Chapter 73 Friends and Friends

After Zhang Yuan left, the three members of the Imperial Capital Crosstalk Conference chatted for a long time.

Unlike usual, several people were not only dissatisfied with the current situation, but also felt helpless about having no place to use their energy.

We also discussed this young man we met today.

However, Zhang Yuan didn't know all this, as he was walking to the dinner arranged by Brother Qian.

He arrived at the hotel entrance according to the address in the text message and looked up.

Wow, Brother Qian is really generous. This restaurant is quite big.

When I arrived at the door of the private room, I could feel the noise and bustle inside just by standing outside.

When I pushed the door open, I saw a round table already full of people.

Of course Brother Qian is there, but the others are no ordinary ones either, and Zhang Yuan can recognize most of them at a glance!
There is Zhao Mingyi, the drummer of the Black Panther band.

This man's wife later became Li Yapeng's agent.

There is actor and singer Jing Gangshan.

There is Zhou Xiaoou, the lead singer of Zero Point Band.

There are also some insiders in the crosstalk or rock circles in the capital, all of whom are Brother Qian’s connections.

Zhang Yuan greeted everyone one by one, and after several refusals, he was finally pushed by Brother Qian to sit on the main seat.

After a while, the dishes that Brother Qian had ordered in advance came up, eight cold dishes and eight hot dishes, a standard banquet routine.

Among the people at this table, Brother Qian needs no introduction. He is a well-known drunkard in Jinggangshan.

Of course, those who can become Brother Qian’s friends are basically either drunkards or on the way to becoming drunkards.

It was easy since everyone loved drinking. In less than five minutes, after a few drinks, everyone became familiar with each other.

Zhang Yuan understood it at a glance. He had just helped Brother Qian find a job during the day, and he asked him to have dinner with him in the evening.

At first he thought it was a private thank-you party, but now he realized that Yu Qian was a person who really wanted to make friends.

It’s about sharing his excellent connections with himself!

This way of repaying someone is much more sincere than treating them to a meal or giving them some money.

Among the people at the table, half of them are big names in the imperial capital's rock circle. Otherwise, Brother Qian might become the vice president of the Imperial Capital Rock Association in the future.

Having a crosstalk artist serve as vice president fully reflects the attitude of the capital's rock circle, which is just for fun.

"Brother Xiaoou, I want to toast you. We didn't meet on the set of Conquer."

"You also acted in that play?" Zhou Xiaoou stood up with a smile: "Then we must have a drink."

"Oh, so you and Xiaoou acted in a play together. That means we are one family now. I respect you too."

"Come on, come on..."

There is no father and son at the table. After a while, they all got drunk and started bragging with red faces.

Zhang Yuan listened and enjoyed himself, and from time to time he looked towards the corner where a relatively silent guest was sitting.

Among all the people present, this guy is the least famous, his appearance and dress are unremarkable, he doesn't talk much before drinking, and just smiles after drinking. He is not like Brother Qian who gets "violently drunk" and becomes more and more excited as he drinks.

But others don’t know, but Zhang Yuan knows clearly that 20 years later, his popularity will be no less than those old rock stars.

Who is this?
Two years ago, this person rebuilt a disbanded band in the capital, named "Second-Hand Rose".

With a short buzz cut and tall stature, he looks like Sun Honglei from a distance and is wearing a black turtleneck sweater. He is none other than Liang Long, the lead singer of “Second Hand Rose”!

I still prefer you with heavy makeup and a skirt. Now you look too masculine and not nervous enough... Zhang Yuan raised his glass and drank with this person, and chatted with him for a few more words.

Brother Qian originally wanted to help his roommate build up his network and introduce him to these friends.

But now as soon as he drank it, he realized that Zhang Yuan didn't need his help at all.

After the dinner, I had become close friends with these friends.

After leaving their phone numbers one by one, Zhang Yuan also chatted with the taciturn Liang Long for a long time before the drinking party finally ended.

"Brother Qian, thank you very much."

"I should be the one thanking you."

The two walked on the path home, the moonlight was bright.

"Mr. Shi has a high status and rich experience. If you can become his disciple, you will have a secure career in the crosstalk industry." Zhang Yuan supported Brother Qian, who was walking unsteadily.

"That's exactly what I meant!" Yu Qian was so excited that he stopped and found a black man in the alley to untie his belt.

"Sorry, I drank too much urine, too much wine..."

This guy was already drunk and staggering. "Mr. Shi arranged a temporary partner for me, and there will be a performance in a few days." Brother Qian said while pulling up his pants.

