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如果没有落地唱书、没有金荣水，也许浙东一个叫“马塘”的小乡村不会有草台、不会有水袖。
初冬的一天，迎着稀疏的淡阳，笔者走进浙江嵊州马塘，走近越剧曾经的中心。
金芝堂的落地唱书
春风丽日，秋气送爽，马塘村的田头歌唱，早在200多年前就蔚然成风，渐渐流传邻村。后来，每逢农闲，尤其是春节至清明前后，这一带的村民们就外出“沿门唱书”，他们用一根长竹竿敲着门槛打拍子，编唱一些俗词，求一点报酬，人们称之“落地唱书”。
据资料表明，1850年前后，马塘村有农民歌手金其炳善于歌唱，他把牧牛山歌、民间小调、工尺调、宣卷佛曲调等混合编曲，加入落地唱书，自说是新创，后世叫“四工合调”。
真正发展落地唱书，应该是以马塘村金芝堂为代表的一批民间艺人。据同村村民金启雨所藏《金氏宗谱》记载，他们大都生于清道咸间，主要活动于同光中，其中比较有影响的，有金芝堂、金和忠、金水清、金传高、金水老，以及下相村的相来鑫、相来炳等人。
金芝堂小时学补鞋，年轻时行走在杭嘉湖一带，后来改行从艺。他头脑机灵，记性极好，能够“三个月不唱回头书”，曾说：“只要借一本书（指绍兴宣卷之类）来，限我三日，保证一句不少唱给你们听还。”
金芝堂会背书，还能改书、编书，对一些民间说唱、生活故事“添上花子”，像《王小二过年》这样的小故事，可以扩充细节唱四五夜。
原先，“四工合调”唱些彩头可以，但很难用来叙述故事情节。据说在1889年左右，金芝堂采用“湖州三跳”中的“劝世调”作为基础，糅合“四工合调”的特点和唱法，新创“呤嗄调”，从根本上解决了“落地唱书”需要长篇叙述腔体的大难题。
原来的落地唱书，艺人坐着表演，叫“文书”，后来有的艺人站着表演，就叫“武书”。而金芝堂集“文书”“武书”之长，不拘一格，表演时唱、白、做融为一体，坐、站、走有机结合。他还根据角色，用五色嗓音演唱，加上三跳板、惊堂木、扇子等道具，渲染气氛。他在语言上又把一部分嵊县方言改为书面话。其表演给人一种新鲜感和立体感，赢得了许多听众，尤其是“短衫帮”（农民、船工）的喜爱：“听遍钱塘，不如金家一堂。”
金荣水的长眠之地
河道弯弯，残柳飘飘。早期的落地唱书，金芝堂在其中无疑是一位重要人物，可惜马塘村已无他的遗迹留存。
穿过苇秆瑟瑟、苇絮飘飘的野径，笔者在村民的陪同下，来到寂静的坟地，寻找金荣水的安息处。
文献显示，金荣水（1879—1957），昵称“矮尼姑”，是落地唱书的第二代传人、小歌班的中坚人物、也是女子越剧的创始人。金荣水师从金水清，10多岁时即跟随师傅辗转演唱于苏杭地区，卖艺生涯充满艰辛和苦涩。当时的落地唱书，正渐渐由初级阶段的说唱进步到高级阶段的走台书，艺人拥有了自己的戏班和舞台之后，境况才稍有好转。
1906年，演出落地唱书，由草台班子转为相对固定的小歌班。金荣水“工大面”（擅演大花脸）。1917年后，他随小歌班（后称“男子越剧”）三闯上海，成为其中的主要成员之一。1923年，为再振小歌班，金荣水返回嵊县，与人在施家岙村创立女子小歌班，出演上海后始被命名叫“越剧”。这一时期，他培育出了施银花、赵瑞花、屠杏花、王杏花等第一代女子越剧名伶。
可是后来，世间竟几乎抹去了对金荣水的记忆。
坟头一大片，笔者一座座巡视，却无法轻易找到金荣水的埋葬之处。也许，人回到生命的最终点，也就特别内敛含蓄。
终于，在两棵光秃秃的老树之间，笔者发现了金荣水的那座坟。坟是用砖石砌壁的，用泥土封丘，上头摇晃着一丛稀落的茅草。碑石上残剩几行浅淡的字，不仔细察看，绝不会知道这是一代艺术表演家的长眠之地。
笔者伫立在碑前。碑中间刻坟主之名，边上刻几位弟子之名，村民说是赵瑞花她们捐资立碑的。碑上还有大概是感念师恩之类的文字，它们基本已经风吹雨打去，漫漶得让人觉得那是久远的人事记忆。
我们别忘了，这位创造了水袖长舞、折扇兰花，死后被人称誉不止的金荣水，曾经与落地唱书—小歌班—越剧进行过一场感人至深的恋爱。
草台戏班的小插曲
从坟地来到金荣水故居的时候，西天已经升起薄薄的紫烟，这让静处的三间老房尤其显得饱经风霜。简陋的房子光线不好，金荣水的像挂在厅堂中间。只有他的孙媳在，问她一些有关爷爷的事，却说，隔了几代了，谁还说得清？
这三间平房似乎没有留下金荣水旧年的生活痕迹。凑近他的相片看，只见他的目光深邃地眺望着远方。远方，远方是什么？
1906年，金荣水与另一艺人卫梅朵组织小歌班后，多在嵊县、新昌两地奔波。当然，他们一定也很多次在马塘搭建稻桶平台，演一些《双珠凤》《玉连环》《七美图》之类的剧目。
