Xie Feifei felt that he had been idle for a long time.

Although it has not been more than a week, it is still uncomfortable. Maybe I was too busy before, and I rushed around non-stop, but after I was free, I didn't get used to it.

When he told Zhao Yi about this idea, he was laughed and scolded by the big brother: "Are you cheap?!" ”

Not really!

As a trickster, of course, I hope that the more idle I am, the better, and I will come up with a mission when I am sick.

But that's the end of it.

"A strange signal was detected, numbered 0759083, energy level B, located in the cultural building of the boundary village of Xinfeng Town, Orange County. Please proceed to this destination for containment. ”

A message came from the command center.

The three people who stayed in Orange County gathered for the first time.

Li Yaoguo's eyes were solemn: "Have you received it?" ”

The two nodded hurriedly.

Turtle and turtle, see B-level again, where is there so much B-level weirdness in this small place in Orange County?

Li Yaoguo: "B-level trickster, I will lead the team this time, you should pay attention to protect yourself, remember, you are not allowed to shoot without my order." ”

The two were awe-inspiring: "Understood! ”

B-level missions, if there is no corresponding level of trickster in front, they will only be sent to death.

Just like last time at the Lo Si Hotel.

……

Boundary Village.

It is located at the boundary between Xinfeng Town, Orange County and Suibei Town, Suicheng County, so it is named the boundary village.

The boundary village is not small, relying on provincial roads, and in a few years it has evolved into a rather lively polder, from kindergarten to middle school, from express delivery points to gas stations to small processing factories.

Compared with the front of the village, the back of the village is a little deserted.

It is no different from most rural areas, lacking young faces, mostly left-behind elderly and children. Walking on the country road, you will occasionally hear the quacking of ducks or the barking of dogs from nowhere.

There used to be a very famous thing in the village, called puppet show, which has a history of more than 300 years since its birth. Locals mostly call it white play, doll play, and ghost play.

It is called white opera because it is mostly sung in the local vernacular, and it is called doll opera because the puppet is called a doll in the local dialect, and it is called a ghost play......

One theory is that puppets and gods live in them.

There is also a saying that people on stage perform, but not only people are watching in the audience, but there may be other things mixed in and cheering loudly.

Why was it famous before?

Because with the economic development, the changes of the times, and the diversification of entertainment methods, traditional arts such as puppet show have gradually withdrawn from the public eye. Just like the movies that used to be shown in the countryside, now there are occasional puppet troupes invited to perform on the festivals of the gods in various villages. The grand occasion of the whole village watching the play together in the past will never be seen again.

If you can't eat, naturally no one wants to learn, this skill is becoming more and more cold, and it is estimated that it will not be long before the inheritance will be broken.

Nowadays, the more famous Jinguang puppet show that can keep up with the trend is also a kind of puppet show. It's just that they abandoned the traditional puppets in the palm of their hands and used larger puppets to perform.

Ordinary puppet shows in niche places, such as the cane-headed puppet show in Boundary Village, I am afraid that this road will not be followed.

Even if it is a national intangible cultural heritage.

……

No one wants to learn to sing in puppet show, and the same is true for puppet making.

The production of puppets pays attention to a character that meets the needs of the plot, different characters have different identities, statuses, and personalities, and is also divided into various types of "birth, dan, net, end, and ugly", so as to make the character image appear in appearance as much as possible.

The specific process is from material selection, carving blanks, loading to grinding and polishing, painting, and configuration of costume props, and every step must not be sloppy.

It is so cumbersome, and it can't be mechanized. The cost can't come down, and the quality is difficult to go up.

Good puppets are often thousands, which is not at all affordable for local grass stage troupes, and the quality of ordinary puppets is not good, and more and more people are willing to watch them, leading to a vicious circle.

No one in the Boundary Village can make puppets anymore, and there are not many who can sing puppet shows.

Next to the Cultural Building.

