"Grandpa, are we really leaving?" At the entrance of the brothel, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy looked back at the empty brothel with a look of reluctance to leave.
"We're leaving …" The storyteller, Old Man Sun, sighed. Helplessness appeared on his wrinkled face, and his muddy eyes also showed some reluctance to part.
He had traveled to countless places in his life, and he had experienced this kind of parting many times. But every time, it was a completely different feeling.
Humans were not plants. It would be a lie to say that he had no feelings for this place, but it was more important to rely on this craft to survive. While he was not so old that he could not walk, he should save some money to settle down and find a new job for his child. When he left, he could close his eyes in peace.
There were many figures in the brothel, and most of them were performers who were packing their things. The boy glanced at them again, then turned his head and carried the luggage on his back.
These were his sisters and brothers who he had been with day and night. He would probably never have the chance to see them again.
"Let's go."
The old man's voice was low. He did not look inside again and walked straight ahead.
The boy followed closely behind him, turning his head every three steps. When he reached the other exit of the house, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Grand- Grandpa Sun, wait a moment!"
A clear and melodious female voice sounded. The boy turned his head and saw the panting young girl chasing after him. A look of surprise finally appeared on his face.
"Sister Xiao Zhu!"
…
…
A moment later, the dozen or so performers, including Old Man Sun, gathered in the brothel again, surrounding Wan Ruoqing and Xiao Zhu.
"What, he is willing to provide us with stories and scripts?" The wrinkles on Old Man Sun's face twisted into a flower, and he no longer had the melancholy from before.
"It's not free, he also wants payment." Xiao Zhu reminded him.
"Of course, of course."
The old man nodded repeatedly, but he was inwardly lamenting. He had begged that young master many times, but he had not gotten what he wanted. He raised his head and looked at Wan Ruoqing, thinking that Miss Wan was indeed capable. There was a saying that since ancient times, talented men had a weakness for beautiful women.
"That's all he said. Whether we stay or leave depends on everyone's opinion." Wan Ruoqing said with a smile.
"I'll stay."
"Me too."
"With a good story and script, of course, we won't leave."
…
…
The reason why everyone left was because they couldn't attract enough customers, and they had no choice but to make a living. If the Modern World was stable, who would be willing to wander around? The future was unknown, and it was very likely that it would be even more difficult than it was now. In the current situation, they needed a good story and a good script, just like the Painted Skin from a few days ago. If there was an endless supply of such stories, they wouldn't have to worry about such things in the future.
"How much does that young master want …" The old man turned to look at Wan and looked at Wan.
"In Wa City, good books were often fought over by many, and were not cheap. In their current situation, they did not have to pay.
Li Yi had just told her about this matter. He did not mention the exact amount, but rather, he would be paid by taking a percentage of the profits.
This method was more suitable for them, who did not have much money. They immediately conveyed Li Yi's message to everyone.
…
…
Very soon, Li Yi received a reply from the actors. He could take 40% of the profits. Miss Xiao Zhu told him this when she was leaning on the wall.
This number was more than Li Yi had expected. According to his original plan, 20% to 30% would be enough.
This was just to help Wan Ruoqing. He did not expect to make money from this. In the future, when he went to the brothel, he should be able to see more interesting things.
He had already told Ruoqing the idea of the stage play. As for the more detailed aspects, he believed that they were more professional than him, so he did not need to worry too much.
He had nothing to do these few days, so he wrote a few short stories from Strange Tales from Liao Zhai. The original stories were not long, so it did not take much effort.
Although he could not make much money, it was still something. Many a little makes a mickle, and he would be able to get a place in the big house.
"The Painted Skin" and "Ying Ning" were cheated by Miss Piglet with a few pieces of osmanthus cake. After writing "A Chinese Ghost Story", she handed them to her from the wall. It was estimated that these would be enough to keep them busy for a while.
Costumes, props, lines, and makeup all needed to be carefully prepared.
Of course, there was also the background music that Li Yi had specifically reminded her about. A dry performance would be boring. Although many innate conditions could not be met due to the backward times, if she wanted to create a terrifying atmosphere, she could not do without background music. If she did not scare them to death, how could she let them pay for it happily?
"You look good. It seems that your body has recovered well." A voice came from behind. Li Yi turned his head and saw Li MIngzhu, whom he had not seen for a while, standing in the yard.
Li Xuan, whom she had not seen for a few days, stood beside her. His face was still as haggard as the last time they met. It seemed that he had been tortured by premarital anxiety recently.
"Except for a small internal injury, I have almost recovered."
Now, he was almost no different from ordinary people in other aspects, except that he could not do too much strenuous exercise.
"Since you have recovered, go back to the county government as soon as possible." MIngzhu looked at him and said.
The expression on Li Yi's face froze. Was he still a human? As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover when the muscles and bones are injured. He had suffered a more serious internal injury. It had only been half a month. Why should he go back to the county government?
His face changed. He suddenly covered his chest with a painful expression on his face. "No, I feel that my internal injury suddenly relapsed. Xiao Huan, help me back to my room to rest."
"All right, all right. Don't pretend." MIngzhu waved her hand and looked at him with disgust. "When you feel that you have recovered, you can go to the county government."
After he assigned all the affairs to his subordinates, the role of the county lieutenant was not so important. Father wanted to sharpen him in this position, but MIngzhu, who knew him well, knew that even if he was not injured, he had all kinds of ways to be lazy.
Her Highness's suggestion was very good. He had suffered a serious internal injury, and it would take about half a year to completely recover.
He turned to look at Li Xuan and asked, "Why do you have time to come out today? Did the old man give you a holiday?"
Li Xuan shook his head and said, "No, I bet with him which of two stones of different sizes would fall to the ground first …"
Before he finished his words, Li Yi had already understood.
After this bet, the old man might not have the mood to educate Li Xuan anymore. The most likely thing to do was to find a corner to think about life.
At the age of half a foot in the coffin, Li Xuan had destroyed his worldview. He could only wish the old man well in his heart and hope that he could get through it …
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