MMB Chapter 1533 Establishing Rules
Chapter 1533 Establishing Rules
Chapter 1533 Establishing Rules
"Sister Tong, are you coming to my house later?"
As soon as Tong Huimei stepped out from behind the curtain, a young man with rosy lips and white teeth chased after her from backstage.
He had a pretty face that was not even 20 years old, with a little bit of makeup still on it. He hadn't even had time to remove his makeup before he hurriedly asked that question.
The two people who were chatting idly below the stage looked in the direction of the sound and saw Tong Huimei standing there awkwardly.
"Ma Sanyuan, what are you doing?"
Jin Jiaojiao, with her straightforward nature, frowned and glared at the stage, shouting, "Go cool off somewhere else—"
"Sister Jiaojiao, I didn't have time to invite you. I was just thinking of asking you to come along."
The young man's speech was a bit... eerie, making Li Xuewu's ears itch.
"Can't you understand what I'm saying?"
Jin Jiaojiao showed him no mercy, frowning and shouting, "Go do what you're supposed to do, don't force me to swear!"
"Why are you being so fierce—" The young man turned his head away sheepishly, but still had a sly thought and said to Tong Huimei, "My mom made your favorite zucchini dumplings, and the dried shrimp she put in them was brought back from Tianjin by my grandpa. They smell amazing—"
"Ma Sanyuan, please pass on a message to your mother: just having dumplings won't get you a daughter-in-law—"
Jin Jiaojiao had already stepped onto the stage. She grabbed Tong Huimei, whose expression was rather unnatural, and said with a slight smirk and a mocking look in her eyes, "Just let her give up on that idea. Don't bother trying to curry favor with her anymore."
"you--"
The young man, enraged and embarrassed, glared at her fiercely, pursed his lips, stomped his foot, glanced at Tong Huimei reluctantly, and ran backstage with a snort.
"Hmph—" Jin Jiaojiao didn't back down at all and snorted back, "If you didn't know better, you'd think he was someone's sister-in-law."
"Forget it, don't bother with him."
Tong Huimei tugged at Jin Jiaojiao, who was about to speak again, and walked off the stage with her head down.
Jin Jiaojiao, however, glared fiercely at the backstage staff again before turning around and complaining, "Who in our backstage staff doesn't know what they're thinking?"
"It's only because you couldn't bring yourself to criticize him that they've taken advantage of you."
She got angrier and angrier as she talked, and even though Tong Huimei pulled her hand to signal her to stop, she still insisted on talking.
"Even if there's no mirror backstage, there's still the toilet. Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? A toad dreaming of eating swan meat—"
"Okay, stop talking!"
When Tong Huimei came down from the stage, she dared not look up at him even more, and only whispered some words of advice to Jin Jiaojiao.
Jin Jiaojiao grumbled in dissatisfaction, but she couldn't complain about her sister in front of Li Xuewu.
"All ready?" Li Xuewu smiled and looked at the two sisters, nodded, and said without asking any questions, "Let's go, I'll take you to eat roast duck."
He almost ruined my mood—
Jin Jiaojiao stepped forward and took his arm, saying, "Brother, don't be angry. I've been looking forward to this roast duck for a long time."
"It's okay, I'll treat you to a meal even if you're angry."
Li Xuewu joked, "It's because I don't know how to make dumplings with zucchini filling."
"Oh dear—" Jin Jiaojiao chuckled and patted his waist, then glanced back at her sister walking behind her and said, "He thought he was so precious."
"Last time, my sister and I couldn't resist his persistent pestering, so we agreed to have a meal at his house, and he and his mother still remember it!"
She is an opera singer with a very clear and melodious voice. Even when she speaks in everyday life, she habitually uses a high-pitched voice. Her expressions are lively and her voice is very pleasant to hear.
The tone may be pleasant, but the content may be questionable.
"You have no idea how expensive these dumplings were! His mother compared the two of us sisters ten, twenty times, no less!"
"It's clear you lost in the end?"
Li Xuewu glanced at her amusedly and said, "Could it be that you don't like him because of this?"
"Hmph—" Jin Jiaojiao snorted in dissatisfaction and said, "That's because he's blind."
After saying that, she smiled and turned back to Tong Huimei, saying, "I'm not comparing myself to my sister!"
