The village chief, Li Jinyu, also came to join the fun. He hummed a classic piece of Sichuan Opera, "The Empty City Strategy," as he strolled over with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Deploying troops is like setting up a chessboard... one wrong move, and regret is useless..." The unique singing style was full of charm. The story tells of how Zhuge Liang, after losing Jieting due to his misuse of Ma Su, had no choice but to lay out the Empty City Strategy to deter Sima Yi. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The status of Zhuge Wu Marquis in the hearts of the Sichuanese people goes without saying.

Sichuan Province has East Ma Chao Road, Ma Chao West Road, Huang Zhong District, and so on. But Zhuge Wu Marquis got an entire major district named after him: Wuhou District.

Legend has it that the Sichuan provincial government was planning to build a road. The proposed route would have required taking over the Zhao Lie Temple—the temple that honors Liu Bei. Since it involved a historical site, many people voiced their opposition. However, this was a major project for the good of the country and its people, so a dispute arose, and they debated the pros and cons.

Just as the debate was raging, someone suddenly said, "But the Wuhou Temple is still inside the Zhao Lie Temple."

In an instant, the entire conference room fell silent. In the end, the route was replanned.

As for why the Wuhou Temple is inside the Zhao Lie Temple, there’s a historical reason for that, too. Originally, they were separate. But for over a thousand years, the people of Sichuan Province mostly just worshipped the Wu Marquis, causing the Zhao Lie Temple to become deserted. Later, when Zhu Yuanzhang’s son came to Sichuan Province to be the King of Shu, he saw the situation and moved the Wuhou Temple into the Zhao Lie Temple, saying they should be worshipped together to liven things up.

But even so, when people go to the Han Zhao Lie Temple, they are still mostly there to worship Zhuge Wu Marquis.

As the village chief, Li Jinyu also had to wait in line. He continued humming "The Empty City Strategy," gave Li Xiang a nod from a distance, and then sat down at the back of the line to chat with the villagers.

The old folks all love opera. A few of them started "acting out" the parts with Li Jinyu, chatting enthusiastically. Every so often, a few lines would drift over, making people in the distance turn their heads.

Everyone was feeling quite emotional. How many years had it been since an opera was performed on stage here?

"Jinyu, you’re actually better at Beijing opera than Sichuan Opera. Give us a piece from ’The Case of Chai Mei’!" someone suggested.

Li Jinyu was clearly tempted. "The Case of Chai Mei" was his signature piece, the one he sang most often when he was young. But he just waved his hand. "Sigh, I’m too old now, my voice can’t hit the notes anymore. Besides, without the gongs, drums, and other instruments for accompaniment, it just doesn’t have the right feel. It wouldn’t work."

On stage, with an orchestra, it’s a completely different story. The intense music and the resounding clang of the drums push you to soar, allowing you to give a god-like performance.

Li Xiang’s hearing was extremely sharp, and he heard them from a distance. He couldn’t help but call out, "Then let’s get everyone together and put on a show!"

Li Jinyu waved his hand and called back regretfully, "We can’t get enough people together anymore."

Li Xiang said, "It’s fine! We have young people who can take over."

"What young person would want to learn this stuff nowadays?" Li Jinyu shook his head.

It was true. Most young people weren’t interested in learning things like this. Besides, they were all working in big cities, barely getting a chance to come home once a year before having to rush off again.

Still, Li Xiang thought, ’We could try to put a troupe together.’

’I can be one, and my grandpa can be one. Then we can find a few other old-timers. A few of the young guys from Lei Family Gully are pretty good, too. I could ask if they’re interested. The old can teach the new. It shouldn’t be a problem to assemble a group of successors.’

’Lei Jiaming is also a content creator. What’s so interesting about only performing Martial Arts all the time? Playing instruments, singing, and passing on the classics is way more appealing.’

’Of course, the Lei Family’s ancestral Martial Arts are also worth passing down. They’re both part of our traditional culture.’

