Along the way, he felt as if the weeds had no support and the autumn fan was discarded. Zhigao, too, was saddened by parting and spoke even less. He grew up, and his words became fewer and fewer.
Huaiyu was in this narrow and stuffy carriage, half asleep and half awake, half happy and half surprised, exhausted.
Before this trip, Ban Sheng Hongsheng had already discussed the terms with him: a three-year contract and a three-fold increase in the wedding gift money.
When traveling to Shanghai, he first established connections in the city and formed the Chunhe Opera Troupe, promoting it as a "three-horse carriage": Li Shengyao, a painted-face actor; Tang Huaiyu, a martial arts actor; and Wei Jinbao, a female lead. The troupe leader privately flattered him, saying, "Boss Tang, if it weren't for your master, you would definitely be the lead actor." Now, even the troupe leader addressed him with the formal "you," making Tang Huaiyu quite arrogant.
"It's alright, he's still my master," he thought. However, he also acted impulsively. After all, the younger generation surpasses the older; once in Shanghai, haha, how could he not be in a good mood? The train rumbled along, supposedly taking two days, but actually it took two and a half.
Upon arriving in Shanghai, I was immediately greeted with a welcome feast.
Wow, Shanghai is really great! There are countless advantages, and even the people there have a special kind of style.
He appeared as soon as she got off the bus. A young man in his early twenties, with single eyelids and slightly slanted eyes, his hair neatly combed to a gleaming shine. His face was clean-shaven, exuding a refined and clean yet aloof air. He wore a dark gray striped suit, and his leather shoes gleamed. Huaiyu noticed that he always carried a flat watch in his vest pocket, as the watch chain was deliberately worn around his neck.
Upon seeing Master Hong, they came forward to greet him.
"You must have had a long journey."
"Not at all. We've been relying on you to take care of things since we arrived in Shanghai."
"Okay, let's get settled first."
The troupe leader introduced everyone, and then they set off. Despite the haste, the man seemed to have immediately memorized everyone's characteristics and identities, as if he could see right through them.
Shi Zhongming is said to be a distant relative of Master Hong. This time, he's traveling south to Shanghai and several other ports, and because he's one of Mr. Jin's men, he's being helped out. Judging from his politeness towards Hong Sheng, they don't seem like relatives; it's probably just routine socializing. He's most likely just a fellow townsman, a relative whom the master has portrayed as such to curry favor. Since he's away from home, he needs to cultivate more connections.
Shi Zhongming settled them in Baoshan Street. Baoshan Street was a bustling area lined with theaters, also known as Wuma Road. There was a soy sauce shop called "Zhengfeng" in the middle section, and their alleyway was located in this area. —It seemed that most of the traveling performers were taken care of in this way by Mr. Shi; these alleyway houses, transformed from traditional courtyard houses, served as dormitories for the constant flow of artists.
He already knew who the leading actors were and who the supporting actors were, and he made the necessary arrangements immediately.
The east and west wing rooms were further divided into front and rear wings. Behind the main hall was a staircase leading to a kitchen. There was also a lower pavilion room above. There were also rooms on the upper floor of the main hall. Their alleyway was considered modern, its exterior modeled after Western-style houses, complete with a small iron gate and a small garden. Compared to the crowded courtyards of Beiping, it was undoubtedly much more luxurious. Although they were merely living under someone else's roof and performing for money, they were treated with great hospitality.
Shi Zhongming said, "I'll give you the address. Come to my newspaper office first thing tomorrow morning to pay a visit, then go see Mr. Jin and wait for his instructions." — Mr. Jin? Sounds like someone important.
After he left, Master Hong remarked, "Shi Zhongming is indeed quite 'clever.' He's following Mr. Jin, so we shouldn't offend him."
It turns out that Shi Zhongming was not only Mr. Jin's man, but also a member of the Li Bao newspaper. Although he only wrote some news articles for the newspaper, he held a certain position—because of Mr. Jin's influence. As a "mouthpiece," the Li Bao newspaper naturally benefited. Moreover, this was not an open transaction.
Have you heard of it? There was this famous official, some kind of high-ranking man, whose wives and concubines were embroiled in a scandalous affair. Readers love these kinds of social news stories, but the person involved was afraid of being published, so he went around asking for favors. Mr. Jin agreed to help, sending Shi Zhongming to "detain" him. After negotiating and bargaining, he always managed to get ten or twenty thousand yuan. Besides paying Mr. Jin a bribe, he also gave the newspaper a heads-up, saying that the material was inaccurate…
Mr. Jin had many business dealings and needed publicity from all sides. Shi Zhongming, who worked at the newspaper, was not like Mr. Jin or Mr. Jin. He was skilled and articulate, so he always served as the "literary and artistic figure".
Hong Sheng, along with Li Shengtian, Tang Huaiyu, Wei Jinbao, and others, arrived at Wangping Street early in the morning. Because they were early, in this area where newspaper offices gathered, they saw newspaper vendors scrambling to buy newspapers in bulk from the offices so they could hawk them along the way—a tense yet lively scene. *Li Bao* was a newspaper that stood shoulder to shoulder with *Shen Bao* and *Xinwen Bao*. Each of these three newspapers had a group of people who had paid their respects, and those who helped them didn't cross the line.
