He used to be told to die standing up, but he dared not die sitting down.
They were chased out and asked, but they cowered in the corner of the wall, so stubborn, and eventually they all returned home.
Ah, I never noticed he had wings.
He wanted to fly, his heart burning with anxiety and an unbearable urge to fly. The child has grown up; things are different now.
Huaiyu mustered all his courage and waited respectfully until Li Shengtian finished his performance and returned backstage before picking up his small teapot to drink. He seized an opportunity to try and express his feelings in a few words—but dared not say more. He kept staring at his master's thick-soled boots:
"—Practicing like this, every day, nonstop—...it's not 'real' at all. Anyway, it's almost as real as it seems, at least let me stand on that stage, just once..."
Li Shengtian looked at him; he was so handsome, and his wish was clear: to play!
"Oh, you think it's easy to get on stage? Everyone starts as an extra."
"Please let me step on the carpet, I can do it!"
"Is it alright?" the master asked.
"Yes, yes, I'll definitely do it, Master. I won't embarrass you. I can play minor roles, but I'm also capable of playing more important ones. See you on stage."
Upon seeing the child, Li Shengtian was overjoyed, though he dared not show it on his face; his heart had already soared to the heavens.
The master couldn't help but scold him:
"Do you know what it was like when I first stepped onto the stage? Let me tell you, I started training at ten years old, practicing in the sweltering heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter, my hands and face were cracked and bleeding. The first time I stepped onto the stage, I was just a foot dancer..."
The memories of Li Shengtian's hard times were stirred up, a complex tapestry of events. His mother had written a letter of servitude for him, signing a cross, ordering him to become a prostitute and learn the craft of Peking Opera for ten years. He was forbidden from returning home or dropping out; natural disasters and illnesses were left to fate. His strict teacher, even a cough from the corridor would cause the muscles in his fellow apprentices' faces to tighten, and even their breathing to become shallow. —They were all raised on beatings. If things went wrong, a stool would be brought out and the whole class would be beaten.
That summer, I developed scabies on my head, and I was only playing a minor role on stage. The sores on my head were completely trapped inside the helmet; the newly formed scabs were washed away by sweat and water, causing them to peel off, and yellow pus started flowing again. Even though I was trembling with pain, I gritted my teeth and endured it, running around stage after stage before the main character appeared…
Although Huaiyu practiced diligently, he was ultimately a latecomer to the profession and had never formally completed the required training.
Compared to myself, it's actually much closer, like taking a shortcut.
Li Shengtian didn't say this aloud; he wasn't willing to spoil him even a little, lest he become arrogant. —Give him the opportunity, but don't let him get too carried away and forget the dangers.
Huaiyu, upon hearing that he had followed his master onto the stage, was overjoyed, though he suppressed a laugh. His eyes gleamed, revealing boundless ambition. He couldn't fool anyone; his master was an experienced man. Good, let's see if this kid has the talent, if the patriarch will grant him a chance, and if his judgment is accurate. Skill doesn't betray you, nor does it forgive. Huaiyu's hard work wasn't enough to win him a top spot; a minor role, however, seemed beneath him. Li Shengtian pondered.
"How about this, one of my 'Huarong Road Eight' troupe members, you can try your luck with it. I'll talk to the troupe leader. But I must say, there will be a few large coins for snacks, as a reward. Not counting the monetary contribution."
"Money? No, when Huaiyu heard that, he realized it wasn't just a minor role, but a character with a name. He immediately let out a whoosh..."
"Brother Huaiyu, what's so exciting?"
He didn't mention a word about it in front of Dandan.
By the way, should I tell her or keep it a secret?
It's my first time on stage, and I can't help but feel nervous. If I get applause, that's fine; but if I make a fool of myself like Zhigao, how will I get off the stage? I don't know what the outcome will be. I'm arrogant and proud, and I can't stand losing.