Opera troupes often have massive orchestras. The more skilled and particular ones might have dozens of different instruments and dozens of musicians, sometimes even a hundred-person orchestra playing in concert. The sheer presence, the spectacle...

But a rural opera troupe like the one in Li Family Village couldn’t possibly be that elaborate. Li Xiang had seen the gongs, drums, and other instruments at Li Jinyu’s house when he played there as a kid. There were no more than ten types. It should still be possible to find enough people to play them.

If worse came to worst, they could scrape by with just three or five instruments for a performance.

The livestream was still on, so of course, the fans had heard the conversation between Li Xiang and Li Jinyu.

The fans started chiming in: "Put on a show, put on a show!"

"Start the opera! I’m sure lots of people will come to support it!"

"If you really can’t find anyone, you can just hire people."

"Hiring people would defeat the purpose. Brother Xiang probably wants to revive the rural heritage of Li Family Village."

...

"Thanks for the support, everyone. I’ll do my best to put it together. When the time comes, I hope you’ll all tune in."

Li Xiang interacted with his fans for a bit, feeling more and more tempted by the idea.

The villagers of Li Family Village felt the same way. They were thrilled to hear about putting on an opera again, especially Li Xiang’s grandmother and Third Granny. They were grinning from ear to ear, full of anticipation.

Li Xiang used to think his grandmother was a person who enjoyed peace and quiet, but now he saw that wasn’t the case.

In his past life, it wasn’t that she liked the quiet; it was that she was all alone with bad legs, living far from the village center. She had no choice but to be quiet.

And whenever Li Xiang called and asked her about it, she would always say, "Living alone is comfortable. It’s so peaceful." Thinking back on it now, wasn’t that just her way of reporting the good and hiding the bad to comfort her grandson?

Who doesn’t love a bit of excitement when they get old?

Li Xiang felt that in his past life, he had been so...

But since he had been reborn, wasn’t this a chance from heaven to make it up to his grandmother?

’Just performing opera might not be appealing enough. Maybe I should add something else.’ Li Xiang was cutting hair, his hands never stopping, while also watching the screen to interact with his fans, his mind racing as he mulled over the idea. He was truly multitasking, yet it didn’t affect his work in the slightest.

The haircut was still fast and well-done.

His fanbase was mostly made up of young people. With their "bloodlines unawakened," they might not be interested in traditional opera. When he livestreamed it, the viewership would likely be low. It might not even be as popular as his current haircutting streams.

’How about we organize a "village gala"? It could have opera and other acts, too.’

So, Li Xiang discussed it with his fans. He said he wanted to hold the first-ever Li Family Village Gala on the evening of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. Not only would it be recorded, but it would also be livestreamed. He hoped everyone would spread the word and come support it.

Many fans were very excited and enthusiastic, offering words of encouragement. Some even sent virtual gifts to show their support. Of course, some fans were skeptical. After all, a village gala?

’I don’t even watch the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, so why would I watch your village gala?’

Could a village gala and the national Spring Festival Gala even be in the same league?

But Li Xiang didn’t care. It was the first one, after all. Whether it was successful or not was a separate issue. The key was to start a new tradition for Li Family Village and let the villagers entertain themselves. He could also use this as an opportunity to create a chance for the young people from surrounding villages to interact, communicate, and build relationships, bringing everyone closer together.

In fact, in his past life, there were sometimes entertainment shows in the Underground City, including opera performances.

Life in the Apocalypse was already incredibly difficult. If there hadn’t been some form of entertainment to lift people’s spirits and help them find joy amid suffering, it would have been truly hard to carry on.

Even the army had art troupes for morale-boosting performances.

After the Gutian Conference in 1929, our army formed propaganda teams. In 1931, the "August 1st Troupe" was officially established. After that, all sorts of art troupes and propaganda teams, both professional and amateur, sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

The role of these art troupes in boosting morale, relieving psychological stress, and spreading propaganda was not to be underestimated. This was all wisdom from the past.

With this thought, Li Xiang made up his mind. He would keep the Li Family Village "Village Gala" going year after year. As long as the human race survived, this tradition would be maintained.