笔者在采访过程中，捕捉到了一些关于草台戏班的小插曲。
那是一个冬天的日子，马塘村搭台做小歌班。金荣水师弟金六见演大花脸。台下人头济济，大家一边看戏一边玩麻将。前场师傅锣鼓响起来，轮到金六见上台了，可是他忙着玩牌，事先根本未曾理会过台词。只见他冲上戏台，虎目四下一扫，络腮胡子一捋，开口唱道：“大海洋洋一枝松，松枝出在海中央。”然后大喉咙一清，信口台白：“老夫金六见，高照山（马塘村边的山冈）为王，大城塘墩（马塘村的塘墩）为家，生不多男，单生一子，名叫金小波，年方十八，尚未婚配，思想起来，好不烦也。”念到“好不烦也”最后几个字，他就拖长声音唱了起来。
临场应变，即兴台词现炒作现贩卖，金六见说的是乡亲们都熟悉的马塘村和他自己的兒子，一番有板有眼的唱念下来，台下早已是叫好一片……
也许金荣水也曾无数次拿马塘、拿家里人、拿身边发生的事情现场即兴吧，接地气，完完全全贴近生活现实。好是好，但去各地演出不行，本不用程式化剧本的落地唱书、小歌班，此后也用上了台本。 女子越劇的创始人
日子有脚，走到1917年，小歌班进军大上海。然而，年年卖唱年年唱，处处无家处处家，小歌班的境遇举步艰难。
1923年的一天，小歌班班主王金水突然受髦儿戏启发，想回嵊县办女子戏班。是夜，戏班商量，金荣水一副事不关己的样子，旁边马潮水玩笑了一句：矮尼姑回去教戏。言者无心，听者有意，大家觉得确实好。俗话说：老旦大花脸，吃饭拿工钱。大花脸是多一个不算多、少一个不算少的角色，金荣水的角色谁都可以顶替，但要紧的是金荣水识得文墨，由他任女班教练，再合适不过。于是，金荣水被“赶鸭子上架”。
创办女子戏班，并非一帆风顺。当初，施家岙的村民闲言碎语不断，金荣水为之寝食难安。一天早上，金荣水外出漫步，忽听见清脆悦耳的山歌，循声找去，是两个小姑娘在互唱牧牛山歌，其中一个瓜子脸，大眼睛又圆又亮，个子不高，但很苗条。“这是一棵好苗子。”金荣水喜出望外，当即便去小姑娘施银花家做说客。不料，施家父母就是不答应，他们坚持认为唱戏是低下的事，再穷也不去。
金荣水不死心，请王金水想办法。巧的是，王金水竟然是施银花的姑父，而且早年还对施家有些恩惠。王金水和金荣水信心十足地再次来到施家。谁知，施家仍然不同意，反怪王金水不该把侄女往邪路上带。王金水为了消除他人的顾虑，就将自己的女儿送进戏班，同时答应给学戏的小姑娘以优厚的待遇。几天后，金荣水又来到施家重提招施银花入班的事情，施家听金荣水讲得诚心，又见王金水将自己的女儿也送进了女班，便点头同意。
有谁料想，多年以后金荣水便成了女子越剧的创始人，“花衫泰斗”施银花是金荣水“三请”出来的。随着招生局面逐渐打开，历史上第一个女子越剧科班在施家岙成立。这女子戏班在金荣水的悉心调教下，几年后终于在上海滩牢牢地站稳了脚跟，并呈现出百花齐放的景象。
关于马塘，笔者最想说的就是金荣水。今日，越剧发展中的一些人和事，总是被人一次次地提起，金荣水，一个普普通通的男人，却偏偏演绎出了举世惊艳的风情！
马塘金荣水，让笔者肃然起敬！
Matang， a nondescript village in Shaoxing in eastern Zhejiang， is the birthplace of Jin Rongshui， one of the first best known wandering minstrels the village produced in the good old times. Over 200 years ago， villagers of Matang sang a lot. Gradually， the singing became one of the things they did to make some money when they were not busy with farming. That happened usually in winter， around the Spring Festival and around early April. A wandering minstrel from Matang visited other neighboring villages. He went from door to door. Using a long thin bamboo pole to keep rhythm， a minstrel sang ballads he created and composed.
