Chapter 75 It’s humiliation

After the conversation, there was a long silence.

Tan Jinrong looked at Xibao, thinking that his words had frightened the little girl in front of him, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

Originally, there were every famous actor in the capital. Who dared to say that he was the most popular in the capital?

And the most expensive theater tickets are hard to come by?

In today's world, even if he, Tan Jinrong, personally hangs out a sign to sell tickets, he wouldn't dare to claim that he can get a single ticket.

Xibao is a little girl, and it is natural for her to be frightened when she hears such conditions.

So now he feels a little regretful and is thinking about how to restore Xibao's confidence.

Xibao suddenly clenched his fists, nodded towards Tan Jinrong and said, "Well, I understand, thank you."

She said, bowed to Tan Jinrong, turned around and left without looking back.

Tan Jinrong tilted his head and kept staring at Xibao's thin back until her footprints disappeared in front of the second door.

Tan Er also stood aside and watched, and couldn't help praising Tan Jinrong: "Fourth uncle, you did the right thing. Although it is the steward of the Shengping Department who has the final say on who is allowed to enter the palace to perform for the ancestors, but she is the only one who has the final say."

The little girl wants to enter the palace and perform for the ancestors and the emperor. That is simply a foolish dream. The conditions must be set higher to stop her thinking."

Tan Jinrong turned his head to look at him, his expression extremely cold, which made Tan Er speechless.

But he didn't say anything in the end and got into the carriage directly.

Tan Er touched the back of his head in confusion and said to himself: "Did I say the wrong thing again?"

Xibao had also thought about the conditions for entering the palace to sing in the past. She knew that it would not be easy given her status.

Now she finally has a goal.

It has become the most popular song in Beijing and sells the most expensive tickets, but it is still hard to get a ticket.

This is not easy at all, but the basic principle remains the same. The most fundamental thing is to learn the tricks first, and the rest is a matter of course.

So from that day on, Xibao started learning opera without any slack.

She always wakes up earlier than a chicken and goes to bed later than a dog when practicing Qigong.

No matter which trade you learn in the theater troupe, you must first practice the kung fu of the legs and feet, and first teach the walk-on skills.

Xibao has had some boyish skills since she was a child, and has some strength in her hands and feet. Although she is a little girl, she is not inferior to those boys at all, and she has never been yelled at or held back.

When the class teacher teaches opera, he always asks the students to memorize the lyrics first, then practice the lyrics, then practice the singing, and finally the posture and positioning. After they are familiar with it, they will give music to match the scenes and perform on the stage.

Of course, before that, the class leader will first arrange the roles according to the profession that the individual learns, and practice his/her own part.

But Xibao learned opera regardless of role. She got the script of a play, but she had to write it all down at dawn. By the next day, she could help Song Youzhen guide plums, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums.

After two or three days, she will be able to memorize Yunbai's singing style. No matter which role Song Youzhen assigns to her, she can play it.

Gradually, she became a model, and the class leaders would compare her with their unsatisfactory students in class.

"Look at Xibao. A little girl works so hard. Why don't you work hard? Do you have fewer legs or arms than others?"

The students could not understand why Xibao worked so hard, but over time they began to hate Xibao.

They have obviously worked very hard, but they are just not as dedicated as Xibao. Do they deserve to be criticized unreasonably by the class leader?

At first they were reluctant to approach Xibao because she was a girl, but now they are unwilling to approach her because they hate her.

In short, Xibao was isolated without his knowledge.

Except for the four little carrot heads who met each other every day, few people would take the initiative to strike up a conversation with her.

Mei Zilan is one of them, but he doesn't like to talk, and he is also very busy.

Is it true that Xibao wakes up earlier than a chicken and goes to bed later than a dog?

Several times when Xibao got up to practice, he found that Mei Zilan was already there. Several times at night, when Xibao was resting, he saw that Mei Zilan was still persisting. The two of them were practicing in front of their own houses, separated by a door.

Door.

Sometimes Tan Xiaofu will show up, but most of the time he comes to nag.

"Xijun works hard because he has a poor foundation and was punished by Team Leader Wu. Why are you working so hard?"

"Don't you want to surpass senior brother and perform on stage? I think you are just dreaming!"

"Do you know that everyone has been hurt by you? Do you know how long Lin Buxifan was trained by Su Bantou yesterday?"

"You're really going to have no friends if you continue like this. I'm just trying to remind you out of kindness."

He just came over tirelessly to talk to Xibao. At first Xibao was upset and would drive him away, but he came back the next day and kept repeating the same words.

Later, he simply stopped talking and just sat and watched Xibao practice the exercises for a while, and then left without anyone noticing.

Day after day, year after year.

"I didn't come here just to have nothing to do. I was afraid that you would have no friends and be too lonely. As the first person in the same period to write a letter, I can be considered your senior brother. I am the one who takes care of my junior sister.

It’s a matter of duty.”

He always talked to himself like this for a while, and when the sound suddenly disappeared, Xibao knew that he had left.

But Mei Zilan is the complete opposite.

He never takes the initiative to say a word to Xibao. Even if he meets his eyes occasionally, he smiles and then no more communication. But he never disappears suddenly. Whenever Xibao takes a break, he will be found.

Always there.

Just like this, the cold came and the summer passed, and the spring passed and the autumn came. Before I knew it, Xibao had spent two autumns in Xilianshe.

On this day, the entire opera world in the capital was passing on a piece of good news: Thanks to Yuwen Shike's unremitting efforts, the foreigners finally agreed to withdraw their troops, and the ancestors and the emperor were returning to Beijing.

Why is it said to be good news?

This means that the Great Depression that has lasted for two years in the opera world is finally coming to an end, and artists can perform on stage again and have a way to survive.

Besides, the Shengping Administration has issued an edict. The ancestors and the emperor are going to hold a grand banquet when they return to the capital. There will be a three-day drama in the palace, so there is plenty of room for people.

But in Xibao's impression, Song Youzhen scolded him fiercely when he got the news.

"Bah! I emptied the bottom of all China's chests and paid 450 million taels of silver to foreigners, ah? That's not all. The people of China have also been burdened with debts for thirty-nine years! He is a wealthy man.

How can Ke have the nerve to ask for credit and rewards? He is simply a sinner of China! How can our ancestors still be in the mood to listen to a big show? What a big heart!"

Xibao's father, Jiang Yifu, once served as a support officer of the naval yamen. She had seen a lot of silver in the yamen where Jiang Yifu worked. Even so, it was difficult for her to imagine how much 450 million taels of silver was.

She thought that even if the entire mountain in the capital was hollowed out, it would be impossible to dig out so much silver.

The point is, that night she saw an unprecedented emotion on Song Youzhen's face. Many years later, when she saw this emotion on the faces of more Chinese young people, she understood that this emotion is called

Humiliation is different from the kind of humiliation when a person's reputation is insulted. It is a great, great humiliation after a group loses its national dignity!
Chapter completed!