Chapter 65: The Yin Hall Gathering (Part 10)

After the matter was thoroughly resolved, Chen Jiu did not leave. Ren Dong added some money, meaning to have Chen Jiu stay with the production until the entire script finished filming.

Chen Jiu naturally had no objections. Staying with the production without having to work, wasn’t this a good deal of getting paid for nothing? It also covered room and board for her whole family, no need to mention how wonderful it was.

But there was one matter she had to have Ren Dong find people to properly handle.

“You’re saying we need to tear down this stage and dig out what’s underneath, to truly change this mansion’s feng shui layout?” Ren Dong found this somewhat difficult.

Stopping work for reconstruction, filming grinding to a halt, that was burning through large sums of money again. The investors definitely wouldn’t agree.

Chen Jiu tossed a few copper coins, speaking with great seriousness: “Not digging it out is also not a big deal. Although her soul has already reentered the cycle of reincarnation, for you to build a stage on top of her bones is truly creating bad karma. During the subsequent filming process, minor bumps and bruises for personnel will be unavoidable.”

Having reminded them to this step was already the utmost benevolence and righteousness. Whether they followed her advice or not depended on whether Ren Dong’s eloquence was sharp enough.

…

After this event that could be considered a complete reshaping of one’s worldview, Yu Xiao’s personality actually became somewhat steadier. She was no longer rolling her eyes at people everywhere at any moment like before. Even her attitude toward Chen Ba had improved considerably, becoming polite and courteous.

Chen Ba was somewhat loose with his words. During a break, he passed by her side carrying water, and asked in a low voice: “Yu Xiao, have you been possessed?”

“What the…” Yu Xiao was about to curse him out, but then remembered that these past few days he had indeed conscientiously and responsibly watched over her.

She discovered that when it came to matters of life and death, this person Chen Xingye was actually quite reliable, somewhat overturning her previous impression of him.

“No, I’ve just figured out some things.” Yu Xiao worked hard to restrain her temper, taking a sip of tea.

The world is so beautiful, yet I am so irritable, this is not good.

Chen Ba sneered: “Changed your persona?”

“Don’t make me slap you, okay.” Yu Xiao smiled.

Then she saw something, her eyes brightening. Hugging her script, she went bouncing over to Chen Jiu who had just arrived for work.

“Little Jiu, why have you been coming so late these past few days?” Yu Xiao moved her folding stool even closer, insistently pressing her leg against Chen Jiu’s: “Are you leaving after filming wraps? Can you be my personal bodyguard? I’ll pay you a higher monthly salary.”

Chen Jiu was also in a difficult position: “Sorry, Little Wan, my specialty doesn’t match.”

Being a bodyguard is worse than fighting ghosts. Hitting people too much is illegal, and handling the aftermath is too much trouble. Otherwise she also wouldn’t be willing to let this huge salary pass her by.

Yu Xiao acted very heartbroken, then rattled on about a bunch of trivial matters. Chen Jiu got the general gist. There was too much useless information, and it flowed right out of her brain as she listened.

But according to an analysis of Yu Xiao’s acting level, right now she should be speaking from the heart, because she generally couldn’t act out this kind of reluctant-to-part.

Chen Jiu vaguely understood. With her temper, she probably hadn’t made any genuine friends in this circle. So encountering someone like herself who could fight, could take hits, and had saved her life, a same-sex friend, her emotions suddenly exploded.

After work that day, Ren Dong invited several main cast members and the main screenwriter to dinner together, and also invited Chen Jiu by the way. Chen Jiu had eaten too many late-night snacks these days and originally wanted to refuse this kindness, but hearing there would also be plot discussion components, she went along.

In the adapted version, that is, the version they were currently filming, the male lead mainly existed as the character with the highest combat ability, aimed at protecting the female lead and providing the audience’s main source of security. He was a completely positive character.

The entire plot revolved around the opera troupe leader’s sudden death. To pass censorship, in this version all the evil behind everything was committed by living people, with no supernatural existence. It focused on love and suspense as the two main elements.

But in the original version orally recounted by Mushroom Head, the male lead held high position and great power, occupying the upper hand in love. He was the villain who had killed the huadan girl, and the female lead also didn’t possess the high moral standards of the adapted version. Instead she became an ambitious accomplice. She wouldn’t tolerate the huadan girl coveting the male lead’s love and wealth. The two conspired to kill an actress, then hid the corpse beneath the stage foundation.

But at today’s dinner, Mushroom Head actually brought yet another version.

“Perhaps the version passed down orally by my ancestors isn’t true either. It’s possible that each generation went through their own processing, interpretation, beautification, and embellishment. The real version might be even more cruel.” Mushroom Head said: “But this is just a dream I had a few days ago. I also can’t say whether this is a dream, or a mixture of my memory fragments. I’m just saying it like this, so you all just listen like this.”

Chen Jiu guessed he might be a descendant of some branch of the warlord’s relatives, which was why he would rack his brains to beautify this male lead in such stories. Those who have already gained benefits naturally favor the source of their benefits.

“The place where the huadan’s corpse was hidden, there wasn’t just one skeleton. There should be several people stacked together. That makes sense.” Mushroom Head took a very shallow sip of wine, casually saying this one sentence.

His tone was light and breezy, yet it made several people at the table simultaneously feel their hair stand on end.

They walked back and forth on that stage every day. Not a single person knew that beneath their feet they were actually stepping on white bones.