History says that Matang had quite a few early ballad singers who contributed to the development of the special art which is now known as Yueju Opera： telling a story in singing and speaking. At first， a ballad singer sat and did all the performance. Later， a ballad singer stood up and walked around impersonating various roles in his story telling. The local entertainment appealed to farmers and boatmen.
The traces of these ancestors of ballad singing can’t be seen today in Matang. However， the tomb of Jin Rongshui （1879-1957） can be seen in the village’s cemetery.
Jin Rongshui， locally known as “Short Nun”， was a founding father of Yueju Opera. He began to work as a minstrel in his early teen and he traveled around in Jiangnan， the vast river region in the south of the Yangtze River Delta. In these years， ballad singing was fast evolving. Artists were then traveling together as a troupe. In 1906， Jin Rongshui joined a troupe. After 1917， his troupe tried its luck in Shanghai three times. What they performed is now referred to as all-men Yueju Opera. The village artists didn’t make a splash in the metropolis. In 1923， Jin Rongshui helped to set up an all-girl troupe in Shijia’ao， a village in Shaoxing. The troupe went to Shanghai again and scored a huge success. The new opera genre is now China’s second largest regional opera and is called Yueju Opera. It was under Jin Rongshui’s watch that the all-girl troupe made fame in Shanghai and produced the first generation of Yueju Opera stars. I visited Matang recently. It took me quite a while to locate the tomb of this legendary ballad singer and founder of Yueju Opera. The tomb， a structure of brick and stone crowned with soil， is flanked by two leafless trees. A bundle of dried grass grew upon the top of the tomb. The tombstone bears a few lines of words， almost illegible. Without scrutiny， one wouldn’t be able to discern that a founding father of Yueju Opera lies buried there. I learned from villagers that the tombstone had been set up with cash donations from the stars he had coached.
After the tomb visit， I went to see the former residence of Jin Rongshui. Dusk had descended. The three-room house looked old and sad. A portrait of Jin Rongshui was on a wall of the sitting room. His granddaughter-in-law was at home. I asked a few questions about her grandpa. She answered： who could remember all these things a few generations ago？
The house doesn’t have much that tells the story of Jin Rongshui. I looked closely at the photo. The man had sharp eyes looking at a distance only he could discern.
When Jin Rongshui was in charge of the training school for young girls from villages， he had no idea that these girls were to make fame in Shanghai and the opera genre would be called Yueju Opera. He wasn’t even enthusiastic at first. One day in 1923， the troupe was in Shanghai and had a miserable day. Wang Jinshui， the troupe boss， hit upon the idea of setting up a troupe of all women back home. That evening， the troupe sat down and had a long discussion about the idea. Ma Chaoshui， a member of the troupe， commented that “Short Nun” could teach the future performers. No one disagreed. Jin Rongshui wasn’t a key performer in the troupe， but he could read and write and was best suitable for being a teacher for a class of girls. The villagers gossiped， suspicious about the moral future of the village girls. Jin Rongshui spotted a talent girl， but the girl’s parents refused to let the girl sign up， thinking being an actress was a morally downgrading thing and saying they would rather die before they would let their daughter go down that road.
Jin Rongshui went to Wang Jinshui， the troupe boss， for help. It turned out that Wang was an uncle to the girl. But Wang wasn’t able to persuade the parents to change their minds. Then he hit upon an idea. Wang recruited his own daughter into the troupe and made an offer that couldn’t be refused. The girl was Shi Yinhua. She grew up to be one of the greatest stars in the early years of the Yueju Opera.
In his lifetime， Jin Rongshui seemingly didn’t enjoy a good reputation. A man， called short and a nun， did not seem to get much respect. But he is now well remembered.
