Day and night tour

Chapter 67 Taking the Stage
The Zhou family had a long-term habit of subscribing to newspapers, with seven or eight different types. Before dawn, the post office deliveryman would ride a bicycle to deliver the newspapers to the gatehouse.

Zhou Xuan got up early, went to the gatehouse, flipped through the newspaper, and didn't find the secret code of the Blood Well Society, so he went to the yard, took out the written book Liangzi, and read it while trying to get the feeling.

After breakfast,

Yuan Buyu had almost finished his work and came over to give some pointers, not targeting Shu Liang, but mainly Zhou Xuan's "voice, stage, shape and performance".

"Speak loudly, don't be stage-frightened, and speak boldly."

"You have a really good figure, good image and good temperament, but you can't walk the same way on stage as you do in real life. Don't bend your waist when you walk, and walk slowly to look stylish."

"As for performance and stage presence, they can't be polished in a short time. You should perform a few shows first..."

"Well, I plan to start the performance tonight." Zhou Xuan told Yuan Buyu about his plan to go on stage.

"Just act. Experience comes from acting. As long as you can speak the words and not just open your mouth and be confused, it'll be fine."

Yuan Buyu strongly supports Zhou Xuan's "forcing things to happen".

……

Night came,

In the outer courtyard of the Zhou family, a platform has been built, on which stands a wooden table, with folding fans and wake-up sticks neatly placed on the table.

Almost all the masters, apprentices and senior brothers in the team came.

There is nothing much to do in the evening, just chatting, drinking, playing chess, and those who are a little more ambitious will stay in the house and read newspapers or books.

Now we heard that the young class teacher was going to give a lecture, so we all gave him face and came to listen, and each brought his own stool.

In addition to the people in the team, some neighbors nearby also came to join in the fun.

Yu Zhengyuan was happy. He carried the kettle and helped to refill the tea. He also encouraged everyone from time to time: "When Xiaoxuan is giving a lecture later, don't let your hands rest. Clap once after listening to two paragraphs."

Zhou Xuan: “…”

The show hasn't even started yet, could Senior Brother please help find a "host"?
"Can this friendly applause accumulate incense?" Zhou Xuan asked Yuan Buyu.

"If this can attract people, then the best storytellers won't be craftsmen, but high-ranking officials and leaders."

……

The book talk was scheduled for 8pm. Five minutes before the show started, Zhou Xuan had already started to warm up the audience. He went on stage, cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and recalled the key points in the book.

Just then, a strange audience came.

The audience was a middle-aged man. His hands, feet and face made him look like a thin man, but his belly was monstrous, even bigger than that of a pregnant woman in her tenth month.

Even with Zhou Xuan's psychic powers and face-reading skills, he couldn't tell what this middle-aged man looked like.

Looking more closely, one can see that the man's face, neck, and hands were all covered with a thick layer of powder. He forgot to put powder behind his ears, revealing a purple scar - corpse spots.

This man is actually dead?
"My friend, have you come to the wrong place?"

Zhou Xuan stepped down from the stage and stood in front of the man.

"Are you a storyteller? We had nothing to do tonight, and when we heard there was a storyteller, we came to take a look."

The man was quite polite, but when he spoke, it was not his throat that spoke, but his stomach that spoke.

And it is clearly one person, but he says "we".

At this moment, Yuan Buyu came over and tried to smooth things over, saying, "We are all guests, please find a seat."

He gestured for invitation, and the big-bellied man found a stool and sat down in the corner.

Zhou Lingyi, who had been resting with her eyes closed, also stood up, pulled a chair, and sat two meters away from the man.

The big-bellied man saluted Zhou Lingyi with his fists clasped, but Zhou Lingyi ignored him, so he had to give up and sat back on the stool awkwardly.

"Snapped"

Awakening the room with a wooden stick,

The place was originally noisy, but when they heard the sound of the wake-up stick, they all knew that the storytelling had begun, and they all stopped talking to listen to Zhou Xuan.

"Thank you all for your support. I have just started learning calligraphy. I am relying on your kindness to dare to tell you a story called "The White Eyebrowed Hero"."

"In March, everything comes back to life. The Qinchuan Plain stretches for 800 miles, and rows of green willows form a picturesque scene. Along the road, a man named Xu Liang came..."

