An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Chapter 244 A makeshift troupe

Many older singers only have one or two songs they can still sing.

Of course, they may have had more works at the time, but time has sifted through them.

Only a very small number of them may still have vitality.

There are many examples in history of people changing their destiny through a song.

The famous actress Zhou Xuan was discovered in 1931 and joined the "Bright Moon Dance Troupe". In her early years, she was ridiculed for her accent.

She gradually established her status as a "golden voice" through diligent practice of Shanghai dialect and vocal techniques.

But it wasn't until 1937 that he achieved his goal with the recording of "When Will You Return," a song that blended the old Shanghai style with his personal emotions.

She became an overnight sensation, which made her a representative figure of Shanghai culture.

And judging from the quality of Jiang Baobin's "Me and My Motherland".

If she were to write another popular song, Gao Yueyuan might have a chance to replicate Zhou Xuan's experience.

However, Jiang Baobin's next words...

But it was as if they had been doused with cold water, completely extinguishing their hopes.

"To be honest, I can write songs, but I can't guarantee that Yueyuan can sing them."

"To be more precise, there's no guarantee that she'll always be the one singing that song."

"To be honest, given Yueyuan's background and her own physical condition..."

Do you think they'll let her perform a song like "My Motherland and I" on stage?

This is a very real problem.

Furthermore, Jiang Baobin has another rather ridiculous flaw, which is—

He can only write songs on the same level as "My Motherland and I".

I can't write anything worse.

Because what he gets to learn is either a classic or an absolute classic!

Asking someone with only a mediocre talent to write a new song that's decent but a level or two below "My Motherland and I" would be a better option.

Jiang Baobin could only shrug his shoulders:

Faced with the cruel truth revealed by Jiang Baobin, Gao Yueyuan burst into tears and was about to run out the door.

What this girl secretly hoped for was that Jiang Baobin would write a song for her.

And perform it in public once.

In that case, she would be willing to die immediately!

Jiang Baobin had anticipated her move and reached out to stop her: "Why are you in such a hurry? As the old saying goes, if one door closes, another opens. I haven't finished speaking yet."

Standing to the side, Gao Danyan was listening to Jiang Baobin speak, but her eyes kept darting around.

At this moment, she reached out and slapped him: "Stop keeping me in suspense, look how impatient Yuanyuan is!"

"So, it's my fault now? I only have one mouth, I can't just say everything one by one."

Gao Danyan gritted her teeth in anger: "Ugh, is it alright if I admit it? Just hurry up and tell me, you're driving me crazy!"

Jiang Baobin grinned mischievously: Nonsense, I would have said it as soon as I came up.

Doesn't that make my idea seem worthless? Will you still be grateful to me in the future?

Seeing that Gao Danyan was about to hit someone, Jiang Baobin said, "It's like this, I was assigned to a new unit."

"I've been working for two days now, but I haven't done much, just observed."

"Not only our group, but we also carefully observed the other groups."

"Tsk! I don't think this will work. If I stay there any longer, I'll be useless inside in no time!"

Jiang Baobin paused for a moment.

Several women, including Qin Huairu, were listening attentively.

That's when the mystery was officially revealed: "I'm planning to form a small arts troupe."

"We won't stay in the city; we'll go to the countryside and perform for the people."

Gao Danyan's eyes, which were already large, widened even more now: "Ah! A makeshift troupe?"

Jiang Baobin rolled his eyes at her: "What do you mean by 'makeshift troupe'?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said? It's the arts troupe, okay?"

"Now that you mention it, it sounds like something out of a rural village."

Gao Danyan pouted: "Even if you changed the name, you'd still be a makeshift troupe. What can you do in the countryside?"

Jiang Baobin retorted, dissatisfied, "Stop talking nonsense and just tell me if you're going to work for me or not!"

If you keep dragging your feet, I'll find someone else.

Just as Gao Danyan was about to speak, Gao Yueyuan, who had stopped sobbing, asked, "So, what will we act out when we get to the countryside?"

Jiang Baobin crossed his legs and said smugly, "The performance format is very casual."

"Singing, opera singing, dancing, clapper talk, storytelling, crosstalk—anything you can do, you can perform."

"Ah, but all I can do is sing songs."

"6

"You can play musical instruments, can't you?"

"Yes, I can play the pipa, erhu, flute, and guzheng, but I'm not very good at playing the qin."

"That's enough, that's enough. We're dealing with farmers; they don't have such high standards of appreciation."

"They mainly like things that are lively and festive."

Gao Danyan interjected at the opportune moment: "Isn't that still just a makeshift troupe performing for small landlords?"

Jiang Baobin gritted his teeth at her, looking like he was about to strangle her.

Gao Danyan wasn't afraid at all. She chuckled and asked, "Then your makeshift team—"

"You're calling us a 'grassroots' troupe again, or I'll get angry!"

"Alright, alright, an arts troupe, an arts troupe. So, how many people do you plan to recruit for this arts troupe?"

Jiang Baobin was taken aback: "What do you mean, find someone from outside?"

"You have a whole troupe, right? There should be at least twenty or thirty people, including performers, musicians, and managers."

Jiang Baobin gave her a mischievous grin.

Gao Danyan was truly clever; she blinked and immediately understood: "Ah! It can't just be the few of us, can it?"

"Why not? It's just you, me, Yueyuan, and maybe Lao Gao."

"Is it really just the four of us?"

"What's wrong with four people? I've never heard of the Four Heavenly Kings!"

Gao Yueyuan rolled her eyes, then shook her head repeatedly: "I've never heard of a troupe of four people. You can't perform like this."

"If I say I can act, then I can act! Why don't you trust me?"

Gao Danyan looked aggrieved: "It's not that I don't trust you."

"But I've never heard of a four-person troupe before, how are they supposed to act?"

"Wouldn't that exhaust people? Besides, the audience wouldn't agree to it!"

Jiang Baobin scoffed, "Do I look like someone who's asking for trouble?"

"Our performance is a new style, only two hours long. Do you really think it's a traditional folk performance? Three days and two nights?"

"Only two hours? Will anyone even watch?"

"Why is nobody watching? They toil in the fields all year round."

"It's not easy for an arts troupe to come and perform for free, wouldn't they be overjoyed!"

"What did you say?" Gao Danyan yelled, her voice cracking.

Jiang Baobin picked at his ear: "All excited, aren't you?"

"The sentence before that!"

"A free performance."

"Are you crazy? If it's free, what are we supposed to eat and drink?"

Jiang Baobin grinned smugly: "So you're a foreigner now. The most expensive thing in the world is free."

"What did you say? Are you delirious from a fever?"

Just as Jiang Baobin was about to explain, Gao Yueyuan interrupted, "Mr. Jiang, I'll work for you."

Gao Danyan exclaimed in alarm, "Yuanyuan, have you gone mad too? Are you going to starve if you stay with him?"

"Sister Dandan, as long as I can perform on stage and stop making cardboard boxes, I'll do anything."

Since being reformed, Gao Yueyuan has stopped calling Mrs. Gao "Aunt Yu".

The two were ten years apart in age, so they addressed each other as sisters.

"Hey!" Jiang Baobin gave a thumbs up. "You're really dedicated to art! You'll definitely amount to something in the future."

"Comrade Xiao Gao, I assure you, you will not regret your decision today."

Jiang Baobin and Gao Yueyuan then both looked at Gao Danyan.

The latter, however, stamped his feet in frustration: "You're both crazy! You're both insane!"