“There was also an old account book with brittle pages, pressed between stone slabs and dirt. The cover was already rotten.” Mushroom Head squinted his eyes thinking for a while, as if recalling: “What was written wasn’t very clear. Probably something like: a certain year, a certain month, a certain opera troupe, reward silver of how many taels, the huadan’s surname and given name, additionally rewarded a pair of jadeite bracelets, and so on. Those who received rewards included both men and women, more than can be enumerated.”

Yu Xiao’s expression became somewhat serious. Beside her sat the young male lead actor playing the male lead. This fellow lowered his voice and said jokingly: “Appetites for both men and women…”

“Shh.” Yu Xiao glared at him, signaling him to shut up.

“One night after the opera ended, the warlord took advantage of the hall gathering, and after drinking again seized the huadan’s body. The huadan could not endure the humiliation. Rather be a shattered jade than an intact tile, she planned to perish together with him. Unfortunately their strength was too unequal, and instead she was strangled to death in the room.” Mushroom Head continued: “Actually this opera troupe was not only toyed with by the warlord, but also used for smuggling contraband. Right when the mansion was being renovated, the warlord planned to take the opportunity to silence witnesses. So he killed all those who knew the truth, buried them together, including the fourth concubine he was about to take into his household. The first two versions never foreshadowed this. The fourth concubine also came from this opera troupe, only she was too beautiful, so the warlord had kept her by his side early on.”

Fourth concubine? Wasn’t that the prototype of the female lead?

Ren Dong’s expression instantly became incomparably heavy. He put down his chopsticks and looked at Mushroom Head: “You really dreamed this?”

Mushroom Head’s complexion also wasn’t very good: “I said, just listen to it like this, don’t press for details.”

Opera performers belong to the lowest of the nine social classes. These three light and floating characters carried the unspeakable humiliation of those pressed beneath the very bottom of that era. On stage they sang of talented scholars and beautiful ladies, loyal ministers and filial sons. But the people watching the opera below the stage could casually decide their life and death.

So the huadan’s death surprised no one. She didn’t die by fate, but died by human evil.

The warlord didn’t treat her, didn’t treat them, as human beings. Only as objects he could vent upon at will, to manipulate at will. Dared to resist? Just kill them.

The atmosphere at the table was somewhat heavy. Mushroom Head stopped here, taking small sips of wine.

Chen Jiu knew he wouldn’t speak again, so she didn’t press him on how he had learned the truth of this story.

After this dinner party dispersed, Yu Xiao begged Chen Jiu to accompany her a while longer.

“After hearing all that, I already don’t really want to play this role anymore…” Yu Xiao somewhat gloomily played with the knotted cord of her clasped hands.

Chen Jiu said: “Don’t think so much. They’ve already gone to line up for reincarnation. Once they’re born in this new era, they’ll definitely live better than before.”

“Mm.” Yu Xiao walked two steps with her hands behind her back, then suddenly asked: “Right, I still wanted to ask you. Can they really receive the paper money if we burn it? How about I burn some money for them?”

Chen Jiu shrugged: “One, we don’t know their names. Two, there’s no blood relation connection. Who would you burn it for?”

“Alright…” Yu Xiao sighed: “Then when they demolish it, I’ll burn a little by the foundation. Even if unknown wandering souls pick it up, it would still be doing a good deed, right?”

Chen Jiu nodded, thinking to herself that Yu Xiao’s underlying character was actually still kind. You really couldn’t tell at all from their first meeting.

…

From Su Xiaoyu’s perspective, these past two weeks had all been very happy.

The food, drink, and entertainment were all styles she had never seen before. The older brothers, older sisters, uncles, and aunts around her were all polite and courteous, calling her Little Immortal Master and Little Fairy every day, calling her until she was somewhat floating on air.

With her senior sister’s permission, during the time after meals, after finishing homework, and after walking the cats and dogs, she could also read some simple face fortunes for people.

She studied Dao techniques frantically at night, and during the day learned from her senior brother and sister to act calm and unbothered. Actually she couldn’t wait for others to come up and ask her, beg her, so she could practice her skills.

When preparing to head home, she was still somewhat reluctant to part.

Chen Ba gave her a talisman of unknown function, saying mysteriously: “This protects your academic performance. Don’t casually leave it on your person.”

Su Xiaoyu believed it to be true, solemnly putting this talisman into her school bag.

Yu Wan gave her a certain brand-name plush toy, saying it was in return for the child body soul-stabilizing talisman she had given her that day.

Chen Jiu secretly checked on her phone. The second-hand price of this limited edition plush toy was actually in the five digits. She gasped inwardly with cold air, then reached out and pressed the back of Su Xiaoyu’s head: “Quickly say thank you to the older sister.”

“Thank you pretty older sister!” Su Xiaoyu was very cooperative, politely thanking her.

In the car heading back, Su Xiaoyu hugged that plush toy and asked: “Senior sister, who is that pretty older sister? Why are there so many people following her around every day?”

“Yu Xiao, you don’t know her?” Chen Jiu raised an eyebrow.

Su Xiaoyu looked blank, with an expression of “should I know her?”

Chen Jiu laughed, shaking her head. Indeed, Su Xiaoyu normally didn’t watch those assembly-line soap operas at all. Not knowing Yu Xiao was very normal.

Little junior sister, little junior sister, wanting to make an impact on year-round television dramas, the road is long and the task is heavy.