The next day.
With his next program still undetermined, Zhang Ye went ahead with his vacation.
After breakfast, Zhang Ye was in a very happy mood. He hummed a tune that sounded like a Jingyun Dagu or a verse from an introductory poem that no one could really make out. Inside his bedroom, he pretentiously set up a desk and placed the Four Treasures of the Study on it. It was rare of him to be in the mood to practice calligraphy. Although his house was not big and did not have much space, he could still make do with it. Since it was only for practice, it did not matter how big the space was as long as there was a brush, paper, and ink. [1.] [2.]
He picked up a brush and dipped it in the ink.
Then he smoothly wrote out the song he was humming.
"Storytelling, acting to persuade people."
"Walking the middle of three roads."
"What goes around comes around."
"Experience is…"
As he sang, his mother knocked on the door from the hallway. "Don't sing anymore, you're too noisy!"
[1. Jingyun Dagu: storytelling in Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment]
[2. The introductory poem is used in crosstalk performances when the crosstalk actors make an appearance on stage. It is usually done in a softer volume, just enough to grab the attention of the audience so that they fully focus on trying to listen to it and not talk among themselves. It is used to quiet an audience before a performance. Also used in opera for when a character first appears.]