Tong Huimei rolled her eyes at her helplessly, her mind still on the person walking ahead.
It was freezing cold in winter, and the rehearsal ended at nine o'clock at night yesterday. Even though the two sisters lived not far away, Yu Li still didn't let them go back to their rooms.
The two had planned to finish early today and go home to change their clothes at the guesthouse in this courtyard.
"Do you prefer Bianyifang or Quanjude?"
Li Xuewu opened the back door for the two of them, feeling a pang of heartache as he looked at the frail-looking Tong Huimei.
It's rare for opera singers to be overweight, but they don't need to be this thin to maintain their figure.
“Of course it’s Bianyifang—” Jin Jiaojiao, who got into the car first, said with a smile, “We’ve been to Quanjude once, and the taste was just so-so.”
She looked at her sister, raised an eyebrow, and teased, "Why don't you be so generous and let Ma Sanyuan treat us to roast duck one more time?"
"You're itching for a beating, aren't you—"
Unable to resist her teasing any longer, Tong Huimei blushed and tried to pinch her, which frightened Jin Jiaojiao so much that she screamed and hid inside.
Seeing that she was having difficulty getting into the car, Li Xuewu supported her waist with his hand and helped her into the car.
The club should be quite crowded on weekends, but it's always inconvenient to go out for activities in winter, plus there's the risk of catching a cold, so this is considered the off-season.
Unless you're really craving something at the club restaurant, you won't be willing to come here for a treat.
Since the club established its own opera troupe and started performing at the Red Star Theater, fewer people have come to the compound to watch movies and listen to operas; most people now go to the nearest theater instead.
The Red Star Theater only accepts performances by the Red Star Steel Group Art Troupe, and the plays often reflect the characteristics of the times and the outstanding deeds of workers in their lives and work.
Model operas were also staged here, and they were even the main repertoire. The group's own plays were interspersed throughout.
Even so, the theater was often full, because it was really not easy to find a theater that ran all year round in this era.
Of course, you can get tired of listening to the same play all the time, but there are also acrobatics and magic tricks in the theater.
There are also crosstalk, local operas, and storytelling with drums.
It was precisely because of the "Quyuan Zatan" performance format that the Red Star Theater became a sensation throughout the city.
Honestly, this success was hard-won. Gu Weijie described the group's cultural work as dancing on a tightrope, where a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.
Therefore, the group's performing arts troupe has its own ideological work specialists, and the club opera troupes affiliated with the performing arts troupe must also receive ideological education and supervision.
Moreover, every theater has a publicity officer on-site to supervise every performance every day.
In this day and age, it's harder to avoid trouble than to get things done.
Li Xuewu didn't find the two by chance. If Yu Li hadn't told him, he might not have been able to get them. The club's opera troupe is very famous now, otherwise, why would so many young masters come to rely on them?
Their fame and status alone are not enough to support a business in this industry.
Mai Xiaotian declined the position of troupe leader and gave it to the two of them, but he had his own reasons for doing so.
This opera troupe wasn't originally his; even without him, the two sisters would have risen to prominence.
These days, people say that the play is more important than anything else. If you can't even save your own life, what's the point of the play if the sky is gone?
Now the opera troupe is making money. They've got all the drums, music, and costumes. Who would have dared to dream of that in the beginning? If it weren't for the two sisters' influence, the club wouldn't have invested in them.
Furthermore, even if the club is willing to take the risk and set up a stage for them to perform, it's like making a grand spectacle in a snail's shell. What kind of ripples can such a small group make, or what skills can they develop?
From the turmoil a few years ago to now, with her daughter graduating and going directly to work at the Steel City Metallurgical Plant, Mai Xiaotian has truly seen through the meaning of life.
Fame and fortune are nothing but a word from a powerful person; what need does he have for fame or profit?
All the profits belong to the club, and all the fame belongs to the two sisters, so he cannot be the leader.
Of course, it wasn't just Mai Xiaotian who could see through this, but also those struggling traditional performing arts families.
The value of a stage that allows them to perform normally in this era is self-evident.
Does it matter who the troupe leader is?
In the past, they would have argued fiercely or even become enemies over this title.
But now no one dares to covet that position.
