Young people go to sea

Author: XiangzhuMM

Young people go to sea

Huang Simei glanced at Meng Huaxiang cautiously, and quickly held the bottom of the table firmly with both hands, lest she flip the table in anger.

Dongfang Qiong Troupe is Meng Huaxiang's lifeblood. Anyone who dislikes or betrays Dongfang Qiong Troupe will be put on her blacklist.

But what Li Dongming did when he jumped out made Meng Huaxiang heartbroken the most: because he joined the theater troupe at the age of three, Meng Huaxiang regarded him as his little son since he was a child.

Dongfang Qiong Opera Troupe has an unwritten rule: if you encounter a beggar, or if there is a child in the village who cannot be fed, the troupe will take it to the troupe to raise it, just to feed back the society and avoid death.

Meng Huaxiang's mother, Zhang Lujin, was born in Linggao Village, which was extremely patriarchal.

After birth, Zhang Lujin suffered from hunger and cold. She relied on her mother to protect her from being buried alive.

But when she was three years old, her grandmother carried her to the mountain and threw her down. She only said: "Whether she lives or dies, it all depends on your life!"

The young Zhang Lujin, one foot deep and one foot shallow, stumbled and ran down the mountain with her grandma, but she couldn't keep up with her pace. She cried heartbrokenly on the mountain and met the leader of the Linggao Qiong Troupe who went up the mountain to practice her voice.

, the group leader took her back to the group to raise her without saying a word.

After becoming an adult, Zhang Lujin understood why girls were often cast as characters in the troupe, why a little girl of three or five years old would come to the troupe from time to time, and why almost all the troupe, from the band to the actors to the clerks, were women...

Women in Linggao all know their fate, and the leader of the Linggao Qiong Troupe has single-handedly taken in hundreds of abandoned girls.

People who have been caught in the rain always want to hold an umbrella for others.

After becoming an adult, Zhang Lujin took over the Linggao Qiong Troupe because of her outstanding business ability.

Later, she led a troupe to conquer all directions and became famous on the island. However, she was spurned and ostracized by the Linggao people and had to move to the East. The troupe was forced to change its name to Dongfang Qiong Troupe.

Later, she gave up acting and joined the army, led the women's army of the theater troupe, and killed everyone, becoming the "Iron Lady".

Zhang Lujin's life has been full of vigor and ups and downs: on the stage with flying sleeves, she is the heroic "Wu Dan"; on the battlefield with blind swords, she is the brave and fearless "Iron Lady"; in the happy troupe, she is

He is the "old leader" whom everyone expects...

One of the last instructions she gave to the Oriental Qiong Opera Troupe was "Don't leave it alone": firstly, adopt an abandoned baby; secondly, if you encounter someone who cannot be blamed at home, if the other person is willing, you can foster him or her into the Qiong Opera Troupe.

In fact, Zhang Lujin has never asked what kind of reward the adopted children need to give to the Qiong Troupe.

Meng Huaxiang had taken in many children before. When asked the same question, she could only smile and shake her head.

Zhang Lujin’s original words are: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you! Back then, although the leader of the Linggao Qiong Troupe did not give birth to me, he raised me for most of my life, but he never asked me to repay him. Why should I ask others to repay him?

?As for taking over the troupe, it’s not about repaying a debt of gratitude, it’s about accepting a debt of gratitude—

—Without a theater troupe, where would I have a job? Where would I have the glory of performing overseas and being interviewed by leaders of various countries? Where would I have the confidence to lead my sisters on the battlefield to defend my hometown? When a child comes, we greet him; when a child leaves, we applaud to see him off.

That’s it!”

Having said that, Meng Huaxiang took in a total of seven or eight children, almost all of whom were sent by families with too many children to feed two people. Only Li Dongming was a real "beggar".

When he was picked up, Li Dongming was fighting with a wild dog for a bite of food. He looked no more than three or four years old, skinny and skinny, with only a few strands of cloth left in his clothes, and abscesses on his hands, feet and back.

After Meng Huaxiang rescued him, he asked for a long time who his parents were and where they lived, but he couldn't explain anything clearly. He even spoke the island dialect awkwardly.

Later, Meng Huaxiang toured all over the country, always taking him with him, hoping to help him find his family.

After so many years, his family has not been found, but Meng Huaxiang seems to have raised him as his youngest son.

