Chapter 99

Spring days are fleeting; once April and May pass, the weather becomes hot.

Life in the bustling streets of the late Ming Dynasty is truly rich and interesting. The Jiangnan region is abundant in resources, and the court has given the literati the greatest favor, allowing them to enjoy such a life leisurely.

In the morning, Lin Yanchao would also go for a walk by the river, occasionally sitting under a banyan tree by the riverbank to watch a few old men play chess. Lin Yanchao's chess skills in his previous life were not great, but he had at least watched a few Chunlan Cups. He felt that these old men's skills were such that he could let them three moves.

The old men, seeing him as a young man, would sometimes热情地 invite him to play. Lin Yanchao usually declined, but once he could not resist and joined in, and that was the end of it. So Lin Yanchao decided that he would never play chess again after watching.

Watching the old men play chess by the river was indeed boring, but at the chess club, there were many more skilled players, many of whom were young scholars like Lin Yanchao, whose skills far surpassed his own. However, the chess club charged for tea and seating, and since Lin Yanchao did not play chess but watched for free every day, the owner naturally did not welcome him.

Fortunately, playing chess was just a hobby for Lin Yanchao.

When walking by the river, Lin Yanchao enjoyed watching others walk their birds. Sometimes he would also bring fishing gear and a book bag, walk to the shade of a tree by the river, cast his fishing rod, and lie lazily there, picking up the Chengwen Dajie to recite.

He would sit there for the entire afternoon, occasionally watching a black-roofed boat slowly pass by. The gentle breeze of early summer made him feel drowsy. He did not catch many fish, but Lin Yanchao felt a sense of fulfillment.

There were also pleasures at home. He could mix fish food, feed the large carp in the well, and chat with Qianqian. If it rained, Lin Yanchao would sit in the courtyard to read or go upstairs to enjoy the view of the white walls and black tiles of the alleyways in the rain.

Besides the chess club, when Lin Yanchao was tired of reading, he often went to the bookshop near the prefectural school and the pear garden by the river.

The bookshop always had newly published collections of contemporary essays or the works of high-ranking officials in the Hanlin Academy, as well as the previous works of local magistrates, prefects, and educational officials. Lin Yanchao bought and memorized every new book that came out. When Magistrate Chen sent him twenty taels of silver as a writing fee, he did not hesitate to use it.

Compared to borrowing books, he was more accustomed to buying them. At that time, scholars took pride in their collections, and it was common for a book lover to have thousands of volumes.

Lin Yanchao also loved buying books, in both his past and present lives.

The shopkeeper and assistants always smiled broadly when they saw Lin Yanchao spend money on books. Many scholars bought books to read and then buy more, but few spent three to five taels of silver a month just on books. Even a family with a thousand taels of silver could not afford such extravagance.

The shopkeeper and assistants thought Lin Yanchao was one of those wealthy patrons who bought books to decorate their homes, but if they knew that he not only bought but also read and memorized them, they would be shocked.

Besides contemporary essays and classics, Lin Yanchao also picked the best-selling books from the bookshop, such as the "Chuanxi Lu" and "Chuanxi Xulu" written by Wang Yangming's disciples, "Zhan Ganquan Ji" and "Xingxin Tushuo" by Zhan Ruoshui, "Sibu Gao" by Wang Shizhen, and "Luorufang Jianghuilu" by Luo Rufang, and took them home to read.

Once, Lin Yanchao saw a few scholars enthusiastically flipping through a book called "Hongquan Yicao."

Lin Yanchao was curious and asked who the author was. The scholars looked at him and laughed, saying, "Brother, are you from the countryside? This book is written by Tang Xianzu of Linchuan. If you don't know him, why are you reading? He passed the provincial examination at the age of twenty and became famous. It is said that he will definitely pass the metropolitan examination, but he wants to be the top scholar, so he deliberately did not take the examination this year and is studying at home. This 'Hongquan Yicao' is his first poetry collection, and he plans to make a name for himself before his carriage arrives. It has already sold out, and the paper in Luoyang is expensive. Now, scholars in the provincial capital feel embarrassed if they haven't read it. I suggest you buy a copy."

