Chapter 66: Shadow Puppetry
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“This house was built by my grandfather’s father.” The old man invited everyone to sit down in a small pavilion in the garden. Then, he went into the kitchen and took out tea sets and fruits.
“Grandfather’s father…” Meng Xi did the math. Then, the amazement in her eyes increased. “Then, it’s almost a hundred years old?”
“Yes.” The old man poured tea for everyone. “Tell me, why did you come to see me today?”
As the saying went, “If there’s nothing, there must be something.” The old man didn’t stand on ceremony and directly asked.
Yu Su replied with a smile, “Nothing really escapes your eyes. We’re indeed here for something this time. The production team is preparing a performance for everyone in the village on the last day. We heard from the villagers that you’re the inheritor of ventriloquism and want to invite you to join our performance.”
“Performing for the villagers? That’s something to consider, but what do you plan to perform?” The old man was interested.
“Shadow puppetry,” Xiao Han said. “We plan to perform shadow puppetry scenes combined with ventriloquism.”
…..
Originally, they only wanted to look for the inheritor of the intangible culture. However, on the way, they heard from the villagers that this intangible culture was ventriloquism. On the way, they discussed and planned to use the form of shadow puppetry combined with ventriloquism to perform a story.
“Shadow puppetry… I haven’t heard anyone mention this name for many years. The last time 1 heard it was when I was in elementary school. I’m already in my fifties now. Time really flies.” The old man fell into his memories, and his eyes revealed a nostalgic expression.
Looking at the old man who was immersed in his memories, the few of them did not rush him and waited quietly.
“Now that shadow puppetry is gradually fading out of people’s sight, you can still remember it. You’re very meticulous.” The old man’s tone was filled with nostalgia for the past.
Yu Su shook her head. “Everyone just hopes that such an outstanding traditional culture can be known and understood by more people. We don’t want it to disappear because of the development of the times.”
The old man laughed and praised them. “Good children, all of you are good children! Where are you going to find the puppets?”
The puppets are the key to shadow play and the most difficult part to produce.
“I’m not afraid that you’ll laugh at us. We plan to make it ourselves,” Yu Su said in embarrassment.
“You know how to make shadow puppets?” The old man looked at them in disbelief.
Not only the old man, but the netizens were also surprised.
[It can’t be, right? Yu Su even knows how to do this?]
[I don’t really believe it.]
[This is a proper traditional skill. If she knows it, it will be too heaven-defying.]
Just as the netizens were arguing about whether Yu Su knew how to make a shadow puppet, Yu Su spoke first.
“We want to use paper cutting and carving to make it. It’s too difficult and time-consuming to make a shadow puppet. There are only a few days before the performance begins, so we can only try our best to save time,” Yu Su said embarrassedly.
Unexpectedly, the old man laughed out loud. “Little girl, you really scared me. I thought you knew how to make shadow puppets!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Yu Su quickly apologized. “If you think our method is feasible, we’ll hurry back to write the script and produce the scenes and characters.”
“It is worthy to support you young people’s innovation. Hurry up and go back to prepare!” The old man smiled and cheered them on.
The netizens did not expect Yu Su to be so honest. For a moment, they did not know if they should praise or mock her.
While Yu Su and the others rushed back to the courtyard to prepare the props and script, Yu Miao and the others were also discussing the performance.
Yu Miao wanted to show off, so she took the initiative to perform classical dance and piano solo.
Seeing that Yu Miao was trying so hard to perform, Shen Chun couldn’t be bothered to argue with Yu Miao. She only said that she could perform solo.
Yu Ruo was good at singing and dancing, so he chose his best pop song.
Ye Chang was in a dilemma. He was best at performing characters according to the script, but those were not suitable for the current situation.
After thinking about it, he decided to sing a song. He had participated in singing competitions in school before. Although he was not a professional, he could still deal with such performances.
In the end, the director received a program list. Yu Su’s team were going to perform shadow puppetry, and Yu Miao’s team produced a program with five performances..