初冬的一天，迎着稀疏的淡阳，笔者走进浙江嵊州马塘，走近越剧曾经的中心。
金芝堂的落地唱书
春风丽日，秋气送爽，马塘村的田头歌唱，早在200多年前就蔚然成风，渐渐流传邻村。后来，每逢农闲，尤其是春节至清明前后，这一带的村民们就外出“沿门唱书”，他们用一根长竹竿敲着门槛打拍子，编唱一些俗词，求一点报酬，人们称之“落地唱书”。
据资料表明，1850年前后，马塘村有农民歌手金其炳善于歌唱，他把牧牛山歌、民间小调、工尺调、宣卷佛曲调等混合编曲，加入落地唱书，自说是新创，后世叫“四工合调”。
真正发展落地唱书，应该是以马塘村金芝堂为代表的一批民间艺人。据同村村民金启雨所藏《金氏宗谱》记载，他们大都生于清道咸间，主要活动于同光中，其中比较有影响的，有金芝堂、金和忠、金水清、金传高、金水老，以及下相村的相来鑫、相来炳等人。
金芝堂小时学补鞋，年轻时行走在杭嘉湖一带，后来改行从艺。他头脑机灵，记性极好，能够“三个月不唱回头书”，曾说：“只要借一本书（指绍兴宣卷之类）来，限我三日，保证一句不少唱给你们听还。”
金芝堂会背书，还能改书、编书，对一些民间说唱、生活故事“添上花子”，像《王小二过年》这样的小故事，可以扩充细节唱四五夜。
原先，“四工合调”唱些彩头可以，但很难用来叙述故事情节。据说在1889年左右，金芝堂采用“湖州三跳”中的“劝世调”作为基础，糅合“四工合调”的特点和唱法，新创“呤嗄调”，从根本上解决了“落地唱书”需要长篇叙述腔体的大难题。
原来的落地唱书，艺人坐着表演，叫“文书”，后来有的艺人站着表演，就叫“武书”。而金芝堂集“文书”“武书”之长，不拘一格，表演时唱、白、做融为一体，坐、站、走有机结合。他还根据角色，用五色嗓音演唱，加上三跳板、惊堂木、扇子等道具，渲染气氛。他在语言上又把一部分嵊县方言改为书面话。其表演给人一种新鲜感和立体感，赢得了许多听众，尤其是“短衫帮”（农民、船工）的喜爱：“听遍钱塘，不如金家一堂。”
金荣水的长眠之地
河道弯弯，残柳飘飘。早期的落地唱书，金芝堂在其中无疑是一位重要人物，可惜马塘村已无他的遗迹留存。
穿过苇秆瑟瑟、苇絮飘飘的野径，笔者在村民的陪同下，来到寂静的坟地，寻找金荣水的安息处。
文献显示，金荣水（1879—1957），昵称“矮尼姑”，是落地唱书的第二代传人、小歌班的中坚人物、也是女子越剧的创始人。金荣水师从金水清，10多岁时即跟随师傅辗转演唱于苏杭地区，卖艺生涯充满艰辛和苦涩。当时的落地唱书，正渐渐由初级阶段的说唱进步到高级阶段的走台书，艺人拥有了自己的戏班和舞台之后，境况才稍有好转。
1906年，演出落地唱书，由草台班子转为相对固定的小歌班。金荣水“工大面”（擅演大花脸）。1917年后，他随小歌班（后称“男子越剧”）三闯上海，成为其中的主要成员之一。1923年，为再振小歌班，金荣水返回嵊县，与人在施家岙村创立女子小歌班，出演上海后始被命名叫“越剧”。这一时期，他培育出了施银花、赵瑞花、屠杏花、王杏花等第一代女子越剧名伶。
可是后来，世间竟几乎抹去了对金荣水的记忆。
坟头一大片，笔者一座座巡视，却无法轻易找到金荣水的埋葬之处。也许，人回到生命的最终点，也就特别内敛含蓄。
终于，在两棵光秃秃的老树之间，笔者发现了金荣水的那座坟。坟是用砖石砌壁的，用泥土封丘，上头摇晃着一丛稀落的茅草。碑石上残剩几行浅淡的字，不仔细察看，绝不会知道这是一代艺术表演家的长眠之地。
笔者伫立在碑前。碑中间刻坟主之名，边上刻几位弟子之名，村民说是赵瑞花她们捐资立碑的。碑上还有大概是感念师恩之类的文字，它们基本已经风吹雨打去，漫漶得让人觉得那是久远的人事记忆。
我们别忘了，这位创造了水袖长舞、折扇兰花，死后被人称誉不止的金荣水，曾经与落地唱书—小歌班—越剧进行过一场感人至深的恋爱。
草台戏班的小插曲
从坟地来到金荣水故居的时候，西天已经升起薄薄的紫烟，这让静处的三间老房尤其显得饱经风霜。简陋的房子光线不好，金荣水的像挂在厅堂中间。只有他的孙媳在，问她一些有关爷爷的事，却说，隔了几代了，谁还说得清？
这三间平房似乎没有留下金荣水旧年的生活痕迹。凑近他的相片看，只见他的目光深邃地眺望着远方。远方，远方是什么？
1906年，金荣水与另一艺人卫梅朵组织小歌班后，多在嵊县、新昌两地奔波。当然，他们一定也很多次在马塘搭建稻桶平台，演一些《双珠凤》《玉连环》《七美图》之类的剧目。
笔者在采访过程中，捕捉到了一些关于草台戏班的小插曲。
