Puppet Show (continued)

So-called ancient drama uses classical Chinese as narration, and the characters in the play cannot speak, but can only perform the plot through actions and expressions. It is a great test of the actors' acting skills. They not only need to have a foundation in acting and dance, but also need to have a high level of literary cultivation. Unlike pantomime, the actors in it can make sounds, but they cannot speak or sing.

The origins of this type of drama can be traced back to High Antiquity times. Since humans had not yet invented a unified language, they could only communicate through gestures and imitations of animal sounds. In order to recreate this scene, it gradually evolved into a form of drama.

It's rarely used now, since the expressive power of period dramas can't compare to that of new dramas, and they lack a sense of immersion. The narration's voice can easily lead the audience into a third-person perspective.

However, the judges were quite impressed with this and communicated with each other using Secret Voice Transmission.

"Choosing a period drama? That takes guts."

"As expected of a student from the Emperor Peak Academy, putting everything else aside, at least their acting skills are solid, unlike those self-taught individuals."

"I wonder if these young girls can bring the performances to life. Choosing period dramas is either a meteoric rise or a disastrous fall; there's no middle ground."

The background on stage changes, revealing the outline of a dilapidated temple. Inside the temple sits an old man, hunched over, leaning against the wall on the ground. In front of him is a fire, but the flames are weak.

The role was played by Si Huaruo. She had her hair done up, making it look dry and yellow. Anyone who saw it could tell that the character she was playing must have lived a very miserable life.

The narrator said, "The old man was white-haired and ragged, but he held a wooden puppet that was exquisitely crafted, just like a beautiful young woman, with tears welling up in her eyes, making her a pitiful sight."

After the old man saw the scholar enter, he shifted his position slightly, making room for the audience to see the "puppet" that had been hidden from view.

"Wow, it's so exquisite! Is that really a doll? Or is it True Person acting in it?"

"How could he be True Person? He's less than a meter tall! Even someone with dwarfism wouldn't be this short!"

When Si Jingyu saw the doll, she was stunned for a moment, and a rare look of surprise appeared on her face. As the head of the Si Clan, she naturally recognized her family's exclusive deity.

"I can't believe you even thought of that."

She remarked to Si Ming with a sigh, showing no sign of anger. After all, they came from an artistic Aristocratic Clan, and they didn't feel insulted by the idea of summoning deities to perform in a play. However, she couldn't help but be surprised that "this can be done."

On the stage, the scholar and the old man sat together by a fire for warmth, and then they made a gesture of communication.

The narrator says, "At that time, the clouds were red and the snow was raging. The two stood side by side by the fire. The old man recounted that when he was young, he loved watching puppet Puppet Show and was obsessed with the skills of stringed puppets. As he grew older, his determination became stronger, and he made it his profession, finding joy in making puppets that resembled people. However, he wandered all his life, without a place to live or a companion, his only companion being his wooden puppets."

The lights on one side gradually dimmed, obscuring the two figures, while on the other side they slowly lit up, accompanied by the noisy sounds of a market. The audience below understood that this scene signified the start of a flashback.

As the bell rang on stage, a puppeteer set up a stage, attracting countless children to watch.

The actress playing the street performer was Dong Qian. She was quite skillful and learned to play the Puppet Show quite well in just three days. Although she wasn't a professional, it was enough to fool ordinary people. In any case, she wasn't the lead actress in this play.

On the three-foot-long red cotton stage, puppets performed back and forth, while a group of children surrounded the stage, laughing and making a ruckus.

At this moment, Si Huaruo reappeared on stage. This time, she changed into children's clothes and used the Bone-Shrinking Art recorded in "The Water Moon Precious Mirror" to shorten her body by twenty centimeters. At the same time, she combed her hair into two buns, resembling bull horns. This is the so-called "Zongjiao", which is the traditional hairstyle for boys before they come of age and girls before they are of marriageable age. She stood in front of the stage, watching with great interest.

After the Puppet Show ended, the children dispersed, leaving only Si Huaruo behind. She then went up to talk to the street performer. Since there was no dialogue, the audience could not know what she said, but after the conversation, Si Huaruo used a few copper coins from her pocket to take a puppet from the street performer, so it was not difficult to guess what it was about.

Next, all the lights went out, leaving only one shining on Si Huaruo, who was intently practicing how to control the puppet. At first, her movements were very clumsy, and the puppet would fall to the ground from time to time, but gradually she became more skilled, and the puppet's movements became smoother and smoother.

At the same time, Si Huaruo's body is visibly growing taller because she has unleashed her "collarbone technique," but to the audience, this means that she is growing up.

