Chapter 498: Champions!
Not only was the live audience stunned from listening, those who were watching the live stream were also at a loss for words!
"Damn that!"
"This..."
"Teacher Zhang is really going against the heavens!"
"Hahahaha! Such domination!"
The moment was shown in its full glory online, even causing the live stream's comment section to blow up with comments!
Previously, Zhang Ye had shown his talents by cracking creative jokes and setting up jokes for later reveals. With his extraordinary wit, he had managed to perform his crosstalk in a flawless manner and tickled all of the members of the audience, but today, Zhang Ye once again caused everyone to be shocked. No one had expected that he would know how to do speed recitals and it even seemed like he could recite anything that anyone wanted him to. He was so familiar with these speed recital passages that every word just rolled off his tongue. He had an amazing foundation that left everyone dumbfounded. Who claimed that Zhang Ye only knew how to perform crosstalk with those vulgar jokes of his!? He knew how to do traditional joke segments too! And he even did them so much better than a professional crosstalk artist!
Tang Dazhang: "..."
Xu Wenxiang's expression also turned dark as he remained silent.
Over in the participants seating area, everyone was just staring with their eyes wide open. They could not make a sound at all. Those who had caused the most commotion earlier had now been slapped hard on their faces!
The audience were still clapping.
They only came back to their senses when Zhang Ye said, "Whether it's speed recital or traditional joke segments, it isn't that I don't know how to do them, but because I am not a professional crosstalk performer. However, I dare to make the claim that I can understand more about crosstalk than most crosstalk actors. Let me put this straight now, as long as you can point out a speed recital passage that you want me to perform, I will not step down from the challenge! Anyone of you can randomly pick out something and if I get a single word wrong, then I will leave the crosstalk arena voluntarily. This is what I dare to promise!"
Yao Jiancai stood at the side applauding as he laughed.
The audience were also fully impressed!
"Dominating!"
"What a fierce person!"
"Teacher Zhang is so good!"
"Aiya! I love you, Teacher Zhang!"
"Hahaha! That's the spirit! Who still dares to say that you do not know crosstalk! Even they can't recite those speed recitals that you just did!"
There was nothing else left for all these crosstalk actors and rookie competitors to say anymore. Since Zhang Ye dared to claim so, they were sure he had the ability to do it. He had already shown them what he was truly capable of! At this moment, the dominating spirit exuding from Zhang Ye had fully suppressed these people!
Zhang Ye looked down from the stage and said, "If someone knows how to speed recite, then that means they're crosstalk actors? If they know how to use an elegant joke segment, that means they're crosstalk masters? If they can use a crosstalk performance to educate, that means they're crosstalk artists? I disagree and I am sure the that our audience members do not agree either! Using such sayings to differentiate between the upper and lower class is utterly savage!"
Yao Jiancai smiled, "Yes, it can't be differentiated in this manner."
Zhang Ye was getting angrier with each word, "A crosstalk performance is required to be educative? What do you want to propagandize with crosstalk? That is definitely the biggest mistake! What were the origins of crosstalk hundreds of years ago about? How did crosstalk start? Those actors were just fighting to earn a living, to feed their families. It was an art form that was meant for everyone! It was that simple, but why did it have to become an elegant art form as decided by you all? Why did it become an art form that had to be educative as decided by you all? Aren't you people forgetting your roots! Aren’t you forgetting your ancestors?!" After a round of scolding, he came back around to scold the crosstalk world!
The audience applauded thunderously!
Everyone knew that this particular crosstalk performance was already coming to an end. They also knew that this would be Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai's last time standing on stage to perform crosstalk. From here on, it wasn’t likely that they would be able to witness their performances ever again. Suddenly, when the audience heard the words that resonated with them, they started standing up from their seats!
Zhang Ye said, "Especially now when our times are changing and society is progressing, there are people who lack money, a car, a house, moral values, all sorts of things. For me to be able to stand here today, I can't do much about those issues, but I can guarantee all of you that after you listen to my crosstalk, you will forget all these troubles. You will go home happy and cheerful, so what can be more important than that? That is the meaning of crosstalk! I am doing all of this to build a righteous and harmonious society!"
The audience's thunderous applause filled the studio once again!
"Great!"
"Well said!"
Yao Jiancai laughed heartily and nodded.
Zhang Ye looked at the audience and stated loudly, "Whoever said so! That crosstalk needs to educate people? Whoever said so! That crosstalks need to have a moral lesson? After listening to this crosstalk, you need to feel like you have learned something? After listening to that crosstalk, you would want to go out afterwards to donate blood, money, or even your kidney? That is impossible! Are we in the act of crosstalking or are we the Red Cross? Are we artists or are we educators? Aren't some authorities asking too much from crosstalk!? Aren't some crosstalk actors thinking too highly of themselves?! Does calling it an art form mean that it has to be educational to others?"
The number of audience members who stood up gradually increased!
300!
500!
1000!!!
Zhang Ye was talking louder and louder, "Is Jīng Yùn Dà Gǔ (story-telling in Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment) considered an art form? Then let me ask you this. After you have heard a performance of that, what did you learn!?"
Drums?
What can you learn from that!
The audience was cheering and clapping madly!
Zhang Ye said loudly again, "Is a symphony an art form? Then let me ask you this. After you have heard a performance, what did you learn!? After you finish listening to a symphonic orchestra perform, what did you learn!?"
Another 500 members of the audience stood up in applause!
Zhang Ye cheekily asked, "Are circus acts also an art form? Then et me ask again! When you watch a bear perform tricks! What did you learn!?"
The audience's applauses came wave after wave and were drowning out all other noise in the venue!
Zhang Ye said, "When 15 circus acts ride on a motorbike together! Did you also get educated by something like that? That they were in violation of traffic rules?! Educate my ass!"
Yao Jiancai laughed, "There’s really some truth in that."
The audience were laughing loudly and applauding. At this moment, it felt like the whole auditorium of people had their blooding pumping in excitement, including those on the second floor!
Zhang Ye took a white towel from the table and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then, he threw it down back on the table roughly, "And so I wonder why other forms of art are fine doing what they were meant to do, but us crosstalkers somehow have to fulfill being elegant and educative at the same time! Based on what! We're just two small time crosstalk actors who have never committed any grave crimes. We just want to bring joy to our audience, so why is that so difficult to do? Why do the others hate us so much? Why do they insist on poking a hole in the sky? What is going on!?"
He breathed a sigh.
Zhang Ye pointed to the top of his head and said loudly, "I do not believe that a sky so vast will not be able to tolerate our crosstalk!" Then, he pointed to his feet and said, "I do not believe that the wide ground beneath our feet cannot accommodate the two of us!" This was not Guo Degang's words, but words from Zhang Ye himself. This was what he had always wanted to say!
Yao Jiancai clapped, "Well said!"
Off the stage, the time for the performance was already over. Some stage workers had already come onto the stage to clear it to allow for the next group to come on.
Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai did not say anything. They bowed deeply to the audience and turned around to leave the stage.
At this moment, the audience suddenly broke out into loud chants. Almost the entire audience, thousands of them, were shouting their names and sounding indignant!
"Teacher Yao!"
"Zhang Ye!"
"Zhang Ye!"
Following that, someone took the lead with the chants and shouted a single word. It was a word that expressed what they felt Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai deserved!
"Champions!"
"Champions!"
"Champions!"
"Champions!"
With Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai's performance completed, they knew that the two of them would surely be disqualified from the competition, but they also knew that only the two of them deserved to be the champions!
No one else deserved it!