Rebirth of a CV Star

Chapter 28: Voting

Yan Mu Lin chose the Southern Style known as Haining Shadow Play. Haining Shadow Play was introduced into Haining during the South Song Dynasty and it had blended with the local Haining ditties and Haiyan salt worker songs. Later on, it took some classic melodies like the Yiyang Tune; forming a classical music style with both Yiyang Tunes and Haiyan Tunes as the two key tunes for the reformed northern-turned-southern songs. The new form of music then had a loud, sonorous and vehement melody.

i got this from the thank you very much ye e e

In Yan Mu Lin's previous life, he had been a shadow play apprentice for a few years. He also happened to study the Haining shadow play. He respected traditional art and did not want to change it. The classic Haining shadow play was extremely rich; however, because the master who taught Yan Mu Lin was not from a Haining troupe of Zhejiang, the shadow puppets he had manipulated in his previous life were naturally not Haining puppets. Those puppets' characteristics were less sculpted, heavily painted, single threaded, rounded face, less exaggerated, and more life-like. In the first episode of the show, he did not want to take away his seniors' limelight, and he was afraid of scaring Zhou Wen Jing.

Through the lights from the backstage, the shadow puppets in Yan Mu Lin's hands became clear, bright and dazzling. Bamboo sticks were used to make the puppets in his hands come alive. Apart from those in charge of the music and himself, there were only four other people who were manipulating the puppets on stage.

According to the list of characters in the play 《Peacock Flying to the Southeast》, three people were enough to support the entire scene. At their feet was a box filled with photos of the different scenes, so that the operator can always get the correct scenes needed for the performance. The play mainly told the story of Jiao Zhongqing and his wife, Liu Lanzhi, who were deeply in love with each other. They were forced to separate, leading to their suicides. The play accused the feudal code of ethics as cruel and unfeeling, while also singing praises of the Jiao and Liu couple's sincere affections and resistance.

The play was streamlined since there was no team that had been doing the performance. After the reduction, the plot was compact, while the lines and aria were now more memorable. This was the result of the discussions between Yan Mu Lin and the troupe. The members of the theater have more than forty performances every day, so they were used to streamlining plays. Yan Mu Lin's idea was a hit.

There was only one reason for streamlining the play. Based on his speculations, whether it was his seniors or Tao Bai Chen, they all had to choose a specific role. Today, Yan Mu Lin was doing the opposite. He wanted the audience to be more than just the audience. Furthermore, this was still a TV show. Today's performance, he hoped to give everyone a surprise but not a fright.

The bamboo flute and erhu accompaniment, and the melodious Jiangnan music sounded.

The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a Southern Fiddle.

A lucid and elegant woman's voice accompanied the mellow music to tell her many years of grievances: "Lord Husband, I knew how to weave plain silk at thirteen. I learned to cut clothes at fourteen. I played the many-stringed lute at fifteen. I recited songs from Songs and History at sixteen. I became your wife at seventeen, but in my heart, there was always sorrow and pain..."

Jiao Zhongqing held his wife's hand and whispered: "My wife, you have suffered."

Liu Lanzhi and her husband looked at each other, "The work is more than I can cope with, so what is the use in staying any longer? I beg of your honored parents, let them send me away at once."

Jiao Zhongqing, "Lanzhi...."

The wife, Liu Lanzhi, fell into her husband's arms and could not stop crying.