Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1589 - 809: Yangge Dance and Traditional Opera (Part 2)

Today, people of all ages, men and women, have come, and among them are naturally many young maidens and young wives. Many shy and admiring gazes are cast toward the Jin brothers.

Among them, The Fourth of Jin Family attracts the most attention, followed by Xi Bao. The gazes directed at Xi Bao are different from those directed at The Fourth of Jin Family.

The Fourth of Jin Family is the most handsome among Old Jin’s sons, but after all, he is already married. As for Xi Bao, although he is of marriageable age, he has not yet settled on a match.

The Jin family’s wealth, along with Xi Bao’s good looks and temperament, Lian Manman had long known that Xi Bao is a young man well-liked by the girls from all over Shili Ba Township.

Perhaps he is used to being watched with such admiring gazes, Xi Bao seems unaware of the attention directed at him as he continues to converse with The Fourth of Jin Family.

Lian Manman was about to look away when Xi Bao suddenly, without warning, turned his head. His bright, spirited eyes and open gaze looked directly at her.

With a smile still on her lips, Lian Manman didn’t know if she should look away. Over there, The Fourth of Jin Family already pulled Xi Bao to sit down.

Amidst the noise of the crowd, the voice of The Fourth of Jin Family could faintly be heard. He likely noticed that the stands were filled with women and felt that Xi Bao looking over like that was quite improper.

"Manman, Manman, quickly look..." Zhang Caiyun tugged at Lian Manman’s sleeve, directing her attention to the Yangko troupe passing through the courtyard wall. Among them, two performers dressed as martial characters on stilts made a difficult and beautiful somersault, earning a wave of applause.

Lian Manman’s gaze and thoughts were drawn over.

The Yangko troupe invited today isn’t from a professional opera or acrobatics group but an amateur one. Unlike opera and acrobatics, which are in demand all year round, Yangko is only performed during festivals, especially the New Year. Therefore, in Liaodong Prefecture, there are very few artists who make a living solely from Yangko.

The troupe invited today is the most common form of Yangko troupe in Liaodong Prefecture. Most of them are enthusiasts of Yangko and perform at a professional level. In everyday life, they all have their own livelihoods, doing their usual work, and only gather together to perform during festivals.

These individuals love performing Yangko, and the more people watch and appreciate it, the more joy they find. While showcasing their talents, they can also earn some money to support their families, which, of course, is excellent.

Lian Manman knew that several members of this Yangko troupe were tenant farmers from nearby villages.

Performing Yangko emphasizes bright, vibrant costumes, and the dance should be festive and lively. The roles in Yangko are similar to those of traditional operas.

For instance, the pair invited to Manman’s family today is led by two people at the front, one dressed as a scholar, playing the role of Xu Xian Immortal, and the other in a small jacket and long skirt with a hair bun, portraying Lady White. The leaders of a Yangko troupe are generally the best performers.

Following Lady White and Xu Xian Immortal are pairs of eight people dressed differently, representing the Eight Immortals from mythology. Then there’s Monk Ji Gong, wearing tattered monk robes, a worn-out monk hat, holding a shabby bamboo fan.

After that comes Monk Tang, draped in a bright red cassock and appearing dignified. This Monk Tang doesn’t ride a horse, and he is followed by a few disciples. With a headpiece resembling a golden band, a face painted like a monkey, wielding a Golden Cudgel, mimicking a monkey’s walk, occasionally doing flips to the delight of the audience is Sun Wukong. Carrying a rake, flashing large ears made of who knows what, with a realistic-looking big belly, is Zhu Bajie, followed by Sha Wujing, carrying a load of luggage.

Afterward, there’s the skillful performance of the dry boat dance, which the tenant farmers of Thirty Mile Camp also call a dry cart. This doesn’t involve stilts but has a performer surrounded by a handmade paper-mache boat, rowing it with a handmade paddle.

This is deemed skillful because, even when made with the lightest materials, the boat is not light, and the artist performing the dry boat dance must bear this weight while dancing and mimicking the act of rowing, which is no easy feat.

Accompanying the dry boat from the front, back, left, and right are typically one or two companions. These don’t need to be on stilts either, and today’s dry boat dance has two companions around it, looking about eight or nine years old, two chubby children with rosy cheeks painted with rouge. Despite their young age, they dance lively around the dry boat, drawing a lot of audience attention.

Speaking of dry boats, Lian Manman remembered another performance very similar to it, Zhu Bajie Carrying His Wife, which also involves a person carrying a handmade wife while dancing. But in today’s Yangko troupe, Zhu Bajie is carrying a rake, following the master and fellow disciples, so there’s no wife being carried.

Following the dry boat, there were pairs, singles, and small groups impersonating various characters, whether from legends, operas, or storytelling Chapters familiar to all, easily recognizable at first glance.

The Yangko troupe performed a circle in front of the archway, then lined up and danced while heading into the village, followed by many children into the village.

This was at the request of Lian Manman’s family, asking the Yangko troupe to parade through the streets of Thirty Mile Camp. This way, even those who couldn’t come to see the performance in front of the archway could watch the Yangko dance at their doorstep. It was also a signal to those who wanted to come but hadn’t yet, letting them know that the main show was about to start and they should not delay coming out.

The troupe would also make a special stop at the entrance of the old house, as requested by Manman’s family, to perform for Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou, who couldn’t attend the banquet and watch the show due to health reasons.

...

Offering the third watch, seeking pink ranking, aiming for the top ten O(∩_∩)O (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommended tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)