Chapter 14: Performing Arts Ruan Xing packed a small package and went out with the props. The person guarding the door asked her just a few questions and then let her out. She wandered around the street with the things, looking for a suitable place to set up a stall. She couldn't go to the street with the weaving shops, as her mother had many familiar female workers there who knew her. She also didn't want to go to the street with the gambling houses, as her father often hung out there, and setting up a stall there was a disguised way of competing with Qi Ye's gambling house. Although Qi Ye wouldn't care, those strong men who were watching the place would definitely dislike her, and most of the gamblers there would not participate in this kind of street gambling. After much thought, Ruan Xing could only think of a suitable place. It was a crossroads with a lot of traffic. On weekdays, there were also some snack vendors gathered there. She had bought buns there last time and they tasted good. But that place is on the edge of Qi Ye’s jurisdiction, and half of the Cross Street is under the jurisdiction of other regional managers. But it was not a big problem. Ruan Xing carried the small bag and chose an open space among the many small stalls. He spread the bag on the ground and placed the three bowls in the middle. Before I even started shouting, someone curious by the side asked, "Girl, what are you selling?" Breakfast time had just passed, and the food vendors had basically become idle after being busy for a while. Seeing a cute little girl preparing to set up her stall in a serious manner, they all wanted to tease her. Ruan Xing introduced in a serious and crisp childish voice: "What I sell is art. I will perform magic tricks for you. You come and guess which bowl the egg is in. Uncles and aunts, do you want to play a game?" She only took out an egg, and planned to use a simple way of playing to attract spectators first, and then switch to a more complicated way of playing to retain customers. As long as ten people spent ten cents from her today, the simulated money would be enough.
"I think I know this trick of yours. There were wandering artists in Jiangning City who performed it before, but I haven't seen it for several years." "Really? I've never played it before, little girl, how do you play it?" Originally, there were only one or two stall owners nearby who came to join in the fun, but after a while, they actually attracted passers-by. Ruan Xing stretched out his hand calmly and said seriously, "One copper coin for each guess. If you guess correctly, I'll give you two copper coins." Most people living in the inner city have a stable source of income. After having enough food and clothing, they are also willing to spend some money on entertainment. The person who just asked the price was a middle-aged uncle selling buns nearby. He squatted down with his sleeves tucked in, took out a penny and put it on the bundle, and said with a smile: "Then I will open a shop for you, little boss." The uncle selling buns looked familiar. Ruan Xing knew that this uncle wanted to take care of her business, but she did not refuse. Instead, she turned the three bowls 360 degrees in front of everyone, showed them, took out an egg and placed it in one of the bowls, and then turned all three bowls upside down on the ground. The three white porcelain bowls are exactly the same with their clear and transparent glaze. It is extremely difficult to use the bowls to mark them. One can only rely on one's eyes to see how many times Ruan Xing's skillful hands have changed them, or just guess by luck. "Uncle, guess which one?" Ruan Xing stopped. The man casually pointed to the middle, "Guess this bowl." Ruan Xing smiled sweetly and opened the porcelain bowl, "Congratulations, uncle, you guessed it right!" The man was a little surprised. Originally, he wanted Ruan Xing to earn the penny so he didn't look at it carefully. Unexpectedly, he guessed it right. Suddenly, his expression was a little complicated. This little girl set up a stall but didn't intend to win. Isn't she here to be a boy who brings money? Ruan Xing returned the penny to the man, picked up the egg, and said pitifully, "But uncle, I just started today and haven't made any money yet. Can I use this egg to pay you?" The market price of eggs is about 10 coins for six. Taking one egg for one coin is actually the man's profit. Of course, he didn't want to take advantage of the child, so he waved his hand and said, "No, no, I just treat it as a joke to open a business for the little boss. I don't want the eggs. How can you perform magic if I take the eggs?" "It's okay." Ruan Xing opened the other two bowls, looked up and smiled, "I still have two eggs!" "Wow!" Ruan Xing lifted up the interest of the people around him, which had originally sank. Three bowls and one egg did not seem to require much technical skill, but no one among so many people noticed when Ruan Xing put eggs in the other two bowls. This was really interesting. The man now understood that Ruan Xing was returning the favor and knew that Ruan Xing wanted to take care of the business, so he put an egg in each of the three bowls. No matter which one he guessed, it would be correct. Not only did he repay the man's kindness, but he also proved that he had the ability to perform this magic trick. Sure enough, this move aroused everyone's interest in playing, and the small stall the size of a palm was surrounded by seven or eight people. "Come on, let me play it too. I want to watch carefully this time!" "Dad, I don't want to eat the sugar biscuits anymore, I want to play with this!" "Don't push, please come one by one, guests." Ruan Xing smiled and kept moving his hands. In just over a quarter of an hour, she had already earned more than ten cents. Of course, her gambling skills were only entry-level, and occasionally her hands were not fast enough and there were flaws. She would give the customer an egg with an innocent smile to make up for it.
After all, the money she earned was useful to support the simulator, while stealing eggs from the canteen was free. Under the current circumstances, it would probably take less than a day, at most two hours, to collect the one hundred coins. She didn't steal many eggs from the canteen when she went out, so this should be enough. Unfortunately, peace is always temporary. Before Ruan Xing could even warm up the copper coins in his hand, two idle men came over following the smell. He arrogantly and rudely pushed the spectators aside and said to Ruan Xing, "You little girl is setting up a stall? Do you know whose territory this is? Don't you know that you have to pay protection fees to the mountain leader?" Ruan Xing looked up at them. The two idlers were not very old, probably about sixteen or seventeen years old. In ordinary families of that era, they would have just reached adulthood, but they came out to do nothing and join gangs. They were of medium build, stood in a sloppy manner, their feet were not steady, and there were no obvious bulging muscles on their waists, legs and arms. Ruan Xing could easily determine that these two were just peripheral gang members who had never learned martial arts, and they usually relied on the name of the Red Head Gang to bully ordinary people and extort money. She calmly replied: "This is Qi Ye's territory. Are you here to collect protection fees on Qi Ye's behalf?" "Nonsense!" One of the idle men interrupted her impatiently and kicked over the bowl that Ruan Xing had placed on the ground. The bowl rolled several times, but the quality was still good and it didn't break, just had a small hole in it. "This is Lord Tiger's territory. We brothers are all Lord Tiger's men. If you know what's best for you, just hand over the money. Otherwise, our Red Head Gang is not something a little girl like you can afford to offend!" Ruan Xing felt more relieved after hearing this. Since they were not Seventh Master's men, she didn't have to worry about getting into trouble. She glanced at the white porcelain bowl that had rolled to the side and said, "But according to the rules, this side of the crossroad belongs to Seventh Master, and that side belongs to your Tiger Master." "No matter whether it's Lord Tiger or Lord Seven, they are both members of our Red Head Gang. Why are you saying so much? Don't you want to make friends?" He had a ferocious expression, but it looked funny on his young and childish face. The old man who had shown goodwill to Ruan Xing at the beginning pulled Ruan Xing's sleeve and whispered to her, "These two are scoundrels who often hang around here. Don't bother trying to reason with them or you'll get into trouble. Just give them a few coins and send them away." They were known as the Red Head Gang, and they didn't ask for much each time, just enough for one or two meals and then left. They would even give them some food without paying, and their attitude was overbearing, as they literally asked for food while standing. Most of the vendors doing business would try to avoid trouble, so it was not worth asking Seventh Master for justice over this matter, so they just gave them the money and sent them away. (End of this chapter)
