The awards ceremony had ended!
The attendants helped carry the bricklayers’ thick rewards back to their houses.
The villagers who had come to watch the spectacle began to disperse—no, not disperse, but instead began to surge toward the “Gaojia Business Circle” on the hillside.
Gaojia Village was now beginning to develop the rudiments of a “nightlife.”
After sunset, the villagers no longer went straight to sleep but would rush to the Gaojia Business Circle to watch a Shaanbei Diaoqu performance.
Li Daoxuan made his move again, lowering the colorful lights from the “sky” to the stage. With a flick of the switch, the colorful lights immediately began to flash, painting the entire Gaojia Business Circle in vibrant hues, like a disco hall.
Young Master Bai charged ahead swiftly, eager to save a spot for his mother. After all, his mother’s hard pinch was no laughing matter.
Thirty-Two also hurriedly grabbed his daughter’s hand and sprinted up the hill.
Large crowds of villagers surged toward the hillside, with the fastest claiming the best spots.
Yongji Xing Honglang and the salt smugglers were also confused. The last time they left Gaojia Village, the Zhang Family Troupe hadn’t arrived yet, so they had no idea what was happening. They stood there, unsure what to do, as villagers rushed past as if chased by monsters.
The scene was quite comical!
Xing Honglang turned to look at the Gaojia Business Circle flashing with strange, colorful lights. “What’s happening?”
Just then, a burly man, Gao Chuwu, ran past her, grinning broadly. “Ah, Miss Xing is back! Perfect timing. Come, let’s go watch the play together.”
“Watch a play?” Xing Honglang cursed inwardly. How can you invite a woman to see a play so casually? Do you even know what that implies? Follow current novᴇls on Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
As her mind raced, Gao Chuwu grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the hill. “Hurry! The good spots are getting taken!”
His strides were immense—each step covered twice as much ground as an average person’s. Xing Honglang was nearly lifted off her feet. She had no time for wandering thoughts now and quickly matched his pace, afraid that if she slowed down, he might actually drag her through the air. How utterly humiliating! Everyone in the Jianghu knew her name, Yongji Xing Honglang. She was always the one pulling others along, never the one being pulled.
A competitive fire ignited in her. Xing Honglang pushed her legs to fly. In mere moments, she surged ahead of Gao Chuwu.
Gao Chuwu exclaimed in surprise, “Huh? Miss Xing is so fast? I can’t lose!”
He poured on full speed too.
Both of them were striving now, their pace terrifying. Like fully powered engines, they roared uphill in a cloud of dust.
Young Master Bai, who had been leading, was overtaken instantly. Jumping furious, he yelled, “Fighting for theater seats? Are you kidding me? I promised my mother the best spot. How could you do this? Ahhh, I’m so angry!”
With Xing Honglang pulled away, her band of salt smugglers naturally followed.
This left Xu Dafu and the lamp maker standing forgotten.
New to this “strange place,” they didn’t know what to do—where to find food, where to sleep. They stood bewildered and helpless amid the rushing crowd.
After gaping mindlessly for a long while, they finally decided to follow the crowd.
Whatever direction the crowd goes, we go. That shouldn’t be wrong.
By this time, Li Daoxuan had finished hanging the colorful lights and was enjoying the scene below. From his perspective, he could clearly see the little figures moving in streams. The crowds had already gathered around the stage, but two figures lagged far behind.
They seemed deep in awkward conversation, hesitant to venture too close.
Li Daoxuan immediately recognized them as “wild figures.” Their bundled luggage and travel-worn appearance showed they’d journeyed from afar, newcomers ignorant of Gaojia Village’s ways, feeling hopelessly out of place.
Curious to hear their words, he found the buzz of the Gaojia Business Circle too loud—everyone’s noise blended into one din. Eavesdropping was near impossible.
So Li Daoxuan placed a button-sized microphone on the street beside them.
Xu Dafu and the lamp maker stood dazedly in the middle of the business circle when suddenly a strange thud sounded nearby. They glanced over, only spotting a dark, odd shape against the wall. Nothing else.
Their attention snapped back to the stage’s mesmerizingly shifting colorful lights. The lamp maker gasped in awe. “These lights are incredible. How do they flash and cycle like that? I can make colored lanterns, but I can’t make them blink.”
Huh? Li Daoxuan perked up inwardly. This guy knows lighting? A lamp maker? Interesting. Gaojia Village’s fledgling “nightlife” relied solely on his colorful lights for ambiance. Hanging them nightly was tedious. If the villagers could light their streets after dark, it’d be far more convenient.
Xu Dafu remarked, “This market is strange. Only the stage is lit by these colorful lights; everywhere else is pitch black.”
The lamp maker nodded. “Bizarre indeed. If I were to arrange lanterns for this street, I’d place them here…here…and there…even add silk lanterns here. Oh wow—a brothel! Its doorway needs at least six colored lanterns!”
Li Daoxuan chuckled silently. Excellent! Simply excellent! Seems my colorful lights may retire soon.
He considered calling over Gao Yiye to relay a message but spotted her sitting merrily with Thirty-Two’s daughter, watching the Shaanbei Diaoqu. Pulling her away now seems cruel. Let her be.
Xu Dafu and the lamp maker toured the Gaojia Business Circle, quickly realizing how dimly lit it truly was. Aside from the stage, only the bookstore and the rice noodle shop were properly lit. Most shops sat dark and seemingly abandoned.
In the end, their wandering drew them back to the stage.
They stood behind the labor offenders, peering at the distant performance.
As the play ended, cheers erupted. Villagers began showering the stage with rewards. The two artisans stared, stunned, as pieces of silver and copper coins fell like rain upon the players.
The troupe just made a killing.
Xu Dafu whispered under his breath, “Something isn’t right here. First, three artisans made a fortune, now even this small troupe struck it rich. The poor in this village…they live well.”
The lamp maker nodded vigorously. “I noticed that too.”