Jin Jiaojiao was certainly aware of the dangers behind this fame and fortune, but since things had come to this point, they felt it would be unfair to him to give up this title to someone else.
Sometimes she complains that she used to want to sing opera and perform on stage, which made Brother Li struggle to plan for them. Now that they have this honor, it has become a burden, binding them and making them unable to move.
When he took a bite of the delicious crispy roast duck, all the worries that had been building up over the past few days were released in front of Brother Li.
Her little mouth kept chattering away as she ate and talked about the hardships and pressures of the past few days.
Tong Huimei just listened, and even when Jin Jiaojiao asked her questions, she would only nod or shake her head.
Li Xuewu sat opposite the two, listening to Jin Jiaojiao's story, glancing at her from time to time.
Perhaps because he had been watching her so often, Tong Huimei occasionally looked up and met his gaze, her eyes darting around and avoiding his eyes, her face always showing a hint of embarrassment and shyness.
"Brother, I heard from Sister Yu that you went abroad?"
After a while, Jin Jiaojiao finished talking about their relationship and looked at him curiously, asking, "How was it abroad? Was it fun?"
This wasn't the first time Li Xuewu had heard such a question, but it always came from a woman.
"You're going to work, what are you going to do for fun?"
Li Xuewu smiled and looked at her, saying, "What? You want to go out and have a look too?"
"I'm serious, I really want to."
She lowered her voice and replied, "I always hear people talking about how great the outside world is, and I'm so curious."
"Actually, there's not much difference. Once you've traveled more, you'll realize that apart from the people, there's no difference."
While eating roast duck, Li Xuewu said, "If you have the opportunity to perform in other places in the future, you can experience the local customs and culture. Going abroad is the same feeling."
"Are they speaking? They must be speaking a foreign language."
Jin Jiaojiao's eyes widened, as if she were genuinely curious, and she asked, "Are they listening to opera?"
"You should find some books to read when you have time."
Li Xuewu pursed his lips and reminded the two of them, "When your art and status reach a certain stage, you should improve your cultural literacy and ideological awareness, otherwise you will stumble."
"Reading books? Us?" Jin Jiaojiao looked at her sister, who had the same expression, in surprise, then turned to Brother Li and asked, "We're just performing in an opera—"
"If only it were just opera."
Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks and looked at the two of them, saying, "You are no longer just two people. You have a group of people who rely on you for food and a living. As the troupe leader and the main members of the troupe, you have to be responsible for them."
"Sometimes performing opera is just performing opera, but sometimes performing opera is more than just performing opera."
He gestured to the table and said, "You asked me if foreigners listen to opera. Actually, you can find the answer in books, because you need to study the history of domestic and foreign drama development and find the direction of development from history."
Just as the two sisters looked confused, Li Xuewu continued, "You are growing and making progress. One day you will stand on the podium and face your students. What will you say then?"
He spread his hands and patiently explained, "In the end, what artists compete for is culture. You can't see yourselves as just opera singers; you should see yourselves as disseminators of traditional arts, as inheritors of national culture and the revitalization of the theatrical profession."
"Do we still want to be cultured people?"
Jin Jiaojiao looked at her sister with a troubled expression, then turned to him and explained softly, "My sister and I can only read, we're not very educated. Reading storybooks is easy for us, but reading history books is a bit..."
"Is being literate not considered cultured?"
Li Xuewu smiled and glanced at the two of them, encouraging them, "It's not like I'm expecting you to know it right now. Learning is something that takes time and effort."
"Let's give it a try, it might not work."
Jin Jiaojiao twitched the corners of her mouth, hesitated, picked up a thin pancake, rolled up some duck meat, and handed it to Li Xuewu, saying, "Please don't be angry if we don't do it well."
"You won't regret it as long as you've tried your best."
Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, took her crepe, and said, "Your troupe will grow bigger and bigger, with more and more people. Can you manage it all by shouting and yelling?"
"Just thinking about this makes me angry—"
Jin Jiaojiao seemed to remember something and was genuinely angry; she didn't even find the duck meat appealing anymore.
She glanced at Tong Huimei, then said to Li Xuewu, "There are always people who are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. They say we shouldn't do it, but they still do it secretly, as if they think they have too much life or that we're good enough to perform on stage."