"...The most eye-catching and special thing about him is that he has two white eyebrows...He wears a large gold-threaded sword under his left rib, and holds a folding paper fan in his hand. He enjoys the scenery of Qinchuan while walking..." It was Zhou Xuan's first time to give a story, but he was not nervous at all. Even when he talked about the "folding paper fan", he opened his folding fan with a "snap" and walked to the right side of the stage, swaying his body as if he was enjoying the scenery of Qinchuan.

The book begins with a long description of Xu Liang. In addition to what Zhou Xuan just said, there is also a subsequent paragraph that explains Xu Liang from beginning to end, from his real name to his nickname, and even what tricks he has.

After Zhou Xuan finished describing Xu Liang in an orderly manner, the audience became interested. Some even asked curiously, "Did the young master really only teach the book for a few days? This book is so good!"

"It's better than the ones in the teahouse. Take the hero Xu Liang he talked about. He's really amazing. He can wield a knife, and is proficient in boxing and palm techniques. He can also use both hands to shoot and catch darts. He can shoot arrows at targets during the day and shoot incense sticks at night..."

"That's what a hero is. It sounds like a hero."

People in the troupe like to watch the fun, but Yuan Buyu only cares about the details.

He read to himself, "This book is really lively. Xuanzi's storytelling skills are really poor. However, this is his first time on stage. His body is not stiff and he can perform in coordination with the book. He is a typical stage madman and in good condition... If he performs a dozen shows, he will make great progress."

The big-bellied man sitting in the corner was also listening happily, nodding his head and enjoying it very much.

For this book, Zhou Xuan wrote four volumes of Shu Liangzi, each volume took about half an hour to talk about, and it could not be finished in one go.

How many people can stand listening to it for two hours straight?

Even the person who is speaking can’t stand it.

So Zhou Xuan only finished the first episode and did not continue. He tapped the wake-up stick and said, "To know what happens next, please listen to the next episode."

"Is that the end? I just figured out something."

"Young Boss, please repeat yourself. You just mentioned that the Marquis of Chang'an wanted to capture the White Eyebrow Hero. Did he catch him?"

"Tell me another paragraph and another paragraph."

The people in the troupe were very enthusiastic.

Of course Zhou Xuan was happy, as these were all incense offerings. He took a five-minute break and started talking about the second episode.

But as the performance progressed, Zhou Xuan's attitude subtly changed.

After finishing the first episode, the troupe asked for another one.

Zhou Xuan was delighted: "Okay, these are all incense!"

At the end of the second episode, the troupe members asked for more, saying they hadn’t heard enough.

Zhou Xuan: "Okay, it's also a gift."

When the third episode was over, the troupe's emotions were ignited again and they loudly requested to continue.

Zhou Xuan: "That's about it. My throat feels like it's smoking... Okay, okay, for the sake of the incense."

When the fourth episode ended, the troupe members said they still hadn’t heard enough.

Zhou Xuan looked exhausted, as if he had no desire to live: "No more talking. Incense? I don't want it!"

Storytelling is hard work. Not only does one have to keep moving one's voice, but one must also keep moving one's body. One has to act along with the actions of the characters in the book.

When Xu Liang used Qinggong, Zhou Xuan had to jump up and down. When Xu Liang used darts, Zhou Xuan had to dance with his hands.

After jumping and speaking all the time, Zhou Xuan was already exhausted.

The tiredness made him want to find a place to have a good sleep.

"Everyone, I'm really sorry, I haven't written the rest of the story yet. If you want to hear more, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Zhou Xuan clasped his fists and saluted, but the people in the troupe were all very excited and surrounded him, refusing to let him leave.

There was really no other choice, so Zhou Xuan simply recited a few lyrics in a rough voice.

"Knife, what kind of knife is it? A large gold-threaded ring knife."

"Sword, what kind of sword is it? The sword that shames the moon and the flowers."

"What kind of person is this? A person who can fly over rooftops and walls."

Looking at this verse now, it seems a bit rustic, but when "White Eyebrow Hero" was popular, this verse was recited everywhere in the streets and alleys.

After Zhou Xuan taught everyone several times, he clasped his fists again, and the crowd reluctantly made way for him to go back and rest.

"I will continue the performance tomorrow. Please support me."

(End of this chapter)