Chapter 72 Brothers Meet Again

Seeing that it was getting late and the next show was about to begin, Zhang Yuan stood up, said goodbye, and prepared to leave Guangde Building.

Mr. Guo’s Capital Crosstalk Conference has two shows every day, one starting at 3pm and the other at 6pm.

These are the two worst times of the day, before and after mealtime.

Everyone was still working at the three o'clock show and hadn't gotten off work yet.

At the six o'clock show, everyone went to eat.

Young people don’t come to the crosstalk theater to fall in love, they go to the cinema.

Why do you always give him the worst time?
This is called a vicious cycle, because if you can't sell tickets, it's even less likely that you will be given prime time. Just like TV dramas, the lower the ratings, the worse the time slot you are given.

There are quite a few dark horses in TV dramas, but considering this huge base, it would be an exaggeration to say that they are just a drop in the ocean.

The same goes for crosstalk. Even if you have great talents, this industry is now in decline and you have to endure it.

The good time slot in Guangde Building is given to the drum-singing performances.

It’s not that drum-booking is much better than crosstalk, but the singers of drum-booking are all young girls and wives, and they are all very beautiful.

After putting on some makeup and wearing a cheongsam, as long as the slit of the cheongsam is high, the tickets on both sides will sell like hot cakes.

Just like when the Russian Ballet came to China for its first performance, every show was sold out and most of the audience were middle-aged and young men.

Are these people here to watch the dance?

Pooh!
I'm embarrassed to point it out to you.

It's just because I'm greedy for the bodies of those big foreign horses.

It is said that good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly. The business of the Imperial Capital Crosstalk Conference is so bad, and the time period is so bad, but it is still not peaceful.

Zhang Yuan had just walked to the gate of Guangde Building when he heard a commotion coming from the theater, as if someone was causing trouble.

He thought about it for a while, weighed the pros and cons, and turned back.

"Huh!!!"

"Go down, go down, go down..."

Click!

As soon as Zhang Yuan entered the room, he heard people booing, people chasing people away, and the sound of tea bowls being smashed...

All kinds of noises are heard everywhere.

Several people even walked away from him quickly.

It looked like these people had bought tickets to listen to the crosstalk seriously, but when they saw someone making trouble, they had to flee in panic out of self-protection and fear.

This is the opening show. Just like Zhang Yuan's show, Li Jing goes on stage to beat the board and sing a quick-paced storytelling.

But just as the play of "Lu Da Eliminates the Tyrant" began, the people sitting in the front row started to make a fuss.

If you really come here to listen to the show, if you think it is not good, you have to listen for a while before you say "eh".

These people started shouting "good thing" right from the start, which clearly showed that they came prepared and had ulterior motives.

"Who are you, hero?" At this moment, Teacher Guo had already hurriedly run out from the backstage and greeted several people in the Jianghu way.

"Who do you care who we are?"

"Yes, that's not good, refund!"

"Such a lousy show, it dirty my ears, and I still have to pay for it."

Zhang Yuan hid in the dark and chuckled. He could see that this group of people were just there to cause trouble.

"Hey, here it comes again..."

Old man Zhang Wenshun is old, so we can’t let him go up to persuade people as it could be dangerous.

He hid in the corner like Zhang Yuan, looking at the backs of the people in the front row.

Zhang Yuan thought, it’s only now. If it was a few years later, when the old man lay on the ground, those who were causing trouble would be scared crazy.

"Again?" Zhang Yuan turned around and looked at Mr. Zhang: "Have these people been here before?"

"It's not these few people who came, but I guess it's a group of people." After all, the old man is old and knowledgeable, so he remained calm in the face of this situation.

Traditional folk art has declined, and crosstalk has also declined. This meal is no longer delicious.

But the more this happens, the smaller the audience becomes, and the more intense the struggles between small groups become.

After all, there are only so many audience members left. If they go to your place, my place will be empty.

Instead of thinking about expanding the pie, they are thinking about vicious competition.

As soon as the old man said it, he understood it. It was nothing more than a fight among colleagues.

"There were few spectators to begin with, and with the commotion, everyone will run away." The old man sighed, as if there was nothing he could do except sigh.

On the other side, Li Jing had already hidden backstage, while Guo Degang was still apologizing and persuading her, trying to get away with it.

But it was obvious that they came here to cause trouble, so it wouldn't be easy for them to leave.

Zhang Yuan's martial arts skills have greatly improved recently, but firstly, he has never been in actual combat, and secondly, neither this restaurant nor the crosstalk troupe belongs to him. It is a good thing to be brave and righteous, but if he gets injured, who will be responsible?
It is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm, and he is no exception.

My current identity is just a spectator. Even if I can get some points, the risk is too great and the gain does not outweigh the loss.

Zhang Wenshun was observing him from the side, and seeing that he had no urge to step forward, he actually looked up to him.

"Hey, this guy is smart and not impulsive."

"Usually, people of this age would either run away in fear or shout and join the battle when seeing this. It's rare to see someone so calm and collected."

But just as the old man finished his thought, he saw Zhang Yuan move!
"Did I misjudge him?"

