Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

After Zhu Zhengkuo took office, the first thing he did was to knock on the doors of each dormitory to ask each employee if they had any difficulties in their lives.

This move caused quite a stir in the theater troupe's compound.

For three consecutive days, Chen Xiangdong saw Zhu Zhengqu carrying a red notebook, wandering around the yard, chatting with everyone he met, and jotting down notes in the notebook as he finished talking.

At the entrance of Liu Dezhu's dormitory, Chen Xiangdong was holding a drum and practicing the drumming techniques for "Ode to Qin Chuan".

Sitting next to him, Liu Dezhu pointed out and corrected his mistakes in striking the gavel while craning his neck to look at the row of dormitories ahead, muttering, "That guy's been in Lu Meiyin's room for ages, why hasn't he come out yet?"

Chen Xiangdong glanced at Liu Dezhu, then looked at the half-open door of the front room, and whispered, "Master, what do you think this new Secretary Zhu is up to? These past few days he's been talking to everyone, not just the actors, the stagehands, the kitchen staff, even the old man who brought coal to our troupe the other day, he kept him occupied with a long chat. What's he really up to?"

Liu Dezhu shifted the small stool he was sitting on, leaned back against the door frame, and stared at Lu Meiyin's half-open door: "What are you doing? Checking things out, huh?"

Then he snorted: "A new broom sweeps clean. This Zhu fellow, shouldn't he first figure out how many factions are in the troupe? See who are Jia Dafang's henchmen and who can be won over by him?"

Chen Xiangdong nodded. He had expected this, because Zhu Zhengkuo had indeed done the same thing in his previous life.

Liu Dezhu shook his head: "This Secretary Zhu is no ordinary person. He's only just arrived, yet he's already openly seeking help everywhere, not hiding his abilities at all. People who dare to do this are either hotheads with shit in their heads or tough guys with real skills. He's deliberately trying to provoke Jia Dafang and directly stir up conflict."

"Isn't he afraid that Jia Dafang will take drastic measures?" Chen Xiangdong frowned. "After all, Old Jia has been running the county theater troupe for ten years without going bankrupt. He must have some skills."

"What's the use of that ball!"

Liu Dezhu glanced at Chen Xiangdong, a smirk playing on his lips, revealing a disdainful expression that said, "You're still too green, kid." He continued, "If Old Jia really had that kind of ability, do you think the higher-ups would have forced in a secretary to divide his power? Over the years, including the theater troupes in the neighboring counties, the top leader has always held both the positions of troupe leader and secretary. Has anyone ever heard of someone being parachuted in as a secretary?"

Chen Xiangdong nodded: "It seems that this Zhu Zhengkuo is probably someone who deliberately puts a bad word about Jia Dafang on behalf of the higher-ups."

At this moment, the half-open door in front opened, and Zhu Zhengwei and Lu Meiyin walked out one after the other.

Lu Meiyin smiled as she saw Zhu Zhengwei out the door, talking to him as she did so. Zhu Zhengwei nodded repeatedly, scribbled a few things in his little red book, and then turned and left.

Seeing Zhu Zhengkuo walk away, Liu Dezhu and Chen Xiangdong exchanged a glance, then got up and went over to him. Liu Dezhu asked, "What were you two talking about? Why are you laughing so happily?"

Lu Meiyin was taken aback for a moment, then rolled her eyes and said irritably, "What? You're getting jealous?"

Liu Dezhu chuckled and cheekily nudged Lu Meiyin's shoulder lightly: "Why would I be jealous? I just wanted to verify some information."

Lu Meiyin rolled her eyes at him, turned around and went into the house. Liu Dezhu gave Chen Xiangdong a wink and followed him in with a grin.

Chen Xiangdong hesitated for a moment, then followed him inside.

Lu Meiyin's dormitory was slightly larger than Liu Dezhu's doghouse. Inside, there was a table, a chair, a bed, a wooden wardrobe, and a dressing table.

Lu Meiyin sat down in front of the dressing table, picked up a comb and casually combed her hair. Looking at Liu Dezhu and Chen Xiangdong in the mirror, she said, "He asked about the current situation of the troupe, asked if I had encountered any difficulties in my life, and asked a lot of miscellaneous questions."

