SWDnovel Chapter 12 The "Little Fortune" of the Peking Opera World
Chapter 12 The "Little Fortune" of the Peking Opera World
Lu Cheng ignored the noise in the courtyard and turned to go inside.
The smell of medicine dissipated, replaced by a faint aroma of meat.
He sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), closing his eyes to rest.
But in his ears, he could hear his father showing off to the neighbors outside the wall, his voice filled with a sense of triumph.
Lu Cheng's lips curled into a smile.
After the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound cleansed his marrow and shaved his fur, his five senses became frighteningly sharp.
Even through the two walls, he could hear Aunt Zhang next door muttering sourly as she ate sunflower seeds.
"Hmph, what's the use of buying a car? An actor is just an actor; he might be famous for a while, but can he stay famous forever?"
"That Sheng Yun from the Qinghe Troupe, he's hooked up with a warlord's concubine, sooner or later he'll squeeze this Lu guy out of business."
Lu Cheng didn't even lift his eyelids.
You can't talk to a frog in a well about the sea, and you can't talk to a summer insect about ice.
His perspective has long since shifted away from these idle words.
Within his dantian, the remnants of the Tiger Bone Pill left over from yesterday's marrow cleansing and body tempering were transforming into a warm current, slowly nourishing his internal organs and bones.
"Time to get back to work."
Lu Cheng opened his eyes, his gaze sharp yet restrained.
Although the Qingyun Troupe has gained fame, it's a mess.
To truly gain a foothold in Beiping, he couldn't rely on fighting alone; he had to rebuild the "skeleton" of his team.
……
Overpass, Deyun Tea Garden.
Just past noon, the backstage area of the Qingyun Troupe was more lively than usual.
Unlike the gloomy atmosphere before, the backstage area was filled with a cheerful mood today, along with the aroma of fried noodles with soybean paste.
"Eat up, everyone, don't fight over it, there's enough meat!"
The old man in charge of the box is called "Old Guan Tou," and he's one of the veterans of the Qingyun Troupe.
At this moment, he was guarding a large iron pot, holding a large ladle, and serving noodles to the group of half-grown boys surrounding him.
That's authentic small bowl deep-fried meat, with diced meat cut into neat squares and fried until crispy and juicy, served with bright green cucumber shreds, red radish shreds, and blanched bean sprouts.
I wouldn't trade this bowl of noodles for a god.
In the past, Qingyun Troupe was poor. Everyone just ate cornbread and pickled vegetables. They had never seen anything like this before.
"Master Cheng's reward money? The troupe leader said it's all-you-can-eat today!"
As he served the noodles, Lao Guan's face crinkled with laughter.
In a corner, several main characters were huddled together.
This is what the Qingyun Class has left with its "assets".
The blind man tuning his erhu is called "Blind Abing," and he's the erhu player in the troupe.
For opera singers, their voice is their flesh, and their erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument) is their bone.
A good musician can elevate a performer's voice to the heavens, or drag them down into the gutter.
Although Ah Bing was blind, his hearing was better than a dog's, and his erhu playing was incredibly moving.
A woman in her early thirties was sitting next to me, drawing her eyebrows.
She sang "laodan" roles, and her name was Feng Sanniang.
She was a star in her early years, but her voice was damaged and she was kicked out of the troupe. Zhou Daikui took her in.
This woman has a fiery temper, but a warm heart. She usually takes care of sewing, mending, and washing clothes in the office.
There was also a skinny kid, as thin as a monkey, practicing somersaults. That was "Little Bean" from "Hey Bao," and also a die-hard fan of Lu Cheng.
"Master Lu is here!"
Someone shouted out.
The previously noisy backstage fell silent for a moment, and then everyone stood up in unison.
Even the usually arrogant blind Abing stopped playing his bow and listened intently to the sounds.
Lu Cheng lifted the heavy cotton curtain and walked in, bringing with him a gust of cold air from outside.
He changed into a clean blue cotton robe. Although it wasn't made of silk, the way it was worn, supported by his upright spine, gave him the air of a master.
"Master Cheng!"
"Master Cheng, you're here. Shall I serve you a bowl of noodles?"
The young apprentices' eyes gleamed.
Lu Cheng waved his hand and walked up to Old Guan with a smile: "Uncle Guan, give me a bowl too, with extra garlic."
This one sentence instantly bridged the gap between everyone.
Look, even though Lu Cheng has become a star, he's still the same Lu Cheng we always were, not putting on airs.
"Okay, here you go."
Old Guan was so excited that his hand trembled, and a whole spoonful of meat sauce was spread all over the noodles.
Lu Cheng, holding his noodles, didn't sit in the grand chair reserved for the star, but instead found a stool and joined the others, slurping down his noodles.
This meal greatly reassured the members of the Qingyun troupe.
They ate and drank their fill.
The troupe leader, Zhou Daikui, walked over with a radiant face, holding a large red invitation card in his hand, but there was a hint of embarrassment in his smile.
"Chengzi... oh no, Boss Lu."
Zhou Daikui is now so catchy that I can't stop calling him that.
"There's something I need to discuss with you."
"Master, you are my elder, just call me Chengzi."
Lu Cheng put down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and asked, "What's wrong? Is there any news from the Qinghe Class?"
Zhou Daikui was taken aback, then gave a wry smile and handed over the red invitation card in his hand.
You guessed it.
"This is the visiting card that the servant from the Qinghe Opera Troupe just delivered."
Lu Cheng accepted the invitation.
This post was meticulously made, on bright red paper sprinkled with gold, with several large characters written in regular script:
[Having long admired the formidable presence of Master Lu of the Qingyun Troupe, I have specially prepared a modest banquet at 'Tongheju' and cordially invite Master Lu to join me. Respectfully yours, Liu Dezhi, Qinghe Troupe.]
At the end of the signature, there is another name: Sheng Yun.
"This is a trap."
Feng Sanniang leaned over for a look, her eyebrows furrowing in dismay.
"Chengzi, you can't go. That Liu the Skinflint is full of evil intentions, and Xiao Shengyun is an even more treacherous villain."
"Their invitation at this time is definitely a case of a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken; they have no good intentions."
Blind Ah Bing coldly added a comment.
"Tongheju is one of the eight famous restaurants, but it was also a place where 'travelers' would pass through."
"They're trying to set rules for you."
There is an unwritten set of rules in the world of Peking Opera in Beiping.
When a new star emerges, the veteran troupe, if dissatisfied, will throw a banquet.
It was ostensibly a dinner party, but in reality, it was a "business negotiation."
If you can't handle the challenge, at best you'll have to apologize, at worst you'll be forced to retire or even lose a hand or foot.
Lu Cheng closed the post and lightly flicked his finger over the name "Sheng Yun".
"Smack."
With a crisp sound, a hole was popped out of the thick red paper.
"go."
Lu Cheng stood up and glanced at everyone.
"Since they've offered their face up, wouldn't it make our Qingyun Class seem impolite if we didn't respond?"
"But..." Zhou Daikui still tried to persuade him.
"No buts."
Lu Cheng said calmly.
"We used to be easy targets. From now on, I'll let this city of Beiping know that the Qingyun Troupe's reputation is as solid as iron."
"Uncle Guan, take out my big spear and clean it. I'll use it for the opera tomorrow."
"Master Bing, I'd like to trouble you to come with me tonight."
Blind Ah Bing's gray-white eyes moved slightly.
"it is good."
"I'd also like to hear what it sounded like when those bastards broke their bones."