Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

"Among the new students, there are indeed a few children with good talent."

Han Wenxue looked at the list of students on the blackboard and pointed to the first few names: "Lou Jingru, Guan Linlin, Xue Wei, Song Linfeng, Gu Baorui, these are all good candidates, especially Lou Jingru, who is first in the girls' class. She has a bright voice and a good figure, and she is very worthy of being cultivated."

Lu Meiyin nodded: "I noticed Lou Jingru on the day of the exam. That girl has a really good foundation. Although she has a slightly weak voice and her breath control is not very stable when she sings high notes, as long as she practices hard, she will have no problem singing a few model operas in the future."

In the rehearsal hall, Pan Lanxiang sat in a corner and pouted: "I think that girl is pretty good. If she has a good teacher to guide her carefully, she might be able to play the lead role in the future."

Lu Meiyin glanced over with her peach blossom eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "Oh, that kid does resemble Lanxiang in one way, with a narrow voice... But that's alright, if he works hard in the future, he might actually be able to play the lead role."

Pan Lanxiang's sore spot was touched, and her pretty face immediately changed. She stood up and glared at him: "Who are you talking about? How did I scheme? Explain yourself!"

Seeing that things were not going well, Liu Qiaosheng and Han Wenxue, who were sitting on the side, both looked distressed.

Well, these two women are at it again.

Liu Dezhu, He Jianshe, Xu Erdao, and others, who were sitting a little further away, kept glancing at the two men, but none of them dared to interrupt, for fear of getting into trouble.

Lu Meiyin glanced at Pan Lanxiang with a cold smile: "How did she scheme? I was back in my hometown for a month going on blind dates, and I don't know which vixen was running to the regimental commander's house every day while I was away!"

Upon hearing this, not only did Pan Lanxiang turn pale with anger, but Jia Dafang, who was holding a teacup, was so frightened that his hand trembled and he almost dropped the cup.

"Lu Meiyin! This is a meeting to discuss the teaching plan for the student class, not for you two to argue and fight!"

Enraged, Jia Dafang slammed his fist on the table, veins bulging on his neck. "Furthermore, Comrade Pan Lanxiang and I have always been completely innocent! Don't spout nonsense! Falsely accusing a revolutionary cadre of innocence is a serious crime!"

Lu Meiyin was not someone he could easily intimidate with a few words. She looked at Jia Dafang, who was red-faced and thick-necked, with a half-smile: "Oh, what did I say that implicated you, Commander Jia? In the past two months, how many times has Pan Lanxiang gone to your house? Quite a few people in the whole regiment have seen it."

"That...that was all normal business!" Jia Dafang roared, his voice cracking. "Pan Lanxiang went to my wife to learn how to knit, and my wife was there the whole time! If any of you don't believe me, go ask my wife right now!"

The dozen or so people in the rehearsal hall were all staring at each other, creating an extremely awkward atmosphere.

Han Wenxue quickly stood up to smooth things over: "Hey, look at what you're doing! Can't you talk things out?"

He glared at Lu Meiyin: "Commander Jia is an upright man, always a role model for all the staff in our troupe. His private life is impeccable, and everyone in the troupe can see how loving he is with his wife. You dare not spout any more nonsense!"

Lu Meiyin rolled her eyes, turned her head to the side, and didn't bother to say anything more.

"Commander Jia, calm down." Han Wenxue went to comfort Jia Dafang again: "You know Lu Meiyin has no sense of propriety when it comes to her mouth. Don't take it to heart, getting angry is bad for your health."

Lin Datou also ran over, picked up the thermos and filled the tank with water, saying, "That's right, that's right, Commander, you're a magnanimous person, there's no need to argue with a woman."

"You can discuss the teaching plan yourselves. Once you've finalized the rules, Lao Han, write a plan and send it to me."

With his chest still heaving, Jia Dafang picked up the enamel mug and slammed the door shut as he left.

Pan Lanxiang, still fuming, was about to leave when He Jianshe grabbed her sleeve. Turning her head, she saw He Jianshe winking at her and whispering, "You're one of the substitute teachers, how can you leave?"

She then snorted and plopped back down in her chair.

.........

"Hey Dong-ge, don't you think our training uniforms look good?"

Wearing a dark blue cotton training uniform, Wu Xiaolian hovered around Chen Xiangdong like a little bee.

Li Zhangqing, Fu Xiaoyue, and Han Nongyue all stroked the smooth, satin-like new training clothes with great affection, their faces filled with excitement and joy.

Fu Xiaoyue ran her fingers over the stitches on the cuff of her sleeve and whispered, "This material is really nice, it feels so smooth."

Chen Xiangdong leaned against the doorframe of the woodshed, smiling as he looked at the four girls: "Have you ever heard the saying 'clothes make the man' or 'saddle makes the horse'? Now that you've changed into your new clothes, you really do look like actors."

The four girls blushed with pride at his praise, and all of them smiled.

These girls, just a few days ago, were wearing baggy old cotton-padded jackets that looked like rags, and cloth shoes that exposed their toes. Their faces and hands were covered with a thick layer of grime.

Now, in the blink of an eye, I've changed into new clothes and become a member of the theater troupe. My whole demeanor is completely different.

Although they haven't completely shaken off the timidity and lack of confidence typical of children from the mountains, some subtle changes have already occurred, though Li Zhangqing and the others haven't yet realized these changes.

"Dongwa, come here!"

After helping the kitchen cook a few times, Chen Xiangdong felt that Fatty Qin was ordering him around more and more frequently and without any sense of entitlement.

In the past, they would at least be polite and ask if I was busy. But now, they treat me like a donkey in the production team, pulling me over and using me as a servant.

"Coming, coming! What's up, Master Qin?"

He peeked out and saw Fatty Qin holding an aluminum lunchbox, waving in his direction.

Chen Xiangdong leaned over, and Fatty Qin shoved the lunchbox into his hand, lowering his voice: "These are snacks prepared for Boss Hei to go with his drinks. Deliver them to the theater."

He lifted a corner of the lunchbox and immediately spotted a large, glistening chunk of meat inside. He grinned maliciously, "Wow, this bright red braised pork, Blackie's sure to enjoy it."

Fatty Qin could easily guess Chen Xiangdong's little scheme, and rolled his eyes at him: "I left some for you in the pot."

"Hehe, Teacher Qin is still the best to me." After closing his lunchbox, Chen Xiangdong waved to the girls at the door of the woodshed: "I have something to do, you guys go have fun. Oh, by the way, go to Teacher Liu's dormitory tonight."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhangqing and the other girls' eyes lit up, and they nodded in agreement with giggles.

As long as Chen Xiangdong invites them to Liu Dezhu's dormitory, there's no need to ask; he must have gotten some good food from the kitchen.

Seeing Fatty Qin turn and go into the kitchen, Fu Xiaoyue couldn't help but come over and ask, "Brother Xiangdong, what's for dinner?"

Chen Xiangdong shook his head mysteriously: "What's the rush? You'll know tonight."

Wu Xiaolian pouted, her eyes fixed on the aluminum lunchbox in his hand: "It must be something good that Teacher Qin secretly left for you... But my uncle said that Teacher Qin is a very rigid person and doesn't get along with many people in the troupe, so why is he so nice to you?"

It was fortunate that Wu Xiaolian didn't shout, otherwise if Qin Pangzi had heard her, he would definitely have grabbed a kitchen knife and gone to block Xu Erdao's door.

"What do you know, kid? This is called personal charisma!"

Chen Xiangdong casually tossed his hair and swaggered toward the theater.