The birth of an actor

Chapter 25 Pig-Headed Girl
Good morning, did you sleep well?

"...What happened to your face?"

Facing the girl still straddling her bicycle, An Xin ignored her greetings and asked a question that left everyone speechless.

But... indeed, today's girl is completely different from yesterday's.

Yesterday he was all youthful, invincible, and unbeatable, but today... how did he turn into a pig's head?
"hey-hey……"

The pig-headed man chuckled, revealing a mouthful of small white teeth, his head brimming with idiocy.
"I went home to sleep after you left last night, and I got water retention."

She doesn't have the kind of self-esteem to be ashamed to show her face without makeup.

In reality, girls in that era were far less pretentious than those in later generations.

I ate until I was full and then went to sleep; the sweet bean sauce was too salty.

It's no wonder I feel puffy when I wake up in the morning.

So what if it's swollen? It's not like it won't go down.

Without any pretense, the girl pushed the car directly into the yard, and at the same time heard the "Ah~ Ah~~ Ah~~~" sounds coming from inside.

"Is that Grandpa Ye?"

"Correct."

Anxin was speechless.

Yesterday, he asked Uncle Li about Grandpa Ye, who lives next door. But Li Jun doesn't live here either, and Sui Xi arrives around eight o'clock every day, so naturally he doesn't know the situation.

I just mentioned it briefly:
"Previous employees said the old man next door was quite noisy."

The problem is... any normal person wouldn't find the old man's noise at four o'clock disturbing.

It was incredibly noisy.

But... what can we do? After all, they really know something.

Besides...

Just ask yourself if you can handle a Tier 0 version.

"Shall we go then?"

"Let's go. Here you go."

Anxin pointed to the tin stove in the yard:
"It's just started cooking. After the lesson, the three of us will eat it together. Consider it tuition."

"Hehehe~"

The pig's head beamed with joy.

I can't even see with my eyes anymore.

Then, a series of knocks on the door interrupted the "ah ah ah" sounds from inside.

Soon, an old man wearing a short-sleeved jacket in the style of the old society opened the door and saw two children.

Happy.

"Oh, you're really up?"

"Uncle Ye~"

Pighead called out affectionately.

"Bingbing... what did you eat last night? Why is your face so chubby?"

"Hey hey hey..."

Amidst the silly laughter, the old man opened the door and let the two of them in.

The courtyard was the same one as yesterday, and when the two children came in, the old man didn't hold back or say anything about "those who have entered my door".

He simply pointed under the birdcage:
"Go, go stretch your legs. Let's warm up first."

Upon hearing this, the two nodded.

Leg stretching is something that An Xin considers no big deal at all, at least.

As soon as Anxin put her leg on the horizontal bar, her eyes widened.

Fan Bingbing's chest was pressed against her thighs.

Its flexibility is simply incredible.

However, he could only bend it with difficulty.

It was so stiff it was a complete mess.

"puff……"

Pighead was delighted.

"Come down."

Anxinxin said, "I've already reached the bottom, what else can I do?"
Seeing his labored movements, the girl was speechless. After struggling to straighten her legs, she went behind him and placed her hands on his back.

"Hold it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a scream like a pig being slaughtered erupted from the small courtyard.

The old man, who was practicing his singing, looked at An Xin's stiff body with a speechless expression and sighed helplessly.

Ugh.

I indulged in a meal.

And then I ended up with this wretched child...

My peaceful life is probably over from now on...

……

According to the elders, in the old days, the leading actors in opera troupes had to possess "body, rhythm, intention, and form." Body refers to physical attributes; for example, actors playing warriors were tall and imposing, while actresses playing female roles had graceful and slender figures. Intention, on the other hand, meant that after the character was dressed up, they had to embody the spirit and atmosphere of the role. Over time, this spirit and atmosphere would evolve from simply "being able to convincingly portray any character" to becoming the very person they portrayed.

As for "charm," that's more abstract. It's simply that you see a person at first glance and can sense a charm or aura about them that sets them apart from ordinary people. This isn't immediately apparent; there are so many historical figures and so many plays throughout history. Acquiring this so-called "charm" is entirely a process of accumulation. It involves understanding the heroic deeds of the characters portrayed, or delving deeply into the story, learning about it, and interpreting it from your own perspective.

When the old man talked about this, he even used "Farewell My Concubine," the most famous opera of the Mei School, as an example. He listed what Yu Ji looked like before, and why, after Mei Lanfang's Yu Ji appeared, almost all schools of Yu Ji have changed their costumes and makeup. He also listed how he created Yu Ji's exclusive "female armor," and how, according to modern people's understanding, the "early makeup" style, etc.

To put it bluntly, a performer's charm needs to be cultivated.

As for how to raise it, that depends on the individual. It takes time and effort.

As for the final form, it refers to physical appearance, basic skills, and the elegance in one's gestures and movements.

That morning, the old man talked for the time it takes to brew two pots of tea.

Instead of teaching other things, they systematically taught the two children what a true "star" is.

Actually, this goes against his original intention.

Yesterday's momentary indulgence led to this wonderful encounter, but he didn't really think much of it. Otherwise, if some of the older folks knew he was taking care of the little one again... they might think he was starting a new course.

But today the two kids actually got up early, so he decided to just teach them some basic skills.

He came from the old society and learned martial arts from his master since childhood. He knows how tough the Peking Opera industry is. Behind the eight characters "Once you enter my door, your life and death are determined by fate" lies a secret history of blood and tears belonging to the Peking Opera world.

In today's new era, that would be outdated.

Who would be willing to entrust their child to a bunch of lowlifes who are not related to them?

Moreover, these two children are already quite old; they didn't start learning martial arts as children, so they won't achieve anything significant.

