Third Sister thought for a moment and said, "I think it was 'I don't want Calabash Babies*'. Big Brother, who is 'Calabash Baby'? Is that 'Male Mommy's' child?"

*T/N: The Calabash Brothers was a popular animation from the 1980s, about seven magical brothers each born from a different calabash (goard) who would fight villains.

Ji Shuangyu: "............"

...That's you!! The invisible baby!!

Being scared by Third Sister a few times every day when he came home was exhausting.

Ji Shuangyu fudged it, "It's nothing, just lines from a play. Hurry up and eat, Sixth."

'Where did a sixth sibling come from??'

The children were still confused and wanted to correct him, but Ji Shuangyu had already pushed their heads down to make them eat.

......

Although his savings were back to zero copper coins, for the next few days, Ji Shuangyu at least didn't have to run all over the city to various theaters for extra roles, worrying if he would go hungry that day. He focused on helping Xu Xinyue overhaul the stage and complete the design at the Changle Theater.

Because Ying Xiaonong was a sucker for a pretty face, Ji Shuangyu was able to get a few words in with him.

—Speaking of which, Ji Shuangyu hadn't been this eloquent before. It was after working as a director for a long time, communicating with investors, actors, and cinematographers to realize the concepts in his mind... it was truly a formative experience.

With such persuasion, the extremely short-tempered Ying Xiaonong finally bought some pastries to "tie bing" for the troupe's musicians.

What did "tie bing" mean? The musicians who played the fiddle and drums were paid less than the main actors on stage. But a performance was a collaboration, and if the musicians wanted to make the singer uncomfortable, they could easily give them a hard time.

When actors privately gave gifts to the musicians to smooth things over, it was called "tie bing." For those particularly skilled musicians, especially those who could contribute to the vocal melody design, actors would often supplement their pay privately to curry favor.

Previously, Ying Xiaonong had been on bad terms with them, so his singing had not been very comfortable.

When Ying Xiaonong went to give the return gift and it was accepted, it was considered a truce between them.

Ji Shuangyu was doing all this for the final effect. He wanted to see if the opera performance itself could be enhanced, but he couldn't get a word in, which made his hands itch.

Ji Shuangyu went to persuade Xu Xinyue: "I say, Boss, why don't you just hire me as a director?"

"What's a director?" Xu Xinyue asked, bewildered.

"It's someone who oversees the entire performance, responsible for everything related to the play, from lighting and music to acting, and guides everyone in rehearsals. All to achieve the best possible effect on stage," Ji Shuangyu explained. "Western film shoots have such a position. I also have some insights into the plot, and I feel that with some changes, the effect would be better."

Xu Xinyue had seen movies but had never paid much attention to the director. His reaction was quite strong: "When has the Pear Garden* ever had such a rule, rehearsing on the spot? Besides, you're an outsider trying to direct insiders?"

*T/N: A more literary name for the opera world. The Pear Garden comes from the legendary imperial academy founded by Emperor Taizong during China's Tang Dynasty, becoming the origin of Chinese opera and its performers.

"Zuan guo" meant an actor learning a play they didn't know at the last minute. The prevailing belief was "see you on stage." Rehearsing on the spot was something insiders considered deeply shameful; it was embarrassing to even talk about.

Xu Xinyue admitted that, judging from how he convinced Ying Xiaonong to "tie bing," Ji Shuangyu might know a thing or two about the Pear Garden and some stagecraft. But a director? What was he thinking?

Opera actors had script run-throughs, dress rehearsals, and instructors who would fine-tune their acting. These were all methods to improve the performance, especially for martial scenes, which had to be rehearsed to perfection. But that was a completely different matter from adding a director.

The Chinese opera industry had never had directors since ancient times. Everyone studied on their own—musicians were musicians, actors trained by themselves, taught by masters through oral tradition, and figured out vocal improvements on their own.

The system of having a director was fundamentally a Western creation.

Even in modern times, whether the opera stage needed a director was a controversial topic, and many famous opera actors were still unwilling to be directed by one.

Ji Shuangyu was aware of this situation. He just wanted to give it a try, since the Changle Theater was in a different predicament now. What if Xu Xinyue was desperate enough to try anything? Unexpectedly, Xu Xinyue held firm. He muttered, "He's not so easy to persuade..."

Xu Xinyue: "..."

