As Su Yu envied this middle-aged man.
The opera actors, already made up, took the stage.
The older people in the audience immediately cheered.
"Mom, why is this worth cheering for?" a child asked his parents, tilting his head in confusion.
His parents, doing this for a school assignment, had no idea.
"Little one, in opera terminology, this is called 'tou cai,' meaning the first cheers. Usually, when a famous actor appears, the audience will give tou cai," an elder explained from the side.
"So, 'tou cai' is an opera term," the child realized.
...
Opera is called a national treasure because its artistry and difficulty far surpass popular music.
It is also much harder to get started in.
To become an opera actor, one must practice the four basic skills—singing, recitation, acting, and combat—from childhood, and not neglect any of them.
A minute on stage requires ten years of practice offstage.
It is precisely these artistic techniques that form the characteristics of opera.
To perform at an opera gala is undoubtedly to be among the best in the field.
With stunning vocalizations and smooth combat sequences.
The audience repeatedly cheered.
Soon, the first opera piece concluded, and the host returned to the stage.
The fervor in the venue quieted down.
"What did you think of that last performance?"
The middle-aged man suddenly spoke.
"What did you think of that last performance?"
Seeing Su Yu's lack of response, he asked again.
"Are you asking me?" Su Yu looked up, asking the middle-aged man who was looking at him.
"Mmm," the middle-aged man nodded, his expression still blank.
"It was quite good," Su Yu replied with a smile.
"What was good about it?" the middle-aged man continued to inquire.
Su Yu was taken aback.
How would I know what was good about it? I'm just here to watch, who am I supposed to ask?
"The singing was good," Su Yu, feeling somewhat annoyed, offered a casual reason to brush him off.
"What about the singing was good?" To his surprise, the middle-aged man persisted.
"I don't know..." Su Yu's blood pressure was rising.
"Why don't you know? You should know."
"I really don't know, big brother, please spare me. Go ask someone else." Su Yu was at his wit's end.
Are you the "Why" guy?
Is your name "Ask Until the End"?
Where did this lunatic come from?
"You shouldn't call me big brother," the middle-aged man shook his head, a faint smile on his face.
"Then what should I call you?" Su Yu asked instinctively.
After asking, he regretted it. Why was he chatting with a lunatic?
"You should call me Dad," the middle-aged man said very seriously.
Su Yu blinked, then a surge of anger rushed to his head.
"I'm the one who should call you Dad!" After saying that, he immediately corrected himself, "You're the one who should call me Dad!"
However, due to the slip of the tongue, the momentum he had was completely lost.
This wasn't the time for awkwardness!
Some lunatic comes out of nowhere, bothers him for so long, and even tries to take advantage of him. Who could tolerate that?
If he didn't think the middle-aged man was stronger than him, he would have slapped him by now.
"Not bad. Seeing how scrawny you are, you've got some spirit."
"I asked you so many questions, and you didn't get angry. Your temperament is quite good."
Instead of being angry, the middle-aged man nodded with a smile.
He reached out to pat Su Yu's shoulder, but Su Yu flinched instinctively.
"You will willingly call me Dad." After saying that, he retracted his hand that was suspended in mid-air and turned to leave.
Leaving Su Yu sitting there, completely bewildered.
It took him a while to snap back to reality.
Willingly call me Dad?
Who do you think you are, Jack Ma?
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
He must have forgotten to check the almanac before leaving today; he ran into a lunatic.
...
In the blink of an eye.
The opera gala had been ongoing for an hour.
Liu Chuanfeng's mood, however, did not improve.
He had been constantly checking his phone, but the popularity on the live streaming platform had barely increased.
It was only around tens of thousands.
And the gifts were pitifully few.
Compared to entertainment streamers who often had millions of viewers, an official gala like this having such low popularity was truly dismal.
"In this day and age, do people still listen to opera?"
"I clicked in by mistake, sorry, I'm leaving..."
"Damn, I accidentally clicked into this live stream, and my roommate heard the opera, almost causing me social death..."
"My grandpa insisted on taking my computer to watch the live stream, preventing me from playing my game..."
"I've been watching for a while and don't understand anything, leaving now..."
"If it weren't for Mu Jin singing an opera-style song, I wouldn't even know opera existed."
"You people, if you don't like it, you can leave, why do you have to say it?"
"Who do you think you are to tell me?"
"Heh, I didn't expect opera to have fans. How old are you this year, grandpa?"
...
The internet is full of keyboard warriors, and live streams are no exception.
Most of the comments were unwatchable.
Even the well-behaved Liu Chuanfeng couldn't help but shake his head, his heart filled with bitterness.
Could it be that opera is truly outdated?
Young people don't like it?
"Chuanfeng, let me see," the old chairman extended his hand.
"Ah, Master, don't look. Our live stream's popularity is okay," Liu Chuanfeng quickly put his phone away.
The old chairman was of advanced age, and if he were angered into having a problem, it would be a great sin on his part.
"Give it to me," the old chairman insisted stubbornly.
"Master..."
"You've grown up under my care, and I know you well. I just want to see what the audience thinks of our opera," the old chairman smiled.
Seeing Liu Chuanfeng still hesitant, he continued, "I've seen all sorts of things in my life. Don't worry, this little setback won't affect my old bones."
Since he had said so much, Liu Chuanfeng had no choice.
Always obedient to his master, he couldn't possibly go against the old chairman's wishes.
He could only take out his phone and hand it to the old chairman, reminding him not to take these people seriously.
The latter nodded, took the phone, and immediately found the live stream of the Opera Festival in a corner of the streaming platform.
He clicked on it, adjusted his glasses, and began to watch intently.
Liu Chuanfeng nervously gripped his folding fan nearby, his eyes occasionally glancing at the old chairman.
After waiting for a long time.
Seeing that the old chairman's expression remained unchanged, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
About two minutes later, the old chairman returned the phone to him.
"Master..." Liu Chuanfeng called out cautiously.
"It's alright..." The old chairman's voice trembled slightly. After a pause, he continued, "No matter what, opera must be passed down. It is the pride of our nation and the culmination of the efforts of countless ancestors over thousands of years."
By the end, the old chairman's eyes were slightly moist.
"Master, don't worry, we will definitely accomplish this!" Liu Chuanfeng said solemnly, his expression serious.
The members of the Opera Association beside him also quickly patted their chests to make promises.
...
The gala was more than halfway through.
The applause from the audience had also diminished considerably.
Most of the elderly people in the audience who understood opera were tired of cheering.
And the energetic young people who cheered couldn't understand and didn't want to cheer.
Just then, the stage lights suddenly dimmed, and figures moved quickly on it.
It seemed they were setting up a scene.