Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

After browsing around, Lin Tian bought Ma Yongzhen a set of clothes, otherwise it would be embarrassing for him to have someone carrying a big bag following him.

There was a long queue outside the circus, and the place was bustling with noise.

The children rode on their father's shoulders, excitedly pointing at the colorful poster by the door.

The poster depicts a tiger jumping through a ring of fire, an elephant kicking a ball, a trapeze artist, and several strange human silhouettes, with words like "The World's First Wonder" and "Exhibition of Unparalleled Monsters."

Lin Tian stood outside the line, watching the people buying tickets, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He had never seen a circus in his two lives. The only circus he had ever seen was in the animated series "Boonie Bears," where Bald Qiang and the bears, Xiong Da and Xiong Er, were causing all sorts of trouble.

What do real circus performers look like?

He was a little curious.

"Yongzhen, go buy two tickets. I want to go inside and have a look."

Lin Tian casually took out two silver dollars and tossed them to Ma Yongzhen. He didn't know how much a ticket cost, but two silver dollars were more than enough.

Ma Yongzhen took the silver dollar, nodded, and squeezed into the crowd.

He was tall and strong, and quickly plowed a path through the crowd.

He ignored the insults that erupted from all sides.

Lin Tian stood by the roadside, looking around at the buildings.

In 1930s Shanghai, there weren't as many neon lights as in later years, but it was already quite prosperous.

Foreign firms, restaurants, dance halls, and theaters stood side by side.

A woman in a cheongsam linked arms with a foreigner, a rickshaw puller sped through the streets, and a newsboy waved a newspaper and shouted "Extra! Extra!"

Not long after, Ma Yongzhen returned, clutching two tickets in his hand.

"Young master, the tickets are bought. Ten tickets can be bought for one silver dollar, you have more money than you need."

He handed the ticket to Lin Tian.

Lin Tian took the ticket and glanced at it. The ticket was printed with the name of the circus, "Great World Circus," and below it was a line of smaller print:

"Shanghai's most spectacular sight, suitable for all ages."

He nodded, put the tickets away, but didn't take the money, and the two walked towards the entrance.

The ticket inspector was a middle-aged man with a pointed face and monkey-like features. He wore a red uniform, a tall hat, and a professional smile on his face.

Upon seeing Lin Tian, ​​his eyes lit up, and when he saw Ma Yongzhen behind him, his smile deepened.

Those who can bring bodyguards are either rich or powerful, and should be treated well.

"Distinguished guests, please come in, please come in. There are private seats upstairs, would you like to...?"

"Need not."

Lin Tian waved his hand and walked straight in.

The circus is more lively inside than outside.

The large, circular tent is surrounded by tiered seating, with a performance area in the center covered in a red carpet.

Colorful lanterns hung from the ceiling, along with several huge copper bells that jingled in the wind.

Lin Tian found two empty seats and sat down, with Ma Yongzhen sitting next to him.

The stands were already quite full, and everyone wore expectant smiles, as if they were waiting for a grand feast.

The gongs and drums sounded, and the performance began.

The first act was a tiger jumping through a ring of fire.

An adult tiger was released from its cage, its body covered in stripes and its eyes glowing green under the light.

The animal trainer, dressed in a gold bodysuit, brandished a whip and made a "hissing" sound.

The tiger reluctantly crawled through one ring of fire after another, and the audience applauded and cheered each time it passed through one.

Lin Tian looked into the tiger's eyes; they were cloudy, devoid of wildness, only filled with numbness.

The second program is elephants walking on stilts.

An Asian baby elephant was driven onto a row of plum blossom stakes, the stakes being smaller than its feet. It stepped on them cautiously, each step trembling precariously.

The animal trainer stood to the side, the iron hook in his hand gleaming coldly. The elephant's legs trembled, and the skin around its eyes wrinkled.

The audience was laughing, but the elephant was trembling.

The third act is a monkey tossing an apple.

Several dressed monkeys rode unicycles, throwing apples as they rode.

If the animal caught it, the audience applauded; if it missed, the trainer lashed it with his whip.

The little monkey bared its teeth and screamed.

The screams were quickly drowned out by the laughter of the audience.

Following that were high-wire acts, aerial acrobatics, and a globe of death car ride... thrilling and exciting, the audience was completely captivated.

Lin Tian's brows slowly furrowed.

The following programs made him more and more uncomfortable.

"Ladies and gentlemen, next up is 'The Puppy Playing with a Ball'!"

The announcer's voice boomed, "Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome this little... oh, this little dog!"

The lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the center of the stage.

A small dog lay on the ground, then stood up and patted a ball with its two front paws. The ball bounced on the ground, making a "thump thump" sound.

"good!"

The audience applauded, exclaiming, "That dog is so smart!"

Lin Tian's face darkened.

That wasn't a dog, that was a child.

At six or seven years old, those eyes, hidden beneath the dog's skin, were not dog's eyes, but human eyes, yet they were cloudy, numb, like a stagnant pool.

"Next up is 'Garnish Girl'!"

The announcer's voice rose even higher.

A glass jar was pushed onto the stage. The jar was not large, about half a person's height, and had a very small opening.

Inside was a little girl, about five or six years old, curled up like a plant stuffed into a flowerpot.

She was wearing a white dress, and her long hair covered half of her face.

The jar was lined with red cloth and decorated with colorful ribbons, making it look very exquisite.

The audience craned their necks in curiosity, and one child asked his mother, "Why is that woman in the jar?"

Mom laughed and said, "Because she's small; she was born this small."

Lin Tian clenched his fists.

This wasn't something you were born with; it was something that was forced into you.

The little girl's bones were deformed and her joints were twisted, like a pine tree that had been ravaged by a bonsai master.

Her eyes were empty, and a trace of drool clung to the corner of her mouth.

"Next up is 'Deformed Spider-Man'!" the announcer's voice rose excitedly. "Born with eight arms, a wonder of the world!"

A man walked out from behind the curtain, shirtless, with two hands in front of his chest, four hands behind his back, plus his own two hands, making a total of eight.

He crawled on the ground, mimicking the way a spider crawls, baring his teeth and claws.

"Mantis Hand!"

Another program.

A young man walked out; the bones in his arms were unusual, and his elbows could bend backward, like a praying mantis.

He waved his arms and made all sorts of bizarre movements, eliciting gasps from the audience.

Lin Tian's brows furrowed deeper and deeper; he could no longer bear to watch. This wasn't a circus; it was abuse, exploitation, treating people like animals.

Whether those deformities are real or fake, they all reveal the bloody evil of human nature.

Especially that woman in the jar, who was clearly being treated like a human pig, reminded him of Director Yang in Beijing.

Ma Yongzhen noticed his unusual behavior and leaned closer to ask in a low voice, "Young Master, what's wrong? Did you not do well in your performance?"

"nice?"

Lin Tian sneered, "Look at that little dog standing there, is it even a real dog?"

Ma Yongzhen paused for a moment, then looked carefully towards the center of the stage.

The clump of yellowish-brown fur trembled slightly under the light, revealing a pair of slender ankles underneath.

The animal trainer was stuffing a cookie into his mouth, which he took and chewed mechanically.

Ma Yongzhen frowned, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, his eyes narrowing into slits, and his fists clenching so tightly they cracked.

"Young Master, this is...?"

Lin Tian stood up. "There are too many people here, let's go out first."

The two squeezed through the crowd and left the circus.

A cool night breeze blew by.

……