1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 279 The hustle and bustle of the city
Zhu Hong was always evasive, and Yin Qiujin was tactful enough not to ask any further questions.

She was a smart person and knew that she and Zhu Hong were just classmates. It was normal that some things were not convenient for her family to disclose, after all, this was Beijing.

How does the saying go? In the capital, even a brick thrown at you can hit a junior cadre.

Then again, Yin Qiujin didn't think it was that rare for someone to be involved in drama, at least he didn't need to make special inquiries about him.

Last month, the Literature and Art Department of People's Daily and Beijing People's Art Theater jointly held a symposium on "The World's No. 1 Restaurant" at Qianmen Roast Duck Restaurant.

A few days ago, People's X Newspaper made a special report on this symposium.

This is the last time to promote the official performance of "The World's No. 1 Restaurant".

The article mentioned that Mr. Cao Yu attended the symposium. The author recorded that Cao Yu talked for a long time at the meeting and emphasized two "unexpected" words.

I didn’t expect Jiang Xiancai, who is so young, to have such a profound experience of life. I didn’t expect the ending of the play to be so beautiful.

Cao Yu: "What I appreciate most is this banner: All good things must come to an end!

The first part is mentioned by Kangxi, and the second part is matched by Ji Xiaolan, but this horizontal scroll is the finishing touch.
A pair of couplets and a wonderful horizontal scroll brought the show to a perfect end."

With such a grand publicity spree, for the old drama fans in Beijing who love drama, the profound historical drama "The World's Number One Restaurant" has undoubtedly become the most anticipated drama in recent times.

Tickets for the Capital Theatre's performance of "The World's Number One Restaurant" are so hard to come by.

A few days before the performance, when Jiang Xian visited the Capital Theatre, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening. The quiet night was in sharp contrast to the enthusiastic rehearsals in the Capital Theatre.

Accompanied by Song Dandan, he walked from the backstage to the front stage.

Just a few steps away, it's another world.

The third act of "The World's Number One Restaurant" is being rehearsed on stage. The actors are passionate, serious and dedicated.

Although they are not wearing costumes, their every smile, every sitting and standing, every hand movement and every play are all characters, including the ambitious shopkeeper, the smart and capable woman, the tyrannical oven owner, the versatile waiter.
Chief Director Xia Chun stood in the center of the audience, holding the script in his left hand and a pen in his right hand, watching intently and polishing every detail on the stage.

There is an aura around him, like a superman who can control everything.

Jiang Xian stopped for a long time.

The people and events in the dilapidated building of Fujude are naturally presented through the joint coordination of the actors and the director.

Brilliant and lifelike.

The rehearsal ended quickly.

Once the actor stepped off the stage, he was noticeably humbled.

"Writer Jiang."

They greeted Jiang Xian one by one, including Lu Mengshi's Group A character Tan Zongyao.

Jiang Xian looked at him a few more times and found that after Tan Zongyao greeted him, he lowered his head and paced back and forth, thinking and recalling the rehearsal, and only occasionally chatted briefly with the people around him.

His every move revealed his awe and love for the stage, and there seemed to be a glimmer in his eyes, containing a bit of purity, a bit of intoxication, a bit of expectation, and a bit of pride.
"With such great actors, I feel assured about the official performance of 'The World's Number One Restaurant'." Jiang Xian whispered to director Xia Chun.

"You mean Old Tan?" Xia Chun smiled at him, "Old Tan is perfect for the role of Lu Mengshi."

He first chatted with Jiang Xian for a few words, and then called the crew members to the stage. All members of the crew formed a circle and discussed the problems in the performance together.

After finishing the analysis of the rehearsal, Xia Chun asked the screenwriter Jiang Xian to say a few more words to everyone.

Jiang Xian looked at this group of actors, a group of actors who became excited, confident and sincere when talking about acting.

A feeling of heroism suddenly arose in my heart.

"Everyone has worked hard. I don't have much to say. Please bring a set of paper and pen."

When everyone heard this, they immediately understood that Jiang Xian was going to write an inscription for the crew.

Pan Shuyang, the head of the drama management team, immediately brought him a brush and rice paper.

Jiang Xian raised his wrist to hold the pen, dipped it in ink, and then began to write with great enthusiasm.

“Number One in the World”

Tan Zongyao silently read out loud the words he had written, and the actors and stagehands all came over and stared at the piece of rice paper.

“The best crew in the world.”

"it is good!"

Someone cheered.

From actors to stage managers, from people in the play to outsiders, everyone's face was filled with excitement and inspiration when they saw the calligraphy.