"Sister, let me speak—"
Tong Huimei secretly pinched her under the table to stop her from talking, but Jin Jiaojiao insisted on speaking.
She looked at Li Xuewu and explained, "You just said that the number of people in the opera troupe will increase, and we have already felt it. Everyone wants to squeeze people into our troupe."
"Uncle Xiaotian used to be in charge of these reception services, but after a few unpleasant incidents, he went to the steel city and stopped coming to the opera troupe to keep an eye on things."
"We're all fellow disciples—"
Seeing the dissatisfaction in her voice, Tong Huimei, fearing that Li Xuewu might misunderstand, quietly offered an explanation.
"What fellow disciples!" Jin Jiaojiao retorted angrily, "Where were these fellow disciples when my sister and I were desperate and about to hang ourselves?"
"Look at us now, using the guise of being fellow disciples to arrange resettlement for this person and that person—"
She said angrily, "They're just taking advantage of our young age. They can't refuse us, so they're going to escalate their behavior. They didn't even bother to let us in before arranging for someone to come in."
"When asked about it later, they vaguely said that it was someone's relationship with someone else. Who knows what benefits they received? They even sent in chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs."
"Stop talking, is it really that serious—"
Tong Huimei gently patted her back and advised, "It's nothing more than those relationships; it's not worth getting angry with them."
"Sooner or later I'll be dragged down by them—"
Jin Jiaojiao would never have said these things to her before, for fear of being too soft-hearted or concerned about saving face.
Now that she's in front of Li Xuewu, she has to make things clear, otherwise there will be endless trouble.
She's grown up now; she speaks with a clear and decisive manner, showing a bit of a leadership quality.
Li Xuewu listened carefully to what she said, and after the two sisters stopped talking, he nodded and said, "As the old saying goes, there are all kinds of birds in a big forest. What you encountered is normal."
"It's just that a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Every profession and every matter should have its own set of rules."
He looked at the two sisters and said, "It's because you didn't set any rules after the team was formed that the team is in disarray and anyone can make decisions."
"After you get back today, find an opportunity to visit the senior elders and ask them about the rules."
Li Xuewu took two pancakes, rolled them up with cucumber strips and duck meat, and gave one to each person.
"First, explain the rules clearly within the group, and then tell these people that anyone who breaks the rules will be dealt with according to the regulations."
He pointed at Jin Jiaojiao and said, "Don't you have the roster? Call people out by name according to the roster. If they're not in the group, just kick them out, no matter who they are."
"It should have been done a long time ago—"
Jin Jiaojiao glanced at her sister and advised, "Don't worry about the relationship between your sect and your sister. If they try to fool you with a few words, you'll be embarrassed. If things get out of hand later, will you have to take the blame for them?"
"I didn't say I was going to take care of them..."
Tong Huimei sighed helplessly and looked at Li Xuewu to explain, "When we were setting up this team, some seniors did come to help."
“Even the plays we organized were painstakingly crafted by our seniors, word by word. How can we say that they’ve all been swept away by everyone now?”
"They came with this purpose in the first place, you know that too—"
Jin Jiaojiao pouted and said, "Even if they helped and put in the effort, we didn't treat them unfairly. Every time they came, we picked them up and dropped them off, and we even gave them a thank-you gift."
"Anyway, I feel that if things continue like this, our team will run into trouble sooner or later."
"I know you've been working hard lately."
Tong Huimei shook her hand understandingly and said, "But if the two of us sisters want to establish ourselves in this industry, we can't do it without the help of seniors."
"We should uphold relationships when appropriate, and follow the rules when necessary." Jin Jiaojiao looked at Li Xuewu and said, "We can't let relationships override the rules, right, Brother Li?"
"Sigh—" Hearing her stubborn words, Tong Huimei sighed helplessly, not knowing what to say.
Li Xuewu picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for each of them. It was clear that the two sisters had significant differences, and even unspoken conflicts had arisen.
"Drink tea, but don't get too hot. The weather is dry in winter, so take care to protect your throat."
He said only one sentence, and the two of them fell silent, waiting for his opinion.
Li Xuewu did not immediately determine who was right and who was wrong between the two sisters, even though Tong Huimei knew the truth.
"Management requires patience and composure; it's a long-term process of adapting to and integrating with the system."