"Using collarbone exercises to symbolize the passage of time and personal growth is an innovative idea and could perhaps be included as a case study in teaching materials."

"It's unlikely to be widely adopted. Bone-Shrinking Art is incredibly difficult to master, requiring an extremely high level of flexibility. The Si Clan's 'Water Moon Precious Mirror' is renowned as the best in flexibility kung fu, and only this person on stage can do it so easily. It wouldn't be possible for anyone else."

As the judges exchanged ideas, some changes occurred on stage. In the shadows where the lights were not on, people appeared from time to time, including the protagonist's parents, relatives, and friends. They kept talking, but all of them left disappointed.

Even without dialogue, the audience can easily guess from the actors' actions and expressions, as well as the previous narration, that these people are all trying to persuade the protagonist to put down the puppets and do legitimate business, but unfortunately, none of them succeed.

Finally, a very beautiful woman appears, dressed in a festive red dress. Even without explanation, the audience subconsciously associates this with a "wedding" and realizes that this woman is likely the protagonist's lover or fiancée.

The woman also tried to persuade the protagonist to put down the doll, but like the others, she failed. Her expression changed from tender to impatient, and finally she exploded, snatching the doll from the protagonist's hands and smashing it to pieces on the ground.

The woman thought that by doing this, she could at least get the other man's attention to her. However, the male protagonist was first taken aback, then knelt on the ground, sadly collecting the scattered limbs of the doll and trying to put them back together. From beginning to end, he didn't even glance at the woman standing next to him.

The woman finally gave up and left in despair.

Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the stage into complete darkness. About ten seconds later, the lights came on again, and the male lead, now dressed in a different outfit, was holding a new doll in his hand. It was the same one he had seen in the temple earlier, exquisitely crafted with a face so delicate and vibrant it looked as if it had just been painted. Its expression was lifelike, and a tear-like mark hung at the corner of its eye, making it look exceptionally pitiful.

The male protagonist leads the puppet forward, his clothes becoming more and more tattered, his hair whiter and whiter, his Ziyue hunched, until he finally becomes the old man in the first act of the play. At the same time, the stage background changes to an old dilapidated temple, with a scholar and a bonfire in the middle.

The male protagonist walked over and sat back in his original spot. He continued talking with the scholar, seemingly lamenting his life of wandering and lack of achievement. He cried as he spoke, wiping his face with his patched-up sleeves, but no matter how much he wiped, he couldn't get it clean.

This scene signifies that the male protagonist has returned from the past to the present, ending his flashback.

The narrator said, "The old man spoke and wept, and I gently persuaded him to play the bells and perform a puppet show. The puppets, placed on a three-foot-long red cotton board, played melodies and their movements were lifelike. Though their faces were painted with sorrow, they were exquisitely beautiful."

Next came the highlight of the entire play: the old man made a gesture of manipulating threads, and the puppets immediately began to dance. At the same time, music began to play, and a clear, melancholic voice sang along with the melody:

"Who mocks those who flaunt their beauty? Without hearts, how can they be a match? The bells ring crisply, the lamplight flickers dimly behind the curtains. You and I are the perfect pair."

Losing you is my original sin; losing my heart is what makes us a good match. You are ragged, I am painted; we walk side by side through mountains and rivers. You are haggard, but I will brighten your day.

The puppets danced to the song, their light steps like swallows returning to their nests, their swift flight like magpies startled in the night. Their delicate steps, the resounding bells, their slow, cloud-like movements, and their rapid, whirlwind-like spins all conveyed the joys and sorrows of the song.

If it were a real puppet, it would never be able to make such movements. No matter how skilled the Puppet Master is, it wouldn't be possible. After all, a person only has ten fingers and cannot control so many movements. However, the audience below the stage did not know the secret and thought it was a real puppet. They were immediately shocked by this scene. Even the judges couldn't help but discuss how it was done.

After the song was halfway through, the puppet finished its dance and sat back down with the old man. The scholar then made a gesture of admiration, praising it highly.

The old man smiled as he held the puppet, but his expression suddenly changed, turning into one of furious rage.

The audience below the stage were wondering why this change had occurred when they heard the narrator say:

"When the music ended, the old man held the puppet, his face showing a brief smile, but then he became angry and said: 'My life of poverty is all because of this puppet. It's cold now, and I can't even afford winter clothes. I've become so poor that I might as well burn it.' He then angrily threw the puppet into the fire."

Upon hearing the last sentence, the audience was startled. Just as the thought "Impossible!" crossed their minds, they saw the old man on stage throw the perfect and exquisite doll into the fire.

There should have been narration here, but after discussing it with the others, Si Ming decided to remove it.