Chapter 14 fourteen

Second Mistress had never heard of such absurd things, what, Xiulian also wanted to study? !She has her own views on young girls: when a girl grows up, she will learn to be bad if she doesn't study; "A big girl, she will get married sooner or later, she doesn't need to read and write." She shouted loudly, "Now that you know a lot, God knows what she will do." No matter what she said, Meng Liang didn't take it seriously.He made up his mind to come to Nanquan Hot Spring to teach Xiulian to read.Although his body is thin, his will is strong.If he made up his mind, even if it was a big mountain, he would have to drill three holes in it.

Xiulian couldn't wait any longer, wishing she could start reading immediately.Last time at the theater, the audience didn't listen to her to make her sad.She was quick-witted, and knew that she was inexperienced in the occasion.She admired those young actresses very much.They are so free and unrestrained, how enviable!Those actresses must be schoolgirls, she thought.Although she herself is a performer, if she has a culture, her status will not be as low as it is today.She is determined to learn from Mr. Meng.I'm afraid she won't have the chance to go to school in this life, but if she can read and write, she will be about the same as a female student.She can find time to study.

Baoqing and his eldest brother were very happy to see that Xiulian had the opportunity to study.They knew she had talent.With a little more education, her talents could be better developed. The second grandma couldn't figure out what to say.She was very worried that she could no longer restrain the girl.Come to think of it, having a girl who can read and write at home is something to behold.The students all talk about free love.Selling a girl is nothing, but letting her give her body to others for nothing... Thinking about it, her heart trembled.Sometimes when she was walking on the streets of a small town, she would feel sick when she met a young man and woman walking hand in hand.

Meng Liang came to teach on the first day, Fang's family brewed the best scented tea and offered him many good things to eat.Baoqing suggested that the first lesson should be taught to his elder brother first, but Mr. Meng refused.What he wants to teach is Xiulian.His arrangement was as follows: he would teach Xiulian for an hour or so first, and then follow the wimp to learn art.According to himself, he could work for five hours at a stretch, or any more. The wimp is happy. "My time is all yours," he said, "and we'll work on it all night if you like." Xiulian is waiting for class.She tried her best to dress up like a schoolgirl, wearing a white cloth gown without makeup.When her father called, she hurried towards the main room.

However, Mom took the lead.She jumped in front of her daughter with one step, and pushed her hard to prevent her from coming out.Her face was pale and she was heartbroken. "I'll go out first," she said, "You wait here!" Xiulian had no choice but to obey. When Baoqing saw his wife come out, he was very upset.What would she say to Mr. Meng?Both he and his elder brother admired this learned man.What if the second mistress offended the guest?Seeing his wife walking towards them confidently, his face turned livid. All his life, what he lacked was reading and literacy.Back then, if he wanted to write a new drum song, he had to spend a lot of money, and he had to entertain the writer with good wine and good food.Now there is such a person who is willing to teach his daughter for nothing, and is willing to write new words for him for nothing.Such a good thing can't be found with a lantern. If his wife offends the writer...

After introducing his wife to the guest, he immediately asked, "Where's Xiulian? Mr. Meng is waiting for her." Second Mistress ignored him.She stared directly at Mr. Meng and spoke. "Sir, we're just poor performers," she said. "We don't need to learn to read and write. It's better not to study. The girl is not stupid. Once she does, she has to give us trouble. She is enough. See You are a sensible person, please think about it for us." The wimpy face turned pale.He wished he could beat his sister-in-law, but he didn't dare to quarrel in front of such a respectable writer.Baoqing was so frightened that he was at a loss.Mr. Meng handles it with ease.He smiled all over his face and called her affectionately: "My good sister-in-law, please sit down."

Second Mistress was flattered and sat down.Deep down in her heart, she was afraid of learned people.They are not with her, they know more than her, and she always tries to avoid them.Now such a person came, talked to her affectionately, and made fun of her.A writer would still call her "sister-in-law". Meng Liang has a lot of ways. "Good sister-in-law, I know you like a drink. Why don't you drink it. It's time for a drink now. It's the first time we meet, so I should have a drink with you. As the saying goes, drinking is thick It's time to play tricks on money. Come, have a drink." He looked at Bao Qing, "Second Brother, let's have a good bottle of wine, let's all have a drink."

