Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

117th Octopus

Fatty Qin stood up, wiping the water from his face, his expression full of smugness. Pointing to the fish in the basin, he said, "See that? This is what Secretary Li prepared for us tonight. He said the commune members caught thirty of them early this morning from the fishpond in the Liangshui ditch up ahead!"

Chen Xiangdong looked at Fatty Qin with surprise: "Why did the commune suddenly decide to send us fish? We don't usually eat fish around here."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Qin's smile froze, his eyes flickered a few times, and then he scratched his head sheepishly: "It's because I cooked a few tables of food at the commune canteen last time—and Secretary Li asked me what else I could cook besides pork, since I'm such a good cook, and I—"

His voice trailed off, and by the end, he looked a little awkward: "All I did was say I can cook pigs, sheep, chickens, fish, you name it," and who knew they'd take it to heart and insist on bringing over these two big pots of carp, asking me to show off my skills tonight—

"Ha!"

Chen Xiangdong raised an eyebrow, finally understanding what was going on. It turned out this guy was bragging without any fear of his tongue slipping out; he dared to exaggerate anything. In northern Shaanxi, water was scarce and fish were rare, so few people liked to eat fish, and even fewer knew how to cook it well.

This fat guy was about to have his secret exposed and was afraid of losing face, so he thought of asking me to save the day.

He tilted his head and glanced at Fatty Qin, a half-smile on his face: "Awesome, you can do everything?"

Fatty Qin blushed, and stiffly replied, "I... I was just trying to save face for our troupe! The commune leaders were so enthusiastic, I couldn't very well say, 'All I know how to do is stew potatoes,' could I?"

As he spoke, he leaned forward again, a slightly ingratiating smile on his face, and gently nudged Chen Xiangdong's shoulder: "Didn't you say before that your family's old cookbook has recipes for both big and small fish? Can you do me a favor?"

Fatty Qin forgot that he weighed over 200 pounds, and with a casual push, Chen Xiangdong's small frame couldn't withstand it.

Caught off guard, Chen Xiangdong stumbled half a step to the side from Qin Pangzi's sudden movement. Once he regained his balance, he glared at Qin Pangzi with annoyance: "Alright, alright, I'll teach you two more ways to cook carp."

"That's great!"

Fatty Qin grinned and patted his chest. "You go eat quickly. I'll take advantage of this free time to clean and gut the fish. You can come help in the kitchen this afternoon. You don't need to do the stage construction. I'll talk to Deputy Regiment Commander Han later."

"Alright then."

Chen Xiangdong muttered something to himself, then ignored the smiling Fatty Qin and turned to go to the cafeteria to get his food.

By the time the group finished lunch, it was already past 1 p.m.

Each member of the troupe had their own tasks. Niu Laohei led a few people in the production team to set up the stage. Some nailed the frames, some moved the wooden planks, and some laid the stagecloth. Everyone did their job and quickly tore open bundles of tarpaulin and spread them out for half a day.

Liu Dezhu, He Jianshe, and others led a group of trainees to set up tents for the night. A pile of tarpaulins, hemp ropes, and bamboo poles were stacked up. Some people squatted on the ground tying knots, while others held bamboo poles and stuck them into the mud. Shouts and laughter mingled together, making it quite a lively scene.

More and more villagers came to watch the play, and some men who often did farm work also volunteered to help.

Chen Xiangdong didn't have to exert himself. After finishing his meal, he rolled up his sleeves and helped Fatty Qin and Li Qiufen clean up the two basins of carp.

The three carried the basin into the kitchen. Chen Xiangdong moved a small stool, sat down, grabbed a head of garlic, and started peeling it. He peeled one head after another, piling up a small clump of garlic skins, and soon filled a small bowl with the white garlic cloves.

Li Qiufen was squatting on the ground scraping fish scales when she looked up at Chen Xiangdong reaching for garlic again. She couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "Dongwa, what are you planning to cook? You've already peeled seven or eight cloves of garlic, why are you still peeling?"

Chen Xiangdong glanced at her, then at Fatty Qin, who was smashing ginger with the back of a knife: "These are thirty big carp, I'm planning to make two dishes, one is sweet and sour carp, and the other is garlic-fried fish."

"I've had sweet and sour carp before, but I don't know exactly how it's made." Fatty Qin put down his cleaver, but his ears perked up first: "But what's garlic-fried fish? You're peeling all this garlic, is that what you're making garlic-fried fish?"

Chen Xiangdong casually tossed the freshly peeled garlic cloves into the bowl and patted the garlic skin off his hands: "Garlic-fried fish, as the name suggests, is made by sprinkling a lot of minced garlic on the fish and then pouring boiling oil over it."

Qin Pangzi and Li Qiufen's eyes lit up immediately. Li Qiufen exclaimed, "Wow! That's just like oil-splashed noodles!"

Chen Xiangdong shook his head: "The process is somewhat similar, both ending with pouring oil. However, the specific methods are vastly different. This dish is a famous dish from a certain place in northern Jiangsu. If it's done well, the aroma will make your eyebrows fall off."

Qin Pangzi was so anxious he couldn't concentrate on preparing the dishes anymore. He quickly moved closer, staring intently at Chen Xiangdong: "Tell me quickly, how exactly do you make it?"

Chen Xiangdong's lips curled up slightly before he slowly began to speak: "The carp shouldn't be too big; one and a half to one and a half pounds is best. First, make a few cuts on both sides of the fish, not too deep, just enough to let the flavor penetrate. Put it in a pot of cold water, add some scallions, ginger, salt, and Sichuan peppercorns. Oh, and it would be best to add a little white wine as well."

Fatty Qin nodded: "I know that, baijiu removes the fishy smell. What's next?"

Chen Xiangdong glared at him: "Don't interrupt!"

Fatty Qin grinned: "Alright! Chef Chen, please continue!"

"Now we need to prepare the garlic sauce: soy sauce, aged vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar, pepper, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Mix them together, rub it on the fish, add plenty of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, heat oil and pour it over the fish, and the dish is done."

Fatty Qin couldn't help but gasp: "Goodness, all this stuff, just to make a sauce?"

He couldn't help but shake his head, marveling that the intricacies of this mere dish were probably more elaborate than performing an entire opera.

Li Qiufen was a little confused and frowned, asking, "Why is there both aged vinegar and rice vinegar? Why not just add more aged vinegar?"

Qin, being the head chef of the cafeteria, was more knowledgeable than Li Qiufen, that fat woman. He smiled and explained to her, "They're different. The two kinds of vinegar taste different. Mixing them together gives the sourness more layers."

Just as the kitchen was getting busy, in the largest room of the commune compound, Xue Rong and Mo Qingyan were still going over their lines over and over again.

Having been away from the stage for a long time, the two of them said they were fine when they suddenly had to perform. But from their tightly furrowed brows and the way they kept going over their lines, anyone could see their nervousness and trepidation.

Ten years have passed. They thought they would never have the chance to wear that costume again, to stand under the spotlight, and that the rest of their lives would be like rootless duckweed, drifting with the current until the day they could no longer walk, and they would simply find a place to spend the rest of their days.

And now, they have finally ushered in the dawn they have been waiting for for ten years.

They now have only one thought in their minds: to present the most perfect version of themselves to the audience without reservation.

Even if I wither away tomorrow, I will burn my life to the fullest today, to shine on the stage for the most brilliant moment of my life.

Life is like a summer flower, blooming in its full glory!