Dandan turned her head to look at him, and after a while, seeing that he didn't notice, she snatched the flyer away.
"I watch it too. Shu, this is 'September 18th,' September 18th something, Japan something, action, something exposed..."
"conspiracy!"
"A conspiracy? You mean the Japanese devils are up to something? Right? They're coming, what should we do?"
"Oh, don't worry, we have the Great Wall." Huaiyu remembered: "The northern enemies can't attack us."
“Yes. But what if the enemy comes from the south?” Dandan asked, puzzled.
"No, no way. The people to the south are all our own. What are we attacking? It's all just rumors from outside, the information is unreliable."
At that moment, both of them seemed relieved. Although the group had headed far west, unexpectedly, they suddenly scattered and fled eastward, as if someone had poured water into an anthill, their lives hanging by a thread.
"The police are here! The police are here!"
Yes, they came to drive away and suppress. The unarmed university students had no choice but to throw away their flags and banners. The banner proclaiming "Drive the Japanese devils out of Northeast China" was trampled into dust by hundreds of shoes. They failed to drive away the Japanese, but instead came to drive away the students. The officials who used to deal with scholars now seemed to prefer beating students—it was clear they only cared about increasing their chances of winning. However, the losers always remember more clearly than the winners. In the end, Manshi returned to his leisurely ways, the "nationwide" was forgotten, as if only a hastily staged storytelling performance had taken place. One person finished telling the entire simple story.
As one chicken died and another crowed, a clear voice rang out: "My eldest aunt will reward you with one hundred and twenty strings of cash!"
It turns out that the procession coming from the west towards the east was a wealthy family's pallbearer. This was a grand funeral, and the bereaved family valued dignity. Someone was striking a wooden ruler, which could be heard from afar.
Those carrying the load shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Dandan stared intently at the procession of the attendants, who carried flags, gongs, umbrellas, fans, and signs for silence, along with willow branches and small horns. The musicians, wind instruments, and band also marched forward in a grand procession. Many people followed to watch.
The sugar-blowing man on the street was stirring the sugar syrup in his spoon with a small shovel, then picked up a little bit with both hands and kneaded it into a gallbladder shape, preparing to blow it a few times over the tube. Before he could finish blowing the little goldfish, all the children ran off to watch people scatter paper money.
A rickshaw carrying a bundle of over a hundred pounds of paper money followed behind an old man. The old man was thin and withered, wearing a white mourning robe, a white mourning sash around his waist, and a small hat on his head. His eyes were bright and piercing. He walked in front of the funeral procession carried by sixty-four people, took a thick stack of paper money, bent down, and threw it forcefully into the air.
This stack of white coins, thinking it had reached its highest point, suddenly twisted and shook itself. With the help of the wind, it resembled a series of large, round eyes with holes in the middle, drifting far and high, amidst the rising wind and surging clouds, tumbling and swirling, like celestial maidens scattering flowers, making its final carefree moment in the mortal world.
People watched him scatter paper money, reluctant to part, filled with longing. The white snow of the sweltering summer finally drifted down weakly and listlessly, covering the tram tracks without a single overlapping piece.
The line moved forward inch by inch, and Dandan caught sight of the old man; he had a tuft of black hair on his chin. Dandan couldn't help but tug at Huaiyu: "Look how strange his hair is!"
"This is the famous 'One Pinch of Hair'! His way of scattering paper money is the most beautiful!" Huaiyu said, "A masterpiece!"
Everyone comes to see it because it's "beautiful," but who understands the heart of the bereaved family? They scatter offerings at temples and through streets and alleys, hoping the deceased will have a prosperous afterlife. However, their future is uncertain, and this life is merely an illusion. The officiants, paid for in-kind work, only become more enthusiastic because of the "cash" they receive.
That clear, melodious shout came again:
"My second aunt from the same family has awarded me one hundred and twenty strings of cash!"
With a powerful and resonant voice, the echo lingered at the end of his notes—who else could it be but him? Huaiyu and Dandan immediately recognized him by his voice:
"Brother Cut Cake!" "Zhi Gao!" The two called out almost simultaneously.