The screenwriter's recognition was enough to make them forget the exhaustion of rehearsing at the moment.

"It is the joint efforts of everyone that have gradually given this play flesh and blood, and made this building no longer empty."

Jiang Xian said slowly, "If Tianxia Diyilou is successful, then this success will not only belong to me, but also to you."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's hearts were filled with enthusiasm and they were full of confidence for the official performance in a few days.

Xia Chun was even more satisfied.

Jiang Xian's visit to the set was simply the best pre-war mobilization.

11 month 14 day.

Zhu Hong and her roommates took the bus to Wangfujing Street in Dongcheng District and arrived at this four-story theater that combines European and Russian styles.

Four big red characters were hung on the top of the theater: Capital Theater!
When you stand there, a sacred artistic atmosphere spreads along every corner of the building, as if indicating its status as the highest temple of Chinese drama art.

"So many people come to see it." Yin Qiujin looked around at the crowds of people queuing to enter.

Most of these audience members are older and dressed more formally, and they are obviously fans who often "chase the drama".

"Hey, you came to see the show too."

"Oh, what a coincidence."

"You grabbed the tickets. It wasn't easy."

"Don't mention it. That day, we lined up so long to buy a ticket that the ticket booth collapsed."

Several female students were stunned after hearing this.

As Zhu Hong walked into the venue, she observed the internal structure of the Capital Theatre.

She saw many promotional posters of "The World's Number One Restaurant" on the walls all around.

The four most eye-catching slogans are:
"People are drinking and drinking at the table, and the dishes are full of all kinds of flavors. People say that the food in the capital is delicious, but who can understand the bitterness, spiciness, sourness and sweetness?"

Zhu Hong had read the script of "The Best Restaurant in the World" and knew that these four sentences were the slogans written by her brother-in-law Jiang Xian for the restaurant.

These four short sentences can be said to condense the profound meaning of the entire play.

She shared the meaning of the slogan with Yin Qiujin and others, of course, hiding the fact that Jiang Xian was her brother-in-law.

Several girls were studying Chinese. After listening to Jiang Xian's language art, their eyes were full of admiration.

"Comrade Jiang Xian is so talented"

"I wish I could write four sentences like this someday."

"It's not easy to write these four sentences. The key is that they condense the entire play."

They were chattering about it, and Zhu Hong felt secretly happy and proud listening to them.

It is a great honor to have a capable brother-in-law. Under the guidance of the guide, the female students of Yanda University entered the performance site together.

The seat position is quite good, it is in the middle and quite forward.

The atmosphere inside the theater was quite lively.

Zhu Hong looked around and saw that every seat was occupied by an audience. It could be said that the house was packed.

"Look, there are reporters." Yin Qiujin pointed forward.

Zhu Hong immediately saw several reporters with cameras hanging around their necks, and also saw a familiar figure.

"Brother-in-law!" she exclaimed.

Yin Qiujin quickly looked in the direction she was looking, "Which one is your brother-in-law?"

".The one wearing the grey Mao suit."

Yin Qiujin took a look at him. He was quite young and seemed to have the unique temperament of an intellectual.

His seat was arranged in the middle of the front row, and it was obvious that his status in the theater was quite special.

"Where's your sister? Is your sister here?"

"No, she's working out of town."

On the other side, Zhu Hong only recognized Jiang Xian, but could not recognize the old man next to Jiang Xian.

He was a little fat, and he was Mr. Cao Yu, the president of the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Until now, Cao Yu still read the script of "The Best Restaurant in the World" over and over again: "The dish is hung upside down from the pot with the glazed starch and the bright oil, and placed in a golden dragon bowl with a gold base and gold foil, which is called a house full of gold and jade."

"What does it mean to hang the glazed starch upside down before serving?" he asked.

"Glaze starch is a thinner starch sauce. To serve the dish upside down is to turn the pot upside down, put the vegetables in, and then let the sauce flow over the vegetables," Jiang Xian explained.

Cao Yu nodded, and then sighed, "You wrote about the five flavors on the plate, which is actually the five flavors of life. Your mastery of the five flavors on the plate shows that you are also proficient in the feelings of life.

This progression is based on cultural foundations. I really can’t understand why you are so young and yet you have become so mature. "

Seeing that the teacher was questioning his vicissitudes of life again, Jiang Xian smiled awkwardly.

“Maybe I became sensible earlier.”

He doesn't feel guilty yet.

Because the original author He Jiping was basically as young as he was when he created "The World's No. 1 Restaurant".

As they were talking, the atmosphere gradually quieted down and the curtain on the stage closed. However, as time slowly passed, everyone knew that the drama was about to begin.

