British writer

Two days later.

Boston Chinatown.

The night falls and the lanterns come on,

On both sides of the narrow streets, there are dazzling shops with swaying lanterns, exuding the unique atmosphere of a Chinese community.

The air is mixed with the smell of sewage and the aroma of snacks, irritating the nostrils of pedestrians.

Lu Shi and Goodman walked through the crowd.

In the past, residents here would look twice at Americans when they saw them.

But today is different,

Because of the performance of "Gangster", Chinatown, a relatively closed country, has become a highlight. Many Americans come here.

In the past half hour, the residents had become accustomed to it.

Goodman tiptoed and carefully walked around a puddle.

A poster on the street caught his attention,

"Sir Lu, look."

Lu Shi glanced away.

All I saw on the poster was:

"

Kun Opera is the soul and Qin Opera is the bone;

After all the ups and downs, a new drama about the quintessence of the Chinese nation emerges.

"

So far it's normal.

The following is relatively simple:

"

Do not miss passing through!

The ticket price is amazing!

Inquire about Hwaseong Theater for details!

"

There is also a face of Wu Sheng drawn next to it.

It can be seen that the painter of the poster does not know anything about "new quintessence of Chinese drama" and can only refer to Peking Opera.

Goodman was very excited;

"It's so good! It has a lot of charm!"

Lu Shi was curious,

"Why does it have charm?"

Goodman danced and gestured to explain: "Look at that picture and then look at the words, how beautiful it is!"

Lu Shi: "..."

It can only be said that distance produces beauty.

Just like "Just because you are so beautiful", written in Arabic is "", and you become taller instantly.

The two then walked towards the theater,

From time to time, American carriages passed by, splashing mud and water.

Finally moved to the theater,

A huge number of people have gathered in front of the door.

The Chinese make up the majority, and they are clearly divided into two groups from the white people.

They were all discussing,

"This time the drama seems to be in Chinese."

"Can't understand."

"Would that look good?"

…

"Sigh... We have to imitate Gui Lao in our drama, and it will definitely turn out to be completely different. Look at all the things Gui Lao studies, such as magic tricks and coffee... It's better to go eat and grab fans."

"Can you have a little pursuit? Just eat that broken rice roll."

"You thick northern bitch, what do you know!?"

…

Zhili dialect, Cantonese, Fujian, English...

Everything is there.

Hearing this, Lu Shi's mind almost broke into pieces.

(PS: To ensure smooth reading, it is written entirely in Mandarin.)

Goodman asked: "Sir Lu, how long will it take?"

Lu Shi took out his pocket watch.

"It's still early, it will take half an hour."

Goodman then suggested: "Then you can walk around and buy some snacks. We deliberately didn't take a carriage this time. Isn't it because you want to see the style of Chinatown?"

London also has a Chinese community, but its scale is certainly not as large as that of New York, Tokyo, Boston and other places.

When Lu Shi traveled through time, it was impossible not to be curious.

Goodman also liked to join in the fun and dragged him to the rice roll shop next to him.

He said to the stall owner: "Hello, give me one."

The stall owner is an uncle about forty years old.

He glanced at Lu Shi,

"Is this Boss You?"

Lu Shi said "Huh?" but didn't respond.

The stall owner rolled his eyes and said: "Since he is your boss, why the hell do you want him to speak English? Just say it for him and then it's over? This is Boston!"

Lu Shi's head was full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

"Then...let's have one."

"Tsk..."

The stall owner was speechless and started to pull the drawer-style steamers.

Goodman was excited to see it,

"Interesting! Really interesting!"

The stall owner shook his head and muttered: "You old hat~"

Then, he turned to Lu Shi and asked casually: "Which hall did you go out from?"

Lu Shi was startled,

Unexpectedly, even small traders in the night market were forced to join the hall.

But if you think about it carefully, it seems reasonable.

The establishment of Boston's Chinatown originated from the American general strike of 1870.

