1400 Monkey Show (1/2)
A monkey show could be regarded as a long-established folk craft. In the past, when cultural life had been scarce, a shout on the streets could have immediately signaled to hundreds of people to gather around. Men, women, and children would put down the things at hand and flock to watch the monkeys perform.
There are couples who put on monkey shows like this, and there were also circus monkey shows, but the format was similar.
The man took a few steps around the field, striking his gong and observing the number of onlookers. He had to balance waiting for more people and avoiding a lengthy wait as it wore away other people's patience.
Seeing that the number was no longer increasing, he put down the gong and made a circle around him. ”My wife and I are here today in your precious town to perform a monkey show for you,” he said. ”We will not do a lot of talking, but young or old, if you have some spare cash, please give us some as a form of encouragement. Those who don't have money, if you enjoy what you see, do consider giving us something so we can get food to eat. My wife and I thank you for being here!”
”Good!”
”Good!”
”Get started! If it is good, you'll get our money!”
People were not afraid to offer free applause. Besides the people who were filming on their mobile phones, the others applauded and urged the man to start soon.
”Well! This is the beginning! Let the boss of the monkeys give everyone a song: 'Two Springs Reflecting the Moon!'”
With that, the man took a monkey to the center of the open space, stuffed a toy erhu and a bow into its hand, and began to play ”Two Springs Reflecting the Moon” with a portable speaker. The monkey also did its thing, holding the erhu in one hand and the bow in the other. It looked around from time to time, looking quite the part.
After the song ”Two Springs Reflecting the Moon” was finished, people applauded. After all, it was a free show, and they could not ask for too much.
At this time, the man pulled out the second monkey and said, ”My family's monkeys are versatile. The boss is a musician, and the second one knows tricks. Let the second one perform a somersault for everyone! It is as good as those monkeys you see on TV!”
”My children, start marching!”
As he said this, he began to periodically shake the thin iron chain in his hand, and the monkey also moved along with his movements.
He kept on shaking, and the monkey didn't stop.
The difficulty was much higher than that of the first performance.
People watched, concentrated, and applauded spontaneously.
However, after the monkey flipped more than a dozen times, its physical strength was depleted and did not do one properly. It eventually fell to the ground.
People laughed, and someone called out, ”Get up and turn it over! Turn over a few more times! Just like that! Do ten more and I will give you a hundred yuan!”
The man's face was blank, and he reached out and picked up a short whip. He slammed it on the ground next to the monkey, and it left a deep scar on the ground. It was as loud as a firecracker.
The monkey stood up and trembled on both legs, staring at its owner in horror.
”Hey! Thank you! This was a mistake on its part. The following is the official performance!” The man smiled at the voice. ”Come, my child, show your skills to this gentleman!”