Zhang Chennian regretted missing out on the opportunity to go to college because he wanted to take over the Qiong Opera Troupe. Meng Huaxiang also wanted to train Li Dongming and let him take over his brother's place in college.

Unfortunately, Li Dongming had no intention of studying. Even in high school, it was Meng Huaxiang who found a way for him to finish high school.

In the Qiong Opera Troupe, if you ask Meng Huaxiang who treats him best, almost everyone will say it is Li Dongming.

Meng Huaxiang even taught him the "Lujin singing tune" that his mother did not allow others to teach. Therefore, Huang Simei thought it was okay for anyone who wanted to leave the Qiong Opera Troupe. Except for Li Dongming, Huang Simei was a little worried that her mother-in-law would not be able to accept it psychologically. .

Especially today, when the whole family is happy, Li Dongming suddenly proposed to change his career to work in the sea, which is indeed inappropriate.

To Huang Simei's surprise, Meng Huaxiang did not fly into a rage.

Meng Huaxiang put down the tea cup calmly, looked around briefly, and lowered her eyes: "Is there anyone else who wants to go to the sea like A Ming?"

Seeing that everyone was silent, Meng Huaxiang let out a long sigh: "Hey! I am old, but my heart is not old. I am just like you, with lofty ideals and ambitions in my heart! It's just that our dreams are different."

As the Qiong opera song goes, sorrow and joy can be overcome by oneself, but it is difficult for others to understand.

Meng Huaxiang wholeheartedly wants to protect the Oriental Qiong Troupe, but the young man only wants to be a trendy person in the market economy.

After Zhang Chennian went to sea to set up a stall, and Huang Simei opened up wasteland and ran a teahouse, Meng Huaxiang gradually thought about it: when the times abandon you, you won't even say hello.

If these young people are like her and just want to keep the troupe and not make progress, it may not be really good.

Just taking advantage of Li Dongming's excuse, Meng Huaxiang said slowly: "If you are like me and want to carry forward the cultural essence left by your ancestors, then stay, we will guard Dongfang Qiong Opera Troupe and Qiong Opera; if If you want to set up a stall in the sea, I won't stop you, you can freely change your career."

After saying this, the smile on Meng Huaxiang's face gradually disappeared, and she looked lonely at the narrow singing stage of the teahouse, with painful helplessness on her face: "This is the era of you young people, you can be braver."

Because her husband died young, Meng Huaxiang held the troupe firmly in her hands throughout her life. Even the transfer from public to private contracting could not dampen her lofty ambitions.

Her son went to sea, and her daughter-in-law changed her career, but her inner faith never collapsed. She firmly believed that one day, Qiongju Opera would be able to see the moonlight, and usher in vigorous vitality again.

I just don't know if she can still look forward to that day.

Meng Huaxiang feels somewhat guilty towards her son and daughter-in-law: She has never asked them about their career dreams, but just takes it for granted that since they have been practicing boy skills since they were young, they should be like her and sing Qiong Opera well throughout their lives: "Your grandparents Zhang Lujin, on stage, plays a gentle and delicate actress, but off stage, she is brave and carries a gun on the battlefield. A Nian and Simei, you just need to remember that no matter what line of work you do, you can never forget Qiong Opera!"

After saying that, Meng Huaxiang turned around and went back to his room, leaving only a quiet room and letting everyone think for themselves.

With her release, several junior members of the troupe were all thinking: apart from other things, every time Zhang Chennian comes back, the crisp shirt he wears is better than the good-looking coat. Although the troupe is now opening up wasteland and opening a teahouse, it looks better. Although he is prosperous, but he is a manly man, who wouldn’t want to be like Young and Dangerous, traveling around the world domineeringly?

Zhang Chennian looked at the sincere faces in front of him and felt a little confused: "Simei, look..."

Huang Simei took a bite of the lotus paste mooncake and said with a smile: "My grandma has already opened Chrysostomia, so just take them there!"

Dongfang Qiong Troupe is different from other troupes. Most of the troupe members are trained internally. From childhood to adulthood, everyone lives and eats together without being separated. They are like family members.

Huang Simei could not travel far because of her mother-in-law, but she agreed to let these young children go out and see the outside.

After all, Zhang Chennian said that the outside world is very exciting. Every time these young people hear Zhang Chennian talk about it, their eyes are all bright.

