As the three young people continued to talk about the theme of "The Peony Pavilion" on stage, Bai Wenyu smiled happily and said:
"I thought you young people wouldn't be able to stand it. I wanted to tell you what the show was about on the podium, but it makes sense. Ai Qing is a top student at the University of Hong Kong, and Xiao Wen and Tian Tian are specialized in this. Look, Come on, I really underestimated you."
Bai Wenyu didn't know something. The three of them more than understood each other. As written in the couplet, there is no trace of the past. There are always people in the drama in the audience.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the play "The Peony Pavilion" is the epitome of their experiences.
He Tianran glanced at Wen Liang, who was in a daze, with some worry. Knowing that she had a strong empathy with the characters in the play at this moment, the boy's mind raced with thoughts, and then he smiled at his mother and added:
"Ah Liang is right. It was love that made the metal and stone open. Du Liniang finally came back to life, came back from the dead, and married Liu Mengmei. Their love for a lifetime is truly the best example of lovers finally getting married. Although the process was a bit tortuous, the pain and sadness in the middle seemed more touching and precious against the backdrop of the happy ending."
Wen Liang knew that her boyfriend was deliberately borrowing ancient metaphors to describe the present. This kind of connection that can only be felt between lovers instantly made a warm current rise in the girl's heart and make her whole body feel warm.
However, she was not the only one who felt deeply about the story on stage.
There was nothing wrong with He Tianran's addition to the drama, but the words from his mouth about lovers getting married and everyone having a happy ending gave Cao Aiqing an irritable feeling that was completely opposite to Wen Liang.
He is the least qualified person to say such things.
However, at the moment, Cao Aiqing does not intend to make use of the topic. As she said before, she came to this family dinner not to be jealous, but to see the true face of "He Tianran".
Although Cao Aiqing hates He Tianran who has been secretly harming her all her life, it is undeniable that he gave her the opportunity to travel through time and space. Now the girl is faced with the collision of two thoughts and memories. Love and hate have changed. Suffering from imbalance and deformity, she must find a solution.
Because this is the best way to protect "yourself".
Although there is still rejection, in this vast sea of overlapping and entangled years, He Tianran is indeed her only coordinate.
Recognize him and then improve yourself.
This is much more important than love.
When Bai Wenyu listened to his son's words, the smile on his face froze slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
Cao Aiqing captured this detail, why did Bai Wenyu's eyes flash with a rare trace of confusion?
The charming girl asked: "Sister Bai, do you usually like to listen to operas?"
Bai Wenyu shook his head: "Actually, I don't know much about opera. I just listened to it a lot when I accompanied my grandpa Ziran, and the play "The Peony Pavilion" is quite meaningful to me..."
This was the first time He Tianran heard about this, and he also asked:
"Mom, what's the point?"
Bai Wenyu remained silent, while He Panshan on the side said sadly: "It is indeed quite meaningful. When your mother and I were on a blind date, we watched "The Peony Pavilion". Your grandfather arranged it. In order to accompany him, we spent a lot of time. I watched the entire play in two days, and it was here right then."
The three young people were all silent when they heard this, feeling sad.
He Panshan's eyes were still on the stage, and he said softly:
"I have watched this play many times over the years. In my opinion, "The Peony Pavilion" was actually written until Du Liniang's resurrection. What happened after her rebirth is too lengthy. When she was a ghost, it was Live a happier life. Once the sun returns, love hits the iceberg of reality. Regardless of whether Liu Mengmei gets the top prize in the end, isn't Du Liniang's father still determined to separate them?
If Tang Xianzu hadn't finally written a drama that allowed a figure like the emperor to reconcile, their love would never have ended...
But if you write it like this, you will be inferior. What do you think? "
Faced with her ex-husband's words, Bai Wenyu immediately responded in an orderly manner:
"If you say so, wouldn't it be better if "The Peony Pavilion" only retains "The Garden" at a discount? It would be better not to see each other, and the two of them will remain in the dream forever. Furthermore, even if Du Liniang turns into a ghost, she will still be there. I have always been thinking about my lover, and all I want is perfection. Why can't I even give you an ending when I get here?
Of course, if we talk about shortcomings, they are not without them, but what I care about is that Du Liniang can only lie in the grave until she dies, and it will inevitably make people nowadays feel angry. But considering the times, There is nothing we can do about its limitations, but fortunately it is different now..."
