Ma Wei grinned and looked at the tall, bright tent ahead: "I wonder what surprises there will be?"
"I'll line up first, and then we can sit in the middle, where we have the best view," Holmes said.
"Okay, see you later."
The long queue moved forward slowly, and soon Ma Wei arrived at the ticket office.
"Standing ticket is 3p, seated ticket is 5p"
Sitting behind the long table, a girl with a ponytail and men's clothes stood straight and asked with a sweet smile: "Sir, which one do you want to buy?"
"Two tickets."
Mavey counted out 10 copper pennies and put them in the coin box on the corner of the table.
"OK."
The girl quickly tore off two notes-sized notes and handed them to Ma Wei. She used her palms to guide the way and pointed to the curtain lifted behind her: "The position is not fixed. You can sit wherever you want."
"Are pets allowed in?"
"pet?"
The girl stretched her white neck, looked under the table, and found Fat Orange following Ma Wei. She said humorously: "As long as we don't let him act coquettishly to other guests and steal our limelight."
"It's hard to say for other circuses, but you definitely won't." Ma Wei laughed silently.
"Gina, move faster, the show starts in 30 minutes!"
The burly man at the ticket office next door warned.
"I know! It's so long-winded!"
Gina glared at the man and smiled apologetically at Mavie.
"I won't disturb you anymore."
Picking up the bill, Ma Wei walked into the tent with Yunia and Fat Orange. As soon as he entered, he felt a sultry breath coming towards his face.
Bundles of lit torches were inserted diagonally at the edge of the tent, and tall ladder benches were built high around the central stage made of wooden boards. Under the illumination of dozens of kerosene gas lamps, the tent was well-lit and lively and cheerful.
The atmosphere arises spontaneously.
The first audience to buy tickets grabbed the seats in the front row. Mavie came neither early nor late, and did not want to sit in the front row, so he took Yunia directly to the middle seat.
Not long after, Holmes, who was a little slower, also walked into the tent. He immediately saw Ma Wei and Ma Wei in the middle. After saying goodbye a few times, he successfully came to Ma Wei's side.
"Dad, when does it start?"
Yunia was getting impatient and restless. Ma Wei believed that the reason for her anxiety was mainly because the popcorn was about to bottom out.
"Soon, soon"
Ma Wei took out his pocket watch and glanced at the crowd pouring in from the outside. There was a mixture of people in the audience, including well-dressed aristocrats and gentry, as well as ordinary middle-class people who tried their best to show their uniqueness.
They politely offered to sit down, chatting and laughing, while ordinary workers who were financially strapped but still wanted to watch the show gathered around the benches with their standing tickets. Most of them held a glass of cool sweet beer and talked loudly.
, and occasionally a few vulgar remarks would be made.
"There are still 10 minutes left." Ma Wei picked up his pocket watch and said.
"It's about to start in 10 minutes! Move faster! Anton, has Anton put on makeup? Where did the leader go? Damn it! He's going to go on stage to read the opening remarks!"
Backstage at the circus, people wearing all kinds of bright costumes were running around, squeezing through the piles of debris piled on both sides of the aisle, each performing their duties, and they were extremely busy.
The manager, Miss Tiffany, who was holding the program list, grabbed a vaudeville performer and asked loudly: "Omley, have you seen the leader?!"
"Captain." Omre looked behind her, a little confused: "Captain is right here."
"Um?"
Tiffany turned around and saw a young man wearing a top hat, a monocle, a tuxedo, and a white dove on his shoulder standing behind her, looking at her with a smile.
"Captain! You're doing this again!"
Tiffany rolled her eyes angrily: "Can you stop being so childish?"
"I like how serious you are, Tiffany." The fair-faced, handsome young man lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand, smiling slightly.
"Ah"
Tiffany was not moved at all and even sneered: "You say that to every woman."
"Oh, you are the most special!"
"Cut the nonsense!"
Grabbing the other person's wrist, Tiffany roughly took the man behind the curtain and thrust a script list into his hand: "Hurry and memorize it! You'll need it on stage later!"
"I do not need this."
The man crumpled the script into a ball, flipped his wrist, and conjured up a rose. After picking off the stem, he elegantly inserted it into Tiffany's bun.
"Just make an opening statement or something, just improvise on the spot. Why is it worth bothering your slender wrists for this?"
"You just turned the line list I worked so hard to write into a useless rose." Tiffany sneered.
"The rose is my gift to you."
The man shrugged: "As for the line list"
He grabbed Tiffany's ear, opened his palm, and a paper ball suddenly appeared.
"I won't waste your efforts. It's too inelegant."
"If you had focused on developing your career, our circus would have become number one in the kingdom!"
"It's pretty good now, isn't it?"
The man patted Tiffany on the shoulder and said with a smile: "I like the circus now. Here, I am very relaxed and happy."
"Then you still often play missing?"
"Humans, you have to do interesting things while you are young. Life is short, so you must cherish your time."
The man walked towards the curtain.
However.
Tiffany's voice made him stop.
"Stop it, Captain."
Tiffany turned around and stared at the man's broad back: "Everyone knows that I keep it in my heart and don't say it because I respect you and love you. But how long can this kind of life last? You always make mistakes!"
"At that time, Tiffany will take over as the leader."
"Isn't it good to settle down? We have grown from just a few people to a large circus with 50 people today. Our income and expenses have already been balanced. Why do we still do such despised things?"
"I like how serious you are, and I also like to see people smile from the bottom of their hearts."
The man said without looking back: "This is what I pursue. The circus can bring people a moment of joy, but it cannot fundamentally solve the problem. The darker the era, the more light needs to appear. My father said this
, Grandfather was like this, and so am I.”
After saying that, he opened the curtain, strode onto the stage, opened his arms, smiled, and said in a loud voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Circus Sunshine!"