Chapter 3 three

At the top of the mountain, everyone got off the poles.Although Second Mistress was carried up by someone, she couldn't move a single step.She was more weary than the coolies who carried her.She sat down on the steps and muttered about going home.This mountain city, she said, frightened her to death.If she wants to go out, how can she climb all these steps! Xiulian stretched her neck to look at the streets in the city, feeling very excited.High-rise buildings, cars, neon lights, everything.Who would have thought that there would be such modern things as Shanghai and Hankou in the mountains and mountains!

She ran towards Dad. "Dad, there must be a good hotel there, let's pick a good one." Second Mistress refused to go any further.There's an inn not far away, so that's enough.She asked the porter to carry the luggage in.Xiulian pouted, but no one dared to object. The hotel was small, dark, filthy, and not ventilated.The only attractive thing is the red paper lantern at the door, with two lines written on it: Stay before it's too late Rooster crows early to see the sky The men live in one room and the women live in one room. Both rooms are upstairs, as narrow as a ship's cabin.The wretch hummed "Ouch Ouch" again.He said he felt like he was back on the boat again.

The hotel is an authentic Sichuan-style house. The walls are made of bamboo strips and covered with mud. They are thin and bad, and a hole can be punched with a fist.The roof is sparsely covered with tiles, and the sky can be seen through the cracks.The bed is made of bamboo, as are the tables and chairs.Bamboo squeaks whether you are sitting, leaning, or lying down. The house was full of mice, big and small.And mosquitos and bedbugs.The bedbugs didn't come out during the day, and the walls were covered with bloodstains, which were the marks left by the bedbugs being wiped to death on the wall during the night of staying in the hotel.

A big mouse, about eight inches long, silently nibbled on Xiulian's shoe.Xiulian was so frightened that she jumped onto the bamboo bed and sat with her knees pressed against her chin.Her little round face was pale, and her eyes were fixed on the dirty floor with trepidation. Except for the second grandmother, everyone is complaining.She disliked rats and squeaky bamboo furniture like everyone else, but it was her idea to come to this little shop, and she gritted her teeth and didn't complain. "This small shop isn't bad," she told Dafeng, "No matter what, it's better than laying a bunk on the boat." She took out a bottle from her cattail bag and took a long gulp.

The weather was stuffy and hot, and bursts of hot air penetrated through the sparse roof tiles and thin walls, and went straight into the house.The hut was like a thin eggshell with an invisible fire inside.The tables and chairs were hot and uncomfortable to the touch.Not a breath of wind.Everyone sweats and gets prickly heat all over their bodies. Baoqing was so hot that even his bald forehead was red.But he doesn't like to sit around.He opened the box and took out his most respectable silk coat, a pair of clean socks, a pair of thick-soled satin shoes, and a sandalwood folding fan.No matter how hot it is, he has to dress neatly, walk around the city, and visit dignitaries on the ground.He had to inquire and find a theater.He can't be idle like his elder brother, and he can't care about nothing like his wife.He had to find a place right away, so that Xiulian and he could go to work and earn money.Otherwise, the whole family will go hungry.Seeing that his brother was in a hurry to open his business, the wimpy man became worried. "Brother," he said, "we are singing northern tunes, can these mountain people like it?"

Baoqing smiled. "Don't worry, brother. As long as there is a place to do art, even in the country of Java, I can still earn this bowl of rice." "Really?" The wimpy brow was frowning.He took off his coat and rubbed the mud roll on his chest.He is not as optimistic as his brother, and he doesn't like this furnace-like mountain city either. "My dear brother," Baoqing said, "I'll go out for a while, and you can take care of me at home. Don't let Xiulian go to the streets alone. Don't let her mother get drunk, and let her light cigarettes carefully. Boy. These houses are as bad as matchboxes, and a cigarette butt can burn a whole street."

"But how can it be..." The wimp was quite unhappy. Baoqing knew what the eldest brother wanted to say, so he laughed. "Don't mention that to me. They're all afraid of you. They'll just listen to you. That's what it is, isn't it?" The wimp smiled a little forcedly. Baoqing gathered his things together, wrapped them in a furoshiki, and carried them under his armpits.Before he puts on his best clothes, he has to go to the bathroom to take a bath and shave his head. He quietly walked out of the house with the bundle, so that his wife could not see him.She heard it anyway. "Hey *ke* where are you going?"

