The Three Pure Ones' Secret: Expressing Spirit

With everything arranged, everyone began rehearsing immediately. Old Wang specially arranged a rehearsal room for us at the school and reserved two afternoon classes for us to rehearse.

Perhaps because I had promised Yin Yuhong that I would sing with her, the two of us gradually became more and more familiar with each other. She often asked me about my life. At first, I was a little shy in front of her, but as we got to know each other better, my conversations with her became more and more natural.

Actually, I had some realizations. I never expected that there would be a girl in this world, besides my family and Lao Fan, who could talk to me so naturally and harmoniously. Yin Yuhong was probably quite willing to listen to my silly childhood stories; she even teased me, calling me a fool.

I saw her smiling at me from the side. She looked very beautiful when she stood up. Perhaps this is the feeling of being touched by emotions during adolescence. Just think, who doesn't yearn for a happy, unforgettable love when they are eighteen or nineteen?

The script for our rehearsals was quickly written by Cui Xingwen, who made some handwritten drafts for us using the school's printer. In the rehearsal room, we practiced the dialogue according to the drafts she provided, with each of us supervising the other.

They were all quite outgoing, so they quickly got into the swing of things during rehearsals. But I was a bit more complicated because Meng Jiahong and I were playing the roles of Lao Fan and Bai He from the original story. I know Lao Fan's expressions and mannerisms very well, but the problem was that I was too shy and felt awkward around everyone.

Li Quan and Li Peng played the roles of a fox and a dove, respectively. Since the scripts for the fox and dove were the longest, and the credits were meant to help them earn credits, these two most challenging roles were given to them.

Li Quan was initially speechless, but eventually had no choice but to accept it, complaining as he performed, "Wow. Have you ever seen such a fat dove on a tree branch?"

Although Li Quan's portrayal of Banjiu is indeed somewhat unsuitable for the role, who else could we cast him? He is the most communicative person among us.

Aside from him, no one had any objections. Li Peng played the fox, Meng Jiahong played Bai He, and I played Lao Fan. As for choosing the role with the least screen time for Yin Yuhong, it was the landlord.

Originally, everything was arranged, with all unnecessary parts eliminated, and rehearsals proceeding according to the normal procedure. However, at the end of the story, we had to thank Lao Fan for having time, so we switched positions, and Fan Biao became our hired help, playing himself. But that was in the last few days before the show started; before that, we rehearsed everything according to the pre-arranged plan.

Every afternoon, we would rehearse the play, and after dinner, I would sing with Yin Yuhong. At that time, we hadn't decided on any songs yet, so Yin Yuhong found some for me to try and practice my voice. I'm tone-deaf, and I can't sing in tune. But luckily, Yin Yuhong was very patient. She taught me how to pronounce the words, and this girl was quite talented; she could play several musical instruments.

The days passed steadily, moving forward at the rhythm of rehearsals. Every night after the play and chorus rehearsals, I would accompany Yin Yuhong as we slowly walked back to the girls' dormitory.

The evening breeze on campus had long lost its early spring chill, becoming warm and soft, feeling exceptionally comfortable on the face. The sycamore trees lining the road had already sprouted tender yellow buds, slowly unfurling into small, verdant leaves. A gentle breeze caused the leaves to sway softly, casting dappled shadows. The grass in the roadside lawns had all sprouted in unison, dotted with tiny wildflowers, and even the air was filled with the sweet scent of grass mixed with flowers.

We walked side by side under the streetlights, the warm yellow light casting our shadows close together, sometimes elongating, sometimes overlapping. We chatted about the funny things that happened during the day's rehearsals, about how Li Quan always forgot his lines when playing the turtledove, and how Li Peng was always too shy to move freely when playing the fox. Yin Yuhong would always cover her mouth and chuckle, her eyebrows curving into beautiful crescent moons.

"Look at that idiot Li Laoquan today. When he was playing a bird and flapping his wings, he almost flung the prop wing off and hit Li Peng who was standing next to him. It's a bit of an insult to let him play a birdman with his size," I said to her, turning my head.