After careful consideration, Zhang Chennian took Li Dongming, Huang Donghua and Lin Jiaojiao to Sanya.

Huang Simei took Zhang Wenxuan and Zhang Wenqian in her arms and took them to the train station.

In the waiting hall, people selling rice dumplings and bua can be heard hawking.

Lin Jiaojiao proudly patted her big cloth bag: "What we brought are Oriental Teahouse Zongzi and coconut bua. They taste delicious! You can't buy them outside!"

Zhang Wenqian swallowed: "The taste is amazing!"

The adults laughed out loud at her greedy voice, and the little girl was so ashamed that she buried her head in her mother's arms: "Sister, I want to eat brown rice and bua!"

Huang Simei patted her back and coaxed softly: "Okay, okay! Eat when you get home, okay?"

Zhang Wenxuan stood aside like a young adult and asked his father pretending to be serious: "Abba, when will you come back next time?"

Zhang Chennian rubbed his son's small head: "Dad will be back during the Chinese New Year."

Hearing that it would take so long for their father to come back, Zhang Wenxuan and Zhang Wenqian lowered their heads in unison and instantly became wilted.

For them, the days when their father comes back are always happy and short-lived. Before they are separated, they are already counting the days and looking forward to his return.

Zhang Chennian looked at the disappointed looks of his two children, and his heart felt heavy and unhappy.

In the East, New Year's festivals are very important: the Mid-Autumn Festival, the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, you have to reunite with your family to stay up late; the Qingming Festival in March, and the Ghost Festival in July, you have to go home to worship your ancestors; you have to go home to make rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, bringing five colored threads and mugwort. Take a dragon bath.

However, Zhang Chennian, who was busy setting up a stall, often couldn't make it back due to business problems.

After returning this time, Zhang Chennian discovered that he had missed many stages of his child's growth.

Before entering the platform, Zhang Chennian secretly made up his mind to go home every new year and festival in the future.

*

After sending Zhang Chennian and his party away, Huang Simei began to get busy again.

The troupe lost three good talents who could perform independently, so Huang Simei and Meng Huaxiang had to recruit more people to train.

The work in Li Jin's studio has also begun to become busy.

Zhong Lihua and the sisters from Exianling were both excited and sad: "Our grandmothers and mothers were all experts at weaving Li brocade. When it comes to our generation, those in the village who can weave Li brocade are no longer able to weave Li brocade." You can count them on your fingers. In the future, none of our children will be able to weave Li brocade..."

Seeing the mixed look of loneliness and relief on Zhong Lihua's face, Huang Simei felt the same way: Li Brocade, like Qiong Opera, is a treasure left by the ancestors and should be carried forward.

Traditional Li brocade is mainly made of cotton thread, supplemented by linen thread, silk thread and gold and silver thread.

Its warp threads generally use the valerian dyeing method, which is also the tie-dye method. The warp threads are first braided on a tying frame, and then tied with yarn on the basis of the warp threads.

After manual dyeing, the tied yarn is removed, and a pattern of blue ground and white flowers will appear, and then colored wefts are woven into it.

In the newly built bamboo house in the backyard of Oriental Tea House, traditional tools for Li brocade weaving are lined up: Li brocade conventionally uses wooden hand-cranked gins, hand-rolled cross sticks to remove seeds, foot-operated spinning machines and looms. Dyes are used in mountainous areas.

The raw materials of wild or domestic plants, the dyes made from these plants have bright colors and are not easy to fade. The finished Li brocade products that perfectly integrate weaving, dyeing and embroidery techniques have exquisite and vivid patterns and bright and eye-catching colors.

The Zhi Niangs added a studio just to let Oriental Tea House act as an intermediary. Now they see that each of them has been assigned a small cubicle. Not only is it equipped with various machine tools and colored threads according to Zhong Lihua's requirements, but the partitions are also

They also made a small bamboo bed separately. Huang Simei said that their long-term squatting and hunched back hurt their bodies. After doing it for a while, they could lie down and rest for a while.

The Li Brocade Studio is getting better and better, and Wang Yunfei received very good feedback from several batches of finished Li Brocade products that Huang Simei sent to Sanya, and they were quickly sold out.

This greatly encouraged Huang Simei, and Zhong Lihua and Zhi Niang were also delighted.
To be continued...