Tang Shuangqin said quietly, “It won’t look good if you lose too much weight…” Luo Xia was speechless. In opera, being too thin can actually make the role look unappealing; one has to paste on facial pieces, which only serves to make the face appear even narrower. Luo Xia couldn’t help but reprimand him, “What you’re saying is too much.” Qi Shejiang didn’t think much of it; “You’re right. I’ll start adding more meals today.” Tang Shuangqin nodded in satisfaction and walked away. He wasn’t trying to make things difficult; when it came to producing plays, he was like this. Today, Qi Shejiang received a notification to attend a class. Tang Shuangqin had specially invited a teacher to give a lecture, helping everyone understand their characters within the context of the era. This time, all the actors with significant roles were present. Qi Shejiang was not the protagonist, so he found a spot to sit, not too far forward or back. Before long, he saw two people in long coats enter—one tall and the other short, a rather comical contrast; they were clearly playing crosstalk performers in a movie.
Qi Shejiang had done a little research and knew that the two actors from “Yuan Yang Kou” later became famous crosstalk masters. He hadn’t seen them but knew they were popular artists in the capital at that time. Xiao Yin Yue had mentioned their artistic proficiency in her letters.
At that time, to gain fame in the performing arts, including crosstalk, one had to make a name for oneself in both Tianjin and Beijing. This was why Xiao Yin Yue came to Beijing and frequently invited Qi Shejiang. It’s just that, at that time, Qi Shejiang remained loyal to his hometown, waiting for his master.
While lost in thought, the two newcomers looked around and slipped into the seat next to him. They exchanged glances.
The taller one chuckled, breaking the ice, “Hello, teacher. We’ve looked around, and you’re the only fellow professional here.”
“Hello, you can just call me Jessie,” Qi Shejiang said, shaking their hands. He learned that the taller one was called Mo Sheng, while the shorter one, who was also from the Qi family, was Qi Leyang.
Both were selected from a crosstalk school, originally specializing in crosstalk. They bore a striking resemblance to crosstalk actors, and their skills were decent, but their roles weren’t as significant as Qi Shejiang’s; he was still listed as the third male lead, while they were probably more like supporting roles.
These two had a year until graduation and had not gone through the traditional apprentice training, so they lacked a ranking and any reputation at all. Naturally, they held no biases against Qi Shejiang, but instead found it quite interesting. Soon, everyone was present, and the teacher began the lecture. Qi Shejiang listened while contemplating the stylings of the performance. The lecture lasted about two hours, and during the time for open questions, the teacher was immediately surrounded. Tang Shuangqin appeared at some point, approaching Mo Sheng and his companion, “How much money have you two made?” Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang exchanged a glance, shyly lowering their heads. “Not… not much…” “How much is ‘not much’?” Tang Shuangqin pressed. Mo Sheng stammered, “Over fifty… um, director, our performance was good, but… the pay isn’t much… not many are willing to pay…” Qi Shejiang was puzzled and asked, “Earn what money?” Tang Shuangqin signaled for the two to explain to Qi Shejiang. Once they started explaining, Qi Shejiang understood that they had not been formally trained but were simply handed long coats and instructed, “From today, you’re going to the park to perform crosstalk. After all, your roles can wait; just earn five thousand yuan whenever you can.”
The two were dumbfounded but soon realized that while they had the right image and skills, they didn’t have the kind of streetwise aura Tang Shuangqin was looking for. Those two crosstalk masters had built their reputations step by step through hard work.
Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang, being crosstalk students with some backbone, indeed showed up every day at the park performing crosstalk and even set up their own tables with props. However, after several days, they had managed to earn barely fifty yuan, not enough to cover transportation or refreshments.
Tang Shuangqin, upon hearing this, replied, “This won’t do; you would have starved in the old society! You’re not even fitting the character. I’ll see if I can find any teachers to give you a few pointers.”
Qi Shejiang stood aside and smiled, saying, “Director Tang, how about I teach you? The Lianqian Art School probably doesn’t teach this, but my master did.”
The slang term is “chuanmenzi.” “Chuan” refers to paper money, which is a euphemism for money, while “menzi” means the door is open. When the money door opens, it’s time to collect money.
There’s a saying: “Chuanmenzi is gold, witty banter is silver, and the main act is bronze,” highlighting its importance.
Sometimes, if you perform well but don’t know how to ask for money, the audience might just walk away after listening, rendering the performance pointless.
But this important skill is something young performers today hardly know, because no one is performing on the streets anymore. Nowadays, it’s all about selling tickets and performing in commercial shows, which doesn’t require collecting money on the street.
As they discussed this nearby, Qi Shejiang overheard them. Since they were in the same troupe, it was considered a trade; why seek distant opportunities when he had the proven ability to ask for money?
Tang Shuangqin suddenly remembered what Luo Xia had said about Qi Shejiang having a master who taught traditional skills, and he had even mentioned lost routines on television.
Tang Shuangqin looked at Qi Shejiang, “Then… do you want to take the lead?”
Qi Shejiang was straightforward, “I can spare some time in the morning to practice with them a few times; that’s enough to enlighten them.”
“
Then looking at Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang, they were also bewildered, “Wait a minute, Director Tang, Jesse, with your looks, if you accompany us, you’ll be surrounded the moment we go out.”
They had hit the nail on the head; Qi Shejiang was quite famous now; if he went out to perform, he would definitely attract attention from fans.
Tang Shuangqin, however, was very casual about it, “What’s the big deal? Just put on some makeup.” After looking at Qi Shejiang again, he added, “Ah, you really are too stunning.”
Qi Shejiang had become accustomed to it and replied casually, “Aren’t you just attracted by my good looks?”
Tang Shuangqin laughed heartily, “You’re quite the joker.”
According to Tang Shuangqin, the next day before Qi Shejiang went with Mo Sheng and the others, he had found a makeup artist to do his makeup, darkening his skin tone, changing his eyebrows, adding glasses, and styling his bangs down a bit; he looked considerably duller overall.
As for where Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang would perform, it was a well-known gathering place for middle-aged and elderly people. Old men and women practiced in the morning, uncles and aunts chatted while coming back from buying vegetables, and with dog walkers and bird enthusiasts around, it was lively all day long.
Correction Report:
It was indeed quite lively, yet these two couldn’t earn any money there, one because they didn’t know how to ask for money, and the other because retired elderly folks often had remarkable skills; there were even those who sang or performed without charging any money.
Qi Shejiang took a look around, observing the makeup of the crowd. He felt a bit nostalgic; regardless of the reason, this was his first time performing on the street after coming to this new space.
