Chapter 2639: Temple Festival Opera (Part 1)

A few days later, the opera troupe arrived as promised, and Li Family Enclosure grew more lively than ever. The puppet troupe had already been performing for quite some time, so they graciously yielded the threshing ground to the newcomers.

The actors sang in the distinctive yi yi ya ya style of their craft. This wasn't Cantonese Opera, nor was it Right Tune sung in Mandarin. Rather, it was a form of local Earth Opera called Tea-picking Opera (Cai Cha Xi), popular throughout Northern Guangdong and Southern Jiangxi. This style occupied a middle ground between Grand Opera and Small Singing—performed in dialect with lively singing and dancing, yet still conveying a proper story. The common village folk loved it.

Since the puppet troupe's arrival, Li Family Enclosure had become the entertainment center for the entire region. Folks from surrounding villages within ten li in every direction came to watch. The adults had grown somewhat weary of the puppet shows, so this new entertainment drew even larger crowds.

Where people gathered, business followed. The crowd brought "living water," and merchants swarmed into Li Family Enclosure to drink their fill.

Peddlers who usually wandered from village to village now converged here, shoulder poles balanced across their backs—a lantern hanging from one end, a rattle drum from the other. They wove through the crowd, shaking their drums while hawking their wares: brushes and sundries, snacks, medicines, picture books. Those who arrived early set up stalls beneath nearby trees, borrowing light from the torches and lanterns around the threshing ground. For a time, little Li Family Enclosure rivaled the bustling liveliness of Xiaoyao Market itself.

Golden Pig squeezed through the packed crowd, looking around.

That morning, a steward from the Patriarch's household had sought him out. The steward said that Golden Pig's work building the stage these past few days had impressed the family, and they'd decided to hire him on a long-term basis. They wanted to register him in the Eight Immortals Society as a Corpsman (Tuan Ding). Besides drilling fist and foot exercises, he would help the Patriarch's household with various heavy labor. His pay would include the standard Corpsman's share plus an additional subsidy from the family, with bonuses for good work. The steward added that if Golden Pig knew any reliable men from the countryside, the family would hire them too—as long as they seemed capable.

For the past few days, Mother Li had been nagging Golden Pig to stay home longer instead of running off to Xiaoyao Market for odd jobs. She wanted him to take advantage of the talisman water they'd begged from Fairy Aunt Huang and "cultivate" (Geng Yun) more diligently at home—meaning she wanted him to give the Li family a descendant.

A job that didn't require him to leave home was exactly what Golden Pig needed. He agreed immediately and spent the rest of that day following the steward around. Only after dinner did he finally have time to think of Tian Yingcheng.

The Tian family wasn't well off either. Worse, they were an Outer Surname in the village—always passed over for good opportunities, yet first in line whenever trouble needed handling. Though they had a few tenths (fen) of Mulberry Base, the income barely covered the family's expenses. Most of the time, Tian Yingcheng had to work short-term jobs to make ends meet. This shared hardship had bonded him and Golden Pig—the "Fake Own Family"—closely together. The two families had grown quite fond of each other over the years.

So when this good opportunity came along, Golden Pig naturally thought of recommending his friend. Being a Corpsman meant a steady share of money and grain—far better than Tian Yingcheng's current hand-to-mouth existence.

With all the excitement over the Temple Festival Opera, no one from Li Family Enclosure had traveled far these past few days. Tian Yingcheng should be resting at home. Golden Pig decided to visit the Tian family first and see if his friend wanted to take up this long-term work together.

The last time Golden Pig had visited was to congratulate the family on Tian's wife returning home. He'd originally assumed she had run off with someone, unable to bear the poverty any longer. In recent years, kidnapping and trafficking—what people called Flower Patting (Pai Hua)—had become rare. Since the Australians came, anyone caught trafficking faced death, and the punishment extended to everyone involved: those who helped transport victims, matchmakers who arranged deals, anyone who provided shelter, and buyers alike. A household right here in Li Family Enclosure had bought a child from traffickers, and the whole family had been exiled to some place called "Taiwan." Their bones had probably turned to mud by now.

When Tian's wife first went missing, Golden Pig had consoled his friend, telling him not to be sad. Life was easier under the Australians now. Save up for a few years and he could afford to marry again.

But then, unexpectedly, Tian Yingcheng's wife had returned. Not only returned, but with healthy color in her cheeks. Not only healthy, but wearing bright new clothes and carrying back quite a few possessions. Behind their backs, everyone said Tian Yingcheng's headscarf had turned oily green.

Yet Tian Yingcheng showed no anger. The gossips who'd hoped to watch the Tian household erupt in quarrels were left disappointed. The old folks said it best: the Tian family was so poor that having his wife come back at all was stepping in dog shit luck. What was the point of haggling over the color of his headscarf?

Golden Pig's visit to offer congratulations had served another purpose too. He'd wanted to discuss partnering with Tian Yingcheng to find work in town after the Temple Festival Opera ended. For men like them, there was no such thing as a "slack farming season"—they simply worked in the village during busy times and sought jobs in town during slow ones.

He'd heard there were more jobs in the county these days, but he'd never worked there before. Going alone felt daunting. He wanted Tian Yingcheng to come along, especially since Tian's wife had a relative making a living at the City Gate (Cheng Guan). Having that connection would help.

Unfortunately, that day the house had been full of visitors, everything in chaos. Golden Pig had merely offered his congratulations and left. Later he heard that Tian's wife was planning to start a business in the village. He'd been meaning to ask Tian Yingcheng about their plans.