Tang Xianzu! The author of "The Peony Pavilion"! Linchuan is indeed a place that produces talented people, like Wang Anshi, Zeng Gong, Lu Jiuyuan, and more recently, Luo Rufang and Tang Xianzu. So, Lin Yanchao also bought a copy of "Hongquan Yicao."

Besides the bookshop, Lin Yanchao often visited the pear garden, going every two or three days, of course, only if he had not gone to the chess club or gone fishing.

One day, after reading "Zhaoming Wensuan" all day and writing a few essays in the afternoon, Lin Yanchao went to the river to watch a play in the evening.

As soon as he entered the gate, someone greeted him, "Hey, Master Lin, you're here again... Your usual seat is reserved... Still just two acts... Still tea? Do you want to change the pastries? How about some fresh fruit..."

The Confucian play troupe was not doing well that day, with only a few people at the tables.

Lin Yanchao also heard from his play-watching friends that the Confucian play troupe was run by a retired official who loved plays and had his own large troupe of thirty to forty people. After retiring, the official was short of money but did not want to disband the troupe, so he borrowed a garden from a friend and named the troupe "Qiantang Troupe" to perform Confucian plays and earn some money.

There were few people that day, and an old woman was singing on the stage, making people drowsy.

Lin Yanchao shook his head, preparing to leave after finishing his tea, when someone said, "Brother, please."

Lin Yanchao turned his head and saw a man bowing to him. The man wore a tall hat and wide sleeves, the latest fashion from Zhejiang, clearly a refined young man.

Seeing that the man was only a year or two older than himself, Lin Yanchao stood up and bowed, "Brother, what can I do for you?"

The man said, "Please forgive my boldness. I am Xie Zhaozhe, a local, born in Qiantang. My father is the magistrate of Anren and the owner of this Qiantang Troupe."

"Ah, the young master."

Xie Zhaozhe quickly said, "You flatter me."

The two sat down and chatted. Both were scholars and of similar age. Xie Zhaozhe then called for more pastries and said to Lin Yanchao, "Brother Lin, I see you often come to watch plays. You must have a high regard for us. May I ask which aspects of the Qiantang Troupe you like the most?"

Lin Yanchao smiled, "All of them are good."

Xie Zhaozhe, unwilling to give up, said, "Brother, please forgive my impatience. Just tell me which aspects you like."

Lin Yanchao said, "Since Brother Xie is so persistent, I will say there are three aspects."

Xie Zhaozhe was delighted, "Which three?"

"Tea, pastries, and the garden."

Xie Zhaozhe's face stiffened as he lifted the teacup. Lin Yanchao quickly said, "Brother Xie, I misspoke."

Xie Zhaozhe waved his hand and smiled bitterly, "Brother Lin, no need to comfort me. The few customers here show how poor the business is."

Lin Yanchao looked around and realized that the troupe had not had many customers since he arrived.

"Actually, the Qiantang Troupe has been performing in this garden for more than half a year, always at a loss. In the past month, the losses have been significant. With the savings from my father's previous official career, it is becoming difficult to maintain. Some have advised me to move the troupe to the entertainment district and perform vulgar plays, but I refused. The troupe has talented performers like Wenjuan, Yuhang, Zhiqing, and Changjun, who can play leading roles in Hangzhou. They usually perform for scholars. How can they go to the entertainment district and perform in brothels? That would be degrading."

Lin Yanchao sympathized, "The Confucian plays are good, but they are too refined and may not appeal to the masses. Also, you perform in Mandarin, not the local Min dialect, which is why the common people do not enjoy them. Why not have your troupe learn the Min dialect and perform in it?"

Xie Zhaozhe said, "I have thought about it, but learning a new dialect and changing the tunes would be difficult. If we force it, it would sound like the vulgar plays in the entertainment district, neither here nor there."

"That's easy," Lin Yanchao thought, hesitating to speak.

Xie Zhaozhe quickly said, "Brother Yanchao, this troupe is the work of my father and me. If you have any good suggestions, please share them. We will be very grateful."

Lin Yanchao said, "I have a humble suggestion. What about creating a new play and composing new music?"

PS: I forgot to check yesterday, so I'm making up for it. Thanks to Brother Liang Xiaoxiao0125 for the tip, the captain.

There will still be two updates today. I will have a burst of updates on Friday when it goes live.

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