Li Yaoguo and the three of them stood outside the courtyard gate in a zigzag shape.

After hesitating for a long time, after making sure that the target positioning was correct, Li Yaoguo looked at the half-hidden wooden door, stepped forward and knocked, and then pushed it open.

In the courtyard, an old lady with gray hair stopped her movements and looked at them suspiciously.

There are puppets in the process of being made, and there are materials such as blanks and costumes next to them, and there are also puppets that have already been made, which look good in quality and lifelike.

Li Yaoguo was slightly stunned, bowed down and said, "Grandma, excuse me, are you at home by yourself?" ”

The old lady smiled kindly: "Yes, I'm the only one, do you have anything to do with the offspring?" ”

The three of them walked into the courtyard and quietly took in everything around them.

Li Yaoguo didn't dare to relax his vigilance, and his eyes fell on the blank in the old lady's hand: "Are you making a puppet?" ”

"Yes, I'm a puppeteer, I've been doing this for many years, I started learning from my dad at the age of ten, I made my first puppet at the age of twelve, and when I was seventeen my dad said I had surpassed his level. At that time, the puppet troupes of the entire Chin Lien Mansion came to me to order puppets. ”

Speaking of the past, the old lady spoke proudly and smiled.

Li Yaoguo and Zhao Yi shrank their pupils.

"It's a pity that I'm old now, my eyes are not good, and I don't have much strength, so I can't take so many orders. Of course, there are fewer puppet shows and puppet shows now, and from time to time you can hear that a troupe has disbanded again, and everyone has to find another way to make a living. Naturally, no one came to me to be a puppet anymore. ”

The old lady sighed and chattered.

The last sentence seemed to be talking to itself, as if asking the three people who broke in: "Why doesn't anyone watch the puppet show now?" ”

Xie Feifei subconsciously replied: "It's normal, there are so many entertainment methods now, movies, television, novels, short videos, young people don't have to do anything with a mobile phone every day, how can they still listen to such obscure things." ”

saw Li Yaoguo glaring at him fiercely, so he reacted and shrunk his neck.

The old lady was stunned: "Sure enough, people are old and can't keep up with your young people's ideas." I don't understand what you're saying, eh. ”

Zhao Yi said loudly: "Actually, there are still people who are willing to listen and learn, but there are not as many as before." The country is so big and there are so many people, there will always be people who are interested in these things. Moreover, puppet theater has been included in the list of intangible cultural heritage by the state, and the government has been helping to promote it. ”

"Really?"

The old lady's eyes were a little more bright, and a kind smile reappeared: "That's good, that's good...... As long as there are still people who remember the puppet show, and there are people who are willing to sing the puppet show......"

"He only knew me because he liked puppet shows. At first, my dad didn't want to teach him, so he lay on the wall to steal school, and was scolded by my dad a few times or didn't leave with a hippie smile, my dad had no choice but to pretend that he didn't see it. Later, seeing his sincerity, he decided to accept him as an apprentice and teach him to sing and make a puppet. However, he is clumsy, and he doesn't look good as me, and most of the time he makes the blank and I paint it. ”

"Who is he?"

"It's my man."

"He's ...... now"

"I'm going to fight devils, I followed the gang of people from the Third Company of the Fourth Regiment on the South Road, I have already left, I have been there for a long time, I don't remember. said that he would come back, but he hasn't seen him back for so many years, and I don't know if I'm getting along with someone else outside. ”

"Not really!"

Li Yaoguo was moved and subconsciously interrupted.

Facing the old lady's puzzled gaze, he squirmed his lips: "He is not a deserter, let alone a negative man...... He's a hero!! ”

The four regiments and three companies fought from Qinlian Mansion to Gaoyao, and then transferred to Xipu and entered the small country in the south. The original intention was to cooperate with the large army to encircle and annihilate the remnants of the party, but the result was unexpectedly counterattacked by the large army......

None of them came back alive.