Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

Before six o'clock, people had already begun to arrive at the elementary school playground.

These days, especially in some remote mountain villages, some villages still don't have electricity, and most people go to bed early as soon as it gets dark.

Today, the commune is putting on a grand opera performance, which is a rare form of entertainment, even more precious than usual festivals.

As soon as the news spread, people from all around ate dinner early, carried stools and folding chairs, and came in twos and threes. Some even walked five or six miles of mountain road, their feet and trousers covered in dust. But when they arrived at the stage, they all had smiles on their faces and greeted each other with familiar faces.

A group of kids, looking like they'd been dug out of the mud, were running wildly around the playground, laughing and joking. Their reckless running around made Zhu Zhengkuo, who was on his first rural tour, twitch with excitement. He kept yelling, "Hey, you little rascal! Don't pull those wires, you'll get electrocuted!"

"You absolutely mustn't go onto the stage! Those lights are incredibly expensive; you couldn't afford to pay for them even if you sold your whole body!"

"Hey! Where did that kid get that prop gun? Take it back right now! Production crew, production crew, keep an eye on your props!"

Han Wenxue, however, was already used to this scene and advised him to sit down and rest for a while, ignoring those mischievous monkeys.

Li Zhangqing's male and female students' task today was to sit in the audience and observe and learn, also to prevent the program from becoming dull.

Before the performance began, He Jianshe set a strict target for them: they had to take the lead in clapping at the beginning and end of each act to create a lively atmosphere in the audience.

Around seven o'clock, as the sound of gongs and drums rang out, the once noisy playground gradually quieted down.

As the curtain slowly rose and the actors took to the stage, Lu Meiyin opened with a high-pitched and clear voice. Several male students, including Song Linfeng and Xue Wei, took the lead in applauding and cheering, which inspired the villagers in the audience to join in the applause.

Applause surged like a tide, spreading from the front of the stage to every corner of the audience. Several militiamen stood on the periphery of the crowd, holding their rifles, watching the play with glee, occasionally shouting "Bravo!"

Tomorrow they will be returning to the county town. While others are busy singing and watching operas, Chen Xiangdong, Qin Pangzi, and Li Qiufen are busy washing pots and stoves, and then carrying them into the classroom one by one.

The playground is crowded with all sorts of people. If someone were to steal something, like an iron pot or a kitchen knife, we'd be in trouble for food tomorrow.

After tidying up the kitchen, Chen Xiangdong said something to Qin Pangzi and was about to head to the playground to watch the show when he caught a glimpse of two figures out of the corner of his eye, crouching furtively behind the corner of the wall outside the row of classrooms.

He stopped in his tracks, squinted, and, by the dim light coming through the classroom window, saw the two men, one short and stocky, the other tall and thin, sticking their butts out and peering into one of the classrooms.

Strange, why aren't these two going to see the play? What are they doing hiding here?

Chen Xiangdong frowned, a feeling that something was off about these two. But thinking back, he couldn't recall anything going wrong when he performed at Xiqiaopo in his previous life.

But after all, the trajectory of my life in this life has deviated somewhat from that of my previous life. Who knows, this might also be a variable caused by the flapping of my butterfly wings?

Thinking of this, he lifted his foot to walk over to the two men and ask them, when suddenly Qin Fatty's voice came from behind him: "Dongwazi, have you seen the oil drum? That's strange, I clearly remember putting it in the corner, where did it go?"

Chen Xiangdong could only turn his head and reply, "I was afraid rats would steal the oil, so I covered it with an iron bucket."

As soon as he finished speaking, when he turned around, the two people in the corner had vanished.

Chen Xiangdong blinked: "They ran away?"

Since they're gone, let's just leave them be. Maybe I was just overthinking it.

"Great! You sang well!"

"That woman has a really loud voice!"

Cheers erupted from the audience again. Chen Xiangdong walked backstage, past several actors who were changing costumes in preparation for the second performance, and walked behind the curtain. He saw Zhu Zheng sitting with the drum and troupe musicians, listening to Liu Dezhu's drumbeats, humming along to the rhythm.

"Well, that guy took my seat." Chen Xiangdong clicked his tongue, secretly glared at Zhu Zheng's back, and could only go to the audience to stand and watch the show.

He left the backstage area, walked around to the last row of the audience seats, leaned against the big poplar tree by the playground, put his hands in his pockets, and was just about to listen to the opera properly when he suddenly felt someone pat his arm from behind.

"Brother, are you from the county opera troupe?"

Chen Xiangdong turned his head and saw a slightly shorter, handsome young man with long hair looking around anxiously.

Chen Xiangdong was certain he had never seen this person before, and asked calmly, "What's wrong?"

The man was Li Mancang. He lowered his voice and asked, "Brother, do you know Lin Gouwa?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangdong's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Where is he? How do you know Lin Gouwa?"

When Li Mancang saw that Chen Xiangdong indeed knew Lin Gouwa, a look of joy appeared on his face. He grabbed Chen Xiangdong's sleeve and pleaded, "Brother, please save me! Lin Gouwa and I have both fallen into a den of thieves. They're forcing me to steal things. I don't want to be a thief! Those people are currently mixed in with the audience, ready to steal things."

Chen Xiangdong instantly recalled the scene he had witnessed by the stream at noon—that figure was indeed Lin Gouwa! But a question remained: "Why did you think of asking me for help? Why didn't you go to the militia?"

Li Mancang bit his lip and shook his head: "Scarface's relatives work in the Xiqiaopo Commune compound. I'm afraid they'll tie me up before I even report them."

Chen Xiangdong frowned, subconsciously glancing at the militiamen watching the play and the leaders of Xiqiaopo Commune sitting in the front row of the audience. He dared not gamble that any of these people might be related to that gang of thieves.

He was a complete stranger in this place, and at only fourteen years old, he was no match for the locals. The only people he could truly rely on were the theater troupe.

After a moment's thought, he said to Li Mancang, "You hide around here, and I'll go find someone reliable to help me."

After saying that, he turned around and hurriedly ran towards the backstage drum and music troupe. Zhu Zhengwei was still sitting behind Liu Dezhu, listening to the opera with his eyes half-closed and tapping the rhythm on his thigh with one hand, looking like he was listening intently.

Chen Xiangdong leaned closer and whispered in Zhu Zhengkuo's ear, "Secretary Zhu, I have something important to report to you!"

Zhu Zhengkuo suddenly widened his eyes, turned his head and saw Chen Xiangdong, and was immediately surprised: "What's wrong?"

Chen Xiangdong didn't explain much, but simply gestured to him, indicating that he wanted to talk in private.

Zhu Zhengkuo didn't ask any more questions, got up and followed Chen Xiangdong out of the backstage area.

Once outside the shed, Chen Xiangdong recounted the whole story, emphasizing that Scarface had relatives in the commune.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhengkuo's face first showed surprise, then a serious expression appeared on his face as he looked towards the front row of the audience. He said in a deep voice, "Take that Li Mancang backstage. No matter how bold those thieves are, they won't dare to barge in now. I'll go directly to the secretary of Xiqiaopo Commune to negotiate. With their top leader there, no one will dare to cause trouble!"

After saying that, he glanced at Chen Xiangdong again: "If the evidence is conclusive and the theft gang is caught, I will apply for this year's Outstanding Individual Award for you."