But when he arrived at the Tian household this time, he found everything in disarray. Tian Yingcheng's old mother, his wife, and the children were all frantically packing—clothes bundled, belongings gathered. It looked exactly like a family preparing to move. Shocked, Golden Pig hurried to ask what was going on.

Tian Yingcheng didn't hide the truth. His wife's disappearance had actually led to a stroke of fortune—the Australians had taken her in. She'd worked for several days at a silk warehouse the Australians operated in the county, and they'd been very satisfied with her. When they learned she was from Li Family Enclosure, they sent her back to the countryside to promote Australian silkworm eggs and mulberry branches.

"I heard about that," Golden Pig nodded. "People say Sister-in-law is selling Australian silkworm eggs. But if she's selling silkworm eggs, wouldn't she want to stay in the village? Why leave?"

"You don't understand..." Tian Yingcheng lowered his voice. "Her selling mulberry cuttings and silkworm eggs—don't you see how that violates the taboo?"

Golden Pig remained confused. His family was too poor to raise silkworms, and they had no Mulberry Base. He knew nothing about the trade.

"In Li Family Enclosure, silkworm eggs have always been Master Li's business to sell..."

"Oh! Right, of course!" Golden Pig suddenly understood. "And mulberry leaves too. Anyone who tenants his land has to sell to his family first..."

Now he grasped the situation. If Tian's wife was selling silkworm eggs and mulberry cuttings, she was snatching meat right out of Master Li's mouth! His face went pale. This woman was far too rash!

"You didn't give her a proper beating?" he blurted. "Does she have a death wish?!"

Tian Yingcheng smiled bitterly. "How would I dare? She came here on the Kun—on the Australians' orders. Master Li on one side, the Australians on the other. Which one am I supposed to offend? Let me tell you..."

A few days ago, the Patriarch's family had sent a steward to speak with him. The steward said his wife had been bewitched by Kun Thieves using demon arts, that she was spouting nonsense. They ordered him to discipline his wife properly and stop her from speaking and acting recklessly. Otherwise, they would have Fairy Huang cast a spell to catch the demon. And when that happened, he shouldn't blame Master Li for showing no neighborly feeling.

The Tian family had always been Outer Surnames in Li Family Enclosure. The steward's words threw the whole household into a panic. Tian Yingcheng's old mother cursed his wife as a "Disaster-Provoking Spirit." Even his wife was frightened. After the family talked it over, they concluded that staying in Li Family Enclosure was no longer possible. His wife had said the Australians promised that if she couldn't manage things here, she could return to the city and work for them directly. They would make other arrangements.

Tian Yingcheng had listened to his wife describe the Australians' conduct and the benefits of working for them. His heart was moved. His family owned no land anyway—even the few tenths of Mulberry Base were rented. There was nothing in Li Family Enclosure truly worth holding onto. He had a strong back; working under the Australians, he'd still have rice in his bowl. His wife would have proper work too. It was better than staying here.

"...After thinking it through, our only option is to go to the city and throw ourselves on the Australians' mercy. At least we'll have something to eat." Tian Yingcheng paused. "Your Sister-in-law says the treatment there isn't bad. Why not come with us and work for the Australians in the county?"

Golden Pig now had his Corpsman position and wasn't willing to leave home. He explained that he'd already secured steady work, and with his old mother and wife to care for, he didn't want to go far.

Tian Yingcheng didn't press him. He simply lowered his voice and said, "Golden Pig, you and I are brothers. You're a Li family man, and being a Corpsman is a decent position. But this Eight Immortals Society that Master Li has been making noise about lately—I don't like the look of it. Seems sinister to me. Be careful. The government fears nothing more than secret societies..."

These words struck Golden Pig's heart. It wasn't that he found the Eight Immortals Society's supernatural trappings suspicious, but rather that every martial technique they taught was meant for battle. They were training Corpsmen in combat. What were they planning? The countryside was peaceful now. Bandits had been completely wiped out. The occasional troublemaker didn't require an army of Corpsmen to handle. And stranger still, the Eight Immortals Society taught methods for dodging bullets and cannonballs—where would common criminals get such firearms?

He didn't dare follow that thought too far. As the saying went: Xi Si Ji Kong—"Think too deeply and terror awaits."

Yet the Corpsman position was genuinely tempting. He couldn't bring himself to give it up. Surely Master Li, with such a vast family enterprise, wouldn't lose his head and do something foolish.

He hesitated, then said, "I feel the same way, Little Brother does. But I'm just a minor Corpsman. When the sky falls, there are taller men to hold it up. What do I matter?"

Tian Yingcheng said, "If things become unbearable, come find your Old Brother in the county. You'll always have rice in your bowl."

Golden Pig nodded silently. They exchanged a few more words, and as he left, Tian's wife pressed some small Australian goods into his hands as keepsakes.

Stepping out of the Tian family's door, Golden Pig raised his head to look at the sky. Tonight the moon was dim, hidden deep within thick clouds, not a trace of its light showing through. Stars flickered and darted among the cloud layers, playing hide and seek. And there was a large star, faintly emitting threads of red light, swaying in mid-air.

His heart was uneasy.

When he returned home, he found that his old mother and Lian Niang weren't there—probably gone to watch the Temple Festival Opera. He decided to find them near the stage first. They could finish watching together, then walk home.

(End of Chapter)