Old Zhai's wife looked to be only in her thirties, with a decent figure and a booming voice. One glance was enough to tell she was an Errenzhuan performer, just like Old Zhai.
Errenzhuan partners were mostly married couples. Spending all that time together naturally fostered feelings, and besides, it was usually more convenient when they had to go out and perform. Small Errenzhuan theaters and rural shows featured plenty of off-color jokes, and if you were partnered with someone else's spouse, bringing them home afterwards was a quick way to get beaten up.
As the saying goes, where there is lowbrow, there must be highbrow; Errenzhuan also had quite a few classic numbers and could be considered a genuine local art form. People from other places might not care for it, but folks in the Northeast had a soft spot for this sort of thing.
Chapter 208