To replace striking workers, Chinese were hired by Massachusetts businesses and within a decade "founded" Chinatown.

Then came the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and Americans blamed the Chinese for the economic recession.

With such a background, most people will join the church to protect themselves.

Lu Shi sighed in his heart,

For a moment, I didn't know how to answer.

Seeing his long silence, the stall owner smiled bitterly, feeling that he was asking too much.

"Just pretend I didn't ask. You're already hanging out with the ghosts. There's really no need for you to do anything like that."

Lu Shi was about to explain,

Suddenly, the stall owner shouted:

"OK!"

His technique was skillful and quick, and a piece of rice roll skin as thin as cicada wings was spread on the plate.

Then, he spread steamed meat fillings and green scallions on the skin, quickly cut it into several sections with a knife, and handed the plate to Goodman.

Goodman marveled:

"So awesome~"

As soon as his hand touched the edge of the plate, he quickly retracted it.

"Why is it so hot? Hey!"

The stall owner curled his lips and said to Lu Shi in a low voice: "Guiguo doesn't understand anything! There are so many people queuing up to eat our rice rolls, rushing to eat them, and they are even called 'grabbing for rice noodles.' Give it to him, It’s really a waste of money to chew peonies!”

Lu Shi looked at the layout of the shop.

On the right side of the stall stands a wooden pillar-shaped signboard with the two characters "authentic" written in red paint.

Under the words, there is a poster of "Bigg Boss\

,"The poster has been splattered with mud.

Noticing Lu Shi's gaze, the stall owner sighed,

"well……"

He waved his hand,

"It's said to be a new play for the Lecture Hall. How can those writers understand this kind of thing? I don't think it will be good."

Lu Shi asked: "Have you read the newspaper?"

The stall owner replied: "Newspaper? Isn't it like that every day?"

Lu Shi said: "Today's newspapers are different. President Theodore Roosevelt published his review of "Gangster" and thought it was a revolutionary new play. Moreover, he also invited the troupe to perform at the National Theater in Washington. "

The stall owner showed disdain,

"If the president of Gui Lao likes it, then I won't even watch it."

Lu Shi:? ? ?

"Why?"

The stall owner said: "He likes it, which means "Bigg Boss" is not real."

Lu Shi heard this and vomited blood.

The other party's answer was really something he didn't expect.

The stall owner didn't seem to want to talk anymore, so he changed the subject and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this. Let your boss eat quickly. If you want to win fans, you have to eat hot food."

Lu Shi followed his advice like a stream,

"Listen to you."

Then, a scene that surprised the stall owner happened.

Goodman took out a handkerchief, wiped the chopsticks clean for Lu Shi, and then handed them back to Lu Shi diligently.

Lu Shi devoured the food and made a "tsk-tsk" sound while eating.

The stall owner was confused.

Thought,

Young people today are so awesome.

He couldn't help but ask: "Aren't you going to feed your boss?"

Lu Shi joked:

"I am a very principled person. I don't drink when the boss toasts me, I touch myself when the boss plays cards, I chatter when the boss talks, and I get in the car when the boss opens the door."

"Ah this..."

The stall owner looked at Lu Shi and then at Goodman.

"Can this still happen?"

Lu Shi couldn't help laughing, stopped teasing the other person, and said, "Actually, I am the boss. I hired him, not him."

After hearing this, the stall owner felt that his world view collapsed.

However, something even more shocking happened next.

A carriage passed by in a hurry,

After a while, he came back again.

The car curtains opened, and Situ Meitang, the boss of Boston Anliang Hall, poked his head out.

"Professor Lu?"

He glanced at the stall owner, and finally his eyes fell on Lu Shi, and said with a smile: "I also like this rice rolls. However, your new play is about to start, so you should go in first. As for the rice rolls , how many portions should I have someone pack for you?"

The stall owner almost sat down on the ground.

