"Before I turned eight, I grew up in the countryside. Back then, nightlife wasn't as rich as it is now. Adults would work in the fields all day and after dinner, they would gather to play cards or chess, while the women would chat and do needlework.
For us kids, six or seven years old, there was nothing much to say. We could only play hide-and-seek and run wildly up and down the streets.
In such conditions, if a village hosted a movie screening or a troupe performed acrobatics, people from seven or eight villages around would come early with their benches, traveling twenty or thirty li round trip, and the place would be jam-packed, a truly spectacular scene!"
At this point, Zhao Guo'an poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and then continued, "One time, the neighboring village said an acrobatics troupe was coming, so I and a few good playmates agreed to go watch together after dinner.