Perhaps seeing how happy I was, Yin Yuhong smiled and nodded, her voice soft: "I saw it. He still insisted that the props weren't ready, but actually he was just too impatient."

"That's nothing, he's just being stubborn. He clearly can't remember his lines, and he has a whole bunch of excuses!" I chimed in, slowing my pace.

While we were chatting, she also talked to me about the details of the duet, and gently reminded me: "Let's practice the chorus again tomorrow. Just follow my rhythm and don't be nervous. You've already improved a lot."

"Thanks to your patient teaching, otherwise I would still be singing off-key." I scratched my head a little embarrassedly.

We chatted and laughed all the way, and soon arrived at the girls' dormitory building. Yin Yuhong stopped, turned around and waved to me, her eyes gentle: "I'm going up now, you should go back to your dormitory and rest early too."

"Okay, good night, see you tomorrow." I stood there, watching her walk into the dormitory building, and only turned and left after her figure disappeared at the top of the stairs.

The weather grew warmer day by day, the sunshine became brighter and clearer, the new buds on the branches grew more and more lush, and the whole campus was filled with fresh greenery, immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of spring. Our rehearsals were also getting smoother and smoother. Every afternoon, everyone gathered on time in the empty classroom. Li Laoquan still complained about his role as the turtledove, but he was exceptionally serious when rehearsing, correcting his movements again and again; Li Peng's portrayal of the fox was becoming more and more docile and natural, and he also grasped the emotions in his eyes very well; Meng Jiahong brought Bai He's composure to life, and I imitated Lao Fan's words and actions based on what I usually saw; Yin Yuhong's role as the homeowner, although she had few scenes, every line and every expression was just right.

During rehearsal breaks, Li Peng would always hand over a few bottles of water, smiling and saying, "At this pace, the performance will definitely be fine, and our credits are in the bag!"

Then, he looked at Liu Shiyu and Wu Qian sitting on the side of the rehearsal room, a smug look on his face. Liu Shiyu rolled her eyes at him, completely unmoved: "I hope you can have that kind of confidence when you go on stage!"

Li Quan wiped the sweat from his forehead and pouted, "Of course. It doesn't matter who's playing the lead role. Even if I, this dove, am a bit chubby, I can still act well."

Meng Jiahong chuckled and teased, "Don't brag, who forgot their lines again?"

As the group chatted and laughed, the fatigue from rehearsals vanished, replaced by anticipation for the performance. Wu Qian sat quietly to the side, watching us and occasionally helping us tidy up the props.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Yin Yuhong. She looked gentle yet radiant. I noticed she was sweating profusely from helping us, so I asked her, "Aren't you tired?"

She shook her head to indicate that she wasn't tired.

By the time everyone had packed up the script and props, the setting sun had already painted half the sky red, and the evening glow spread across the campus. A few of us were lying on the balcony outside the rehearsal room, staring blankly at the scene. Liu Shiyu was taking pictures with her phone and even secretly snapping photos of our backs.

Before we knew it, the days flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already a week before the arts festival. Posters promoting the festival were everywhere on campus, announcements were playing on the radio, and the atmosphere was lively. Our performance was finally about to take the stage.

During that time, Fan Biao had nothing to do and was bored out of his mind, so he often came to chat with me. One day during a break from rehearsals, I was leaning against the classroom window basking in the sun, and I was talking to him about the play script I was holding. Perhaps he was really free, because he casually asked about the progress of our rehearsals.

Without thinking much about it, I explained the simplified script and the character arrangements to him, and also told him that many minor plots had been cut in order to shorten the performance time.

To everyone's surprise, Fan Biao frowned immediately after hearing this, staring at me with an unusually serious tone: "No, your performance missed the most crucial element! How could you omit the detail of the black bear pointing at the dove in a perfectly good mythological fable? And do you even know the origin of that black bear who attained enlightenment in the mountains?"

I was taken aback by his question, my mind filled with doubt. In my eyes, he was just a supporting character in the story who helped advance the plot, with no special background whatsoever. I immediately pressed him for an answer: "Isn't he just a black bear who has practiced Taoism? What special things could he possibly have to do with it? Lao Fan, tell me quickly."