Shi Zhongming had not yet arrived, so they sat in the reception room waiting. It seemed that Shi was just putting on airs.
Huaiyu picked up a copy of the "Libao" newspaper. The headlines were all about the war, and the newspaper had been reporting on this every day since the January 28 Incident when the war with the Japanese army began.
"Our army won the fierce battle at Chuanghe", "We retreated to the second line of defense", "If the Japanese army attacks again, our army will fight back", "The wounded soldiers wept bitterly"...
Strange, I haven't been involved in any fighting along the way, yet the newspapers are so abuzz with reports? Turning to the next page, I found a notice from a concerned citizen: "Yesterday, the fire was raging, but today the sound of gunfire in Shanghai is still distant. Our army is still fighting for the country, but can our compatriots here rest easy? Has their passion cooled down?"
A solemn appeal was made, but advertisements were being sold nearby: "Lafayette Garden Dance Hall, the floor is even smoother," "Don't be afraid of venereal diseases," "Simon perfume," "Artificial blood, two dollars for each large bottle, one dollar and twenty cents for each small bottle."
—Artificial blood? Huaiyu was full of doubts and was about to point it out to her master when Shi Zhongming arrived.
The troupe leader asked with some concern, "Will this have any impact on the war?"
Shi Zhongming smirked:
"Do you know how to fight?"
Huaiyu simply replied, "No, it won't happen."
“You may not know how, but others do,” Shi Zhongming said. “In this world, those who know how to fight go to fight, and those who know how to sing go to sing. Everyone does their job and gets what they need, right?”
Finally, he gave a half-smile:
"If the situation is 'critical' at the front, the situation at the rear will also be critical."
It sounded like they were mocking each other for not having seen enough of the world. Huaiyu was a little indignant. However, when performing at the docks, it was always more about greeting guests than speaking. Such procedures had to be followed carefully; even a slight oversight could lead to serious trouble in the bustling metropolis. So she called out and followed him to meet the group of editors.
Shi Zhongming said, "After they officially take the stage later, I still need to write a few feature articles."
"Anyway, performing on Mr. Jin's stage means you definitely have a powerful backer," the editor said.
Hearing their words, the master and apprentice felt uneasy. Could it be that their martial arts skills were all a sham?
However, when they arrived at "Happy World," they were immediately stunned and speechless. They hadn't even heard Mr. Jin talk for two days and didn't know what he looked like, but the facade alone was impressive enough.
Huaiyu was like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time. Did she think Tianqiao was a paradise of entertainment, with a hundred plays and a hundred delicacies? No—
Arriving at an amusement park near the Western Bridge, next to the Yangjing'ao area within the French Concession, upon entering, one is greeted by a row of more than a dozen wooden frames covered with bright red satin. What are these things? Colorful balls and ribbons lie across the middle, seemingly waiting for something to happen. No one is allowed to approach, as if something is bound to occur…
Before I could even ask any questions, the scene suddenly opened up before me. The buildings were all three or four stories high, with an open-air area in the center featuring a flying boat that circled overhead. The surrounding area was plastered with colorful advertisements. There were theaters of all sizes, offering an endless array of Peking Opera, Shanghai Opera, Huai Opera, Yue Opera, Jiao Opera, Xi Opera, Yang Opera, folk arts, Pingtan, comedy, puppet shows, and magic shows. There were also cinemas, ping-pong rooms, chess rooms, a resistance machine, an art gallery, a tea room, a restaurant, a convenience store… A riot of colors and styles bloomed in this civilized and magnificent amusement park. Such extravagance and ancient prosperity were, in fact, just a small “world of fun” within this dazzling world.
Inside the world of fun, turn left at the golf course, and there's a place called "No Entry for Visitors" called "Wind-Filled Tower," which turns out to be Mr. Jin's office.
Shi Zhongming led them inside, but they still didn't see anyone.
Huaiyu looked around the office, which was decorated with calligraphy and paintings by famous people, as well as bronze tripods and jade carvings. The most eye-catching thing was the statue of Guan Yu enshrined in the main hall, with candles and incense burning. Next to this Guan Yu, the Holy Emperor, hung a couplet: the first line read, "Master of Crouching Dragon, friend of Zilong, master of dragons and friend of dragons." The second line read, "Brother of virtue, younger brother of Yide, brother of virtue." — The fact that the gang worshipped Guan Yu so much shows that they valued his loyalty and righteousness.
As Wei Jinbao was watching, he tugged at Huaiyu's sleeve and turned around to find Shi Zhongming already standing up.
Before Mr. Jin even entered, the air was inexplicably heavy and uneasy, like a beast that, from afar, leaked a hint of something, and before you could even think about it, it was already beside you.
The man who arrived was around fifty years old, a bit overweight, but still had a refined air about him, suggesting his glorious past. He wore a fox fur robe and a fur vest.