He wouldn't tell her, wouldn't let her come to see—if he wanted her to see, there would be plenty of time; she'd surely witness his triumph someday. Huaiyu was quite certain. At the border, he didn't want to be intimidated by a friend. Thinking it over, he remained even more silent.
Dandan and Huaiyu walked along the road. As they walked, they saw a lush jujube tree branch extending diagonally from the gray-blue courtyard wall at the end of the alley. It was midsummer, and the jujubes were still green. In the courtyard, an old woman sat under the shade of the tree, with two small stools on her hands, peeling beans.
The cicadas were chirping. Huaiyu reached out to pick some dates to quench her thirst. But she couldn't reach them; they were too high. Just because she was so happy, Huaiyu used her waist and legs to jump up to the top of the wall. She picked some of the bigger ones, threw them one by one, and had Dandan catch them. She filled half a basket before her grandmother noticed: "Oh dear, why are you stealing dates!" She hurriedly chased after her.
Huaiyu said, "Ha! I'm on the jujube shift now. It doesn't matter if it's the early shift or the late shift!" Dandan, seeing Huaiyu laughing triumphantly, was about to jump down.
Before she even jumped, because she was on the wall, it was as if she were on a stage, separated from the audience by a chasm. Dandan had to look up at Huaiyu, look up. Indeed, Huaiyu immediately entered a superior realm. An indescribable, mysterious sense of pride welled up in her heart, and she struck a pose for a "cloud somersault."
He used to practice his somersaults on a high platform with two or three tables. He'd push off with his feet, leaping backward in mid-air… Good, he was going to show Dandan. But halfway through, he lost his balance. The old woman, annoyed that he'd stolen dates, took a bamboo broom from inside and threw it. It hit him squarely; Huaiyu, caught off guard, fell to the ground. The fall was excruciating; he didn't even know where the pain was. A spasm ran through him. Dandan, seeing this, abandoned the half-full bag of dates, scattering them on the ground, and rushed over to help him up.
Huaiyu woke up, enduring the pain—what kind of situation was this? Did she need Dandan to help her up? Forget it, she'd give him a quick flick to the back of the head, though this flick only added fuel to the fire, making her body ache even more. But who could blame her for saving face? So she brushed the dirt off with her hands, massaging her muscles as she went, making it look like she was just dusting off some dirt, without revealing any flaws. Endure, endure, endure!
"What's the matter?"
"It's all a lie." Huaiyu, ever the strong-willed one, said, "So what?"
Does it hurt?
"It's alright. Let's go." Seeing that the old lady hadn't come out to pick up the bamboo broom yet, Huaiyu deliberately called out to Dandan, "Where are the dates? Hurry up and pick them up! You've been stealing for so long, are you going to go back empty-handed? Hurry up!"
The two quickly picked up the dates. Seeing how they were so young, they even stepped on them as they fell to the ground. Just as the old woman with her bound feet was about to scold them, the two had already run away. Dandan picked an unbroken date and put it in her mouth.
"Oh, it's not sweet."
Huaiyu's pain lessened slightly, and she ate dates. She chewed the unsweet ones and spat them out. She didn't say much.
Dandan added:
"The 'Green List' has no flavor at all."
Seeing that Huaiyu was silent, Dandan quickly spoke up: "I didn't mean that the ones you picked weren't sweet, haha, don't keep quiet."
"The jujubes aren't red yet. They'll be fully red by the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, and that's when they'll be sweet and crisp."
"You're going to steal food for me again during the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"All right.,,
"You keep your word, huh? Don't lie to me. If it's half fish and half salt, I'll make your life miserable!"
"Who has time to lie to you about just a few dates?"
"Oh, if it wasn't Zao'er, then we've been fooled, haven't we?"
Huaiyu couldn't resist her sharp tongue. He just kept walking forward, unaware that he was sweating with every step. Dandan kept talking beside him, relentlessly pressuring him: "Talk to me!"