He said nothing, just shook his head, and hurried down the rickety stairs. Walking out of the gate, he took a deep breath and took brisk steps.He looked at the street, and quickly forgot all the worries at home.He liked the wide streets lined with cement plastered houses and brightly lit by neon lights.That's great.With so many lamps, do you still worry about not having any business? He found a bath house.As soon as he stepped through the threshold, he kept nodding to everyone, even the waiter, as if they were his old friends.He saw two or three fellows who came on the boat together to take a bath, so he shook hands with them affectionately.Then he went to the cabinet and quietly paid for their bath.

He got everyone's attention.All at once everyone knew that someone unusual had come to take a bath with the big guy.Even the lazy Sichuan waiter was very hospitable, running to bring him a cup of hot tea and a hot towel.He shaved his head and face, then took off his clothes, jumped into the pool without haste, splashed hot water on himself, and then sat by the pool, rubbing his chest and singing along.His voice was not high, but deep and sonorous.He is happy.There are so many things to do, what are you busy with?Sing the last paragraph first.He listened to his own voice and felt flattered, of course he prefers to be supported by others.After washing away the stinky sweat all over his body, he put on an elegant silk coat and satin shoes. He handed the dirty clothes to the cabinet for washing, feeling clean and tidy.Walk out of the bathroom door, ready to go to work.

First of all, he had to understand what was going on in the local gardens.He spent an hour or so walking around teahouses, and found that the local Sichuan Qingyin, Yugu and Yangqin were sung along the river.Judging by Beijing's standards, he felt that the local stuff was not very good.The drum books he sang are more flavorful and elegant.But a good entertainer has to be humble and keep learning new tricks. He was pleased that all the teahouse business was booming.If these artists can make money, why can't he and Xiulian.Chongqing people may not understand dagu.But new gadgets are always popular, Sichuanese must love to see new gadgets from afar.Chongqing is now the capital, and people from all over the country are flocking here.Even if people from Sichuan don't come to see his play, the refugees will come too.Well, things are not bad.