那是一个冬天的日子，马塘村搭台做小歌班。金荣水师弟金六见演大花脸。台下人头济济，大家一边看戏一边玩麻将。前场师傅锣鼓响起来，轮到金六见上台了，可是他忙着玩牌，事先根本未曾理会过台词。只见他冲上戏台，虎目四下一扫，络腮胡子一捋，开口唱道：“大海洋洋一枝松，松枝出在海中央。”然后大喉咙一清，信口台白：“老夫金六见，高照山（马塘村边的山冈）为王，大城塘墩（马塘村的塘墩）为家，生不多男，单生一子，名叫金小波，年方十八，尚未婚配，思想起来，好不烦也。”念到“好不烦也”最后几个字，他就拖长声音唱了起来。
临场应变，即兴台词现炒作现贩卖，金六见说的是乡亲们都熟悉的马塘村和他自己的兒子，一番有板有眼的唱念下来，台下早已是叫好一片……
也许金荣水也曾无数次拿马塘、拿家里人、拿身边发生的事情现场即兴吧，接地气，完完全全贴近生活现实。好是好，但去各地演出不行，本不用程式化剧本的落地唱书、小歌班，此后也用上了台本。 女子越劇的创始人
日子有脚，走到1917年，小歌班进军大上海。然而，年年卖唱年年唱，处处无家处处家，小歌班的境遇举步艰难。
1923年的一天，小歌班班主王金水突然受髦儿戏启发，想回嵊县办女子戏班。是夜，戏班商量，金荣水一副事不关己的样子，旁边马潮水玩笑了一句：矮尼姑回去教戏。言者无心，听者有意，大家觉得确实好。俗话说：老旦大花脸，吃饭拿工钱。大花脸是多一个不算多、少一个不算少的角色，金荣水的角色谁都可以顶替，但要紧的是金荣水识得文墨，由他任女班教练，再合适不过。于是，金荣水被“赶鸭子上架”。
创办女子戏班，并非一帆风顺。当初，施家岙的村民闲言碎语不断，金荣水为之寝食难安。一天早上，金荣水外出漫步，忽听见清脆悦耳的山歌，循声找去，是两个小姑娘在互唱牧牛山歌，其中一个瓜子脸，大眼睛又圆又亮，个子不高，但很苗条。“这是一棵好苗子。”金荣水喜出望外，当即便去小姑娘施银花家做说客。不料，施家父母就是不答应，他们坚持认为唱戏是低下的事，再穷也不去。
金荣水不死心，请王金水想办法。巧的是，王金水竟然是施银花的姑父，而且早年还对施家有些恩惠。王金水和金荣水信心十足地再次来到施家。谁知，施家仍然不同意，反怪王金水不该把侄女往邪路上带。王金水为了消除他人的顾虑，就将自己的女儿送进戏班，同时答应给学戏的小姑娘以优厚的待遇。几天后，金荣水又来到施家重提招施银花入班的事情，施家听金荣水讲得诚心，又见王金水将自己的女儿也送进了女班，便点头同意。
有谁料想，多年以后金荣水便成了女子越剧的创始人，“花衫泰斗”施银花是金荣水“三请”出来的。随着招生局面逐渐打开，历史上第一个女子越剧科班在施家岙成立。这女子戏班在金荣水的悉心调教下，几年后终于在上海滩牢牢地站稳了脚跟，并呈现出百花齐放的景象。
关于马塘，笔者最想说的就是金荣水。今日，越剧发展中的一些人和事，总是被人一次次地提起，金荣水，一个普普通通的男人，却偏偏演绎出了举世惊艳的风情！
马塘金荣水，让笔者肃然起敬！
Matang， a nondescript village in Shaoxing in eastern Zhejiang， is the birthplace of Jin Rongshui， one of the first best known wandering minstrels the village produced in the good old times. Over 200 years ago， villagers of Matang sang a lot. Gradually， the singing became one of the things they did to make some money when they were not busy with farming. That happened usually in winter， around the Spring Festival and around early April. A wandering minstrel from Matang visited other neighboring villages. He went from door to door. Using a long thin bamboo pole to keep rhythm， a minstrel sang ballads he created and composed.
