Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

"A dorm key? Is this for me?"

Chen Xiangdong blinked, staring blankly at the brass key Han Wenxue handed him: "So fast?"

Han Wenxue laughed and said, "How could it not be fast? This afternoon, Secretary Zhu personally went to see Commander Jia to apply for staff dormitories for you. How could Commander Jia not give him that kind of face?"

Only three days had passed since Zhu Zheng talked to him in the woodshed, and the dormitory application was already completed, which surprised Chen Xiangdong.

Although the allocation of dormitories is something that the group leader can decide with a single decision, if the normal process is followed, it will take at least ten days to half a month from application to approval.

But if it were a leader, they could take it down on the same day. That's what they mean by having connections in high places.

Since the dorm permit has already been approved, let's move in.

"Deputy Regiment Commander Han, when can I move in?"

Han Wenxue waved his hand: "No rush. Those rooms on the east side of the theater have been uninhabited for many years. Tomorrow I'll find someone to paint the walls, repair the windows, and replace all the glass with new ones. It's not too late to move in in two or three days."

Chen Xiangdong put the keys in his pocket: "Oh, then I'll have to trouble Deputy Regiment Commander Han."

Han Xue said, "These are all minor matters. Alright, I should go home now."

After seeing Han Wenxue off, Chen Xiangdong closed the door to the woodshed and went to the theater.

Today we will continue to practice backbends. Fang Zhengsheng said that his waist is too stiff and he has to put in a lot of effort to make his body more flexible.

The huge theater was empty except for two old men, one of whom sat in the first row of the audience and occasionally gave pointers.

Another dark-faced old man stood beside Chen Xiangdong, supporting his waist and gently pushing him backward.

"Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lean back, yes, lean back again."

Chen Xiangdong leaned back halfway, but suddenly felt like he was stuck. His waist was as stiff as if it were tied with an iron plate, and he couldn't go down no matter what he did.

Seeing this, Feng Zhengxiao reached out and pressed down on his waist, little by little. Chen Xiangdong was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat, gritting his teeth and not making a sound.

"Your waist is stiffer than your legs. At least you can bend down with your legs, but you need to keep working on your waist. Just bear with it; it always hurts for a while when you first start practicing backbends."

As he spoke, he increased the pressure even more, and Chen Xiangdong gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

Fang Zhengsheng nodded slightly from his seat in the audience. He was very satisfied with his apprentice, Chen Xiangdong.

She is hardworking, quick to learn, and has a good aptitude for opera.

Fang Zhengsheng was confident that the results of their rigorous training using traditional methods would far surpass those of the students trained by He Jianshe and Qiao Haizhu.

Whether it was He Jianshe, Qiao Haizhu, Lu Meiyin, or Pan Lanxiang, in their eyes, their martial arts skills were only mediocre. If it were during the era when they were active on stage, they wouldn't even be qualified to carry their shoes.

If you haven't even mastered the skills yourself, and you're already teaching students, it's easy to imagine that each generation will be worse than the last.

After practicing for more than half an hour, Chen Xiangdong felt soreness in his lower back that he couldn't straighten up, and he was panting heavily, his whole body covered in sweat.

[Martial Arts Proficiency (Long-Handed Martial Arts/Short-Handed Martial Arts): 7/100 (Apprentice with terrible basic skills)]

The speed at which his martial arts skills improved was many times slower than when he was learning to play the drum. Even after practicing leg stretches and backbends for a day or two, he might not be able to increase his skill level by even one point. And this was for a reborn person like him who had a system by his side.

If it were an ordinary person, the difficulty level would be even higher.

"Remember, before you bend over backwards every time, stretch your legs and twist your waist to loosen up your back, so you don't hurt it."

Fang Zhengsheng walked onto the stage, his thin, thick fingers slowly kneading down Chen Xiangdong's spine, asking as he did so, "Does this area hurt? How about this one?"

Chen Xiangdong winced in pain: "Ouch, be gentle, Master Fang, you're too strong."

Fang Zhengsheng placed his hand on his lower back: "The waist is the lifeblood of a martial arts actor. All the skills in the body depend on the strength of the waist. Only by establishing a strong waist can one stand firm on the stage."

His large hands pushed up his spine to his shoulder blades, and then pressed down from his shoulder blades. After repeating this several times, Chen Xiangdong indeed felt his waist relax a bit.

"That's enough, get up. That's enough for today's practice."

Fang Zhengsheng released his grip and took a step back: "Get up and stretch a bit."

Chen Xiangdong straightened up and twisted his back a few times, and indeed he was much more flexible than before.

"Hehe, Master Fang's skills are really bad, it's a pity he's not a massage therapist."

"Stop being so tough." Fang Zhengsheng's lips curled up slightly. "Remember, from now on, after you get up, practice leg stretches for half an hour first, then practice backbends for half an hour."

"I know." Chen Xiangdong nodded, and then brought up the matter of Han Wenxue giving him the key to his new dormitory earlier.

Fang Zhengsheng and Feng Zhengxiao exchanged a glance, and Feng Zhengxiao frowned and muttered, "So, that guy surnamed Zhu is a man of action, completely different from Jia Dafang's dragging-out management style."

He looked up at Chen Xiangdong and said, "If they give you a dormitory, just stay there. The houses on the east side of the troupe are very quiet, so you can practice there without being disturbed."

Chen Xiangdong hummed in agreement, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Professor Feng, Professor Fang, didn't Zhu Zhengkuo come to talk to you?"

Fang Zhengsheng shook his head: "We're two old men with half our bodies buried in the ground, what would he want with us? Those leaders are avoiding us like the plague, afraid of getting involved and having dirty water thrown on them by others."

Feng Zhengxiao remained silent for a while before slowly speaking: "Whether he comes or not, it doesn't matter. Anyway, the old plays aren't allowed to be performed. We're just freeloaders in the troupe. New officials make their moves when they take office, and they'll only do things that will produce results. To them, we're just a burden, a nuisance, and won't help them seize power. They might as well throw us in a corner and keep us out of sight."

.........

That night, the lights in Jia Dafang's house stayed on for a long time.

Jia Dafang sat on an old-fashioned wooden sofa, holding an enamel mug, sipping his tea intermittently. Around the square table in front of him sat his four trusted and beloved generals.

At this moment, the four men looked at each other in bewilderment. Qiao Haizhu looked at Jia Dafang and asked, "Commander Jia, when he came to see you, didn't he say anything else?"

Jia Dafang simply shook his head and remained silent.

Lin Datou scratched his head, looking around blankly: "That guy surnamed Zhu went to see Commander Jia specifically about Dongwazi's dormitory? What kind of connection is that?"

"I don't understand, I don't understand..." Xu Erdao muttered to himself, "That guy doesn't play by the rules at all. Could it be that he doesn't have any plans to seize power yet?"

"Sigh..." Jia Dafang sighed, put the enamel mug back on the table, and leaned back on the sofa: "Let's deal with whatever comes our way, and wait and see what he does next."

Of all the people in the room, not one could figure it out.

Pan Lanxiang glanced furtively at the few uncouth men present, her long eyelashes trembling slightly as she thought to herself:

They haven't even made a move yet, and we're already so nervous and cowardly... Sigh, how did we end up on this pirate ship in the first place?

Pan Lanxiang not only failed to snag the lead role but was also branded as one of the "Four Great Lackeys," leaving her feeling as if a fire was burning inside her.