No one at home watches them, and no one overseas knows who they are. They train by day and go abroad at night.
The Feiyun Acrobatics Troupe in Linjiang is on the verge of breaking up. Troupe leader Zheng Yifei is about to sell the old van his master left behind when the Anti-Rivalry System suddenly binds itself to him. The troupe must refuse weddings and funerals and stop performing for rock-bottom prices. At eight every night, they all get into the van and are transported to a Chinatown overseas. They perform for two full hours, then the whole troupe returns home in the van. The System arranges legal identities, and applause is their income.
The first night, in Huacheng's Chinatown, no one watches. The second night, someone starts shouting, “Swallow!” Xiaoyan balances six bowls while blindfolded, Xiaoman uses vocal tricks to imitate the whole street, Xiaxia rides a modified bike up the steps, and Old Zhou grits his teeth through his back injury to serve as the troupe's human base.
From Wucheng to New York, from New York to San Francisco, the Feiyun Acrobatics Troupe earns heartfelt applause with real skill, and wins back the dignity crushed under rock-bottom prices and debt. They train at home by day, then get strangers to stop and watch on foreign streets at night. One old van, six people, two hours, and a standing ovation.
When the troupe's old banner is hung onstage again, they finally understand: acrobatics was never just a sideshow. It shows people that there are still ways to live.
