China Entertainment 1981: Starting from Journey to the West

After being on the train for a long time and a night, we arrived in Shaoxing in the afternoon.

As soon as the carriage door opened, Gu Bei, who had squeezed to the front, jumped out first and breathed the fresh air again. Gu Bei instantly experienced a feeling of being reborn as a human being. If he stayed inside for a little longer, he was afraid that he would be killed. The smell soaked through.

"Director Yang! Slow down!"

Gu Bei didn't have time to take a few more breaths, and quickly reached out to support Yang Jie. The old lady staggered down and squeezed down. As soon as she touched the ground, her legs felt weak, and she staggered and almost fell.

"Old, old."

Yang Jie couldn't help but laugh at herself. In the past, she would have been fine no matter what, but this time the tossing was so severe that her body felt like it was about to fall apart.

"When you are old, your muscles and bones are not your strength, now you know it!"

Wang Chongqiu got out of the car, moving his hands and feet and talking with a smile.

What it means is that when you get older, you have to obey your old age. Don't think of yourself as a little girl, just trying to be strong.

It's just that to tell the truth... I'm so unpopular.

Yang Jie rolled her eyes at her wife, and followed Gu Bei to count the luggage. After making sure that nothing was left behind, she hung it on Gu Bei one by one.

"Let's go! Teacher Zhang said he would pick us up at the station."

It was already dark now, and the three of them staggered out of the station.

The most important thing at the moment is not to find the monkey, but to find a place to have a good sleep.

Nowhere is safe these days, and there is a lot of luggage. Gu Bei and Wang Chongqiu were on duty last night, and neither of them slept well, and Yang Jie was not much better either.

One night there were children crying, adults making noises, and a group of people playing cards all night, and there was no moment of peace.

The most unbearable thing is that there are a group of energetic young people in the same carriage, reciting modern poetry and singing songs in the middle of the night.

The three of them wandered around the square for more than ten minutes and finally found someone.

"It's there, it's there!"

When Yang Jie found her target, she quickly walked forward without caring about the other two.

Gu Bei and Wang Chongqiu quickly picked up their luggage and followed behind. Only when they got closer did they see the people coming. They were an old man and a young man. The old man didn't know them, but the young man liked to see them in his previous life.

He has a slender figure and fair skin, and his eyes are a little shy when he looks at people.

Not at all like a monkey.

As for the old man, he is the six-year-old boy of the Southern Monkey King they are going to visit this time.

He greeted with a smile: "Director Yang, you must be exhausted!"

After speaking, he pointed at the young man next to him.

"This is my son Jinlai."

"Oh! Hello, little comrade, hello."

Yang Jie glanced at Zhang Jinlai and didn't pay much attention. She just thought she was following him to pick him up at the station and pick up his luggage.

"Director Yang, it's getting late. Let's go to the guest house to stay. Once we've settled in, we'll talk in detail."

The words of Teacher Zhang, a six-year-old boy, can really be said to have made the three of them feel deep in their hearts. They had been banging all the way, and even if they had been sitting there, their bodies would have been stiff.

What I want most now is to find a place to lie down for a while, take a comfortable bath, and then sleep.

But before that, I still have to work hard and get to the guesthouse on my legs.

This place is no better than Beijing. There are no taxis, and even if there are, ordinary citizens cannot afford to take them.

Taxi companies in the capital generally travel long distances to pick up foreign guests. Anyone who can do this job must be a party member, an outstanding young man, and even many sons and daughters of high-ranking officials, with extremely high incomes and the ability to meet beautiful girls.

Zhang and his son pushed their bicycles in front and led the way, walking as fast as flying. Gu Bei and the others almost had to jog all the way to keep up.

Fortunately, he is playing the role of a monkey, with somersault clouds under his feet.

The guest house is not close to the station. Not to mention Yang Jie and Wang Chongqiu, two elderly people in their fifties, even Gu Bei, a young man who is not yet twenty, is so tired that his legs feel like lead. It's hard to move even one step.

"No room?"

The guest house staff put on a poker face and didn't even read the letter of introduction that Gu Bei handed over, and just threw out three words.

This was really a bolt from the blue. After walking all the way from the train station for nearly half an hour, they finally said they had no room.

"Comrade, we are here from the capital on a business trip. Look, it's getting dark. At least we can find a room and we can spend the night together."

Gu Bei wanted to discuss it with them, but they ignored him at all.

"There are so many people coming to the capital. If you don't have a house, you won't have a house."

After saying that, he closed the small window, blocking out the rest of Gu Bei's words.

How can this be done?
Gu Bei could only turn his head and look at Zhang and his son.

Now is different from the past. In a few years, various privately owned small hotels will begin to appear.

More than ten years later, I didn’t even have to worry about finding a hotel. I stopped at the train station square, put the words “I am a foreigner” on my face, and an aunt immediately came over to ask.

"Want a girl?"

But now when foreigners want to stay, public guest houses are the only option.

"Forget it, Director Yang, if the three of you don't mind it, you might as well stay at our house." Teacher Zhang took the initiative.

Yang Jie was still a little hesitant: "Teacher Zhang, this... I won't trouble you anymore. Let's think of other ways."

"No trouble, no trouble. Besides, it's already dark today. Where else can you find a place to stay? Come with me. Our house is spacious and you can live in it."