As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Zhi Gao somehow managed to get another job as a butler. His companions were all boys around ten or twenty years old. Each job earned them a few strings of cash, and those who followed "One Pinch of Hair" (a nickname for a high-ranking official) received even more tips. Zhi Gao, because of his good voice, was given a more important role. Judging by his smug expression, he seemed like a deputy leader.
Huaiyu went over and, standing beside the funeral procession, playfully punched him: "Good lad! You've got some talent!"
Amidst someone's funeral, the two met again, seemingly a little more mature. —Yi Huaiyu could no longer contain himself; he turned away from Dandan and, bowing deeply, spoke of his grand ambitions to Zhigao:
"Master Li said..."
As Zhigao handed the thick paper money to "Yicuo Mao," he and Huaiyu burst into laughter, acting like idiots.
Don't let "One Tuft of Hair" fool you; he has a sharp eye. He glanced at Zhigao, who wasn't paying attention, glared at him, and thought to himself:
"Stop messing around, huh? Have some morals. They're holding a funeral, and we're going to fake it?"
Huaiyu was perceptive. Zhigao gave him a wink, and the two parted ways. Only then did Huaiyu remember that Dandan was waiting on the side.
Dandan pressed, "Hey, what are you two up to, hiding something from each other?"
No.
"Yes, it exists. Tell me!"
"No means no."
"They're such good friends with you two, and you didn't even tell them? Brother Qiegao tells me everything."
"Let's talk about it later."
"Are you going to tell me or not? I want to know now, so tell me—"
"Don't know too much, little girl."
"Are you going to tell me or not? You really won't tell me?" He puffed out his cheeks and threw a tantrum: "Really won't tell me?"
As Dandan spoke, she habitually tossed her braid and deliberately walked to the other end of the street. After walking about ten steps, she thought Huaiyu would catch up with her like Zhigao, and then tell her everything, valuing and cherishing her. In her past, her little tantrums usually received satisfactory responses.
Huh? There wasn't a sound at all. Her long eyelashes drooped, and her clever black eyes darted around furtively.
This person! Oh? Seeing that he had gone completely astray, he ignored him, shook his head, and walked away with his head held high.
Dandan was furious with You'er; he had bumped into her in anger!
In the historical novel, Guan Yu is described as having a face like a red date, silkworm eyebrows, and phoenix eyes. After Li Shengtian rubbed his face red, his eyebrows were drawn like silkworms and his eyes like phoenixes, but there were no other markings except for a single upward-pointing line on his forehead, which foreshadowed that he would be entrusted with someone else's fate and would not have a good end. Because the actors always respected Guan Yu and dared not truly resemble him, they added a dot next to his nose, called "dotting the mark."
After cleansing himself, burning incense, and applying makeup, Li Shengtian remained silent and unsmiling backstage, ignoring the comings and goings of people around him, and simply closed his eyes to rest.
Today's lesson is "Huarong Road." During the Three Kingdoms period, heroes gathered, engaging in deceit and treachery. Zhuge Liang promised to borrow the east wind to burn the chained ships. When the east wind rose, Zhou Yu sent men to kill them, while Zhuge Liang, with Zhao Yun's support, returned to Xiakou and ordered Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei to ambush and kill Cao Cao's army. Cao Cao fled to Huarong Road, where he was blocked by Guan Yu. Cao Cao knew that Guan Yu was knowledgeable in history and valued integrity, so he used this to persuade Guan Yu to release Cao Cao and voluntarily return to his camp to apologize.
This was Huaiyu's first time performing at the Guanghe Tower. Today, he was to play Guan Ping, the son of Guan Yu, a character with a name and a surname. Huaiyu arrived backstage early, choosing a pair of thick-soled boots that fit his feet well, brushing them clean with white paint, and adjusting his soft armor—because Guan Ping didn't wear hard armor when performing with Guan Yu. It was fine; he'd always have a full set of armor, along with a sword at his waist and a helmet. Huaiyu spent a long time rubbing his hands together, picking up and putting down the costume repeatedly.