Chapter 453 Taking the Blame
Lin Yuesha froze, thinking that Xiao Qiuyue was teasing her. She looked up at Xiao Qiuyue and saw that he nodded seriously, without any mockery or perfunctory meaning. She suddenly realized that he was serious.
Okay, playing a corpse is a bit unlucky, but at least there are no lines and no acting skills are required.
"You're wrong. Every character on stage needs acting skills, and so does a corpse."
The reason why Qiuyue Troupe has so many opera fans is not entirely because of Xiao Qiuyue's beauty and voice, but also because everyone in the troupe strives for excellence.
Indeed, the person playing the corpse is covered with a white sheet, but if they breathe too loudly, the white sheet will rise and fall, and anyone with eyes can tell at a glance that they are lying.
Although it's a small detail, if it's not done well, it can leave a bad impression.
“The body wasn’t always under the white sheet; there was a moment when I lifted the white sheet.”
In this play, it wasn't Yue Niang's parents who sold her, but rather Yue Niang who had a younger sister who was seriously ill and needed one hundred taels of silver to buy ginseng to keep her alive.
The Moon Goddess and her sister were so close that they had no choice but to resort to this terrible idea: selling themselves.
The two brothers bought servants, saying they needed someone to help them. They noticed that Yue Niang was clever and skillful, but they didn't mention buying a wife. Not only that, they wanted her to be the two brothers' shared wife, which made it hard for Yue Niang to accept.
When the news reached Yue Niang's family, her younger sister felt extremely guilty and, not wanting to continue being a burden to her family, hanged herself.
When Yue Niang returned home for her sister's funeral, she unwrapped the white cloth, revealing her sister's body underneath. Lin Yue Sha played the role of the corpse from beginning to end, a role that was barely even a cameo.
"When the moon goddess sheds tears, those tears will fall on the white cloth, and they might even fall on your face, so please don't open your eyes."
Remember those three key points. No dead person is relaxed, so always keep your body tense.
Xiao Qiuyue's explanation of the play was coherent and comprehensive. She described the possible scenarios and emphasized that the corpse should remain calm, without any ripples, emotions, or fluctuations.
“Miss Lin, I am moved by your filial piety, but I cannot joke about the entire Qiuyue Class. If something happens to you in the middle, Qiuyue Class will ruin its reputation, and I will have no face to face the rest of you.”
Xiao Qiuyue repeatedly confirmed that it was still possible for Lin Yuesha to change her mind, and besides, he didn't think that joining the Yu family would necessarily bring any benefits.
"Young Master Qiuyue, rest assured, I understand the pros and cons. I will go back to my cabin to practice now, and I will await your guidance later."
Having achieved her goal, Lin Yuesha rushed back to her room. She calculated the dates and found that the old lady of the Yu family was celebrating her birthday in just a few days.
Upon arriving in the capital, the first thing to do is to see Uncle Yan for a medical consultation, then find a courtyard house with the room ticket, and finally figure out how to open a shop. There are too many pressing issues to resolve.
As they brought Longjing back to their room, several maids immediately surrounded her, saying, "Longjing, please don't sing, especially in front of Xiao Qiuyue. Your singing... is truly indescribable."
These words were a bit shameful, but the group still had to tell the truth to avoid embarrassing Longjing without realizing it.
"Um?"
Lin Yuesha came to her senses and suddenly understood what everyone meant. They were criticizing her for showing off her skills in front of Guan Yu, and for not doing it very well.
She was about to defend herself and maintain her dignity as a young lady, but Longjing took the blame and admitted directly, "Yes, if I sang well, I would have joined an opera troupe long ago."
After Longjing finished speaking, he gestured towards his young mistress, indicating that this was a secret between the two of them and that neither of them was allowed to tell anyone.
However, as a maid, Longjing still had to remind her mistress to be more careful when humming tunes in the future.
"By the way, big news! Our young lady has joined the Qiuyue class."
To prevent the other three from holding him captive, Longjing threw a large rock, which immediately knocked Baicha and the others unconscious.
How did Little Qiuyue agree to let her join Qiuyue's class? Could it be, as Lin Yuesha said, that Little Qiuyue took a liking to her because of her good voice?
Actors are considered low-class and are not worthy of their young mistress's status. However, it is different when they are by Xiao Qiuyue's side, so the maids naturally ignore this fact.
"Yes, of course our young lady wouldn't get the important roles, since she's never performed in operas before."
After Longjing explained the whole story, Xiaotaohong found Lin Yuesha a role without any lines: to play a corpse.
The other maids: ...
The cabin was completely silent. Even Qingxing, who prided herself on her strong will, was stunned by the news.
"Do you think playing a corpse is easy?"
Lin Yuesha coughed lightly twice, instructing her maid, "Never underestimate any role on the stage, especially minor roles, because it is the details that determine success or failure."
Lin Yuesha repeated Xiao Qiuyue's words, and everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that she was right.
"So, your young lady is going to lie down now, and you all supervise her. If my eyelids move or my eyelashes flutter, you are all responsible for reminding her."
Without delay, Lin Yuesha lay on the bed, put her hands and feet together, and immediately got into the mood.
"Miss, your eyelids have moved."
"Miss, your breathing is too rapid, and your chest is heaving."
“You showed disdain for my words. This is not a proper corpse.”
Several maids were pointing and gesturing, making Lin Yuesha dizzy and confused. She thought about arguing, but then felt that what the maids said made sense, and that she should be careful.
After waiting a while, Bai Cha said again, "Miss, you..."
No matter what they said, Lin Yuesha didn't react. The maids looked at each other and pushed each other, each wanting the other to step forward first.
“Our young lady’s eyelids and eyelashes aren’t moving, her body is taut enough, and her chest isn’t heaving much, but she seems to be…”
Bai Cha hesitated before speaking, and Qing Xing continued, "It seems she's asleep."
After waiting for a while, Lin Yuesha did not move, so everyone stopped crowding around the bed and went about their own business.
After about an hour, Lin Yuesha slowly woke up. After a while, her mind gradually cleared. How could she have fallen asleep while practicing?
"Miss, you're really asleep."
Longjing suggested that if playing the role of a corpse was too difficult, they should practice sleeping, falling asleep as quickly as possible without being woken up by noise, so that when Xiao Qiuyue lifted the white cloth and cried, the sleeping person would not hear it and would remain unmoved.
Given my young lady's qualifications, this is the best we can do.
"That's a good idea."
Lin Yuesha thought the maid was right. She used to be a cook, and because of the exhaustion from her work, she would fall asleep instantly, anytime and anywhere, whether lying down, leaning, or standing.
Although practicing sleeping makes her body less tense, she can enter deep sleep and won't move around too much. Moreover, she doesn't have any problems like snoring or teeth grinding, so she should be able to do this job.
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