Ji Shuangyu slipped away. It wasn't that he agreed with Xu Xinyue. He personally believed that the opera stage could have a director.

In the future, the earliest opera directors in Huaxia would all learn from the methods of stage plays.

However, an elder in his family had once told him an old story—decades later, there was a successful example in the opera world where a director adapted a traditional opera for wider promotion. At the time, it was said that "one play revitalized an entire opera genre."

So, in the final analysis, opera wasn't afraid of a director's interference; it was only afraid of not having a good director who knew the craft, as the art form was incredibly profound.

Ji Shuangyu figured he didn't have enough influence at the moment, so he didn't argue right away.

......

Because the lighting design involved some necessary modifications, and Ji Shuangyu's knowledge in this area wasn't fully aligned with the current level of technology—he only had a general concept—he needed to look up some professional books.

Ji Shuangyu had originally planned to try his luck at a university or research institution, but a stagehand from the troupe who found out eagerly pointed him in the right direction: "You can't just walk into a school if you don't know anyone. You might as well go to a library. Coincidentally, the Kunlun Bookstore opened a library not long ago. It's said to be open to all sectors of society, and anyone can go in to read."

Although stagehands were only responsible for changing props and other miscellaneous tasks, they were often quite arrogant. Actors sometimes needed the stagehands' cooperation for prop-based scenes or magic tricks to be successful.

Some famous actors even brought their own stagehands, who would be even more cocky, sometimes even more flamboyant than the star himself.

The reason the stagehand from the Hanxi Troupe was so enthusiastic toward Ji Shuangyu was, of course, because he was the new set designer. In theory, he was on the same side as the stagehands. Ji Shuangyu wouldn't be enough on his own; he would definitely need the stagehands' help to place props.

That way, wouldn't the stagehands learn a few new tricks...

How could their attitude be anything but good?

Ji Shuangyu was pleasantly surprised. Reading was difficult in this era, so he hadn't expected there to be a public library. "I might need to read some imported books. Does this library have them?"

"It's Kunlun Bookstore, how could they not?" the stagehand laughed. "Besides being famous for their newspapers and periodicals, Kunlun Bookstore is best known for translating Western books. Speaking of which, the Zhou family has plenty of drama."

Kunlun Bookstore was an enterprise of the prominent Zhou family of Jingcheng. The Old Master Zhou had long resided in Hushang, managing foreign affairs and business, while his six branches of children each had their own ventures, with footprints all over the country.

The Zhou family was the first to set a new trend, claiming that men and women in the family should be equal, so the young ladies of the house also constituted their own branch.

Kunlun Bookstore was originally funded by the family and single-handedly managed by the Third Miss Zhou of the third branch. It had now become a pillar of the Huaxia publishing world, one of the three major publishing institutions.

Unfortunately, Third Miss Zhou passed away in her prime. The bookstore was temporarily transferred to the second branch before being reclaimed a few years ago by Third Miss Zhou's only son, Zhou Siyin.

Kunlun Bookstore excelled in publishing Western studies, social sciences, and emerging literature and arts. Its publications were quite famous, but this foundation had been laid by Third Miss Zhou; the second branch had made no progress for many years.

However, after the young Zhou Siyin took over, he came up with many methods to promote books. He also generously opened the Zhou family's book collection to the public, earning praise from all walks of life. He used this to make a name for himself at the Ministry of Education, thereby snatching the opportunity to compile and print textbooks—which had always been the domain of their rival, Huashan Bookstore—and greatly expanded his business.

"Their general manager has a very eccentric and fiery temper. When he first took back the bookstore, he argued with an elder from the second branch and directly took out a front-page ad in the newspaper to scold that elder for three days..."

So rebellious? Weren't the old days all about respecting one's elders? Ji Shuangyu asked, "Was he punished for that?"

The stagehand gave a dry laugh. "No. Because the scolding was so sharp, the newspaper sold out and set a sales record. Old Master Zhou even sent praise back from Hushang."

Ji Shuangyu: "..."

Ji Shuangyu: "Wait, how do you know all this?" It sounded like he had been listening from under their bed. It didn't seem very reliable. If that were the case, this family was too intense.

The stagehand: "This was also posted in the newspaper by Zhou Siyin as 'good news'..."

Ji Shuangyu: "..."

Alright, it truly was an era where anything goes.