Xia Yiwei was also surprised to see Liu Quanhai here, but how she and her son had struck up a conversation puzzled her. She quickly approached and said anxiously, “Hello, Teacher Liu. Jesse, did you find Teacher Liu? You really want to learn xiangsheng?”
Now it was Liu Quanhai’s turn to be surprised. He came specifically for zidi shu, but who knew Xia Yiwei would mention xiangsheng?
This young person actually wants to learn xiangsheng? “How peculiar! Nowadays, young people listen to xiangsheng less and less, and yet here you are, looking so handsome, wanting to learn xiangsheng?” Liu Quanhai observed Qi Shejiang and chuckled.
His grandson, Xiao Liu, couldn’t hold back any longer, saying, “Isn’t it a joke if he wants to perform xiangsheng? No, I didn’t mean to joke about you; I meant it’s not a skit, right?”
Knowing that Qi Shejiang had real skills, Xiao Liu’s attitude naturally changed, also feeling a bit ashamed after being slapped in the face.
Qi Shejiang honestly replied, “It’s not learning; it’s performing. My teacher specializes in two skills and also taught me xiangsheng, just not in a formal way.”
“Two skills” is an insider term; it means not just studying one type of art. Just by mentioning it, you can tell he’s indeed from the same field.
To formally become a disciple entails discussing one’s teacher and family lineage. However, he entered the sect eighty years ago; at Liu Quanhai’s age, he is likely a generation or two younger than him. It’s impossible to fabricate a lineage—the sect’s matters are not like the lost books of the disciples, and any trace of the lineage would expose the truth.
Thus, Qi Shejiang would rather take the route of obscurity, aligning with no proper sect—perhaps distancing himself too sharply would raise suspicions, but as long as he doesn’t reveal his background, it should be fine.
Liu Quanhai, however, was quite clear about it. The comedic world had many obscure paths, but it was rare to find someone like Qi Shejiang, who was so vague that he couldn’t even outline his seniority.