As he spoke, Teacher Zhang took the initiative to help Gu Bei carry his luggage.

How could Gu Bei let others take action, so he quickly declined.

Yang Jie hesitated again and again, and she didn't seem to be polite when meeting Teacher Zhang. In addition, it was getting dark, so even if she went to find another guest house, she probably wouldn't be able to get there in a while.

"Then... okay, Teacher Zhang, I just want to cause you trouble."

On the way to Teacher Zhang's house, Yang Jie didn't insist anymore. Zhang Jinlai gave up a bicycle, which was carried by Wang Chongqiu, followed by two young men, Gu Bei and Zhang Jinlai.

Several times, Gu Bei wanted to chat with his future sixth brother. It was rare to see a hairless grandson, but he had no intention of talking at all. Occasionally, when he felt Gu Bei's gaze, he just blushed and then quickened his pace. .

Hey!
You are not a big girl, so why are you ashamed?
The Zhang family lives in an ancestral house passed down from the elders. It is an all-wooden mortise-and-tenon structure with a Jiangnan style.

After the three of them settled in, they were invited out to have dinner together.

Yang Jie took a breath, and without taking any time to rest, she pulled Teacher Zhang to chat about the purpose of her trip.

Gu Bei could only stay by his side and had to take out his notebook to take notes at any time.

On the way here, Yang Jie was still a little uneasy, fearing that Teacher Zhang, like Mr. Li Wanchun, would insist on the same old rules on the opera stage.

Unexpectedly, Teacher Zhang completely agreed with some of the opinions she put forward, including the idea of ​​​​the characters in the Journey to the West story.

After reaching an agreement on the character design, the subsequent topics became much easier. The two then chatted again. Sun Wukong should have undergone major changes in his growth process from the birth of the stone monkey to becoming a Buddha. Teacher Zhang put forward his opinions in a timely manner. How you think it should behave.

Speaking of being excited, the old man stood up and danced like a newborn monkey, showing how limp and staggering it was; how majestic and fearless it looked when making trouble in the Heavenly Palace; and how it looked playful and smiling in front of the master. appearance, as well as the monkey’s various expressions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and joy.

Gu Bei watched from the side and couldn't help but secretly thought: He is really the Southern Monkey King, every move is a real skill.

Yang Jie was also very satisfied, but despite being excited, she couldn't help but say with regret: "What a pity. If you were 30 years younger, Sun Wukong would be yours."

Teacher Zhang returned to his seat, pointed at Zhang Jinlai who had been standing by with a smile and said, "He is my son!"

After hearing this, Gu Bei looked towards Zhang Jinlai and saw that he was still looking down and indifferent, as if he was not the one he was talking about.

Yang Jie obviously cared about the meaning of Teacher Zhang's words, and then asked in her own way: "Are any of your apprentices good at acting? When will I go to your theater troupe to see those students?"

When he said this, Teacher Zhang seemed a little disappointed and kept saying: "Yes, yes! Not busy, haha! Not busy."

When they said "I'm not busy," Yang Jie didn't want to continue urging her, so she chatted with Teacher Zhang about home affairs. As they talked, she raised her hand and pointed at the photo on the wall: "How old is the kid who played the little monkey now? "

Gu Bei had just seen the photo, a smiling and kind old man holding a child dressed as a monkey.

Seeing the old man, Gu Bei was immediately in awe.

That is the idol of people all over the country.

Teacher Zhang's face showed a trace of sadness and he replied: "He is my son, Zhang Jinxing!"

Yang Jie suddenly asked in surprise: "Where is he?"

I go……

Gu Bei didn't stop him even if he wanted to. He had seen Zhang Jinlai's interview in his previous life and knew that their monkey opera family once had a young actor who was hailed as a genius, but unfortunately he died young due to illness.

When Yang Jie asked now, wasn't she exposing someone's scars?

Sure enough, when Yang Jie asked about it, Teacher Zhang felt sad: "He died of leukemia."

Yang Jie was stunned, speechless for a moment, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Teacher Zhang, I...what a pity!"

"It's okay, it's okay, it's been years."

As he spoke, Teacher Zhang pointed at the young man that Yang Jie had not paid much attention to.

"He also plays a monkey. To commemorate his brother, he only learned acting after his brother passed away. He has studied for seven years, starting from the age of 16 until now!"

Speaking of which, Yang Jie also understood. It was obvious that the old man wanted to recommend his son to her. However, he had not seen the little monkeys from the Shao Opera Troupe yet, so he had to have a choice to compare!

Yang Jie didn't answer, obviously she didn't think much of the shy young man in front of her.

Seeing that it was getting late, we settled down to sleep.

Gu Bei had trouble choosing seats in his previous life, but this night, he slept extremely peacefully.

I was awakened by a knock on the door in the morning. When I opened my eyes, it was already a quarter past eight.

"Comrade Gu, breakfast is ready."

With a polite smile on his face, Zhang Jinlai turned around and left.

"Teacher Zhang."

Gu Bei really didn't know how to address the other person. In his previous life, even if he wasn't familiar with him and the other person was older than him, he would still have called him "Brother Zhang", or even Brother Six.

"Do you want to play Sun Wukong?"

Zhang Jinlai paused and didn't look back.

"Let's eat first, it's already cold."