An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Chapter 247 First Show

"Clang, clang, clang—"

There's a specific way to start; you have to beat a gong.

That's right, the venue for the performance has been set up.

Just after five o'clock, when the heat wasn't so intense, the first performance began.

The site was a flat drying ground.

There were no production team compounds these days, so this was the only place we could choose.

Good heavens, they really gave us face; the whole village came to watch the spectacle.

Parentheses, including dogs.

The most valuable item the performing arts troupe owned was a set of broadcasting equipment.

It includes: a large loudspeaker, a microphone, a power amplifier, and a hand-cranked generator to match the power amplifier.

Once you put one of these on, you're good to go; nothing else needs to be said, it's just high-class!

As a result, cranking generators has become a hot job, with young men vying to do it.

This set of things certainly didn't belong to Jiang Baobin; he's not that reckless to do anything like that.

He borrowed it from headquarters by shamelessly begging.

Other organizations aren't that well-off.

What reason could you give? At this point, grand principles are useless. Those who have fought in wars are straightforward; it's a blatant display of merit. Why shouldn't I get it? I risked my life in South Korea—

He still had face to save, so this important equipment was finally lent to him.

Everyone knows in their hearts that they'll never get it back.

Jiang Baobin wasn't satisfied with just one loudspeaker, so he found a broken one and had it repaired at a radio factory.

When people heard that their performance was free, they didn't charge them.

"Clang, clang, clang! Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen."

"Our show is about to start!"

"But before that, let me say a few words—"

"Whose kid is that, running around naked?"

"Quickly hug yourself, don't worry about the heat, our show is amazing!"

"You get so engrossed in watching that you easily forget about your child."

The villagers burst into laughter.

"Okay, let's get back to the main topic. Let me first explain why we chose to hold the first performance in our village."

"It's simple, it's because we have feelings for each other, we're destined to be together!"

Jiang Baobin waited for a while, but no applause came.

It seems the audience still needs to be cultivated.

So this guy glared at Zhou Changsheng.

The kid was grinning foolishly, forgetting that Jiang Baobin had told him to act as a shill with a few of his buddies.

After being glared at, he finally realized what was happening and quickly nudged the people next to him, and they all clapped and cheered.

Jiang Baobin finally felt comfortable and continued, "Our Zhoujiazhuang is a blessed land with outstanding people and beautiful scenery."

"It was because of my trip here that I was inspired to write 'My Motherland and I'!"

"This song has been featured in newspapers and on the radio, spreading from Beijing all the way to the rest of the country!"

"It was the most popular song last year! And even this year, without a doubt!"

Then this guy yelled a few lines of lyrics at the top of his lungs, and then asked, "Has everyone heard this song? You could say that without you guys, there would be no song like this!"

Some people said they had heard of it, while many more said they hadn't.

There's no way around it; a radio is simply too much of a luxury for them.

Aside from going to the district office or the market, there was no chance to hear the loudspeaker broadcasts.

Whether you've heard it or not, you're all proud to have such a connection with this awesome song!

They felt great, and Jiang Baobin was really into it.

Most importantly, more than ten minutes just passed by like that.

Next, the announcer, Gao Yueyuan, dressed in a dress, gracefully walked to the microphone.

A bunch of perverts stared wide-eyed!

Is this some kind of fairy descended from heaven? How come she's so fair-skinned and beautiful?

Gao Yueyuan said in a clear, crisp voice, "Please enjoy the first performance, an acrobatic knife throwing act!"

Then Lao Gao's drumbeats began, and Gao Yueyuan joined in with gong playing.

Jiang Baobin, who had already changed into his performance costume, took to the stage with a throwing knife that was more than a foot long.

These knives are all newly forged. They look shiny and intimidating, but they are actually unsharpened and don't even have a blade tip.

Why is he carrying such a long knife? Isn't he good at throwing darts?

That goes without saying, darts are for killing, so they need to be concealed.

Since this is a performance, of course a gleaming broadsword would be more eye-catching.

From darts to daggers, and finally to foot-long throwing knives, these techniques were all developed by later generations based on years of stage experience.

Just to attract viewers.

Jiang Baobin, the time traveler, went straight to the destination.

At this point, there's no need to say anything more.

He first practiced a set of "Six Harmonies Knife" (this kind of performance is just a hodgepodge, done to fill time).

Next, they performed a throwing and catching demonstration.

First there were two knives, then they added another one they were holding in their mouths. —————————————— Only the tips of the knives were sharp. Jiang Baobin had never played like this before; he only started practicing after he had the idea of starting an arts troupe.

It's all been less than 10 days in total, so you can imagine what it can achieve.

He's only able to reach his current level thanks to his exceptional "agility".

At most, you can throw and catch three throwing knives.

From the moment he entered the game until the end, it took him five or six minutes.

Next, he began assembling a U-shaped frame using pillars and beams.

Because there are readily available interfaces, installation is very quick.

Next, poplar planks were sandwiched between the two pillars to form a large wooden wall.

By this time, Gao Danyan had already handed the gong to Gao Yueyuan and gone downstairs to change her clothes.

Of course, there are no changing rooms in this kind of open-air venue.

Jiang Baobin had made preparations for this and made detachable wooden frames to build a square frame. He then covered it with cloth to create a simple changing room.

He started out as an internet celebrity, so he knows the importance of image packaging best.

Therefore, the most common props for the performance troupe are costumes, especially those worn by female actors.

Moreover, they are all beautiful and refreshing varieties.

These past two years have been alright, but viewers won't get this kind of perk anymore.

After finishing his work on stage, Jiang Baobin ran outside the changing room.

I couldn't help but laugh.

All that could be heard from inside was Gao Danyan muttering and cursing, "That stinking Jiang Laosan, that wicked Jiang Laosan!"

"All you do is cause trouble! You think I'm easy to bully? You just have to make me your target?"

"What if that knife stabs me? That huge knife! It hurts so much! Hmph—"

Later, the guy started whimpering, clearly genuinely scared.

Jiang Baobin suppressed a laugh: "Come out, it's time to go on stage and perform!"

Gao Danyan subconsciously agreed: "————"

Then she lifted the curtain and came out.

Jiang Baobin's eyes lit up.

Gao Danyan's voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Wait a minute—are you sure you can handle this?"

"Don't worry, I'm absolutely certain, I must, and I'm absolutely confident!"

"Besides, we've already practiced at home."

Gao Danyan sobbed, "Of course! How can practice and a formal performance be the same?"

"Let me tell you, if you hurt me, you'll have to support me for the rest of your life."

"Oh dear, even if I kept it for a lifetime, I'd still be at a loss. What if it got stuck in my face and ruined my appearance?"

Jiang Baobin laughed and said, "Don't worry, if I really touch you, I'll just consider you another young lady."

"roll!"

Seeing that she wasn't as nervous as before, Jiang Baobin quickly instructed her, "You can close your eyes later, but don't move, especially don't dodge."

"As long as you stand still, I guarantee you'll be safe and sound."

"Really? Then I'll close my eyes."

"Close it, but remember not to move around."

"Okay, okay."

Upon reaching the platform, Jiang Baobin took Gao Danyan's hand.

This became a common element in later performances.

But Gao Danyan didn't expect this, and couldn't help but glance at Jiang Baobin.

She didn't think he was taking advantage of her.

Instead, they were puzzled as to why he was so engrossed in the role.

You see, performances in big cities are naturally like this in order to achieve the desired effect.

But they're just a bunch of country folk, can't they just fool them and be done with it? Is it really that serious?

However, when Jiang Baobin showed an incredibly bright smile...