But before he could even begin to teach, just by briefly mentioning these things, the old man inevitably found himself lost in memories. Without realizing it, he became increasingly talkative.

From requirements to historical allusions and anecdotes… the once spirited but now frail “young man” leaned back in his recliner, a half-filled pot of tea in his hands, recounting his past. Only this time…

The jasmine flowers in the pot are still there, but their fragrance from years past is gone.

He talked too much and became rambling. It was only when he heard the familiar chirping of birds that he snapped out of his reverie. There he saw two children, one squatting and one sitting close together, their eyes full of curiosity as they looked at him.

There's no boredom, only curiosity and exploration of that era.

The old man, who had been so engrossed in his conversation that he had forgotten where he was, paused, then suddenly puffed out his beard and glared at her:

"What are you sitting there for? Get up! Practice your skills!"

"...What kind of training?"

Pighead looked puzzled.

After I finished stretching my legs, you started talking about body rhythm and form, and then you just kept bringing up Mei Lanfang, Jin Shaoshan, Cheng Yanqiu and the like... By the way, who is Jin Shaoshan?

I've never heard of that name before.

But no matter what, you didn't teach me how to practice.

Upon hearing the pig-headed girl's words, the old man instinctively reached for the ruler at hand.

But when you touch it, it's empty.

Turning my head, I realized...

The days of the opera troupe are long gone; farewell to the old year, a new era has begun.

"……Hahaha."

Under the pig-headed girl's puzzled gaze, he smiled wistfully and waved his hand:
"Let's call it a day. We've talked too much, and the time's already passed. Let's meet early tomorrow."

"..."

Fan Bing remained silent.

No, sir, I got up at four o'clock... So I came here just to listen to stories?
An Xin, however, noticed the complexity on the old man's face. After thinking for a moment, she pulled Fan Bing along.
"Let's go."

"..."

Fan Bing was truly speechless.

The elderly person did not receive the gift.

But after watching the door to the small courtyard close, I felt that my home had returned to its familiar, quiet atmosphere.

Ok.

He nodded in satisfaction, got up and walked to the birdcage, intending to take his thrush, named "Cui'erxi," for a walk as planned. But just as he returned to his room and changed his clothes, he heard a knock on the door.

The old man was puzzled. After opening the door, he saw a pig-headed girl holding a pot, grinning with her teeth showing.

"Hey, Uncle Ye, wanna have some soup? Let's have breakfast together."

"..."

The old man glanced at the chicken pieces and deer antler slices bubbling in the small aluminum pot, thought for a moment, then turned around and hung Cui'erxi back in the shady spot by the door.

Cui'er, you'll have to make do today.

Grandpa, let me have a bowl of dragon soup first.

……

"Young master, remember, this soup must be drunk at night. It's not good to have it in the morning, understand?"

This is what the old man told him before taking his bird for a walk.

Meanwhile, another earthenware pot appeared in Anxin's home, which he also brought.

It is said that ironware is not suitable for kiln firing, so this medicinal diet must be cooked in an earthenware pot.

Hey, a true old Beijinger!

That was incredibly authentic.

Anxin readily agreed, and then she saw the girl with rosy cheeks already on the motorcycle seat:

"Hurry up, hurry up, we're going to be late for work."

"...Didn't you ride your bicycle by yourself?"

"Don't I have to come over at noon to teach you positioning? You know you're making chicken soup for Grandpa Ye, how can you be so disrespectful to your teacher?"

Fan Bing looked disgusted.

Putting everything else aside... it seems that their relationship has changed somewhat since last night.

We've become more familiar with each other.

Anxin had no choice but to accept this unfair fate. As she rode her bike, she thought to herself that if Anxin became successful and she herself failed, and if she made the wrong choice again, she would become Anxin's driver.

While pondering this, he sped off to the Beijing Film Studio. After letting the girl down, Fan Bing said:
"When you get home later, write a sign too, and start working with me this afternoon."

"Are you going to starve?"

"What words!"

The girl, whose pig-like appearance had gradually faded, glared at him:

"This is called accumulating acting experience. Even if you're just an extra, you're still an actor! Accumulating more experience will make you less nervous in front of the camera later on, which is very useful, okay? Also, you'd better watch 'Days of Being Wild' this morning, otherwise you'll have to pay an extra 50 cents! I'm very poor!"

"Ha~"

I'm relieved and happy.

I thought to myself, "You've finally shed your idol image."

So he nodded to indicate that he understood, and then rode home again.

He only knew that "Days of Being Wild" was Zhang Guorong's representative work, but he had never actually seen what it looked like.

Since I had nothing to do this morning, I decided to watch it.

So I read it through quickly.

More than an hour later, he had to admit... he didn't know whether Zhang Guorong was an experiential thinker.

But their acting was really good.

But this story... didn't resonate with him much. He was more interested in watching the videotape of "Teahouse".

Just as I was pondering this, my pager suddenly went off.

“Call back, Ms. Fan.”

?

Anxin walked to the front with a puzzled look on her face, greeted Sui Xi, and then picked up the phone.

"Beep beep... Hello, what's wrong?"

"Relax!!!! Ah!!!! Relax!!!! Hahahaha! Relax!!!!"

Before he could even react, the other side started shouting and yelling.

If she hadn't been shouting and laughing at the same time, Anxin might have thought something had happened to her.

"...What's wrong? Did you find some money?"

"Hahahahaha..."

The girl burst into laughter again, and then said:

"I've been chosen as the female lead in the 'Smiling Face' music video!!!!! Hahahaha!"

Anxin was taken aback.

Smiley face?

Why does that sound so familiar?
　I'm asking for your monthly votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)