During the video call, Fan Biao suddenly became mysterious, his lips pursed into a thin line, and he lowered his voice: "That's no ordinary wild beast, it's a great immortal from Northeast China. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye. Just search online for related stories and you'll understand."

His words only confused me more. Just as I was about to ask him more, I suddenly caught a glimpse of Meng Jiahong packing up the props. That's right! Old Meng is a native of the three northeastern provinces, so he definitely knows more about these folk tales of immortals than we do. Why should I bother searching online?

So the guy immediately got up and walked over to Meng Jiahong, patted him on the arm, and told him about his conversation with Fan Biao. He then quickly asked, "Old Meng, you're from Northeast China, you must know these things. Have you heard the story of the black bear cultivating itself into an immortal and being worshipped?"

Meng Jiahong looked up at me, nodded vigorously without thinking, and his expression became serious. He pulled me to a corner and whispered, "Of course I know! In Northeast China, every household has heard of these kinds of deities. The Black Bear Deity you mentioned is one of the most important ones we worship in our area, besides the fox, weasel, white fox, willow, and gray fox spirits."

He paused, lowered his voice, and continued, "It's not a real deity registered in Heaven, but it has extremely high prestige among the people of Northeast China. They believe it protects the mountains and forests and guides them through difficulties. Many people worship it during festivals. Its status is not much different from that of a proper deity. When we deleted this part of the story, we really lost the most important part of the story."

I stood there, listening to Meng Jiahong's words, and then looked back at Fan Biao, who had a meaningful look on his face. Suddenly, I realized that the inconspicuous black bear in the script actually contained such profound folk customs. For a moment, I regretted that I shouldn't have deleted this key plot to save trouble.

Filled with curiosity, I couldn't help but ask who this black bear spirit was.

Meng Jiahong didn't beat around the bush and slowly told me the legend of the Northeast Black Mother.

He said that Black Mother is a highly revered black bear deity in Northeast China, whose true form is a thousand-year-old black bear who has attained enlightenment through spiritual practice. She is compassionate and resides in the mountains, protecting the peace and well-being of all living beings. In the Northeast, every household respects and worships Black Mother, with incense burning continuously throughout the year. People believe that she is kind-hearted, charitable, and loves to guide those who are lost and help those with good intentions.

She usually hides deep in the mountains and ancient forests, rarely showing herself. But whenever she encounters a creature or mortal who is loyal, righteous, and steadfast, she will feel compassion and secretly offer guidance and resolve calamities. Just like the enlightened black bear in our story, who saw through the dove's sincere desire to find its friend and took the initiative to show the way, it acted entirely in accordance with the black mother's character.

Meng Jiahong then lamented that it was a real pity they had cut this scene to save time. The Black Mother herself embodies the meaning of loyalty and compassion, helping others and herself, which perfectly matches the inseparable friendship between the fox and the dove. Adding this scene back not only gives the play more folk cultural depth, but also makes the story's theme much more profound.

After listening, I suddenly understood and realized the purpose of Fan Biao's special suggestion. It turned out that the seemingly insignificant black bear in the script actually contained the profound folk legend and cultural heritage of the Northeast Black Mother. I immediately discussed with everyone that we must add back the scene where the black bear points to the dove, to properly restore the Black Mother's compassionate and benevolent meaning of fulfilling true love, and to make this campus folk performance more meaningful and profound.

But if we add that in, we'll be missing someone to perform. Who should we ask to perform that?

~

Once we decided to add the Black Mother, who is also the Black Bear Spirit, back to the play, we immediately faced a problem. Adding a core plot segment would require adding another actor, and our manpower shortage was exposed again.

Just as we were struggling with the script, Fan Biao, who was video chatting with me, suddenly asked me something that surprised me greatly. Perhaps he had been bored at home lately, because he exuded a sense of aimlessness. Seeing us rehearsing in the classroom, he seemed quite curious and listlessly asked, "Are you guys short of people for this play? I've been staying home with nothing to do, so I thought I'd come and join in the fun, maybe even play a role on stage for fun?"

