He wore a plain, single-colored long coat, his face appeared fresh and clean, with slightly Westernized features, yet curiously, it didn’t clash with the traditional attire, perhaps due to the Oriental charm he exuded through his gestures.
This was Qi Shejiang’s second time performing cross talk in this timeline, and today’s audience seemed “more challenging”; they focused even more on appearance.
“Thank you, everyone. I don’t even know if your applause is for me or for the last program,” Qi Shejiang said smoothly.
As he started speaking, the applause gradually faded. The previous performer was Zhang Yue, who mocked Qi Shejiang online.
This line from Qi Shejiang was not in the script provided to the television station. Luckily, since this was a recorded program, the demands were not too strict, allowing for natural deviations from the script, as long as there wasn’t anything outrageous.
Of course, even if it was outrageous, it could still be edited out. Qi Shejiang had his own performance habits; when sharing a stage with others, he liked to mention the previous program in his opening remarks, as it helped prevent the audience from lingering in what they had just seen and naturally brought everyone into his act.
Meng Jingyuan was an old actor; even if that line was improvised, he could handle it well. He had also understood Qi Shejiang and had seen their little spat with Zhang Yue, so he immediately praised, “Great show!” Qi Shejiang replied, “Right, we could hear it backstage. You really were impressive!” Laughter erupted in the audience. Most of them knew Zhang Yue’s earlier comment about Qi Shejiang, “After listening, you’re quite good-looking!” Even those who didn’t know found the phrase amusing. Unexpectedly, Qi Shejiang took this joke right onto the stage, essentially hitting back, which excited everyone. It’s always been said that Zhang Yue mocks this, ridicules that, but to confront Zhang Yue directly was truly fresh.
People started whispering to one another; these were young individuals who initially thought it would just be a beautiful face paired with a traditional cross talk master. While the combination was somewhat of a gimmick, they assumed the content would be average. At most, they’d get to enjoy twenty minutes of looking at handsome men.
Who would have thought their expectations would be pleasantly surprised from another angle? His performance was genuinely good. In just a few short sentences, though the content might have come from a writer, his delivery surprisingly didn’t seem awkward to the audience.
The audience was hyped, and after the Guanshan Band performed, they were sitting at the round table below.
Zhang Yue’s face darkened. “…”
In stark contrast, the band members beside him were laughing so hard they were holding their stomachs.
The audience’s response was not what Qi Shejiang anticipated, and Meng Jingyuan couldn’t help but respond with a laugh, “Hey, wait a minute, what do you mean ‘you’re quite good-looking’?”
Qi Shejiang then exclaimed, “Oh, I meant, you sing really well!”
Meng Jingyuan laughed, “Now that sounds more like it.”
At this moment, the director’s team began whispering among themselves, smiles on their faces. This program was indeed worth it; while that line wasn’t in the script, the effect was exceptional. For their television station, they particularly enjoyed such segments!
Zhang Yue is whatever, his sharp tongue and insults are no longer news. I didn’t expect Qi Shejiang to be quite capable either, responding on the spot. No wonder he has mommy backing him up; a newcomer fears nothing and just pushed back like that on the show. Moreover, it wasn’t insulting or anything, quite well measured—let’s be honest, Zhang Yue really does look good. Qi Shejiang continued, “His singing skills are exceptional! Just have him stand there for a performance, everyone, he definitely won’t miss a note!” Meng Jingyuan asked, “Are you praising him?” Qi Shejiang tilted his head, “Isn’t it? Did he miss a note or something? I don’t understand that.” The audience chuckled lightly, and someone even exclaimed “Yah,” thinking this line was obviously self-deprecating about his own singing skills. Meng Jingyuan nudged Qi Shejiang, partly reminding him that they needed to pick up the pace, “If you don’t understand, just stop with the blind praise. Why do you keep harping on him?” Qi Shejiang sighed, pretending to be distressed, “Aren’t I just jealous of him? Why does he have a group, and I don’t? Is it because I don’t look good enough?
” —Newcomers debuting around the same time formed groups, and he was left out. Unexpectedly, this joke circled back and linked to his own situation. The audience paused for a second before they realized it, then bursts of warm laughter erupted, with some adding in whistles. The cameraman cleverly pointed the camera back to the Guanshan Band, zooming in on Zhang Yue. Zhang Yue: “……………”
Chapter Nine Meng Jingyuan made a witty comment, “What do you mean there’s none? Aren’t we a duo today?” Indeed, with one playing the straight man and the other being the comic, how could it not be considered a duo? Laughter mingled with “Yah” sounds arose: Since it’s a duo, the nature seems quite different, doesn’t it? Their impromptu setup truly brought the atmosphere to life. In the world of crosstalk, one cannot take their father as a teacher. Meng Jingyuan learned from his elders but the master he bowed to was a distinctive and sharp-tongued celebrity. His long-term collaboration with Zeng Wen has made the humor solid, yet now and then, he delivers lines that are truly exceptional. To use contemporary language, his style can be called: stable yet cheeky.
Qi Shejiang, grinning, said, “This is just temporary; I’ll have to return you to Teacher Zeng later.” As soon as those words left his mouth, the audience collectively shouted, “Yooooooo~~~~” Qi Shejiang: “???” He had heard cheers, “Yah”s, and heckling before, but what does this “yoooo” mean? Anyway, he enjoyed roasting Zhang Yue, and Qi Shejiang, satisfied, shifted back to the script, “Actually, we’re here today to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The customs of the festival include moon gazing and eating mooncakes. For those who are reunited, it’s ‘The moon is brightest in the Mid-Autumn.’ But for those who are far from home and separated from their loved ones, they can only wish, ‘May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even if we’re a thousand miles apart.’” Meng Jingyuan: “Right, blessings.” Qi Shejiang: “But it can be even more tragic, they can only say, ‘Among the flowers, with a jug of wine, I drink alone without company. I invite the bright moon to drink with my shadow, making it three of us.’” Meng Jingyuan looked puzzled, “Ah? Isn’t that the same as the previous one, family separation?” Qi Shejiang shook his head, “This is worse, ‘no company at all,’ not even anyone willing to keep him company.”
Meng Jingyuan: “I haven’t heard of that before! Is that what it means?”
Qi Shejiang now got to the main topic, “Actually, at first, the mooncake didn’t have any filling, it was just a dry pancake, a whole piece, merely for the round shape. The filling came about during the time of Zhu Yuanzhang, when he invented it.
“This goes back to the time of the Yuan Shun Emperor, when the political situation was bleak, and the common people were suffering terribly. Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to unite various rebel armies to rise on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, but how could such crucial news be transmitted? His strategist Liu Bowen came up with the idea to put the message inside food and send it out!”
Meng Jingyuan: “Hey, that’s a good method.”
Qi Shejiang continued, “When it was finally done, it still seemed to lack something.” Meng Jingyuan: “What was missing?