He looked at Jin Jiaojiao and comforted her, "If you want to be the troupe leader, you have to learn to be patient and forbearing. Sometimes you know it's wrong, but you still have to find opportunities and ways to properly resolve it. You can't let one person or one thing ruin a whole group."
Jin Jiaojiao understood what he meant, and nodded while holding her teacup, saying, "I'll go back and read."
"And you too." Li Xuewu turned to look at Tong Huimei and asked in a serious tone, "When have I ever wronged you to the point of having to do things at someone else's beck and call?"
Tong Huimei suddenly looked up; she hadn't expected Li Xuewu's tone to be so serious.
Seeing his furrowed brows, tears welling up in his eyes from fear, yet he dared not cry out.
“I supported your pursuit of theatrical arts back then, but I never said I wanted to save the entire arts world.”
He gestured towards the table, then looked at Tong Huimei and emphasized, "Do you think you're so capable that you can shelter these people from the wind and rain and avert disasters for them?"
"No..." Tong Huimei finally couldn't hold back her tears, her voice hoarse as she tried to explain.
"If you're really going to throw real money into this, are you really after the meager profits you make?"
Li Xuewu looked at her and said bluntly, "Why take such a big risk? You can make that kind of money anywhere."
Tong Huimei was frightened by his tone and lowered her head to sob. Jin Jiaojiao also felt embarrassed, realizing she shouldn't have brought up these things during dinner.
She handed the handkerchief to her sister, and Tong Huimei covered her hand, tears streaming down her face. She didn't dare to cry out loud, keeping them all stuck in her throat.
“I completely understand that you want to perform opera, because you don’t want to let down all the years of study and hard work you’ve put in.”
Li Xuewu let her cry, and said seriously, "But I can only support you two. Whether you can realize your ideals and ambitions depends on your own efforts and abilities."
That's a pretty strong statement. To put it bluntly, he can handle things if the two sisters get into trouble, but he won't care what kind of trouble the teams they lead cause.
If you're truly capable of leading these people, then if something goes wrong, the two sisters should handle it. If you can't handle it, then don't lead these people.
He will establish whatever rules are necessary, and at this time he will not talk about master-disciple relationships.
"Brother, I didn't think this through."
Seeing that her sister was just crying, Jin Jiaojiao looked at Li Xuewu with guilt and said, "We will definitely make good changes when we get back and won't cause you any trouble."
"I don't understand traditional opera."
Li Xuewu glanced at her and Tong Huimei and said indifferently, "I don't understand the rules of your line of work. I'm just reminding you how to do things."
"I can give you the confidence to make a living in this industry without having to be subservient to anyone or even grovel."
He placed the chopsticks on the plate on the table and said, "You also need to know who is worth your sincere feelings and who is not."
"Alright, I'll have the waiter pack up the rest of the duck, you can eat it tonight."
He said that one sentence and that was it. Li Xuewu got up and asked the waiter for oil paper to pack it up. The waiter noticed that he was dressed differently and came over to help him pack it carefully with oil paper and hemp rope.
Seeing the girl at the next table crying with her head down, the waiter probably would have thought Li Xuewu was bullying her if the other girl hadn't looked normal.
When she got up, Tong Huimei's eyes were red and she was still sobbing and panting.
Perhaps she was frightened, or perhaps she was genuinely wronged, but in all the time she had known Li Xuewu, she had never seen him speak to her so seriously.
Furthermore, after a year apart, her waiting and longing turned into awkwardness and timidity.
Especially after Ma Sanyuan shouted, she was really afraid that Li Xuewu would misunderstand something. She wanted to explain but didn't dare. Then Jin Jiaojiao started talking about things in the troupe, and everything came together at once, so she couldn't control her emotions.
When she got on the bus, Li Xuewu didn't hug her again, or even comfort her or look at her.
Thinking about how she had been rejected by him because of these things, Tong Huimei was overcome with grief and slumped onto the back seat, sobbing quietly as her body convulsed.
Li Xuewu, with a stern face, drove the two of them to their doorstep. Jin Jiaojiao tried to comfort her sister, but only managed to stop her from sobbing. Tears kept falling down her face; she felt so wronged and scared.
"Brother, let me open the door for you."