I frowned upon hearing this, looked him up and down, my heart pounding. I blurted out instinctively, "You've never acted before, can you do it? And can the school allow outsiders to participate?" I even scratched my head as I spoke, full of hesitation.

Li Quan's eyes immediately lit up. He slapped the table, stood up, and leaned over, his face beaming with joy: "Hey! This is perfect! We're short-handed, and Lao Fan's willingness to come is just perfect!"

Li Peng nodded quickly, reached out and tugged at my arm, whispering, "Yeah, more people means more help. Anyway, they're all acquaintances, so it'll be easier to get along quickly. Let's just agree."

I was speechless. When did they become acquaintances? It seemed like we had never actually met in person. They would just joke around and make small talk when Fan Biao and I were chatting or making video calls.

Seeing Li Laoquan's anxious expression, he immediately grabbed the script and said, "We need to revise it again. I'll go ask Lao Wang if we can get some outside help. You guys wait for me!"

He then rushed out of the rehearsal room. Less than ten minutes later, he came bounding back, hands on his hips, shouting, "All done! Old Wang said we can arrange it ourselves, he has no objections, whatever works best for us!"

Some people were surprised, but immediately decided that Fan Biao should play himself, without having to deliberately try to figure out a character, and just be himself. At the same time, the roles were reassigned, with Meng Jiahong taking over the role of the Black Bear Spirit, Black Mother.

Old Meng is nearly 1.9 meters tall. Standing in a crowd, his broad shoulders, thick back, and imposing physique perfectly match the aura of a black bear. But upon hearing that he had to dress up as an old woman, his face instantly fell. His brows furrowed, and he unconsciously scratched his head, looking utterly resistant: "Seriously? You want me to play an old woman? And wear old woman makeup? With my tall stature and gruff voice, I just don't look right at all!"

He spoke in a low voice, stomped his feet from time to time, and had an affected and coquettish expression on his face.

After class, Cui Xingwen came to watch our rehearsal. Standing to the side, she looked at him like this, covered her mouth and burst out laughing. Her shoulders shook and her eyes were full of laughter. She teased, "You can try it. I think your movements and sounds just now don't need any more optimization. Hahaha, it's killing me."

Everyone burst into laughter at Lao Meng's unexpected behavior, and then Liu Shiyu said to him, "I'll give you a black bear makeover, hahaha, I can't hold it in anymore!"

Amidst everyone's teasing, Lao Meng began to cooperate with Liu Shiyu's makeup. After Meng Jiahong briefly tried on the old-age costume, he stood stiffly in the middle of the room. The incongruous sight of a burly man trying to portray a kind old woman made Cui Xingwen laugh so hard she couldn't stand up straight, leaning on the table next to her, tears welling up in her eyes. We were all amused by his ugly appearance and couldn't suppress our laughter.

Afterwards, Fan Biao came to the school. He was very excited about the school environment, and we showed him around. He took time out every afternoon to come and help us with rehearsals. I wanted to ask him why Bai He wasn't with us, so I could talk to him about the scene when the two of them encountered the fox and the dove, but he said that Brother Bai had taken advantage of his free time to go and doves.

I played Bai He, and my communication with Fan Biao was normal. We were used to each other in our daily lives, so our lines, movements, and eye contact were all very natural, without any awkwardness. Rehearsals were very easy, and he didn't stutter like he usually does when he talks to people.

No one expected that Fan Biao, who seemed quiet and reserved, was actually very easygoing. Within two days of joining the rehearsal, he was already arm in arm with Li Quan and Li Peng, chatting and joking with them during breaks. He was also very easygoing with Yin Yuhong and Cui Xingwen, completely integrating into our group and becoming one with everyone. The atmosphere in the rehearsal room became even more lively and harmonious than before.

My duet with Yin Yuhong has become more and more in sync. At first, people would just listen to us sing and laugh when they had time, but now they listen to us patiently and occasionally analyze with us where the key should be higher and where it should be lower.