But he has to form a team.Xiulian and he couldn't just sing in teahouses or tea sheds by the river.Never do that.He's a decent entertainer from Peking.He has sung in big cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing and Hankou.He had to build his own theater garden, put up his gold-embroidered door curtains and tents, and celebrities from all over the world would hold his scrolls and banners.He needs to have a good set of juggling, two comedians, a juggler and a ventriloquist.No matter which one, he has to be the protagonist.If he couldn't form a troupe singing northern folk art for a while, he would have to find two local actors to help.No matter what, I have to let the Chongqing people see his stuff. He picked up his pace and began to sweat again.But sweating is also comfortable and cool.The more sweat dripped on his back, the happier he felt. Like other big cities, there are many teahouses in Chongqing.Baoqing went from one house to another, and soon knew who should be visited.He knew the names of some people before he came to Chongqing.Before going to visit, he still prefers to sit in the teahouse and enjoy the local scenery.You can see everybody here--traders, bandits, learned men, and money-makers.Baoqing made friends with everyone he saw. In a teahouse, he met his old friend Tang Siye.Tang Siye's daughter, Qinzhu, is also an entertainer who sings big drums. In Jinan, Shanghai, and Zhenjiang, Baoqing had been in the same team as Mr. Tang Siye.His daughter, Qinzhu, has a loud voice, but lacks charm.Baoqing looked down on her skills, let alone her character.For her, money is more important than friendship.Her father, fourth master Tang, is also a good guy.The Fang family and the Tang family had a big quarrel before, but they didn't speak for many years afterwards. But when they met today, Bao Qing and Fourth Master Tang felt like brothers who hadn't seen each other for many years.They shook hands affectionately and desperately, and were so excited that they burst into tears.Baoqing wanted to find someone who could sing the drums so that he could put together a team, and Fourth Master Tang was in a hurry to find a good reason for his daughter, otherwise, he said sadly, his whole family would have to live in Chongqing, helpless.The present poverty made them forget the awkwardness of the past.Seeing each other again in this situation, both of them were very excited.Bao Qing knew very well that if he was in the same team as Fourth Master Tang, sooner or later he would suffer.But right now there is such a shortage of people, he can't let go of this opportunity.On the other side of Mr. Tang, when he saw Bao Qing, he felt as if a piece of fat had fallen into his mouth, and he was determined to bite on this piece of meat.He understands that it is not difficult to get Baoqing to take the bait.What was done in the past, what is still to be done now.But when he shook hands with Bao Qing, the tears in his eyes were real. "My dear fourth master!" Baoqing said affectionately, "Why are you here?" "Baoqing, my old friend..." Tang fourth master's tears rolled down his cheeks, "Baoqing, you have to help Help me, I'm lost in this wild store." Fourth Master Tang is short and thin, in his fifties.Despite his small body, his voice is very loud.His face was thin and long, with a high and narrow nose like an old-fashioned straight razor.When he spoke, he kept shaking his head.A pair of small eyes are deeply sunken, and they rarely look directly at people. "Have all the relatives come?" Baoqing said. "Yes, even Xiao Liu has come with us." "Xiao Liu?" Bao Qing couldn't remember immediately, "Is that the one who played the string for your daughter?" "Yes!" Fourth Master Tang looked at Bao Qing and saw that Bao Qing was very happy.He guessed that Baoqing was in a hurry to find someone to play the strings.His old wimpy brother played the strings well, but he wouldn't do it.If Baoqing can't find someone to play the strings, he will be regarded as really sitting on wax.Xiao Liu's playing is not very good, but in such a remote mountain city, he can get by. "Let's go, my good fourth master. Take me to meet your precious family." Bao Qing said more affectionately.He wanted to meet Xiao Liu and Qin Zhu immediately and let them form his team. "Baoqing, my good brother, we've been here for almost two weeks, and we haven't changed a bit!" Fourth Master Tang said with a sigh. "Are you any good?" He wanted to find out what benefits Baoqing could give him, and then let him see Xiao Liu and his daughter.Baoqing's intimacy caused him to worry. Baoqing pointed to his nose meaningfully, "My good fourth master, as long as you are willing to help, I can get the business going. Think about it—with Xiao Liu, Qin Zhu, my daughter Xiulian and me , There are three jokes here. Just find a few more people - find a few local artists or something - and we can start right away. Let's go!" "Are you sure?" The enthusiasm of others couldn't solve the knot in his heart. "My dear fourth master," Baoqing became angry, "Do you think I, Fang Baoqing, can lie to you? If I say I can do it, I can do it." Fourth Master Tang shook his head, and quickly made up his mind.At the beginning, he wanted Baoqing to help, but now that he saw that Baoqing was so eager to join him in the team, he felt that it was time to reverse the situation and let Baoqing beg him instead. "Baoqing," he opened his mouth, "I have to go home and do the sum with them first." Baoqing knew that Master Tang was slippery.But he also saw that fourth master Tang did not completely refuse to work with him.So he pretended