This free haircutting event lasted for two days, by which time he had finished cutting the hair of everyone in the village, young and old, men and women.

It must be said that everyone in the village participated. Later, even Aunt Jiang came over to have Li Xiang trim her bangs.

The only exception was Li Xiang himself. He was the barber, after all, and a handsome one at that. No one else knew the skill, and they wouldn’t dare give him a sloppy cut. What if they made it look like a dog had chewed on it? That would seriously ruin his internet celebrity vibe.

The villagers were also very enthusiastic about Li Xiang’s idea for a village gala and eagerly asked what they could do to help.

Li Xiang said, "Anyone who wants to perform can get on stage."

But many villagers politely declined. Get on stage? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? It would be one thing to make a fool of oneself in the village, but Li Xiang was going to livestream it! With his two million-plus fans, tens of thousands of people from all over the country were online for almost every stream. Wouldn’t that mean embarrassing themselves in front of the whole nation?

As a result, only Li Jinyu and Li Yucheng had signed up for now. But both of them wanted to sing opera—one Beijing opera, one Sichuan Opera—and right now, there was no orchestra for the troupe. The two of them were quite worried.

Li Jinyu said he could ask around, but he estimated there were only two or three old-timers left, and they might not even be willing to come. One of them had injured his leg and was in a wheelchair. His health might not permit it.

Li Xiang said, "Don’t worry, leave it to me." If it really came to it, he could do as the fans suggested and go to the county town to hire musicians. It was the first year, so they could definitely find an accompaniment somehow.

Of course, he would much prefer to form the village’s own orchestra, one with new, young blood.

It’s worth mentioning that on the second day of haircutting, some nearby fans actually drove over to get in line for a haircut. They all wanted to take photos with Li Xiang and get his autograph. The second half of the haircutting session turned into a fan meet-and-greet.

However, Li Xiang did give them excellent haircuts, and the fans were quite satisfied. Originally, Li Xiang had been joking when he said he would charge thirty yuan. He naturally didn’t ask for money now, but the fans were so enthusiastic that since he wouldn’t take their money, they sent virtual gifts to his stream to boost his popularity.

To this, Li Xiang could only say, "Thank you all for your support."

The twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month is for worshipping the Kitchen God; the twenty-fourth is for sweeping the house.

In some northern regions, the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month is the "Lesser New Year." In the south, it’s usually the twenty-fourth. But for the Sichuanese, in a broader sense, the New Year celebrations truly begin on the twenty-third!

The entire period from the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month is considered the New Year. In some places, the celebrations last for the whole first lunar month.

Many people working away from home also began their journey back. But some factories or companies gave holidays late, so people could only return a day or two before New Year’s Eve. Some couldn’t come back at all and had to work miserable overtime through the holidays. It was all for the sake of making a living—a helpless reality.

The people of Li Family Village got busy, sweeping dust, sprinkling water, and getting rid of the old to welcome the new. They swept away the fatigue and worries of the old year, preparing to greet the new one.

Li Xiang was no exception. After tidying up his house, he picked a spot in the backyard and began building a stage out of stones, wooden planks, and bamboo.

As for the sound system, lighting, and so on, he called the digital store he had visited before to inquire and place an order.

That evening, Li Xiang also took out a "Thousand Sons Whip" and set it off at his doorstep to drive away bad luck and welcome good fortune for the new year. Since it was just the Lesser New Year, he didn’t use a very large one.

It was just for the sense of ceremony. A "Thousand Sons Whip" has 1,000 firecrackers, symbolizing perfection.

The size of the firecrackers set off on the Lesser New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Eve, the first day of the New Year, the fifth day, the Lantern Festival, and so on, all vary.

There’s also a special tradition that it must "go off in one go." The string of firecrackers can’t fizzle out or have duds in the middle, or else it’s a bad omen, meaning you’ll encounter misfortune in the new year. Because of this custom, the ancients placed great importance on the quality of their firecrackers and would not set off "broken-headed firecrackers."