A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 54 Performing Opera

After a hearty meal, they returned to their bamboo house. They warmed themselves around the brazier. Round MM gently stroked the red fur of "Little Dot," the cat nestled in her arms. "Little Dot," with its plump little belly, looked utterly content.

Bored anyway, Zhang Niu pulled out a deck of cards, suggesting they play "Bullfight." But instead of winning money, they played a game of nose-scratching. Fang MM, who suggested this, looked at him with newfound respect. While shuffling the cards, Zhang Niu joked, "Hey, you like nose-scratching so much. Your nose looks a bit flat. Did you scrape it flat?"

Fang MM pouted unhappily, "Tingting, look at your classmate. She said my nose is flat. Can you help me get revenge?"

"Zhang Niu, really, don't you know that Xiao Fang injured his nose before?"

"Ah. I really don't know, I was just saying it out of boredom. Look at my mouth. I'm so cheeky. Don't take it personally, how about I get you some lake water when you go back?" she said ingratiatingly.

But Zhang Niu deserved his bad luck. He knew he'd be in trouble the moment he spoke. Several girls insisted on taking some back. After they explained in detail, they learned that after Zhang Ting and the others brought back the lake water last time, it wouldn't smell bad even after sitting for a long time. After using the lake water for a week, their pimples and other blemishes disappeared, and their skin became fair. The company colleagues, all beauty-conscious, noticed the changes. So many colleagues came up to ask what cosmetics they used. They only said they used lake water, but no one believed them. Zhang Ting was happy to have some peace and quiet. Only a few people knew it was true.

It doesn't matter whether Zhang Niu says it sooner or later. Zhang Ting and the others will ask him to bring it back eventually anyway. Since it's snowing, they'll naturally have to rely on Zhang Niu, their only source of labor.

Fortunately, it's fine to go back to the valley tomorrow. We'll be staying overnight anyway. That cheeky Zhang Niu only managed to draw small hands today. He only won one out of ten hands, and couldn't help but sigh. This is bad feng shui today; I guess I'll have to check the calendar when we get back. What's most infuriating is that Fang girl got the worst shaving; her nose was all red. Apparently, offending a girl can bring retribution.

Zhang Niu, wincing in pain, had no choice but to leave the game. He was replaced by the round girl next to him. The round girl's hand was also terrible. Zhang Niu, now out of the game, seriously questioned the importance of their positions. Both of them had drawn awful hands.

Watching them play cards, even when they lost, they remained composed and polite. Frustrated, Zhang Niu ran to the tiled house, entered his spatial dimension, and pulled out a basket of sweet potatoes. Outside, snow raged and wind howled, but inside, the fruit trees by the pond continued their cycle of blooming and withering. Many more green fruits had ripened on the trees.

Zhang Niu, with his sweet tooth, hid under a tree and started cracking open cherries. If it weren't for the fact that it was late in the season, he really would have taken some out for Zhang Ting and the others to try. But now... sorry.

He smacked his lips. He didn't eat much. He just tasted it. He left the space with great reluctance.

I rummaged through the box and found the dried sweet potato chips. I carried the small bag to the kitchen, turned on the gas stove, and poured in some tea oil. I prepared to fry the sweet potato chips.

The dried sweet potato chips turn golden brown after frying. They're crispy and crunchy. Zhang Niu over-fryed quite a few, leaving them slightly burnt. He picked them out with chopsticks and set them aside. Looking at the small bowl of burnt chips, he shook his head. It seems he still doesn't know how to fry them properly. If he were at home, they'd be so crispy!

Carrying the piping hot sweet potato chips, I slipped into the bamboo house. It had been a little chilly just moments before, but once inside it was warm and cozy.

"Here you go. Everyone, take a break and have some sweet potato chips. They're freshly fried. Be careful, they're hot." She then placed a small bucket of tissues next to the basket.

"I was feeling a little hungry just now. And you brought this over. You really are a tapeworm," the round-faced girl said with a smile.

"I do like roundworms, huh? But you'll have to let me do it first," he joked.

This elicited laughter from the girl. He took a small stick and turned over the fire pit, digging several small holes. He then buried the sweet potatoes from the basket into the glowing embers.

While eating potato chips, Zhang Ting saw Zhang Niu burying sweet potatoes and couldn't help but ask, "Burying them like this... will they taste good later? Why don't you use bigger ones?"

"This is called a stewed sweet potato. It has to be made with these small sweet potatoes. The stewed sweet potatoes taste even better than the ones we had by the stream last time." He explained the origin of the dish.

"You guys have too many tricks up your sleeve."

"If there weren't many tricks up your sleeve, would it still be called a rural area?" Zhang Niu replied confidently.

Zhang Niu, who was eating potato chips, suddenly said, "I almost forgot. There's a big opera performance at the Wangjia Village assembly hall tonight. I heard it's a provincial-level opera troupe, and tonight is the opening night. Do you want to go check it out?"

"Oh, do you have any opera performances around here?"

"Yes. You don't live here, so you wouldn't know, but in our neighborhood, every family with a young man in his twenties has to give a gift of money to hire an opera troupe to perform."

"No way! You guys have the habit of paying to hire a big opera performance here? And for twenty years old? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing," Zhang Ting said excitedly.

"Well, that's normal. Performing in traditional opera is a way of showing that you're an adult and should learn to live independently."

"Is the place where they perform operas far from here?" Yuan MM asked hurriedly.

"It's not far, only half an hour's walk. We can walk there after dinner. It'll be good exercise." He waved the small wooden stick in his hand.

When this was said about Yuan MM, it earned her several eye-rolls. Zhang Niu was stunned, wondering what he had done to offend her.

After dinner, the women, bundled up in their clothes and carrying transparent umbrellas, walked on the snow towards the Wang family's house. Many young and middle-aged people were already on their way.

When they arrived at the meeting hall, it was already packed with people. Numerous food stalls had been set up outside, selling things like sesame cakes, wontons, and dumplings. Zhang Niu and his group arrived relatively early. They found seats in the front row, just two rows deep. The wooden chairs were a bit old, but that's typical for a village. This Wangjia Village meeting hall was the best among the surrounding villages. People from other villages had to bring their own stools to watch operas.

The girls listened to Zhang Niu's description and showed great interest in the opera. It was exactly seven o'clock. It was already pitch black, and the hall was gradually becoming more crowded and lively. Through the backstage area, actors could be seen putting on makeup.

The opening act of the main event was called "The Eight Immortals Meeting the Jade Emperor." The Jade Emperor, dressed in a yellow robe, sat at the top. Below, on either side, stood various Heavenly Kings. The girls below kept saying that the Jade Emperor wasn't handsome. The little kids, who had no classes, were running around and shouting incessantly.

After the Eight Immortals, it was Mu Guiying's turn to lead the army. A grand, resounding boom echoed, instantly transporting listeners to the battlefield. The girls next to me were completely engrossed. The only downside was the slightly distorted sound from the loudspeaker, which was a bit unpleasant. Thankfully, there were subtitles, so it was bearable.

As the performance time flew by, MM, who had just finished eating, said she was hungry again. Helpless, Zhang Niu got up to go to a corner of the hall to buy some food.

Four bowls of wontons, plus some fried rice cakes, bananas, vegetables, and so on. When I came back, my hands were full of bags of stuff.

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