The female shopkeeper was so drunk that her heart beat wildly. She felt very unhappy, but she did not dare to say anything to the maid. She waved to the guys near the stage and asked them to take the brother and sister down quickly.
He raised his eyes and glanced at the curtain in front of the stage. It was strange. Why didn't anyone in the troupe come out to pay homage to the magistrate?
Are you scared? The female shopkeeper thought secretly.
It would be troublesome if they were really frightened. The county magistrate's family had obviously come to watch them perform. If they couldn't sing and affected the magistrate's mood, wouldn't her little restaurant be ruined?
Just as he was worried, the person behind the curtain finally came out.
Xu Yue and Xu Dalang appeared, walked past the county magistrate's family, calmly picked up their baby, turned around, and walked back behind the curtain.
During the whole process, it was as if the magistrate was not seen outside. He only saw the maidservants' eyes widening and hesitated to speak. They wanted to say something but were too shocked to say anything.
In the end, I could only watch Xu Yue and Xu Dalang being taken away by two children.
"Who is that person?" the county magistrate asked in confusion.
The female shopkeeper wiped the fine sweat from her head and carefully replied: "Those are apprentices in the troupe. They are all rough country people and do not understand the rules. Please don't blame them. I will go and talk to them later."
Hearing the female shopkeeper's protective intentions, the county magistrate's wife curled her lips in contempt, "I've already told you, it's just some low-level tricks. It's not worthy of my husband's personal visit, and my husband still insists on being stubborn with me."
"But they're all here, let's take a look and let them come on stage and start singing."
The county magistrate shook his head helplessly. He knew that his wife was unhappy because he had to come, so he couldn't say anything. He nodded to the female shopkeeper and motioned for her to make arrangements quickly.
As for the fact that it was still more than half an hour before the scheduled performance time, I just ignored it.
What does the female shopkeeper dare to say?
Fortunately, I retreated to the backstage of the stage. I saw Xu Yue and others standing there without panic, and I was relieved.
"What show are we originally going to perform today?" the female shopkeeper asked in confusion in a low voice.
The sudden attack by the magistrate's family made her mentally depressed. She could not remember things clearly that she should have remembered clearly.
Wen Qing glanced at Xu Da, who raised his eyebrows encouragingly. Wen Qing swallowed and replied:
"Xu Jiajun."
Xu Jiajun?
"What are you talking about?" the female shopkeeper asked again.
She never paid attention to the content of the play in the past few times, but this time she had to be cautious.
Obviously, the county magistrate's family was attracted by the troupe's performance, and it would be okay if there was no content about the Xu Jiajun in the play.
But too much is too much. If you want to promote the greatness of Xu Jiajun, don’t even think about it!
Wen Qing glanced at Xu Da again, but Xu Da still had an encouraging look. Wen Qing said:
"It tells the story of an injured Xu Jiajun who was rescued by a father and daughter. It's very simple. It doesn't have as many fight scenes as Qi Laosi's drama. It's a literary drama."
When the female shopkeeper heard the word "wenxi", she subconsciously relaxed her vigilance, nodded, and urged:
"Okay, okay, then hurry up and get on stage. Don't keep the adults waiting. If you are blamed, we will all be left with nothing to eat!"
Xu Yue and others nodded to express their understanding and watched the female shopkeeper leave.
As soon as the female shopkeeper left, Wen Qing suddenly felt guilty and asked tentatively: "Do you want to delete it?"
They had been staying in the city for several days. If they had to run away after a performance like this today, the restraint they had exercised earlier would seem a bit worthless.
Xu Dalang never expressed any opinions. Xu Yue and Xu Da looked at each other, and both father and daughter saw a hint of madness in each other's eyes.
"Don't change!" the father and daughter said in unison.
They just wanted to let the people of Yi County know that Xu Jiajun was coming!
Wen Qing took a deep breath, looked at his companions, nodded heavily, put on his costume, picked up his props, and went on stage!
Those who were not on stage were not idle either. Under the orderly command of Xu Yue's father and daughter, they returned to the backyard to prepare for the upcoming escape plan.
The luggage is loaded onto the cart and the ox cart is sent out of the city first.
Then they arranged for manpower to keep an eye on the area near Yixian government offices and restaurants, and immediately run away if there was any sign of trouble.
In the lobby, Wen Qing's daughter had already rescued the strange man he had brought home and was asking about his identity.
When he learned that the man was Xu Jiajun, the old father who came in carrying the medicine was shocked. The medicine bowl fell to the ground with a clang, making a loud noise in the quiet lobby, which shocked the hearts of people inside and outside the restaurant.
"Are you Xu Jiajun?!"
The old father roared in disbelief, causing the county magistrate and his family to frown, and there was an indescribable strangeness in their hearts.
Immediately afterwards, there was a weak explanation from the injured man, and his daughter also supported him.
The man said that he was Xu Jiajun, not a bad person, and that Xu Jiajun would not harm any innocent people.
He didn't want anything from the common people. He just encountered difficulties and hoped to stay in an old farmer's home first. After he recovered from his injury, he contacted fellow Taoists and he would pay back the medicine he owed to the old farmer.
The old farmer was dubious, but with his daughter's prayers, he had no choice but to agree to let Xu Jiajun stay.
So, this Xu Jiajun lived in the old farmer's house. After his injury was almost healed, he got up to work every day before dawn, going up the mountain to collect firewood, and going down to the river to fetch water, taking over all the heavy work in the old farmer's house.
He also taught the young people in the village how to use weapons, taught them literacy and arithmetic, and told them how to resist bandits.
This Xu Jiajun did a lot for the village. Gradually, the old farmers had a changed view of this Xu Jiajun, and they also had a new understanding of the evil and rebellious Xu Jiajun that the gentry of the aristocratic family said.
Finally, the fellow Taoists came over, paid back the old farmer's medical expenses, helped the villagers with their spring plowing, left behind more advanced planting methods, and left with the injured Xu Jiajun.
The day the Xu Jiajun left, the whole village, old and young, all mobilized and reluctantly followed the Xu Jiajun for a long distance.
Afterwards, the big family in the village increased the land rent, forcing the villagers to a desperate situation.
At that moment, the villagers remembered what the Xu Jiajun had said——
"All human beings are born equal, and there is no distinction between high and low. We must take up our own weapons to defend our own rights and interests!"
"Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance! Damn the scholars, farmers, industry and merchants, damn the emperors and nobles, we are human beings and we have to stand and live!"
"Folks, pick up your weapons, follow me, follow Xu Jiajun, let's get back our own fields and rent!"
The villagers, played by members of the theater troupe, picked up hoes and sickles one after another, and fiercely attacked the wealthy families who were oppressing their neighbors...
The magistrate's family suddenly felt that the atmosphere inside and outside the restaurant was not quite right, and silent resentment spread over the restaurant.
