Every Chinese New Year's Eve, there's a performance held in the courtyard, not only by the Cultural Troupe's performers but also from others who wish to take the stage. But this year's performance seemed somewhat makeshift and perfunctory because the master passed away at the beginning of the month, and no one really felt like it – the applause from the audience seemed only to spare the hardworking performers from embarrassment.
The seating arrangement in the audience wasn't deliberately planned, yet it turned out quite interesting. The elder and younger family members sat at the front, those in their twenties and married couldn't sit too far from their children, also at the front. Only the unmarried adults didn't "need" to scramble for good seats; the back row was their eternal destination. Once they got married and had children, they could leverage their status as parents for better seats at the front.