not to be in a hurry. "Good fourth master, you can go back if you want. With Qin Zhu and Xiao Liu, I can form a team, but you have to understand that I can also form a team without them. Give them a treat. Goodbye .” With that, he was about to leave. Fourth Master Tang smiled. "Don't go, Baoqing. If you are willing, come and talk to everyone." The store where the Tang family lives is even smaller than that of the Fang family.The smaller the place, the more "great" Grandma Tang Si and Qin Zhu seem.The fourth grandma is as wide as three Tang fourth masters, and Qinzhu is at least two inches taller than her father.The mother is a mountain of meat, and the daughter is a pagoda.Both of them kept saying "Ba Rongyin* Only on the stage, Qinzhu still has a touch of charm.When she was on stage, she could smear her face and lips red.Her eyebrows were thick and dark, and her hair was curled in curls.She was wearing no make-up at the moment, and her face was dripping with sweat.Baoqing thought: She is really ugly.She has pretty eyes, though, and can stare at you in embarrassment.At first glance her eyes were brown, big and bright, flickering.But if those eyeballs stare at you, they will become darker and darker. Grandma Fourth has a high-pitched voice.When not talking, also snort panting. "Hey," the fourth grandma called out, "I think who is here, I dare say it's Baoqing!" She was sitting on a bamboo chair, her buttocks were deeply embedded in the chair, and she couldn't stand up to greet her. Baoqing.Holding a banana fan, she desperately said, "Oh, let's go, donkey Shan Mian ding* I'm relieved now, we won't starve to death here now. Sit here, sit here. Ah, fourth master, make some tea." Bao Qing looked around, but there was nowhere to sit. "I won't sit," he said politely, "don't bother me, fourth master, I'm not thirsty. Fourth grandma, are you in good health?" "Okay!" Mrs. Tang said angrily. I've lost more than a dozen catties." She stroked her fat arm and sighed. "What about you, Miss Qinzhu?" Bao Qing smiled, trying to show his affection.Qin Zhu laughed for a while before thinking of something to say. "Well, Second Uncle Fang, your forehead is still so bright." She joked. Baoqing smiled.He thought, judging by Qin Zhu's appearance, she was dressed casually without any makeup, so maybe she hadn't done that kind of business yet.Baoqing had always disliked her, and he didn't want Xiulian to mix with her, for fear of imitating her badly.As long as she has money, Qin Zhu can do anything.Bao Qing didn't know if she had an affair with Xiao Liu now, but of course it wasn't for making money.He regained his composure and asked, "Where's Xiao Liu?" Fourth Master Tang called out, "Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu, come out quickly, Second Master Fang is here!" Xiao Liu came out lazily and dazedly, yawning.He was about thirty years old, thin and frail.He has handsome features, but is so thin that it seems that a gust of wind can blow him away.His face was pale, like a heavy smoker.He was just waking up now, and there was a blob of pink on his face, which made him look young and innocent.He was very happy to see Baoqing.He smiled and said softly, "Hey, Second Master Fang." Seeing Baoqing standing, he hurriedly said, "I'll bring you a chair." "Don't be polite," Bao Qing said very politely, "How are you doing, Xiao Liu?" Fourth Master Tang hurriedly interrupted: "Let's be serious. Don't just stand there." "Yes, Second Master Fang," Fourth Grandma said, "If you have an idea, you should speak first." Baoqing opened his mouth and said sincerely: "Qin Zhu, Xiao Liu, I have come to ask you for help. I want to be a team." "Then what else is there to say?" Fourth Grandma smiled. "You asked us to help, so you have to give us some money in advance." Baoqing gasped, but quickly put on a smile: "My good fourth grandma, you want me to pay in advance? Aren't we all refugees?" Fourth Grandma sullenly.Xiao Liu originally wanted to say that he was willing to help, but he swallowed the words back.He took out a pack of "Double Gun" cigarettes and paid respects to each of them.Everyone except Baoqing took one. "We can't do it without advance payment." Fourth Master Tang said. "Friendship and credit," Baoqing said decisively, "isn't it better than anything else?" Baoqing said very earnestly, touching the heart. "What if you can't make the team and we find work elsewhere?" Fourth Master Tang asked.He is less convinced of friendship and trust. "Then how can I stop your family from making money!" Bao Qing was also very powerful sometimes. "Really? Well, we all have to start from scratch, ouch." The fourth grandma shouted in frustration, staring at the ceiling. "To tell the truth," Bao Qing said with great enthusiasm, "if we form a team, how can I treat you badly? My daughter Xiulian gets a few percent, and Qinzhu also gets a few percent. And Xiao Liu, who will play the strings for? , Just split the bill with anyone, this is the old rule. Is it going to work?" "I..." Xiao Liu stuttered and couldn't speak.He didn't dare to say what he meant aloud, so he nodded in agreement. Fourth Master Tang and Fourth Grandma made up their minds not to talk anymore.They stared blankly at Baoqing, trying to make things difficult for him and force him to offer better terms, but they also knew that the terms he offered were not bad in the first place. Qin Zhu finally spoke: "Second Uncle Fang, it's up to you!" Fourth Master Tang and Fourth Grandma secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's it. Listen to my letter later." After finishing speaking, Baoqing left.