"The Peony Pavilion" can be roughly divided into three stages, namely before life, after death, and rebirth.
As the pinnacle of opera, an enduring classic that can be sung by future generations for hundreds of years, naturally has its features that are often read and updated. Now He and Bai seem to be arguing about the structure of the drama and the limitations of the characters, but combined with their own The emotional state and the implication are not difficult to understand.
The three young people present are all smart people. From their previous conversation about a blind date and watching a theater, to their current speech and argument, a gradually clear emotional line has emerged in their hearts.
What He Panshan really wants to say and is dissatisfied with is about the various conflicts in reality after marriage. In the play, the emperor settles everything, but in reality he cannot, just like his own state before and after marriage.
And Bai Wenyu went a step further. If the ending couldn't be a happy ending, it would be better to stop at the time of the initial encounter, during which she was also reflecting on her own weakness.
Now not only He Tianran knows, but also Wen Liang and Cao Aiqing can see that the boy's parents are very strong people. Although they fell in love at first, but they separated in the end because they wanted to be stronger. It is natural that they would not give in after a head-on confrontation. .
What's pitiful about He Tianran is that living in such a family with extremely powerful parents, there really is no room for breathing at all.
He didn't understand this situation when he was a child. He only felt that his parents failed to accompany him. However, over time, the child naturally developed an introverted character and could only live in his own world.
When he grew up, this situation became even more severe. Just because he understood and grew up, he felt more troubled.
For example, now...
The argument in the audience did not affect the performance on the stage. He Panshan was a little impatient, but he still lowered his voice, showed the attitude of the head of the family, and said:
"I'm too lazy to talk to you about this. Don't just talk to yourself. What do you three think?"
The two girls agreed very much with Bai Wenyu's statement, but they had slight differences in understanding. However, the current situation was apparently a discussion about opera, but on the side it was a family dispute. Therefore, as outsiders, no matter who got up to speak first, they not good.
He Tianran looked at his father on the left, and then at his mother on the right. This happened not once or twice. When he was a child, he felt in a dilemma and didn't know what to do, but in order to maintain the strong relationship between his parents, The relationship between husband and wife can only be so anxious that they are spinning in tears...
They all want He Tianran to favor them, but now He Tianran is no longer willing to be the rat in the bellows.
"Mom, Dad, let's just talk about the matter. Maybe what I say next will be a bit unpleasant, but it's just a family talk. Please be patient and listen to what I have to say, okay?"
He Tianran asked first, and Bai Wenyu was stunned for a moment, then nodded stiffly.
This kind of statement clearly means that no one wants to help, and he wants to act according to his own ideas. In recent years, he has thought that he has treated his son poorly. Sneered and said sarcastically:
"Okay, tell me, Director He Da, what do you have in mind?"
He Tianran slowly leaned back on the chair, his eyes looking out of focus at the ancient stage, where the love story had been told for hundreds of years, and he said in a deep voice:
"I think what you said is wrong, but you don't understand "The Peony Pavilion". The life, death, and rebirth in the play correspond to the acquaintance, love, and blind date in life. You all fell in the last step, and you didn't I'm willing to admit it, so I can only pretend to see it through..."
"natural!"
"Oh, you're the only one who understands."
It is rare for strong parents to accept criticism from their children calmly. Bai Wenyu and He Panshan were no exception. They couldn't help but speak sternly. Fortunately, the two girls were there to help calm their emotions. He Tianran took a deep breath, Only then could he continue:
"Mom, you know what you want to express. You said Du Liniang was lying in the grave waiting for someone to save her, but what do you expect her to do? Hold up a big flag, and then run around telling each other, shouting for freedom of love? Or? To be more radical, say that she is just a love brain who made herself depressed for the sake of a beautiful image in a dream?"
Wen Liang's hair stood up when she heard this passage, because it was so consistent with her experience with He Tianran, regardless of the protagonist's name.
"You said she couldn't love her and wanted to be fulfilled. Yes, I thought so before, but imagine, did Du Liniang really die for Liu Mengmei? No, if she dreamed of Wang Mengmei and He Mengmei, what would happen in the end? Likewise, the reason why she died in depression was because after unsuccessfully searching for her dream, she finally realized that such a beautiful and free moment only existed in a dream...
It's not that she has never fought. She has always been very clear-headed in pursuing something that can make her die for it. Death itself is a kind of struggle and is the best interpretation of 'Give me freedom or give me death'. This is also what Du Liniang is. Women are the most amazing thing.