Zhang Yuan actually went forward.

Why did he change his mind when he was clear just now and didn't intend to get involved?

Because he saw someone he knew!

At this moment, he rolled his eyes, prepared his speech, and came behind the troublemakers with a smile on his face.

"We meet again, brothers!"

Several men who were chattering and noisy stopped and turned in the direction of the sound.

It would have been fine if he hadn't turned around. As soon as he turned around, the leader saw Zhang Yuan and a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead. Before he "graduated" from the crew of "Conquer", Gao Qunshu took everyone to have a meal together.

A small incident occurred during the meal, and Zhang Yuan accidentally discovered that Xiao Yueyue was being bullied.

The people in Guangde Building now are the ones who caused trouble in the hotel back then!
So when he saw his acquaintance, he changed his plans.

He walked casually among the group of people, sat down, raised his arms and hooked the shoulders of the men on both sides.

Just like the landlady hooked the Axe Gang leader and his lackey in the car.

"I'm in a good mood. Let's listen to the crosstalk."

"You..." The leading brother swallowed his saliva, remembering that night when this kid made a phone call and brought a bunch of fierce and tough guys with wolves and tigers' faces.

I was suddenly horrified.

"I didn't expect that I would meet you guys just after I came out from inside." Zhang Yuan looked around with a smile.

"Inside, inside, inside?" The eldest brother is a professional gangster, of course he knows where inside is.

Zhang Yuan lifted his sleeve and revealed the scar on his left arm... the scar he got accidentally injured on the set of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber".

"I got stabbed, but I didn't suffer any loss. The guy is still lying down."

When Zhang Yuan said this, his eyebrows raised slightly, as if he was showing off his military achievements.

Gangsters and bandits are two different professions. These guys are gangsters, while people like Liu Huaqiang are bandits.

Gangsters, gangsters, just want to make a living.

Seeing Zhang Yuan's aura and his badass spirit, coupled with the scar that had just healed and looked like a knife wound, several people looked at each other and thought something was wrong.

We are entrusted by others to make money.

But this guy seemed like he was ready to fight to the death.

"Mr. Guo, please continue to perform on stage. I just want to catch up with these friends. Please serve us some good tea."

Teacher Guo was a smart man. He understood the hidden meaning of Zhang Yuan's words as soon as he raised his eyes. He turned and left the front desk, leaving only a few people sitting there.

"By the way, my brothers, the ones you met, are also nearby. Let's have a meal together after listening to the crosstalk."

“No, no, no…” Upon hearing that everyone was there, the leader hurriedly refused with a wry smile, shaking his head like a rattle.

"Hey, don't be polite, you can't leave, I have to treat you!"

"I, I, we have something else to do later, so I'll take my leave today. Please take your time to listen."

"If you have something to do, forget it. I won't force you to stay. I come here often anyway. Come see me when you are free." Zhang Yuan smiled and waved at them.

These people were so panicked that they ran out of Guangde Building as if they were escaping.

"Brother, we are so unlucky!"

"Yeah, I run into this guy who eats raw rice again."

"Young people are better at fighting. People in their teens and twenties don't know how to control their strength."

After they ran two blocks away, the boss stopped and panted, saying, "You heard his last words. He often happens there."

"He is the one who protects the crosstalk troupe in Guangde Building. We should avoid provoking them in the future."

"How do we explain this to the sponsor?"

"Money is important, life is more important!"

……

In the theater, all three of them stepped forward and surrounded Zhang Yuan.

[Received thanks from Guo Degang, crosstalk basics +5, stand-up basics +6, crosstalk skills +3! ]

[Received thanks from Zhang Wenshun, Crosstalk Basics +4, Funny Drum +6! ]

[Received thanks from Li Jing, Allegro skills (Wang style) +3, Crosstalk skills +2! ]

In this wave, Zhang Yuan didn't have to take any action, but he also gained some attributes.

When he saw those people, he thought of this set of words with the purpose of scaring them away.

"Zhang Yuan, are you really an actor?" Guo Degang asked in confusion with a blank face.

"Yeah, that was my performance just now, is it okay?"

Three people: This is too cruel!
Guo Degang thought to himself, I don’t think this is acting.

The show has been ruined and we have to regroup.

Zhang Yuan did not delay their cleaning, as he had a dinner to attend, so after chatting for a few more words he stood up and said goodbye.

After he left, Teacher Guo and Mr. Zhang got together.

"Which way is this kid from? Why can't I see clearly?"

"Don't worry about it." Old Zhang still tilted his shoulders: "Anyway, I think he is extraordinary."

"No matter whether that move you made earlier to defeat the enemy without fighting was true or not, you can't use it without real skills."

"He knows those hooligans, and they are quite afraid of him."

"At least it will save you some trouble in the future."

"Could it be a setup to deceive us?" Guo Degang was still very suspicious.

"Do you have anything valuable that someone has cheated you of?"

Old Zhang asked back, and Guo Degang remained silent.

"Besides, I've met a lot of old men, and I don't think he's a liar."

"What's that like?"

Zhang Wenshun chuckled a few times and uttered two words.

"Noble man."

……

(End of this chapter)