When Jin Jiaojiao saw the front door, she offered to get out of the car and open the gate for him.
Li Xuewu turned around and glanced at the two of them, saying, "I have some things to do this afternoon, you two go back first."
He handed the paper package on the passenger seat to Jin Jiaojiao and said, "You can heat it up and eat it tonight."
"Brother, why don't you come in and sit for a while?"
Jin Jiaojiao's face paled upon hearing his words, not to mention Tong Huimei, who was sobbing uncontrollably.
"I've been in Beijing these past few days, and I've been quite busy with work. I'll come see you again when I have time."
Li Xuewu handed the paper package to Jin Jiaojiao, turned around and got out of the car, then walked to the gate and opened the car door for them.
Jin Jiaojiao didn't dare to say anything more. She got out of the car with a troubled expression. When she helped her sister up, she felt only heartache seeing her sister's tears.
Li Xuewu ultimately didn't let her cry herself to death in the car. He reached out and carried her out of the car, gently patting her back to comfort her, saying, "If you're tired, take a break for a while. Nothing is more important than living a good life."
"I didn't want to eat their dumplings..."
Tong Huimei hugged him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably as she explained, "Really..."
"Brother—" Jin Jiaojiao couldn't help but wipe away her tears at this moment, saying, "It's all my fault—"
"You two sisters would rather die together, but you've become estranged and tormented each other because of a few outsiders. How meaningless is that?"
Li Xuewu patted Tong Huimei on the back, but couldn't calm her down and let go. He could only carry her into the courtyard.
Although there weren't many people on the streets in this cold weather, there was no guarantee that a neighbor wouldn't be hiding behind their door spying on them.
He didn't think anyone knew him, but the two sisters still had to live their lives here.
I didn't go home last night, and the windows inside were covered in ice. I didn't dare take off my clothes when I went inside, and my hands felt cold when I stretched out my arms.
Li Xuewu placed Tong Huimei on the bed and turned around to help Jin Jiaojiao tidy up the stove.
If we don't start the fire soon, we'll all catch a cold if we stay in this room for a while.
That's how it is in houses heated by a stove: it's warm when there's fire, and cold when there isn't.
If there were people in the house regularly, it wouldn't be like this, but after a night, the temperature is like this when you go back in.
"The firewood and coal that Brother Guodong gave us are enough for the two of us to burn for the whole winter."
Tears come and go quickly; Jin Jiaojiao's personality is much more lively than Tong Huimei's.
Seeing that Li Xuewu hadn't left his sister behind, she busied herself, bringing firewood and corn husks, and lighting the stove in the house with a match.
"Did he come to deliver it, or did he send someone else?"
Li Xuewu had just finished cleaning up the ashes in the furnace when he stood up and looked around at the furnishings in the room.
It's still the same as before, nothing has changed, mostly just the daily necessities that the two sisters bought.
To Li Xuewu's surprise, although the main house of this courtyard was divided into east and west rooms, the two sisters still lived together and did not separate.
That's why they say sisters depend on each other for survival and have deep sisterly bonds; it's not worth getting into conflicts over other people.
“Every year, Brother Guodong comes in person.”
Jin Jiaojiao tested the temperature of the thermos with her hand, then regretfully poured out the hot water, explaining, "There's no more boiling water. I'll boil a pot and make you some tea."
"We already had tea at the roast duck restaurant, didn't we?"
Li Xuewu glanced back at the inner room. Tong Huimei was now leaning against the bed, no longer crying as much as before.
“Brother, if you feel uncomfortable, we don’t have to perform. It’s really not that interesting.”
Jin Jiaojiao said somewhat timidly, "Uncle Tian was worried about trouble, so he went to great lengths to organize the club's opera troupe. But after we were able to perform under the auspices of the Red Star Theater, he went to the steel city."
“He said he wanted to take care of his grandson, but we all know he’s even more cautious than we are.”
"It's enough that you know there are risks."
Li Xuewu warmed his hands on the stove and said, "Since the Red Star Theater can perform normally, it means it's still within the rules."
"I'm afraid that one day we'll cross the line."
Jin Jiaojiao said helplessly, "What I'm even more afraid of is that our bottom line has been lowered without our knowledge."
"Someone will let you know in advance."
