Seventhundred and Thirteenth Chapter: A Better Drama

Not long after leaving the square, Meiyi heard a series of subtle footsteps behind her.

"Mrs. Lannis, please wait for me, Mrs. Lannis!"

It took her a while to realize someone was calling her. She turned around and saw a seventeen-year-old girl running towards her.

The girl had two pigtails, and her cheeks were red from the cold wind. However, her cotton coat and leather boots were brand new, and the fabric and workmanship were very solid. If it were two years ago, she would have thought it was some xiaojie with a wealthy family. But now, more and more people can afford new clothes, and it is no longer possible to judge a person's identity based solely on their appearance.

The girl ran to her side, exhaled a few breaths of white air, and separated one of the two salted fish she was carrying in her hand, handing it to her.

"Mrs. Lannis, this is my thank you gift, please accept it."

Meiyi couldn't help but be stunned. "Thank you gift?"

"I've wanted to meet you for a long time. If my father saw your performance in the drama, he would definitely be very pleased!"

"But I don't know you, and I don't know your father... Can you tell me from the beginning, what exactly happened?"

It took the Star of the Western Territory half an hour to roughly understand the situation.

The girl's name was Molly. After shopping at the convenience market, she happened to recognize her back and chased after her to give her fish just to express her gratitude.

Molly's father was a soldier in the First Army who unfortunately died in battle with the church, leaving behind her and her mother. The generous pension and preferential recruitment policies of the City Hall relieved them of any worries about life, but the death of her father still made Molly sad for a while, until the new drama "The Life of a Hero" was staged, which allowed her to cheer up again.

In the drama, all those who bravely sacrificed themselves to defend their families and the kingdom were given the title of hero by His Majesty.

"My mother said that he used to be just an ordinary hunter. She didn't expect that he would receive such an honor after his death—so if she had the opportunity to meet you, she told me to thank you properly." Molly bowed deeply to Meiyi. "Now everyone calls me the daughter of a hero, which makes me feel that my father has not really left me. If the First Army didn't recruit women, I would also want to take up a musket and fight against those enemies with malicious intentions."

"..." Meiyi was silent for a moment before asking softly, "But there is a possibility of sacrifice in battle, aren't you afraid?"

Molly first nodded, then shook her head. "In the past, every winter, we had to move our whole family to the Longsong Fortress. Many people would die on the road and then be thrown into the Redwater River. Every time I heard a splash, it meant someone had died. In the slums, even more people died. After a heavy snow, you could see frozen corpses everywhere on the streets. At that time, I was often afraid and trembled, afraid that if I closed my eyes, I would be the next one."

"It is precisely because I don't want to go back to that kind of life that someone needs to stand up and fight for a new life," she said word by word.

That was a line from the drama.

Meiyi felt something soft in her heart touched at that moment.

She reached out and touched the girl's hair. "Even if you give everything?"

When the narrator in the drama asked this question, Meiyi vaguely remembered that the entire square was silent, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the hero actor's answer.

At this moment, Molly's answer was as powerful as the "hero" in the drama. "Because it is worth it for us to do so."

"I accept your thank you gift."

"Mrs. Lannis, please take care!" The girl waved happily and ran away towards another street.

Meiyi looked at the heavy salted fish in her hand, but her mind recalled the scene when she consulted the drama master Kakin. Fiss at the Old King's Capital Theater.

"What is the best drama?"

"To keep the audience's attention firmly focused on you, to believe that you are the character in the play, that they are not watching a drama, but your life—

—Being able to do this is the most outstanding performance."

To this end, she worked hard to improve her acting skills, studied the character's mood and expression, and devoted herself to the story of the script, making every detail impeccable. Her efforts were finally rewarded, and she became a household name at the age of twenty-five, gaining a firm foothold in the capital as a Western Territory resident. During the peak of her reputation, even the famous actors of the King's Capital Grand Theater could not overshadow her brilliance.

But now, Meiyi's thinking has changed.

Was her performance perfect when "The Life of a Hero" was performed? Not really. His Majesty's script was produced too quickly. It basically had to be staged after two or three weeks of rehearsal, and it took a week to memorize the lines. The crew often improved while performing. For example, the hero's wife she played had problems with missed words and wrong expressions. Not to mention that this story was not the love story she was familiar with. Many things had to be re-examined, and there was no question of perfection.

But was the response to the drama bad?

Judging from the applause from the audience, "The Life of a Hero" was definitely not much worse than "The Prince's Quest for Love" at the time. When the protagonist said, "Because it is worth it for us to do so," the sound of agreement that erupted almost shattered the snow on the top of the mountains.

Perhaps this is the best performance... she thought. Such a scene would never be seen in the King's Capital Grand Theater. The nobles might be saddened or cheered by the characters in the play, but they always only stared at her, an outsider's life. And here, the audience saw themselves—through the drama, people saw the future they wanted.

……

Back at her residence, Meiyi unexpectedly saw Irene and Dawn.

"Ah... Meiyi, you're back just in time," Irene jumped up from the chair and grabbed her shoulders. "We just asked Lord Carter to help us reserve a good seat. You can go with us then."

"Go where?"

What's wrong with today? The people she met were all talking nonsense. She rolled her eyes, shook off Irene's hand, and put the bird kiss mushrooms and salted fish into the kitchen.

"The artillery drill," Irene shouted after her. "It's said to be the largest one since the establishment of the First Army. There's already a long line in front of the City Hall. Aren't you interested?"

"Not interested," Meiyi shrugged. "If I have that time, I'd rather read the script a few more times."

"Just accompany me... please..."

This guy is really clingy, but she can't bring herself to scold her, because unlike others, Irene's familiarity comes from a pure heart, which she had already experienced at the Longsong Theater.

Meiyi originally planned to refuse, but the words that came to her lips slowly retreated again for some reason. Indeed, she didn't like things related to fighting at all, but sometimes fighting wasn't all bad and unbearable. If she went to see it, maybe she could experience the real feelings of the soldiers a little bit, and she could be more involved in the next performance, right?

Of course, it was definitely not because Irene pleaded softly.

"I know," Meiyi sighed after hesitating for a moment. "If you insist."

"Haha, really? That's great!"

Looking at Irene's excited appearance, she shook her head helplessly. Oh well, she would just take it as a sacrifice made to be able to perform a more perfect drama.

Ermu said

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