According to Situ Meitang, "Big Brother" was actually written by the young man in front of me?

Is this reasonable?

He couldn't accept it!

The stall owner was completely confused.

Lu Shi put the plate back and winked at him.

"You can go and watch that new drama. Maybe you'll find it surprisingly good?"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Only the stall owner was left messy in the wind.

…

Hwaseong Theater.

Lu Shi and Situ Meitang sat in the front row, quietly waiting for the start of "Big Brother".

This theater has a very Chinese character.

It was originally an exquisite little garden for watching operas. The Eight Immortals table and chairs were placed in the center of the venue. Theater fans drank tea and ate melon seeds while watching the opera over and over again.

In order to adapt to the new drama, the theater was newly renovated.

It's just not completely renovated.

The auditorium is divided into multiple levels, each level is equipped with ornate wooden railings and carved seats.

There is no curtain on the stage as the core area, but an extremely huge folding screen with landscapes, flowers and birds painted on it.

Situ Meitang said: "To be honest, I don't like going to the theater."

Lu Shi understood,

After all, that is the hobby of "gentlemen".

He laughed: "'Bigg Boss' is different."

Situ Meitang nodded,

"Of course. A play that allows the president to write his thoughts after watching it must be extraordinary."

This was actually done spontaneously by Roosevelt.

Americans are very good at face engineering.

In modern times, the black president recommended works such as "The Three-Body Problem" and "The Kite Runner".

The writer of the former need say nothing;

The latter writer is an Afghan-American.

And the U.S.-Arab relations at that time...

Recommending these books is also to highlight the inclusiveness of American culture and promote the American dream.

Lu Shi said: "Mr. President is here to support me. My work..."

Before the words fell,

Boom——

A loud drum beat sounded.

"I believe in America."

"America made me rich."

…

Cantonese is spoken.

The drama begins.

Unlike Harvard's auditorium, there is no curtain. Instead, a field worker comes on stage and pushes the screen to fold it.

The Chinese audience discussed,

"Isn't this drama too outrageous?"

"That's right! This is the first time I've seen Jiao'er speak first and then turn on his screen."

"Nonsense!"

…

Someone left.

Lu Shi was a little speechless.

Unexpectedly, the sense of the shot that I carefully designed disappeared just because of the change of venue.

Situ Meitang frowned,

He stood up, turned around and scanned the audience with his eyes,

In an instant, the originally restless scene became quiet, and no one dared to leave.

Lu Shi said, "Mr. Situ, it's not necessary."

He said this because he was full of confidence in "Bigg Boss\

,"What if the audience leaves?

They will definitely regret it and have to buy another ticket in the future to make up for today's regret.

Situ Meitang said: "Professor Lu, you are a guest from afar, and we must show you the courtesy."

Lu Shi stopped persuading him.

"Thank you."

The two turned their attention back to the stage.

Situ Meitang stretched out his finger, pointed to the side of the stage and asked curiously: "Professor Lu, what is that big sign next to it? Why is it in English?"

Lu Shi explained: "Those are subtitles."

When he answered, he had a sense of absurdity, as if he was from another world.

In modern times, domestic movies always have to be watched with subtitles.

Now it's the other way around.

Situ Meitang was curious,

"Subtitles...the name is quite straightforward. It displays the content of the dialogue in text next to the curtain."

Lu Shi corrected: "Not just the dialogue, but also some post-processed text, such as the year, place names, and character introductions. These can all appear in the subtitles."

Situ Meitang nodded,

“Does this count as forcing Americans to learn our language?”

Lu Shi shrugged.

"How can it be forced? People do it voluntarily."

Situ Meitang almost laughed out loud,

Thinking that this was a theater, I quickly tried my best to hold it in and continue watching the show.

As the plot unfolded, the Chinese audience discovered that "Big Brother" was what happened in the hall around them, and gradually became involved, and no one thought about leaving.