Baoqing was so impressed.Mr. Meng is not only a famous playwright, but also a diplomat and magician.He understood that it would be useless to reason with the second mistress, but he could get things done after pouring her a few cups. Mr. Meng poured three glasses of wine, one for Second Mistress, one for the wimp, and one for himself.He didn't toast Bao Qing because he had to take care of his throat. "Cheers," he called out, raising the glass to Second Mistress. "cheers." He drank it all in one gulp, and the wimp, not to be outdone, also drank it.Second Mistress coyly expressed her objection, "I have to drink slowly, I don't want to compare with you old men." "Please go ahead, sister-in-law," Mr. Meng laughed. "Whatever you want, we drink ours." He poured himself another cup and drank it again.He put his hand in his upper pocket, and suddenly made a strange face. "Oh, sister-in-law, I have a hole in my pocket, can you make it up for me, it's so hard to be a bachelor."

Second Mistress finished her drink and picked up her coat. "Mr. Meng," she giggled, "you're so easygoing." She developed a crush on the playwright.But she still didn't ask Xiulian to come out to attend the class.As for Mr. Meng, in order to give her a step down, he also decided to come back another day.Before leaving, he promised Second Mistress that he would play poker with her next time, and if she liked, he could also play mahjong.He begs her not to make it too hard for him to win.This made her very happy. The next day, Xiulian attended class.She is a good student.She tried her best to recognize twenty or so characters every day. Although the characters were written crookedly, they were small and neat.Mr. Meng is very satisfied.He is also happy to learn to sing Dagushu.The wimp not only taught him to sing, but also told him the allusions of Dagushu endlessly, Mr. Meng was fascinated by it.

After teaching it a few times, Mr. Meng can sing drum books along with the wimpy Xianzi.He couldn't get his throat out of the way, and the wimp didn't mention it.As long as the students make progress.One day, while Mr. Meng was singing, the hotel owner broke into the door.He was so angry that he shook his hands and yelled at the wretch at the top of his voice: "Get out of here. It's so noisy, the guests are making you uncomfortable. I can't stand it." Meng Liang smiled innocently. "What's the matter! We're looking for you. You know, I really admire your Sichuan accent. How about some Sichuan Qingyin? I bet, with your voice, you will be famous when you sing."