History says that Matang had quite a few early ballad singers who contributed to the development of the special art which is now known as Yueju Opera： telling a story in singing and speaking. At first， a ballad singer sat and did all the performance. Later， a ballad singer stood up and walked around impersonating various roles in his story telling. The local entertainment appealed to farmers and boatmen.
The traces of these ancestors of ballad singing can’t be seen today in Matang. However， the tomb of Jin Rongshui （1879-1957） can be seen in the village’s cemetery.
Jin Rongshui， locally known as “Short Nun”， was a founding father of Yueju Opera. He began to work as a minstrel in his early teen and he traveled around in Jiangnan， the vast river region in the south of the Yangtze River Delta. In these years， ballad singing was fast evolving. Artists were then traveling together as a troupe. In 1906， Jin Rongshui joined a troupe. After 1917， his troupe tried its luck in Shanghai three times. What they performed is now referred to as all-men Yueju Opera. The village artists didn’t make a splash in the metropolis. In 1923， Jin Rongshui helped to set up an all-girl troupe in Shijia’ao， a village in Shaoxing. The troupe went to Shanghai again and scored a huge success. The new opera genre is now China’s second largest regional opera and is called Yueju Opera. It was under Jin Rongshui’s watch that the all-girl troupe made fame in Shanghai and produced the first generation of Yueju Opera stars. I visited Matang recently. It took me quite a while to locate the tomb of this legendary ballad singer and founder of Yueju Opera. The tomb， a structure of brick and stone crowned with soil， is flanked by two leafless trees. A bundle of dried grass grew upon the top of the tomb. The tombstone bears a few lines of words， almost illegible. Without scrutiny， one wouldn’t be able to discern that a founding father of Yueju Opera lies buried there. I learned from villagers that the tombstone had been set up with cash donations from the stars he had coached.
After the tomb visit， I went to see the former residence of Jin Rongshui. Dusk had descended. The three-room house looked old and sad. A portrait of Jin Rongshui was on a wall of the sitting room. His granddaughter-in-law was at home. I asked a few questions about her grandpa. She answered： who could remember all these things a few generations ago？
The house doesn’t have much that tells the story of Jin Rongshui. I looked closely at the photo. The man had sharp eyes looking at a distance only he could discern.
When Jin Rongshui was in charge of the training school for young girls from villages， he had no idea that these girls were to make fame in Shanghai and the opera genre would be called Yueju Opera. He wasn’t even enthusiastic at first. One day in 1923， the troupe was in Shanghai and had a miserable day. Wang Jinshui， the troupe boss， hit upon the idea of setting up a troupe of all women back home. That evening， the troupe sat down and had a long discussion about the idea. Ma Chaoshui， a member of the troupe， commented that “Short Nun” could teach the future performers. No one disagreed. Jin Rongshui wasn’t a key performer in the troupe， but he could read and write and was best suitable for being a teacher for a class of girls. The villagers gossiped， suspicious about the moral future of the village girls. Jin Rongshui spotted a talent girl， but the girl’s parents refused to let the girl sign up， thinking being an actress was a morally downgrading thing and saying they would rather die before they would let their daughter go down that road.
Jin Rongshui went to Wang Jinshui， the troupe boss， for help. It turned out that Wang was an uncle to the girl. But Wang wasn’t able to persuade the parents to change their minds. Then he hit upon an idea. Wang recruited his own daughter into the troupe and made an offer that couldn’t be refused. The girl was Shi Yinhua. She grew up to be one of the greatest stars in the early years of the Yueju Opera.
In his lifetime， Jin Rongshui seemingly didn’t enjoy a good reputation. A man， called short and a nun， did not seem to get much respect. But he is now well remembered.