Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

Chapter 116 Theater Fans

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

It was past noon when several fully loaded tractors, chugging and belching black smoke, drove from the county town all the way to Hongxing Commune.

As usual, the last tractor carried all the kitchen utensils, gongs and drums, and several old performers from the theater.

Pots, pans, and bowls were tied to the edge of the cart with hemp rope, making a clanging sound all the way.

Qin Pangzi and Chen Xiangdong huddled among a pile of cooking utensils, their legs unable to straighten, their backs bent, each holding an enamel basin in their arms. They almost had their bones shaken apart by the bumpy, rutted farm road.

In the first few vehicles, the actors and trainees were crammed into the carriages. Once the tractor had come to a complete stop, almost everyone reached out and wiped the dust off their heads and faces. Some even spat a few times before getting off the vehicle. They had eaten half their fill of dust along the way.

At the entrance of the commune compound, Secretary Li and a group of people had been waiting for a long time. Seeing the tractor come to a stop, he hurried forward and waved to Zhu Zhengkuo on the last vehicle from afar: "Secretary Zhu, we've been waiting for you!"

Zhu Zheng jumped out of the passenger seat, brushed the dust off his clothes, and rushed over to greet him. The two shook hands with smiles.

Secretary Li of the commune chuckled and patted Zhu Zhengqu's arm: "Our commune and all the production brigades have been shouting through loudspeakers for several days in a row. People from all around have been waiting for the performance of 'Touring Turtle Mountain' for a long time. Look, people have already brought their stools to reserve a spot this morning."

As he spoke, he pointed to the open space in front of the courtyard. Zhu Zhengguo turned his head to look, and sure enough, there were already dozens of people sitting in the open space. There was an old man wearing a black cotton-padded coat, with a tobacco pipe in his arms. He sat on a small stool on the ground, holding a cold cornbread and slowly munching on it.

Women wrapped in headscarves huddled together in twos and threes, clutching their thick cotton-padded coats, and passing each other handfuls of roasted beans. A group of toddlers, looking like they had just been dug out of the ground, darted around in the crowd, retreating at the adults' shouts, only to pop out again a moment later, never still for a moment.

At both ends of the dirt road, groups of three or five people were carrying stools and benches, idly strolling along as they slowly made their way this way.

Chen Xiangdong jumped down from the truck bed and looked at the gradually gathering crowd. He couldn't help but grin at Zhu Zhengwei: "It's only noon, and there are already no less than a hundred spectators. This is going to be very lively tonight."

Secretary Li of the commune laughed heartily, put his hands on his hips, and gestured with his chin towards the dirt road: "These are people who live quite far away and came early to reserve a spot. Those who live closer haven't arrived yet!"

He gestured towards the open space in front of him and said, "Just you wait, when the sun starts to set, that's when it gets really crowded."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to fence off this entire area."

Zhu Zheng nodded, then remembered something and turned to look at him: "By the way, with so many people watching the show, we need to maintain order."

Then, Secretary Li of the commune smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, I'm even more careful than you. In addition to the commune's militia, I've also called the security chiefs of several surrounding brigades, and even contacted the doctor at the commune clinic. In case of any emergencies, we can handle them on the spot."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangdong and Zhu Zhengkuo exchanged a smile, thinking to themselves that it made sense; the local leaders were definitely more afraid of trouble than anyone else.

Several people turned to look at the sound, and Han Zhengkui was the first to be stunned. He squinted at the old man for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing slightly: "You are—"

The old man rushed over, grabbed Han Zhengkui's arm, and said with some excitement, "Han Wuchou, you may not recognize me, but I sat in the first row when you came to our commune to perform. Back when traditional operas were all the rage, as soon as I heard you were going to perform in the countryside, I would rush over and watch every single one."

Feng Zhengxiao, Mao Shidao, and Mo Qingyan stood to the side, exchanging smiles. They had met a longtime opera fan.

Han Zhengkui genuinely couldn't remember who the old man was. During his years performing in the countryside, the audience was always packed with people; how could he possibly remember everyone? But the old man's enthusiastic address of "Han Wuchou" was unmistakable; he was definitely a fan. Han Zhengkui chuckled and shook hands with the old man: "Brother, I must thank you for your support over the years."

The old man in the black coat grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his eyes practically disappearing from his grin: "What are you talking about? Back then, watching you guys act was a real treat."

The old man leaned closer to Han Zhengkui. "My name is Jiang Dashuan, and I live in Liangshuigou Village, very close by!"

As he spoke, he pointed ahead and said, "Han Wuchou, after you finish your performance, can you come to my house for a drink? I still have a few bottles of aged wine stored there, just waiting for you guys."

9

Han Zhengkui was amused by Jiang Dashuan's enthusiasm and laughed: "Brother Jiang, it will be too late by the time the opera is over. I won't disturb your rest."

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Dashuan became a little anxious and hurriedly said, "What's late! I'm happy you're here, it doesn't matter how late it is! With all of you veteran artists here, my wife is a great cook, I guarantee you'll have a wonderful meal!"

Mao Shidao, Xue Rong, and the others laughed again. Feng Zhengxiao waved his hand and said, "Brother Jiang, we appreciate your kindness, but after the performance, we still have to remove our makeup and pack our things. We really won't have time to drink."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dashuan nodded and said, "Alright then, didn't the loudspeaker say you're going to put on a big show for two days? Tomorrow at noon, my son-in-law will also come back from the county committee compound to see me. You can all come to my house and we can have a table together. I'll go buy some pork and mutton to treat you."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhengkui and Feng Zhengxiao couldn't help but exchange a glance, thinking to themselves, "Is this old man's son-in-law from the county government compound? This old man is no ordinary person."

Han Zhengkui hesitated for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Brother Jiang, who is your son-in-law?"

When Jiang Dashuan mentioned his son-in-law, a smug look involuntarily appeared on his face, as if he had been waiting for them to ask. He straightened his back a bit and grinned, saying, "His name is Xu Hongqi. He is the deputy director of the Dongping County Revolutionary Committee."

While they were idly chatting, Chen Xiangdong had already picked up his rice bowl and headed towards the commune canteen. Before he even entered, he heard Fatty Qin call out to him mysteriously, "Dongwa, come here! Come over here!"

Qin the Fat stood behind the gate of the commune compound, half his body hidden behind the gatepost, and waved to him in a low voice: "Come on, let me show you what this is!"

"What are you looking at?" Chen Xiangdong was taken aback, then turned and walked over.

Behind the gatepost were two large wooden basins. Qin Pangzi chuckled, bent down, and lifted the wooden board covering them. Water immediately splashed everywhere, and lively carp were splashing their tails, getting water all over Qin Pangzi's face.

Chen Xiangdong's eyes lit up immediately: "Wow, so many carp!"