Li Xuewu smiled and looked her over. It had been a long time since he'd seen her, and the two sisters had both grown up.
Perhaps it's because of their personalities, but Jin Jiaojiao seems more energetic and fiery than Tong Huimei.
"How about we go to Steel City?"
Jin Jiaojiao's eyes lit up as she looked at him and said, "It doesn't matter where we go. Uncle Tian is also in Gangcheng. We'll just be a few of us forming a team then."
"Do you think this kind of cultural atmosphere exists everywhere in the country?" Li Xuewu smiled and looked at her, saying, "People in Northeast China prefer to listen to local operas and Errenzhuan."
"We can also sing Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form)."
Jin Jiaojiao raised her eyebrows and said, "Compared to Peking Opera, it's just a different form."
"That's easy for you to say—"
Li Xuewu explained to her, "The real Errenzhuan is performed in the countryside, and the program content is quite different from what you perform in the theater."
It's more than just different; perhaps only the pink dramas of the Republican era can compare.
You say that in this day and age no one dares to sing clichés on stage?
That's why we talk about local operas and local performances.
When will the village opera be performed?
They would never start the performance before 7 or 8 o'clock; they would only dare to go on stage after it was completely dark.
Of course, the "pink drama" I'm talking about here isn't the kind of two-person comedy that existed in later generations, where there was no rival.
Think about it, how many local operas failed to recover after the "Renaissance"? Why is Errenzhuan still active in Northeast China and even able to flourish and spread beyond the Shanhaiguan Pass?
It's not just because of Uncle Zhao, but because these people who sing Errenzhuan have made changes.
If you ask a Peking Opera singer to change their style and add some fancy tricks, would the artist be willing?
However, in order to survive and adapt to the changes on this black soil, Errenzhuan performers constantly tried and innovated, which led to the economic market in later generations.
Of course, the original Errenzhuan (a type of folk performance) has almost disappeared, and the stuff that bars put on is all nonsense, more like the stand-up comedy that appeared later.
The earliest Errenzhuan performers were quite skilled; their singing and repertoire were very professional.
It is precisely because Errenzhuan can go with the flow that Li Xuewu does not think Jin Jiaojiao can sing Errenzhuan.
Besides, even if she could sing Li Xuewu's songs, she wouldn't let the two sisters suffer like that.
"If you feel tired, you can go to the steel city and stay for a while."
Li Xuewu saw the attachment and reluctance in her eyes and said with a smile, "Even if you don't come to stay permanently, it's convenient for you to visit me whenever you want."
"Really!" Jin Jiaojiao said with surprise, "I've wanted to visit you for a long time, but my sister said you were busy and it wasn't convenient."
"Can you take the train?" Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and said, "If not, you can wait for someone from the recycling station to come with you, or you can take a boat."
"I really thought about it—"
Jin Jiaojiao said with a smile, "I even asked around to find out how to buy a train ticket and board the train."
"But later, as rehearsals became increasingly busy, my sister worried that she would cause you trouble, so the matter was put on hold."
"It's okay, go if you want to."
Li Xuewu said casually, "Just consider it a break. You can go somewhere else if you want."
He didn't turn around. Hearing movement from the inner room, he knew that Tong Huimei had come out.
"Life isn't all about Peking Opera; you can also have your own ideas and things you want to see."
"Brother—" Tong Huimei hugged him from behind, murmuring, "I'm sorry—"
"What are you talking about?" Li Xuewu patted her hand and comforted her, "There are some things you have to figure out for yourselves. Don't get stuck on them."
"When I see Guodong, I'll tell him to get you work permits. Let me know in advance where you want to go, or I'll arrange for someone to take you there."
"There's nowhere we wanted to go."
Jin Jiaojiao said with a wry smile, "I've never left the capital in my entire life, and all I knew was that you were outside the Great Wall."
“Have you seen a map? China is huge.” Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, “Or after you’ve achieved success, you’ll receive tour invitations, and then you can travel all over the country.”
"If only that were the case—"
Jin Jiaojiao said with a smile, "I know I'm not from the capital, but I don't even remember where my hometown is. If it weren't for my sister, I would really be all alone, like a lost soul."
We should cherish this good fortune.
