Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

"This spicy pig's trotter is bright red, it looks really appealing."

Qin Pangzi, Yu Baoliang, and Li Qiufen craned their necks to peer into the pot. Qin Pangzi sniffed, "This smell makes my mouth water."

The sauce had almost reduced over high heat, coating the glistening, tender, and fragrant braised pig's trotters. The spiciness of the Qin peppers and the numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns mingled together, filling the room with the steam.

Chen Xiangdong used a large spoon to scoop food into the basin and bowl, one spoonful at a time: "This bowl is for you to try, I'll take this basin with me."

As he spoke, he picked up the small iron basin that was filled to the brim and left the kitchen.

Fatty Qin then picked up a piece of pig's trotter with his chopsticks, blew on it, took a bite, and his eyes immediately lit up. He hurriedly called to Yu Baoliang and Li Qiufen, "Wow! Try it, this flavor is amazing!"

Yu Baoliang and Li Qiufen exchanged a glance, then each picked up a piece and stuffed it into their mouths. They felt the pig's trotters were tender and the meat was soft, with the spiciness and numbing sensation spreading layer by layer in their mouths. It really did live up to what Chen Xiangdong had just said, that it was so delicious it made one's eyebrows fall off.

Upon arriving at the theater, the moment Chen Xiangdong lifted the lid from the iron basin, a numbing and spicy aroma wafted straight into people's noses.

"This is... a pig's trotter?" Feng Zhengxiao looked at Chen Xiangdong uncertainly.

Fang Zhengsheng, who was sitting to the side, sniffed and his eyes immediately lit up: "I'll try it first."

With a flick of his chopsticks, he poked a hole in the glistening pig's trotter. He chewed it a couple of times, then exclaimed in surprise, "You can cook pig's trotters like that?!"

"Are you sure it's good or not? Say something!" Feng Zhengxiao glared at him, then took a bite. He was stunned for a moment, then hissed and gasped – it was too spicy.

"This spicy flavor is really strong!"

As he spoke, his hands moved quickly, picking up another piece and stuffing it into his mouth.

The two old men were gasping for breath and sweating profusely as they ate, but the spicier it was, the more they wanted to eat, and they couldn't stop.

Fang Zhengsheng picked up the enamel mug and took a big gulp of liquor, but the liquor only intensified the burning sensation in his throat. He slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, "That's satisfying! That's satisfying! Old Feng, won't you have a sip?"

Feng Zhengxiao usually enjoys drinking, but now his mouth is full of spicy flavors. Drinking strong liquor would only make it spicier. He sucked in the cold air and quickly waved his hand: "Chili and liquor? Forget it! I can't stand this kind of drinking. Only a drunkard like you would drink yourself to death this year."

Chen Xiangdong could handle spicier food than the other two, but he was still sweating profusely after eating, and asked in confusion, "What do you mean by 'died at a young age'?"

Feng Zhengxiao chuckled: "Old Fang was born in 1921, so he's 57 years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning. If he drinks himself to death, wouldn't he have lived to be 57?"

Fang Zhengsheng wasn't angry this time. He took another swig of wine, glared at Feng Zhengxiao, and said, "Don't worry, even if you die, I won't."

The three of them ate a delicious and spicy pig's trotters meal, leaving them drenched in sweat, and they devoured the entire bowl of pig's trotters.

Did you practice leg stretches today?

For three consecutive days, this was a question asked almost every day. Chen Xiangdong honestly replied, "When the trainees got up to run in the morning, I got up and did the splits. I practiced for an hour."

Fang Zhengsheng asked again, "Are your thigh muscles still sore?"

"I'm much better. I reckon after another nap today, I'll be almost completely recovered."

"That's good." Fang Zhengsheng nodded. "Some people can get used to the splits for ten days or half a month, while others can get used to it in three to five days. You have to practice leg stretches every day. Tomorrow I'll teach you backbends, leg kicks, stance training, running in circles, and handstands. These are the basic skills that you must master to become a qualified opera actor. They are also the most difficult and grueling things."