General Xia Chun sat in his seat, his heart beating fast.

How many years has it been? It has been many years since the Capital Theatre was filled to capacity like today!

The Beijing People's Art Theatre has put a lot of effort into creating a big hype for "The World's Number One Restaurant" in order to create another big drama for them that will be influential, stand out, and reflect the strength and style of the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Now that it's done, everything will be fine.

If it fails today, it will definitely have a huge impact on the reputation and status of Beijing People's Art Theatre.

"Summer 1917"

The curtain opened as a male voice recited the words.

The actors, dressed in long gowns and short shirts, then came on stage.

Jiang Xian focused his attention on the stage. He was mesmerized by the magnificent stage performance.

Obviously, the Beijing People's Art Theatre cannot compare with the students of Yanda University in terms of both the performance of the actors and the stage layout.

Under the spotlight, Tan Zongyao was completely different from his humble appearance off the stage. He was full of vigor, high spirits, free and easy, and lifelike.

"Go to Ruifengxiang and buy two meters of red silk to make a big red banner, write 'Congratulations from all colleagues of Fujude, Qianmen Meat Market' on it, and on the day when Quanyingde opens, the shopkeeper will hire a pair of gongs and drums to play to congratulate the opening and wish for a prosperous business."

Every action, every line, every gesture seemed as if the character of Lu Mengshi had jumped out from between the lines of the script.

"Good! What a good show!" Jiang Xian felt relieved.

Feeling the heaviness and classicism that came towards him, he savored the mellow fragrance and immersed himself in the world of the play.

During the era in which Fu Jude lived, the country was humiliated and the people suffered.

A large number of urban civilians were struggling on the line between life and death. A very small number of capable people were able to change their fate with their talent and hard work, but the chance was extremely slim and short-lived.

Lu Mengshi is a business genius. He is ambitious and kind-hearted, and he quickly won the admiration of the audience.

The character of "Tang Tou" Chang Gui is equally lovable.

This is the restaurant owner in the old capital who is the best at reading people's expressions and getting along with everyone.

He was diligent and cautious, but in order to support his family, he had to bow down and scrape, and finally died with hatred in his heart.

This role is played by veteran actor Lin Liankun.

There is a scene where he is coming down the stairs, and suddenly he stumbles, then he stops and continues running.

The audience’s eyes were almost popping out!
A small detail of the action fully expresses Chang Gui's great inner pain and his compromising character!
There are also the cook Luo Datou, two dissolute young masters, the eunuch who serves as a steward in the palace, and the impoverished bannerman Ke Wu. Each actor, with his humming and singing, reciting, acting and fighting, forms a vivid picture of the people in the streets of the Republic of China, and the audience below the stage is fascinated.

In addition to the character creation, the stage art also showed its true colors.

It was like a paragraph announcing the names of dishes: "7 inches of mixed duck feet, 7 inches of pickled duck slices; 7 inches of braised raw meat, 7 inches of shredded chicken and cucumber; 7 inches of fried melon and dates, 7 inches of fish slices in pickled wine."

After a paragraph was finished, the whole room applauded.

Such "jokes" are obviously not embarrassing and superficial, but reveal the charm and interest of the old capital.

Performing a serious drama in a comedic way shows the superb level of "laughter with tears"!

There is also a conversation between two chefs about the Manchu-Han Banquet, with Beijing accents and rhymes, which is very interesting:

Luo Datou: "Man Han Banquet", is that ok?
Li Xiaobian: I’ve played it a few times.

Luo Datou: How many dishes?
Li Xiaobian: One hundred and eight kinds.

Luo Datou: Why one hundred and eight?
Li Xiaobian: Thirty-six Heavenly Generals and seventy-two Earthly Fiends, covering everything in heaven and on earth.

Luo Datou: What's the point?
Li Xiaobian: Six kinds of food: cold, hot, sweet, salty, meat and vegetarian. No rice is used for birthday celebrations, and no peach buns are used for wedding celebrations. In fact, it is also a thing made by Bailili, but it looks good but is not edible.

This already has some traditional folk art techniques.

"What a show! What a show!"

The audience cheered until their voices were hoarse without even realizing it.

Staring at the stage, I watch him build a tall building, I watch him entertain guests, and then I watch him leave and the building collapses.

The song ends and everyone disperses.

Liao Gaoer Xiu Dingxin, who had seen through everything, looked at the couplet:

"What a dangerous building, who is the host and who is the guest. There are only three old rooms, half suitable for the bright moon and half suitable for the wind"

"Hey, just missing a banner:"

"All good things come to an end!"

(End of this chapter)