Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

It wasn't until after 10 o'clock that Li Zhangqing and Fu Xiaoyue walked out of Lu Meiyin's dormitory, looking dejected.

Chen Xiangdong, who was practicing drumming in the courtyard, looked up and saw the two girls looking dejected. He couldn't help but laugh and ask, "What's wrong? Did you get scolded again?"

Li Zhangqing sniffed but didn't reply. Fu Xiaoyue hesitated for a while before whispering, "Teacher Lu said we won't practice today. Our voices are a bit off, so if we can sing a short piece, we'll pass the test."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangdong immediately understood. It seemed that Jia Dafang had already spoken with Lu Meiyin and confirmed her participation as a judge.

Since they were all kids from the theater troupe, she and Han Wenxue wouldn't be too strict with each other. As long as they weren't too far off, she could usually let them get away with it.

Chen Xiangdong laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Aunt Lu has already said so, so it's a sure thing that I can get into the training class."

Li Zhangqing said sullenly, "But Aunt Lu just said that our voices are just average, and it will probably be difficult for us to become famous in the future."

Fu Xiaoyue also slumped her head and sighed.

He suddenly realized that the two girls' confidence had been shaken.

At this moment, Han Nongyue and Wu Xiaolian came out of Pan Lanxiang's dormitory, looking just as dejected.

Without a doubt, their confidence was shaken.

The four girls met in the yard, looked at each other, and no one spoke.

Chen Xiangdong shook his head and chuckled: "Everyone who joins the troupe wants to be the lead. But think about it, being the lead isn't that easy. If everyone plays the lead, who will play the supporting roles?"

He paused, then tapped the drumhead with his drumstick: "Just like a drum troupe, the drummer is the core of the entire band, and there can only be one of them. If the other players—cymbal players, cymbal players, banhu players, and suona players—are not all present, then a complete opera cannot be performed."

He looked at the four girls and said, "Whether others praise you or criticize you, what's most important is that you truly believe in yourselves. You have a long road ahead. The most important thing now is to master your skills. In the future, whether you become the lead or play a supporting role, once you step onto the stage, as long as you sing well, there will definitely be people applauding and cheering for you."

Wu Xiaolian nodded and encouraged Li Zhangqing and the other two: "Yes, Brother Xiangdong is right. Let's study hard and sing well. If we can't be the lead, we can be the supporting roles. As long as we can perform on stage, we won't have to worry about not having a chance in the future."

"Um!"

Li Zhangqing, Fu Xiaoyue, and Han Nongyue finally stopped looking mournful and perked up a bit.

Li Zhangqing looked at the drum: "Brother Xiangdong, how's your drumming practice going?"

Speaking of this, Chen Xiangdong's smile froze. At first, his progress in drumming was relatively smooth, but after his proficiency reached fifty, he clearly felt that the progress bar had slowed down a lot.

Before, when I practiced drumming, I could increase my proficiency by four or five points a day, but now, even if I play all day, I can only increase it by one.

His proficiency score of 53/100 left him speechless; he didn't know how long it would take to reach the maximum level.

Time flew by and it was November 5th. Just after seven o'clock, a noisy commotion erupted in the courtyard.

As Chen Xiangdong walked out of the canteen with his lunchbox, he saw that the courtyard was crowded with people.

Chen Xiangdong was taken aback: "Wow, so many people?"

Liu Dezhu then strolled up behind him, looking at the bustling crowd that resembled a grand market, and grinned, "These past few days alone, over three hundred kids have registered for the exam, and with the parents accompanying them, there must be at least a thousand or eight hundred people!"

"So many? It feels like half the county has come to the theater troupe."

Those people holding children, gathered in groups of three or five, included men, women, young and old, and each of them had a tense expression on their face as they gave instructions to their children.

Li Zhangqing and the others huddled in a corner of the courtyard wall, like four quails stunned by the scene, staring in terror at the group of people who suddenly surged into the courtyard.

The four of them looked at each other, feeling that everyone else's clothes were so beautiful. Some were wearing brightly colored new cotton-padded jackets, some were wearing corduroy vests, and there were also some boys and girls with powdered faces, rosy cheeks, and thin, long eyebrows, looking as pretty as dolls in New Year's paintings.

Compared to the well-dressed city kids, the candidates who were clearly from remote mountain villages seemed rather uneasy, nervously pacing back and forth, looking around anxiously.

Liu Dezhu walked over, patted Li Zhangqing on the head, and instructed the four of them, "Don't be afraid. When they call your names, just walk boldly into the examination room. Just sing what Teacher Lu and Teacher Pan have taught you these past few days. The examiners are all our own people, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Li Zhangqing tugged at his uncle's sleeve and whispered, "Uncle, my legs are weak."

When she said this, her ears were almost completely red, but none of Fu Xiaoyue and the others laughed at her, because their legs were trembling too.

Just as Liu Dezhu was about to offer some words of comfort, he saw Xu Erdao waving and calling out from the backyard, "Liu Dezhu, hurry up! The judges from the Education Bureau have all arrived and are just waiting for you."

"I know!" Liu Dezhu waved in response, patted Li Zhangqing on the shoulder, "Don't be afraid, just sing well in a bit, leave everything else to your uncle."

After saying that, he walked towards the backyard.

Chen Xiangdong put the rice bowl back in the woodshed, ran out, grabbed Li Zhangqing with one hand and Han Nongyue with the other, and whispered, "Come on, let's go to the rehearsal hall and take a look at the layout of the examination room first."

The four girls held hands and followed Chen Xiangdong through the crowded throng. Xu Erdao, who was in charge of maintaining order, pretended not to see them, turned his head to the other side, and glanced at the sky.

At this point, someone in the queue started complaining, "Why did those kids cut in line and run to the front? Aren't you security personnel going to do anything about it?"

Xu Erdao slowly turned around, glanced at the man, and said, "What are you yelling about? Those kids are just doing odd jobs for the theater troupe. They were just helping to move tables and chairs. What's it to you?"

The man was speechless for a moment, but ultimately shut up and didn't say anything more.

Chen Xiangdong led them around to the side of the rehearsal hall, pointed through the crack of the small wooden door to Li Zhangqing and the others, and said in a low voice, "Look, our troupe's judges are Deputy Director Han, Aunt Lu, and Teacher Liu. With these three around, what are you afraid of? Just sing boldly, and you're guaranteed to pass."

Li Zhangqing and the others peered through the gap and indeed saw Liu Dezhu and his group on the judges' panel. Besides the three of them, there were two unfamiliar middle-aged men who must have been the judges sent by the Education Bureau.

At this moment, a candidate walked up to the judges' table and bowed respectfully to them: "Hello, teachers, I am candidate number 1, Lou Jingru. My performance is 'Unity is Strength'."

The girl's singing was very proper, and her voice was loud and clear. Li Zhangqing, peering through the crack in the door, his eyes wide, whispered, "Her voice is really loud."

Fu Xiaoyue and Wu Xiaolian nodded in agreement, their expressions somewhat unnatural. Compared to their off-key singing, Lou Jingru's voice immediately put pressure on them.

Chen Xiangdong noticed that the four girls' expressions were off, and quickly said, "Just focus on your own test, don't worry about how well or badly the others sing. Just don't be nervous and perform normally."

As he spoke, he pointed to where Lou Jingru was standing: "When you enter the examination room, stand there. Go in first, bow, say your name and what you want to sing, and then just sing at the top of your lungs. If you're still nervous and don't dare to sing, just imagine the judges as the two big fat pigs raised behind the kitchen. When the New Year comes, you can slaughter them and eat them."

His words amused the four girls, and their tense mood finally eased a bit.