Is this weakness?
Tang Xianzu used such a character in his writing to defend the world of emotions, and firmly believed that emotions are the most precious thing in human society, and people can die for them, and even come back to life for them.
He wanted to express that nothing else in this world can compete with the power of the word 'love'.
However, this kind of "theory of true love" rarely occurs in today's world, because lovers in today's society always get together and disperse, just like mom and dad, love creates hatred, and hatred creates resentment, so it is natural for them to In this way, the true "love and nature" become scornful, and it is difficult to see a happy ending.
You agree that the love between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei has a happy ending, but you can't bear to see a weak person waiting for others to save you. But you were wrong from the beginning. Du Liniang didn't die of unsatisfactory and unavailable love, she... was in a dream I saw freedom in my heart and died of my vain desire for love..."
He Tianran's voice seemed to have the sound of gold and stone. Who was he talking about at this moment?
Talk about yourself? Talk about warmth? Talk about Cao Aiqing? Or, my parents?
Maybe, both.
Wen Liang recalled that when he and He Tianran were in military training, the two opened their hearts. He Tianran asked himself how he accepted that future memory.
At that time, I spoke for a long time, speaking from my heart, without hiding anything.
Now that I think about it, it's still the case.
Cao Aiqing's words to He Tianran were even more deeply touched.
He Tianran was talking about love, but there was more than just love in his words.
Cao Aiqing didn't even need to use her memory to compare anything, because every word in He Tianran's explanation of the character "Du Liniang" seemed to help her piece together a complete version of herself.
After hearing this, Bai Wenyu lowered his head and thought, remaining silent.
He Panshan silently lit a cigarette and blew out a mouthful of white mist. When the smoke dissipated, he wanted to take another puff, but the cigarette holder was placed to his lips, but there was no movement.
He paused for a few seconds and finally asked:
"What happens after that? As a ghost, Du Liniang is actually the happiest and freest. She presents what Tang Xianzu considers to be the most ideal state of love. Du Liniang can be free from social constraints and can finally get along with the person she loves day and night. Once resurrected, it will be so beautiful The status will also disappear, why bother?”
He Panshan once again deepened the extension of his previous question.
Feeling the gazes directed at him, He Tianran resisted the urge to move his gaze towards Wen Liang, for fear of exposing something...
The young man seemed to have some good ink in his chest. When he brought it to his lips, he swayed out:
“Dad, it’s understandable that you feel this way, because in reality, there are labor and separation, wives and children are separated, there are prejudices and misunderstandings, and there are all kinds of trivialities and accidents.
Even if you have met the love you long for, you still cannot escape the shackles of fate and environment.
How about consensuality? So what about the handsome man and the beautiful woman? Without the emperor's approval, it would be impossible for them to achieve a happy reunion.
But it is precisely because of the cruelty and numbness of reality that this weak but indestructible feeling is so precious, and it is more important to face the ending with the truest face, instead of escaping from reality, avoiding the important and taking the easy, leaving a person with nothing. It seems that everyone is happy.
Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion" must be about things after rebirth. This proves that he is not trying to escape reality through dreams, but using dreams to compare and state reality. This also implements his words between the lines, outside of love, The thoughts about human nature expressed in the words of the characters..."
Having said this, He Tianran couldn't help but looked at Wen Liang.
The two people's eyes met, because the cause and effect He Tianran said was extremely obscure, so even Wen Liang just thought that he was taking the opportunity to reveal his true feelings, and the girl knew what he wanted to say next.
However, at this moment, another gaze followed, and with just a slight glance, he already knew the full picture of He Tianran's words...
Then, in his ears, Cao Aiqing's voice sounded both clear and depressed:
"Yes, the sentiment about human nature in "The Peony Pavilion" is what Du Liniang said. My lifelong love is nature."
…
…
ps: The length of the family banquet was very laborious to write. It is inevitable to stand on the shoulders of giants and tell stories with sincerity and fear. But no matter what, what Lao Sao wanted to express has been expressed through the story of "The Peony Pavilion". What do you think of the plot going forward? If you have any doubts about the future development, you can actually read these chapters and have a look. Maybe it can clear up some confusion. The reason why this paragraph is written in the main text is because I am afraid that the readers of the D version will not know, eh …:)
(End of chapter)
