Xing'an League, Baixianwei Town, Temple Fair
In autumn, when the grain harvest is abundant, many temple fairs are held in the villages and towns near Yingpanling. Villagers from all over the place have been working hard for half a year, and most of them come to the market to have fun. Naturally, many nine people gather here.
Fruits and grains, needles, threads, brains, rat poison and golden pills, ventriloquism, country stage, fortune-telling, head-shaving and pick-picking... All the small traders and hawkers set up carriages and shacks for several miles, and they were crowded with people. It was noisy and lively!
The brothers from the Yue family followed Mrs. Ma, carrying the five-color grains, pork strips, and incense sticks they had just bought in their hands. They also carried a large bundle of white cloth on their bodies. They were not afraid to stop even though they were covered in sweat.
Mrs. Ma took small steps and muttered to herself:
"You two brothers, you usually carry some of the burden for the old man. He is old and can't stand being too tired."
"Did you hear that, brother? Granny Ma wants you to carry my father more!"
Old Mrs. Ma looked like Yue Erpao. She didn't take anything. She had a paper bag of dried fruits she bought in her pocket. She looked like a fool and was spitting out the peel, and she looked like she deserved a beating.
Before he could finish speaking, he was immediately slapped across the head and face by Mrs. Ma.
"Especially you. If you hadn't gotten into trouble, your father wouldn't be so tired. I tell you, you can't count on your brother for the rest of his life. When you two get married, you will definitely be separated."
"Oh, you know, I know, can I just hold it for him?"
Yue Erpao was about to pick up a circle of white cloth when he turned around and saw the theatrical stage set up on a pile of weeds. He trembled in fright and stumbled back a few steps.
"Why, does it look familiar?"
Mrs. Ma looked at the young man and obviously saw something strange.
Yue Erpao nodded like a fool: "Hmm... strange, in the blink of an eye just now, I clearly saw a head rolling down on the stage, but why did it suddenly disappear again."
Mrs. Ma followed his eyes and looked behind them. There were stages on both sides behind them.
Although the stage on the left is simple, it has all the necessary railings, caissons, paintings, and curtains. On the stage, Sheng Dan, Jing Mo Chou, in exquisite costumes and gorgeous decorations, sang "Ma Gu Presents Her Birthday".
The crowd in front of the stage was full of old people and children. Coupled with the cries of selling candied haws, rolling donkeys, and soybean cakes, it was very lively.
On the other hand, the other one is extremely shabby.
The stage was scrawled and rough, with columns made of bricks and stones in front of the stone stalls, supported by wooden boards as big as carriages, and a few old and dead trees built into four beams and eight columns. It was hung with tattered and white curtains. Only some country actors were invited to sing on it. Jumping, you can’t hear the babble very well, but you can vaguely remember the meaning of blood spilled in vain and June unjustly committed!
There was no one in front of the stage, only a few stray cats and dogs with lame legs and sores lying listlessly under the stage, not sure whether they were listening to the show or taking a nap.
"Of course, this is called the Yin Theater, and it's not for living people to see at all!"
"If it's not for people to see, then who is it for?"
Before Yue Erpao finished asking, Granny Ma twisted his ears and whispered in his ears:
"You stupid boy, you insist on my mother-in-law explaining what you said, right? It's not for living people to see. Guess who can see it."
Yue Erpao was at a curious age. When he saw a dog peeing while walking, he wanted to kick it twice. His eyes widened: "Yeluozi (lonely soul and wild ghost), why is this like this? They can also watch a show?"
Mrs. Ma originally wanted to move forward, but seeing how naughty Yue Erpao was, she wanted to explain the rules of their temple fair clearly to avoid getting into trouble again.
She composed herself and glanced sideways at the stage:
"There are different styles in ten miles, and different customs in hundreds of miles. This is the rule of Bai Xianwei. Whoever organizes the temple fair must invite a large troupe to warmly welcome them. This invitation is not a troupe, it must be a yin one. There are two troupes of Yang opera, the Yang opera troupe is only allowed to sing happy and auspicious plays, while the Yin opera troupe specializes in playing painful dramas such as Dou E's injustice, Jiu Fengchen, and Qin Xianglian. The more painful and miserable the better."
"Why? I rarely go to temple fairs. Wouldn't it be nice to be happy?"
"That's you~" Mrs. Ma glared:
"Anyone who wanders around must be one who has suffered from karma and cannot be reincarnated. They have all suffered so much. They will be in trouble after watching an auspicious play. They may cause a lot of trouble to the temple fair. If they have been grudges for a long time, it will become serious. , let them watch the drama of suffering, and then think about it, they are not so miserable, and if they don’t look for trouble, this temple fair will not be able to continue."
"I don't know how this rule was passed down. Anyway, it has been this old rule for a hundred years. If you follow the rules, you will be fine, but there are also bad rules."
"How about it?"
Yue Erpao couldn't wait to know the result. He liked this sneaky story very much!
"How about it?"
Mrs. Ma made a knife-clicking gesture.
"The whole family died so tragically!"
Yue Guanchao had also heard a little bit of the story told by Mrs. Ma.