"Aunt Lu, did he not say whether he would give you an important position or promote you?" Chen Xiangdong asked.

Mentioning this, Lu Meiyin couldn't help but smile slightly: "He said I was the most talented actor in the troupe and shouldn't be overlooked. He also said that the troupe needed reform and couldn't continue down the old path. It had to undergo radical innovation in order to make the troupe bigger and stronger in the future."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangdong and Liu Dezhu exchanged a glance, both understanding perfectly well what was going on.

Zhu Zhengkuo was indeed here to win over Lu Meiyin!

This guy has only been here for three days, but he's already cast a wide net, getting to know everyone in the group, and making grand promises all the time.

The key point is that many people actually fall for this.

.........

The second floor is the regimental commander's office.

Jia Dafang paced back and forth in front of the window, holding an enamel mug, his brows furrowed in deep worry.

Xu Erdao stood in front of the desk, his triangular eyes following Jia Dafang's steps, turning left and right incessantly.

"Erdao, has Zhu Zhengkuo searched the entire hospital?" Jia Dafang stopped, his back to the window, his expression hidden in the shadows.

Xu Erdao scrutinized Jia Dafang's expression and said cautiously, "Pretty much. It seems that apart from those two old rascals, Feng Laohei and Fang Quezi, he's talked to almost all the staff in this institute."

Seeing Jia Dafang's face grow increasingly gloomy, Xu Erdao hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid that apart from me, Pan Lanxiang, Qiao Haizhu, and Lin Datou, everyone else has become targets of that Zhu guy's attempts to win them over."

Jia Dafang raised an eyebrow: "He didn't contact the four of you?"

Xu Erdao shook his head and lowered his voice: "No, I don't know where he, a newcomer, found out about our regiment. Commander Jia, do you think... it might be what Han Wenxue told him?"

Jia Dafang sighed, "It doesn't matter who said it. What matters is when that Zhu guy plans to make trouble for me next."

Xu Erdao didn't dare to say anything. He could tell that Jia Dafang was really panicking.

"Erdao, go and tell Pan Lanxiang, Lin Datou, and Qiao Haizhu to come to my house for a meeting tonight."

Jia Dafang's voice was tense, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "Tomorrow I'm going to the county committee to find out what kind of background that guy surnamed Zhu has. I refuse to believe that an outsider like him can really have the ability to sideline me."

"Okay, I'll go right away!" Xu Erdao replied, turned around and went out the door.

But as soon as he stepped out, he almost bumped into Zhu Zhengwei.

"Hey, it's Section Chief Xu! What are you rushing off to?"

Zhu Zheng's voice came from outside the door, causing Jia Dafang to frown. Then he heard Xu Erdao say from outside the door, "Secretary Zhu, I... I have an upset stomach and urgently need to use the restroom."

"Oh, then hurry up and go. Could it be an upset stomach? If it's serious, I have some berberine for diarrhea in my dorm. I'll get you a couple of tablets later."

"Oh, no need, no need. It's an old problem of mine, I'll feel better after I poop."

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the door was pushed open. Zhu Zhengkuo walked in with a smile, holding the red booklet in his hand: "Commander Jia, did I disturb you?"

Jia Dafang forced a smile: "No problem, no problem, Secretary Zhu, please have a seat. Xu Erdao is usually so impulsive, I'm sorry you had to see that."

Zhu Zheng waved his hand, sat down in the chair, and looked at Jia Dafang with a smile: "Commander Jia, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Jia Dafang's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the little red book Zhu Zhengwei had placed on his desk: So he's already starting to make trouble for me? That's too fast!

He remained expressionless: "What is it?"

Zhu Zhengke opened the small red book to the first page and began to read aloud, as if reciting lines he had already copied down: "Comrade Chen Xiangdong, a new employee of our troupe, is both a formal employee and a firefighting hero, yet he has been living in the woodshed, where conditions are far too rudimentary. I suggest that Comrade Chen Xiangdong be allocated a staff dormitory to demonstrate the organization's due care for heroes."

Jia Dafang, who was already prepared to receive artillery fire, suddenly froze, staring straight at the other person as if he hadn't heard clearly.

I thought Zhu Zhengkuo was going to make a big fuss and bring up his old grievances, but it turns out the other party didn't play by the rules at all.

His lips twitched: "Finished? That's all?"