But another problem arises,

That was the sound of cheers and plot discussions.

Chinese drama has a culture of applause and even has a set of rules.

for example,

A famous actor or an actor who is popular with the audience. He has the first voice in the scene. As long as he hears his voice, the audience will cheer.

This is the so-called "hit lottery".

Besides,

Applause for high-quality tunes, applause for classic arias, applause for difficult movements, applause for performance...

There are so many similar rules.

Then let’s discuss the plot,

Because Chinese dramas are often performed at temple fairs, weddings and weddings, and other occasions, and the actors perform and the audience chat almost at the same time, there are no particularly strict "discipline" requirements, as long as they don't leave the stage rashly.

There were constant low-pitched discussions at the scene.

"Look at that! The one who was hacked to death was the incense master of Xie Sheng!"

"Well, Old Thunder's hand."

"How could this playwright know such detailed information? Could it be Situ...well...don't say anything inappropriate."

…

Discussions and endless applause,

It made the scene sound like Anliangtang was engaged in large-scale team building.

Of course, their voices are not loud;

But it really sucks.

The white audience was very helpless;

A few looked back and seemed to want to complain, but seeing how excited the Chinese audience was at the sight of the drama, they wisely chose to shut up.

Situ Meitang was embarrassed,

"Sir Lu, the new play seems a bit... acclimatized in Chinatown?"

Lu Shi didn't do anything either.

Who would have thought that the Chinese version of "Big Brother" would be watched with gusto by white people with subtitles, but the Chinese would be unable to calm down.

He said: "Look back."

Situ Meitang nodded,

"All right."

What more can be said?

He no longer thought about what was and was not, and concentrated on watching the play.

Not long after, he completely assumed the role of the big boss in the plot.

Worried about blocking the hole,

The topic of maintaining restraint even after being assassinated is very popular,

To comfort the families of the dead brothers,

…

It’s so true!

In this way, the drama was over unconsciously,

End of act four.

Situ Meitang suddenly came to his senses and pulled away from the plot.

Only then did I realize that the theater was eerily quiet, as if you could hear a pin drop.

He turned back subconsciously,

I saw that all the audience, whether white or Chinese, were completely involved and immersed in the plot.

I was fascinated by it, no wonder no one would discuss it.

Situ Meitang asked: "Sir Lu, when did the scene become like this..."

Lu Shi said "boo\

,""It's not over yet."

"ah?"

Situ Meitang once again focused his attention on the stage.

The final epilogue of "Bigg Boss" begins, and the bizarre "whip around the court" plot appears.

In just two minutes,

Situ Meitang seemed to be suffocated.

It felt like an invisible hand was pressing my head into a water tank, lifting me up to breathe every minute, and then pressing it back down again, torturing me repeatedly.

This drama sublimated because of the ending.

Suddenly, faint sobbing came from the theater, and it became more and more frequent.

Lu Shi glanced away,

Most of the Chinese audience had ugly expressions, and even a few wiped away tears, as if they were thinking of how they couldn't help themselves when they joined the church.

The white audience was confused.

They can't understand.

Lu Shi sighed,

Thought,

Americans know that this drama is a great work, but how great it is can only be analyzed in terms of technique and innovation.

As for the plot, they can only talk about "excellent satire" and "compassionate".

Only Chinese overseas can truly empathize with it.

Li Jie led the actors to come out for the curtain call.

The white audience took the lead in applauding, but unfortunately some of them were alone. The applause was sparse, and they soon became less confident.

They looked at each other,

"This drama is obviously very good, right?"

"yes……"

"Are all Chinese people hard-hearted? Why don't you applaud?"

…

Are discussing.

Sudden,

Bang bang bang——

Situ Meitang, who was in the front row, was the first to applaud.

After that, there was a wave of applause like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.

The white audience was surprised;

Have cultural differences reached such an extent that even the timing of applause is different?

Puzzled.