Feng Zhengxiao nodded: "Back when we were learning opera, we practiced in the sweltering heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter. There are no shortcuts in opera. Only by enduring hardship and loneliness can you one day shine on stage."

Chen Xiangdong deeply agreed with what his two masters said. Having lived two lives, he understood the principle that one must endure hardship to rise above others.

"Since I chose the path of learning opera, I never thought about whether it would be difficult or not." Chen Xiangdong shook his head: "Master, don't worry, I will definitely practice hard and never let you down."

Fang and Feng exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with both relief and a touch of emotion.

The next day, at four in the morning, Fatty Qin knocked on the door of the woodshed: "Dongwazi, are you up yet? We need to get going before dawn, or it'll be troublesome if someone sees us."

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Chen Xiangdong turned over, put on his shoes and cotton-padded coat, and went outside.

It was already mid-November, the beginning of the tenth lunar month. The temperature in the northwest was very low in the morning. The moment he opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed in, making Chen Xiangdong shiver and instantly wake up.

Fatty Qin, holding a flashlight and with a blue scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, revealing only his large, round face, asked in a low voice, "Are you sure your leg is okay?"

"Completely cured."

Chen Xiangdong kicked his legs a couple of times: "Our physical condition is excellent, this little strain is nothing."

"Alright then." Fatty Qin nodded, turned around and walked towards the courtyard gate.

Chen Xiangdong followed behind, buttoning his shirt as he walked, and asked in a low voice, "Today, shall we buy half a pig again?"

"This time I'll buy the whole pig. I've already talked to Old Xue about it. I want the head, hooves, offal, and the whole set of lanterns." Fatty Qin pulled up the cart that had been parked at the gate of the courtyard and started walking away. "Old Xue slaughtered the pig last night. We need to bring the meat back before dawn."

Chen Xiangdong said "Oh," and the two of them walked through the streets and alleys one after the other, leaving the county town and heading straight for Xuejia Village.

After entering the village, we hadn't gone far when we arrived at Old Xue's house.

Chen Xiangdong stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a short while, the light came on inside, and Old Xue's voice came through: "Who is it?"

Chen Xiangdong lowered his voice: "From the theater troupe."

The gate creaked open from the inside, and Old Xue peeked out, cautiously looking around to make sure no one was watching before beckoning Chen Xiangdong and Fatty Qin into the courtyard.

"Why are you here so early this time?" Old Xue asked casually. Fatty Qin replied, "The sooner we get rid of them, the easier it will be."

Chen Xiangdong closed the gate and bolted it shut. When he turned around, he saw that Old Xue and Fatty Qin had dragged two large wooden basins out of the house. The larger basin contained a whole pig cut into several pieces, while the other basin contained piles of head, hooves, offal, heart, liver, and lungs.

Old Xue pointed to the pork in the basin: "This pig has been raised for over a year. Look at all this fat. Your troupe is in for a treat."

Chen Xiangdong squatted down and turned the meat in the basin over. He saw that it was indeed a big fat pig, with fat as thick as four fingers.

After carefully inspecting the meat, Chen Xiangdong nodded to Fatty Qin, indicating that the meat was fine and all fresh.

Qin the Fat Man finally smiled, took out the meat, weighed each piece, and then counted out a wad of bills from his pocket and handed them to Old Xue.

Old Xue took the money, counted it while spitting on it, then smiled and put it in his pocket before helping them load the meat onto the truck.

"Alright, we're going now. I'll come find you again when I need you again."

After saying a word to Qin Pangzi and Lao Xuetou, Chen Xiangdong picked up the cart and headed out of the village.

But just as he left the village and passed the threshing ground piled with haystacks, Chen Xiangdong, with his sharp eyes, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He saw several dark figures riding old-fashioned bicycles towards Xuejia Village at the end of the road ahead.

He hurriedly whispered to Fatty Qin behind him, "Oh no, the police are here!"

Qin, the fat man who was pushing the cart behind him, shuddered and looked ahead in terror, his voice trembling: "What...what do we do?"