"I chatted with him for an entire afternoon. I think the old man likes me very much. I think there's a chance I can become his apprentice."

"That's good." Zhang Yuan knew very well that Shi Fukuan was a real expert and how could he not see Brother Qian's potential.

It would be a great profit to take him as your apprentice!

People in later generations all know that Brother Qian is the "Queen of Crosstalk" and that she has considerable talent, but when she was in the folk art school, she was not really a prodigy.

Mr. Wang Shichen, the old teacher who taught Qian Ge and his group of children, once advised him that he was not suitable for this line of work and should go back and study hard.

Wang Shichen is an old gentleman of the "Bao" generation, who has taught countless apprentices. At that time, he commented on Brother Qian as "dead sheep eyes, a face, a stiff body, and a trembling mouth."

This is the jargon in the crosstalk industry, meaning "dull eyes, expressionless face, stiff body, trembling lips." If someone has any of these characteristics, he is not cut out for this job, but he happens to have all of them.

The old man criticized Brother Qian for almost nothing...so he died soon after.

But looking at Brother Qian now, he has "sharp eyes, rich expressions, smooth movements and sharp tongue".

It's the exact opposite of the old man's evaluation.

If it weren’t for Brother Qian’s persistence, the Chinese crosstalk world would be missing half the sky.

As the saying goes, you can tell a person’s future from the time he was three years old. Zhang Yuan thinks this may not be accurate. Brother Qian is an example.

"Brother Qian, are you interested in performing in a small theater?" Zhang Yuan recalled his visit to Guangde Building in the afternoon and asked casually, "The kind of performance where you can see the audience face to face and pay real money for tickets."

"I am interested in this kind of real performance, but I am afraid there will be no place to perform and no suitable partner."

Brother Qian originally had a long-term partner in the Imperial Capital Quyi Troupe, named Liu Ying. Like Brother Qian, Liu Ying saw the decline of crosstalk and sought another way out.

Brother Qian chose to act, while he chose to study abroad in an island country.

Just like that, the two people separated. In the jargon of crosstalk, this is called a split.

"I'll help you find the place and the partner, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Okay, it's a deal then!"

Brother Qian replied drunkenly with red cheeks.

Just like last night when Zhang Yuan said he would help him find a job, he didn't take it seriously after drinking too much.

The next day, Zhang Yuan didn't get up in the morning again and had a hangover.

After getting up in the afternoon, he washed up, said hello to Brother Qian, and decided not to eat at home in the evening.

Then I left the alley and took a bus. After two hours of swaying, I got off the bus and arrived at a suburb in the southwest corner of the imperial capital called Mentougou.

This place is connected to Fangshan and Fengtai in the south and Changping and Huailai in the north. It is vast and sparsely populated.

Because of this, many movies and TV series come here to shoot scenes. There are few passers-by and no need to clear the area, which is convenient.

Several episodes of the hit TV series "Criminal Investigation Team" from the past two years were filmed here.

There was a later film called "The Warlords", in which 80% of the exterior scenes were shot in Mentougou.

Zhang Yuan wandered around and searched for a long time before finally finding a busy street.

There are several tricycles parked here, some with soup pots, some with oil pans, and some with barbecue grills, and the smell of smoke is strong.

Wontons, dumplings, egg-filled pancakes, pancakes, sesame cakes, roasted kidneys, fried noodles, fried rice, fried stinky tofu...

It vividly depicts the various aspects of human life.

Zhang Yuan actually likes this kind of dirty stall. Going to a large and magnificent restaurant to eat is work, while eating in a small stall or a fly-infested restaurant is life.

I walked slowly to a small stall. At that moment, a young man in a green camouflage uniform that was black and greasy was holding a pot in one hand and a spatula in the other.

The spatula flew up and down and the pot swayed back and forth. The movements were done in one smooth motion, obviously a skilled worker.

"Hello, what would you like to eat? Fried noodles, fried rice, fried vermicelli, and some stir-fried vegetables."

"Hey, why are you here!"

Before Zhang Yuan could answer, behind the cook, there was another person wearing an apron, chopping vegetables with a kitchen knife in an unfamiliar manner.

When he looked up and saw Zhang Yuan, he straightened up in surprise.

"Didn't you say before that you would set up a stall here? Let me try it."

Looking up, this person is Zhang Yuan’s former roommate Zhao Jin.

He came here today to discuss a business with these two...

(End of this chapter)