Li Xuewu patted Tong Huimei's arm that was around him again and said, "Having someone by your side is a rare kind of happiness."
The stove was lit, and he helped add coal. Jin Jiaojiao wanted him to stay for a cup of tea, but Li Xuewu smiled, said goodbye to the two of them, and drove away.
The two sisters need time to process and resolve this experience after the conflict. Growth comes at a price, but it shouldn't result in heavy losses, leaving themselves and their loved ones devastated.
They couldn't be by his side every day after all. Since they had chosen to depend on each other, they had to learn to understand and forgive one another.
-
"Second Brother! You just got back too!"
Wang Lu rode her Comet motorcycle into the sea freight warehouse, only to find that Li Xuewu had just parked his car.
She said with delight, "I heard they said you were back. I didn't expect you to come so soon."
Why are you all alone?
Li Xuewu came out of the garage, closed the door, and then asked with a smile, "Where's Yajun?"
“He’s on duty today, so I came alone.” Wang Lu supported the bicycle with her two long legs, raised her right hand, which was covered with a thick glove, and gestured to the gate, saying, “Second brother, open the gate for me. I’ll ride in. Pushing this slope around your house is really hard.”
"Is this little motorcycle easy to ride?"
Li Xuewu glanced at the Comet motorcycle she was riding; these kinds of motorcycles have become quite common in Beijing these past two years.
Cheap, easy to ride, and durable, most families with some financial means will buy one for commuting; it's really useful.
It's said that the old-fashioned bicycle can carry a lot, but it can't overcome the limitations of human strength. No matter how strong the bicycle is, it can't compare to the power of a gasoline-powered one.
Wang Lu chuckled and swayed her backside as the little motorcycle bounced up and down. "It's less strenuous than a bicycle."
"That's true—"
Li Xuewu smiled and went to open the gate, only to find that the gate had opened from the inside, revealing Zhao Yaping.
"Second brother, you are back."
Zhao Yaping greeted him first, then smiled and called Wang Lu "sister-in-law".
"Get out of the way quickly!" Wang Lu is still very playful; she's only in her early twenties but acts like a child.
At this moment, he twisted the throttle to scare his sister-in-law, saying, "Let me tell you, I'm not even good at riding yet. I won't be responsible if I hit you!"
"Ouch—" Zhao Yaping was startled and dodged to the side with a huff.
Wang Lu, laughing and joking, twisted the throttle and rode the motorcycle into the courtyard and up the slope.
Li Xuewu's house is at one end of this street, at this intersection, where the terrain is neither the lowest nor the highest.
Ji Weidong had investigated the background of this house, and at that time Li Xuewu knew that all the houses in this area were designed and built by Xiao Guiza.
Anyone who has seen a Japanese-style villa knows that they love to build their houses on higher ground, and the courtyards are designed as natural slopes and landscapes.
This is after years of subsidence, plus the house has changed owners several times, and the style of the courtyard has changed. Otherwise, you could tell from the greenery and terrain that there is a Japanese style in it, as later generations called it.
"Come help me with these things!"
Wang Lu parked her motorcycle and loudly called for her sister-in-law to come and help.
Zhao Yaping still has the same honest and simple personality, but after spending more time with her sister-in-law, she knows what kind of person she is.
After closing the gate with her second brother, she didn't answer, but instead whispered to him, "Is my sister-in-law this childish at work too?"
"Pretty much, like Nezha—"
Li Xuewu smiled and glanced at Wang Lu as she got off the car, then mimicked Zhao Yaping's tone and softly commented, "She only does things that adults wouldn't do."
"whee--"
"Zhao Yaping! Have you been talking badly about me behind my back again?!"
Wang Lu stood there with her hands on her hips, pretending to be fierce, and said, "Have I not disciplined you lately?"
Seeing her sister-in-law still grinning, she glanced at her and said, "Looks like I need to set some rules for you, otherwise you won't know who's boss anymore!"
"Who doesn't know about the two kings?"
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yafang's voice suddenly came from behind her, saying in a joking tone, "Come on, Wang Lu, let me set some rules for you too."
"Hahaha--"
The sisters-in-law's jokes amused Li Shu, who had slipped out to watch the fun.
She clapped her little hands and mimicked speaking, "Come on, let me teach you some rules—"