bright and graceful, steady and thicker than Yi Chengxin, but the most different thing was the emotion in it.

This section is about the White Snake leaving the celestial grass to meet her lover. The previous arias on the stage always had a misty air-conditioning, and the White Snake was hesitating in his own mind; now the old man's singing style is much brighter and more determined, and the White Snake is like I had already made the decision to go down to earth, but was blocked by the immortal law, which made me less hazy and more tense.

It's true that Pei Ye hasn't listened to many operas, but today he listened to two episodes in a row. The sonorous and flowing sound aroused emotions, which really made him feel a little intoxicated.

It's just one paragraph. Before the old man could ask, he couldn't help but said: "Miss Yi's seems to be more suitable for the temperament of this play, but I like your part better."

The old man laughed suddenly, almost becoming a confidant.

He couldn't help but said: "What do you think of the last twist? How about the last twist of 'returning grass with blood'?"

"It's also very good, very touching, but" Pei Ye hesitated, "somehow it feels not as good as the above."

Ji Yun on the side suddenly laughed. The old man glared at him, but smiled and sighed: "That's right!"

While talking, the old man took out a folded large book from the cabinet, dusted it off, handed it to Pei Ye, and said with a smile: "This is the copy of "White Snake Love". The key points have been noted. Take it. .”

Pei Ye was stunned: "How much money is this?"

"We are talking about money." The old man waved his hand and smiled casually, "A good show is for people to listen to. And if you don't come to buy it, find some knowledgeable people to listen to it a few times, and you will get the same score - this is the show You can’t hide things.”

But Pei Ye insisted: "I have to pay for it if I come to buy it."

So the old man smiled: "Well, I don't force you to do favors. You can give me two taels according to the market price. Besides, isn't my little brother practicing martial arts? How are you?"

".Acceptable."

"As long as you have practiced for two years! In this way, I will talk about drama with you, and you will help me discuss martial arts." He gestured to Ji Yun on the side, "Our best martial arts student, I always feel that he is inferior It’s not pretty, please help me look at the key points.”

Pei Ye was happy to do this and agreed wholeheartedly.

Ji Yun was a little embarrassed, but he still practiced a set of kung fu diligently under the urging of the old man. The room was filled with excitement, and finally he stopped with a thin sweat on his face and looked at Pei Ye with some anxiety.

Pei Ye was a little dumbfounded.

He found that he had gone astray. Cultivators and martial arts students were actually two different professions.

A cultivator wants to beat others, but a martial artist wants to fight well. Pei Ye has a lot of knowledge about the former, but he is a little confused about the latter.

After holding it in for a long time, he finally said: "When you kicked out just now, your toes must be straight and you must exert enough force, otherwise you won't be able to hit someone's throat."

"."

The old man quickly stepped forward and grabbed his forearm: "Don't teach me! It's me who's in this 'Hara Shang Duo' scene. If he kicks me in the throat, he'll kick me to death!"

Pei Ye covered his face in embarrassment, while the old and the young laughed.

In the end, Pei Ye tried his best to change his mind and pointed out a few points. When he finally wanted to take out the money, the old man smiled and held his arm down: "You should take the book and read it first. This scene is a bit difficult to think about before buying it."

(End of this chapter)