The boss was overwhelmed with praise.He couldn't sing originally, but Mr. Meng invited him over and over again. "Come on, friend, let's have a paragraph." The boss laughed.He saw that the faces of the insiders were facing the wall when they sang, so he turned his face to the wall, yanked his throat with his fingers, and sang like a fool—a sound between shouting and shouting. .After a few words, the boss stopped, his face flushed.Before he could speak again, Meng Liang and Wimpy Clapped their hands.Meng Liang patted him on the back, and the wimp bowed and bowed again.After the boss left, the two sat down, looked at each other and smiled, and started all over again.After finishing the work, Mr. Meng played cards with Second Mistress.The two hit it off.Most of what he said, she didn't understand; he didn't argue with her.She listened, he talked, and he listened attentively to everything she said, occasionally paying sly compliments to her talents. If she lost her temper, he didn't just walk away.He tried to divert her attention like a spoiled child. Whenever a guest came, Bao Qing was afraid of his wife's temper, and felt that it would ruin his platform.So whenever there is a guest, he becomes a model of gentleness, courtesy and thrift; even if he can't completely obey her, he has to speak sweetly and with a smile. Meng Liang's method is even higher.He treated the second mistress so submissively that Baoqing was less worried.For this alone, Baoqing is also very grateful.What a friend and a learned man. Baoqing has his own concerns.He is naturally suspicious.Why is Meng Liang so willing to help and so kind?What is he drawing?According to his life experience, anyone who comes here on purpose, who is very polite and willing to help, has a plan.What does Meng Liang want?Bao Qing was not sure, but he was very angry with himself, hating himself for doubting such a good friend. Despite his doubts, he still couldn't forget that Meng Liang was his lucky star.He is writing new drum lyrics for Fang Baoqing, a famous drummer.With these new drum lyrics, the status of him and Xiulian is much higher than other big drum singers.For this incident alone, Sansheng was lucky to make friends with Meng Liang.However, the suspicion in my heart still cannot be shaken off. Why didn't Meng Liang show the drum words?Two months passed without a word being said.One morning, he was thinking about mentioning this matter, when suddenly Meng Liang walked in.His eyes were shining with excitement, his pale face was dripping with sweat, and his long arms were shaking like a praying mantis. "Come on, second brother," he grabbed Bao Qing's sleeve and said, "find a quiet place to talk." They walked out the door quickly.Bao Qing struggled to follow the writer, and still lost several steps.At last they came to the top of a grassy slope, under a big tree with yellowing leaves.Meng Liang sat down with his back against the tree trunk.He took out a stack of papers that were long and short in his pocket. "Look," he said, "here are three new verses for you." Baoqing took it in his hand.His hands were shaking.He wanted to say something, but his tongue wouldn't work and he couldn't speak.He felt that the sun really came out from the west.Three new drums!Written especially for him!In the past, if he wanted to ask a gentleman to write a paragraph, he not only had to pay in cash first, but also had to wait for years and months.The person who wrote it agreed, and after eating hundreds of meals, he forgot to start writing.This man really walks the talk.Not just one paragraph, but three paragraphs!What a friend, a genius, a big shot! "You have to understand, second brother," Meng Liang said in a modest tone, "I've never written drum lyrics, so I'm not sure whether it's good or bad. But that's okay, if you think it's not good, I'll Throw it away, and let’s start from scratch. If it’s probably usable, if there’s something inappropriate, you can change it. The most important thing is whether you’re willing to sing this kind of drum book.” Only then did Baoqing speak. "Of course I would. For many years, I have been looking forward to meeting someone like you. I am willing to contribute to the country. How many people died on the front line, I have a role, and of course I am willing to contribute. What else can I say? Yes, I am happy to sing the anti-Japanese drum and contribute to the anti-Japanese war." His heart was surging, and tears welled up in his eyes. "I understand." Meng Liang was not moved by his friend's passion at all, and continued to talk about him as usual. "But you have to understand that if you and Xiulian sing this new big drum, people want you to sing for nothing. Everyone will listen to it. But you can't make money. Same with me. Theaters are very popular these days There are more people watching my show than in the past, but we lost money. There are more benefit performances. Of course, we are willing to contribute our own strength, but patriotism cannot pay the debt. There will be fewer and fewer things to fill our stomachs .” Baoqing didn’t listen to this. "It's just a little bit of transportation. It's not a big expense. It's not the same as maintaining a theater troupe." "Well, I admire your determination. There's one more thing I want to say. The force of habit is very hard to deal with. People like to listen to old drum books. If they listen to old stuff that everyone knows, they'll be fine." I feel that the money is not wronged. But if you sing this new type of drum book in the teahouse, there will be fewer seats." "If you want to do something new, you need a little courage." Bao Qing said firmly.Meng Liang laughed out loud. "You can handle it, so I'm relieved. It's good to be mentally prepared. Come, let me read it to you. The first paragraph is a short paragraph, very short. It's about the rear. Let Xiulian sing it. The other two are longer, and they are written for you. Not only are they long, they must also be sung with rich emotion, and the timing must be accurate. Only experienced artists can handle it well. It is you, second brother, You come to sing the Anti-Japanese War Drum, and I wrote it especially for you in consideration of your artistic attainments." So Meng Liang almost finished reciting the drum lyrics in one breath. "How?" he asked eagerly. "Excellent! There are a few words that need to be changed, but they are just a few words. I am convinced. Now I can show the whole world that we Chinese drummers also have a sense of patriotism. " "That's great. Take it, go sing and watch with my elder brother. If there is any change, you have to discuss it with me. Only I can modify my work. If there is any change, you must tell me. If you don't discuss it with me, don't say a word." change." "Of course," Bao Qing agreed, picking up the manuscript papers that Meng Liang had scattered on the grass one by one. "Go home and have a drink." He folded up the manuscript paper and carefully put it in his pocket, as if it was a valuable deed. Meng Liang shook his head. "I won't go today. I'm very sleepy. I haven't slept all night, and I'm in a hurry to write!" Meng Liang nodded again, "Since I'm on fire, I have to refill the firewood. I'll just sleep here. You go Your." Baoqing broke up with him.He held his head high, his eyes sparkling.Meng Liang can work all night long, so there is nothing he can't do.The same goes for the wimps.They have to sort out new words overnight.